TPG Staff Picks: What We’d Spend $999 on — Instead of the iPhone X

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here: Citi Prestige, The Platinum Card® from American Express,Chase Sapphire Reserve

This week, Apple released the iPhone X, and while many tech enthusiasts would gladly fork over $999 to upgrade to the new model, TPG staffers thought of some other things — from round-trip flights to London to a beautiful Airbnb stay in Barbados — they’d rather spend a grand on. Here’s a look at their ideal product and travel alternatives.

1. “I’d spend the $999 on annual fees for premium travel cards — essentially investing in a great travel card like Chase Sapphire Reserve, The Platinum Card from American Express or the Citi Prestige. — Brian Kelly, The Points Guy

2. “I’d buy a $600 round-trip flight to Paris in economy on a full-service carrier and do a two-night stay in a beautiful Airbnb for $250. That’s in addition to oysters, a bottle of Chablis and dinner for two at Brasserie Wepler for $120 — oh, and $29 to ride on the metro.” — Alberto Riva, Managing Editor

3. “I’d spend $361 on a round-trip ticket to London on Norwegian in October. Also a one-hour experience in a full-motion BA 747-400 or 777-200ER flight simulator for $593; two meals on each Norwegian flight (four total, so roughly $10 per meal) and plastic aviator wings to celebrate my ‘official’ pilot status.” — Wallace Cotton, Community Manager

4. “I’d rather spend that money on 10 one-way flights from Newburgh (SWF) to Dublin (DUB), plus a $9 McDonald’s breakfast at the airport.” — Nick Ellis, Assistant Editor

5. “I’d buy a flight from New York (JFK) to Barbados (BGI) in JetBlue Mint for $633, and spend three nights in this beautiful beachfront property, pictured below.” — Brendan Dorsey, Assistant Editor

6. “Let’s put it this way: For $48 more, I could fly round-trip from New York to Sydney, Australia — which I’d much rather do than have another gadget.” — Kaeli Conforti, Senior Editor

7. “For that price, I can purchase a new piece of luggage so I can pack all my stuff away for $525, in addition to a round-trip flight to Stockholm for $303 and a six-day car rental to explore the rest of the country for $171.” — Emily McNutt, Associate Editor

8. “I’d rather spend four nights at the Westin Maui, using the Citi Prestige Card to get the 4th Night Free for $768 — before taxes and resort fees. And $230 worth of Ahi poke at Foodland Farms around the corner in Lahaina.” — Zach Honig, Editor-at-Large

9. “Personally, I’d rather spend that exact amount on a new MacBook Air.” — Cindy Augustine, Freelance Editor

10. “I’d spend that on a round-trip ticket to New Orleans in February, particularly the week before Mardi Gras, for $443. I’d also buy Beats headphones so I can drown out noise on the plane for $299. Then, I’d buy two dozen of the best oysters ever at Luke Oyster Happy Hour for $18 — yes, they are only $0.75 cents each. I’d also buy:

• Three tickets to see live music at Tipitina’s and on Frenchmen Street = $60 (ish)
• Half-fried oyster and half-fried shrimp po’ boy (fully dressed) at Domilise’s = $14
• Pita, hummus, shakshuka, avocado toast, etc. at Shaya = $30
• Beignets and a frozen café au lait at Café du Monde = $10
• A Hurricane at Pat O’Brien’s = $8.50
• A mozzarella sandwich at St. James Cheese Company = $8.95
• Lobster gnocchi at Restaurant R’evolution = $32
• Fried oysters with brie at Clancy’s (yup, that’s a thing) = $12.75
• Two SoulCycle classes to burn it all off when I get back = $64.”

— Samantha Rosen, Social Media Editor

What would you spend $999 instead of the new iPhone? Let us know in the comments below.

All prices accurate as of date of publication.