Frequent Miler

I recently had the pleasure of flying KLM business class on three long haul flights: Vancouver to Amsterdam aboard a Boeing 777; Kuala Lumpur to Amsterdam aboard a Boeing 787-9; and Amsterdam to Chicago aboard a Boeing 787-10. For details about how I booked these flights with airline miles, see this post.

KLM Business Class Review (Boeing 777, 787-9, and 787-10) “This is not Emirates”

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The Shy Green

Salt Life Beer, a beloved brand synonymous with ocean enthusiasts and craft beer lovers, is facing turbulent times as it files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Known for its crisp and refreshing lager inspired by the sea, Salt Life Beer has become a staple for those who cherish the ocean's allure.

Another famous beer brand is going bankrupt and will file for Chapter 11

Chicago, IL

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Foodie in Chicago

Shortly before 3 AM, people in the Chicago area may have felt their houses shake as a 3.4-magnitude earthquake occurred about 60 miles west of the city. (CHICAGO) The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported a 3.4-magnitude earthquake around Somonauk, IL. Somonauk is in DeKalb and LaSalle Counties, 64 miles west of Chicago.

Did You Feel the Earthquake?

Lancaster County, PA

NewsByJoshua

Fans of Frisco's Chicken were left reeling as the beloved Peruvian-style eatery announced the closure of all its locations in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The chain, known for its delicious food and strong community values, posted a heartfelt note on its doors, informing customers of the devastating news.

Favorite Chicken Chain Suddenly Closes All Stores, Heartfelt Message Found on Doors

Alaska State

Bilt has announced their next set of Rent Day promotions and there’s a couple of excellent opportunities, both involving their newest transfer partner – Alaska Airlines. On July 1 you’ll be able to get a 25%-100% transfer bonus to Alaska based on your Bilt status, plus Bilt Gold and Platinum members can get MVP and MVP Gold status respectively through the end of the year. This status match is available right now through July 1.

Bilt Rent Day for July: Up to 100% Alaska Airlines transfer bonus + Alaska status match

Wells Fargo is out with a new cash back credit card called the Wells Fargo Attune World Elite Mastercard. This card looked marginally interesting at first glance, but the deeper I dig into it the more I think this could be a really interesting card for some categories that likely wouldn’t otherwise be bonused, like Disney World tickets, dance classes, marinas, campgrounds, tourist attractions and a lot more.

New Wells Fargo Attune card offers 4% back on Disney tickets, dance classes, golf courses and more

New York City, NY

Cheryl E Preston

Yesterday was the third time this year that an ad stating Chelsea Clinton lives in a beautiful Virginia home popped up on my laptop. My computer did not warn me this was a dangerous site, so this time, I clicked on the link.

Chelsea Clinton is rumored to be living in Virginia but probably still in NYC

Las Vegas, NV

Atlantic City, NJ

Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, NJ has long offered a status match for those with competing casino status all the way up to Ocean Prime status. We’ve covered that match pretty extensively in our post about How to get free cruises by gaming casino status matches. One of the other benefits of Ocean Prime status was a complimentary 2-night stay at Resorts World Las Vegas (I reviewed my complimentary stay at Conrad Las Vegas here). As of today (7/1/24), the partnership with Resorts World has ended, but some will be excited to see that Ocean is back to partnering with Wynn Las Vegas — so Ocean Prime members now get a complimentary 2-night stay at Wynn Las Vegas, which can be an incredibly valuable benefit.

Ocean Prime now offering 2 free nights at Wynn Las Vegas + $50 dining credit

Sonesta is a hotel chain with more than 1100 properties that we haven’t paid much attention to until Tim wrote a recent post about the Sonesta Travel Pass, a program that sort of came out of nowhere. In this week’s Coffee Break episode, we’ll chat more about why you shouldn’t siesta on Sonesta!

Podcast: Don’t take a siesta on Sonesta | Coffee Break Ep17 | 7-2-24

The 2024 Frequent Miler annual challenge is over, with Flying by the Seat of our Points being won by Tim (congrats again Tim!) Our 2024 team challenge Flying by the Seat of our Points tested our last minute award booking skills with a series of last minute travel challenges assigned and judged by Stephen and Carrie. Over the span of a week, Greg, Nick, and Tim used their knowledge, points, elite standings, and even upgrade instruments to tackle each challenge with the best combination of frugality and luxury they could, all before the next assignments were given. Final Scores: Tim won this challenge by the seat of his points!

