AMEX – Miles for places

Tips

PointsYeah- The Best Free Search Tool for Award Travel

June 8, 2025June 8, 2025by milesforplacesLeave a Comment

What is PointsYeah?

For those of you who have a stash of credit card points but are unsure how to utilize them, this post serves as an introduction to one of my favorite free tools for booking award travel. The website, PointsYeah.com, features a search function that allows you to find award tickets on various airlines, as well as a pathway for transferring them. If you hold a premium credit card that enables you to transfer points directly to airlines (Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve, Capital One Venture or Venture X, AMEX Platinum, Gold, or Green, to name a few), PointsYeah becomes even more valuable.

The search is easy to use and offers twenty different filters to narrow your search. If you have a specific date and location in mind, the process is straightforward: simply input the departure and arrival cities along with the planned travel date. If you have some flexibility, you can input a range of four days that you’re willing to travel (eight days if you pay for the premium membership). The search results will populate the cheapest redemption available on those days. You can also filter the search results to show only business class and first class award availability. If you’re looking for premium cabin redemptions on long-haul flights, I recommend being flexible with your departure date. You also set up email alerts, which will notify you when seats become available or when the price of an award booking drops.

What Makes PointsYeah Unique From Other Search Tools

The feature that really sets PointsYeah apart from other award booking search sites is the Day Dream Explorer function. You can use this function to broaden your search and see how far your points will take you. For example, if you’re open to traveling to any part of the world, input “anywhere” in the destination tab. This will populate a lengthy list of award redemptions from your departure city to cities worldwide. If you have multiple cities within a region on your bucket list, type your departure city and the area of interest (Europe, for example) in the search bar. The Day Dream Explorer function will provide the best redemption options for flights from your departure city to multiple destinations within Europe. Here is an example of a Day Dream Explorer Search from Chicago to Europe:

If you are interested in a particular type of destination (beach, mountains, golf, city, etc), the Day Dream Explorer Function can help you find award seats to those types of destinations as well.

You also have the option to broaden your search if you are willing to take a positioning flight (for example, flying from Chicago to Seattle to position yourself for a business class award redemption to Tokyo via Seattle). In that case, you can use Dream Explorer and input USA to Asia in the search bar. This will populate the best available award redemptions that pair two cities between the two continents. From my experience, if you input USA under departure and Europe as the arrival, the cheapest redemption options will mostly be from East Coast cities such as New York City, Boston, Washington D.C., Miami, and Atlanta as well as Midwest cities that are hubs to one or more of the legacy carriers (Chicago, Minneapolis, and Detroit). You may see Los Angeles and Seattle, but the number of flights and dates will be limited.

Alternatively, the best redemption options to Eastern Asia will mostly be from U.S. West Coast cities, such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and San Diego. You can filter your results by specific departure or arrival times, number of seats, non-stop flights, and more.

You can also search for award redemptions for major hotel programs such as Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, and Marriott. As a general rule, the only hotel program worth transferring points into is Hyatt, which can be done via Chase Ultimate Rewards or BILT. I do not recommend transferring Chase points to IHG or Marriott unless you are topping off your loyalty account to make a booking (you have 97,000 Hilton points and you need 100,000 points to get an extra night. It’s worth it in this scenario). AMEX also offers the option to transfer Membership Rewards points to hotel chains such as Choice, Hilton, and Marriott, and occasionally provides a transfer bonus to both. Even with the bonus, it’s usually not the best use of points if you are trying to extract maximum value. Although it may not be for everyone, I have found significant value on multiple occasions when transferring from American Express to Choice Hotels. If the ultimate goal is to conserve cash, and that is the priority above all else, then redeem the points for cash or a statement credit.

Destinations & Itineraries, Middle East Itineraries

Travel Itinerary: Three-Day Stopover in Qatar with Kids

Featuredby milesforplacesLeave a Comment

During our three-week trip to Qatar and Africa last summer, my family and I flew Qatar Airways to Doha for three days before continuing to Lusaka, Zambia. We had the option of having a short layover in Doha before continuing to Lusaka, Zambia, or stopping for a few days in Doha. We chose the latter since that is a city we had never visited, but had heard great things about. Having a stopover also allowed the kids to rest and recover from the 13-hour non-stop flight. Dubai gets most of the attention in the Gulf region, but Doha proved to be a fantastic city for the kids to experience. We booked our stay at the Intercontinental Doha & Spa. My wife and I each had our annual anniversary free night certificate via the IHG credit card, so we redeemed it on this property. For the third night, we used IHG points that I had accumulated via the sign-up bonus. The property was terrific, and the beachfront location was a hit with the boys.

