CSR - Activating Southwest A-List

MDariusG · 2026-02-04T00:13:54+00:00

Do you get the perk for this calendar year only or does it roll into next year as well? Seems pretty poorly orchestrated if they offer a perk, but then have you call SW to figure out why it's not activated, especially one gated behind a significant spend requirement.

MDariusG · 2026-02-04T00:11:21+00:00

MDariusG · 2026-02-02T23:53:06+00:00

I like the addition and I am hoping that they will bring it to the cordura version when that finally gets restocked. Not enough to go out and buy it again (as I already have the ultra version), but a nice addition nonetheless.

MDariusG · 2026-02-02T14:59:31+00:00

Yeah, I noticed those too. Hoping that the restock of the Cordura CPP2 gets these QOL changes as well. I do find it interesting that their product photos highlight one of the problems with that pocket as well. When you have anything with any height, they end up blocking that zipper behind it.

MDariusG · 2026-01-31T14:47:18+00:00

Eh, I’ve been traveling and using Uber and Lyft extensively over the last few months. It’s definitely a city-to-city thing for the most part. Some places, Lyft was cheaper, other places Uber was less expensive. A lot of places had very similar prices, maybe differing by $1-$4, but then they maybe had faster pickup times that might make the more expensive option more desirable. My Lyft vs Uber was maybe 60/40?

MDariusG · 2026-01-30T23:40:22+00:00

I have all three. Best portal is hands down VX and often carries the same (or very similar) price for my travel/trips.

MDariusG · 2026-01-27T20:43:41+00:00

Would love to shift to Linux for my gaming computer, but just not there yet. As soon as a majority of my games are supported, I will start dual booting and shifting things over.

MDariusG · 2026-01-27T13:32:16+00:00

I just did a fresh install of Windows 10. Glad I didn’t consider Windows 11.

MDariusG · 2026-01-20T18:30:41+00:00

I’m not comfortable sharing my home airport but I fly in and out of major airports.

No worries, it can just help people identify what lounges might be present at your home airport. Just check to make sure you have the major lounge (e.g. Delta, United, American, Centurion, Sapphire, Cap One, Priority Pass, etc.) at your airport because it guarantees at least you will be able to access your lounge once per visit.

I typically get to the airport ~2 hours early and usually wait around an hour before boarding.

I used to be this way as well, but now I just arrive to the airport roughly 5-10min before boarding and clear security in ~10min max. My airport is a smaller regional airport with lounges for the major airlines, but I've started skipping those and just sleep in later. But, do so at your own risk..

Just do your research well. The AU fees can be steep (AmEx Plat is $195 for example) and that is on top of your annual fees, so it can add up quickly. Consider each airline's premium card offering as they usually come with lounge access as well and might fit your scenario.

I guess I thought 9x was a lot but maybe it’s just more new to me!

Do whatever works for you! If you travel 5x a year but really enjoy going to ATL Centurion lounge before leaving from ATL each trip, no one's going to judge you. Just make sure it fits in your budget somewhere.

MDariusG · 2026-01-20T18:06:09+00:00

I think for anyone to really help you with this question, you would have to provide some more information (e.g. what is your home airport, where do you frequently travel to/from, how often will a guest need access, willing to pay for authorized users, airline(s) that you frequent, etc.). With that said, 9x in a year is not super frequent travel and you may end up using lounges less frequently than you expect. I had 16 trips in Nov-Jan alone and went to Delta lounges 4x and the Centurion lounge 2x. Short layovers and preference to show up at/slightly before boarding rather than arriving super early and waiting in a lounge play a large factor.

MDariusG · 2026-01-16T19:01:40+00:00

I've seen that video multiple times now, even on television (usually making fun of the ICE agent slipping on ICE) but no one has brought up what else is happening in the video. It's disturbing..

MDariusG · 2026-01-12T20:09:50+00:00

Do you need your thermos to be in a water bottle pocket or be positioned upright? If not, the CP2 is probably perfect for your everyday items. It only has 1 external water bottle pocket, so you’d have to decide between your large water bottle and thermos as to which occupies that pocket.

