revisiting old posts, updates: plastiq, wings, scotiabank amex gold

just wanted to quickly post to update on a few of my previous posts:

1. paying taxes with your credit card via plastiq.com. i did this back in april, and everything went through. as you may recall, they charge an additional 2% surcharge to make up for the fees. however, after doing the math, since i'd be given a cash rebate of 2% on the purchase price and the additional surcharge, i ended up saving $0.42 on my taxes. i was a bit worried when my notice of assessment revealed a balance still owing, so i registered for a canada revenue agency (CRA) account to investigate. as it turns out, my taxes were paid to the CRA on the same date as i paid them. i have no balance owing. and it turned out to be regular purchase as opposed to a cash advance. so plastiq.com works as advertised. i'll use it again next time.
2. buying products and getting them free using a mail-in-rebate. this time, it was for the quantum dish soap. i bought the product for around $6. and they rebated both the taxes and the postage. received the check $7.32 today. 
3. i did not end up doing the yyj-yvr-sea-yvr run for "aeroplan's earn your wings" contest. at 3.23c/mile and a full day's worth of travel, it didn't seem to be worthwhile to me. plus, as mentioned in previous posts, if you can't actually redeem the mile itself because of lack of seats, then the actual value of the mile approaches zero.
4. applying for and using the scotiabank american express gold card. as per my previous post, i did indeed keep using my 2% MBNA cash back card for most of my everyday purchases. for gas, grocery, dining, and entertainment, i signed up for the scotia bank card for 4% travel rewards. the card works like a charm and indeed rewards me for what i should be rewarded for. no troubles there. however, the application process was frustrating and repetitive.

• they wanted proof of income, so i had to fax in my pay stub. i've had that happen before, so that's fine
• they wanted proof of my identity, so i had to go into the branch to meet with a banking representative (not just an ordinary teller) so that i could sign some forms. i had to go in during specific work hours for this. they also wanted me to provide proof of address and employment, and so they suggested that i bring my pay stub in again. i take that as evidence that their departments don't talk to one another, which is never a good sign.
• they wouldn't let me have online access to my account initially as i was not a scotia customer. however, when i came back at a later time to submit a voided check for pre-authorized debit, without batting an eye, the teller simply created a customer card and login for me. so for now i'm a happy customer.

air canada ordered to increase compensation for involuntary denial of boardings

in this cbc news article, they report that the canada transport agency has ruled that air canada's current compensation for an involuntary denial of boarding needs to be increased. (ht: dan and jason via facebook)

what is an oversold flight?
airlines oversell their flights on a consistent basis. the idea is that based on previous statistics and performance, they know that a certain number of passengers on any given route will not physically make it to their seats come departure time. this could be for a variety of reasons:

1. cancelling a refundable ticket at the last minute
2. passengers simply not showing up, or showing up too late (e.g., arriving too late at baggage cut off time)
3. passengers who misconnect based on late inbound flights.

the airline knows that if a seat flies out empty, it is potentially revenue lost. even if the flight has been sold to someone else, if that other person does not show up, then there was the potential for the airline to have sold the seat to someone else as well. therefore, the amount of money lost can be significant. airlines hedge their bets by overselling flights so as to minimize the amount of lost revenue.

but sometimes, it backfires. sometimes, everyone does show up. in that case, they try to bump up passengers from economy class to business class (usually elite passengers in a process known as an operational upgrade, also known as an op-up). if doing even that doesn't solve the numbers problem, then they will need to deny people from boarding the flight.

voluntary denial of boarding
the first step is to look for volunteers. airlines are required to ask for volunteers before bumping people off. these volunteers are essentially signing up for a voluntary denial of boarding. the airline usually tries to offer compensation, which can be significant. i was offered a voluntary denial of boarding on my oversold flight from LAX-HNL two years ago, delaying my arrival by 4 hours. but in the process, i received $400 in travel vouchers. if there are not enough volunteers initially, the potential compensation increases in a desperate bid to win volunteers. usually that is enough.

involuntary denial of boarding
this occurs when not enough volunteers are found. involuntary denial of boarding policies for air canada can be found here on page 3. it looks like they begin boarding all people with confirmed seats. then they board everyone with disabilities, unaccompanied minors, or anyone in the airline's view who would be faced with undue hardship if they were not carried. then full fare economy and business class passengers board. finally, they board in the order with which they presented themselves at check-in. this is why checking in as early as possible is usually beneficial if you do not want to be bumped off the flight.

