Milenomics² Podcast Episode 251: A Wave of Amex Shutdowns and a Hawaii Trip Report. (Patreon)

0:21 Amex Monday Massacre 

• Horrible Day of Shutdowns

• Seems to be relatively widespread

• Hit close to home

• Both of us not shutdown

• What (if anything) makes this different than previous waves of shutdowns

• How to move forward? Do we move forward? 

• Example: Is anyone doing dining on a fluz resy card?

• Are more waves coming? If so this does not seem good for fluz

• Keeping all balances (fluz, MR and others) low

21:15 Amex No Lifetime Language Links

• Business Gold 125k (FM)

• Hilton and potentially other offers floating around

• Just because we can apply for these, should we? 

• P1 vs P2 considerations, slots open, these are worth doing

• NLL links to ‘start the clock’ for 90 day duplicates. 

23:34 Alaska Pays me not to Fly

• This trip was a provisional booked a few months back. 

• The anchor was Alaska flights booked with 5000 alaska and $5.60 each way

• I got an email asking if we would consider moving -2 days from Friday departure to Wednesday. 

• In Return Alaska would give me $140 in flight vouchers for the outbound. 

• A day or two later I received an offer for $220 to move the return trip up to Sat.

• Took the offers, redeemed them, then cancelled both flights

• Nice ‘trick’ these can be loaded into any account, which means by not flying this flight I’ve actually added more to my alaska wallet than I’ve used up.

• Cancelled the flights for a full refund 

• I’m going the wrong direction with this airline!

30:28  US Bank Business Credit Cards: Set up your Business Profile

• Unsure how I missed this in the past, other than maybe I was paying balances and pushing payments before statements cut.

• Business cards from US Bank show your balance until the statement cuts. Then this balance gets transferred to your ‘central billing account’ on a hidden business profile. 

• Bonkers because your balance on the card itself will show $0.00 even with a payment due.

• You’ll need to set up a business profile to see your balances. 

• Great way to obscure the due date, payment amount and earn late fees US Bank

• If you got a triple cash or a leverage you’ll need to do this. 

• BofA Level bonkers here

34:45 Hawaii Trip Report

Plan Review

• Outbound Saturday morning: BOS - HNL Hawaiian nonstop

• 2 Nights at Aulani

• 4 Nights at Four Seasons Lanai

• Return Friday afternoon redeye: HNL - BOS Hawaiian nonstop

35:38 Hawaiian First was Great (at first)

• Came in with no/low expectations but wow - what a great first impression

• Spacious cabin, friendly flight attendants, great menu and pre-departure beverages

• Took off on time but oddly stayed at about 10,000 feet for…a solid 90 minutes

• Captain came on and said, without much specificity about the nature of the issue, that we had to turn back to Boston

• This is the longest domestic flight in the US, blocked for a solid 11+ hours, so he then had to dump fuel to make weight which took another hour+

• We get back to Boston around 11a (after an 8a departure) and they tell us to stay close to the gate

• Another hour goes by and they finally make an announcement saying the flight might go out tonight, or tomorrow, but our bags are ready to be reclaimed downstairs, there are no hotels at the airport, and no hotels in Boston for that matter (both of which are untrue and absurd) and advised locals to go home and await word

• Took over an hour to collect our bags because they were overflowing on carousel because nobody on the flight was coming down to collect their bags

• Making matters worse? A snow and ice storm coming in Saturday night into Sunday morning, further complication options.

• Pretty terrible communication from Massport (the general purpose gate agents who handle the gate for airlines like Hawaiian that have just a few flights coming and going) and Hawaiian as well

• Went home, got an update that our flight would go out at 11p! But then the flight was cancelled altogether, and confusingly and concurrently we were reaccomodated on a new flight number the next day, scheduled to depart at noon. That flight was then delayed further to 6p. 34 hours after our initially scheduled departure.

38:35 Discuss

• Backup Flights

• There was a 10:20a Delta nonstop flight I could have booked as a backup, but when I checked a few months prior to the flight there was only 1 seat remaining in Delta One, and they wanted 250,000 miles pp one-way for it

• Even if I’d booked that flight, I would have cancelled it when we took off, and…we didn’t even return to the gate in time to catch it (plus checked bags would have made it impossible)

• Rolling Delays

• I find these are the hardest to adjust to, especially when it’s the first Saturday of a school break. Because there aren’t good options to flank to airfare wise. And even from an accommodations perspective - a lot of options are sold out the Saturday night of a holiday weekend.

• Damage Control

• What to do about Disney Aulani, luau, ground transportation cancellations on short notice?

• What to do to secure short-notice accommodations near HNL for the newly predicted (and constantly changing) departure/arrival times? Just wait until you get there? What about using a free night cert to book a hotel you arrive at without notice at 5a for example?

• Change our arrival date at Lanai? Can the hotel accommodate? What about Lanai Air connections? What a mess!

• I’d say, “Why even plan?” but I see what happens if you don’t plan. Rates are through the roof, things are sold out, and the ability to use booking instruments effectively dries up.

• Hawaiian Make-good Offer

• $500 pp in name-locked travel credits that expire in a year

Late Hawaiian Fare Change Adjustment

• While looking at other flight options to flank to, I noticed a seat (just one) for the “unicorn” price of 40,000 miles per-person one-way in First.

