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Showing posts with label Travel Hacking. Show all posts

Showing posts with label Travel Hacking. Show all posts

Suck My Click and Pimp My Link

Please excuse the following rant, but the gargantuan amount of credit card affiliate links (e.g. you click my link - I make commission) being pushed down readers (deep) throats on travel blogs has surely reached critical mass. If the links were better than the standard bonus offers available elsewhere I wouldn't mind so much. However on a regular basis, they are worse (far worse) than what you can find via a simple google search or a quick browse on the Frequent Flyer forums (flyertalk, milepoint etc).

Photo Courtesy Freddyo

I feel somewhat left out of all the bling bling linky hype and buzz since I haven't pimped my blog with lucrative offers (to line my own pocket), so without further ado here are my links from my own recent credit card app-o-rama (btw I was approved for each credit card instantly - YMMV)

(Disclaimer: I make zero commission i.e. nada if you click on these links, which I found via google, so click away and rest assured, you ARE getting a better deal than most of the affiliate linky blogs out there (with zero annual fee for the 1st year), but if you have more money than sense, I can cut you a deal on the Brooklyn Bridge for a 50% discount ;-)

Chase - British Airways (Personal) 50K Avios points after $2K spend within 3 months - $95 Annual fee waived 1st year

Citi - American Airlines (Personal) 50K miles after $3K spend within 3 months - $95 Annual fee waived 1st year

Citi - American Airlines (Business) 50K miles after $3K spend within 3 months - $95 Annual fee waived 1st year

Barclays - US Airways (Personal) 35K miles after $1 spend - $89 Annual fee waived 1st year

Are you looking for more great free hacking tips? - check this
.

Tags: ..Suck My Click and Pimp My Link..

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Get $30 back at ShopRite when you spend $150

It's been while since I mentioned a deal / hack and in fact there haven't been too many good ones of late but there is a great AMEX promotion right now for anyone who has a ShopRite grocery store near them. The deal is as follows:

Get $30 back as a statement credit when you spend $150 or more with a registered Amex card

I used to have 9 Amex Cards so could have cleaned up with this but alas I now only have 4 cards (note your Macys co-branded Amex card will also work with this) so I will register each one and buy Amazon gift cards in store to collect my $120 statement credit (great deal for five minutes work) and don't forget small business Saturday is not too far away!

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Tags: ..Get $30 back at ShopRite when you spend $150..

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Price Mistake - Free w/e car rentals on Avis - Act Fast!

Update: Deal is now Dead. Snooze you lose..

Similar to the deal I got last year this comes thanks to Mr Pickles - Book a w/e car rental with AVIS and ensure a Friday night pick-up using code 'tuea002' in the box for coupon code for 2 free Reward Weekend Days and you get your rental for free or just taxes. I just tested on the Avis site and it worked. Bring a copy of your booking to the counter just in case. Block book every weekend from now to eternity while the code lasts. - Enjoy!

Note: Some good advice from InACents to have a backup plan just in case.. .

Tags: ..Price Mistake - Free w/e car rentals on Avis..

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Is it just me or is Award Booking getting more difficult

I was checking the availability of flights for NYC to Dublin in late May using Googles ITA search engine and the cheapest I could find per person for non-stop was $930

Price for 2 adults
Ticket cost per passenger	$929.97

Price for 1 infant in lap
Ticket cost per passenger	$123.20

Total cost for 3 passengers	$1,983.14

and $730 with a connection

Price for 2 adults
Ticket cost per passenger	$729.00

Price for 1 infant in lap
Ticket cost per passenger	$105.20

Total cost for 3 passengers	$1,563.20

Add a lap infant and it all adds up to be not exactly a bargain. I needed to find another way as cash is a little tight right now and I refuse to rack up debt on a credit card.

Even after using miles to splurge on first class to Argentina back in December, I still have almost a million miles spread among the various airline accounts of the missus and I.

I checked pointhub (which can hit or miss) for award availability but it was giving me outlandish 120K+ award availability for coach?

I doubled checked on several airline sites directly and sure enough it was 100K+ for Delta and US Airways.

