Something Good Comes Out Of NOT Being “Bumped”

Yesterday I flew to Portland, Oregon from Los Angeles.  The flight was not full so there was no need for volunteers to be “bumped.” I think my readers all know by now that I really like getting “bumped” off my flight in order to get free airfare in the future (See October 19, 2012 blog).  But not being bumped meant there were plenty of seats still available for purchase.  There were even seats still available in first class.  So guess where I got to sit?

I have Platinum status on American Airlines so I asked Alaska Airlines if they would do a status match and I got a nice email saying I was now MVP Gold.  When I went to my travel conference in October I learned that I should ask for the status match after November 1, 2012 as that would give me 14 months of status (the remainder of 2012 and all of 2013) versus the typical “through the end of the calendar year”.  Maria and I were flying with 2 checked bags and 1 carry-on each.  The checked baggage would have cost $160 round trip but with my MVP Gold it was FREE. The $160 savings is what makes things like a mileage run (See November 19, 2012 blog) to earn status worth it.

What I like about Alaska Airlines is MVP Gold gets you unlimited complimentary upgrades when booking certain fares (not the cheapie fares) or unlimited complimentary upgrades on the cheapie fares 72 hours prior to departure.  Even better, one companion can be upgraded for FREE when they are traveling with you.  So if you have two kids, pick your favorite to join you in first class.  

If I purchase the cheap tickets (which I always do) with American Airlines my platinum status only earns me four 500 mile upgrades for every 10,000 qualifying miles that I fly. It takes 5 upgrades to fly from the west coast to the east coast.  This is definitely not as good a deal as Alaska Airlines.

My flight was an early morning flight.  Another benefit of being in First Class…FREE food (insert picture).  First class included a breakfast consisting of: Eggs, corn beef hash, asparagus with Hollandaise sauce, orange slice, pineapple slice and a strawberry to top it off.

I love when I land in Portland as I know my four bags will be delivered to baggage claim within 20 minutes.  If not, I get 2,000 airline miles or a $20 e-certificate towards my next flight.  I am not aware of any other airline that has a baggage guarantee like this.

Happy 2013...Make a New Year's Resolution To Travel More!

Free Los Angeles Travel Show Tickets

A few weeks ago Maria got an email offer for 2 for 1 tickets to the Los Angeles travel show. Tickets are $12 at the Long Beach Convention Center or $9 if purchased in advance.  While this sounded like a good deal I decided to try my luck and hold off making the purchase.  For the last couple of years I have received an email for FREE tickets and I decided to gamble that I would get FREE tickets again this year.  Well my bet paid off.  Today I received the below email.  If you live in the Los Angeles area why not go to the travel show and discover the wonderful world of travel? Try clicking here.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Help Me Decide My Next Big Trip

Well Christmas is over and I am already working on my 2013 travel plans.  I am trying to decide where to travel in 2013.  Right now I am exploring two options: 1) Road trip across the United States or 2) Trip to Bhutan, Nepal and Tibet.   I need to decide before December 31st as I can save up to $1000 if I book the Nepal trip before the end of the year.  For sure I am going to Hawaii in March and Ireland in June.  Other than those two trips the rest of the year is pretty wide open.  So leave a comment and tell me which trip you would pick and why.  

Merry Christmas and Happy Travels in 2013!

Click here for a cute holiday video from American Airlines

MERRY CHRISTMAS

AND HAPPY 2013!

Marriott Hotel Pricing

My sister called me last night and told me to quickly turn on CNBC on the television.  She stated there was a good program on Marriott hotels.  An interesting part of the television show discussed how Marriott prices its rooms.  The show gave an example of how their New Orleans hotel sold rooms.  In the example, two people booked similar hotel rooms with one paying $109 for the night while the other person paid $319 for an identical type room on the very same night.  Marriott tries to figure out how much they can charge by fluctuating the price.  I want my readers to be that $109 person.  Take a look at a clip from the show by clicking here.

Hint: For the lowest price book a Sunday night stay, checking out Monday.

Remember if you are still doing any online holiday shopping, don't forget to start at Evreward (see the 7-2-12 blog).

Hate Standing in Long Lines?

I hate long lines.  When I come back from a great trip the thought of standing in a long line at customs and immigrations irks me.  So, I decided I would apply for Global Entry.  Global Entry is great for international travelers since it allows individuals to skip the long immigration lines for automated kiosks.  The cost is $100 for five years.  At $20 a year it is worth it to me to avoid the lines.

Once I was conditionally approved, I was given access to the calendar to schedule an appointment at an enrollment center. I chose Los Angeles Airport.  The first open date was April 2012.  Yikes.  Well, I decided to check back to see if there were any cancellations and guess what I was able to get in today.

I brought my letter saying I was conditionally approved, along with my passport and driver's license to verify my address.   I was asked three questions.     

