A quick side note to all the FTers. It occurred to me as I was answering the "what countries have you visited" thread that FT has saved me a good deal of expense over the last couple of years.

Thank you! I've been mostly lurking for the last couple of years, contributing as I can. I've learned a *lot*. Here is how helpful you all have been:

1. Just knowing where to look for deals. I took advantage of the fall 2015 $348 fares to SJO. Of course, had I not hesitated overnight, that could have been $279 RT from PDX. Contrast that to my first CR trip, which was $578 RT. In 2007.

2. My upcoming Germany-(Central Europe) trip's airfare has been funded almost entirely via charging last year's out-of-pocket and deductible medical costs to AA cards to meet minimum spend requirements. I still have enough AA for 3 (@ 36000 miles) off-season c1-c2 RTs, enough UA for 1 TATL, and 50k amex, 50k Citi. I calculate the gall-bladder to airfare ratio at roughly .2 gall bladders to 1 TATL RT.
Oh, and my credit score is 800+. Even if Chase won't give me any more cards.

In addition to learning that mileage programs and cards can be really useful, FT also warned me about British Airways fuel surcharges. Amazingly enough, booking two months out, I managed to find both outbound and inbound flights for which BA is not the TATL carrier. $97 outbound, which includes a $32 fee (AA domestic YQ or BA EU YQ I think). Inbound should be $67,72,or 144 depending on whether I choose ex-PRG or ex-BUD and via-LHR or via-TXL.

3. As of last year, I now have NEXUS. I've only gotten in a second trip to CR and a Mexico trip, but this has been hugely helpful both for pre-check and re-entry. Well worth the $50, just for the ability to skip most of the line at the San Isidro pedestrian crossing.

4. I plan to enroll in EASYPASS-RTP while I'm visiting Germany. With any luck, perhaps it will expand to other EU nations in the future.

Thanks, everybody!