What to do if Chase shuts you down, a Las Vegas high-roller pays $200K to throw a tantrum, Virgin Galactic launches it’s first space flight and is Amex about to limit Delta SkyClub access for Delta Reserve and Amex Platinum cardholders? All that and more in this week’s Saturday Selection, our weekly round-up of interesting tidbits from around the interwebs (links to each article are embedded in the titles).
How to handle a Chase shutdown like a pro
Shutdown. The very mention sends chills down the spine of even the most hardened points and miles collector. When a bank decides that they don’t like you, either because your activity looks like a money-laundering drug dealer or because you used Chase cards to participate in a shady, fake-fitness-related Ponzi scheme, they can decide to shut you down. This usually involves closing one or all of your accounts, taking your points and then leaving you in the corner to think about what you’ve done. Chase is one of the least-likely banks to shutdown folks who creatively maximize their credit, but we’ve seen a small crest of them recently (due exclusively to the aforementioned Ponzi scheme). The vast majority of us won’t be among the condemned, but it gave Matt at Miles Earn and Burn the opportunity to give some pointers on how to handle a Chase shutdown (besides weeping) if it ever comes your way.
Will Amex limit SkyClub access for Platinum cardholders?
When it comes to rumors, us points and miles folks are an eager, little sewing circle. We’re quick to grasp onto opaque forum posts, offhand comments from chat reps and the alignment of celestial bodies to confirm what we always suspected: this hobby is doomed! With that said, the blogosphere has taken notice of a Reddit poster claiming to have inside knowledge of Amex and Delta making significant changes to the rules for SkyClub access for Delta Reserve and Amex Platinum cardholders. Currently, both groups have unlimited access as long as they’re traveling on a same-day Delta flight. The Reddit poster claims that this is going to be reduced to 6 visits per year for Platinum cardholders and 10 visits per year for Reserve cardholders. I have a hard time believing the Delta is going to soup nazi folks who pay $550/year for the Reserve card, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Platinum access curtailed. SkyClubs are about as crowded as a Taylor Swift show…except the music is much, much worse. Delta has been looking for ways to pry out a person here and there; nerfing access for a tangentially-related card, like the Platinum, seems right up its alley.
Virgin Galactic successfully launches tourists into space
Virgin Galactic was launched in 2004 by Greg The Frequent Miler-attacking billionaire Richard Branson. Its goal was to be the first company to actually carry tourists into space. 18 years ago, the first tickets were sold for $200,000 (the price has since risen to a cool $450K). Since then, the project has been plagued by delays and competition from other members of the super-wealthy, space exploration club: Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. Earlier this week, Virgin Galactic finally launched its first successful voyage, taking three passengers 55 miles above New Mexico on a flight that lasted all of 15 minutes ($30K/minute, for those keeping track). Disappointingly, there were were no billionaires in cowboy hats to be found post-flight.
Vegas high roller pays $200K to taunt nightclub manager
Ah, Las Vegas. The place were people can go and just be themselves, get back to what really matters. Ben Ralph, a billionaire from Australia, did just that last Saturday. Ralph showed up at Wynn’s nightclub an hour before service, assuming that they would be willing to open up early because, well, he’s Ben Ralph. When the manager, Niko, told him that wasn’t possible, Ben got increasingly frustrated, eventually necessitating intervention from law enforcement. He then decided to head on over to Zouk, a nightclub at Resorts World, where he proceeded to drop over $200K on table service. As those who have spent $50K+ on a VIP package at Zouk’s will undoubtedly know, one of the perks is being able to request that messages be projected on the side of the building using Resorts World’s display system. Ben sent a few out that night, including one that took aim at Niko the nightclub manager. According to local observers, it appeared that alcohol may have been affecting Ralph’s decision-making.
TSA appears to change its mind about CLEAR and ID’s. Again.
A couple weeks ago, we shared a…
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