Attention, Starwood American Express Card fans: You might get better
value using your points for hotel stays than for airline tickets. Above, the new Westin Paris across from the Tuileries.

by Wendy Perrin

Remember a few weeks ago I lamented that the Starwood AmEx Card--which I love because it lets you transfer your accumulated points to the frequent-flier programs of 30 different airlines, usually on a 1:1 basis, with Starwood throwing in a bonus 5,000 points for every 20,000 you redeem--had changed the transfer ratio for trading Starpoints into Continental miles to 2:1? What this means is that 80,000 Starpoints are now worth only 40,000 Continental miles. Actually, that's not true: They're worth 60,000 Continental miles, once you include the free bonus miles. Still, the value of your points has diminished considerably if you're looking to fly Continental.

Now I learn from mileage expert Gary Leff over at View From the Wing that the transfer ratio for changing Starpoints into Singapore Airlines miles has also been lowered to 2:1. Not only that, but soon we'll no longer be able to redeem Starpoints for flights on Qantas.

The good news? Starwood still offers 1:1 transfers with most airline programs. "It's still my favorite currency," says Gary. The bad news is "the tenuousness with which even the best currencies offer a store of value. When you want an award, it's best to redeem it because tomorrow's value is unlikely to be better than today's."

by Wendy Perrin

Has anyone else noticed that the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express Card is growing less user-friendly when it comes to turning your points into frequent-flier award tickets?

I've been a fan of the card ever since Matthew Bennett of Flight Bliss told me about it a few years ago when I was interviewing him for my Credit Card Makeover Perrin Report. When Randy Petersen, the man behind WebFlyer and FlyerTalk, agreed that the Starwood AmEx card would make a lot of sense for me -- given my need for flight, route, and schedule flexibility -- that sealed the deal and I got the card.  What makes it special?  You can use your miles on any of 31 airlines (including every major U.S. carrier and a few minor ones). This greatly increases your flight choices and your chance of finding available award seats. PLUS you earn the equivalent of 1.25 miles per dollar spent:  AmEx gives you 1 point for each dollar, but when you go to Starwood to convert your points into miles on the airline of your choice, Starwood throws in an extra 5,000 points for each 20,000 you redeem.  In other words, for only 40,000 points you get a 50,000-mile award seat.

I've loved the card  . . .  until yesterday, when I discovered certain hurdles that have apparently recently been put in place to annoy cardholders trying to convert their points into miles.

The fish tacos are fabulous, but make sure you get back your own credit card.
Photo: Ian Spanier, Conde Nast Traveler

by Stephan Wilkinson

I was trapped. Ten at night, nobody around, my car was parked inside our somnolent regional airport's automated credit card lot but my Amex blade wouldn't open the exit gate. Swiped it, reswiped it, finally pushed the emergency speaker button. After a few minutes, a tinny but welcome voice: "You have to use the same credit card you used to get into the lot, and you're using a different card."

But I only have one American Express card. "Well, that one's not it."

I looked at the card. Not Stephan Wilkinson's but Cary S. Randall's. Dinner at T.G.I. Friday's during a stopover at Philly, obviously the cute waitress -- hey, I was distracted -- had given me Randall's card and he had mine. Aaargh.

This was the second time I'd had credit-card problems in a restaurant, the only situation I can think of in which a card disappears from your sight for however long it takes to ring up the bill. It's the one place where you need to be absolutely sure to examine the card you're returned to see that it's actually yours, since multiple cards are often in play at the cash register.

In fact, you also need to be sure you're given back a card at all: The last time I'd had card heartburn, the waitress had simply kept my card, and in the bustle of signing the check and leaving in time to make an opening curtain, I'd never noticed. Thousands of dollars were charged to that card before the first act was over. It's a risk-free scam, since if you catch it, the waitperson simply says, "How stupid of me, I left it back at the cash register, thanks for catching my mistake."

Which leads me to wonder: Do you know the two times when you should ignore your credit-card company's instructions?