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Airport Lounges, Reviews, South America

Lounge Review: Centurion Lounge Buenos Aires Ezeiza Aiport

January 2, 2023March 4, 2025by milesforplaces1 Comment

Over the last few months, I’ve been fortunate to transit through airports with an AMEX Centurion Lounge. Ezeiza Airport in Buenos Aires, Argentina, happened to be another one of those airports. Centurion Lounge access is complimentary for those holding an American Express Platinum card during our visit. At the time of our visit, cardholders were also allowed to bring in one guest (and children under 16), so my wife was able to benefit. As of 2023, AMEX Platinum cardholders must spend $75k annually on the card for complimentary guest access.

This lounge is in Terminal C, past immigration/customs and security. Take the elevator or stairs to the second floor right past gate 15, and you will find the lounge entrance.

Upon entering the lounge, the front desk staff will ask for your AMEX Platinum card and boarding pass. Once they have scanned both, you’re good to go.

FoodBA — The food options were sweet croissants, wheat and white bread, cheese, pastrami sandwiches, and banana nut muffins with powdered sugar. It was not quite the selection I’ve seen at other Centurion Lounges, but certainly better than many non-Centurion Lounges I’ve visited. Fresh orange juice and apple juice were also available.

DrinksBA — The beverage cooler was fully stocked with *soft drinks and adult beverages.*

This lounge had plenty of seating and did not suffer from being overcrowded when I was there. Perhaps traveling on a Sunday, which also happened to be New Year’s Eve, had a lot to do with that.

DiningAreaBA — *The dining area of the lounge*

One thing I noticed and appreciated about this lounge was the attentiveness of the staff. They would check on tables every 2-3 minutes to make sure any dishes, soda bottles, and cans were removed.

LoungeBA — Plenty of empty seats in the common area. Big time plus

The lounge was equipped with Apple iMacs. It might be the first lounge I’ve seen featuring Apple, and as a long-time Apple guy, I appreciated this.

They also had a room for the kids. Centurion Lounge is doing a great job making its lounges kid-friendly. I didn’t want to take pics while the kids were there (that would be creepy), so I waited until it emptied out. During my two hours there, it was undoubtedly being utilized for most of that time.

*Great job by AMEX for remembering the population that may become future AMEX Platinum cardholders.*

SpeedTestBA — *Wi-Fi connectivity could have been better.*

Overall, I’d give this lounge a 4.5/5. It could use a slightly enhanced food selection and faster connectivity, but it scored well on everything else: Plenty of seats, spacious Apple iMacs, and a playroom for children. The staff was very friendly and worked hard to keep the lounge clutter-free. If you’re an AMEX Platinum card holder flying out of Buenos Aires (EZE), visit this lounge.

Hotels, Reviews

Review: The Langham, New York City

February 8, 2022March 5, 2025by milesforplacesLeave a Comment

This was my second time staying at the Langham in NYC, but my first time staying at the Langham as an AMEX Platinum cardholder—a whole new experience! Don’t get me wrong, I had a great first stay; it was what I expected for a 5-star hotel; however, as an AMEX Platinum cardholder, I felt like the experience was so much better. One of the card’s benefits is a $200 credit for booking hotels that are part of Fine Hotels & Resorts or The Hotel Collection. When I checked in, the staff immediately upgraded me to an executive suite with a kitchen on the 21^st floor. Along with the upgrade, I was informed that I had a $100 credit for any of the following: spa, room service, or breakfast for two at their Michelin-star restaurant, Ai Fiori. I was also informed that I could check out at 4pm, which was very convenient since our flight was at 5:30pm on Sunday.

When we went to our room, my cousin and I first noticed the view through the large windows—we could see down 5th Avenue and the beautiful Chrysler building.

*View of Bank of America Tower and the Conde Naste Building (with H&M sign)*

ChryslerBuilding — *Beautiful view of the Chrysler building and looking down on Fifth Avenue*

The second thing we noticed was that we had a powder room—when does that ever happen? Needless to say, we had more than enough room. We even had some of our friends and cousins come up to hang out with us in the room; six adults and a baby were hanging out comfortably. All the cafes around us were closed, so we ordered lattes from room service (using my $100 credit), and they were excellent!

