Auf Wiedersehen Oktoberfest

This week I cancelled another trip due to COVID.

Annually I go Oktoberfest Zinzinnati, the largest Oktoberfest outside of Munich. I have gone every year but one for the past 15 years, 2020 will be the second I miss. As of this posting the event has not officially cancelled but I do not see how it can go off safely. Given how certain I thought I was of my attendance I took advantage of the travel recession in March to book my hotel and flights.

I was able to book my return flight using an AAdvantage web saver at 6,000 miles at the time that trip was pricing just under $200. I was not able to find an acceptable combination of schedule and price mileage itinerary on the outbound but did manage to buy a Delta nonstop at the lowest price I had ever observed on the route. I had also booked the Hilton Netherland Plaza using points about a year out as I refuse to pay Cincinnati's 21% hotel tax. Thanks to dynamic pricing I was able to cancel and rebook the same room this spring at lower pandemic pricing.

Cancelling reservations was a smooth experience. Hilton was well before the cancellation window so going from reservation to available points only took a few clicks. The Delta flight was booked using a gift card I got at Costco last year so I knew there would no refund, only a travel credit. I was able to cancel the American flight via Twitter DM. Miles were redeposited within an hour of the request and a promise the $5.60 security fee will make it back to my credit card. I would have much rather had a safe Oktoberfest experience but under the circumstances I'll take a hassle and penalty free cancellation.

Reduced Mileage Awards

I carry the Citibank AAdvantage Mastercard so I can get miles for most of my everyday purchases. In addition to the mileage earning aspect of the card the other prime benefit is the option to redeem miles at reduced amounts for selected destinations. I have made use of this feature about once per year so my $85 annual fee is essentially buying me 7500 miles, not a bad deal by itself. The list for spring 2012 has been released and can be found here. As usual the Northeast US is lacking,represented exclusively by Charleston WV more southern/Applachia than Northeast. The upside I see is that my home airport, MSP, is again on the list as are my haunts on I-75. I may very well be attending March Madness in Lexington again to experience the UK riots.