tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59958953795463080822024-03-12T20:01:01.285-07:00The Travels of an ER DoctorTravel ER dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09708797941391358247noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995895379546308082.post-22720260484691400362016-10-06T10:26:00.002-07:002016-10-06T10:26:54.971-07:00Matched to Marriott Platinum? Get United Silver status<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijD-GvjphaOoSQbdYwqBM72qugNykgkkDIkExgFpVEWiCk7HRa1KkECoplh88v-WDcPA57ieqb6BuNALV5YKo1PGxTSmRl7tO3TCF5O9Uzzlz4d9vxlm9SkUXvWwz-CNoEvnMZhwTWCuRw/s1600/rewards.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="60" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijD-GvjphaOoSQbdYwqBM72qugNykgkkDIkExgFpVEWiCk7HRa1KkECoplh88v-WDcPA57ieqb6BuNALV5YKo1PGxTSmRl7tO3TCF5O9Uzzlz4d9vxlm9SkUXvWwz-CNoEvnMZhwTWCuRw/s640/rewards.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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If you recently matched to Marriott Platinum due to the status match with Starwood from the Marriott - Starwood merger, then one of the new perks you get is <b>MileagePlus Silver status on United</b>, through the <a href="https://mrrewardsplus.com/en_US/" target="_blank">RewardsPlus program</a>.<br />
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The main limited benefit of Silver status is free Economy Plus seating, which isn't available even to other Star Alliance Gold+ members. <br />
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Also:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Priority Check in</li>
<li>Priority Security</li>
<li>Upgrades, behind all other elites</li>
<li>Reduced change fees</li>
<li>Extra checked baggage</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://mrrewardsplus.com/en_US/" target="_blank">Sign up</a> if you haven't!</div>
Travel ER dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09708797941391358247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995895379546308082.post-28615799998858824062016-10-05T19:26:00.002-07:002016-10-05T19:26:49.868-07:00Why I got the Chase Sapphire Reserve card<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCVkMw9K6uB4UsSlRDKo51AuCrxgYvZBqpvLrwt9D_zUplCm9KRM9qOcqzUhC1BTbusXCRf8jZ_aR5XKvON3QQywNNWPDXdTsSkG2-xMUXXPnY0Bi0cRWNeb6aNkW1xurY1Z59T1Pf0ZIS/s1600/chase-sapphire-reserve-cr-business-wire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCVkMw9K6uB4UsSlRDKo51AuCrxgYvZBqpvLrwt9D_zUplCm9KRM9qOcqzUhC1BTbusXCRf8jZ_aR5XKvON3QQywNNWPDXdTsSkG2-xMUXXPnY0Bi0cRWNeb6aNkW1xurY1Z59T1Pf0ZIS/s320/chase-sapphire-reserve-cr-business-wire.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Chase has jumped into the premium card game, joining American Express with their $450 annual fee Platinum card and Citibank with their $450 annual fee Prestige card. <br />
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Currently Chase is offering 100k Ultimate Rewards points for signing up and spending $4k in the first 3 months.<br />
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Similarities with the Amex Platinum card:<br />
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<ul>
<li>$450 annual fee</li>
<li>Priority Pass Select lounge club benefit</li>
<li>$100 Global Entry credit</li>
<li>Premium rental car benefits</li>
</ul>
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Differences</div>
<ul>
<li>Priority Pass Select lounge club benefit extends to all members of your party</li>
<ul>
<li>Amex Platinum card charges $27 per additional guest</li>
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<li>$300 airline fee credit</li>
<ul>
<li>Amex Platinum has a $250 fee credit</li>
</ul>
<li>Primary car rental coverage</li>
<li>3x points for spending on travel and food</li>
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Travel ER dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09708797941391358247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995895379546308082.post-36231619430232813342015-02-02T12:22:00.001-08:002015-02-02T12:22:07.555-08:00Free FICO score as a card benefit!Your <a href="http://www.myfico.com/" target="_blank">FICO score</a> is a snapshot number (between 300 and 850) to allow lenders to decide whether to lend you credit or not, whether to approve your loan, and the interest rate or APR that you will be offered.<br />
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Given the complexity of each person's credit history, this proprietary score makes it easy to make these thousands of credit decisions every day. This is why it's very important to know your score!<br />
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Bad scenarios: You've found the house of your dreams and you apply for a mortgage. Your income is high and you've managed to keep your debt to a minimum. You find out that your FICO is 625 and after being rejected for the mortgage, someone else snaps up the house.<br />
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Another bad scenario: Your interest rate for your car and mortgage have been several points higher than the average at the bank. Turns out there is a collections on your credit for a $5 copay from the hospital. Over the life of the mortgage and loans, you will pay tens of thousands extra.<br />
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Fortunately, <b>you can access your credit report for free</b> at <a href="http://www.annualcreditreport.com/">http://www.annualcreditreport.com</a>. This website is facilitated by the government and doesn't sign you up for any recurring credit monitoring charges that freecreditreport.com and the like do. You are allowed to request a copy of your report once a year for free from each of the three credit bureaus.<br />
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However, that will give you access to your report, but not the score that lenders use. There are now three main credit card companies that give you access to your actual FICO score for free as a benefit of the card:<br />
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Barclaycard, including the <a href="http://www.worldgotbigger.com/us-airways-credit-card/?campaignId=2062" target="_blank">US Airways Mastercard</a><br />
Citibank, including the <a href="https://www.citi.com/credit-cards/creditcards/CitiHome.do" target="_blank">AAdvantage cards</a><br />
<a href="https://www.discover.com/" target="_blank">Discovercard</a><br />
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Of note, some companies offer "FAKO" credit scores, or scores based on their own proprietary formulas such as VantageScore, but for the most part, most lenders will rely only FICO scores.Travel ER dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09708797941391358247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995895379546308082.post-84379352455333610172015-01-23T20:23:00.000-08:002015-01-23T20:23:15.187-08:00Making the most of your current airline statusIn 2014 I had earned Platinum Medallion status on Delta Airlines, but unfortunately due to doing too much of my flying on award redemptions and flying other airlines, I wasn't able to requalify even for Silver in 2015.<br />