Photo: newsdesk.se

by Brook Wilkinson

The American Express Platinum card has long been a good deal for travelers (though not Wendy's favorite; that title goes to Amex's Starwood card for its mileage-earning capacity). But if you've already got an Amex Platinum or Centurion (black) card in your wallet, you just picked up a great new perk: access to American Airlines' Admirals Club lounges, a tip originally reported by the good people over at FlyerTalk.

The Platinum card already granted its users access to Continental, Northwest, and Delta lounges, and the card's $450 annual fee now also gets you four free domestic airline tickets for your companion, along with the other long-standing benefits.

The bottom line? If you're looking for a new credit card, follow the advice in Wendy's credit card makeover column. But if you already have a Platinum card in your wallet, make maximum use of its benefits.

by Wendy Perrin

Remember my post "Surprise Fee For Redeeming Miles" last week?  I warned that when you cash in your American Express Membership Rewards points for airline tickets, you need to pay a fee (of 50 cents per 1,000 miles) unless it's a foreign airline. Frequent-flier expert (and really great guy) Randy Petersen, the man behind WebFlyer and FlyerTalk, and Gary Leff, who writes a blog for mileage addicts called View From The Wing, both stopped by and generously offered their input.  Here's the takeaway:

(1) Diners Club also charges a fee when you go to cash in your points for an airline ticket.

(2) "What I hate is the blatant lie when they try and convince you that it's a government fee they are collecting," says Randy.  AmEx tells you that the fee is to help offset the "federal excise tax."  When I asked the Membership Rewards toll-free rep what that is, she said the tax was instituted after 9/11 "to keep us safe in the skies."  In actuality, Randy says, the fee is a way for AmEx to recoup a portion of the tax it pays the government when it buys miles from the airlines (in order to sell them to customers). Click here for Randy's full explanation.

In Italy, at certain ATMs, the most you can withdraw per transaction is 250 euros. Read below to avoid hefty withdrawal fees. Above, the Duomo in Florence. Photo: 1Apix, Alamy

by Wendy Perrin

Question from reader Fischec:

"I will be traveling to Europe soon and was wondering if it is at all worth it to bring travelers' checks?  Also, because my bank charges high ATM fees outside the U.S., on average how much cash do you recommend having on hand per day?"

First, the travelers' checks:  You don't need them.

Second, how much cash: It depends on where you'll be. Some countries (e.g., England) are far more expensive than others (e.g., Croatia).  Since it would be stupid to bring a boatload of cash with you from the U.S., I can only assume you're asking me how much money you should withdraw each time you use an ATM?  Two things to remember:

By Wendy Perrin

Question from reader jennreimer:

"My domestic partner and I are avid travelers. On a recent international trip, we got to wondering: Are airline-affiliated credit cards (such as Southwest Airlines Visa) a good way to accrue miles, or are other credit cards, such as American Express, a better bet?  What airline card offers the best deal for earning miles towards international travel?"

As I wrote in my Credit Card Makeover column in Conde Nast Traveler's March 2006 issue, the best all-around card for earning miles toward international travel is the Starwood American Express Card.

By Wendy Perrin

Question from reader stevam:

"When making purchases in Europe, is it more economical to use a U.S. ATM card to withdraw Euros and pay in cash, or to charge in the store using a U.S.-based AmEx or Visa card?"

Excellent question. Unfortunately, there is no simple answer. It depends on which bank issued your ATM card and which issued your Visa card. If you're a Conde Nast Traveler subscriber, please look back at your February '06 issue (p. 60), where I covered this topic in depth in the Perrin Report and laid out each bank's different charges in a nice user-friendly chart. Not a subscriber? Click here for info about what certain banks charge for ATM withdrawals, and click here to read the aforementioned Perrin Report (but the chart is not online).

Three things I can tell you off the bat:

1. When paying with a credit card overseas, it's generally better to use AmEx than Visa.
AmEx charges a 2 percent currency conversion fee, whereas most Visa cards charge 3 percent to most customers.

