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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Delta gives Club access to DMs, and it is not one of the choice benefits. It's free. You also get a discount for other status levels (I think when I was a PM it was like $300/year, which was basically worth it). 2015 SkyMiles is restricting this to an individual membership, which does not allow the member to bring guests. Let's face it, DM and equivalent don't have friends or family 
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May 30, 2014 16:10
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I'm a mere domestic traveling Gold or Platinum (depending on the year) and all this is above my pay grade, really. Lounges are mythical places where I hang out and get some free drinks a few times a year.
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May 30, 2014 16:11
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Thoguh posted:I'm a mere domestic traveling Gold or Platinum (depending on the year) and all this is above my pay grade, really. Lounges are mythical places where I hang out and get some free drinks a few times a year. As a loyal United customer (  ) my primary use for the lounge is a place to sit and charge stuff, and for the ability to (usually) get a qualified agent in the event of irrops. Lounge agents have saved my rear end more than once.
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May 30, 2014 19:46
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Is the Delta Amex worth using? Currently I have: Amex blue cash back - this gets 99% of my spending, except for places that don't take Amex. Chase IHG rewards card - used when I book a room at IHG properties, and for places that don't take Amex. Bank of America platinum card - some lovely cash back reward card that I never use, but I've had the account open for like 8 years now and there is no annual fee so whatever. Thinking about doing the following: Switching my Amex to Delta, and use that for drat near everything. Get rid of the Chase IHG rewards card. I'm already at right about a million IHG points. Get a Chase Sapphire or some other cash back Visa/Mastercard for places that don't take Amex Keep the Bank of America card because why not? I'd like to start racking up some Delta miles so that eventually when I get around to going to Europe I don't have to fly coach. Starting in a few weeks I'll be traveling between 60% and 70% of the time and will have plenty of flights (mostly Delta hopefully, some SW depending on price/destination), rental cars (hooray National executive elite!) and hotels (mostly Holiday Inn Express or Hampton Inns).
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Jun 1, 2014 20:00
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All you people complaining about elite snowflakes, I hope you've seen the "Hotel Check-In, Diamond Member" video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=WCqm4H3m3Ew DJCobol posted:Is the Delta Amex worth using? Currently I have:
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Jun 2, 2014 05:56
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For Global Entry folks, what's the deal at land border crossings, specifically Canada?
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Jun 2, 2014 07:48
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Small White Dragon posted:First off, how did you get a million IHG points? FWIW, the card gives you a free night every year and a 10% rebate, so it might be worth keeping, KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:For Global Entry folks, what's the deal at land border crossings, specifically Canada?
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Jun 2, 2014 11:23
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Doesn't your car need to be registered with CBP / CBSA as well?
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Jun 2, 2014 11:57
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FrozenVent posted:Doesn't your car need to be registered with CBP / CBSA as well?
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Jun 2, 2014 12:40
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Does it work with Global Entry? I asked the guard at the Peace bridge a couple weeks ago and he said they don't recognize GE on the Canadian side, so you can only use the special lanes crossing into Canada if you have NEXUS as well.
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Jun 2, 2014 13:13
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Yeah GE is a US program, to get into Canada you need NEXUS. Coming back to the states you can use GE though.
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Jun 2, 2014 13:19
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Thank you, guys. Very helpful. Unfortunately I will have some non-GE folks in the car with me so looks like I'm stuck with the peasants.
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Jun 2, 2014 13:24
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Remember to shower afterwards.
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Jun 2, 2014 13:27
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Quoting this from WAY back, but relevant again since GOES/Nexus chat has come around again:Belldandy posted:The NEXUS pass is great but under no circumstances indicate that any of your Canada travel is business related. I almost got arrested due to that argument. How did you almost get arrested?
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Jun 2, 2014 15:32
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There's a video? I've obviously never had to deal with CBSA as a foreigner, but I'd strongly advise against lying to a CBSA officer. They have a gigantic amount of discretionary power, and pissing them off could land you on the CBSA shitlist for years and years. Plus the whole NEXUS thing is mostly aimed at people who cross the border for work-related reason, so it'd be pretty dumb if they just went "Uh you're not coming into Canada for work!"
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Jun 2, 2014 15:35
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FrozenVent posted:There's a video? quote:I've obviously never had to deal with CBSA as a foreigner, but I'd strongly advise against lying to a CBSA officer. They have a gigantic amount of discretionary power, and pissing them off could land you on the CBSA shitlist for years and years.
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Jun 2, 2014 16:12
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Small White Dragon posted:All you people complaining about elite snowflakes, I hope you've seen the "Hotel Check-In, Diamond Member" video: One of my favorites. So much so that for our frequent traveler nerd gathering earlier this year we had some custom wine labels made:  A buddy of mine sent a bottle to the head of Hyatt Gold Passport who also loves that video and used it in a presentation he did. Now proudly displayed in his office.  
