• I've had an American Express Platinum card for over two years and find it's a good value.
• The annual fee is $695, but the card got me gold status with two hotel chains and a Priority Pass.
• I've used the card's digital-entertainment credit toward my Audible and Netflix subscriptions.

In 2023, I added a new credit card to my wallet: the American Express Platinum.

At first, I cringed at its $695 annual fee — but I realized this card is actually well worth its cost for me. The travel perks are great and, in many ways, the card helps me save on purchases I would've made anyway.

Here are some of my favorite perks of the American Express Platinum, especially as a frequent traveler.

My complimentary Priority Pass membership is one of my favorite parts of the card

One of the card's biggest perks is the complimentary Priority Pass membership, which gives me access to over 1,700 select airport lounges worldwide.

A Priority Pass membership alone can cost hundreds of dollars a year, so I love getting it for free. Plus, I make good use of it.

The city where I live has a smaller airport, which means the majority of our trips require a layover. A layover is way more comfortable when you have lounge access.

Airport lounges can be more comfortable and quiet than bigger boarding areas. Plus, most have free food and beverages, including alcohol. Not having to buy overpriced airport snacks and drinks has definitely saved me money, too.

I have lounge access with my Delta card, but I have to pay $50 each for my guests, which is not cost-effective when I'm traveling with my husband or kids.

However, with my Priority Pass, I can take three guests into a lounge with me at no extra cost. That way, my family of four can eat for free and have a nice place to wait for our flight — win!

This card also gives me access to American Express Centurion Lounges. My guests don't get free access to these, but I enjoy them when traveling solo.

I get other travel perks, too

With my card, I was able to get automatic gold status with both Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton. I get accelerated points, options for upgrades or late checkouts, food and beverage credits, welcome gifts, and more.

The perks vary from hotel to hotel, but anyone who travels frequently with these hotel brands will get instant perks.

I also get an annual $199 credit to cover my CLEAR membership, which speeds up the time I spend going through airport security. It's helpful to me as a frequent traveler, but probably wouldn't be for someone who only travels occasionally.

The digital-entertainment credits save me money on my essential subscriptions

This card gives me $240 worth of digital entertainment credit a year, which I can use on select subscriptions.

The credit could be applied to subscriptions to The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Peacock, Disney+, Hulu, and more.

In the past, I've used this to cover a year of Audible and some of my Netflix subscription — both of these come in handy while I'm traveling and want something to watch or listen to.

Although the card has even more perks, I find it's best for travelers

The card has way more perks that I haven't touched on and don't always use, like $100 toward purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue each year, $300 toward a club membership or digital subscription at Equinox, and Uber Cash.

For me, however, its biggest benefits are tied to travel.

I travel very frequently, both for work and with my family. We live simply, but we vacation two to three times a year, and maximizing our leisure and recreation time is important to us.

Although I first became interested in the card to elevate my hotel status, I quickly discovered other money-saving benefits, tallied up the value, and decided that the annual fee was worth it.

I really scrutinized the benefits before deciding that this card was for me — and that's the best move for anyone looking to add something new to their wallet.

• A California couple is suing JetBlue for $1 million.
• They say a block of ice fell from a plane and crashed through their ceiling.
• The suit says they suffer from insomnia due to fear of planes flying overhead.

A couple is suing JetBlue for $1 million, saying that a block of ice fell from a plane and through their ceiling.

In the complaint filed earlier this month, Michael Reese and Leah Ferrarini say they were in their Inglewood, California home as a JetBlue Airbus A321 flying from Los Angeles to New York passed overhead last January.

The lawsuit says that shortly after 8 p.m., a block of ice the size of a watermelon crashed through the roof and landed over their bed.

It adds that police and the fire service were called to their home, and the Federal Aviation Administration launched an investigation.

After the incident, Reese and Ferrarini would "cringe in fear with each plane that passed over their home which is approximately one every five minutes," the suit says.

It adds that they can no longer sleep comfortably and suffer from insomnia. They are also looking to "move from their dream home because they no longer feel safe there," per the complaint.

The FAA's investigation found that the aircraft had a history of potable water issues dating back six months, the suit says. It adds that the same A321 was suspected of dropping ice onto a home in Massachusetts in August 2023.

Ten days after the incident, inspections began on the plane's potable water system, where it was found that a valve flange was misaligned, causing a leak, per the suit.