compensation for domestic and international flights in america
frequent flying summarizes the rules here. they are as below:

• no compensation is required if the airline can get you to your final destination within one hour of your originally scheduled arrival time. 
• 1-2 hour delay, you receive a cash compensation of 200% of your original one-way fare, up to $650.
• 2+ hour delay, you receive a cash compensation of 400% of your original one-way fare, up to $1,300.

in the case of my voluntary denial of boarding to HNL, the one-way ticket price was roughly 200$. for a 4-hour delay, i could have, in theory, received up to $800. however, there were certainly no shortage of volunteers. supply and demand: if enough people are willing to settle for $400, then that's great news to the airline. in this case, united airlines only paid out $400 for overbooking, which is a savings of 50% for them. luckily, i got to sit in the lounge during that time.

of course, when asked, they provide meal vouchers, hotels for overnight stays if necessary. sometimes they will lump in seat upgrades (economy plus or business) as a part of the volunteer package.

current compensation for domestic flights on air canada
i didn't realize this, but according to the article, it's currently set at a $200 voucher or $100 in cash. the new ruling has suggested that it has to be higher although the actual amount has not yet been set. i fully support this as it's only fair to the consumer. i would be interested in seeing whether they adopt the same limits as the american airlines do. i would certainly hope so, as it could potentially make the art of flying that much more lucrative.

this, of course, probably impacts me very little. i've never been on an oversold flight that i could have volunteered off of on air canada. i also don't use them very often for transborder travel due to their 50% mileage earning rates. and i sometimes lean more towards westjet flights (who apparently do not overbook their flights) on domestic itineraries as i can get 100% non-status miles on american airlines compared to air canada's 25% non-status miles for usually the same price.

on the road to status: sfo/hnl edition. the journey home

closing out this trip, there were two things that made the journey home especially easy and more comfortable. we were scheduled to go from hnl-sfo-yvr on a red-eye. it was booked this way (compared to direct on air canada) for the extra milage, and because i had to make use of a previous travel voucher from united.

1) tsa pre-check -- it works as advertised. more importantly, it works for nexus card holders on specific airlines traveling even on international itineraries. when they scan your boarding card, you'll hear either 3 beeps (tsa pre-check) or 1 beep (regular screening). i remember the line in SFO: the regular line extended beyond the roped area, the premier access line was still at least 20 people deep (although within the roped area), whereas the tsa pre-check line had one person in front of me. on top of the speed advantage, we:

• did not have to remove shoes
• did not have to remove belt and jacket
• did not have to take out computer and liquids. 

pre-check was equally as fun in honolulu, although not as needed. that being said, we were leaving on an earlier flight (9pm). in the past, on my 10 or 11pm flight, i have seen lines extending almost to the entrance of the actual airport itself.

apparently, you can still be randomly chosen to be sent to regular screening lines. i don't know if that is done randomly when scanning your boarding pass, or upon boarding pass issuance (i.e., by not placing the "tsa pre-check" logo on top of your boarding pass). but even if you were sent to the regular screening lines, you've at least cut the line by a significant degree.

2) economy plus access -- every inch counts. i knew that the loads coming to honolulu were a lot higher than the loads exiting. so it went without saying that i would not be getting any economy plus seats when going to hawaii as a lowly star gold member. but on the way home, i knew that the loads were a lot less busy. i was hopeful for e+ seating.

in honolulu, the lounge agent helpfully offered it to me when asked, but because it meant giving up the duo seats that we already had (in a 2-5-2 configuration) for an aisle and a middle (in that same 2-5-2 configuration), we opted to keep our seats. in san francisco, things were a bit different.

"so just to let you know, star golds no longer get complimentary access to economy plus seats." when she said that, i was kind of expecting that she wouldn't give us the extra inches of legroom for free. "i'm just letting you know so that if another agent refuses you in the future, that's why." but then she smiled and typed a bit in the computer. "but here are your new boarding passes!" it's nice to get a gift like that to make the process of coming home from hawaii just a little bit easier to take.

yet another timeshare presentation, hawaii edition part 2

yesterday, i started talking about my latest timeshare presentation adventure. due to the length, i had separated out the experience into two different parts:

• part one: how to get the time share presentation
• part two: what happens in the actual timeshare presentation

i think that getting the actual timeshare presentation is light-hearted and fun. the guy signing you up for the presentation wants to keep you motivated to go to the actual presentation. but once you get there, especially if you've made up your mind in advance that you don't want to buy one, they're not quite as nice. and so after three different presentations, i've realized that what makes this process easier is the fact that i've dealt with narcissistic and anti-social personalities via work. if i pretend that i'm at work, then these presentations are quite easy.

so when you arrive, you have a nice fancy entrance area, with pictures telling you how much of a paradise the hilton is (and to be fair, it is a lovely property). the reception desk is full of smiling people, unless they aren't. in which case, you get a nice empty picture, as per below.