2.            Do you travel for business or pleasure?

3.            What do you do before you retired?

4.            Have you been to Canada or Mexico?

My photograph and fingerprints were taken and a CBP (Custom Border Protection) sticker was placed on my passport's back cover. Within 10 minutes, I was done! 

While some of you may not be doing a lot of international traveling it also gives me access to TSA Pre-check.  I currently have TSA Pre-check with American Airlines and will now have it with Delta and United.  TSA Pre-check means I can keep my coat and shoes on and my laptop in its case when passing through security. 

In the movie, "Up in the Air," starring George Clooney as Ryan Bingham, Clooney travels a lot for business. Clooney teaches a new employee, Natalie Keener, the ropes on how to get through security lines quickly. Don't worry mom, Clooney is not referring to you in this movie when he states:

Ryan Bingham: [on getting through airport security] Never get behind old people. Their bodies are littered with hidden metal and they never seem to appreciate how little time they have left. Bingo, Asians. They pack light, travel efficiently, and they have a thing for slip on shoes. Gotta love 'em.

Natalie Keener: That's racist. 

Ryan Bingham: I'm like my mother, I stereotype. It's faster. 

I bet Clooney wishes he had TSA Pre-check and Global Entry.

Have a great weekend!

Knott's Berry Farm

Yesterday I went to Knott's Berry Farm.  For my non-California readers, Knott's Berry Farm is an amusement park.  For my California readers Knott's Berry Farm has several promotions going on right now.  Military (active and retired) and active Police and Fire personnel can get in for free and even bring a guest. Even if you are not part of the military or public safety family, if you have AAA, don't forget to ask for a discount....and go have FUN!

Always check online for discounts when you travel and don't be afraid to ask!

Marriott Lifetime Status In My Future?

Fellow blogger, View from the Wing, posted yesterday that Marriott is changing the rules on lifetime status.  Last year was my first year earning platinum status and I managed to earn platinum again tis year but is lifetime platinum status in my future? The new requirements are: • Platinum Elite: 750 nights + 2 million points • Gold Elite: 500 nights + 1.6 million points • Silver Elite: 250 nights + 1.2 million points The website isn’t up yet, but they’ll be promoting lifetime status at MarriottRewards.com/Lifetime. I have 287 lifetime nights so I am on my way to silver status (not platinum), but there is only one problem.....I have no where near 1.2 million points. I think I currently have around 200,000 points.  Hmmmm, I think I better stick with earning my status from year to year and not plan on lifetime status just yet. There are no changes to the number of Marriott Rewards points earned during a lifetime to earn status. Instead, they’ve dropped the requirement for 12 years in the program before being eligible for lifetime status. And they’ve reduced the number of nights necessary for each tier level. Silver goes from 600 to 250. Gold goes from 800 to 500. Platinum goes from 1000 to 750. Thanks again to View from the Wing for this information.

HI

When you see the word HI notice that it is in all capital letters because I didn't mean hello. HI refers to Hosteling International.  A while ago I had Ashton over at my house checking if I could get solar for the roof.  We started talking about traveling and Ashton mentioned he had just vacationed at Yosemite.  That scared me because some people who had visited Yosemite and stayed in Curry Village died of Hantavirus.  

I asked Ashton if he was scared and he said that he vacationed with his wife and in-laws outside of Yosemtie in a place called Bug.  A placed called Bug didn't sound like my idea of a vacation.  Ashton explained Bug was part of Hostelling International (HI).  Ashton said he enjoys staying in "youth" hostels.  He explained the word "youth" was really a misnomer as people of all ages stay at these locations.  I stayed at youth hostels when I made my way through Europe back in my college days (don't ask how long ago that was).  

I  decided to look up bug and saw: "The Yosemite Bug Hostel, is just 20 miles from spectacular Yosemite National Park on several forested acres. 25 miles from Yosemite Valley itself. The area has great opportunities for mountain biking, skiing, rafting, and hiking. Yosemite Bug hostel is just three miles from the Merced River Scenic Area and hiking trails access." 

Ashton stated he has also used the Hostelling International website for a stay in Nicaragua at the Granada.  He stated that some of the hostels have really good meal deals.

I typically stay at hotels and sometimes B& Bs.  If any of the readers have used this or other hosteling websites please leave a comment.

12-12-12 resulted in a $12 Airfare

I am flying to Portland at the end of this month and plan to be there for two weeks.  There is a possibility I may have to come back early.  I wanted to hedge my bet on the off chance this was the case.  So I needed to get a one way ticket back to the Los Angeles area without too much out of pocket.  Yesterday was my lucky day.  Since the date was 12-12-12, Jet Blue decided to celebrate the opening of its newly renovated $45 million terminal by offering $12 fares from Portland to Long Beach.

For that price, even if I didn't need the ticket, it was worth the purchase.  I used my Citibank premier credit card to purchase the ticket.  This credit card earns me one point for every airline mile traveled so I will earn 848 points.  Through the Citibank Thank You points program, generally, 848 points equals $8.48.  The ticket cost me $11.80 so the most I have to lose is $3.32.

