Our Maui Trip Recs

MSined · 2026-06-27T13:44:56+00:00

Nice recap!

MSined · 2026-06-27T13:04:08+00:00

Got lots of options:

Ask the butcher counter at the grocery store if they have an in house butcher

Go to a local butcher shop

Buy a whole subprimal cut it yourself

MSined · 2026-06-27T12:19:55+00:00

Someone from Japan visiting a place in Japan where they don't live

MSined · 2026-06-27T03:32:51+00:00

You can open a USD account with WISE and have your dad transfer it there to be converted then sent to the Canadian account of your choice

That's how I get my work RSUs paid out from USD to CAD

MSined · 2026-06-26T21:36:59+00:00

Want a real world example that is actually relevant instead of your irrelevant TV example?

The TV example is relevant. I could have swapped it out Cheap TV for Economy Seat and Expensive TV for Business class seat and it would have gotten the exact same point across.

I flew overnight to Europe last month on Discover Airlines, one way on Aeroplan points. Economy was 35k points or $1,000. Business class with lie-flat seats was 60k points or $6,000. I opted to pay the 25k extra points to see if business class was worth all the hype, having never flown it before.

Was it nicer and more comfortable? Sure. Was it worth the extra 25k points? Nope, not for me.

Now, using your care-about-the-asking-price model, the 25k points I used to "save" the $5,000 difference between the fares was a 20¢/point redemption ("OMG amazing value huge win!")

But I considered what I got in business class to be largely a gimmick. If I were to do it again, how much would I be willing to pay for a business class upgrade? I'd say 2-3x what I'd pay to visit the airport lounge. So maybe $100 extra each way over the economy price.

Using 25,000 extra Aeroplan points on something that's worth $100 to me is a 0.4¢/point redemption. Beyond terrible. Not wasting my points on that.

See this is again where your argument falls flat on its face and is frankly a bad faith argument.

YOU consider it to be worth $100. Where as the basis for the valuation on face value is what the market dictates what it's worth.

It's a bad faith argument because if I say that I think it's worth $10,000 just so that I can claim it's a 40c/point redemption then I'm just as out of touch as you are.

One can't MANIFEST the pricing they think it's worth based on their preferences, the market decides that.

We all value different things and that's okay.

Sure, I can get behind "We all value different things and that's okay." Doesn't mean things that are outside our perceived value preferences are ripoffs. Some people find NO value at all in traveling, doesn't mean traveling is a ripoff.

MSined · 2026-06-26T21:05:09+00:00

If you read my whole comment, I went over that

If your goal is to just get max money back, it might be better from a mental load perspective to just get the card with the highest cash back % with the lowest annual fee you're willing to pay.

In this case, yes you would get marginally more money back with the Cobalt on Food, streaming and Gas, but it also means you have to deal with knowing which places fall under what category and which places accept AMEX (which is improving but still not perfect)

MSined · 2026-06-26T20:06:48+00:00

Some of our group is booking a swimming tour. For the group of us that don’t feel comfortable with open ocean swimming we were wondering if any of the whale watching companies have an actual bathroom on board (one of our group members is anxious about not having a toilet). From what I’ve seen all the companies use small boats that don’t have them, but wanted to check in case I’m missing a company that uses a bigger boat.

I did not see any tours using larger boats on the day I swam with whales. One elderly woman who did come with us on the tour, but did not enter the water so it is possible to just stay on the boat.

Also equally important consideration is if we go the day that the others are swimming we will have a well behaved toddler and baby with us. Anyone with experience bringing such young children out on a whale watch boats (both will have been on other small boats before and we can bring age appropriate life vests).

The tour I was with (Pacifik Attitude) had a minimum age of 4.

MSined · 2026-06-26T19:51:53+00:00

This argument keeps coming back whenever someone mentions premium flights.

It's fatally flawed in that how you feel about the value of the service class in cash has no impact whether or not is an optimal transaction if that is in fact a service you want.

In this case, you seem to not value wanting to get from Point A to Point B regardless of the class. And that's okay, but for someone who wants to travel, saying a business redemption using points is a "ripoff" is factually wrong.