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Jun 2, 2014 16:48
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majestic12 posted:Does it work with Global Entry? I asked the guard at the Peace bridge a couple weeks ago and he said they don't recognize GE on the Canadian side, so you can only use the special lanes crossing into Canada if you have NEXUS as well. Thanks for the clarification on that; it makes sense, but the US CPB website was less than forthcoming on this particular topic. I'm doing this next month so we'll wait like normal when we go into Canada but hopefully it will save us some time on the way back in as both my wife and I have Global Entry.
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Jun 2, 2014 16:51
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Mackieman posted:Thanks for the clarification on that; it makes sense, but the US CPB website was less than forthcoming on this particular topic. I'm doing this next month so we'll wait like normal when we go into Canada but hopefully it will save us some time on the way back in as both my wife and I have Global Entry. The CBSA's NEXUS website might have some more info; both agencies aren't too keen to discuss the other guy's program, for pretty obvious reasons.
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Jun 2, 2014 16:53
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DJCobol posted:Quoting this from WAY back, but relevant again since GOES/Nexus chat has come around again: That post was a little tongue in cheek because lying to customs officials is a pretty (really) dumb idea, but with that said, that's funny, I went to the Detroit office also. Did they move out of the shed yet? I went through my application process and they asked me why I needed a NEXUS for traveling to Canada, I answered: 1) "I am good friends with someone there and I visit a lot." They then asked for her name and address and how we met, then we moved on. NO PROBLEM. 2) "I do a lot business in Canada." So my story is probably a bit differently because based on what I've spoken about with Canadian custom officials, if you are going to do training/education/etc. work to help the CA workforce within your OWN company, it's no big deal. If you are going to sell to Canadian customers as a US citizen, you have a problem, CA is pretty protective of their workforce as is Brazil. So they asked what I did, and who I was selling to, and a few red flags got set off due to my business area. We moved past that after LOTS of verification and clarification of our company and product line. Then they asked if there was anyone in Canada who could do my role, and I said no. And this is when the problem started, because they kept questioning as to WHY nobody could do it, and explaining that I was the GM of a product line didn't quite stick, they kept insisting we should be able to hire someone in CA to do my job. Also I was a few years younger than you and also got questioned as to how I got my position at my age. I got a little bit agitated at that point because the official kept creating theoretical situations as to where a CA citizen could fill in my role. I got agitated because I had no other way of really saying "Listen, I can't hire someone to simultaneously run a product line that is just designated to Canada." And then there was shock and awe that I was upset because I kept having to repeat this over and over and over and over. And at one point they had to tell me to lower my voice "Or Else." Anyway we left it where they warned that at any point if I wanted to come to Canada to sell TO customers I needed letters of intent, travel plans, blah blah blah. So just try not to be a dick like me.
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Jun 2, 2014 17:14
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Belldandy posted:I got a little bit agitated at that point ... I got agitated ... I was upset ... I kept having to repeat this over and over and over and over. And at one point they had to tell me to lower my voice There's your problem. Don't ever get emotional around custom agents, anywhere in the world. It lights up their suspicion radar big time. What probably happened is you twigged the guy's spidey sense, which congratulation, you now get to answer more questions. Then you got upset and that just confirmed his belief that there was something up with you. The best thing to do with customs is to keep thinking "This is boring; I'm bored" and do your best impression of an apathetic teenager. Then they get bored too and stamp your poo poo.
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Jun 2, 2014 17:19
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FrozenVent posted:There's your problem. I wasn't upset or agitated until about 15 minutes in of the same questions, I was pretty helpful and answered stuff in great detail beforehand, so it wasn't that. And this was for the NEXUS interview not a border crossing, which I've had no problems with.
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Jun 2, 2014 17:21
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Sorry to jump in the thread and bring up something from two pages ago, but regarding having dual US passports:Xandu posted:The two passports would be in the same name, I don't think it'd be that problematic if customs noticed both of them. quote:I've also been considering doing this, it's probably only necessary if you frequently travel on short notice and you go to a lot of places where you have to get the visa in advance from the embassy, instead of on arrival.
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Jun 2, 2014 19:56
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Schmitty42 posted:Sorry to jump in the thread and bring up something from two pages ago, but regarding having dual US passports: Well if you need to get multiple visas for a trip, you'd then have to bring them both (assuming you didn't plan far enough in advance)
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Jun 2, 2014 20:10
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Xandu posted:Well if you need to get multiple visas for a trip, you'd then have to bring them both (assuming you didn't plan far enough in advance)
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Jun 2, 2014 20:39
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Mackieman posted:As a loyal United customer ( This. When I was constantly flying, I asked my boss if I could expense the lounge for precisely that reason. poo poo happens, but qualified agents can really minimize the damage. If you have a tight schedule, it is worth it. Plus, you can argue as an added bonus the free food will cut down on your eating expenses. For me, that was technically true but that is because a lot of my "food" budget involved alcohol.