• Recall that I’d originally booked this for $500 in Economy + 50,000 Hawaiian to upgrade to First (out of JFK)

• Then I later changed it to depart out of BOS, but needed to add an additional $200 to the base fare 

• Further complicating things, the original economy base fare was booked through the CapitalOne travel portal (to eradicate 2x$300 travel credits) a year ago (when I originally booked this flight in 2024)

• I called Hawaiian (Platinum Pualani don’t you know) enquiring whether I could get a fare adjustment for one of the tickets - knowing full well it was possible but complicated

• I was just about to give it up but the rep encouraged me to book the seat for 40k, and she’d put in a refund request for the $700 + 50,000 once secured

• I didn’t have the miles to do that, so I transferred 40,000 from Alaska to Hawaiian. That didn’t come through instantly - the rep cited the same thing the online transfer form says, that it can take up to 72 hours. So I transferred 40k Amex which did go through instantly (note: The Alaska -> Hawaiian transfer did process minutes later, but it’s slightly slower than Amex).

• Then I booked the flight for 40k. Once it appeared healthy the rep separated me from the itinerary and cancelled/refunded my flight.

• I truly have no idea where the funds and miles are going to show up. I’ll be patient and look into it later if it doesn’t materialize.

• I couldn’t select seats on the new booking (see agent) but hopefully it works.

• Pretty wild to be able to do this on a flight that was effectively diverted/canceled/reborn with a new flight number.

• Late update: This failed, a refund of the 40,000 came instead of the higher priced older booking.

47:37 Ka La'i Waikiki Beach, LXR Hotels & Resorts

• Needed a hotel from 3a ‘til noon

• Didn’t realize until looking, there’s an LXR in Hawaii now

• 110,000/nt -or- $650 -or- a Free Night Certificate that was expiring in a couple weeks

• Fantastic hotel. Spacious room. Very comfortable bed. No problem booking entry-level room for 2 and getting a complimentary upgrade to a room with a Queen sofa that accommodate 3rd guest.

• Outstanding buffet. There’s a $50/nt Diamond credit. Breakfast was $150. Marched down to the front desk to use $50 Amex Business Platinum credits to pay for the overage and…somehow they comped our entire breakfast. Just can’t shake these credits.

• First time visiting Waikiki and…I don’t think it’s for me. I don’t like how the hotels relate to the beach. Walked around a bit then bounced to the Pearl Harbor Memorial. You can visit there for free, walk around and look at information plaques, and watch a movie without booking an appointment to ride the ferry over to the Arizona memorial. They’ve got a portable where you can check bags for a fee (like $10 per bag). Worthwhile visit. Heard about Amex shutdowns coming down while there which helped put it in perspective.

57:02 Lana’i Air HNL - Lanai

• Charter flight included with paid stays at Four Seasons Lanai

• Just a fantastic experience in both directions

• Left Pearl Harbor Memorial at noon for a 2p flight

• Since we got there at 12:20 they put us on the 1p flight (they seem to leave every hour)

• 8 person plane on the way there, 20 on the way back

• Didn’t touch our bags again until we got to our hotel room in Lanai

• Private waiting rooms with beverages and snacks

• Flight is 20 minutes

• Absolutely fantastic, to the point where transiting to Lanai is nicer than larger islands with commercial flights

59:18 Four Seasons Lanai

• Just an absolutely fantastic stay from beginning to end

• Kind of what I wished Four Seasons Nevis was (but was not)

• Booked through Four Seasons Preferred Partner (Robin from Luxe Recess). Included complimentary breakfast for 2 (covered 3 on most days), $100 stay credit, and upgrade. Strategically booked 2nd to cheapest room to avoid a lame upgrade. Resulted in an upgrade from “Partial Ocean View” to “Oceanfront” - which was a pretty big price difference and a very nice room.

• Outstanding food across the board (Nobu, breakfasts were great, golf course restaurant, casual restaurant very useful)

• Complimentary laundry service with 24 hour turn time (would have been great to know in advance to reduce packing load)

• Outstanding service, smallish pools (one for families, one for guests 21+) with somehow ample seating. Beach is a short walk nearby with chair setup, towels, and food (but no alcohol). Nice beach.

• Activities

• Golfed every day. Probably the nicest course I’ve ever played. Loved every minute of it. Kids under 18 are free after noon when accompanied by adult. Includes food & beverages during round (including alcohol). Very low traffic with views for days. Hard to concentrate on golf with whales breaching off the coast. Pricey but amazing.

• 4 hour “holoholo” island tour. Rented Jeep with two guides in another Jeep with two-way radio for information. Shore fishing. Lunch. Stopped in small town of Lanai City for a stop at the grocery store. Later at Lanai City Grill (shuttle from hotel) which was great as well.

• 3 hour Snorkel Sail. 6 guests and 3 crew on a catamaran that holds 50+ people. 30 minute ride, 1.5 hrs snorkeling. Lunch w/beverages. Outstanding.

• Observatory experience.

• Felt like I visited Lana’i specifically more than Hawaii generally

1:08:20 Return Flight: HNL - BOS Hawaiian First (again)

• Longest domestic flight currently. 11 hours east to west, 9 hours back home.

• Actually pretty great flight time: Boston to Europe is almost too short overnight, Boston to Asia is…long. This one is just right. Dinner, a movie or too. Nap. Breakfast. Arrive.

• 130k Hawaiian pp one-way

• Comfortable lie-flat seat with mattress pad, blanket, and pillow. Bed is long enough to enable stretching out.

• Starlink Wi-Fi is fantastic. Easy connection and works really well. 150+ mbps speedtest. Combined with power outlets on First seats this made time fly by when awake -or- asleep.

• Terrific in-flight experience. Now watch: Alaska is going to kill the route and eliminate lie-flats.

1:09:34 Bottom Line Puzzlers

• Is Hawaii worth it from the east coast? “Why go to Hawaii when we have the Caribbean nearby?”

• Would you go back to Lana’i in the future? Or explore other islands?