Point Me to the Plane - Vanilla Reload D-Day in NYC? Major Retailer No Longer Accepting Credit or Debit Card Purchases

I was on my way home yesterday when I stopped at a local retailer to pick up a Vanilla Reload card which would be used to complete payment on my April apartment rent. With Vanilla Reload in hand, I walked to the self-checkout as I've done so many times before, scanned the card, and received an error message – "Assistance Required". An employee came over and told me that I'd have to pay at the normal checkout counter for these types of cards going forward. OK, no problem. The card was scanned by an employee and I was asked how I wanted to pay. I presented my credit card and the employee went to swipe it, however he couldn't! Under the payment type menu, Credit was grayed out. I then tried for the debit card trick, "yep, that card is actually a debit card". It didn't work, debit card was all grayed out in the payment menu as well, the only available option was cash! I even had the associate turn his screen so that I could see for myself, it was all unfortunately true. It was a sad walk back to my apartment. I had been so careful, always switching locations, never buying more than two cards at a time, and sharing the wealth by rarely purchasing more than two cards in a given week and going several weeks without any card purchases.

I decided to check out two other locations within the city. The same was true, no self-checkout accepted and cash only at the checkout counter. An associate couldn't even override the restriction as the system automatically prevented them from selecting any other payment besides cash. All visited locations did have the same owner, Albany LLC.

I have some loyal readers checking out the situation in the suburbs of New Jersey, Long Island, and Connecticut. These locations all stocked many more Vanilla Reload cards than the city locations and tended to be quite loose with the rules. Hopefully they are still allowing the credit card payment option, updates to follow.  With my March churn planned for early next week, I'll be re-evaluating my card choices if these locations have discontinued credit card usage as well. Please leave comments with updates in your area!

Here's some good news for locals who want to commiserate together, we finally have a date for the NYC area meet-up! It will likely be Thursday April 11th and I'll have another post later today or tomorrow with further details. Fellow BoardingArea bloggers Deals We Like, Just Another Points Traveler, Rapid Travel Chai, and The Wandering Aramean are all tentatively attending as well! Additionally, if you signed up for the NYC meet-up updates back in January, look out for an email next week with full details.

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One Mile at a Time - Alaska Mileage Plan one-way prizes today bookable for travel on American!

In February I posted in regards to the rumor that one-way prizes would shortly be bookable applying Alaska Mileage Plan miles. Alaska has some amazing flight associates making use of their Mileage Plan program, although the two actually restricted procedures concerning the program would be the not enough one-ways at half the price of a roundtrip and the inability to combine companion airlines for a passing fancy award admission. Anyway, a research on Alaskaas website reveals that one-way tickets are now actually bookable for vacation on American at half the cost of a roundtrip. For example, a search for availability between New York and London shows that one-way tickets are 20,000 miles in coach, 50,000 miles running a business class, or 67,500 miles in first class. Interestingly Delta prizes now seem when carrying out a one-way research as well, although just at the roundtrip price. Iam hoping thatas merely a glitch that needs to be fixed, given that they havenat even made an official announcement of one-way award tickets being helped however. Itas also worth noting that American awards now look on the search calender when booking one-way awards, which wasnat formerly the case often, so you can search availability a month at any given time (although you can also do that on aa.com, as saver award availability released to the 2 airlines is equivalent). Ideally the efficiency to book one-way honors is brought to other partner air companies as well, although Iad be prepared to guess itall be at a snailas pace.

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A 12-hour crash course on Chile