The plaintiffs accuse JetBlue of negligence and trespass, the latter of which because they "did not grant JetBlue permission to allow the large chunk of ice to enter their home or cause damages."

They are asking for $300,000 for emotional distress, $300,000 for pain, suffering, and inconvenience, $40,000 in medical expenses, and $360,000 in property damages.

In a response filed in court, attorneys for JetBlue said the airline wasn't liable for the incident and its conduct was "pursuant to statutes, governmental regulations, and industry standards."

They also asked that the airline be awarded the costs of the suit including attorneys' fees.

JetBlue did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside US working hours.

• Writer Mollie Davies travelled to Disney World in Orlando in October 2024 for 10 days.
• She visited during the annual Epcot Food and Wine Festival where guests can eat "around the world."
• Davies breaks down her three-day agenda, including rating individual meals and evaluating prices.

I first heard about the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival through TikTok, when videos of eating and drinking around the world started going viral.

Epcot hosts their culinary and wine festival every year. The festival ran from August 29 to November 23 in 2024. We already planned to visit Walt Disney World for 10 days last September, so it was perfect timing.

This was my second Food and Wine Festival. The first was back in 2022 when I was in Disney for a wedding, so didn't get the full experience. I was excited to take my time with entire days devoted to enjoying each country's offerings.

We're a Disney family

We went as part of a big group of family and friends (about 14 in total) and stayed in Disney's Yacht Club. The hotel was within walking distance of Epcot — perfect for half-day trips and late-night visits. It meant we didn't have to worry about Ubers or driving home after a drink.

I'd recommend booking a hotel with easy transport to your favorite parks. Epcot is the most versatile for travel, with the Skyliner, Monorail, buses, and Friendship Boats all providing transport at this park.

We pre-purchased our tickets with a deal of 14 days for the price of seven, which included the ability to park hop and a free Memory Maker, for £549 each, around $669.

September tends to be quieter in the parks, but it was still very busy. The heat and humidity when we visited were tough. The festival was great because it gave us plenty of chances to stop, refuel and grab a cold drink.

Epcot is an unmissable park for foodies

Epcot is the park best for foodies. During the festival, guests are encouraged to travel across the world by sampling food and drinks. These offerings are set up in little huts or stalls, mostly situated on the park's main pathways.

The festival also puts on special events like live music and children's activities and sells unique merchandise.

On our first day in Epcot, we picked up a Festival Passport from the front of the park.

It had details of each country's exclusive dishes and drinks, along with a stamp page for "Emile's Fromage Montage." Guests who collected five stamps by purchasing featured dishes throughout the park won a prize. As a big fan of "Ratatouille," this was a must.

We researched the menus beforehand

Typically, most dishes run from $4 to $9, with the cost of beverages ranging a little wider due to a mix of non-alcoholic and alcoholic choices, smaller glasses, flights, and full-size cocktails.

Before our holiday, we spent a lot of time watching TikToks and deciding what dishes we'd try. Some dishes like the Fry Flight and anything with Dole Whip had gone viral, and so we anticipated longer queues.

We tried to budget around $250 for the whole experience, which would also cover our full dining for the three days we spent at Epcot.

I'd recommend bringing your own water and sodas into the park to save money.

How we spent our days at the festival

We had planned out three days at Epcot and a few evening visits. I would have struggled to visit every country in one day. The portions are small, but filling.

We didn't follow a rigid route around the park because we had the freedom of multiple visits.

By devoting a few days to the festival, we could enjoy the park as normal — shopping, making Lightening Lane bookings, and hopping on rides with short wait times.

I ate at all of the countries featuring a Global Marketplace Booth and several others over the three days. This was spaced out between rides and character meets. We managed to complete "Emile's Fromage Montage," and the prize was a deconstructed strawberry cheesecake in a souvenir cup.

Lessons learned

We would definitely return to the Food and Wine Festival. It's best to visit Epcot on the days when you have no other dining reservations, as the little meals still fill you up.

Eating at Epcot can be budget-friendly if you do your research. Be prepared for big queues on busy days, and try to plan your booth visits to coincide with your itinerary for the day.

Swiss Alps: Frozen rosé and warm raclette cheese with ham

There was a delicious flavor to the rosé, which was relatively strong but sweet. I wanted a frozen drink, but it melted before I received it.

