You Ken Travel

When the news broke last summer that Amazon was set to buy Whole Foods, rumors were floating around about the potential of this acquisition.  People were dreaming of drones delivering grass-fed beef, lower priced avocados, and so much more.  I'll admit, I was one of these dreamers too.  Unfortunately, a few months have passed and it seems like nothing has changed for an average consumer like me.  The only thing I've noticed is that I can buy an Amazon Echo Dot, Red Boat Fish Sauce, and Halo Top Ice Cream at one store. Photo by Whole Foods But it looks like things have changed.  Two weeks ago, I woke up to an email telling me that my Amazon Prime Rewards Visa now gives me 5% cash back at Whole Foods.  In case you didn't know, the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa is a credit card affiliated with Amazon provided by Chase.  Today we're going to take a deeper look at this credit card! The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa is not a travel rewards credit card. ...

What happens after the signup bonus? That's a valid question.  As I wrote it my review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred , the 50,000 point signup bonus can be worth up to $800.  So what about after it comes and goes and you don't have any points left?  Is it time to keep opening as many cards as you can and just accumulating signup bonuses? Sunsets at Victoria Peak. Wow. Short answer is no.  While it is definitely one way to go about it, it is not effective when you think long term.  One of my favorite things to cook in a crockpot is pulled pork carnitas. It takes 8 hours to break down the toughness of the pork shoulder into something that tastes amazing.  But enough food talk.  Same concept applies here.  Don't rush it. Follow these 3 basic principles to move past the honeymoon phase of the signup bonus and buckle down to maximize your points earning. 1.  Get Lean and Focused What's wrong with this picture? Too much stuff and...

Over the past year, you've probably heard the buzz around the Chase Sapphire Reserve.  That slick, dark, metal card with the 100,000 point signup bonus (now dropped to 50,000) with a multitude of perks looks and feels so cool in your wallet. However, with so many people talking about the Chase Sapphire Reserve, it's easy to forget about the little brother, Chase Sapphire Preferred,  and its great value as a travel card.  Today I'm going to break down the Chase Sapphire Preferred and why it should have a place in your wallet! Maui sunsets are on point. Let's look at four key factors to make our decision. Earning Rates Signup Bonus Annual Fee Redemption Value & Perks Number One: How well does it earn points? The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers: 2x points for purchases related to Travel or Dining 1x points for everything else Reaction: This is pretty good! Any time you go out for food, drinks, coffee and you use this card, BOOM 2x the poin...

With all the bad rap United has been getting the past few months, I don't blame you if you don't have the best opinion of them.  After all, recent incidents of  dragging people off of planes and denying emotional support peacocks  among others aren't the best examples of offering a good customer experience. Putting that aside, I wanted to use this post to review the United MileagePlus Explorer Credit Card, which was my first travel card that I opened!  We'll cover the card basics, perks, and then weigh the pros and cons to see if you should get this card for yourself. Who wouldn't like to fly to Oregon for free? Let's get on with the basics. The United MileagePlus Explorer Card is operated by Chase and offers a pretty standard earning rate, varying signup bonuses, and annual fee. Earning Rate: Purchase ticket from United - 2x miles per $1 Purchase anything else - 1x miles per $1 Signup Bonus : Ranges from 30,000 - 50,000 miles when you spen...

These days I feel like we're bombarded with credit card options telling us about these amazing cards that we NEED to get to get cash back or travel rewards.  Instead of contributing to the craziness, I'm going to walk you through why I believe travel rewards is a better deal . Cash Back or Travel Rewards with a Honolulu sunset What about "Cash Rules Everything Around Me"? Yes that song is right, cash is pretty great.  You can spend it, save it, hide it, whatever you want! However, when it comes to redeeming from credit card spend, it is a whole different story. Take a look at the similarities of these two cards.  Both the Capital One Quicksilver and Chase Freedom Unlimited give you an unlimited 1.5% cash back on all your purchases.  Both cards also offer a signup bonus of $150 (15,000 points) if you spend $500 within the first 3 months of opening and have no annual fee. For both cards, you would have to spend around $6,700 to get $100 back which in ev...

Hello! Thanks for visiting my first blog ever! Given that this is my first post, I just want to give you guys an opportunity to get to know me, why I'm writing this blog, and what I hope you get out of it! My name is Ken I'm married to my lovely wife,  Sarah - not Barbie , in my late 20s, and I live in the DC area.  I'm originally from Hong Kong but I moved to the U.S. pretty early in my life and I've been here since!  I'm going to be honest, I'm not that complex of a person.  I love Jesus, my family, friends, traveling, playing with points, and lifting weights.  My favorite food is pizza with pepperoni (LOTS of it). Sarah & I with my first acai bowl EVER I love playing the points game You might be wondering, "what is he going to write about?" and possibly, "what are these points that you're playing with?".  Just to clarify, for the past few years I've had a lot of fun and success at earning and redeeming travel point...