*Full kitchen via AMEX Platinum upgrade*

*Soap, shampoo, and conditioner were all Chuan, a holistic proprietary brand owned by Langham.*

Another huge selling point for the Langham is its location. The hotel is centrally located in Manhattan, so we could walk to most of our destinations on Saturday. We walked to Washington Square Park, Times Square, and the Highline. The next day, we had to check out by 4pm and catch our flight at 5:30pm, so we didn’t have much time to waste. We woke up at 8am and called the doorman to arrange a ride to Central Park at 11am using the hotel car service (which is free!).

Pro Tip: The hotel has a Jaguar that will drop you off wherever you want to up until 59th Street. They start taking appointments at 8 a.m., and they are on a first-come, first-served basis.

After our ride set up, we got ready and cashed in on our complimentary breakfast at Ai Fiori—which was phenomenal! My cousin and I decided to order a couple of things and share. We ordered the buttermilk pancakes, uova in Purgatorio, and the house potatoes—everything was phenomenal. You can see the picture below.

If you asked me what the stay was like after my first time, I would’ve said it was great—all the basics of a 5-star hotel. But staying here as an AMEX Platinum cardholder made this experience next-level amazing, to say the least! It is rare to have a travel experience where you don’t compromise on something, whether it be the room, service, or location. But I can genuinely say there was no compromising at the Langham NYC; everything was at the top of its game—the room, the service, the amenities, the location, and the (free) food were all a 5 out of 5.

Review and pictures by Salma Hatia

Airport Lounges, Reviews, USA

Review: The Updated Centurion Lounge Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)

March 5, 2019June 30, 2024by milesforplacesLeave a Comment

The Centurion Lounge at DFW moved to a larger 12,000 square feet space in September of 2018, expanding its footprint by an additional 3,000 feet. Their old lounge was excellent, but it certainly felt crowded at times, so the additional space should help alleviate that. Rather than going up the escalator to enter the lounge as it was previously, you will find the entrance to the lounge on the ground floor. This will lead to an elevator, which you take to the second floor to enter the lounge. To enter the lounge, you must hold the AMEX Platinum Card, AMEX Business Platinum Card, or the AMEX Centurion Card. Other AMEX cards won’t get you in.

Food (Breakfast)

My wife, son, and I were here during breakfast hours, and I remember how great the spread was the last time I was here in 2017. The items may have changed, but the breakfast was still awesome.

Breads — The sweet corn muffins were excellent. My wife loved the oatmeal with granola.

fruits — Centurion Lounge always delivers with their fresh fruit offerings.

salsachips — Salsa and tortilla chips for breakfast? Why not?

EggFritata — Goat cheese egg frittata. This was the best part of having breakfast here. Delicious and you’re probably going to get up for a second serving.

In addition to the items pictured above, there was also pancakes and fresh juice. Since there were multiple people behind me, I refrained from taking a picture at that particular time.

espressomachine2 — The espresso machine can make a variety of beverages. I got their latte, and it was delicious.

Seating Area

As you would expect, with the lounge having expanded by more than 3,000 square feet, seating was plentiful, and I did not feel like the lounge was overcrowded. Certain sections of the lounge were more trafficked than others, but in general, there were plenty of seats for everyone.

corridor2 — They had different types of lighting to suit everyone’s needs.

Business

conferenceroom — For those who need a conference room, Centurion DFW has one.

Kids Room

This is one of my favorite aspects of this lounge. They had a dedicated children’s playroom and it was perfect for my 5-month-old son as he was able to enjoy his first ever visit to an airport lounge.

Miscellaneous

The restrooms were clean, and there was also a dedicated shower area that you could utilize upon request at the front desk.

This lounge also has a spa where they give you a complimentary massage. I forgot to measure the Wi-Fi speed, but I can assure you it was fast. I have not visited a Centurion Lounge where connectivity was slow. The old Centurion Lounge was among my favorites, and AMEX has delivered and improved the experience at their newly renovated Centurion Lounge at DFW. Just remember that AMEX no longer allows passengers who have landed at their final destination city to use a Centurion Lounge in that particular city. Before the rule change, if Dallas was your final destination, you could still visit by showing your boarding pass. I think this is a fair rule change to alleviate crowding concerns. If your departure time is more than 3 hours away, AMEX also won’t allow you in. I believe this is also a change for the better. As far as this lounge, it scores a perfect 5/5 and continues to be my favorite Centurion Lounge I have visited thus far. There are a few others under construction, and I’m looking forward to visiting the one in JFK once it opens later this year. That lounge will be the largest Centurion Lounge at 15,000 square feet.

