Milenomics² Podcast Episode 249: News, Puzzlers and More… (Updated Audio)

0:19 Quote of the Day

"We are creatures shaped by our experiences, we like what we know more often than we know what we like." -Wallace Stegner

04:34 JetBlue Premium Card Coming (OMAAT)

• $499 annual fee

• 70k welcome bonus

• Current and former JetBlue cardholder ineligible for welcome bonus

• $300 in “Paisly” credits, broken up into six (6!) $50 off $250 chunks

• No better earning towards status than the $99 Plus card (1 tile per $1,000 spend)

• JetBlue Lounge access (there are no JetBlue lounges yet)

• Review: Could be the worst premium card launch of all time

06:38 JetBlue Status Match

• https://www.jetblue.com/trueblue/mosaic/match-to-mosaic

• Allowed once every 24 months at most supposedly

• Request acknowledged same day, process next day (even thought they say it could take up to 4 weeks)

• Status lasts for 3 months, but I think it should enable seat selection for future flights (even once status has lapsed, but I haven't done this myself yet)

• Matched Delta Platinum (which is expiring for me) to Mosaic 2

• Mosaic 1 includes checked bags, free same day changes and other stuff (see image below)

• Mosaic 2 includes: EvenMore seat selection at time of booking for up to 8 companions on same PNR

• Move to Mint perks are in Mosaic 3 and 4 (so not included in the match)

• 10 tiles to keep Mosaic 1 (normally 50 tiles to reach Mosaic 1)

• 25 tiles to keep Mosaic 2 (normally 100)

• 40 tiles to earn Mosaic 3 (normally 150)

• Tiles are earned one per $100 spent on JetBlue flights or vacations (but not portal spend) -or- one per $1,000 spent on the Barclays card

09:11 Premium Rewards Elite: How to move forward

• Air incidental tracker updated 1/26/2025 (a Sunday)

• Lifestyle tracker updated 1/28/2025 (a Tuesday)

• Air incidental posted 1/29/2025

• Can you get a pro-rated AF refund from BofA if you’re able to downgrade?

15:13 Applied: US Bank Leverage

• It’s been > 1 year since my last approval

• Forgot the card has a $95 AF - need to close my old one

• I just don’t interact with US Bank enough to notice things

• Application went pending

• Approved a few days later

19:27 Vacasa Booking in Kauai: New Options, good Tier 1 results

• For an upcoming trip I did early searches with Vacasa and booked some placeholders

• I went back this week and found quite a few nice, new properties in the Vacasa portfolio

• Example: https://www.vacasa.com/unit/122880

• Fantastic Anini Beach house: https://www.vacasa.com/unit/81680

• I also continue to find acceptable sub $500/nt 2-bedroom units in buildings I like (Lanikai, Pali Ke Kua, Puamana, Kauai Beach Villas). These aren’t super lux but the price is great for a long stay. 

• Long story short: Prices in Kauai seem to be coming down. 

• Add nights to save points. This sounds insane, but check if adding 1-2 days drops your per night rate. 

• “Long form” bookings vs instant book. Reps will tell you the form needs to be sent in and may take 48-72 hours. My experience has been that within minutes Vacasa confirms the booking. 

• Shout out to Karen at the vacasa Wyndham line. 

31:30 Puzzler: PayPal Bill Pay

• American Express Business reappears, then Amex goes missing altogether?

• Fluz pays 0.4% on some multi-use BINs but 0% on others?

• How does this peculiar long-enduring entity figure into the Fluz experience?

• Are Fluz MUVC a waste of time with PPBP (vs something like a double cash?)

Keep or Cancel? 

40:25 Puzzler: Morgan Stanley: Time to Say Goodbye?

• Is the Access account worth keeping? 

• 1099 concerns

• “Unlocks” the Morgan Stanely Amex Platinum, but is this card still valuable?

44:04 Puzzler: FNBO Amtrak Keep or Cancel?

• Seems you can only hold one at a time

• 2.6 cents per point, 2x earning in some categories

• Is this worth keeping? 

• Will a cancel and reapply work?

47:38 Fun  Puzzler: Would you give up your phone and computer for 1 month for $10,000?

• What’s your ROI on these devices?

• Would better devices make you happier? More Productive?

• How valuable these are in this game we play.