I'm Guilty of Being Disorganized

This past weekend, I realized that I do a terrible job managing this points game. To be truly successful in this game, you need to be very very organized.

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In my "other" life, I am super organized. Every client has a file, note sheet detailing interactions, important dates in my calender etc. I know exactly where every file is within the process, very few things fall between the cracks like it should.

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On the other hand, I am terribly unorganized in my points life. I have no system to remind me to cancel credit cards, track which promotions I am registered for or the progress of those promotions. I rely way to heavily on my memory to hand it all. The result has been costly.

For instance, I wrote here about a Spring promotion from Chase Hyatt that would earn me 5,000 Gold Passport points for spending $3,000 in 3 months. For a few months, I was waiting for the points to post. After a while, I called Chase to learn the status of the points and learned that I had only spent $2,800 in the required 3 months. DUH!

Similarly, I wrote in this post, that I planned to cancel my Chase United credit card. Well, I didn't cancel the card immediately. When I did call to cancel, I learned that I was past the 60 day period to get my annual fee refunded. DUH! The card is still active and I will keep it for another year. My justification is that United offers bonuses for those with their credit card through their partners every once in the while ( ie 21 miles per $1 @ Shoes.com).

These mistakes aren't cheap. The United card comes with a $95 annual fee. The lose of 5,000 Hyatt points is a little more difficult to calculate. However, upgrades to better rooms can be had a 6,000 points. Therefore, I left a few upgrade on the table by forgetting to spend an additional $200.

My points' life isn't a complete mess. I do use AwardWallet and Points.com to keep track of my frequent flyer account numbers and balances. In addition, AwardWallet helps me keep track of my future travel itineraries ensuring I never miss a flight or hotel stay.

I need something like AwardWallet for promotions. For instance, I am working on the following promotions:

1) Spend $3,000 on Chase Southwest card; earn 3,000 Rapid Reward points

2) Spend $6,000 on Chase Hyatt card; earn 6,000 Gold Passport Points

3) Make 5 $50+ purchases on US Airways; earn 2,500 miles

4) Spend $500 on US Airways at Gas Stations, Restaurants or Department Stores; earn 2,500 miles

Here is my progress so far on them:

1) Southwest: Spent $2,800, Left $200

2) Hyatt: Spent $1,700, Left $4,300

3) US Airways: Made 3 $50+ purchases: Need 2 More

4) US Airways: Spent $270, Left $230

My fear is that I am going to forget one of these promotions, leaving points on the table. To avoid this from occurring, I have added reminders to my Google calender.

Hopefully, these reminders will help me ensure that I complete the promotions. Otherwise, I wasted my daily credit card spend on nothing.

How do you keep track of things?



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A Great Day Yesterday

Chase is being very generous again. They are offering various points bonus to encourage people to spend money on various credit cards. Yesterday, I received my third bonus offer from Chase Hyatt.

This time the offer is spend $6,000 by the end of 2013 and earn 6,000 Hyatt Gold Passport Points.

Others are reporting that they have received emails offering 5,000 points after spending $3,000 in 3 months. This is similar to my previous two offers.

This offer would be good on its own. However, I received a similar offer from my Personal Southwest Visa.

If I spend $5,000 in 3 months I will earn 3,000 bonus Rapid Rewards points.

Neither of the offers are jump up and down amazing. However, since I don't have any minimum spends to hit, I will move my spending over to these cards.

Did you get any offers from Chase?

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The Suite Life @ Grand Hyatt Washington, DC

For the blog's 1st Anniversary Party, I decided to get a suite at Grand Hyatt located in downtown Washington, DC. The hotel is located at the corner of H and 11 Street.

Picture from Trip Advisor

The hotel was $125 a night. I booked on the AAA rate. To get the suite, I used my last suite certificate provided to me from Chase Hyatt Visa for being a platinum member.

When you enter the Grand Hyatt, your first impression is wow. The place is huge and some much is going around. The first thing you notice is how big the place actually is. The lobby is a circle with much natural light.

When I arrived, a tour bus just pulled up and unloaded 50 guests. I was a little nervous as I only had 2 hours before the party started. However, the bell hop asked me if I had status. After I told him I had platinum status, he brought me right to the front desk cutting 40+ waiting in line. Thank you Chase Hyatt. The check-in desk is to the left of the lobby.

The center of the lobby looks down into a water with a piano.

                           

The room I was given was a Grand King Suite. The suite consisted of a living room and a bedroom.

                             
                              

As you see, the room was spacious and very modern. I liked the different color of greens throughout the living room.

The bedroom had a king bed, a desk and large cabinets: 

                                    

 

The bathroom had a separate shower, jet hot tube (did not work) and vanity. The bathroom was the only thing that did not fit in the room. It had an old feel to it.

The suite was a perfect size for the party.

I used the gym in the morning. 

                          


One of the coolest things in the hotel is the American Flag hanging from the glass ceiling in the lobby. One a sunny day, the flag is amazing. I recommend going to the top floor for the best view.

The hotel has a restaurant on the floor below the lobby. I did not get to try it out due to front desk not telling me the breakfast ends at 10am. The front desk failing to tell me my breakfast vouchers expired at 10am was just the tip of the iceberg on the qualify of the customer service level of the staff. In addition, the whirl pool hot tub and the refrigerator in my room did not work. I wrote here about the problems with the hotel. So far my complaints have gone unanswered.

Would I stay here again? Maybe

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