Price: $9

Score: 6.5

You get a lot for your money with the raclette. The cheese was quite earthy and heavy and set quickly, so you need to eat quickly.

(Emile's Fromage Montage Offering)

Price: $5.75

Score: 6/10

Australia: Wine flight

The flight had a great price tag. It was nice to have a variety to try, but we would have liked a crisp rosé.

Price: $7.50

Score: 7/10

Belgium: Belgian waffle with warm chocolate ganache

These waffles were similar to the famous Mickey Waffles in texture. The cream was just the right level of sweet for the buttery waffle. However, the chocolate ganache tasted more like a regular chocolate sauce.

Price: $5.50

Score: 8/10

USA (Block & Hans): Frozen pineapple-chipotle lemonade

In comparison to some other frozen drinks, this exotic lemonade was great value and a big hit for us on a hot park day. The pineapple was very strong and tasted fresh, but there was quite a lot of chili.

Price: $5.75

Score: 8/10

Brazil: Feijoada black beans with pork belly, pesto, and rice

Hard meat to work with, this pork belly was cooked very well, but fatty. The beans and rice were well seasoned and the fresh and nutty pesto was a great balance. We loved the brilliant portion size.

Price: $6.50

Score: 8/10

Canada: Cheddar and bacon soup with a pretzel roll

This was another fantastically-priced dish. The soup was creamy, rich and definitely cheesy. We loved the soft pretzel roll on the side, which tasted freshly bake, but we couldn't really enjoy the soup in the hot weather.

Price: $6

Score: 8/10

China: Mango peach bubble tea, hoisin duck bao bun and Shanghai noodles with shrimp

The bao was fluffy but not soggy, and the sauce was flavorsome. But there was only a little duck, which was chewy.

Price: $8.25

Score: 7/10

The refreshing bubble tea had a creamy and well-balanced fruit flavor and was a good portion.

Price: $7.75

Score: 7.5/10

The shrimp in this noodle dish was juicy, but could've been a little crispier. The whole dish needed more sauce.

Price: $8.50

Score: 6.5/10

Flavors of America: Beef hot Dog wrapped in bacon with toppings

This hot dog had a great portion size for hungry eaters. The toppings of beans, queso, and avocado crema complimented each other. However, they did slide off, making it messy to eat.

Price: $7.25

Score: 7/10

Festival Favourites: S'mores milkshake

At Communicore Hall, they were selling past festival favorites. This milkshake went down a treat during the afternoon when we needed a little sugar boost. This had the consistency of a thick chocolate milkshake with a decadent flavor thanks to the marshmallow syrup.

Price: $4.75

Score: 9/10

France: Mango and passionfruit crème brûlée and brioche aux escargots

The mango and passion fruit were a great mix of sweet and sour. We prefer warm crème brûlée (but this way is traditional).

Price: $5.95

Score: 7/10

The brioche was soft and fluffy, with a slightly sweet taste that made it moreish. However, snails are an acquired taste, and we aren't convinced we like them.

Price: $7.95

Score: 7/10

Germany: Schöfferhofer Lemon Zest Hefeweizen and apple strudel

This German beer was light and refreshing. It was perfect for those who don't usually drink beer but pricey.

Price: $9.75

Score: 8/10

The apples in the strudel were soft and juicy but with a crunch. The pastry was buttery and flaky and cut through the sweetness beautifully. The vanilla sauce was delicious, but thinner than custard.

Price: $4.75

Score: 10/10

Greece: Greek melon limeade with vodka and griddled cheese

The limeade had plenty of zing and the bay leaf added a slightly clove-y and floral factor.

Price: $11.50

Score: 9/10

The griddled cheese with pistachio and honey was my favorite dish of the whole festival. The smooth kasseri cheese is creamy, nutty and earthy and balanced by the honey and crunchy pistachios.

(Emile's Fromage Montage Offering)

Price: $5

Score: 9.5/10

Hawaii: Pork slider with Dole pineapple chutney

The soft pork fell apart in our mouths. It was great to see a Disney favorite, Dole Whip, in this dish. This was a modest portion but understandable for the price.

Price: $6

Score: 9/10

India: Chicken tikka masala with fennel yogurt and naan

This curry was brilliant value. It had a good spicy kick, and the chicken, albeit a small amount, was cooked perfectly.