American wanted 90K although I could have got it for 40K if I was flexible on the dates but alas I am not and I don't have enough miles anyway.

United was 60K but I didn't have enough miles although I could swap in some Ultimate Reward points but I'd rather hold onto them for a rainy day.

I have 400K Avios (British Airways) points but they are notorious for exorbitant fuel surcharges of $500+. Searching the BA site is also a frustratingly slow waste of time.

It's been widely publicized on the forums and travel blogs that you can book Boston to Dublin return for only 25K Avios points flying with Aer Lingus who remarkably charge minimal fuel surcharges. You can search for availability using the United or Qantas websites (partner award availability). Once you find the flights you want you need to call BA to make the booking. So I gave it a shot and it worked like a luck Irish Charm!

I got Boston to Dublin direct for 2 adults & 1 lap child for 52,500 points + $274 in taxes/fees. I still needed to get a return from NYC to Boston which I found for $156 x 2 on United. Total outlay for the trip is $586 + 52,500 Avios points.

That is still more than I'd ideally like to pay because of the connecting flight and I could possibly have used those Avios for multiple short hop US flights but I still have a nice little nest egg for that. Sure ain't easy getting from A to B for a reasonable amount of points & taxes these days.

Tags: ..Avios British Airways Aer Lingus Avoid Fuel Surcharge..

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Hotel Best Rate Guarantee

Numerous hotels and travel booking sites offer a best rate guarantee (BRG). If you find a cheaper price than what you booked they will offer a refund of the difference and credit towards future stays. The BRG is open to a hack/abuse as follows:

Today, Dan's Deals had a post on how to get a free night at the Holiday Inn Express in Times Square, New York using the BRG and then TravelBloggerBuzz posted about an NBC news article where Mike, a travel hacker exploits a similar guarantee by Expedia to rack up $50 credit vouchers to the tune of $1800 every year. There is even a blog dedicated to finding and publishing how you can exploit the BRG here
I've not used this nor am I planning to and I'm pretty sure having this hack advertised on NBC will likely be a bad thing for those genuinely trying to get a one-off matched rate. Maybe I'm finally developing a sense of morality. Thoughts?

Tags: ..Hotel Best Rate Guarantee..

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US Airways 15K Bonus

I received this targeted offer in the post today. 15,000 miles for $750 x 3 months = $2250 in spend using your existing US Airways Mastercard. Not exactly a bargain but good for those trying to top up miles. Added to the 40,000 mile sign up bonus for the card it might work for some.

Compensation for NO Movies/Music on United UA846

My wife and son are finally home and flew (Business Class) from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Newark, New Jersey on United flight UA846 a few days ago (January 19th). The outbound flight was great but the return not so great. I splurged 117,500 miles for her return ticket. In fairness I earned those miles for free via 'the knowledge'. The entertainment system was out of service for the entire 11 hour return flight. United offered this option (take it or leave it) as compensation via email.

a.) 7,000 miles or b.) $100 e-voucher or c.) 10% off an economy fare

I'm glad they are at least making an effort to compensate but not sure it's quite enough - thoughts?

Tags: ..Compensation for NO movies/Music on United UA846..

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How to maximize when you volunteer to be BUMPED from a flight

My wife and son were to stay in Buenos Aires for another two weeks after New Year, but I needed to return to work in New York. I typically max my vacation time by flying home on the latest possible red-eye and going straight to work but on this occasion I had booked a one-way with miles (Xmas travel is $$$) and taken the only option, a Friday night American Airlines (economy) flight from EZE (Buenos Aires) to JFK (New York). When I presented my passport the agent told me they were looking for volunteers to give up their seats and fly the following day. For my trouble I would get a u$d600 travel voucher and 1 nights hotel accommodation and food (dinner, breakfast and lunch) and taxi to / from the airport.

My plans were flexible and it seemed like a good deal but I already had accommodation with family so how could I get this to work even more to my advantage? There was a family event in BA 2 days later that I would like to attend so I asked if I could fly 2 days later instead of 1 day later. After the agent spoke briefly with a supervisor, the answer was "YES" but only 1 day/night hotel / food would be provided. Good enough, I thought, I'll take it!