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So, before my status expired in February, I did a status match to Air Berlin, who quickly matched me to topbonus Gold, which is Oneworld Gold. This allowed me access to lounges internationally when I recently flew Japan Airlines or any other Oneworld airline (in addition to Priority Pass access my Amex Platinum gives me).</div>
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Other perks include extra baggage, priority baggage, priority waitlist, priority boarding, and Main Cabin Extra when flying other OneWorld airlines.<br />
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Now may be a good time to match your expiring status!<br />
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Travel ER dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09708797941391358247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995895379546308082.post-3592346390524335042015-01-19T21:35:00.000-08:002015-01-19T21:35:26.794-08:00American Express buying flights as if you redeemed miles<br />
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American Express is offering a <a href="https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/pointsmatch#offer-details" target="_blank">promotion to a random selection of cardmembers</a> likely to make up for losing American Airlines and United Airlines as transfer partners.<br />
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For flights that have award space on these two airlines, members can call the number and spend the equivalent number of Membership Rewards points, and Amex will <b>BUY</b> the ticket for you.<br />
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For example, if there is availability for a one-way United flight on First Class between LAX and LHR for 25,000 MileagePlus miles, you can spend <b>25,000 Membership Rewards points</b> and Amex will purchase the ticket for you! If the ticket was $4500, then it would have cost <b>450,000 Membership Rewards points</b> to purchase if you did the standard "purchase flight using points".<br />
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The benefit to this is that you will <b>still get elite-qualifying points and miles</b>, where you would not have if you had just transferred into miles and done an award redemption! In that regard, you can double-dip!Travel ER dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09708797941391358247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995895379546308082.post-82775271560282312942015-01-18T17:12:00.000-08:002015-01-18T17:12:01.949-08:00American Express Platinum cardholders now eligible for $200 reimbursement again!Now that the new year has come around, American Express platinum cardholders are once again eligible to have $200 worth of airline fees reimbursed to them. This is a benefit that renews every calendar year. Meaning, if you got your card in October, you could have $200 worth of fees reimbursed in 2014 and another $200 reimbursed in 2015.<br />
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The fees that are eligible for reimbursement include baggage fees, late fees, cancellation fees, and charges made on the airplane. The fees must be all from the same airline of your choosing which you can change every single year. I chose United this year.<br />
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In previous years, I have purchased $50 gift cards and have been reimbursed without issues. This has worked on both American Airlines and Delta airlines. However I have not tried this on united airlines before. Other people have sometimes reported issues getting reimbursed for the gift cards from United, so I didn't try this.<br />
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A work around for this is the United registry. The just of it is that you create A registry that only you can access and gift the $200 to your own registry using your platinum card. I just did this today and will wait to see whether the reimbursement comes.Travel ER dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09708797941391358247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995895379546308082.post-90825133378852089572015-01-18T16:27:00.000-08:002015-01-18T16:27:13.129-08:0040% Bonus for Amex MR transfers to British Airways Avios ending soon!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz1yniYG39_P6C23g_dmFfh3u40OIjoUmgAHKqT8YjKltpKaoH0qiaQNm5RadklbA8F_9Qc-34YDK4BJ9Z0wkL8aX_qbMeC5YYkr2yxP6V0gsm7hPM6gd7zo6aNzZ0csfWz6vTNgmZA9Il/s1600/avios+ba.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz1yniYG39_P6C23g_dmFfh3u40OIjoUmgAHKqT8YjKltpKaoH0qiaQNm5RadklbA8F_9Qc-34YDK4BJ9Z0wkL8aX_qbMeC5YYkr2yxP6V0gsm7hPM6gd7zo6aNzZ0csfWz6vTNgmZA9Il/s1600/avios+ba.gif" height="108" width="320" /></a></div>
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American Express is having a special right now on transfers to British Airways Avios miles. Until January 31, you will get a 40% bonus for all miles transfer. For example if you transfer 50,000 Membership Rewards points you'll get 70,000 Avios points.<br />
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Avios points are especially worthwhile to me because I have the ability to get flight segments for less than the standard 12,500 miles. For example a one way between LAX and Las Vegas would be 12,500 miles on American Airlines, Delta Airlines, and United Airlines. Using Avios points, you only need 4500 miles.<br />
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Another really nice redemption for Avios miles is lie-flat Business class seats on the transcontinental flights on American airlines, which is a partner. These only cost 25,000 Avios miles. Using this promotion, this is the equivalent of 17,800 membership rewards miles.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ZZpVlDC_3aV87RrjUfj4BlvRcfN_x_Ymw12L3YfYA830QXGGR5mI4WYdh6YUVP-Ife4tQPf1c-C9FzM-ylTc6aung4USqRA6LjHl8wmhF8vlyrVti7Z_merBY-aHqLxUne3-8l1lcyMr/s1600/aa+biz+lie+flat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ZZpVlDC_3aV87RrjUfj4BlvRcfN_x_Ymw12L3YfYA830QXGGR5mI4WYdh6YUVP-Ife4tQPf1c-C9FzM-ylTc6aung4USqRA6LjHl8wmhF8vlyrVti7Z_merBY-aHqLxUne3-8l1lcyMr/s1600/aa+biz+lie+flat.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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After American Express lost United Mileageplus as a partner, I found difficulty using membership rewards points. This is a promotion I got in on, and transferred 50,000 points.Travel ER dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09708797941391358247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995895379546308082.post-84367968320627618222014-04-16T17:26:00.000-07:002014-04-16T17:26:46.219-07:00New Centurion Lounge benefit for American Express Platinum holders<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOBYRoNlZcRRlMtnw0HgfMEsC4hiMSUONA900vznBaNILn8G7trjFPF0fTSMm9g18MRrNn-pG6lP6saDEy4oNBgMpzUjiPEa3QqdM0mBhgQWDuk_C9Vn0anxbY9RdrK3A34kwU9LPZMIp2/s1600/centlounge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOBYRoNlZcRRlMtnw0HgfMEsC4hiMSUONA900vznBaNILn8G7trjFPF0fTSMm9g18MRrNn-pG6lP6saDEy4oNBgMpzUjiPEa3QqdM0mBhgQWDuk_C9Vn0anxbY9RdrK3A34kwU9LPZMIp2/s1600/centlounge.jpg" height="261" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.freeairlinemiles.net/2011/08/american-express-platinum-card-overview.html"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />American Express Platinum</a> cardholders lost United Club membership a few years ago after Chase and United/Continental began solidifying their relationship over their cobranded cards. This year, starting March 22, Platinum cardholders also lost access to American Admiral's Clubs.<br />