The challenges of crafting the Flying by the Seat of our Points challenge

Indiana State

Franklin, IN

A wave of closures is hitting Pizza Hut, a pizza chain known for its iconic slanted-roof buildings, with 6,775 locations feeling the pinch in the tough restaurant industry landscape.

A well-known pizza chain with over 6K locations has begun closing some of its stores

Mark your calendars: if you have Bilt points, Monday will be a great day to consider transferring them. If you’d like to fly Air France or KLM in business class, we published a couple of helpful tricks this week, whether that’s how to find a calendar of availability or how to book via chat with Virgin Atlantic. Read about all that and a lot more in this Frequent Miler Week in Review.

Bigness from Bilt, tricks for booking Air France & KLM, updated hotel point values and more [Week in Review]

Hesperia, CA

Victorville, CA

The HD Post

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY – A new study by Apartment List, published June 20, found that Hesperia, Apple Valley and Victorville ranked in the top 10 nationally for super commuters.

High Desert cities rank in the top 10 nationally for super commuters

Virginia State

In Virginia, Drinking in public or offering another person alcohol in a public space is prohibited. This is a class 4 Misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $250.00. Under a new law that goes into effect on July 1, this will change to a degree.WDBJ7 reports that the prohibition on drinking or offering an alcoholic beverage to someone else in public will no longer apply under the following conditions.

Drinking in public will no longer be prohibited on private Campgrounds in Virginia beginning July 1

Upgraded Points has discovered a ton of standard award availability at the Conrad Bora Bora Nui during the Summer/early-Fall of 2024. Rooms are available between June and October, including multiple 5-night blocks(meaning it will work for 5th-night free stays). When there was wide open standard award availability a few months...

Conrad Bora Bora: Great availability July-September 2024

Click the card names below to go to our card-specific pages for more information and to find a link to apply. 75K Miles + up to $250 in statement credits ⓘ Affiliate. Limited-time offer: For a limited time, earn 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening, plus receive a one-time $250 Capital One Travel credit in your first cardholder year - that's equal to $1,000 in travel. Also, earn unlimited 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day.

Higher Capital One Venture Rewards welcome offer: 75k points + $250 Capital One Travel Portal credits

Hawaii State

Save up to 40% on flights to/from Hawaii with Southwest when using promo code HAWAII40. Up to 40 percent promotion code savings valid for round trip Wanna Get Away and Wanna Get Away Plus fares booked on Southwest.com from July 9-11, 2024 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time (the “Booking Period”) and flown between August 13-December 17, 2024 (the “Travel Period”).

Southwest Hawaii sale: Save up to 40% with promo code HAWAII40

I recently flew the first half of a round trip on Spirit Airlines, which gave me a chance to give a few aspects of the Spirit Airlines Free Spirit and Saver$ Club experience a spin, including the discount for booking at the airport vs the Savers Club and both of those as compared against using Spirit Free Spirit points to book. I don’t often think of Spirit or its programs, but this experience left me thinking that I really ought to consider using Spirit more often….while simultaneously teaching me now to get not just low value, but negative value from their points.

Taking Spirit for a spin to test the value of the Savers Club and Free Spirit points

Receive $300 after opening a new Chase Total Checking account and setting up a direct deposit. Receive $200 after opening a new Chase Savings account, depositing a total of $15,000 or more in new money within 30 days, and then maintaining a $15,000 balance for 90 days. Receive $900 by...

$900 bonus with a new Chase checking and savings account

Illinois State

Every year, new laws that were passed the prior year go into effect on July 1. In 2024, a number of new laws will begin this Monday. Among them include higher wages for tipped employees, a gas tax increase, and driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants.

New Laws July 1: Driver's Licenses for Undocumented Migrants, Raises for Tipped Workers, and More

NewsBreak

Qatar A320 Business Class Review (Phenomenal!)

I’ve flown Qatar Airways several times now and have found that service seems to range from fine to extraordinary. On my recent flight from Zagreb to...

Qatar A320 Business Class Review (Phenomenal!)

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