Airport Lounges, Reviews, Uncategorized

Lounge Reviews: Centurion Lounges at Miami International Airport and Buenos Aires Ezeiza International Airport

January 2, 2018January 2, 2018by milesforplacesLeave a Comment

Over the last 10 days, I was fortunate to transit through two airports that feature a Centurion Lounge. You can read about the Centurion Lounge at Miami International Airport right here and the Centurion Lounge at Buenos Aires Ezeiza International Airport right here.

Airport Lounges, Reviews, Uncategorized, USA

Lounge Review: Centurion Lounge Miami International Airport

January 1, 2018June 30, 2024by milesforplaces2 Comments

Prior to my flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina, I had some free time at Miami International Airport. I had heard many great things about the Centurion Lounge at MIA, so as an AMEX Platinum cardholder, I figured I might as well give it a visit.

This lounge can be found on the fourth floor of the north terminal near gate D12. If you have been to the Centurion Lounge in Dallas, this one offers some of the same services and amenities. It’s roomy, and there is plenty of space available. First thing I did (like I do at every lounge), I surveyed the food offerings. Since many people were in front and behind me, I didn’t want to act like a first timer and take pics (I’m really sorry). But the offerings were lamb, Indian-style chickpeas or chole, salad, brown rice, and apple crumble for the dessert. I sampled everything but the lamb and found everything to be delicious. Again, I wish I took pictures and perhaps next time I won’t care whether people are around me. The espresso machine had various offerings such as latte, cappuccino, espresso, etc.

If you are more of a tea person, they also have you covered.

As I mentioned above, there is plenty of seating available. Many of them give you access to USB and plug outlets. The cushioned seats are very comfortable if you must stay there for a few hours.

If you want to sit near a window and airplane watch, there is there is plenty of room for that.

Shower availability is convenient for those who have arrived from a far away destination and want to freshen up before a connection.

You can even get a manicure and pedicure done in the lounge.

I love the family room aspect of the lounge. Keeps the kids busy while the adults can adult. I wish more lounges would do this.

This was my one major issue with this lounge. The internet speed is unacceptable for a brand that touts itself as business-friendly. Those are some dial-up caliber speeds that I encountered, and in my two hours at the lounge, the speed only got worse.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I’d rate this lounge a 4/5. It has just about all the comfort, food offerings, and amenities needed in a lounge. It’s also one of the few designed with kids in mind. If the slow Wi-Fi connectivity is addressed, this lounge would be a perfect 5.

Credit Cards, Credit Cards & Miles, Miles & Points, Uncategorized

Credit Card Review: American Express Platinum

September 30, 2017October 17, 2017by milesforplaces1 Comment

The AMEX Platinum currently has a 60k membership points bonus if you spend $5k within the first 3 months of opening the account. This card also has a steep annual fee of $550 (not waived the first year) so it’s not for everyone. The 60k points could easily net you $1,200 worth of travel and cover your annual fee for 2 years if you didn’t derive any other benefit the card offers. AMEX membership points can be transferred to a multitude of airlines and hotels. I received an upgrade offer from AMEX a few months back that offered 60k points and I jumped on it. I still rate the Chase Sapphire Reserve as the best among the premium credit cards. However, the AMEX Platinum might actually be of greater value for some of you. Here are some of the benefits you can get with the AMEX Platinum:

1) 60k bonus points after spending $5k over the first 3 months

AMEX Membership Rewards points have a lot of value because of the multitude of airlines and hotels they have as transfer partners. Among the airline partners: Delta, Etihad, Emirates, Singapore, British Airways, Iberia, Air France/KLM (via Flying Blue), etc. Hotel transfer partners include Starwood, Hilton, and Choice hotels.

2) Credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre-check

AMEX will reimburse you the $100 fee for Global Entry or $85 for TSA pre-check. If you are in a major metro area, Global Entry is the way to go since it automatically gives you TSA pre-check. I’ve had TSA pre-check for about a year now and saves you from the inconvenience of taking off your shoes, removing your laptop/electronics from your carry, and going through X-ray machines. Plain and simple, it saves a lot of time. Both of them are good for 5 years.