But wait it gets better. Before purchasing the ticket I went to MrRebates and got $2.00 back on my purchase. Don't forget to start your internet shopping at Evreward (see July 2, 2012 blog). Evreward showed me that MrRebates paid out 2.00 whereas Ebates paid out only $1.50. It may not seem like a lot but trust me it ads up.

So I may be out $1.32 but not bad if I have to make a last minute change to my reservation.  If I do have to make a change I can at least check out the new Long Beach airport, which even has a fire pit.

My New York Trip

I am flying home from New York today.  This is not my first trip to New York so I wanted to make sure I saw some sites I had not seen before.  Being the holiday season I wanted to see the store front windows decorated.   I also got a chance to see the play "The Nutcracker" performed by the New York City Ballet as well as the Rockettes (found a 2 for 1 coupon on EBay) at Radio City Music Hall.

What I really wanted to see was the 9/11 Memorial site.  I linked on the attractions button on the right side of the blog and signed up for the Heroes of the World Trade Center tour.  I saw some sites I was previously unaware of.  For example,  American Express had a separate memorial for its employees called the eleven tears memorial for the 11 employees they lost.

I went to the 9/11 Memorial site.  Seeing the large cascading waterfalls you can’t help becoming emotional. Looking at all the names inscribed brought tears to my eyes.  Our tour guide on the Heroes Tour told us that her friend was working in Tower 2 on 9/11 but she convinced her to play hookey and leave work in order to go shopping.

I had never been ice skating in New York so we went to Bryant Park, which is sponsored by Citibank.  For showing my Citibank credit card we got 10% off our ice skate rentals.  The best part is I didn't even fall.

The entire trip was wonderful including staying in the corner room of the Intercontinental Hotel on the 29^th floor.  I was lucky enough to be upgraded for FREE and in addition I had two FREE nights on my three-night stay.  I must admit the view was pretty spectacular. 

Maria and I, along with our friends Russ and Alma, ended our trip last night with a visit to John’s Pizza, which is written up in the tourist books.  We all had to do the touristy thing.

If you are new to an area don’t be afraid to do the touristy things but also don’t be afraid to go off the beaten path and try something new.  We found a great Thai restaurant right by the hotel.

Skyguide Changes The Rules...And Not For The Better

On the way to New York we had a three hour layover in San Francisco, which meant plenty of time to hit the airport lounge.  Russ had just signed up for the Skyguide club (see July 23, 2012 blog) so this would be his first time visiting an airline lounge.  We were on a United flight so we went to the United Airlines lounge.  That was our mistake.  There was a sign at the entrance that said,"No outside food."  I wasn't too worried as I figured we would grab something from inside the lounge.  Once we got inside we were told the United lounge stopped serving food 18 months ago.  They had snacks such as cookies, fruit, and crackers.   No outside food and no meals served inside the lounge, what's with that?

Skyguide allows you to go to any lounge, it doesn't have to be the airline lounge for the airline you are traveling on.  I definitely won't be visiting the United lounge again. I will visit a different lounge on my layover in San Francisco on the way back.

Unfortunately, Skyguide has changed the rules for 2013.  Skyguide members can now only be reimbursed for one lounge pass per month.  Starting in 2013 I have to decide if I want to use the lounge pass on the outgoing or incoming flight.

The membership is still a good deal for the $19.99 annual price but definitely not as valuable a plan as it was prior to 2013. Maybe I need to start my outgoing flight in one month and the return flight in another to take advantage of the 2013 Skyguide rules.  But if you want to pay only $19.99 instead of up to $600 for airport lounge passes, just click here.

How to get a $349 hotel room for $49

Today let's talk about the Priority Club credit card.  I know you are probably thinking, "I don't want/need another credit card."  I know I talk a lot about credit cards and I have quite a few of them but I don't carry all of them with me all the time.  I do like the Priority Club card though.  

Right now I am flying to New York where I will be staying at an Intercontinental Hotel.  The room normally costs $349 a night.  I am spending the first two nights using a 2 for 1 coupon and the third night with a FREE night from my Priority Club credit card.

The Priority Club credit card has a $49 annual fee (the first year the fee is waived) but you get one FREE night at any Priority Club hotel, every year. So you don't want to use the certificate at a Holiday Inn when you can use it at an Intercontinental.  In addition to the FREE night you also get the following benefits:

• Platinum elite status (read the September 20, 2012 blog on why status matters)
• A 10% rebate of points when booking an award night
• No foreign transaction fees
• Earn 5 points for every $1 spent at Priority Club hotels
• Earn 2 points for $1 spent at gas, grocery stores and restaurants
• Earn 1 point for every $1 spent everywhere else

You can even earn 60,000 points by signing up for the credit card and the annual fee is waived the first year.  As we learned yesterday 60,000 points can equal 12 free nights with Point Breaks but more realistically it equals three free nights.

With the platinum status you can get complimentary room upgrades, (when available), plus you earn a 50% bonus on the points you earn on paid stays.