2. You can get an ATM card that charges no fee for overseas cash withdrawals.
That's more economical than using either AmEx or Visa.

3. You can get a credit card that charges no fee for foreign transactions.
Capital One, Amalgamated Bank, BMW Bank, and Tompkins Trust Company offer these.

By Wendy Perrin

Huge thanks to the conscientious reader who brought to my attention an unfortunate error in the answer box of my Perrin Report quiz in Conde Nast Traveler's November issue. Reader worldtraveler wrote:

"In your quiz you said that the assumption that 'a midship cabin on a cruise is best to avoid seasickness' is not true. Where is the best cabin/location on a cruise ship to avoid being seasick?  Thanks for your answer and for a VERY INFORMATIVE column."

I was stunned to read this because the statement that "a midship cabin on a cruise is best to avoid seasickness" is absolutely true and is the correct answer to quiz question #27.  It turns out that, for some unexplained reason, the answers to questions 26 and 27 were reversed during the magazine's production process.  The answer to question 26 should be D (not C), and the answer to question 27 should be C (not D).

For those of you who have not seen the quiz and have no earthly idea what I'm talking about, here's question 27:

Which of the following assumptions about booking a cruise-ship cabin is true?

a. A forward cabin has better views.

b. An aft cabin has a larger balcony.

c. A midship cabin is best to avoid seasickness.

d. A balconied cabin means greater privacy.

Correct answer: C

And here's question 26:

If an establishment in a foreign country offers to charge your credit card in U.S. dollars, you should . . .

a. Say yes because it prevents your credit card from hitting you with a foreign-transaction fee.

b. Say yes because the merchant will be using the Interbank exchange rate.

c. Say no because the exchange rate used is always worse than your credit card's.

d. Ask which exchange rate the merchant is using: if it is better than your credit card's, say yes only if your credit card does not impose a foreign-transaction fee for overseas purchases charged in U.S. dollars.

Correct answer: D

The first 30 questions of my quiz are only in Conde Nast Traveler's November issue, but an additional 15 questions are online at cntraveler.com. Click here to take the online quiz and test your travel smarts.

By Wendy Perrin

Question from reader Rita De Rama:

My husband and I took the advice in your March 2006 Perrin Report and got ourselves a Starwood American Express Card.  We were curious as to how to efficiently find the best way to use our points, much in the same way you transferred the points to Cathay Pacific to redeem them for a business-class ticket on Cathay alliance partner British Airways.  How do we find this information out in the quickest way possible?

If there's a quick way, I don't know it. The Cathay Pacific/British Airways tip I learned from a post last fall on a great blog called View From The Wing, which is part of frequent-flier guru Randy Petersen's Webflyer.com empire.  Pretty much everything I know about maximizing mileage I learned from Randy. So my advice would be to check Webflyer.com frequently for the timeliest tricks for turning your mileage into the most flights and/or the best seats possible.

Randy's site can be overwhelming at first--there's so much info there--so let me point out a few good places for you to start: Ratings & Reviews, which gives the pros and cons of the different airline mileage programs; Late-Breaking News; Frequently Asked Questions; Ask Randy; and the Miles & Points forums at Flyertalk. If all that research sounds time-consuming (and, believe me, it is), consider using AwardPlanner: For a fee, a mileage expert will ensure you get the most out of your miles. Best of luck!

By Wendy Perrin

Question from reader Barbara of Crestview, Florida:

"I have the Platinum Delta SkyMiles American Express Card and was not aware that it would help me get better seats until I read your April column. Who do I contact for these perks?"

