Direct TV Promo Still Going On

If you remember my November 30, 2012 blog I was talking about getting Direct TV which would give me 25,000 American Airlines miles.  I just logged into my account and guess what?

If you guessed my account has grown by 25,000 miles, you were correct.  The promo was originally scheduled to end by December 31, 2012 but it is still going on through the end of April. So if you are in the market for a new television company this might be the time to make the switch.  Just call 1-800-569-9752 and have your AAdvantage number ready.

FREE Hotel nights

Today in the mail I received a credit card application for the La Quinta Visa.  In the past I have thrown these applications away and not paid much attention.  This time I decided to take a second look.  I can't even remember ever staying at a La Quinta.  When I travel across the United States next year I hope to borrow a friend's travel camper but staying in a hotel with hot showers every so often is also a must. What I like about the La Quinta website is you can pick a start and end point and it will show you all the La Quinta Hotels along the route.

Traveling from downtown Los Angeles to Disney World shows there are 96 La Quinta hotels I can stay at along the way. There are lots of hotel choices along the route.  The point is to be able to stay for FREE or at a large discount.  The mailer I got shows I can get two FREE nights once I make a purchase with the La Quinta credit card. My readers know I love the word FREE.

I have a Marriott credit card and a Priority Points (Holiday Inn, Intercontinental) credit card and really don't need another credit card.  So why even take a second look at application I received in the mail? I like that the Visa has no annual fee. The Marriott card and Priority Club credit card both have annual fees.  

The la Quinta Visa card might be good for my readers who don't have hotel status as the credit card gives you instant Gold Status with La Quinta.  I already have Platinum with Marriott and can easily get a status match but for my readers who don't have status this might be a good opportunity. Going back to basics, a status match is when you are not at an elite level at a hotel or on an airline and once you have status you ask a competitor to give you elite status.  

If you are interested in a credit card that gives you airline miles or hotel stays I have a credit card link on the right side of my blog.  Always remember before applying for any credit card, don't take on more debit than you can safely manage.  

                                                                                                                                                                               

Ever Have Your Luggage Lost?

I hope all my readers had a great weekend. 

If you travel enough, sooner or later you will have to deal with the unfortunate circumstances of lost or damaged luggage. In 2011, 99.1% of checked airline baggage worldwide was delivered on time to passengers, according to a 2012 baggage report.  Of the 0.9% that wasn't delivered on time, most (85.6%) were simply delayed- while 11.9% were damaged and 2.5% were lost or stolen.This translates to 99.9% of luggage getting to its rightful owners eventually, maybe not in perfect condition though.  The percentage is impressive-unless you are the owner of the lost bag.  

A while back I talked about the apps I liked (See  the September 12, 2012 and October 8, 2012 blogs).  If you fly Delta I would also recommend their app.  Delta is the only app I know of that allows you to track your bags from drop off to baggage claim, even if the bag ends up at an airport that was not your final destination. 

My travel group of friends and I once traveled to Italy for a ski trip only to have the skis misplaced for several days.  The Delta app sure would have come in handy.

FREE Cash

I am going to sound like I am nagging but but I can't imagine why you wouldn't sign up for FREE money.  I just got an email from Ebates telling me my quarterly return was $46.15.  I have talked about Ebates and other cash back sites before but I am going to go over it again for my new readers and for those readers that need a gentle push or shove.

Yesterday we talked about Wallaby comparing credit cards, well the Evreward site compares where you can get the best airline miles or cash back rewards for doing every day internet shopping.  Using Target as an example, for cash, ShopDiscover has the best reward at 5% cash back but this only works if you have a Discover credit card.  The website Bigcrumbs gives you 3.5% cash back on your Target purchases. 

If you want airline miles or hotel points see the examples below for shopping at Target. 

Once at the Evrewards website just click on any of the links for cash using Bigcrumbs, Ebates, MrRebates, and Shopdiscover or click on the preferred airline or hotel link.  Remember this is a two step process.  Once you pick a site from Evrewards you will be redirected to the site you originally wanted to shop at, e.g., Target.  I have been using Ebates since 2003.  I subscribe to their email and wait for their double cash back specials.  For example, I ordered some magazines with 50% cash back.  

Previously a friend mentioned he forgets to go to Ebates first before using the internet for shopping.  On this blog we previously talked about airline toolbars.  Ebates also has a toolbar to tell you when you are going to a cash back site.  I have this installed on my computer.  When I go to the Target website here is what I see:

All I have to do is hit the activate cash back button.  For those of you who feel going to Evrewards is too much of  hassle just installing this tool bar is a great reminder. Click on the word toolbar to install.

I use both the cash and hotel/airline points and miles depending on where I get my best return and what my goal is.  Again, this is great if you need just a few miles to keep an account active or you are a few miles short from a free ticket.  

Start saving cash and/or earning airline/hotel points and miles.  If you click on any of the three links below and sign up I would appreciate the referral.