Price: $6.25

Score: 8/10

Japan: Teriyaki chicken bun and eel sushi

The bun was thick and doughy, but the tasty filling had a minced texture, which could be unexpected for some.

Price: $7.95

Score: 8/10

The eel sauce on the sushi gave it a deep umami flavor. This was something different for us, but because of its composition, it was tricky to eat.

Price: $9.50

Score: 6.5/10

Mexico: Barbacoa beef fried tortillas and mango sunrise margarita

The tortillas were fantastically crunchy and the filling had a beautiful, slightly sweet note. It was a good portion size, also.

Price: $8

Score: 10/10

The margarita had a strong punch of alcohol. I thought it was one of the best alcoholic beverages I had, but there was too much salt in sips.

Price: $13.25

Score: 7.5/10

Flavors of the Medina: Morrocan lamb kebab

The meat was tender and juicy and melted in your mouth. The softness worked really well with the fresh, crunchy chickpea and carrot salad.

Price: $6.25

Score: 8/10

Spain: Charcuterie with jamón, manchego and pan con tomate

We thought this was one of the festival's best value dishes. The manchego cheese was delicious, and you got a few slices, which was generous. The tomatoes were fresh, and there was lots of ham.

(Emile's Fromage Montage Offering)

Price: $6.50

Score: 9/10

The Fry Basket: Fry flight

The flight included truffle-parmesan fries, BBQ bacon fries, and sweet potato casserole fries. The truffle and parmesan fries were our favorite. It was fun to have a mix of flavors and textures to enjoy.

Price: $8

Score: 8.5/10

United Kingdom: Strawberry basil cocktail with gin

This cocktail had an incredible flavor, very fitting of British summertime. The cup size was great, and the drink stayed frozen for quite some time. Although pre-mixed, there was an authentic taste of fresh strawberries. This was the most expensive item that we bought throughout our whole exploration of the festival.

Price: $17

Score: 10/10

‘Get a good look, Costanza?’ said everyone in response to the moment

The rivals will share a fight card in the US, and if both men win, they will clash later this year

• China's talent pool of software engineers has boosted its EV industry, CATL's co-chairman said.
• Pan Jian told the World Economic Forum that companies such as Xiaomi and Tencent had given China an edge.
• Sales of EVs in China are set to overtake conventional cars this year for the first time.

A talent pool of software engineers and startups is giving Chinese manufacturers a key advantage in the global electric vehicle race, the co-chairman of the world's largest EV battery manufacturer said.

Pan Jian of CATL, a key Tesla battery supplier, said: "They have the benefit of tapping into a very huge talent pool, a software engineer talent pool, cultivated by the internet consumer and smartphone businesses in the past." They included companies such as Xiaomi and Tencent.

That meant Chinese automakers could draw on a wealth of technical expertise compared with rivals in the US and Europe.

Pan made the comments at a World Economic Forum panel in Davos, Switzerland on Tuesday.

The session was moderated by Jamie Heller, Business Insider's editor in chief, and other speakers included Jakob Stausholm, the Rio Tinto CEO, and South African science minister Bonginkosi Emmanuel "Blade" Nzimande.

CATL makes batteries for EVs and was added to a Pentagon blacklist earlier this month.

Booming sales

EV sales in China are set to jump 20% this year to more than 12 million, overtaking conventional car sales for the first time.

Government incentives and intense price competition among players including BYD, Xpeng, Zeekr, and Nio have boosted EV sales in China.

Smartphone giants like Xiaomi and Huawei have also entered the EV market, with Xiaomi's $30,000 SU7 electric sedan surpassing 100,000 sales last year and wowing Ford CEO Jim Farley.

Amid a brutally competitive environment, automakers have faced pressure to offer affordable EVs packed with advanced technology.

Models such as the SU7 and Xpeng's P7+ come with voice control, giant infotainment screens, and advanced autonomous driving features, while luxury options including BYD's Yangwang U8 are packed with futuristic extras such as on-board drones.

Pan said that while government incentives had helped set up the market, these "intelligent" features were a big factor in booming sales of Chinese EVs.

"It's a perfect common marriage between electrification and intelligence," he said. "Electrification enables intelligence, so that offers a whole suite of new features to consumers which cannot be offered with traditional combustion-engine cars."

In contrast, electric vehicle sales in the US have slowed, with a host of automakers scaling back plans in favor of hybrids in response to tepid demand.

