The Plaza, Darling...

I know it's not the hotel legend it once was but it still is met with a raised brow to some when mentioning it as my destination for an overnight stay for today's trip to New York City.  The iconic 5th Avenue at Central Park South hotel is now a Fairmont managed property.    I love Fairmont hotels.  I've stayed at their Washington, D.C. and Maui properties previously and loved both.  

I'm at the Plaza tonight for one night, for free, of course.  Had I booked the room using the flexible stay rate the price quote was for $725. I also could have utilized the full pre-payment rate of $616.  I stayed at the Plaza in August of 2015 for 1 night as a rewards benefit for being a Chase Fairmont credit card holder.  The card has since been discontinued (January 2017).  I canceled my card in April of 2016 and have two free nights I have to use at any Fairmont property in the world.  Since I live on the east coast I take advantage of a once or twice yearly visit to NYC.  I'm a bit of a foodie, so most of my visits involve eating. 

I earned this $700+ stay because I charged $12,000 to my Chase Fairmont Card in one year.  I charge everything to a credit card.  I don't make charges I wouldn't normally make and I don't carry a balance.  This $12K charge was a no brainer and done in one swipe.  My mother was having her basement refinished and I offered to pay using my card, then she could pay me when the bill came due and for that I earned a $725 dollar room at the Plaza.  It's that easy.  It's called making the most from spending money.  Many financial blogs chastise those who use credit cards mostly because people are not disciplined but when you use credit cards to your advantage and not the advantage of the issuing bank you can enjoy similar perks.

It's been a while...

I self suspended my contribution to this blog for reason resulting from the unexpected death of my dad.  That death resulted in some life changes and a year long travel postponement.  Its been  3 1/2 years since that time and things are significantly more settled.  I now feel the urge to share what I have learned.

Originally,  when I decided on the name for this blog I wanted it to best reflect who I am.  A dictionary definition states sundry as "made up of different things" and that is exactly me.  I was never able to define myself into one role, one type and this blog will be a showcase of why this is true. When I first started writing the blog it  was meant to provide knowledge of my travel experiences using credit card and reward program points rather than cash.  That still will be a major focus of content but I will also expand to cover financial, retirement, home ownership, mid life challenges and experiences. I'm going to do my best to post frequently but if there is nothing to post I won't force a topic. I hope you will find value in my entries and I hope you will follow along for a great ride.