Long Haul Business Class for under $2K (GENERAL MILES & POINTS DISCUSSION)

[bgtp]

Today’s lesson learned: I’m currently staying at a Best Western Plus as there’s no IHG or Hilton properties nearby at which point I become a free agent. It’s a very nice hotel in a great location for my purposes. When I was hanging the ‘please make up room’ card on the door, there was a message on it about status match for Best Western Rewards. Had I thought of it beforehand, I could have easily taken care of it. Might not have gotten me much, but better than nothing. So, another lesson learned. Need to remember to check for status matches at brands I don’t usually stay at.

[Luv2Phuket]

Yep - always good to check for status match!

The company that runs Avan (I think) has one running right now, but it’s a paid match.

My friend is Concierge Key with AA, but has to fly Lufthansa on an upcoming trip.  I told him to check for a match and he got the highest tier on United right away.

[bgtp]

19 hours ago, Luv2Phuket said:

Yep - always good to check for status match!

Well, due to a plumbing issue, had to change rooms resulting in a nice upgrade. Sometimes better lucky than smart 555

[jmukh]

Ah, well, it appears I've finally run out of excuses to continue avoiding the US, and will now (finally) need to head back to DC. However, some expiring points and my last round of FNCs to burn first:

1. I have a ton of expiring Wyndham points, and have never used them. Didn't realize how cheap rooms are on points (with a further 10% off the 7,500 redemption rate); the points look like they'll be easily worth >1c. 

2. How craptacular is the Wyndham Jomtien Pattaya? It's a lot further south than I've stayed in the past. On my recent (Jan-Feb) trip, I noticed that it can take forever to get a Grab down there sometimes. I'm assuming it won't matter if girls are coming to visit, but how bad is it going to suck if I need to get up to, say, Terminal 21 or LK Metro?

3. The other FNCs are at the Intercontinental (the one just west of Nana / The Conrad, where the endless line of malls starts) and the Westin Grande Sukhumvit, neither of which I've ever tried. Any thoughts / experiences with either? The IHG cert is surprisingly good value; I should probably prioritize it higher and stop wasting the cert (my first time using that one, too...I think I've wasted it two years in a row at this point). 

4. I'm flying back on Air Premia, through S. Korea. Apparently, they have like 8 small planes, but are confident that thing will fly from Seoul to DC in one go. Anyone used them before, or are they too new? I think they've been flying short haul around the region for a while before attempting this new DC route.

Happy to buy a drink for anyone willing to venture into the deep south to come find me at that Wyndham.  
 

[Samf]

On 16/05/2026 at 12:52, jmukh said:

Ah, well, it appears I've finally run out of excuses to continue avoiding the US, and will now (finally) need to head back to DC. However, some expiring points and my last round of FNCs to burn first:

1. I have a ton of expiring Wyndham points, and have never used them. Didn't realize how cheap rooms are on points (with a further 10% off the 7,500 redemption rate); the points look like they'll be easily worth >1c. 

2. How craptacular is the Wyndham Jomtien Pattaya? It's a lot further south than I've stayed in the past. On my recent (Jan-Feb) trip, I noticed that it can take forever to get a Grab down there sometimes. I'm assuming it won't matter if girls are coming to visit, but how bad is it going to suck if I need to get up to, say, Terminal 21 or LK Metro?

3. The other FNCs are at the Intercontinental (the one just west of Nana / The Conrad, where the endless line of malls starts) and the Westin Grande Sukhumvit, neither of which I've ever tried. Any thoughts / experiences with either? The IHG cert is surprisingly good value; I should probably prioritize it higher and stop wasting the cert (my first time using that one, too...I think I've wasted it two years in a row at this point). 

4. I'm flying back on Air Premia, through S. Korea. Apparently, they have like 8 small planes, but are confident that thing will fly from Seoul to DC in one go. Anyone used them before, or are they too new? I think they've been flying short haul around the region for a while before attempting this new DC route.

Happy to buy a drink for anyone willing to venture into the deep south to come find me at that Wyndham.  
 

Lol I’ve not stayed at the Wyndham but both @Luv2Phuket and I have stayed at the Andaz, not sure about him but I went to Pattaya every day.  It takes awhile to get into town from there, but definitely doable, I’ve had a couple of drivers cancel but always made it in town, and the Andaz is a good 10km south, so I don’t think the Wyndham is that bad 

[Luv2Phuket]

56 minutes ago, Samf said:

Lol I’ve not stayed at the Wyndham but both @Luv2Phuket and I have stayed at the Andaz, not sure about him but I went to Pattaya every day.  It takes awhile to get into town from there, but definitely doable, I’ve had a couple of drivers cancel but always made it in town, and the Andaz is a good 10km south, so I don’t think the Wyndham is that bad 

I was the opposite - I didn't leave the property.  BUT I had a work thing blowing up the days I was there and was stuck on late night calls almost every night.  Once it got to midnight, it seemed pointless to try to venture out from that far south.

The distance isn't the problem - it's the traffic and potential construction on the primary road. IIRC, Second road in Jomtien had a few lanes shut down when I was out there.

FWIW, the "work issues" thing just fucked me again tonight in BKK and I am only an 8 minute walk from Nana!  If I'm up until 3 a.m. because I'm getting fucked, I prefer it be BY A PRETTY THAI GIRL!  555

[Luv2Phuket]

On the plus side, while on one of those work calls, I was booking an Atmos award on Starlux Biz class for 85k for next year. 

It's the trip where I was booked in Starlux PE for 62.5k, so the extra 22.5k for lie flat Biz class seemed like the way to go (although I have to book a positioning flight to LAX)