Limited Time: Nordic Choice Status Match

For a limited time the
Nordic Choice hotels program is offering a complimentary status match to
members from various elite programs, including Hilton & IHG.

This means if you hold
a credit card that gives complimentary elite status, such as the IHG credit
card, you’ll be able to match your status with Nordic Choice.

You can submit your
match request here. Do note the
page is in Finnish but you can easily use google translate.

I was able to match my Hilton Diamond status to Nordic Choice Platinum.

While Choice hotels in
the US may have a bit of a jaded reputation, the Choice brand in Scandinavia is
quite strong with hotels catering to business travelers.

Many Choice hotels in Scandinavia
offer complimentary breakfast, which is no small benefit considering the high
cost of food in the region. This isn’t your typical toast and egg spread
either, with the food selection more in line with a brunch buffet.

Breakfast at the Clarion Stockholm

Benefits for Elite Choice members

Benefits for Gold &
Platinum members are quite strong, with a late check out up to 6 PM, 125 KR
(around $20) food and drink voucher, and even guaranteed room upgrades for
Platinum members.

Not only that, platinum
members can use any Choice hotel gym for absolutely no charge, even when not
staying at the hotel! If you happen to be living near a Choice hotel, this
could work out to hundreds of dollars in saved gym membership fees!

Benefits for US domestic travelers

If you’re not planning
on traveling to Scandinavia in the near future, you may still find value with
Choice’s partnership with Hertz. Gold and Platinum members are eligible for a
status match to Hertz President’s Circle.

You can apply for your
status match here.

This is a
nice little backdoor way to free car upgrades and guaranteed availability.

Using Points

Choice Hotels
Scandinavia hotels can be booked with Choice points, which open quite a few
redemption opportunities. It’s quite common to see hotels costing around
10,000-15,000 points per night, which is quite reasonable.

There is a Choice
credit card, although with a sign up bonus of only 25,000 miles, I personally
wouldn’t apply for the card.

Instead, I’d recommend
directly purchasing points from Choice. Choice frequently runs promotions of
30% bonus points or more.

I was able to stay at
the Clarion Stockholm for only $70 worth of Choice points, a bargain
considering the going rate was over $200 a night.

How to Status Match:

Simply go to this link and submit your details, along with a screenshot of your current hotel statement.
The page is in Finnish so just use Chrome and translate the page to English.
The process is quite simple and should take only a few minutes.

I was able to get
status matched within 48 hours.

Overall Thoughts:

I’d highly recommend
submitting a status match, especially if you’re planning on going to
Scandinavia in the near future. The complimentary Hertz Presidents Club status
is a nice perk for those who aren’t planning going to Scandinavia anytime soon. 

Trip Report: Watching The Tuna Auction At Tsukiji Fish Market

If you’ve read any travel book or searched online on things to do in Tokyo, the Tsukiji tuna fish auction is one of the few things that everyone can agree is a must see. Before the crack of dawn, hundreds of tuna buyers converge in a non-descript warehouse and participate in a unique tradition complete with hand gestures, cowbells, and a song like chant.

The release of the film Jiro Loves Sushi only helped further increase popularity of witnessing this live choreography. With only 120 spots made available for tourists each day the auction is held, arriving hours earlier is a must.

Getting up at 2:30 in the morning to watch the Tuna Auction at Tsukiji Fish Market

If you’ve read any travel book or searched online on things
to do in Tokyo, the Tsukiji tuna fish auction is one of the few things that
everyone can agree is a must see. Before the crack of dawn, hundreds of tuna
buyers converge in a non-descript warehouse and participate in a unique tradition
complete with hand gestures, cowbells, and a song like chant.

The release of the film Jiro
Loves Sushi only helped further increase popularity of witnessing this live
choreography. With only 120 spots made available for tourists each day the
auction is held, arriving hours earlier is a must.

My friend and I woke up bright and early at 2:30 AM. Since
public transport wasn’t open until 5:00 am, we grabbed an Uber ($30) and
arrived at the Tuna Auction around 3:30 AM. It turns out we made it in the nick
of time and we were given jackets for the second tour group.

No sooner than 20
minutes later, all the jackets had been handed out, and the unfortunate
tourists who came afterwards were turned away. After going through an adrenaline rush to get there, it was
time for us to sit down and wait for the auction to begin 2 hours later. The room
is as old school as it gets with no chairs and just a few cones marking where
we were allowed to sit. Eventually everyone succumbed to their tired legs and
sat on the floor.

Being crowded in a small room with 100 other travelers was
helped somewhat by the jovial mood of everyone who managed to make it on time.
It honestly felt like one of those summer camps from back home, except hearing
different languages from around the world. Most of the tourists were American
or Chinese, with an also healthy sprinkling of Europeans.