 

What is a Wallaby?

A wallaby is similar to a kangaroo.  They are both pouched animals with prominent hind legs, bouncing around like kids on pogo sticks.  You are probably wondering what a Wallaby has to do with saving money while traveling.  You may be even wondering if I have planned a trip to Australia.  The answer is that Wallaby is an app that will save you money.  

As I have mentioned previously I have several different credit cards which I use based on what I am purchasing and which card offers me the best return.  That is where the Wallaby app comes into play.  Some cards give extra points at say gas stations, restaurants, etc.  Often these extra points are only good for three months and then rotate to other reward extra points areas such as movies or department stores.  It is sometimes hard to keep up with which credit card is best to use.  With the Wallaby app you enter all your credit cards and then when you are at a merchant the program calculates which of your credit cards will give you the best deal.  

For example, if I want to purchase gasoline I would enter the name of the gas station.  If I had used my  Bank of America Alaska Airlines debit card I would only earn 1 airline mile for every $2 spent.  The app would suggest I use my Costco American Express which would give me a 4% return on my purchase.  Below is a sample for a local restaurant.

Try it out and tell me what you think

$1 Million Dollars

I thought the title might catch everyone's attention and this is a blog I want everyone to read.  Maria and I just found out The Global Scavenger Hunt™is going to be leaving from Los Angeles. This is the exciting travel adventure competition that is going to take us around-the-world in April 2013 (See the January 14th blog). Well, in addition to all the fun we are going to have competing for The World’s Greatest Travelers™ crown, we have joined forces with the events organizers to help focus on issues that affect our Global Village with the GreatEscape Foundation.

The GreatEscape Foundation -- a 501(c)(3) California tax-exempt non-profit corporation -- is a global charitable organization designed to have a lasting impact on thousands of lives over the coming years. In conjunction with the GreatEscape2013 travel adventure competition, it is the goal of all competitors to raise $1 million through the GreatEscape Foundation for great noble causes such as: Doctors without Borders, KIVA, Partners in Health, Free the Children, the Nomad Foundation, and the World Monuments Fund, among others. Each one a great cause that achieves wonderful things in the world.

We appreciate the fact that you are personally inundated with requests from many worthwhile organizations, and that you must decide where you feel your contributions will have the greatest impact. By supporting us and the GreatEscape Foundation, you would be sharing in our deep personal commitment and philosophy of life, that giving back to our community is a critically important aspect of being both decent citizens and in sharing with those less fortunate our own personal successes. 

I know in these difficult financial times it is hard for some of you to give to others when you are struggling yourself.  So here is what I suggest.  If you have benefited from this blog, even if it was only once, how about sponsoring us for a $.0001 a kilometer ($.0001 = $4) based on our team completing the estimated 40,000 kilometer around-the-world competition.  Of course if you could spare a donation of .001 a kilometer for a $40 donation it would be greatly appreciated.  For my friends who want a really large tax write-off a donation of $.01 a kilometer = $400 will earn you one free United Airline lounge pass.   The GreatEscape Foundation has grand and noble aspirations, but it can’t achieve its goals without the help of people like you and me helping it grow and expand. 

You might not think $4 would help but if every reader donated we could do great things. Any amount will be greatly appreciated.  For my readers from countries outside the United States, who knows, we might be visiting you in April. Please click on the donate button on the right side of the blog starttravelingforless.blogspot.com or click here.

IRS # 95-4831064

Thank You In Advance!!

.

500 American Airlines Miles, If......

It surprises me to know that I have followers in over 25 countries reading my blog. Each day I get a report showing readership from the top ten countries.  Yesterday's report showed the following with the United States having the highest number of readers.  

United States
Germany
United Kingdom
India
France
Indonesia
Japan
South Korea
Romania
Russia

Generally, my blog is focused on deals within the United States but today I want to help out my non-United States Readers.  American Airlines has a new promotion for 500 FREE AAdvantage miles for updating contact information prior to February 28, 2013.

This promotion applies for residents of Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominca, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St Vincent, Trinidad & Caicos Islands and United Kingdom. Of the countries listed, I have had readers from:  Belize, Canada, Haiti and the United Kingdom.Click here if you want to take advantage of this offer.  I would love to get some readers in those countries listed that have yet to visit my website so if you have friends in those countries please refer them to starttravelingforless.blogspot.com. 

Happy Valentine's Day

A Marriage In The Future?

There was a courtship, some relationship cheating, embarrassment after being left at the altar but it looks like the marriage is going forward. You are probably wondering who is getting married after such a rocky road to get to the altar.  It looks like American Airlines and US Airways are going forward with the proposed merger. 

US Airways is currently the fifth-biggest US airline, combine that with a merger with number three American and it would push the combined carrier to number one, bypassing United and Delta airlines.