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This is certainly a large benefit lost, but many cardmembers were successful in calling in and having between $100 to $500 of AA/US Airways fees reimbursed.<br />
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Amex countered that they were adding Centurion Lounge access steadily to replace the club access. Currently they only have locations in DFW and Las Vegas, and are building in LGA and SFO.<br />
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I guess we'll soon see if they keep the Amex Platinum Card worthwhile.<br />
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Travel ER dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09708797941391358247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995895379546308082.post-13732319487661471832014-04-15T13:49:00.003-07:002014-04-15T13:49:42.151-07:00Delta Airlines - Not eligible for upgrade!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaY534LwpiM5i1ZFZY3sTRLbxuFfcDOAfCuJLbXQ6ujdUIDImtcUkaLM_eTyOqwZEc4xFQVj_6S9IySVfUB_IJ7hLGq7xwWVyDEqFNFyjWqgkl9wY0eLF2xihe1yJshOU0ZtFRcrCHxgVu/s1600/upgrade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaY534LwpiM5i1ZFZY3sTRLbxuFfcDOAfCuJLbXQ6ujdUIDImtcUkaLM_eTyOqwZEc4xFQVj_6S9IySVfUB_IJ7hLGq7xwWVyDEqFNFyjWqgkl9wY0eLF2xihe1yJshOU0ZtFRcrCHxgVu/s1600/upgrade.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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I recently switched from being AAdvantage Platinum to Delta Platinum due to decreased flying on American last year and various Delta promotions that enabled me to gain status.<br />
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One big plus for elites on AA, DL, and UA is now the availability of Main Cabin Extra, Economy Comfort, and Economy Plus, respectively. Regardless of if you upgrade or not, you'll at least have 5 inches or so of extra legroom. This is the first year that any planes on AA have been outfitted with Main Cabin Extra seats.<br />
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I recently had a direct flight from LAX to JFK on Delta and noticed it said I wasn't eligible for upgrade. I called customer care and was informed that <b>in select routes, mainly LAX-JFK and JFK-SFO and JFK-SEA, elites are not upgrade-eligible</b>.<br />
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Considering a huge amount of my flying will be on these routes, this is definitely something to consider when gunning for Delta elite status!Travel ER dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09708797941391358247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995895379546308082.post-4697930206528817962014-04-15T13:19:00.000-07:002014-04-15T13:31:03.394-07:00Tax day 2014 promotions!<br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Two airlines I don't use too frequently, are offering promotions for Tax day this year!</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJD0ygKti656XKGooCtJr7IGWp8Sh0kdaPxxyY5bGTFWc5Avo9hKr5SwTeMNlcRSaJ5746ZUx2-Go12k0bBIgchunfLyynlv1uhr-_jyA5tpMkkUjV4LIOt_NqY1SZtqXanA3Uk2wV5p6I/s1600/jetblue15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJD0ygKti656XKGooCtJr7IGWp8Sh0kdaPxxyY5bGTFWc5Avo9hKr5SwTeMNlcRSaJ5746ZUx2-Go12k0bBIgchunfLyynlv1uhr-_jyA5tpMkkUjV4LIOt_NqY1SZtqXanA3Uk2wV5p6I/s1600/jetblue15.jpg" height="175" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">JetBlue has 15% off Vacation packages until April 20</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.799999237060547px;">Taxes done? It’s time to plan a vacay! Get </span><span style="background-color: white; font-weight: 700; line-height: 23.799999237060547px;">15% off*</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.799999237060547px;"> base airfare (that’s everything but the government taxes/fees) when you book a JetBlue Getaways vacation package (air + hotel) by April 20 for travel April 29 – June 18, 2014 (Blackout dates: May 22 – 27). Fly Monday – Thursday only.</span></i></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.799999237060547px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.799999237060547px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkMCDmCxzkrr2WmNWCUbvAKhRyEEadjjW8nqgpR4eWYtHtT-VDL2yAgxqftbYTSJ2STtG_BHjTT0ve7CuljgNo7grA7LXbF1iLwtcie_EWzWg6Axb9E2iK7XUttZwEdhKl97cOaEL3zT95/s1600/frontier15.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkMCDmCxzkrr2WmNWCUbvAKhRyEEadjjW8nqgpR4eWYtHtT-VDL2yAgxqftbYTSJ2STtG_BHjTT0ve7CuljgNo7grA7LXbF1iLwtcie_EWzWg6Axb9E2iK7XUttZwEdhKl97cOaEL3zT95/s1600/frontier15.png" height="181" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.799999237060547px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.799999237060547px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Frontier is offering 15% off fares if you buy before April 17</span></span><br /><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.799999237060547px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17.33333396911621px;">Frontier Airlines will offer a 15% discount on domestic fares from Tuesday, April 15, 2014, through 11:59 p.m. Eastern time, Thursday, April 17, 2014. The discount will apply to regular and sale fares for domestic travel through June 12, 2014, for flights operating Monday through Thursday and Saturdays. All fare rules will apply.</span><br style="background-color: white; border: 0px none; line-height: 17.33333396911621px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" /><br style="background-color: white; border: 0px none; line-height: 17.33333396911621px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17.33333396911621px;">Tickets must be purchased below using the promo code </span><strong style="background-color: white; border: 0px none; line-height: 17.33333396911621px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">REFUND</strong><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17.33333396911621px;">. No exceptions will be made.</span></i></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #454545; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.799999237060547px;"><br /></span>Travel ER dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09708797941391358247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995895379546308082.post-9026257162579153612013-02-07T15:33:00.005-08:002013-02-07T15:33:50.318-08:0050% bonus on buying American Airlines Miles<br />
