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If you are new to the blog you may have missed what I feel is hands down the best and most comfortable set of headphones for travel. Not only ridiculously comfortable but they have:
- Great battery life (8-10 hours)
- Bluetooth or cord (included)
- Volume wheel simple to use
- Impressive active noise canceling
- Case is even included
I could go on and on all day long about how much I just love these headphones and use them almost every single time I fly Delta. Pair them with my 8-10 hour Bluetooth transmitter to use on Delta IFE and travel entertainment becomes a real joy.
But take a look closely at the photo at the top of this post. Notice something? Yep – my dear i9BT Naztech headphones failed at the swivel point. Oh, and they were just a few months out of warranty. Grrr – but wait! I always pay with an Amex card that extend the full manufacturer’s warranty for another year. Time to call.
It took about 10 minutes with a most helpful Amex rep to document everything and tell me to hold on to the broken set until I get word from Amex about the claim. A few days later I was told to just toss them in the trash and a credit would be issued to my account. Sweet!
Oh and it gets better. The current new Gen2 set of my favorite noise canceling headphones are now, years later, CHEAPER than they once were. Oh and by choosing slow shipping I even got a buck to spend on Amazon digital items vs. choosing fast Amazon Prime shipping!
So now I have a brand new set of headphones to start my 2018 flying year with Delta. All my other bits are so solid I have not yet had to replace them. They are
- 24k Battery Brick with AC port to 100% recharge my laptop
- 20k brick to recharge phone etc
- 4 USB + 2 std power surge strip
- Rechargeable Bluetooth mouse
- Rechargeable Bluetooth speaker
- A number of retractable USB power cords
- My Bluetooth sound transmitter
All these things I use almost every single trip and they are vital for me to be able to be productive and enjoy my travels. Even though Delta often does have power and entertainment, the above still gets use just for convenience and performance.
So you tell me. Have you used the simply amazing Amex warranty service before? Do your travel essentials look like mine? – René
Advertiser Disclosure: Eye of the Flyer, a division of Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc., is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact how and where card products appear on the site. This site does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some of the links on this page are affiliate or referral links. We may receive a commission or referral bonus for purchases or successful applications made during shopping sessions or signups initiated from clicking those links.
Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Same thing happened to me with my Sony headphones and amex wouldn’t pay. Said the warranty covered only electronics and not plastic, like the swivel point. Maybe naztech has a better warranty?
@J. Keith – I would have taken my request to a higher level with Amex. They normally always cover just what the manufacture does i.e. if Sony would have covered it then Amex does for the extra year. Either way, the Naztech for this price is simple a flat out BARGAN!
I just purchased two MacBook Pros, one for myself and one for my step daughter. Usually get AppleCare for these but haven’t as I purchased them with the AMEX Platinum. Does anyone have any experience with AMEX warranty protection and laptops, particularly MacBooks?
@Bryan – Amex covers you up to $50,000 per year. There are exclusion so best check with the Amex card you hold.
@Bryan Applecare and a manufacturer’s warranty aren’t the same thing, though certainly the Amex extended warranty is better than none at all. But Applecare+ includes extra support from Apple for 2+ more years plus accidental breakage coverage (minus deductible). Amex would cover neither of those.
It’s important to remember Amex coverage covers only what that manufactures standard warranty covers.
Bill,
Excellent point, I had forgotten that. I like that Applecare+ is attached to the computer, not the person. The means that if you sell it you get the (some) of the value of Applecare+ back.
I will probably purchase it.
Bryan
I purchased a Dell Laptop for almost $2,000 and after 1.5 years, the port where the batter goes into went bad. With no hassle and a simple application with receipts for proof of purchase, Amex refunded me the entire amount and I was able to get a new laptop. I try to buy everything on Amex as well for this reason!
@Jarrod – Thanks for sharing. Great!
amex platinum warranty works too!!!
Regarding the list of trip essentials, I would add a travel router. It is really nice to use a single GoGo session for all my devices and provide access for a travel companion. Currently, I am using the internal antenna version of this router:
GL.iNet GL-AR300M Mini Travel Router
This thing is tiny and only weighs 1.4 ounces.
I am a big fan of DD-WRT open source firmware and use it for all my stationary routers. This router uses OpenWrt, which is also a great open source firmware choice. It will work out of the box with GoGo with one minor tweak. Rebind Protection must be disabled because GoGo wants to rebind your DNS servers during the logon process. I also recommend that you disable the SSID broadcast so that others do not try to connect to your router. Note that the router also supports OpenVPN, so all your devices can connect through your VPN provider. I use NordVPN, and it works great with this router. The router has a switch that can be configured to turn the VPN on and off, or you can use the web GUI. The “lite” version of the router is $15 less and should be fine for most people if you do not need the extra Ethernet port and you do not need any storage for your own apps. The router does not draw much power, and I get more than 10 hours using a 3350mAh lipstick-sized battery. If you want a built-in battery, check out this model from HooToo:
HooToo Wireless Travel Router, 10400mAh External Battery Pack Travel Charger with USB Port
On the ground, I have used the router to create a personal hotspot using a wired hotel Ethernet connection. I have also used the router as a repeater to boost a weak Wi-Fi signal by positioning the router in a location where the signal is strongest. By the way, if the hotel limits the number of devices that are allowed to connect, the router can get around the restriction. Finally, if your hotel wants you to reauthenticate every day, you only need to do it once for the router, not for each device.
If you are interested in reading more about travel routers, this is a great thread:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-technology/1350472-world-s-smallest-wireless-router-hotel-rooms.html
Regarding the other essentials, I did purchase the REIIE Bluetooth Receiver based on the recommendation of this blog, and I love it!
I also purchased the Naztech i9 headphones, but I returned them. Maybe I have big ears, but the earcups are very shallow and I found that my ears would rub against the course material in the cups. The cups need to be deeper.
I ended up purchasing a pair of Bose QC35s. Even though they cost more than 6X than the Naztech’s, they are in a different league. The QC35s support two simultaneous pairings, and remember the last eight pairings. The voice prompts help manage all the pairings, but cycling through the pairings can be a bit slow. The phone app works brilliantly for managing the pairings, and also me to adjust the level of noise cancellation (I prefer less noise cancellation when using the headphones for conference calls). On a long international flight, I typically switch between four devices connected to the QC35s. Bose also provides firmware updates via the app, and they have added cool new features like the ability to sync your headphones with the headphones of a companion so that you can both listen to the same audio. The 20 hour battery life is also a big plus because when I travel to India I need to take two back-to-back 10+ hour flights. They are also super comfortable!