Posted by Writing Contest on Tuesday, March 19, 2013 A Leave a Comment This is an in the We Said Move Journey Writing Contest published by Ashley Time from America. Thanks for the entry Ashley! When I looked up from my last ham and cheese breakfast meal and found a serious man in business clothes, I realized it was our guidea'not because he was what I expected but because everyone else in this hostel was under 30 and still in PJs. Head looked much younger in an image on line, and I was so discouraged I hurried to have my travel companion, worried wead irritate him if we made him wait. The two of us certainly are a mess anyhow, but 18 exhaustion was added by days racing around Brazil to the mixture. Our last halt was a layover in Chile and in all our ambition wead asked Tours by Locals to send the information capable of fitting as much in as possible. Strolling across Plaza de Armas, Leo assured two things: to show each thing to us he loves about his place in 12 hours and to provide a geniune local experience to us unlike any traveler might find alone. That woke us up. whilst the tradition thought make believe to a set of New Yorkers when we moved into Mercado Central as its employees opened for the day, my interest was piqued by each lively, smiley greeting. We suggestion toed through the dirt on the floors also engaged to check from the pleasant exchanges crossing every pathway. Leo knew every individual in this building and by our exit we did, also. As we read several other markets ingesting the monstrous size and vibrant colors of the greens, the new scents of the seafood, and the unique laughter of the folks, he explained how Chileans laugh and joke with each other even while strangers simply passing by. aWe donat have a lot of money, you understand? But what we lack in luxury we replace in spirit. We're a soulful people.a That heart was consuming us. We were seeing the discussion instinctively smiling at the happiness that came naturally, effortlessly to these locals. A man supporting an older woman weight her basket, butchers playing with kids, Leo charming waitresses. It felt like a celebration within these walls and it wasnat actually 9 am, like a Disney movie with townspeople merrily interacting in the streets, singing. Chile photo: patrickcoe I desired to go here. I needed to achieve this every morning. I had that people-say-hi-as-they-pass-by anxiety that induces thoughts of escaping Nyc. And it wasnat even 9 am. We toured the logo places in downtown Santiago: the government buildings and presidential palace, the Museum of Itinerant Art under, the train, the Stock Market on Ny Street, all pristinely maintained, beautiful architecturally, and endearing in localsa obvious delight in them. We were so captivated by the nature of the town we forgot to take pictures of its research. I was swept away by the sensory and the reports. Making Santiago to set about your wine area westward, we'd visit Casablanca Valley, which specialized in Chardonnay, my personal favorite. Leo defined the countryas chaotic record as we wenta'political chaos, a coup, an important earthquakea'and the unity and camaraderie he noticed in his countrymen throughout. He abandoned the primer to take over privately of the street for an view of the valleya'the rolling green hills and countless rows of vines you created before visiting New York wineries, a picture we were ready to make to. We descended to Casas del Bosque for lunch, a visit, and a sampling. The restaurant was realized the expectations set by this type of stat and named one of the top at any winery global. With the smell of grapes in the breeze and an amazing landscape quickly the terrace, there clearly was little importance of above average fare, but delectable master crab, salmon, and ceviche combined perfectly with warm sunlight and light white wine. Our visit unveiled circumstances of the art facility with pop music moving the barrel area, which tickled us white over our six-varietal tasting. Wines this soft and smooth were soothing to our fatigue, the precise aid we needed. Vulnerable in the knees for this location and its background, we indulged in our beloved cups on lounge chairs that felt like paradise before driving to the coast in which a walking tour of Valparaisoas graffiti-lined roads rounded out our sampler with lovely and art views of the water. Between the people, cooking, and beauty, this day-long crash program on Chile fully stole the show on our wonderful South American journey. Even yet in fatigue, that stimulating place won me over, pulling at my wanderlust money for hard times and hogging my storytelling upon return. Iall be back for that unabashedly friendly industry, wine to write home about, and absolutely infectious character. For that was a place with soul. In regards to the Author: Ashley Day fell in deep love with travel between volunteering in Honduras and studying abroad in Florence. She grew up in Orlando, attended school in Nashville, and has become a travel writer and publisher in New York City causing Rand McNally, The Daily Meal, Go Overseas, and Menas Fitness. Ashley websites about doing good as you go at www.ashleynday.com. Sydney, Australia. A Spot I Enjoy. New Zealand a A Land That Welcomes You With Open Arms and A Purity of Heart I Crash a Race in Mongolia Japan: Leaping to the Land of the Rising Sun This really is an access to the We Said Move Journey Writing Competition. The topic with this match was "Inspiration: A Place You Love." Enjoy reading and don't forget to leave a comment! Recorded under Chile, Motivation, Writing Competition A Branded with Ashley Time, Casablanca Area, Casas del Bosque, Chile, Santiago, Valparaiso