1) they checked me in i waited for the salesman. he was 4 minutes late for me today, but the clock started ticking at my scheduled appointment time. it is important to remind them that they were late, so as to give you more leverage for when you turn them down later. "i have to admit that i lost confidence in things when you showed up late," is something i said near the end. i also looked for anything to use in order to gain more leverage. for instance, as he walked by the washrooms, he tapped the female door  and said "and if you need the washrooms, they are here." he could have pointed to the male one.

2) he tried to be friendly with me. i suspect that he probably googled vancouver before our appointment (hence the 4 minutes), and tell you how much they love it there. but then that's where i interrupt the to make it clear: "so letting you know, i'm actually here for the gift cards only, and that i'm pretty skeptical about all of this. i'm probably not going to buy, but i'm open to hearing your presentation." i think it's only fair to let them know in advance so that they don't waste their time. however, if they choose to continue their hard sales pitch after that, then that's no longer my issue. i should have been more careful with how much hope i gave him, though. i think they're trained to grasp onto the smallest bit of ambivalence, and in a motivational-interviewing kind of way, they try to ramp you up through the stages of change.

3) he gathered my information, he gathered my typical vacation preferences. he gave me a survey about how important certain factors are in your life, and it will be clear that he hasn't read it himself because he will ask you about every single point. "why is happiness important to you? who do you meet while you are on vacation?" but i am curt with the replies: "because it is. and i meet people here." really, i wanted to tell him: "none of your business." 

he berated my current hotel that i'm paying 50$ for (thanks to expedia's best price guarantee), tells me that the cost of my hotel 10 years from now will be roughly 500$ a night (uh, i'm not one to stay at 500$ hotels ... or even 250$ hotels no matter how nice they are). he tells you that you can own your vacation property and vacation points, and that you can use those points at any of their properties, and that points will never experience the ill effects of inflation. he cannot explain how come those vacation points don't devalue over time, yet their prized hhonors points do.

4) he made me watch a 15-minute video, which, i will admit, reduced my level of certainty from 99% to 95%.

5) he insisted on going for a tour and a walk-through of the property. he sensed that i wasn't really interested, and so he took the opportunity to jab me a few times: "i know this is above your affordability," he said at least a few times. during this portion, he kept on confusing my profession multiple times (psychologist vs. psychiatrist). i corrected him many times. but i was thankful because i was able to use this in the end: "it was really weird that you kept calling me a psychologist," i told him. "i felt that you weren't really listening to me and paying attention to what i was looking for. how  can i trust that this timeshare really fits my needs if you don't even listen to me?"

6) he took me back to the office and gave me the numbers re: points and how the program works. he will tell me the cost of ownership vs. how much money i'm throwing into the trash by renting. at this point, i innocently looked at the phone, which he was intensely aware of: "you have somewhere to go?" he asks me in a confrontational matter. "no," i replied. "i'm just seeing what the time is." but he knew he was wasting his breath, and so he didn't even bother telling me about the full cost of ownership.

(in previous timeshare sessions with the "new" upscale property groups, it turns out to be a $25-50k upfront fee to buy a "deed" for which you keep. it's associated with an annual maintenance fee that will go into perpetuity until you sell it back to the company for a fraction of your initial $25-50k investment. the annual maintenance fee is just slightly less than what you would pay for a normal, affordable, decent hotel for the same amount of time. admittedly, the rooms are much nicer than normal hotel rooms, and so if you insist on luxurious rooms, maybe it is worth it after all. maintenance fees are subject to inflation).

7) he terminated when it was clear that i wasn't going to buy. he told me that i was clearly a money waster, that this is a bad decision, but that's okay because "look like that type" anyway. he will threaten you, saying that you may never be offered another chance to tour again, and that these free gifts will disappear. when i pointed out how he wasn't listening to even basic things (e.g., where my hotel was, what i did for a living, how he wasted my time with the survey), he pulled out his book of recent sales. he showed me one from yesterday with a hand-written testimonial about how wonderful he was. he told me that because he was very consistent with his sales pitch, that the problem was clearly with me. 

it should be noted that when you sign up, you can have the option of using your passport as ID, which does not contain your address. you can use your parents' address, you can use your work phone number, and in that sense, it is hard to be refused for future sales pitches.

