The Lab

Loyalty Programs

Turning a £70 Thursday Pub Habit Into Two Marriott Elite Night Credits

May 1, 2026

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2 min read

Turning a £70 Thursday Pub Habit Into Two Marriott Elite Night Credits

How a £249 cash rate (no points, no certificates) became a net-positive stay after stacking Amex offers, Marriott promos, and our existing routine.

Expat Vista

Amex Platinum

Apr 30, 2026

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2 min read

The Cost of Untested Constraints

Why small assumptions quietly change how you spend

Expat Vista

Expat Logistics

Apr 27, 2026

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2 min read

The FX Spread You Don’t See

A real $11,100 transfer and how retail banks actually price currency

Expat Vista

Hilton

Trying to Do It Again: Manufacturing Another FNC

Apr 22, 2026

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5 min read

Trying to Do It Again: Manufacturing Another FNC

Removing the final 240,000 Hilton points from a Calala booking by creating another Free Night Certificate, and the portfolio decisions required to do it

Expat Vista

Netherlands

Apr 12, 2026

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5 min read

Testing Hilton Credits Abroad: Netherlands

Same test as London, with different outcomes across Hilton-operated and SLH properties

Expat Vista

Amex Platinum

Mar 30, 2026

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3 min read

Hilton Credits in London: What Triggers

Testing how payments are processed across hotel bars and restaurants

Expat Vista

MGM

Does Cancelling a Comp Stay Affect MGM Offers?

Mar 21, 2026

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4 min read

Does Cancelling a Comp Stay Affect MGM Offers?

A small test of booking intent vs. actual behavior

Expat Vista

Expat Logistics

You Can Use Amex Abroad. We Didn’t Even Need to Try.

Mar 19, 2026

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4 min read

You Can Use Amex Abroad. We Didn’t Even Need to Try.

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant dining credit in London, tracked over 41 months

Expat Vista

Expat Logistics

Mar 10, 2026

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3 min read

The Cost of Collecting

The final stage of a Capital One Offers experiment from abroad

Expat Vista

The Lab

Marriott Gift Cards at Hotels: A London Field Test

Mar 7, 2026

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6 min read

Marriott Gift Cards at Hotels: A London Field Test

Trying to trigger a £75 Amex rebate without booking a stay

Expat Vista

MGM

Mar 1, 2026

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6 min read

Will MGM Still Comp Me?

A light stay, a small trim, and what the model did next

Expat Vista

MGM

Feb 23, 2026

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6 min read

Why Is MGM Comping Me?

How casino loyalty models price identity and captured spend.

Expat Vista

Hilton

Feb 19, 2026

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4 min read

Calala Island: Committing to the Rebate

Free Night Certificates, 480,000 points, and the execution risk behind a $2,510 post-stay wire.

Expat Vista

Expat Logistics

Feb 10, 2026

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6 min read

What Came After

Capital One Offers, tested from abroad

Expat Vista

Amex Platinum

Feb 7, 2026

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6 min read

Taking One for the (Expat) Team

Testing Amex’s New Q3 Resy Credit From Outside the U.S.

Expat Vista

Expat Logistics

Jan 30, 2026

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9 min read

Capital One Offers: A Test From Abroad

A real-time experiment using Capital One Offers outside the US

Expat Vista

Expat Logistics

Designing a Family Priority Pass System After the Rule Changes

Jan 18, 2026

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7 min read

Designing a Family Priority Pass System After the Rule Changes

How we adapted, what still works, and how others can position themselves now

Expat Vista

Expat Logistics

Turning a $100 Splurge Credit into Immediate Marriott Reimbursement

Jan 4, 2026

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5 min read

Turning a $100 Splurge Credit into Immediate Marriott Reimbursement

A case study in redirecting an expiring retail credit abroad

Expat Vista

The Lab

Turning a £70 Thursday Pub Habit Into Two Marriott Elite Night Credits

The Cost of Untested Constraints

The FX Spread You Don’t See

Trying to Do It Again: Manufacturing Another FNC

Testing Hilton Credits Abroad: Netherlands

Hilton Credits in London: What Triggers

Does Cancelling a Comp Stay Affect MGM Offers?

You Can Use Amex Abroad. We Didn’t Even Need to Try.

The Cost of Collecting

Marriott Gift Cards at Hotels: A London Field Test

Will MGM Still Comp Me?

Why Is MGM Comping Me?

Calala Island: Committing to the Rebate

What Came After

Taking One for the (Expat) Team

Capital One Offers: A Test From Abroad

Designing a Family Priority Pass System After the Rule Changes

Turning a $100 Splurge Credit into Immediate Marriott Reimbursement

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