On the right side of my blog (click on the button labeled "Do you like to travel?") you can compare credit cards but this is one credit card I plan to keep.

Have a great weekend!

Nice Hotels for $35 a Night

You are probably thinking there must be some typo with the headline.  How can you get a nice hotel room for $35 a night?  The answer is Priority Club "point breaks".  I have mentioned this before (see the July 20, 2012 blog) but the new list just came out so if you have Priority Club points, (e.g., Holiday Inn, Intercontiental, Crowne Plaza, etc.) this is a great way to get a hotel room for 5,000 points which translates into a price of $35 a night.   Priority Club hotels normally start at 20,000 a night.  These hotels are an especially great deal when traveling internationally.  

Click here to see the entire list of hotels available for 5,000 points. This list expires January 31, 2013.  Last time I got a nice suite at the Holiday Inn when I was in South Carolina.  The best deal is when you can stay at an Intercontinental hotel for 5,000 points.  

Back in August I showed you how you could get 800 points for FREE.  Remember to always sign up for the FREE points when you see them.

Priority Club has a credit card 

which I really like.  Find out 

why tomorrow.

500 FREE American Airline Miles

All it takes is a few minutes and you can earn 500 FREE American Airline miles for sharing your opinions on loyalty programs. This offer is good through December 17th.  Just click here and like American Airlines on Facebook.

You will also be entered to win the grand prize of 50,000 miles....Since I tend to win a lot what do you think my chances are of winning the grand prize?

Make a Discovery

This year I got a Discover card.  I have always had an American Express, Mastercard and Visa and never really thought about getting a Discover card until I saw the benefits.  Before making any purchases online I always go to Evrewards (See the July 2, 2012 blog).  I kept seeing that the Discover card had the best returns so I decided to get one.  

Today I received a mailer from Discover that said I get a 5% cash back bonus when I purchase travel  (airline tickets, hotels, cruises and car rentals) online until December 31, 2012.  In addition to that 5% cash back I get an additional 5%-20% cash back at such sites as Marriott, Carnival Cruise line, Hotels.com and Dollar Rent a Car.

As you know I do a lot of international travel and the Discover card has no foreign transaction fees.

Gotta love getting cash back for traveling!

Evreward Rebate for Marriott

Using Miles

In my July 12, 2012 blog I talked about Award Wallet as a way to keep track of all your loyalty programs.  I also like people to have choices so now you can check out the website UsingMiles.  The best part is you can now get a FREE premier membership to Using Miles.

Using Miles lets you keep track of airline miles, rental car programs, hotel programs, credit card points and retail loyalty programs such as Starbucks and Groupon.  Using Miles keeps track of up to 237 different loyalty programs.

What I like about Using Miles versus Award Wallet is it also keeps track of "bonus offers" so you can see the latest offers, such as the Marriott 2 for 1 stay offer. Using Miles has a basic as well as premier membership.  The basic membership is always FREE where the premier membership usually costs $29.99 annually.  But by clicking on the following link you can now get the premier membership for FREE for life.  One account can keep track of all family members.

See below for the capabilities of the membership. So why not give it a try and click on the this link?

How does DirectTV help me travel?

I am looking into getting DirecTV.  You may be wondering what this has to do with traveling.  Well, DirecTV is offering 25,000 American Airline AAdvantage miles for signing up for their service.  That is enough miles for a FREE round trip domestic ticket. If this is something that might interest you call 1-877-569-9752 and be sure to have your AAdvanatge number ready.  I am already thinking about where I would like to travel to....any suggestions?

Have a great weekend!

Sync Your American Express Card and Save $ Traveling and more

Today I was speaking with one of my readers and she mentioned how she liked the Small Business Saturday deal.  She wondered if it was only once a year and unfortunately the answer is, "yes."  But I then asked her if she synced her American Express card with her Facebook account and she had no idea what I was referring to so I said it would be the topic for today's blog.

Check out the American Express Link, Like, Love program.  There are various offers but two examples are: Spend $250 on Travelocity hotels and get $50 back.  Even better, spend $100 at Skyauction and get $50 back.  Skyauction allows you to bid on travel packages.  I have used this site before and have saved a lot of money on a whitewater rafting trip in Chile.

Gotta love the American Express deals.

My Points

In the July 2, 2012 blog I previously talked about different web sites I like where you can earn cash or miles.  Today I want to talk about My Points.  My Points is similar to some of the other cash/point earning web sites but what makes this website different is that you can earn points without making a single purchase.  You can earn 5 points for just looking at an ad.  While it may take a while to earn a gift card this way, if you make any purchase it speeds up the process to getting free gift cards.

Today I got an email that I can earn 500 My Points for purchasing a $75 Marriott gift card.  If I earn1600 points I can cash them in for a FREE $10 gift card.  Purchasing three Marriott card almost gets me the free gift card and you already know how I feel about Marriott.  If the cards come in time I will use them in New York next month.