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Wine Wednesday: Porto

TPG Managing Editor Eric Rosen has a background as a and wine writer and has included wine regions all over the globe including Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Austria and many of those in his native California, therefore we decided to start a new #WineWednesdayAseries where every week we give you a quick picture of wine regions all over the globe and insight on what to get there, where to keep and a couple areas you may need to visit while there. Though its regular wines are fast becoming desk favorites at restaurants around the world: Porto, today we head to among Europeas most famous wine regions thatas known for its fortified wines. Like the majority of places in Europe, wine stumbled on Portugal with the Romans. Because vines first took root there millennia before, Portugalas wine prospects and ebbed and peaked routinely, but lucky for us, the industry happens to be on a rise and the countryas well-known Douro Valley with the gateway of Oporto (or Porto as itas more often known) at the middle of this Renaissance. The remarkable hillsides of the Douro Valley, where Port wines are manufactured. Thanks to some amazing (and cheap!) new wines coming out of the Douro, along with Portugalas position on the far western end of Europe, now is a great time to see this interesting wine region. Getting There Though its airport is definately not the busy locations that, say, Heathrow or Charles de Gaulle, are Porto however addresses a number of international flights. TOUCH is Portugalas national airline and an associate of Star Alliance, and also travels there right from Newark once per week. The city is also connected by it to London, Lisbon, Madrid, Paris, and other major gateways. Iberia flies here from Madrid. Lufthansa flies in from Frankfurt. FAUCET performs a flight to Porto from Newark. The airport can also be repaired by the low-cost carriers, with Ryanair traveling here from ALondon, Frankfurt, Brussels, Dublin, Paris, Barcelona, Dusseldorf and Madrid; while Easyjet lures from gateways in the united kingdom, Switzerland and France. APorto is alsoA almost a two-hour train ride from Lisbon or an hour trip from Madrid with a few daily flights on Iberia and TAP. Porto Donat skip over Porto in your rush to get out to the hinterlands. All things considered, this really is where the wine gets its name from, and the town is just a beautiful seaside area covered over moving slopes at the mouth Douro River. Thanks to its well-preserved Baroque architecture, gorgeous landscape and its cultural history, it absolutely was stated as a World Heritage site in 1996. Take some time in Porto admiring its well-maintained architecture. Several of the big names in Port a some of them dating back almost three centuries a' still hold their cellars in the waterside precinct of Vila Nova di Gaia, just across the river from the old area of town. Here it is possible to taste the excellent Port wines of homes like Sandemanas, Grahamas and Tayloras, every one of that offers tours and educational tastings. Those wanting to find out more about the complexities of Port (there are always a lot of rules that wine properties have to follow!), consider a stop by at the Instituto dos Vinhos do Porto, with a small but informative memorial that covers the regionas record and winemaking techniques. After your visit you wonat think that you've to become a British ex-military officer or an addled granny to take pleasure from a of fortified wine. The wine tastings at Sandemanas are some of the most useful in Porto. Apart from wine-tasting, the city itself is an architectural treasure and includes stylish steel bridges across the river, one of which, the Dom Luis I Bridge, was designed by one of Gustave Eiffelas students. Also on your own executive plan ought to be a stop by the beautiful train station with its delicate hardwood drawings, in addition to the landmark Clericas Tower and the elaborate golden altar at the Church of Sao Francisco. Bibliophiles may appreciate the neo-Gothic (some might say Harry Potter-ish Lello bookstore. many times when you have, spend one of these walking over the Atlantic in the suburb of Foz, or head there to savor dinner at one of the cityas best restaurants, Cafeina. Have a quick walk through the stop to enjoy its tile work. Where reward evenings begin at 30,000 points if staying in Porto, a beautiful property was recently opened by InterContinental in the heart of the old city. Also on the blissful luxury side of the array, you can remain over the water in the neighborhood of Vila Nova di Gaia at the newish Yeatman Hotel, that has 82 deluxe guestroom with all the contemporary features and other nice touches like big marble bathrooms, Caudalie bath products and high-speed WiFi. Thereas also a Sheraton, where prize nights start at 7,000 points, and Marriott operates an AC Hotel there. The Douro Pit When youare willing to get out of town, take the train or travel about two hours east to the center of the Douro Valley, the town of Regua. Castas elizabeth Pratos is definitely an upscale restaurant in a renovated train factory where you can taste local areas like handmade sausages produced from popular Tras-o-Montes pig. Just across the river is the wonderful boutique design hotel and winery of Quinta da Pacheca which will be held by a that helped pioneer the modern tendency toward non-fortified wines being manufactured in the region, though you can also try their delicious classic Ports both in the warm tiny tasting room or in the lodgeas swanky private green-on-green dining room over a gourmet tasting menu. Try the octopus carpaccio at Rui Paulaas DOC. Even further into the Douro Valley are many scenic specialist wineries including Quinta do Tedo, that will be along a hidden tributary on the Douroas south bank and is well known for its powerful vintage Ports. East across the main road on the riveras south bank from here is one of Portugalas most well-known restaurants, DOC, which is helmed by regional superstar cook Rui Paula, who's referred to as one of the forebears of contemporary Portuguese cooking and whose daily areas might include dishes like octopus carpaccio with a parmesan tuile used with a Douro DOC wine, needless to say. Quinta de la Rosa is really a beautiful family-owned winery in a quiet little spot just west of the village of Pinhao, which will be referred to as the support of the Douro. This quinta not merely serves an award-winning slate of vintage wines, but in addition features a charming bed-and-breakfast on home. You might never want to leave the pool at Quinta do Portal. Up the winding gorgeous winery hotels are lain two by roads into the hills above town. Quinta do Portal has a winery that was created by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Alvaro Siza and an inn named the Casa das Pipas set between the vines with a turquoise pool. Straight back west along the north bank of the Douro isthe famous property of Quinta Nova, where, paradoxically enough, the buildings date to the early 18th century, and which includes charming little rooms in the main inn as well as a bar and bougainvillea-draped terrace, a restaurant that serves niche local foodstuffs and a pool with vertiginous opinions of the terraced vineyards and the water far below. A number of the 30-odd varietals of grapes that get into making Port. The old winemaking traditions, extraordinary landscape, friendly natives and quiet mood of the Douro Valley combined with beautiful architecture, cosmopolitan feel and world-class vineyards in Porto make a trip to Portugalas most well-known wine region essential.