At 5:05 AM, the first group of 60 tourists was called up and
we were moved next to the door. By now the tired expressions of our group were
replaced by one filled with adrenaline. Finally at around 5:30 AM, the doors
were open and we marched outside in a single line to the Tuna auction
warehouse.

Tip: If you want to be
in the front row to get a clear view of the auction, make sure position
yourself next to the exit door.

On the way there, you’re guided through a beehive of
activity as the market is in full swing, with forklifts flying through in a
coordinated movement, only to screech to a halt when an unsuspecting tourist
gets in the way.

When you walk in, you’re directed behind roped off corridor.
For the first 10 minutes or so, we watched as potential buyers sampled the fat
content of each fish by taking a small chunk from its tail using a specialized
hook.

Each fish buyer has his own technique to tell how good
quality the tuna is and mentally calculates their highest bid.

The cowbells soon began ringing and multiple auctioneers climbed
their platform and began chanting in a song like fashion.

The process is a bit complicated, with buyers using a system
of hand signals to make their bids.

Within seconds, bluefish Tuna changes hands for as much as $10,000
each. As soon as the tuna is sold, it is marked with red paint and a yellow
piece of paper is placed on top indicating the price paid.

The doors are then opened and tuna are loaded into waiting forklifts
& trucks.

The entire auction happens at a blistering pace and before
we knew it the auction was over and it was time for us to leave.

As the sun rose over Tokyo, we headed to the outer market
for some of the world’s freshest sushi. The lines for the famed Sushi Dai was
rumored to be at least over two hours long, so we decided to wait in shorter
but still quite lengthy line for Sushi Daiwa. Our long wait was rewarded with the best sushi I’ve ever had
the pleasure of eating.

ESSENTIAL INFO:

To visit the auction, you’ll need to head to the Fish
Information Center which is located on the southeast corner of the market.

If you’re taking an Uber, I’ve marked the location below:

https://goo.gl/maps/VLyZhWvD3Jw

Tsukiji market is only open on certain days of the week, so
make sure to check the calendars below before you go:

http://www.tsukiji-market.or.jp/etc/calendar/2016.html

Transportation
Options:

There is no public transport in the early morning, so you’ll
either need to walk or take an Uber.

When to Arrive:

It is highly advised to get here by 3:30 AM at the very
latest as tourists are scrambling to visit the market before it moves to its
new location across the river.

Cost:

Entrance is Free.

Hot Deal – Wyndham offering 4x transfer bonus for SPG Points & Free Status Match

UPDATE: Wyndham has pulled the offer as it was apparent you could easily manipulate screenshots.

https://a.pgtb.me/dBfc49

Wyndham is about to launch an incredibly lucrative points transfer promotion to try and woo SPG loyalists.

Between 12 PM EST to
11:59 PM EST on October 11^th, for every 1 SPG point you donate, you’ll
receive 4 Wyndham points, as well as a status match to your current SPG status.

If you hold the American Express Platinum card, this means
you’ll be matched to Wyndham platinum status.

For those live internationally, Wyndham hotels is a hotel conglomerate
concentrating on the low to mid tier with brands such as Days Inn & Howard
Johnson. However, they do have a few high end properties that are worth looking
at.

Wyndham does have an interesting rewards program where it
costs 15,000 Wyndham points to stay at any Wyndham hotel, for any given day.
That means a stay at your local Days Inn costs the same as an all-inclusive
resort in the Bahamas.

With the 4x transfer bonus, this means 3,750 SPG points will give you one free night at
any Wyndham hotel in the world.

While most Wyndham places domestically are on the lower end
of the spectrum, internationally you’ll find many four star hotels that are definitely
worth 3,750 SPG points per night.

There are a few rules:

<!––>1.      
<!––>You must have less than 499 points remaining in
your account. You’ll need donate ALL your points to charity.

<!––>2.      
<!––>You can’t have any external transfers in the
past 24 hours. This means you can’t merely transfer most of your SPG points to
Marriott and then donate the rest.

Once you’ve donated away your points, you’ll need to send
the screenshots confirming your points donation and one showing your account
activity page to wyndhamrewards.fulfillment@wyn.com.

While this is quite
the lucrative promotion, I’m quite stunned that Wyndham merely requires
screenshots for proof.

It’s quite easy to edit HTML code and with Wyndham unable to
actually verify any donations, I’m afraid this promotion is ripe for
abuse, so I’m curious see how Wyndham responds to any fraudulent fake transfers.