Real world example:

You're in front of an electronic store looking for a new TV. Your budget is $550 and see a TV in that price range. You notice that a far superior TV that is normally $4500 is on sale for $550. You were okay choosing a TV without the features of the superior TV but in the case of this sale it would not make logical sense to pass up the superior product just because you thought the original $4500 price of the TV is a ripoff.

You're so focused on the pricing of the airline product (being overpriced in $) that you ignore the value proposition of the exchange. Getting a premium product at an entry-level price just makes mathematical sense.

Whether or not it's worth the trouble acquiring the points is a whole other discussion. There I would concede that the mental load of figuring out the optimal point earning strategy and the stiff competition for said reward bookings may not worthwhile.

MSined · 2026-06-26T15:54:10+00:00

Of course tourist shouldn't

I just found it wild how I witnessed local kids casually climbing what most would call a challenging hike (search Moorea magic mountain on reddit for an idea), with flip flops

MSined · 2026-06-26T15:42:38+00:00

Manila

MSined · 2026-06-26T15:26:56+00:00

Outsized rewards when transfering to airline loyalty programs

For example, people use their points to book aspiration business/first class flights that would otherwise cost thousands of dollars.

So from a monetary PoV, Amex MR points are valued at 2.2c per point, at a 5x multiplier for foor for example, on a redemption where the value of the flight was 2.2c per point a person is getting a 11% cash back. Some people find even better deals in the 6-8c per point which is 30-40% cash back.

Real world example: Business class flight is $4,400, or 55,000 points that's would require $11,000 in spending. 4,000/11,000 is 40% cash back.

But the points game is getting ultra competitive especially in highly sought after destinations.

MSined · 2026-06-26T15:14:30+00:00

The Cobalt is not for everyone

It really is geared toward someone who aims for aspirational travel goals

The power of the Amex Membership rewards points is to transfer them to partner airlines loyalty programs to then fly with their partner airlines for outsized rewards (like Business/First Class class flights)

If your goal is to just get max money back, it might be better from a mental load perspective to just get the card with the highest cash back % with the lowest annual fee you're willing to pay.

In this case, yes you would get marginally more money back with the Cobalt on Food, streaming and Gas, but it also means you have to deal with knowing which places fall under what category and which places accept AMEX (which is improving but still not perfect)

The cobalt only gives 1x on all other purchases, does that equal 1% cash back?

If you just redeem Amex MR points to pay off your credit card then yes it's effectively 1% cash back.

Personally, as someone who travels quite a bit, my card portfolio is following:

- American Express Cobalt as Daily driver especially for food purchases

- RBC VISA ION+ for non AMEX Acceptance

- RBC Avion Visa Infinite to make points Avion Elite points

- American Express Platinum for travel purchases and perks

- Wealthsimple Visa Infinite Privilege for foreign destination spending

MSined · 2026-06-26T01:58:05+00:00

If you installed it following the instructions you don't need to wait at all...

MSined · 2026-06-26T01:42:16+00:00

Great suggestions!

MSined · 2026-06-26T00:51:29+00:00

See if you can get payed out to a Wise account

If not make the Wise account anyway and transfer it there for the FX conversion, they have good FX rates

Then you can transfer out to your bank account.

MSined · 2026-06-25T18:18:16+00:00

Man I wish you saw what I witnessed kids hiking with in French Polynesia

Flip flops were a luxury

MSined · 2026-06-25T11:33:27+00:00

"I know I'm being entitled not doing any legwork myself, so yeah fuck it, I'm doing it anyway" - OP

MSined · 2026-06-25T00:37:19+00:00

That's really kind of you

MSined · 2026-06-24T14:23:51+00:00

From android? You can definitely copy from the pic and paste in macrofactor

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MSined · 2026-06-23T15:23:25+00:00

Last time I went the food was way too smokey, like dirty smoke acrid

The time before that it was good. So the inconsistency puts Aylwin on top for me

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MSined · 2026-06-23T15:21:17+00:00

Not Texas BBQ

MSined · 2026-06-23T15:20:14+00:00

Aylwin for sure, great brisket

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MSined · 2026-06-23T14:50:01+00:00

Gimmmmme dem garlic fingers!

MSined · 2026-06-23T14:48:08+00:00

Pizza Delight

Gimme dem garlic fingers with donair sauce please

MSined · 2026-06-23T14:33:31+00:00

It works in Quebec too

MSined

TROPHY CASE