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American Airlines has a <a href="https://buy.points.com/PointsPartnerFrames/partners/aadvantage/container.html?language=EN&product=BUY" target="_blank">promotion</a> running until Feb 28, 2013 that offers 50% bonus on purchased miles!<br />
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<ul>
<li>Buy 5,000-9,000 miles = earn 1,500 bonus miles</li>
<li>Buy 10,000-14,000 miles = earn 3,000 bonus miles</li>
<li>Buy 15,000-19,000 miles = earn 4,500 bonus miles</li>
<li>Buy 20,000-29,000 miles = earn 10,000 bonus miles</li>
<li>Buy 30,000-39,000 miles = earn 15,000 bonus miles</li>
<li>Buy 40,000-49,000 miles = earn 20,000 bonus miles</li>
<li>Buy 50,000-59,000 miles = earn 25,000 bonus miles</li>
<li>Buy 60,000 miles = earn 30,000 bonus miles</li>
</ul>
<div>
It seems the best miles per dollar will be buying 60,000 miles and getting <b>90,000 miles for $1650</b>. This is 1.8c/mi. Consider that international business class tickets run $4500+, which you could get starting from 100,000 miles. But at the same time, you won't earn any elite qualifying miles if you buy miles to redeem for a ticket! </div>
<div>
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<div>
I'd consider this is mediocre deal but decent if you need to top off some miles.</div>
Travel ER dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09708797941391358247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995895379546308082.post-58164303684065825702013-02-05T07:22:00.002-08:002013-02-05T07:22:19.218-08:00Traveling Business Class internationally on the cheap<br />
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Recently I was shopping around for flights to Taiwan for some time off. My research found the cheapest economy prices from NYC to be around $1400 roundtrip. This is a pretty standard rate for NYC to TPE in economy. The airline was Korean Air, which is Skyteam and doesn't help me get miles/status on the airlines I fly, which are mainly Oneworld and Star Alliance. So I looked at my other options.<br />
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Redeeming miles on American Airlines was my first option, because I have several hundred thousand points from Citi AAdvantage card bonues - unfortunately, none of the international availability was online so I had to call in. Typically you can get a roundtrip economy flight to Asia for 50k-65k miles under MilesAAver, but only the AAnytime Economy awards were available for 110k miles. That would value my miles at 1.27c/mi, which is way less than you can redeem them for.<br />
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Second option was converting my Chase Ultimate Rewards points from my Chase Sapphire card and Chase Ink Bold into United miles and getting an award ticket there. This was viable, as there was a good amount of availability for 65k economy roundtrip. Good backup option.<br />
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The last option was TavaAvianca Lifemiles. They're a member of Star Alliance so they have good availability with United, Thai Airways, and Singapore Airlines. Their award program is one of the best for a few reasons. They frequently run a promotion of getting 100% bonus miles when purchasing miles - normally $30 for 1000 miles, and after the promo $30 for 2000 miles. That's approximately 1.5c per mile.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQg-GslLm_4FbdpG7IZwz0VFfS0trFtQhsR_S1RfFxAGq75wJl9nZnW9MuFE0IIpyJqYrbIxRZbWgWxtOqjDQs70rMpkV8-PHr52dAgZZxCiCBwLf2eA_PclVXXdyOq_fHKIb-VCNfRN3W/s1600/lifemiles2x1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQg-GslLm_4FbdpG7IZwz0VFfS0trFtQhsR_S1RfFxAGq75wJl9nZnW9MuFE0IIpyJqYrbIxRZbWgWxtOqjDQs70rMpkV8-PHr52dAgZZxCiCBwLf2eA_PclVXXdyOq_fHKIb-VCNfRN3W/s400/lifemiles2x1.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Their second perk is the ability to buy award tickets with cash and miles. If you have 40% of the required miles, you can purchase the remaining miles for $12.75 per 1000 miles. So for a roundtrip business class ticket to Asia (120k miles), this cost me approximately $1650. And a roundtrip business class ticket to Europe could cost you even less than that.<br />
<br />
<b>So in the end, I paid $1650 for a roundtrip business class flight to Asia, only $250 more than the cheapest economy ticket. Kayak listed the cheapest business class ticket for $4700!</b><br />
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<b>Tip</b>: Sign up for a Lifemiles account now, since they sometimes only allow those with accounts opened prior to the promotion announcement to participate!Travel ER dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09708797941391358247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995895379546308082.post-63148924257054573232012-04-12T16:18:00.002-07:002012-04-12T16:21:05.159-07:00Free Executive Status on National Car Rental<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWFdQxyxf6HP0TiwA5_9PK3niF38BWfrJ4uXrob9McbhaovYpi60Sb3M6Gk4SpUplzRcn9VBJtmhXcd6rDlIgVQs7bQPYtFcz4YWnb0h-FXQEarHMQQmZQmHbEz5lOhO1zC9lbdEd2YRgI/s1600/National.jpg" /></div>
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When you have National Car Rental's Executive Emerald Club status, you can choose any vehicle from the Emerald Aisle while paying only the mid-size sedan rate. There are usually only two ways to get Executive Emerald Club status: complete 12 rentals in a calendar year or for 40 rental days. The other way is to get it as a free benefit from the American Express Platinum card.<br />
<br />
But here is a chance to get the status for free!<br />
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<a href="https://www.nationalcar.com/index.do?action=/hotDealsTemplate&msg=national-signature-partnership" target="_blank">Free Executive Emerald Club status</a><br />
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Other benefits include a free rental after every 6 rental credits, and the ability to walk straight up to the car in the Emerald Aisle and drive off without waiting in any lines.Travel ER dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09708797941391358247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995895379546308082.post-77176714507102427902012-04-11T23:17:00.002-07:002012-04-12T16:22:09.037-07:00Saving $200 off my Spring Break flight<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKd3cPflYERyuNrW7mMcwqLFnKtOG7Edyec4lNLpKIuHjL4Sx8IsKIr0p3ocEy_WMhjGb39q8LYbxlM4WRDKft0fzsmRCJd73S-_mcF4aG5ezBcpHVZ9owee6UPD0KKmkWxtgdROY9DzvJ/s320/cash.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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This year, several of my friends and I found a week that we all had off and were free, and we booked a spring break trip to Cabo. We found some very reasonable flights on United that we decided to buy immediately. Instead of paying the full fare, I used my <a href="http://www.travelerdoc.com/2011/11/american-express-platinum-card-and.html" target="_blank">Amex Platinum's</a> $200 Airline fee reimbursement feature to shave $200 off.<br />