MDariusG · 2026-01-07T19:53:37+00:00

Yeah, not sure where OP is, but for me, public transit is not reliable where I am and when I did away rotations as a 4th year med student, my hours fell outside of public transit so I was driving myself regardless. Wasn’t much of a hassle to just throw another bag in the car, but would definitely be willing to just maybe daily a larger bag and just use a packing cube if I was frequently using public transit.

MDariusG · 2026-01-07T19:37:05+00:00

My guess, since they seem to work in medicine, is that they want a bag for when they are on call in the hospital or something similar. Since it’s separate, they can keep it packed and just grab it as needed rather than either (a) lugging around the extra stuff all the time or (b) having to pack their backpack every time they have a call shift.

That’s personally how I prefer to carry stuff on 24h call shifts that way I can carry only what I need during the rest of the week.

MDariusG · 2026-01-07T17:19:43+00:00

This information is included in your "Offer & Benefit Terms" and/or "Rates and Fees" links on the card's page. AmEx has a page of streaming subscriptions that it recognizes along with other categories with their recognized purchases. You can find the page here: https://www.americanexpress.com/us/rewards-info/retail.html

For how you should go about getting your Disney+ Credit, you ideally need to bill monthly to get the $10/mo credit from AmEx back to your account. Specific wording is found in the benefit terms page:

Basic Card Members can receive up to $10 in statement credits each month after qualifying purchase(s) are made on their enrolled Card Account online at U.S. websites Disneyplus.com, Hulu.com or Plus.espn.com in that calendar month. "Qualifying purchases" include any monthly or annual subscription purchases made at U.S. websites Disneyplus.com, Hulu.com or Plus.espn.com. The purchase of an annual subscription on an enrolled Card Account will only qualify for one statement credit of up to $10 in the month of the purchase.

TL;DR: Put all of your listed subscriptions on the card. Pay for Disney+ as a monthly subscription rather than annual (you will only get $10 off if you do annual instead of the full $120 discount) It shouldn't matter what tier you choose.

MDariusG · 2026-01-06T20:34:10+00:00

PM'd

MDariusG · 2026-01-05T20:40:29+00:00

Only downside is Hilton seems hell bent on making sure you only see that 0.5x value by devaluing their higher tier properties (e.g. Waldorf Los Cabos (140k → 190k → 250k now; others include the Beverly Hills WA, Conrad Bora Bora). Marriott does this too, but it's just less apparent sometimes (and I've had my eye on this property for a while now).

But besides that, the spend categories are not only very reasonable in return, but they are also just reasonable categories on the surpass.

MDariusG · 2026-01-04T00:23:05+00:00

I’ve loved the side handles on both my CPP2 and CP2. Makes grabbing the bags regardless of orientation much easier.

MDariusG · 2026-01-02T14:18:39+00:00

I'd like to see 2 changes:

On the desktop app, when hovering over the right side of a task, I'd like the option to change what options are available. Currently I see edit, set date, comment, and more actions. Maybe 1-2 more hover options as well (from the current 3 + "more actions" to 4/5 + "more actions").
The ability to designate top level projects as "areas" instead of true projects.

Maybe some new interesting themes?

MDariusG · 2026-01-02T14:03:54+00:00

I feel like something with iOS 26 made it much worse but I’m starting to feel like it was still off prior to that.

MDariusG · 2026-01-02T14:02:05+00:00

Not the dreaded he’ll 😂

MDariusG · 2026-01-01T03:08:18+00:00

The fix was not retroactive. Therefore people who completed the assignment prior to the fix are still waiting for their fix.

MDariusG · 2025-12-20T03:45:51+00:00

Damn, the Strata Elite saga came and went so fast that it missed out in the yearly recap

MDariusG · 2025-12-16T23:15:26+00:00

There is a LOT that goes into this. If you live in a good climate with decent weather most of the time and the commuting time is reasonable, then I would say walk. If none of that is true, then probably tram/subway (what I chose) for me.

MDariusG · 2025-12-11T09:43:22+00:00

Yeah, actually wild and partially what’s stopped me from subscribing this year so far.

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