In my April Perrin Report on the fine art of snagging the best seat in economy class, one of my final tips was this:

If you're still stuck with a bad seat and it's a long-haul flight, join the carrier's lounge club for the day.
This gives you access to the club's powerful ticket agents, who can move mountains when it comes to seat assignments. Some airlines, including American, Continental, and Delta, let you pay to use their lounges on the day you fly (prices typically range from $25 to $50). Of course, if you can afford an annual club membership, that's even better. These typically cost $300 to $400, but lately some affordable options have been floating around. I recently received a promotional offer to upgrade my Delta SkyMiles American Express card to a Platinum Delta AmEx. I succumbed for one reason and one reason only: It gives me free membership in Delta's Crown Room Club, which normally costs $300 but which I got for the $80 fee to upgrade the card. As I figure it, that $80 buys me a year's worth of good seat assignments on Continental, Delta, and Northwest: Because those airlines are alliance partners, club members get access to all three carriers' clubs.

So, to answer your question, Barbara, the card itself doesn't get you better seats.  It's membership in the Crown Room Club that can get you better seats on Delta (and, because it lets you use Continental's and Northwest's clubs, on those airlines too). Unfortunately, not everyone who has a Platinum Delta SkyMiles AmEx Card automatically gets Club membership. You get it--for one year--only if you upgraded your card based on a targeted promotional offer promising it.

By Wendy Perrin

Of all the items in the Wendy's InBox section of The Perrin Report, my column in Conde Nast Traveler, the one that has sparked the most reader feedback is the one about Auto Europe that ran in the February 2006 issue:

After this anecdote was published, several readers wrote to me that the same thing had happened to them. One, however, shared some good news:

"We just came back from a three-week driving trip through Central and Eastern Europe. I booked the rental car through a service that I've used twice now and would recommend to anyone renting in Austria, Germany, or Switzerland: gemut.com. Andy Bestor there promises the best price and the best service. I comparison-shopped among Web sites, and, sure enough, his price was the lowest. We even got a free upgrade. Bestor uses the big-name rental agencies, charges no cancellation or change fees, and will handle any unexpected post-trip charges."
        ? Linda Libertucci, Redondo Beach, California

Yesterday I received another interesting e-mail:

"I use Auto Europe 15 to 20 times per year. Since the refueling thing seems to be a regular issue, I always charge the gas and attach the gas receipt to my copy of the rental contract. If an erroneous gas charge shows up on my credit-card statement, I have easy access to the gas receipt that always has the date and time on it, proving that I refilled just before returning the car. To get the gas charge refunded, it also helps to have the rental agent to whom you return the car write "FULL" on the contract.

My biggest recent problem was a tiny 1/4-inch scratch on my rental-car hubcap. I thoroughly check every inch of a car when picking it up but, honestly, I had never checked the hubcaps. Now I do! That unscrupulous agency said I had to replace the whole tire for $700! Fortunately, I took photos of the scratch and contacted AmEx, which removed the $700 charge. So be sure to check your hubcaps when you pick up an Auto Europe car."
? Liz Duffy, St. Thomas

Anyone else have Auto Europe advice to share? Please click on "Comments" and post it here.

By Wendy Perrin

A reader who saw my entry about squeezing more free flights out of frequent-flier miles posted this question:  Are there credit cards that let you accrue miles that can be used on a wide selection of flights and airlines with available award seats?

Yes.  Credit cards such as Capital One and American Express' Blue Sky let you redeem your points for any flight on any airline, any time.  But, as I wrote in my "Credit Card Makeover" column, these programs have a drawback:  The number of miles needed for a free ticket is based on the cost of the flight.  Say the domestic flight you want costs $400. This flight would cost you 25,000 miles through traditional mileage programs, but it would cost 60,000 miles through Capital One and 30,000 through Blue Sky.

My favorite mileage-earning card is the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express card.  You can use your miles on any of 30 airlines (including all the major U.S. carriers).  There is certainly no guarantee that award seats will be available on the flight you want, but chances are you'll have enough airline and flight choices that you can find something that works.  PLUS you earn the equivalent of 1.25 miles per dollar spent.  AmEx gives you 1 point for each dollar, but when you go to Starwood to redeem your points for miles, Starwood throws in an extra 5,000 points for each 20,000 you redeem.  In other words, you get a 25,000-mile domestic roundtrip for only 20,000 points.