My Star Mega Do 3 Adventure Begins
This should be an interesting week for me. I'm going on the third annual Star Mega Do, which is an event planned by frequent flyers, for frequent flyers. The event is co-organized by certain Star Alliance member airlines, as well as Hyatt. There are two portions (full schedule here), and I booked business class tickets on both. I will be live tweeting on my adventures, so make sure you follow me on Twitter! I'll try to get some blog posts up from the road as well. You can also follow the official Facebook page with links to live tweets/videos, etc.
Portion 1: The European Adventure, $2,500 for business class
Highlights:
Monday: Fly JFK-Frankfurt on Lufthansa. (On the A380, which will be my first A380 experience!).
Tuesday: Connect Frankfurt-Munich to check out Lufthansa and my special tour is with the LSG SkyChef facility. I have to wear a hair net in order to go on the tour - just wait for the pictures/video!
Wednesday: Fly Munich-Frankfurt-Chicago and meet up with the full group.
Portion 2: The North American Charter Jet Adventure, $1,800 for first class. I'll be joined by TPG reader Kathy who won the Great Seatmate contest.
Wednesday Continued: Hyatt reception at the Park Hyatt Chicago. One of the gifts from Hyatt is Diamond status for all attendees, which will extend my current Diamond until February 2013.
Thursday: United Airlines session at O'Hare and then get on the 757 charter and fly Chicago to Montreal. Meet up with the Aeroplan folks.
Friday: Bombardier tour in the morning and then fly Montreal to Denver.
Saturday: I bid for time in the United Flight Simulator and will be going on a brewery tour with the Grand Hyatt Denver staff later in the day. The event ends with a charity dinner.
It should be a really fun and interesting week. Are any other TPG readers going on either portion of this trip? Let me know!
[card card-name='Chase Freedom®' card-id='22125634' type='javascript' bullet-id='1']
TPG featured card
at Bilt's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 1X | Choose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee |
| 2X | Earn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases |
Pros
- Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
- Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
- $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
- $200 Bilt Cash annually
- Priority Pass membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
- Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.