If you want to join My Points send me an email to invite you as I get credit.  If you prefer to join on your own just click here.  You have nothing to lose, so what are you waiting for?

Traveling With Your Pet

For Thanksgiving  I was thankful to be able to spend time with my family in Washington. This was my first time driving to my parents house.  I always fly and accumulate my airline miles.  But I wanted to take my dog Molly with me and I wasn't sure that she would do well flying. My original plan was to stop at a friend's house the first night and then drive the next day to Washington.  But I wanted to get a little further north so day two would not be so long a drive the day before Thanksgiving.  That meant having to find a hotel that was pet friendly.

Beware pet friendly doesn't meant pet FREE.  I stayed at a Marriott branded hotel, Fairfield Inn, as this hotel only charged $25 for Molly.  Some hotels even let your pets stay for free.  I definitely was not going to spend a night at the Hyatt as they wanted $150 a night just for Molly, the hotel room was an additional $139.  The Hyatt pet fee was more than I spent for the hotel room at the Fairfield Inn, including the pet fee.

I decided to stick with the Fairmont as it was centrally located where I wanted to stay and had a FREE breakfast, that was really pretty good.  

I like using Priceline's feature that under hotel amenities you can select "Pets allowed" when searching.

When traveling with a pet be prepared to spend a little extra. But they are worth it!

Cyber Monday is Here

Hope everyone enjoyed the long Thanksgiving weekend.  I loved Black Friday.  I got some great deals and earned a lot of American Airline miles in the process. I earned my $25 credit on Small Business Saturday and now Cyber Monday is here.  There are travel deals to be had on Cyber Monday.  I recently flew to Cuba with the tour company, Friendly Planet.  They are having a Cyber Monday sale giving between $100 and $400 off per tour package.

On the right hand side of my blog is a company a friend recommended called Book It.  I get credit if you use my link.  Book It is having a Cyber Monday sale along with Travelocity and Expedia.  Cyber Monday is a great day to plan a trip.  Have fun.

Let the Entertainment Begin

I have been traveling all day on my way to Washington so I am going to keep this short.  Remember the July 26, 2012 blog about the Entertainment book and all the travel deals?  Well the 2013 Entertainment book is out and you can now get it for 30% off plus if you go through the Ebates portal you get an additional 17.5% savings. There are lots of travel deals including airlines, hotel and car rental discounts. 

The Lines Have Already Begun...Black Friday is Just a Few Days Away

I can't wait for Friday.  "Black Friday" is my favorite shopping day of the year but "Cyber Monday" is a close second.  My friend Russ texted me last Thursday to tell me that people were already lining up at the Best Buy in Los Angeles, more than a week ahead of time.

Besides getting great deals, this is when I try and do my Christmas shopping and earn lots of points and miles.  It is important that I maximize my cash and miles for all my purchases.  For example, my Alaska Airlines credit card will give me 2500 airline miles if I spend $500 at book, sporting good, toy and electronic stores.  I have another credit card that will give me 3x the airline miles for gas, grocery, drug stores and restaurants.

Discover card sent me an email saying they had special benefits for the holidays.  The best is price protection guarantee.  They will refund the difference if I find a lower price within 90 days of my purchase.  I hate the idea of buying something only to later find it go on sale and I am unable to return the item   See below for the other discover card benefits.

My Citibank credit card has Citi Price Rewind.  If I register my purchases Citibank will search retailer's websites for 30 days to see if they can find a better price.  If they find a price that is at least $25 lower I get money back.  What I like about this is Citibank does all the work checking for a lower price.

If you plan to do some shopping make sure you know what benefits your credit card(s) offer and maximize your points and miles.

Am I Crazy? I Am Doing My First Mileage Run

Am I crazy?  I am going on my first mileage run.  I am flying strictly to earn airline miles with no other purpose.  Read below and tell me would you be willing to do the same.

As I mentioned in my November 7, 2012 blog I want to get platinum status this year with American Airlines.   I thought about flying to Japan to get some chocolate but an $800 flight seemed too expensive when I only needed 9438 miles until platinum status.  I subscribe to the Flight Deal.  I love getting the daily emails as it tells me the cheapest places to fly and on which airlines.  Last week I got an email that stated I could fly to Fort Lauderdale for $220 round trip.  It is hard to believe I can fly all the way across the United States for $110.00

To plan this trip I first I logged in to MrRebates (See July 2, 2012 blog) which gave me $1.00 off (not much but I will take it) then I applied my 5% off promotion code (9612DD- Good for all flights through 12-31-12). This gave me $5.00 off each way for a final price $209.60.  I will earn 2343 each way but since I signed up for the double miles promotion I will get 4686 each way or 9372 round trip.  I paid for my ticket with my American Airlines credit card so I will get double miles for the cost of the ticket.

I realize I am 66 miles short but I have a one way flight from Los Angeles to Las Vegas (236 miles) the first week in December which will get me to my platinum status. Yea I will make it!

