My Least Favorite Card Gets A Little Better

One of my least favorite airline credit cards is the Barclay's US Airways Mastercard.

Personally, the credit card is only good for its primary benefit of miles after one purchase. At the moment, one can earn between 25,000 to 40,000 miles after one swipe of the card. There are multiple different offers out there. Very few credit cards give benefits like this any more.

My dislike for the card comes from its secondary benefits or the lack there of:

Notice something missing?

Most airline credit cards offer a free checked bag when purchasing the ticket with the credit card. United's card does. Delta's American Express does as well. American Airlines's card offer the first checked bag benefit as well. US Airways' credit card has not offered a free checked bag.  The benefit is so common that I often forget that US Airways doesn't offer it - costing me $$$ to check a bag.

Well that's all changing April 30th.

Maybe its time to rethink this card?

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Want To Buy An Airline?

Ever want to buy an airline? Would you still buy it if the planes did not come with the deal? Confused?

According to Skift.com, India's Kingfisher Airlines may be up for sale.

Photo Credit: www.fnbpeterstown.com

Kingfisher Airlines is in debt to various banks in the sum of around $1.16 Billion USD. In October 2012, Kingfisher's operation license was suspended Directorate General Of Civil Aviation and has since expire. With the company making no money, the banks that hold the debt are anxious to collect something on the paper that they hold.

According to Skift, the company pledged the Kingfisher brand as collateral for some of their loans and one of the banks is looking to off load the brand.

"The airline gave the “Kingfisher” brand as collateral to bankers. The Kingfisher brand was valued at Rs.3,000 crore (US $501 million) by audit firm Grant Thornton India some five years ago.

The list of trademarks offered include “fly kingfisher” (label), “fly kingfisher”, “flying models”, “fly the good times”, “funliner”, “kingfisher” and “flying bird device”. 

There is a disagreement about who really held/holds the Kingfisher brand trademark.

"On 14 February 2013, United Breweries, the parent company of Kingfisher Airlines, said that it fully owns the Kingfisher brand that is registered by the company under trademark classes pertaining to alcoholic beverages and that this hasn’t been hypothecated or pledged to any lender to secure loans, contradicting the contention of creditors to the airline that’s part of the UB group.

A senior UB Group executive said the beer and airline brands were “different” and they are covered under different categories. “UB Group has not pledged the beer brand for loans to Kingfisher Airlines,” he added."

Why did I say above that you can buy an airline without the planes? Well, the creditors have already starting liquidating those assets.

Therefore, you can buy an airline, but just not the planes.

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Banana Republic CC Offer

Banana Republic sent me an email with an interesting offer. If I added an Authorized User to my credit card account, they would give me a $10 Reward Certificate.

Check your email if you got this offer. According to the email, you can add the "authorized user" in your online profile or calling 1-800-234-7455.

I am going to pass on this offer, because I don't have anyone to add as authorized user. If you got this offer, I would consider adding one of your college-aged students to your account. By adding your child, you can help build there credit. Afraid that they might use the credit card inappropriately? Don't give them the card to use. On the flip side, do not add your child without there permission. Too many of my young mortgage applicants have credit cards on their credit reports that they don't know about. Most of them were credit cards that they were authorized users on from their parents. While it helps build their credit, it can hurt them.

Did you get this offer?

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Offer from Bank of America

I got an email from Bank of America Alaska Airlines credit card. While I signed up for it, I probably won't use it.

The offer is triple the miles (3X) on purchased made with the Alaska Airlines credit card on qualifying Home Improvement stores through June 30, 2014.

The purchases can be made at hardware, interior furnishing and garden supply stores.As I am renter, I don't really have a need for items from a Home Improvement stores. However, I signed up for the promotion anyways, because who knows what will occur in the next three months.

Did you get this offer?

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MBL Travel Schedules

Website, Baseball Savant, has come up with a cool interactive chart that lets you explore how far each MLB team will travel on the road this season. The Seattle Mariners win the distinction of having to travel the farthest this year with just over 51,500 miles.

My team the Washington Nationals have to travel only 60% of that:

The Mariners winning the distinction of furthest travel is shocking since Dodgers and Diamondbacks had to travel to and from Australia.

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Saying Goodbye to A Friend

Saying goodbye to a friend is never easy. Especially someone who you have become close to for about 10 years. A friend that has travel the world with you to Europe, Africa, Asia and South America with me. Who am I talking about? My passport!

For Thanksgiving in 2012, I wrote that I am thankful for what the passport stands for: being an American. The truth is that I am thankful for my passport. This combination of cardboard and paper opened the world to me. When I applied for the passport in August 2004, I had never left the United States. I applied for the passport for an upcoming Spring Break trip to London, which never happened. Never in my wildest dreams did I think 10 years later would I have visited Asia, Europe, Africa and South America. 2 continents shy of my goal of visiting all 7 by the age of 30.

Over the past 10 years, my passport has become one of my closest friends. Many of the trips I have taken have been solo. The only thing that has been with me on every trip has been my passport. Its been with me on every trip in my pocket, in my pouch across my chest, or under the airplane seat. I lose it all the time on the airplane. My recent trip to Canada will be my last with this passport. Its time to get it renewed. :(

Here is a quick look of every country that left a mark in my passport:

• Belgium - August 2005
• France - September 2005
• Ireland -September 2005
• Scotland - October 2005
• Italy - October 2005
• Switzerland - October 2005
• Cyprus -November 2005
• Austria - November 2005
• Serbia - November 2005
• Bosnia Herzegovina - November 2005
• Croatia - November 2005
• England - March 2006
• Spain - February 2009
• Canada - August 2010
• Germany - February 2012
• Burkina Faso - February 2012
• Niger - February 2012
• Mali - February 2012
• Portugal - February 2012
• Japan - December 2012
• Argentina - November 2013
• Canada - March 2014
• United States - to many times

I have traveled to many more countries, but within Europe travel between countries results in no stamps. Regardless, in 10 years, I think I did pretty well traveling the world part time.

Well good friend, its been nice knowing you. Enjoy retirement.

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Chinese Travel Sites Blocking Malaysian Airlines

The International Business Times is reporting that the top Chinese travel websites have joined a boycott of Malaysian Airlines. 

"Several of China’s largest online ticketing and travel booking portals have joined the public outrage, announcing the refusal to issue tickets using Malaysia Airlines, and instead, allowing customers to book flights to the Southeast Asian nation through other Chinese airlines. Agencies like eLong, LY.com, Qunar and Mango, which are some of China’s most popular travel websites, say that their new Malaysia Airlines-free services will last indefinitely."

I understand the outrage in China, but this is a major step by travel websites which could result in further problems between China and Malaysia. The websites' decision to ban Malaysian Airlines is a direct result of to current public outrage. 

"The online response to the ticketing ban and refunds has been very positive among users, which can often be an appropriate gauge of a company, brand or person’s public perception. “This is the solidarity we need. They [Malaysian Airlines] need to be accountable to all of us,” one person said, reposting the statement by eLong."

The question is how long will these websites continue the ban. Is this indefinite? My guess is the ban will last for a month to a few months. Not all travel booking sites are joining the ban. One of them is Ctrip, one of China's leading travel websites. Eventually, the money lost in Malaysian Airline sales will override the public pressure and you will be able to buy Malaysian tickets on sites again.
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