<br />
This is how you do it. I logged in to my Amex account to choose the airline I wanted my $200 in fees to be reimbursed from. Then I went to United's website and purchased a $200 gift card on my <a href="http://www.travelerdoc.com/2011/11/american-express-platinum-card-and.html" target="_blank">Amex Platinum</a>. Using the gift card, I was able to book the ticket with United and pay almost half of what my friends paid for their tickets. Within a day, Amex credited the $200 back to me.Travel ER dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09708797941391358247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995895379546308082.post-81050622946278142702012-04-11T23:04:00.004-07:002012-04-11T23:07:54.754-07:00Free 10,000 American Express Membership Rewards Points for Extended Payment OptionAmerican Express is offering 10,000 Membership Rewards points for enrolling a charge card in their extended payment option. Amex offers charge cards such as the Platinum and Preferred Rewards Gold that require payment in full each month. If you add the Extended payment option, you get the option to pay larger purchases over time (but are not required to). You can get 10,000 bonus MR points, worth $100 in gift cards, for adding an option you don't have to use.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9p2_iwA6jKm0Q6PlbiqDMxpZ4-mLcQ3hF_PhLYJnfSbfQ2M-ls_iIBpSvaCzI2rUkBWPci7m9QvM7Rl7Omu4w8TV8fv2R4BxJj0SZSF2UZWKq9LGHU576zhTqvdN_0A_HHLxaOMzch8mi/s640/screen_10k_amex.tiff" width="640" /></div>
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<br />
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If the 10,000 MR signup doesn't work, then try the 5,000 MR bonus.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www212.americanexpress.com/dsmlive/dsm/int/payovertime/plat/loc/10k.do?vgnextoid=07c1ec4fae4e0310VgnVCM40000037b3ad94RCRD&srcCd=YSA" target="_blank">10,000 registration link</a><br />
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<a href="https://www212.americanexpress.com/dsmlive/dsm/dom/us/en/phaseib/payovertime_loc_5k.do?vgnextoid=79fc1a22f0076210VgnVCM200000d0faad94RCRD&srcCd=NH4" target="_blank">5,000 registration link</a><br />
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Remember, you don't have to use this option to get the bonus points! Points will take 6-8 weeks to credit to your Membership Rewards account, according to the terms and conditions.Travel ER dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09708797941391358247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995895379546308082.post-34743982911197260602011-12-24T10:54:00.000-08:002011-12-24T10:54:42.423-08:00Save 7500 miles on AA Award tickets!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6vxQ2atJeMg/TvYfwQ0drSI/AAAAAAAAAEE/Y4EH_YrKHrI/s1600/citi-aadvantage-platinum-visa-card-xlarge.png" /></div>
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From January - March 2012, you can book award travel on American Airlines for 7500 less miles if you have an <a href="https://creditcards.citi.com/credit-cards/citi-platinum-select-aadvantage-visa-signature-card/" target="_blank">AAdvantage Platinum Select Visa</a> card, issued by Citibank. <br />
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The least amount of miles you can use for a domestic roundtrip ticket in economy is 25k miles, so you would end up using 17,500 miles after the promotion. Domestic roundtrip in business/first would be 50k-7.5k, or 42,500 miles.<br />
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To book your ticket, find the itinerary online that works for you, and place a hold on it instead of purchasing it. Call the AAdvantage help desk at 800-882-8880 and mention code <strong>TB8X7A </strong>if you are flying in coach, and <strong>UB21X2A</strong> if you are flying in Business/First.<br />
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Thanks <a href="http://www.dansdeals.com/" target="_blank">Dansdeals</a>.Travel ER dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09708797941391358247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995895379546308082.post-92041436852389379702011-12-04T21:37:00.001-08:002011-12-16T10:53:06.528-08:00Maximizing points from miscellaneous travel expenses<br />
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<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMUUIudxyQsCrDEXQS3BNJLQ8hU1VlwwYevn6N4vfXl2aQPtgXGCNMuDEIy9pPh4CLdJx3FfCTAcrtn1ogVmA_5tSnVU4LBfgunOyQU9JtRW6xYK8CR6z4nG0M4e1MYb223dI3T2ZNlUf3/s320/taxi.jpg" width="254" /></div>
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<br />
When you travel a lot, the obvious ways to save money and/or earn points are on the flight and the hotel. But there are ways to get points from all the miscellaneous expenses as well.<br />
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<b>Rental cars</b>: if you need to rent a car, going directly to the rental company's website will earn you nothing. But clicking through the <a href="http://ultimaterewards.chase.com/" target="_blank">Ultimate Rewards Mall </a>will get you an extra 3x UR points for booking at Avis and 2x UR points through Hotwire.<br />
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<b>Booking hotels</b>: Most of the time, I use my Starwood Preferred Guest points to pay for hotels, but if there isn't one nearby or with low availability, I have to pay for hotels sometimes. Shopping hotels.com through <a href="http://ultimaterewards.chase.com/" target="_blank">Ultimate Rewards</a> nets you a bonus 4X for every dollar you spend.. a $200 hotel nets you 1000 Ultimate Rewards points! Of course, you should check <a href="http://www.amextravel.com/" target="_blank">American Express Travel</a> also, to compare who's offering more points for spend.<br />
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<b>Taxis and transport</b>: Little costs like this add up over time. A $15 taxi here, $7 metro fare there. Use a card like the <a href="http://www.chasesapphire.com/cards/chase-sapphire-preferred/" target="_blank">Chase Sapphire Preferred</a> card, and you'll get 2X bonus points for these types of charges.<br />