Am I crazy?  My flight leaves LAX at 12;15 am and arrive in Florida at 7:55 am.  I leave Florida an hour later at 8:55 am and arrive back in Los Angeles at 11:45 am.

Platinum status is going to guarantee that I earn a 100% bonus on all my flights next year versus the 25% I would get with gold.  The 100% bonus this year earned me enough for two free flights within the United States or one free ticket to Europe.  I know I will be doing a lot of traveling so I think it is worth it but would you be willing to do the same?

Did you remember to sign up for Small Business Saturday with American Express  (See Friday's blog)? My mom even called to say she was all signed up.

American Express Small Business Saturday FREE $25

I love "Black Friday" and "Cyber Monday" but American Express Small Business Saturday (November 24, 2012) is the best yet.  Who doesn't love free money?  American Express Small Business Saturday gives American Express card holders $25 credit on their statement for purchases at small business locations nationwide. I like to frequent a small local grocery store to get my $25 credit.  Some people have even bought $25 gift cards at small businesses.  But Maria, your local Starbucks is not considered a small business.    

Click here to register your American Express credit card to get the credit.  Enrollment opens this Sunday, November 18, 2012 at 12:00AM MST and continues until November 24, unless the maximum number of enrollments is reached.  Last year some of my friends did not heed my advice and delayed in trying to register and by the time they got around to it the registration was closed.  

The best part about Small Business Saturday is you can register more than one American Express credit card, so I will register both my Costco and SPG American Express cards. Below are the terms and conditions:

1. Limit one (1) $25 statement credit per American Express Card. To be eligible, Cardmembers must enroll an eligible American Express Card in this offer at ShopSmall.com. Prepaid and Corporate Cards are not eligible.
   
2. The number of enrollments is limited. Enrollment opens at 12:00AM MST (“Mountain Standard Time”) on November 18, 2012, and will continue until 11:59PM MST on November 24, 2012 unless the enrollment limit is reached sooner.
   
3. To receive the $25 statement credit, the Cardmember must use his or her enrolled Card to spend $25 or more in a single, in-store transaction at a qualifying small business location on Saturday, November 24, 2012. To receive the credit, the transaction must equal $25 or more (for example, if your transaction is only for $15, you will not receive a credit). Multiple transactions of less than $25 will not qualify even if the combined total of those transactions is over $25. You may purchase multiple items that together equal $25 or more, but you must purchase them in a single transaction to receive the statement credit.
   
4. Qualifying small business locations are those identified on the Shop Small® Map, available at ShopSmall.com. In addition, small business locations that accept American Express through Square also qualify and can be found on the Square Directory at https://squareup.com/directory/?cmpId=amex or from your mobile phone using the Square Wallet app. Small business locations that do not appear on the Shop Small® Map or that do not accept American Express through Square will not qualify for the $25 statement credit offer. Please note that business location information provided on the Shop Small® Map and Square Directory may contain inaccuracies or errors, including as a result of information provided by third parties. Transactions with political campaigns or political action committees are not eligible, regardless of whether they appear on the Shop Small® Map or in the Square Directory.
   
5. If American Express does not receive information that identifies a transaction as having occurred in-store at a qualifying small business location, the transaction will not qualify for the statement credit. For example, the following transactions will not be eligible for the credit: transactions made using an electronic wallet or any other transaction made through a third party; and transactions not made directly with the merchant.
   
6. Statement credit will appear on your billing statement within 8 weeks after American Express receives information from the merchant about your qualifying purchase. Note that American Express may not receive information about your qualifying purchase from the merchant until all of the items from your qualifying purchase have been provided or shipped by the merchant.
   
7. The Card Registration Terms and Conditions will also apply at enrollment. 
   
   
   Have A Great Weekend!
   
   
   
   
   

B of A Credit Card = Free Gift Card

I have talked about how I love my Bank of America Alaska Airlines Credit Card, so much so I recently got an Alaska Airlines debit card.  Alaska Airlines is great as it belongs in both the One World alliance and the Sky Team alliance (See July 3 Blog-Why Alliances Are Important).

Today I checked the balance on my Alaska Airlines credit card account and as I was logging out I saw this wonderful message:

I got a FREE $10 gift card just for being a Bank of America credit card holder. I didn't have to jump though hoops or do anything special but click on the link that said, "Choose your gift card."  There is also a link that says, "No thanks."  If you are the type of person to click on this link please consider mailing me your FREE gift card.

If you have any B of A credit cards, this is not limited to Alaska Airlines credit card,  log in and check your account and hopefully you will see the message as you are logging out.  If this doesn't work try clicking on this link and then click where it says, "Dont have one?" located right below where you are asked for the registration code.  

If you have more than one B of A card enter each one as different offers may come up.  I also received an offer for a $15 gift card if I established a reoccurring credit card payment.

Put a comment in the comment section and let me know if you too got lucky with a B of A credit card.

(My mom and sister better be reading today's blog!)