Using Chrome’s Inspect
Tool in less than two minutes

Shanghai Noon till Night – 8 Photos of Shanghai

I originally intended TopMiles to be a site that focused solely on aspirational hotel & air travel using miles. However, the best part of any trip is not the unlimited Krug or free lounge food, but rather being able to explore different cities and soak in their culture, albeit only for a brief moment.

As there is a ton of information out there on what to do in Shanghai (I’d highly recommend using WikiTravel to plan your trip), the following photos are just a sample of what Shanghai has to offer.

World’s first Maglev Train

Old French Concession

Straight out of New York


Jiang’an Sculpture Park

A rare blue sky day in Shanghai

Night View

View of the Bund from Pudong

View of the Bund from Huangpu

Review: Cathay Pacific 747 First Class – Singapore to Hong Kong

This past Saturday, Cathay Pacific officially
retired its last Boeing 747 from its fleet.

Having flown in
countless types of aircraft, some of my favorite aviation experiences came from
flying inside the tip of nose of the “Queen in the Skies”. Before Cathay finally retired its last jumbo jet 747, I managed to fly in the 747 in first class from Hong Kong to Singapore.

 The cabin itself was quite spacious, with the size of the seating quite similar to the 777 that Cathay Pacific typically operates.

The cabin has nine first
class seats stead, but due to the extended width of the 747, the difference was
just slightly noticeable.

Unfortunately, the
first row was already assigned, but users flyers along with its uniquely curved
windows providing a slightly panoramic view of the outside skies.

I was offered a glass
of Billecart-Salmon Brut champagne, which is typically served in long haul
flights for Cathay’s business class passengers.

We soon taxied onto the
runway which provided some gorgeous views of various aircraft lining up. The
captain of an Air China plane next to up even caught me taking a picture of his
aircraft and gave a smile!

Close Up

After takeoff, a small
lunch was served consisting of a plate of fruit, bread basket, and dim sum.

I finished up my meal
with some hot tea.

The highlight of my
flight on the 747 was the first class bathroom. To my knowledge, Cathay Pacific’s 747
is the only commercial aircraft to have two windows inside a bathroom.

Can you believe that this airplane bathroom had two windows?! Sad to hear that #cathaypacific has finally retired it’s last #747. Had the chance to fly the #queenoftheskies in #firstclass from #hongkong to #singapore. Amazing #avgeek experience #travel #topmiles #picoftheday

A photo posted by Sam Huang (@intotheplane) on Oct 4, 2016 at 7:08am PDT

As a result, the
bathroom felt extremely spacious and has probably the best view from a bathroom
you’ll ever see.

Afterwards, I had
another glass of champagne before taking a quick nap.

We soon began our
descent into Singapore and just like that my brief, but wonderful flight was
over.

Previous Post: Cathay Pacific First Class – Hong Kong to Manila 

Complimentary Marriott Gold Status for American Express Platinum Cardholders!

This is the World’s Best Credit Card for Travel

For last couple of years, there has been a debate among miles enthusiasts on which travel card was the really “best”, with the answer fluctuating between a few select cards. 

However, the miles world was recently lit up in a
storm when Chase launched its newest card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card. I’ve
gotten quite a few messages asking me about the card, so I’ve decided to break
down all the card benefits and whether you should apply. (The answer is a
resounding yes!)

Here are the major benefits of the card:

Amazing Bonus
Category Spend

Earn 3x Chase UR points on all travel and dining expenses worldwide.
This is incredibly generous as the travel category is quite broad, covering
everything from airfare to your Uber ride.

Complimentary
Priority Pass Membership

Receive complimentary Priority Pass membership as long as
you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve card. If you travel a lot, especially
abroad, Priority Pass membership grants you free lounge access to over 600
airport lounges worldwide. This is a huge benefit, especially if you fly in
coach quite often.

Even better, you’re currently allowed to guest in your
traveling companions, with no current limit to the number of guests.

Priority Pass Lounge in Singapore

$100 Global Entry
Credit

If you apply for Global Entry, Chase will refund the $100
application cost.  If you are approved
for Global Entry, you will automatically receive TSA PreCheck, which allows
access to expedited security lines.

Skip the lines with TSA PreCheck

Roadside Assistance

Receive free roadside assistance for calls up to $50, four
times a year.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve is currently one of two Visa
Infinite cards offered by Chase. This means you also receive a slew of other
benefits. Here are some of my favorite ones:

Purchase Protection

If you purchase any item with the Chase Sapphire Reserve
Card and happen to have that item stolen, broken, or even lost within 4 months,
the cost to repair or purchase a new item will be fully reimbursed, up to $10,000
for each claim (up to $50,000 per year), which is 20 times higher compared to other high end cards.