Several have also backed away from advanced technologies such as robotaxis, with General Motors cutting funding for robotaxi firm Cruise last year.

"I think for the US and European market today, the bottleneck really lies in the software development capability with the traditional auto companies," said Pan.

He said Western companies needed to "embrace automaking in the new era, which has a heavy software component in it."

Supply chains

China's EV dominance extends to the supply chain, with numerous US and European automakers dependent on batteries made by CATL or BYD, the two largest battery manufacturers, to power their EVs.

Attempts to challenge China's battery giants have met with mixed success, with Swedish battery startup Northvolt filing for bankruptcy late last year amid stuttering demand for EVs in Europe.

As a result, some Western manufacturers are forging links with CATL. Stellantis announced in December it would build a battery factory in Spain with the Chinese company, and Pan said other automakers could soon follow the Jeep and Ram owner's lead.

"Hopefully this year, we will be able to announce some other major joint venture efforts in Europe with other automakers," he said. "It's not healthy … to concentrate too much production capacity in one place."

• I have five kids ranging in age from elementary school to teenagers.
• My husband is a public school teacher, and I'm a freelancer.
• I didn't know kids were going to get more expensive as they got older.

The unfortunate truth about my life as a mom of five kids, ranging in age from teens to elementary school, is that I have been living outside my means for a very long time.

My husband is a public school teacher in a rural area, and I'm a freelancer, so our income is modest. But with five children — and teenagers at that — I just don't know how to make it all work.

I knew having kids would be expensive, but I didn't expect or plan for how much more expensive kids would get as they got older.

Our cost of living has gone up

Between groceries, electricity and heating bills, car insurance, health insurance, homeowners and property insurance, car bills, life insurance, dental insurance, and unexpected expenses, we have seen our cost of living explode over the past three years. Our bills have quite literally tripled in some instances, but our income has not risen.

To give you a little peak at my finances, this month alone, the following bills have all come due:

• Travel sports: $1,000
• Car insurance 6-month policy for two adults and a teen driver: $2,800
• Homeowner's insurance: $4,000
• Winter property taxes: $2,200
• Braces: $4,000
• New tires for winter: $2,000

I guess I should have expected how widely expensive life would be as a parent, but I can honestly say that I did not expect how dramatically more expensive my kids would be as they got older.

Teenagers are so expensive

Teenagers come with an entirely new onslaught of expenses that I didn't prepare myself for — everything costs more with teens. Aside from the "big" expenses like more expensive car insurance and technology for college and gas, even the little things cost more. For instance, whereas I could once run to the store and buy my kids $5 shirts for the school year, outfitting them now costs much more than that. Everything from socks to shoes to toiletries to sports and school costs keeps rising, with no end in sight.

Outside the arguable extravagance of a travel sport, my husband and I do everything possible to make our lives work. I shop at Aldi for our groceries, our kids wear hand-me-downs and Walmart clothes, I thrift whenever possible, we rarely go out to eat, my kids have jobs, and my husband works two other jobs outside his full-time job as a school teacher. My work pays for our limited streaming services and phones, and our entertainment is primarily spent at home (or watching siblings' games, of course.)

I wonder if I shouldn't have stayed home when they were little

The frustration of feeling like our expenses are out of control has led me to reflect on the choices I've made as a mom. I have always prided myself on being primarily at home with my kids. After I became a mom unexpectedly during my senior year of college, I did my best to do what I thought "good" moms should do and worked extremely hard to always be home as much as possible with my kids — I worked the night shift and built a career freelancing so I could be the consistent at-home parental presence. And I have been proud of that.

But now that I have two teenagers and am about to usher in a third, I'm wondering if I did the right thing after all. Should I have spent more time working back then and saving money for this time in my life when my kids still need me in very tangible and albeit more expensive ways? Did I really consider the trade-off of my earning potential and how much we could need that money in these teen stages?

My experience so far is that the teen years are just as time-intensive as the early baby and toddler years. It's not the same level of physical exhaustion and sleep deprivation, of course, but it's incredibly mentally and emotionally taxing. Add in the stress of trying to pay for everything and work more because you think the kids are "more independent," and it can be a recipe for disaster. I feel stretched so thin right now trying to afford our lives when the truth is that my teens need me to be emotionally and physically present more than ever.