I Won A Free App-Wiki Offline

I won something again. By now you are probably wondering why I don't play the Lottery.  My luck runs out when it comes to the lottery but I am going to keep putting in for other contests because I know I have the luck of the Irish.

What did I win? It is an app called Wiki Offline. If you have ever used Wikipedia (a free collaboratively edited, encyclopedia) then you know what this app is all about.  The full text of all Wikipedia articles are stored to your apple device.  You will hold the world's knowledge in the palm of your hand.  I don't have to worry about slow Internet connections.  How often have you traveled, wanted to look something up but not had Internet access? Well the beauty of this app is you don't need an Internet connection.  The app costs $9.99 (I won mine in a contest for naming my favorite beach...Bora Bora).  

For those of you that don't want to spend the $9.99, or want to test the app before purchasing it, there is a Lite version that covers the 1,000 most popular Wikipedia articles compared to the full version's 10 million full length articles.  

The next time I forget to check the website Route Happy (See November 8, 2012 blog) and end up on a flight without Internet or in a country without Internet access (e.g. Cuba) at least I will have my Wiki Offline.

Points + Cash = Great Deals

I think by now everyone knows I like Marriott but when Marriott blows it I am not afraid to tell them so.  Marriot came out with a points and cash program and I got excited until I found out what they meant by points and cash.  Marriott's definition of points and cash is you can book one night with points while maintaining your reservation and booking another night with cash.  Previously, you had to book your points night under one reservation number and your cash night under another number. You then had to call and get the reservation consolidated so you didn't have to check out of the room.  Ughhh.

SPG (Starwood, Westin, etc) and IHG hotels (Holiday Inn, Intercontinental, Crown Plaza, etc.) know the true meaning of points and cash.  With these hotels you can book part of your stay with points and the other point with cash, even if it is just for one night.

Next month I am going to New York and so I was looking at the best way to make hotel reservations.  I am spending the first night at a Marriott hotel because it is near the airport and I get in late.  It offers a free breakfast, free shuttle from the airport and is the only JFK hotel to provide transportation to the subway.  The following night I will be staying in Times Square on a 2 for 1 coupon.  The big decision was where to stay the final night.  

Right now Ebates (See July 2 Blog or click on right side of website) offers 13.5% back for IHG Hotels.  If you are making  a reservation with points plus cash you will receive 13.5% back on the cash part.  My friend Russ is also going to New York.  If he had points with IHG he could use the points and cash option to stay three nights at the Candlewood Suites in Times Square.  Instead of paying $324 per night he would use 30,000 points (10,000 per night) plus $210 ($70 per night).  Another option is 20,000 points per night which gets the hotel room for FREE.  Based on this I know that 10,000 points is valued at $70.00.  What does all this mean?  For a $140 a night value Russ could get a room that would normally cost $324 a night just by using the points and cash option.

The best way to get lots of hotel points is to get a hotel branded credit card.  If you check on the right side of my blog you can compare travel credit cards.  Your credit is very important so take this in to consideration when applying for any form of credit.

Say Thank You to Our Military

Yesterday was Veteran's Day.  I have friends in the military and I want to take a moment to thank them for their service.  Even if you're not in the military don't stop reading this blog as in some cases family members may qualify for travel benefits.  

I love the website Veteran's Advantage.  Below is a list of the various locations where discounts are offered. A one year membership is $59 but they offer a 30 day free trial.

If you fly United Airlines you will receive a travel code that gives you 5% off your flights.  As you can see from the list, in addition to United Airlines, there are discounts for car rentals, train travel and hotels. The thing that differentiates this website is that in addition to U.S. Veterans and active duty military, National Guard and Reservists can join but also next of kin: fathers, mothers, sons or daughters. 

Each year businesses honor veterans and service members, as well as their families, with Veterans Day discounts on goods, services, and dining.  Some discounts extend beyond Veteran's day.

Keep in mind that most businesses require proof of military service, which can include a VA Universal Access Card, Military I.D., DD-214 (Discharge Papers), Veterans Service Organization Card (VSO's include groups like the VFW, DAV, AmVets, MOAA, FRA, and the American Legion), or in some cases businesses will accept a picture of the veteran in uniform.

The following is a list of 2012 Veteran and military discounts and Buy One Get One (BOGO) offerings. This year's offerings even include some honest-to-goodness free meals.

Note: Not all franchise locations participate in their national chain's Veterans Day programs -- be sure contact your nearest establishment to make sure they are participating.

Veterans Day Restaurant Offerings:

Golden Corral – Golden Corral Restaurants' Military Appreciation Monday free dinner will be available on Monday November 12, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Military retirees, Veterans, active duty, National Guard and Reserves are all welcome.

Little Caesars® Pizza – Little Caesar's will honor members – past and present – of the armed forces on Monday Nov. 12, 2012, by providing veterans and active military members with a free Crazy Bread® with proof of military status or proof of service at participating stores nationwide.