US Airways CEO Doug Parker, is no stranger to failed attempts at major mergers.  In 2006 his hostile bid for then bankrupt Delta faltered after two months as creditors and employees balked.  In 2008, United Airlines walked away from talks with US Airways, leaving Parker at the altar by saying the merger wouldn't provide enough savings and they wanted to explore talks with Continental.

So what does this mean for you the consumer? Hate to tell you its not necessarily good news.  It means less competition and less competition usually means higher prices.  Less competition can also mean the airlines don't have as many incentives in the area of award travel as they don't have to court you away from as many other airlines to get your business.  

This marriage is going forward but don't throw the rice just yet.

FREE Night in San Diego

Tomorrow I am off to San Diego, spending the night at the Marriott hotel.  The best part is the night is FREE.  I have the Chase Marriott credit card. The credit card has an annual fee of $85 per year (ouch). The nice part is every year I get one free night in any category 1-5 Marriott hotel.  The cost of the hotel room in San Diego would have been $159 plus tax.  It is hard to find a decent hotel room for less than $85 so I think I got a good deal.  

My friend  Russ recently got this card.  Generally when you sign up for the card you get 50,000 reward points.  Russ was able to use these points in Washington DC and save over $400.  He was very happy with the card.  Below are some of the other benefits:

If this credit card interests you please check the left side of my blog on the credit card ad 

(I do get credit if you do this)

Have a great weekend!!

When Your Hotel Price Goes Down

Yesterday we talked about what to do when airline ticket prices go down.  What about when hotel prices go down?  This is usually an easy one.  You book your hotel room and can almost always cancel anywhere between 24 and 72 hours in advance.  The exception is if you have a pre-paid rate or bid on Priceline.   

Yesterday I talked about my brother-in law, Bruce, making plane reservations.  Today Bruce was checking on hotel rates.  He was hoping that a school teacher could maybe get the government rate, which was $50 cheaper a night at the hotel he was looking into.  The hotel said that was a "No go."  I told him if he booked now hopefully the rate would go down. There has to be an easier way than checking the hotel rates every day.  Luckily, there is.

Yesterday we talked about Yapta for plane prices going down, well it also works for hotels prices too.  Click here to track hotels. Once you find the hotel you want look for the orange bubble that says, "track price drops" and click on it (see the sample below).  Yapta will send you an email when the price drops.  Make sure you make your new reservation before canceling the old and always make sure you are within the time frame allowed to cancel.

When The Price Of Your Plane Ticket Goes Down

My brother-in-law just purchased airline tickets to come visit. Did he get the best price?  I don't know.  He purchased very early, which may be a disadvantage.  Generally, seven weeks out is the best time to book.  The problem is he needs to try and coordinate flights with other family members so he needs to ensure there are enough seats available at the listed price.  For peace of mind he booked now for August.  

No one wants to pay too much for a ticket so what do you do if the prices go down?  I like Yapta.  With Yapta you can track flight prices both before and after you buy.  Why would you want to track prices after you buy?  So you can possibly get a refund. Here is all you need to do:

What airline you book on matters in terms of getting a refund.  Remember I said I am considering on working on getting Alaska status this year.  One of things I like about Alaska is their refund policy compared to American Airlines.  Check out the airline refund policies below and start using Yapta to save money.

Buy A Ticket For Where You DONT Want To Go And Save Money

Yesterday I showed you how I saved over $5000 by flying to Ireland in first class.  My plane is not a direct flight but has a stopover at London Heathrow.  When comparing flights I came across something very interesting.  If I booked the first class flight from Boston to London then London to Ireland as two separate tickets the cost was approximately $11,000. But If I booked the flight from Boston to Ireland with a connection in London then the flight was almost half the price.  

What does this mean for you?  Consider booking a ticket to a place you DON'T want to travel as long as the hub city is where you want to go. A hub city is an airport that an airline uses as a transfer point to get passengers to their intended destination. Hub cities vary by airline.  London is a hub city for British Airways.

For example, if I want to fly to London I book my ticket to Ireland and get off the plane in London, thereby saving over $5000. This is called "hidden city ticketing." The problem is you must book this as two one way tickets or the airline will more than likely cancel your return flight.  You must also have carry-on luggage or your luggage will go to your final destination which is where you have no intent on going.

=$550

Now you may be thinking what about travel in the United States? The best times to try hidden-city ticketing are when you're planning on traveling to cities such as Atlanta, Cleveland, Salt Lake City, Charlotte, Detroit, Cincinnati or Chicago O'Hare, all of which have over priced tickets.  If you want to fly to one of those cities look for your final destination to be New York, Miami, Las Vegas or Boston.

Airlines may forbid this in their ticketing rules. This doesn't mean it is illegal in that you would get arrested.  The worst that could probably happen is the airline doesn't allow you to fly them in the future but that is not likely unless you do it often.

Have a great weekend and travel someplace fun!