3. $200 in annual airline fee credits

For this benefit, you have to select a particular airline and you would get reimbursed for incidental fees such as checked bag fees, in-flight internet, and in-flight food purchases. It’s not nearly as valuable as Chase Sapphire Reserve’s $300 travel credit, which covers everything from airfare, hotels, tolls, parking fees, etc. However, there is a way to get around this if you desire credit towards airfare instead. If you use this card to purchase $200 worth of American Airlines gift cards from AA.com, AMEX will treat it as an incidental purchase and credit you back the $200. Here is a screen shot below:

It only took two days for them to reimburse me and I was able to put the gift cards to use a month later. I don’t think this trick works for any other airline. This was far more beneficial in my opinion since I don’t end up checking-in $200 worth of bags in any given year.

4. $200 Uber credit annually

This is a really nice perk that can really help offset the annual fee for those who find themselves using Uber on a regular basis. AMEX gives you $15 Uber credit for each month and in December, they give you an extra $20. Just link the AMEX card with your Uber account and use that as the method of payment.

5. Complimentary Boingo Hotspot

We still live in a world where many airports still don’t offer complimentary wifi access for more than a half hour. If you don’t find yourself transiting through one of these airports often, this perk may not be a huge deal. However, if you’re frequently traveling or connecting through airports such as Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway, NYC’s LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark, or LAX in Los Angeles, this might be of great value. These airports offer complimentary low speed wifi for 30-45 minutes. By the time your website is done loading, you have half the time left. This perk allows you to have complimentary access to Boingo’s higher speed internet, which would usually costs $7.95 per use.

6. Complimentary Access to AMEX Centurion Lounge

If you are a traveler that routinely transits through New York’s LaGuardia, Seattle-Tacoma, Miami, Dallas (DFW), Houston (Bush Intercontinental), San Francisco, Las Vegas, or Philadelphia, having Centurion lounge access is an awesome perk to have. You get complimentary drinks, snacks, meals, massages (DFW), really high speed wifi, and a place where you can unwind between flights or just get some work done. You can also bring two guests free of charge. To get an idea of what the Centurion Lounge is like, you can read my review of the lounges at LaGuardia and Dallas-Fort Worth right here and here.

7. Complimentary Access to Priority Pass Lounges

Here is another valuable perk to have if you find yourself at airports that have lounges that are part of Priority Pass. Priority Pass has over 1,000 lounges at airports all over the world. There are even restaurants such as Timberline’s Steak and Grille (Denver International Airport) that are a part of Priority Pass. At Timberline’s, each guest gets $28 worth of credit towards food. So you and two guests can actually get $84 off an entire check.

8. Complimentary Access to Delta Sky Club (When Flying on Delta)

If you fly on Delta frequently, add this to the list of perks that comes with the Platinum Card. You would have access to Delta Sky Club lounges from coast to coast. Just show them your boarding pass and AMEX Platinum card and you’re in.

9. Gold Status for Hilton and Starwood Hotels

If you play your hand right, this benefit can cover the entire cost of an annual fee and then some. Having Hilton Gold status makes you eligible for free upgrades at any Hilton Hotel. You also get complimentary breakfast and high speed WiFi. A couple of months back, my wife and I took a trip to Maldives and stayed at the Conrad in Rangali Island. Hilton gave us a complimentary upgrade from a water villa to a retreat water villa during our 4 nights there. The value of our upgrade was over $500. This doesn’t even include the complimentary breakfast, lunch, and mocktails we enjoyed as Hilton Gold members. Add that to the value of the upgrade and we derived well over $700 worth of value simply by having Hilton Gold status. I haven’t put the status to use at any Starwood hotels just yet, but I’ll keep you posted if I do.

10. Earn 5X Membership Rewards Points on Flights Booked Directly with Airlines or via AMEX Travel

This is the highest earning credit card for booking flights. You also earn 5X the points for booking a hotel through AMEX Travel. For the flights, you can’t book it via Expedia, Priceline, Orbitz, or any other third party site. For the hotels, it has to be booked via AMEX travel. I’m really hoping in the future they just give you the 5X for all travel related purchases. Chase Sapphire Reserve gives you 3X Ultimate Reward points on anything travel related. It doesn’t matter if you booked on Expedia or directly from the hotel/airline.

If you are going to apply for the the card, do it during a time when you know you’ll be spending $5k over 3 months. Due to its exorbitant annual fee, this card isn’t a long term keeper for a leisure traveler who only travels once or twice a year or an individual who doesn’t travel for work. If you find yourself in a scenario where you can derive the benefits and perks routinely, this card can be extremely rewarding.