Lone Star Steakhouse – On Monday, 11/12/2012, all veterans and active duty military will receive a FREE entrée from our Stars & Stripes Menu. See your local restaurant for details. Be sure to call ahead to verify local participation. Be sure to call ahead to verify local participation.

O'Charley's – O’Charley’s will thank veterans and active duty military personnel, celebrating their service, by providing them with a complimentary meal on Monday, November 12. With their military I.D. or other proof of service, servicemen and women will receive their choices of meal from the O’Charley’s “$9.99er” menu.

Outback Steakhouse – The week of November 11th- 12th, Outback will be offering Veterans and service members a Free Bloomin' Onion and Coca-Cola product (non-alcoholic) beverage. In addition, Outback is offering all military servicemembers and veterans who present a proper ID* or a photo in uniform, will receive a 10% discount off their entire guest check. 

Sizzler Steak House – Veterans and servicemembers can get a free lunch on Monday Nov. 12, 2012 until 4:00pm. The limited menu includes 3 entrees – 6 oz. Steak, Malibu Chicken, or a Half Dozen Fried Shrimp. Click here to check if your local restaurant is offering the Veterans Day freebie.

T.G.I. Friday's – Veterans and Servicemembers can get a free lunch on Monday Nov. 12, 2012. Contact your nearest location for more details on their Veterans Day offer.

Texas Roadhouse – Texas Roadhouse locations – nationwide – will offer veterans a free lunch on Monday Nov. 12, 2012. Choose from one of 10 free meals, plus sides and a drink. Offer good for ALL veterans – including all active, retired or former U.S. military.

UNO Chicago Grill – Veterans and active military members can get a free entrée or individual pizza with the purchase of an entrée or pizza of equal or greater value. This offer is good from Sunday, November 11 through Monday, November 12. Military ID or proof of service is required, but no coupon is needed.

Veterans Day Travel and Recreation:

Aqua Hotels & Resorts – 10% off for veterans.

Bolongo Bay Beach Resort, US Virgin Islands – Active and retired military get 30% off room-only rates and $150 in island credits. The offer is available on a minimum four-night stay between November 1 and November 30, 2012, subject to availability.

JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa – Special rates for members of the military and first responders for stays beginning Veterans Day (November 11) through January 3, 2013. Active duty and retired members of the military are asked to request the Salute to Service rate (rate code: GOV) when they make their room reservations at www.jwsanantonio.com or by calling the toll-free telephone number, 866-882-4420. A military or service I.D. is required at check-in.

Knotts Berry Farm – Military Tribute Days at Knott's Berry Farm includes free admission for active, veteran and retired personnel and a guest from 1 November - 6 January. In addition, you can stay at the Knott's Berry Farm Hotel for only $84. 

Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort – Active and retired military receive special rates and discounts on golf and amenities from November 8 - 11, including resort hotel room discounts, discounts off golf packages, and discounts on beach and umbrella rentals.

Veterans Day Retailer Offerings:

Banana Republic – Veterans, military personnel and their families can get 50 percent off three full-priced items from November 12-15. Servicemembers, veterans and families who shop at Banana Republic on November 13 also can participate in special events geared towards helping veterans find jobs, including interview and resume tips from an HR expert, styling advice and refreshments.

Home Depot  – Offers a 10 percent discount to all Veterans during Veterans Day, Memorial Day and Independence Day. Home Depot offers the 10 percent discount year round to for active duty and retirees.

Lowe's – All Veterans receive the 10-percent discount on Veteran's Day, Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. The offer is available in stores only and is limited to in-stock and special-order purchases of up to $5,000.

Toys "R" Us - Military moms, dads and family members can use a special discount coupon, good for 20 percent off one regular-priced item, valid from Sunday, November 11 through Monday, November 12. A military ID will be required at checkout.

Other Freebies:

National Parks – Veterans Day weekend (November 10-12) Veterans will be invited to visit over 100 National Parks for free.

Year-Round Veterans Discounts:

Foot Locker – Veterans, Servicemembers (Active, Guard, and Reserve), and their immediate families with a Foot Locker Veterans Advantage Card receive a 20 percent discount every day of the year. That offer is good both online and at any store location, including Foot Locker, Lady Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Footaction and Champs Sports — even on sale items.

Home Depot  – Offers a 10 percent discount (up to a $500 maximum) to all active military, reserve, retired or disabled Veterans and their family members with a valid military ID. All other Veterans qualify for a 10 percent discount during Veterans Day, Memorial Day and Independence Day.

Lowe's – Lowe's offers a year-round 10 percent discount offer for all active duty, National Guard and Reserve, retirees and disabled Servicemembers and their immediate families. All other Veterans receive the 10-percent discount on Veteran's Day, Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. The discount is available on in-stock and special-order purchases of up to $5,000. The offer can't be used on sales at Lowes.com, on previous sales or on sales of services or gift cards. You must present a valid military I.D. card to receive the discount.

Thanks again to those who serve our country!