Ghetto IFE - FAA Approves the Boeing 787 repair

It would appear that Boeing has made enough of the best sounds to get the fix approved and passed by the FAA, with the FAA signing Boeingas proposal to fix battery dilemmas on the 787, letting them perform minimal test flights on two aircraft even while a security investigation continues. The fix requires three layers of defense to avoid overheating of the lithium-ion batteries that power the 787as auxiliary power system. These contain FAA officer Jordan Huerta. states: Amazement are confident the program today we approved contains most of the right elements to conduct a thorough evaluation of the battery process redesign,a aTodayas news starts a testing process which will demonstrate if the proposed fix will act as designed.a The FAA continues, to state: aThe program determines specific pass/fail requirements, defines the boundaries that needs to be calculated, prescribes the test methodology and describes the test setup and design.a The process is summed up by us Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood by saying: aThis detailed group of tests will show us if the proposed battery changes will act as designed,a Shock wonat allow the plane to return to support until weare satisfied that the brand new design ensures the safety of the aircraft and its passengers.a Two planes will fly in the test system, and will have prototypes of the new containment system, with the purpose of the routes to confirm if the repair works as advertised. Both planes that will be involved will be: The master plan will require a group of tests to exhibit how the enhanced battery system will execute in normal and abnormal conditions. Boeing is pinning a great deal with this, and has confidence according to Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and chief executive Ray Conner say aWorking with external and internal authorities in battery technology, we have offered a comprehensive set of alternatives designed to dramatically minimise the potential for battery failure while making certain no battery function affects the continued safe operation of the airplanea Presently, 50 787as are grounded pending good assessment completion of the resolve. However, Is this resolve enough? One of many greatest risks in the air following the flight essential stages and engines perhaps not turning could be the threat of fire in the air a recall that on Swissair Flight 111, the main reason that the plane went down was due to faulty wiring that lead to a fire.< Me? I will need certainly to note that this resolve works, and if your failure occurs, how it's contains safely. Remember, a fire may spread rapidly on a plane, and if you should be at the theoretical 3 hours plus from the nearest airport (the ETOPS 240/330 standard for that your 787 is rated for), but personally a' I'd want to know a many more and see some of these batteries moved in and out of planes a and the efficiency of these batteries before I'll consider going on a for some time.

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