Extended Warranty
Protection

Card holders also receive complimentary extended warranty
protection which allows you to add a year on all warranties less than three
years. We all probably know someone who had their portable electronic
malfunction right after the 2 year mark, so this allows you to be worry free
for another year. Even better, the maximum amount per claim is a very generous
$10,000.

There are quite a few other ancillary benefits, which Chase
has posted online.

Annual Fee:

The Chase Sapphire Reserve Card does have a hefty $450
annual fee. However, this is offset by the $300 annual travel fee credit, which
can be used for anything from flights to hotel rooms. This also means you’ll
receive $600 in travel credits before your annual fee is due, as the $300
travel credit resets at the beginning of each calendar year.

View Point Reward Cards Offers Here

What can Chase UR
Points get me?

A round trip domestic ticket in coach will cost typically
cost 25,000 miles through United, while a domestic first class ticket will run
you 50,000 miles.

Here are some of the other potential aspirational trips that you can redeem on Chase’s travel partners:

Singapore Suites from US to Europe: 57,500 miles one way

A photo posted by Sam Huang (@intotheplane) on Nov 22, 2016 at 8:44am PST

United Business Class to Europe:  57,500 miles one way

Short haul flights for as low as 7,500 miles through British
Avios

Korean Air First Class from US to Asia: 80,000 miles one way

You could also use your points for stays at some of the
world’s most luxurious hotels through the Hyatt program, including the Park
Hyatt Maldives, which is 25,000 points a night.

Alternatively, if you don’t want to the hassle of searching
for award space, Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders can convert their Chase UR
points to receive 1.5 cents per mile when booking flights through Chase. For
example if you had 100,000 Chase UR points, this would be equivalent to $1500
in travel credit.

Verdict: The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is currently the
best high end travel rewards card on the market. If you are eligible for the card, I’d highly recommend this card to be one of your first applications.

View Point Reward Card Offers Here

Complete List of Card Sign Up Bonus Rules

In the past, a common practice among miles enthusiasts was
to apply for cards, cancelling them after a certain period of time, and after a
short period reapply to receive lucrative sign up bonuses again.

Over the past two years, banks have been taken notice and as
a result these days the rules on who’s eligible for a sign up bonus have
tightened up significantly.

The following are the current sign up bonus rules for each
of the major three card providers:

Citi

Applicants are only eligible for a sign up bonus in each
product category every 24 months from your last open or closed account. Effectively
this means if you opened any one of the Citi American AAdvantage card products,
you’re ineligible for a sign up bonus for all other Citi AAdvantage cards.

The same rule applies for the Citi Thank You Preferred
cards.

Chase

Applicants who have opened 5 or more cards in the past 24
months will not be approved for most Chase credit cards. The good news is
business cards with Amex and Citi do not count towards this rule. The jury is
still out there whether Chase business cards do count. Also, there are a few
cards that this rule does not apply to including the Chase IHG, Hyatt, and
British Airways card.

American Express

Applicants are only eligible for a sign up bonus once per
card product. This means if you decide to cancel your American Express card and
reapply, you will not be eligible to receive a sign up bonus.

Bank of America

Applicants are only eligible for a sign up bonus once every
90 days per card product.

Inside a Pokemon Go Stampede in Taiwan

If you haven’t been living under a rock recently, you’ve probably heard about the Pokemon Go, which took the world by storm two months ago. In Taiwan the Pokemon craze is in full swing, with everyone from grandpas to school children joining in on the action.

I headed to Beitou Park in the outskirts of Taipei, which
was rumored to be filled with rare Pokemon to experience the craze full hand. Not surprisingly, the park was quite teeming with Pokemon players,
however you could still freely move around.

While I was casually strolling through the park, I spotted a
small contingent of players slowly streaming southward out of the park. The
stream soon became a flood as the world trickled down that a Snorlax was
nearby.

The tranquil crowd quickly turned into a mild stampede as
various Pokemon fans ran across traffic, with one guy almost being run over by
a motorcycle.

Eager to catch a Snorlax myself, I decided to follow the
crowd and talked to various fans, including one lady who was holding her dog
while playing Pokemon Go.

Talk about multi-tasking!

After quite a hike I arrived at the main spawn point where
the Snorlax was. Hundreds of Pokemon Go fans were taking up the entire
block, with a lone policeman trying to control the crowd.

It seemed like most of the crowd was jubilant having just caught
the rare Pokemon, with a smattering of grim faces of those who weren’t able to
catch Snorlax.

But I’m sure they’ll get another chance soon.

See Related: My $3500 flight on Eva Air’s business class for $270

A photo posted by Sam Huang (@intotheplane) on Jun 24, 2016 at 7:19am PDT