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Make every charge count. Rather than using cash when you're traveling for anything, put everything on a card, and earn points while you're at it!Travel ER dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09708797941391358247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995895379546308082.post-35857008659226458482011-12-03T10:02:00.001-08:002011-12-16T10:54:18.539-08:00My Ultimate Rewards Cyber Monday score!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3SCApo9rtkdv2zey89chWNtYMu4UCJHdIDz6Fqx_uQvdlaa4ja_cDswY9uy3NlrnhTbCRnwgzdpBupRh0RMyIJIFVhZiGJUZA1ZnnIaXB1y9mSNLtKhsdtCZ0g2aYLdmOsKLWFW8fmX_v/s320/led_hdtv_ultimate_rewards.jpg" width="291" /></div>
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Black Friday came and went without much fanfare this year with regards to purchases. I spent time with family and didn't care to line up in the cold or at night to get a few dollars off a select few items. I made a few purchases through the Ultimate Rewards shopping mall to <a href="http://www.travelerdoc.com/2011/11/making-most-of-black-friday-and-cyber.html">take advantage of the bonus point offers</a>, and scored a decent amount of points.<br />
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Come Sunday night, the <a href="http://ultimaterewards.chase.com/" target="_blank">Ultimate Rewards shopping mall</a> dropped their Cyber Monday bombshell: using points, you could make purchases at "25% off". Supposedly, you could buy a $100 for 7500 UR points (with the valuation of each point at 1 cent per point). Sifting through their offerings, it turns out that they had items at a significantly higher discount! I purchased an <b>$1899</b> <b>retail</b> Samsung 59in 3D 1080p Plasma TV for <b>57k UR points, or 70% off</b>! Even if you value UR points at 2.14 cents each, which many do, it still came out to getting a $1899 item for $1219.<br />
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It seems that Chase is really pushing the Ultimate Rewards with great redemptions and promotions. I believe we'll see some healthy competition between American Express's Membership Rewards and Chase's Ultimate Rewards in the coming months!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>Travel ER dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09708797941391358247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995895379546308082.post-71372949277261721842011-12-03T09:27:00.001-08:002011-12-16T10:55:23.747-08:00Avios points aren't all that bad!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTvbBdLXaUZctdw-9-Lvl6CHCOdoKjKync5qjasghL41V81mzEIyaD5E8b3fDI6YeNQqd1ukzirILpp6pZuquc72wRHE-b7xGrumjjFWWB1DsBSD1y3etktOxoao-jZh1YnoLQNjSx-48x/s320/british-airways.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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There's been a recent uproar about British Airway's Executive Club miles being converted into Avios miles, as a huge devaluation. Previously, BA miles could be used very flexibly by using say 25k points for a one-way travel from SFO to Bangkok. You could choose Hong Kong as a "stopover" and spend a week there, for no extra charge. In this way, you are getting two long flights for the price of one.<br />
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With the conversion to Avios, this is no longer possible. Avios points are based on how far you are flying, and will cost you more or less points based on their mileage grid. However, there are some flight segments that will benefit from this.<br />
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I had to book a flight from STL to NYC about 5 days prior to travel. Searching the usual flight search engines showed prices around $200.<br />
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My options were:<br />
Cash: <b>$200</b><br />
Membership Rewards: $200 * 100 MR/dollar * 80% = <b>16k MR points. </b><br />
AAdvantage miles: <b>12,500 miles + $75 fee</b><br />
Avios: <b>7,500 miles</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Flight 2: NYC-LAX</b><br />
Cash: <b>$440</b><br />
Membership Rewards:<b> 32k MR points</b><br />
AAdvantage miles: <b>12,500 + $75 fee</b><br />
Avios: <b>12,500 miles</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
So even though the valuable stopover loophole was closed, and that longer transatlantic flights will likely cost more, they can be used pretty flexibly for short-haul flights that are bought a few days in advance!Travel ER dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09708797941391358247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995895379546308082.post-47867278033917452292011-11-28T20:49:00.001-08:002011-12-16T10:56:39.892-08:00My US Airways VIP lounge access today<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD807LYZ66pd0C-QI16-DsHmzwC5izIIlDRNZUs2AnelEyBSCaESqAgymJYomiTF1yiPsSjnChajp2SsN4e5fCq6zvgVBr0CMxmVXeM7dRMvXDxFYXDzBP-orxhllTAvpIs1XAZGFCG1rx/s320/us_airways_lounge.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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I had an hour and a half layover today in Phoenix, NM, and as I arrived to the connecting gate, I saw that the area was completely packed. All the chairs in the seating area were taken and the few electrical outlets were all occupied, and there were several people sitting on the floor. There were kids crying and it was overall pretty chaotic. I needed to get some work done and this was not what I was looking for.<br />
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Fortunately, there happened to be a US Airways club right above my gate that I had access to with my Priority Pass membership from my American Express Platinum. It was a godsend to have a nice couch to sit on, free snacks and cocktails, and peace and quiet. At all the lounges, they give you a free wifi access code that works for 24 hours.<br />
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With the amount of traveling I'm doing these days, I've been able to utilize the lounges more and more!Travel ER dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09708797941391358247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995895379546308082.post-5153181014545322202011-11-27T16:44:00.001-08:002011-12-16T10:57:26.061-08:0050,000 Club Carlson Gold points for one Radisson stay<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ6SNKCQx269vtVa3IMtOtPiJUJhcI64wLBylZB0m92fV812WLEvuGr0S2oKC8wDem-Nr1n3DRiB_jF59x5fO27RnMj3KjgCQrrEZCovl7hLfiA5V_Vlx4zQ8zGGpGtcRgd0mZltjfccq0/s1600/radisson_blu.jpg" /></div>
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Radisson and Club Carlson are offering a promotion for 50,000 bonus gold points for staying at any Radisson between now and December 30, 2011. 50k gold points can be used for a free night at any Category 6 Radisson or Carlson Hotel in the world, which can be worth more than $600 or so if you spend a night in a major European city like Paris. I managed to get my Radisson stay for $70, and am waiting for my 50,000 points.<br />