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Jun 4, 2014 16:54
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What's the thread experience with people pleading to cut in the security line? I used to let people through until I started paying attention and noticed that over 6 months, all 8 of the people I'd let in front of me with "30 minutes till my flight!!" were chilling at Starbucks or TGI Friday's in no rush at all when I came through a couple of minutes later. (This was 8 separate times, not a single group of 8.) Since then I refuse the pleas and never let anyone in front of me, but I was curious if this is typical.
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Jun 4, 2014 22:37
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Midjack posted:What's the thread experience with people pleading to cut in the security line? I used to let people through until I started paying attention and noticed that over 6 months, all 8 of the people I'd let in front of me with "30 minutes till my flight!!" were chilling at Starbucks or TGI Friday's in no rush at all when I came through a couple of minutes later. (This was 8 separate times, not a single group of 8.) I got Global Entry and thus have Pre-check like a normal person. What is this line you speak of? 
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Jun 4, 2014 22:43
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Mackieman posted:I got Global Entry and thus have Pre-check like a normal person. What is this line you speak of?  if you think it doesn't happen there too.
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Jun 4, 2014 22:47
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Midjack posted:
Seriously. Sometimes they give entire families pre-check and they have no idea what they're supposed to do, so the whole point of the line is moot. How do you politely tell a client not to try and plan your travel for you? I had a PM respond to my travel estimate saying they saw lower prices on Orbitz, yet I'm betting they saw cheapshit fares on Spirit Airlines and that's a nightmare I'd really rather not deal with.
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Jun 4, 2014 22:53
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Midjack posted:What's the thread experience with people pleading to cut in the security line? I used to let people through until I started paying attention and noticed that over 6 months, all 8 of the people I'd let in front of me with "30 minutes till my flight!!" were chilling at Starbucks or TGI Friday's in no rush at all when I came through a couple of minutes later. (This was 8 separate times, not a single group of 8.) Not a really frequent traveler like you guys, but I had to be this person once when my ride to the airport no-showed. I wasn't chilling at any restaurant either, I had to sprint to the gate from the checkpoint and barely made it to the plane before they closed the door. Did these all happen at one airport or multiple places? Now I have Pre-Check, so this isn't as much of an issue 
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Jun 4, 2014 23:00
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Dirk Diggler posted:Not a really frequent traveler like you guys, but I had to be this person once when my ride to the airport no-showed. I wasn't chilling at any restaurant either, I had to sprint to the gate from the checkpoint and barely made it to the plane before they closed the door. Did these all happen at one airport or multiple places? Several different US airports. I'm sure it's sometimes legitimate; I'm interested in how much is legit and how much is "choads who read about a sick lifehack on Flyertalk."
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Jun 4, 2014 23:14
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Man using a credit card for lounge privileges and business / priority boarding when you just bought an economy ticket rocks. Now I'm hooked on flying and will try to rank up one world status. Low cost carriers are never really that much cheaper unless you plan ahead. Oh and I stowed my brief case under my seat. Screw wheels though, they are too rigid and eat too much space.
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Jun 5, 2014 17:50
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caberham posted:Now I'm hooked on flying and will try to rank up one world status. Just be careful about Cathay 
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Jun 5, 2014 20:34
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It is pretty clear that airlines don't feel that they need loyalty programs anymore. They are incrementally monetizing everything they possibly can at the expense of loyalty perks.
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Jun 5, 2014 20:41
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El Al Air does this already, but it worked for me and I got upgraded to biz from TLV > LHR for like $75.
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Jun 5, 2014 23:06
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Thoguh posted:It is pretty clear that airlines don't feel that they need loyalty programs anymore. They are incrementally monetizing everything they possibly can at the expense of loyalty perks. Why should they? It's not like you're choosing to fly, the company is making you. If one company chooses to abolish they might get screwed by people switching over, but if everyone does it they won't lose anything
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Jun 6, 2014 02:59
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Frequent flier programs are also quite expensive for the airline to run.
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Jun 6, 2014 03:01
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Vomik posted:Why should they? It's not like you're choosing to fly, the company is making you. If one company chooses to abolish they might get screwed by people switching over, but if everyone does it they won't lose anything Not right now with consolidation and a good economy meaning the planes are full regardless. It is just annoying because loyalty programs go a long way towards making up for the shittiness of traveling for work. I know if I wasn't racking up hotel points and miles for personal vacations I'd be much less willing to travel all the time.
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Jun 6, 2014 03:49
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Unfortunately providing additional compensation for your job is firmly outside of any airlines responsibility. I miss em too but I can't blame them. The value in tickets I redeemed likely exceeded what I had ever spent with the airline. Plenty of others were doing the same thing.
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Jun 6, 2014 04:20
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