8) you always get your gift. how it is presented to you varies. in my case, he kind of tossed it in front of me, and i just let it plop onto the desk while keeping full eye contact. and just like that, i was dismissed, gift in hand.

9) they pretended to forget to give me a taxi voucher. but since their front desk is right beside the holding room for eager people waiting to hear the sales pitch, all i had to do was ask: "oh, hey, i just finished my tour, and i was promised a taxi voucher back. could i get a voucher back, please?" they quickly issued one for me.

10) in and out time: 90 minutes, but only because the salesman insisted on dragging it out. 

my friend told me that timeshare presentations are a little bit soul-destroying. but i think i came out in the end with minimal rage and $150 richer (+free swag as pictured below). i'm looking now for the next one!

yet another timeshare presentation, hawaii edition part 1

the first time i went to hawaii back in 2011, i was introduced to the world of timeshare presentations. i was a newbie at those, but i knew the one fundamental key: do not buy. i just remembered my dad buying one back in the 1990s, and i think he still regrets it.

the first time i went, i think i jumped for the opportunity of getting a $100 prepaid credit card with lunch included. they didn't tell me that you could get more. they didn't tell me that you could get more expensive experiences instead of a prepaid credit card. i didn't know that you could short circuit things so that you leave sooner rather than enduring the whole two hour presentation. during my second trip to hawaii, i was offered a $200 pre-paid amex for attending another session. that time, i told the presenter up front that i wasn't interested and that i was only here because of the gift. i was in and out of there within 45 minutes.

so fast forward to this trip, i was playing united's "halfway to hawaii" game when i saw that you could get this free tote from hilton if you went to their kiosk at the ala moana center. and that's when i was offered another chance to do a presentation for $150 with hilton grand vacations. this post is done in parts:

• part 1: how to get the timeshare presentation
• part 2: what happens in the actual timeshare presentation.

how to book a timeshare presentation:

1. find a reason to go to the kiosk. in this case, i needed to pick up the free tote bag. at the ala moana center, all of their kiosks have the word "information" on them as well. it's really information about the timeshare properties, but it's not unreasonable to expect that they'd have information about the mall too (e.g., "where is the washroom?"). so when you see a kiosk, innocently ask whether this is for a timeshare presentation as well.
2. ask what chain it is for and compliment the hotel: "oh, i saw ____ as i the shuttle was driving by and it looks so nice!" they cater to tourists, and so once, i had my camera hanging from my neck to be extra convincing.
3. they'll try to sell you on a timeshare presentation. they'll offer a gift. if it's not cash or something that you don't want (e.g., i was offered a hawaiian luau party for two -- no thanks), then a disappointed "oh" followed by an open ended pause, mixed with a little bit of a dismay on your face. that usually does the job. "or, we also have another promotion where if you go tomorrow, we can give you $150 in amex gift cards," he told me, picking up quite quickly that i had no interest in a big party with random strangers and lots of alcohol. "normally, it's $100, but for tomorrow only, it's $150." sometimes, you can push harder for more stuff, but honestly i didn't want to be too greedy.
4. they make you sign a bunch of forms agreeing to things:
• you're over the age of majority
• you're above a certain income level ($75,000/year for this one). they didn't verify.
• if you're married, then your spouse needs to come. they didn't say anything about common-law so i left it as ambiguous: "no, i'm not married."
• you're willing to sit through a 2-hr presentation
• you have not done one from the same company (e.g., wyndham vs. hilton vs. marriott) within the last 12 months (for hilton) or 6 months (for wyndham). 
5. they book a time for you, and arrange transportation to the sales office. they will give you a carbon copy of your agreement form and appointment time. you show up at the appropriate time.

it's pretty simple to get these offers. remember that the guy at the mall kiosk is motivated to get you to the showroom; that's how he gets paid. so even if you've had a poor encounter from the actual timeshare salesman in the past, it will have no influence on how eager the mall kiosk guy will be towards you. when you have the agreement in writing, you're all set. this is the fun part. the next part is a bit harder on the ego, but can still be worth it. that post will be for later.


either way, i'm basking in the glow of my $150 amex gift cards for now ...