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Sign up <a href="https://www.radissonbignightgiveaway.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.Travel ER dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09708797941391358247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995895379546308082.post-79658439798720667022011-11-27T16:37:00.001-08:002011-11-27T16:51:00.311-08:00Free $20 giftcard with $200 online MasterCard purchase<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkSE60aUp8ajq4ykHvaLpgnoBDtG8d2XyFVN9mIE25zssIyUp1wCegbH729QAUI9XrfF7v7U1-q-Vt3nJCsNd1tBuTf6XFpRgYOoXNqoRVUfomwhhRfB1JMf7bhjwu6cVBwFSiE2FcP5UN/s1600/mastercard.jpg" /></div>
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MasterCard is running a promo between November 15, 2011 and December 31, 2011 that awards a free $20 giftcard when you spend $200 or more online with the card. You need to register your card <a href="https://holiday.mastercard.com/meredith" target="_blank">here</a> first, then complete the spending. They are very clear about no retroactive credit being awarded, so make sure you register first. Think of this as a stackable 10% off any online store.Travel ER dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09708797941391358247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995895379546308082.post-43988594962643201962011-11-24T10:35:00.001-08:002011-11-27T16:51:18.874-08:00Making the most of Black Friday and Cyber Monday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJuLFTU_omvtWdZtjnLdwOnqvhDJhLeOYRqGof_qT2ZZVDLoPsqvNH6t5_Uyt3XDXcHjGku0n8VNSr56XgJxkDaNKj3VOZVJ7zosM8KZe9G3wzMhcmSGECZHjSvlfunk12zWRIoDnQEb5C/s320/black_friday.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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Black Friday is a chaotic time for shoppers, trying to find the sporadic good deals in the haystack of mediocre deals. I recommend <a href="http://www.slickdeals.net/" target="_blank">Slickdeals</a> for that. But beyond finding the best deal, there are ways to make the most of your shopping.<br />
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First, decide which credit card you want to use for your spending.<br />
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If I'm buying <b>electronics</b> that I think I'll keep for more than a year, I will usually put it on either my <a href="http://email.americanexpress.com/a/hBOtFFdAQB6AAB8eBy0Ns8gSw.AQB6FsDz/axp2?MGM_GEN_ID=2C03E565B03A5B3DF175566ED99E6AD6F630B68437904BAA" target="_blank">Premier Rewards Gold</a> or <a href="http://email.americanexpress.com/a/hBOsKatAQB6FsB8WpeNNs6CXA.AQB6Fs3z/axp5?MGM_GEN_ID=6D7D6CEF4890755910EB45BD9369EF3DF630B68437904BAA" target="_blank">Starwood Preferred Guest</a> American Express card. American Express has a very customer-friendly one year of <a href="https://www212.americanexpress.com/dsmlive/dsm/int/pages/extendedwarrantydetails.do?vgnextoid=d13cbc0508bdf210VgnVCM40000037b3ad94RCRD" target="_blank">Extended Warranty</a> that is automatically added to all purchases. Additionally, you get 90 days of <a href="https://www212.americanexpress.com/dsmlive/dsm/int/pages/purchaseprotectiondetails.do?vgnextoid=ac0cbc0508bdf210VgnVCM40000037b3ad94RCRD#" target="_blank">Purchase Protection</a> against theft and accidental damage. <i>So instead of spending that extra $200 on an extended warranty for your laptop or LED TV, put it on your AMEX.</i><br />
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If you're doing shopping in a <b>department store</b>, I recommend using a card like the <a href="https://creditcards.chase.com/credit-cards/chase-freedom.aspx" target="_blank">Chase Freedom card</a>, which for Q4 2011 is giving 5 points per dollar for dining, department stores, charitable organizations, and movie theaters. Additionally, if you have a Chase Checking account, you'll get a 10% bonus on points and an extra 10 points per transaction! <i>If you get a great deal for a suit for $200, you'll get more than 1100 UR points, worth about $22.</i><br />
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Second, decide how you want to shop. While there are probably some good deals in brick & mortar stores, that requires a lot of effort, elbowing through crowds, and waiting in lines at early hours. I'll probably do the <b>majority of my shopping online</b>. That way, I can earn points or cashback by using shopping portals.<br />
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A good resource to see what kind of cashback you can get for any online store is <a href="http://www.evreward.com/" target="_blank">evreward</a>. You type in whatever site you plan on shopping from, whether it be Macy's, Barnes & Noble, or Best Buy. It will provide a comparison of various <b>cashback links, often between 5-15%</b>, for just clicking through their link. These cashback links are separate and in addition to any cashback that you get from your credit card! So if you find a cashback link for 8% and you use a Chase Freedom card, you will <b>get 8% + 5% back!</b><br />
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The second online resource I plan to use is the <a href="http://ultimaterewards.chase.com/" target="_blank">Ultimate Rewards Shopping Mall</a>. Before shopping at any online store, I check to see what the UR Mall is offering for that store. Yesterday, they offered 20 bonus Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent, which is <b>essentially 20% cashback</b>! <i>Best Buy will be offering 10 bonus points per dollar spent, so if you buy a MacBook Air for $1000, you'll get 11,000 UR points, worth about $220.</i><br />
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<b>Main takeaways:</b> bring several credit cards when doing your shopping, and choose wisely when deciding which one to use. Try to do some of the shopping online, avoiding hassle and benefiting from additional cashback from shopping portals!<br />
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<br />Travel ER dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09708797941391358247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995895379546308082.post-23644040692312340382011-11-20T16:44:00.001-08:002011-11-27T16:51:49.706-08:00My infrequent use of Priceline.com for hotels<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I never pay just full price for a hotel, and you should make it a habit not to as well. Thanks to my <a href="http://www.travelerdoc.com/2011/11/american-express-platinum-card-and.html" target="_blank">American Express Platinum card</a>, I have Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) Gold status automatically. This means I usually get rooms for free using points or very cheap using points and cash.<br />
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However, I'll save the Starwood discussion for another time, since I didn't use them this time for my <a href="http://www.travelerdoc.com/2011/11/early-interview-planning.html" target="_blank">early NYC interview</a>. After searching for awhile on hotels.com, booking.com, and getaroom.com, I found that the cheapest hotel I could find was around <b>$375 per night, or $290 for a dingy hotel</b>. I find no benefit from paying full price for a random hotel that I had no elite status with.</div>
