Milenomics² Episode 224: Just Get Over the Pond, Always Be Churning, Orphan Miles & Kauai Trip Reports

Main Topics

0:38 Just Get Over the Pond?

• FlightConnections.com can list all the flights to get you over the pond. The questions become:

• Do we want to be in nonstop destinations? 

• If not, does the carrier we cross the pond with fly to our final destination?

• Is there danger in piecing together trips that normally aren’t possible?

• Flight times still matter: Want to be lying down when you’re normally sleeping

• The flights have to exist: Sometimes your inbound flight gets there after the last morning connecting flight (across all carriers) has departed and you’re sitting there in LHR/FRA/MUC/ZRH/wherever for hours

• Always take the connection on the departing side?

• Piecing together multi-carrier itineraries with luggage and a family

• How different things have become with end-to-end pricing and search tools that prioritize routing vs. segments.

19:45 Always Be Churning?

• Should we always churn the churnable cards when the opportunity presents itself to us?

• Or should we avoid currencies we don’t see a need for in the foreseeable future?

• Example: BofA Alaska Business cards

• Welcome bonuses have become reliably generous, award chart has gotten noticeably worse, but if we haven’t been churning them all along how are we ever going to have enough of them when the need arises?

32:30  Avoid Orphaning Miles?

• Big difference here between programs where points expire even with activity vs no expiration programs

• Also big difference between currencies with narrow use model (say Hawaiian) and broader utility (like Avios)

• We always say we’re not going to take advantage of a transfer bonus speculatively but does is that sound advice when we see a 30-50% bonus come up to a good program? Even if we don’t foresee the utility in the program?

53:21 Kauai family and friends trip 

• This was a unique situation because two families were joining us. 

• Neither had been to Kauai before. 

• One stayed only at hotels the other at a vacasa I booked for their family. 

52:42 New: Hanalei distillery tour. 

• Fantastic tour. One is shorter than the other.

• Small distillery doing about 3000 bottles a year. 

• Rums, vodka and a very unique spirit made from the ti plant that drinks like a whiskey. 

• Book tours on their website, https://hanaleispirits.com confirm by text. 

• Average price of a full bottle is about $75, the tasting is free. 

54:56 Visit to Weston princeville

• One family was staying here after leaving the Sheraton in poipu.

• Very big property with 300+ rooms.

• Pools are huge with a toddler friendly pool (18” depth). 

• Pool service with food and drinks available. 

• Really nice property, but it does feel like a condo complex (no halls connecting buildings). 

• The rooms I saw (1 bedroom villa) was large, and came with washer dryers and kitchens.

• If you’re staying there’s a 10% off foodland coupon they give you at check-in. Be sure to stop at the hotel before you shop! 

• The weather makes the idea of staying resort captive really not work. You'll be stuck indoors for long stretches which might be ok. The closest beaches are all a drive away. 

• There’s a walking path down to Anini beach–it is tough when wet. I’ve done this walk before while staying at an adjacent airbnb. I would only do it if you didn’t have a car, but you should absolutely have a car. 

• Leaving and finding a beach without rain is a good idea. 

Vacasa: firing on all cylinders 

• Split time between kapaa and princeville. 

• Easier to stay in kapaa at the end of the trip if you have an early flight 

• Both units were great with the kapaa unit having a nice beach that offered no wave section.

• Very empty complexes. 

• Priceville vacasa was extremely nice. Puu poa. Probably a better view at Pali Ke Kua has a better view (I think) but Puu Poa is the nicest vacasa I’ve stayed at on the island.  

• Still bookable but now 60k per night. Worth it I think. 

• Big enough to have a dinner party with all 11…. Everyone said “'wow” when they came in. 

• Starting to feel the strain of checking in and out of units. Example: no elevator, 30 stairs up and down. Thought about this as an older traveler. 

• New pricing works really well for kauai. 3 bedrooms under $750/NT are 45,000 points per might. 

• More upscale 2 bedrooms up to $1000/NT are bookeable again

•  at 60k per night 
  

Children Getting older, making old options new again. 

• Did 2 hikes, one about a mile the other about 3 miles round trip. 

• Kids did great on both. 

• Really great to have the opportunity to explore more

• Reminded us of before the kids were born

• My youngest is also young enough for most major tours on the island now! 

• Looking to do the Sugar Cane tubing (Thanks danny!) 

01:01:14 Garth’s Kauai Trip report! 

01:01:50 Getting there/home (flights):

• Connection required, not many great options. Major carriers all connect so lots of choice balances out long flights

•     Yes, people anywhere will pay anything to get to Hawaii at peak times. Same from MSP at holiday times to any warm destination, prices are sky high and sell out

• Ended up booking Delta round trip using Biz Plat 1.5 uplift

Outbound

• Seattle layover, make into a fun stopover

Return:

• Island hopper on Hawaiian metal, Delta HNL -> MSP

• Hawaiian/Delta, lack of technical integration: Delta “free bags” don’t apply

1:05:06 Getting around Car Rentals:

• Good tip about walking to the rental company    

• Avis, won’t dwell on this as Sam has covered it, but will talk pricing story

• Deel code for the win
  

1:13:00 Staying there:

• Vacasa: basic but really well appointed, everything you would want for the beach, clean, simple washer and dryer, very comfortable, Kauai is a place where having a kitchen really makes a difference, and this one had everything, great snacks too.

• Great location, Kapaa on the east shore. 

• The unit was already booked over most of spring break next year.

01:16:20 One night at GH Kauai:

• Used expiring cat 1-7 certificate, so opp cost of 20k WoH points

• a break from planning and doing more remote things, show up and lounge, kids go nuts in the pool, Sam’s review still holds 10 years later, but great spot for 1 night.

• P2 rating: As a tropical resort, on par with Andaz Maui and Andaz Papagayo, even if food and service are much better at the other resorts. Grounds at GH Kauai most beautiful of any hotel we’ve stayed at.

• I was excited to escape the resort bubble and get back to the real Kauai

91:27:20 General thoughts

• Props to Sam for two great Milenomics articles,

• Kauai really is unique, the food, culture and the beaches are unlike anywhere I’ve been

• This even shows through in the touristy activities: Dinner cruise and luau felt really comfortable and more grounded

• If you want a “Tropical Hotel” vacation Kauai might not be the place for you. 

Garths’ take: Kauai is a great embodiment of a small ‘cover charge’ (weather, time in the car, no Vendome) keeping the masses away for now.