Looking Back at My Credit Card Usage For 2023
We’ve reached the end of 2023 and so here I am looking back at my credit card and airline miles journey this year.
Ever since the pandemic in 2020, life has hardly gotten better for the world, has it? In addition to the Russia-Ukraine war, conflict between Israel and Palestine erupted. There were a few accidents and disasters that claimed numerous lives across the globe too. Even towards the end of the year, news of the walking pneumonia and a new COVID variant of interest had spread. In the Philippines, tension between the government and China continues to rise. At this point, I can’t help but worry and simply wish for 2024 to be peaceful, it doesn’t even have to be super happy. Syempre, ayaw pa rin natin yung sad year!
Still, life goes on. With such gloomy outlook for the future, the least we can do is to have at least something to look forward to, right? For me, that’s the prospect of finally using my miles to travel business or first class and to experience the benefits of elite membership at hotel groups. And that’s exactly what 2023 helped prepare for me.
Redeemed some airline miles and moved a few around
This year, I’ve probably “used” more miles than I’ve earned. For one, I had to redeem KrisFlyer miles because they were expiring.
With it, I was able to get cosmetics from The Lab Series and even a Samsung Flip 4 via the KrisShop! For this order, I had it shipped to my best friend residing in Singapore and asked her to bring it for me when she came back home. Unfortunately, I also had to transfer some more miles from KrisFlyer to Shangri-La Gold Circle since I couldn’t think of anything else to redeem. Because of the 3-year expiry of KrisFlyer Miles and the 10% fee to extend them for 6 months, I likewise decided to tone down my use of EW’s KrisFlyer World Mastercard and to minimize transferring credit card points/miles to this airline program.
Regrettably, I have some more KrisFlyer miles expiring in the next 6 months and I’m still trying to decide how I’m going to use them. A travel during my birth month maybe? This might be a good idea!
Saved in discounts from vouchers, codes, and promos
Expenses and purchases are never going away so it’s best we get something good out of them, yes? Thanks to credit cards, a lot of people were able to save more of their income and extend their budget. But is it really saving when you have to spend? :>
With Citibank/UnionBank, I was able to redeem GrabFood vouchers through their tile matching and card scratching games. As for BDO and EastWest Bank, I used their voucher codes quite often during Lazada and Shopee sales. I was also able to use my BDO cards when I dined in with my family at restaurants, with some having up to 50% discount! Aside from credit cards, I was also able to save quite a lot thanks to SMAC during SM 3-day sales.
Some of the banks were also nice enough to waive the annual fee of my credit cards upon request so that’s additional savings!
Status Matched to Various Hotel Programs
Probably the highlight of the year – status matching my KrisFlyer Elite Gold status to Shangri-La Circle, HoteLux, and Marriott Bonvoy.
This honestly couldn’t have come at a better time since my KrisFlyer Elite Gold status was ending this year! Curious, I also took a look at other hotel chains (such as Hilton Honors and Ascott Star Rewards) regarding status matching. They do have them too, but there are additional requirements (needing to stay for a few nights) and not simply a quick sign-up. And so, I’m leaving this as a project for the next year (or two)!
Note: I’ve added links to the above membership programs incase you’re interested in status matching too.
Anything Interesting For 2024?
In the upcoming year, I’m most excited to find out how UnionBank will finally transition Citibank users and products to theirs.
On the other hand, I’m also cautiously optimistic on whether banks will be able to retain or repeat this year or the previous years’ promo offerings. This is because the promos that they released towards the latter half of the year had higher spend requirements for the same amount of cashback/rebate compared to the earlier half. Has the poor business affected the banks too? I hope not.
Once again, here is The Quirky Yuppie wishing everyone a peaceful and a better 2024!