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So I turned to <a href="http://www.betterbidding.com/" target="_blank">Better Bidding</a>, a free open forum where people bid on hotels on <a href="http://www.priceline.com/" target="_blank">Priceline's</a> Name Your Own Price and post their winning results. Someone considering making a bid can search the city, neighborhood, number of stars, and winning price for a given hotel in the past.</div>
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Browsing the Better Bidding forum, I searched for 2.5-star and 3-star hotels in the neighborhood of my interview and saw that a past winning prices were around $120 and $150, respectively. So to try and get a better deal, I went on Priceline and offered $130 for a 3-star hotel, which was rejected. The bidding rules with Priceline are that for a given set of search criteria (city, neighborhood, stars), you can only make on bid every 24 hours. However, if you change any of the criteria, such as adding additional neighborhoods or lowering the star threshold, you can make another bid. So I made a second bid for $130 for a 2.5-star, and won the bid!</div>
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The hotel ended up being very spacious, a little older (as a lot of hotels in the area were), and for <b>$130 plus tax</b>, I have no complaints! Much better than paying $375 per night! Next time, before paying full price for a hotel, check Better Bidding and Priceline!</div>Travel ER dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09708797941391358247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5995895379546308082.post-70879731745079127802011-11-20T11:35:00.001-08:002011-11-21T00:34:31.139-08:00The American Express Platinum Card and the Membership Rewards First programIn <a href="http://www.travelerdoc.com/2011/11/using-membership-rewards-on-flights.html" target="_blank">previous posts</a>, I've written about getting a 20% Membership Rewards rebate anytime I spend the points on the Amex Travel website. Over the past few months, this has saved me about 50k points! However, this is only one of the small benefits of the Amex Platinum Card. Here is a synopsis of the other main benefits of the card.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>American Express Platinum Card</b></span><br />
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<a href="http://email.americanexpress.com/a/hBONiTAAQB6FsB8WpT3Ns6CXA.AQB6FsbE/axp2?MGM_GEN_ID=2C03E565B03A5B3DB19A56B2A79B6A13F630B68437904BAA" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeDs1zDOzgewvFs9yihTpy1p1tt67BDrK_Ki0aTfYqw_oskgv4JaheMswuc-UU1lJ5WcIhrGMcrKIaTIEfogno2qk9CNx0w0JWzte8g72xTatsp6xRteq2_HCcsPMq8KFIPfSycrIku4AB/s1600/amex_plat.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>25,000 MR points bonus</b> - When <a href="http://email.americanexpress.com/a/hBONiTAAQB6FsB8WpT3Ns6CXA.AQB6FsbE/axp2?MGM_GEN_ID=2C03E565B03A5B3DB19A56B2A79B6A13F630B68437904BAA" target="_blank">signing up</a> for this card, if you spend $1000 within 3 months, you will get an automatic 25,000 MR points bonus. Due to various transfer bonuses to airlines (67% bonus to Delta) as well as bonuses when booking on Amex Travel, these points are worth about $0.02 each, making this bonus <b>worth about $500</b>. These points can be transferred to most airlines instantly, except for Continental and United.<br />
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<b>Free unlimited access to airport VIP lounges</b> - through the Priority Pass Select program, cardholders get free access to 600 VIP lounges worldwide, worth at least $50 per visit, or about a <b>$399 value</b> for a yearly pass.<br />
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<b>$200 of airline fees reimbursed</b> - up to $200 of airline fees are reimbursed every year from an airline of your choice. These can be baggage fees that are often $25-35 per bag, or airline change fees that are $150 per change, or award ticket fees of $75. They are also known to reimburse giftcard purchases as well.<br />
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<b>Elite status in National Car Rentals, Hertz #1 Gold Program, and Avis First program</b> - status in these programs usually requires a large amount of spending, many car rentals each year. Elite status in these programs provides cheaper rates, instant car upgrades, and grace periods for rental returns.<br />
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<b>Starwood Preferred Guest Gold status</b> - you get instant room upgrades, priority check in, late checkout at 4pm, 50% bonus for SPG points.<br />
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<b>Fine Hotels and Resorts</b> - this travel booking service has nice amenities at fine hotels around the world, getting good rates, hundred of dollars in free service or food credits, and automatic room upgrades.<br />
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<b>No Foreign Transaction fees</b> - most cards charge up to 3%, so spending $2000 abroad will save $60 in fees.<br />
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<b>Free Global Entry</b> - expedited entry into international airports, a <b>$100 value</b>.<br />
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<b>Free International Companion ticket</b> - when you book a First or Business class ticket through AMEX, you can get a companion ticket for free.<br />
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<b>Platinum Concierge service</b> - personal attendant that is known to be able to get tickets to sold-out events, get reservations at booked restaurants, and anything else you need.<br />
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<b>Membership Rewards First </b>- spending MR points on the AMEX Travel Site will return a <b>20% bonus.</b><br />
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Considering that this card has a $450 annual fee, I needed to make sure that it was worth every penny.<br />
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25k MR points - $500<br />
Airline VIP Lounges - $399<br />
$200 fee reimbursement - $200<br />
Free Global Entry - $100<br />
<b>$1099 of direct benefits!</b><br />
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Additionally, this doesn't take into account taking advantage of all the other benefits that vary depending on usage. I've saved 50k MR points, and used all of these benefits already except the companion ticket. This is definitely worth the annual fee.<br />
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25,000 Membership Rewards <a href="http://email.americanexpress.com/a/hBONiTAAQB6FsB8WpT3Ns6CXA.AQB6FsbE/axp2?MGM_GEN_ID=2C03E565B03A5B3DB19A56B2A79B6A13F630B68437904BAA" target="_blank">bonus link here</a>.Travel ER dochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09708797941391358247noreply@blogger.com18