I'm sadly there every few weeks now ... so I either make the layover long so I can go to the city, or short so I take a shower and move on. I really dislike the gate X-ray stuff... can't bring liquids on board, and because SQ is stingy as hell, they won't give a bottle when boarding. No problem when J, but when Y, it hurts.

That's a shame. I got nothing but good things to say about Changi. It's no HKG but it's up there.

HKG has its own problems with no priority for anything - but at least no gate security unless flying to the USA.

Changi is awesome if you're in J/F. Then you can use the better SQ lounge, gate security is a non-issue as you're taken care of onboard, and so on. I do love the proximity to the city and quick customs - I had a 23:55 flight to Europe last week where I left downtown at 23:00 (already had BP). Hard to beat from that standpoint. Just wish airport services were better.

Yes, US and Aussie outbound from HKG will have gate security. Not sure if you flying from SIN T1 and the Qantas lounge is decent but quite busy at night. You may also found water fountain after the gate security in SIN.

Yes, it was my first Canadian card. And not just U.S. - no forex fees anywhere.

for FHR 3rd/4th night free, I tried on travel.americanexpress.ca it doesn't work show up full price, do I need to call in or is it applied when I check out the hotel?

for hotel cancellation, do I also need to call in or is it a E-mail link I can just click?

Thanks!

You need to call in.

quick question regarding these minimal household income requirements for various CIBC or TD cards. One was asking for minimum 200k. how do credit companies ascertain this information? Surely they don't have access to my tax returns?

I believe the consensus here is that they take it at face value that you're telling the truth. Especially if the amount claimed is in line with your credit limit/loans/mortgages/etc. and you have a solid credit history/score.

They can ask for proof but if you don't have it you can just ignore their request, you're not obligated to provide it just as they're not obligated to approve you even if you do have it.

CIBC asked me for proof. TD took my word for it. It was kind of insulting since I do most of my banking at CIBC and had pretty healthy balances. Needless to say, when the annual fee came due, I cancelled right away and told them why.

I love having a reason like that for a cancel. Feels good to tell them to take a hike!

Incidentally, I've never been asked for proof of income - and if I ever did, I'd just drop it (unless it was for my coveted Amex Gold card that I churn religiously). It's not worth the effort to send in documentation and have a back and forth for a credit card app. There are sooooo many credit cards out there...churning needs to be easy, or I don't partake...

They were total morons. They rejected the document I gave them originally for proof of income and wouldn't budge. I had coverage of over 50 times the limit they were giving me in accounts with them and they insisted they still needed proof of income. And the reason I was applying for a card in the first place was because they moved my account to TD after 20 years with them without a missed payment (?!?!?) - which wasn't supposed to happen because I had other accounts with them. I was tempted to move those accounts, but the people who administer them have been nothing but good to me, but the rest of CIBC seems totally incompetent. In any event, I had fun phoning up to cancel since it gave me another opportunity to vent about that whole experience when they asked me why!

On the topic of getting to churning spend threshold, has anyone ever bought a big stack of gift cards with Amex, only to return them once the points/miles have posted?

IMHO if one has to do this, they shouldn't be applying for CC.

not sure if Canada even has AMEX gift cards
or that any gift card is "refundable"

I know STORE cards aren't refundable - Esso, Cdn Tire, Sobeys, etc.