So a voucher was issued for a limo taxi (to/from airport), hotel and food (dinner, breakfast and lunch) x 1 person (yes just ONE) + $600 travel voucher (valid for one year). Hotel and food for one person isn't much use when you're with your wife so we would need to hustle a little more. I returned in the limo taxi back to the in-law family abode, offloaded luggage and then wifey and I left Junior with Gran-Ma and headed to the 4 star InterContinental Hotel in the center of Buenos Aires.

Check-in was a little awkward when I presented my voucher for one person (solo) but after some banter the clerk called a supervisor and all was good. Dinner (3 courses but no alcohol included) was also only for one but the menu was surprisingly affordable for a 4 star hotel so the extra main course dish only came to u$d15. I had delicious steak for the fourteenth day in a row (it's hard not to order steak in Argentina)

Breakfast was also only for one and checked by half a dozen staff with guest names on clipboards so I went alone, ate my fill and brought back a few plates to the room for wifey. We had the option of late check out and lunch but declined as we had the family event to go travel to.

So instead of a Friday night flight, I flew on Sunday night - When I checked in they asked me again if I wanted to volunteer to take the next flight. Not an option for me this time I said. An 11 hour flight later and then straight to the office for Monday morning - Bottom line - Maximize the BUMP by asking. Nothing ventured - Nothing gained!

Tags: ..How to maximize when you volunteer to be BUMPED from a flight..

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Unlock iPhone 5 via eBay for less than u$d10 - CRAZY!

I am the worlds biggest skeptic on services that claim to offer unlock codes for iPhones since Apple lock down the system pretty well. Unlocking means you can pop any SIM card into your phone so you can use it with any mobile carrier you want. When travelling this can save you $$$ in roaming charges.

It seemed to good to be true but since eBay offer the buyer a lot of protection and the cost was a fraction of what many other websites were offering, I decided to buy an unlock code for my wife's GSM iPhone 5 for u$d9 off of eBay from this seller. I had used eBay to successfully find an unlock code for my own Samsung Galaxy 3 a few months earlier so I had at least a little optimism. Sure enough 24 hours later I got an unlock code which iTunes confirmed unlocked the iPhone 5.

I believe this seller probably has a contact in AT&T to assist the process but I don't really care so long as it works and I confirmed by popping an Irish SIM card (3 Network) into the phone while visiting Dublin a few weeks back and it worked like a lucky Irish charm. The price has now dropped to less than u$d6 which is less than the cost of a SIM card in many countries. Enjoy the savings brought to you by PADDY in BA. Also check out my previous posts on unlocking iPhones here and here. Check out the rest of my travel hacking tips here.

Tags: ..Unlock iPhone 5 via eBay for less than u$d10..

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Credit Card Churn

I wanted to add a few more cards and more importantly points before year end so I applied for and was approved for not one but two no annual fee Citi Hilton credit cards offering 50K bonus points each after $1500 spend within 6 months (see details on flyertalk here). This will bring my Hilton points balance up to 350K which is enough for at least 5 nights in high-ish end hotels or 10+ in normal Hilton brand hotels.

Last application for 2012 was the Club Carlson 85K bonus points after $2500 in spend in 90 days (see details on flyertalk here) There is a $75 annual fee not waived but there are so many perks with this card including 40K renewal bonus that it is definitely worth it. This will top up the Club Carlson bonuses of 300K I've picked up from here

Happy 'free' Travels folks!

Tags: ..Credit Card Churn..

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New Policy from AMEX - No more than 4 AMEX issued credit cards

I haven't applied for any credit cards recently in fact I've been closing accounts where the annual fee became due. I decided to start a credit card churn last month so first application was for the no annual fee Amex Hilton for 40K points for $750 spend within 90 days + a limited (now expired bonus - sorry) of 25K points for an additional $3K spend within 6 months link.

When I clicked submit I got the message they would need more time to consider my application. I got a call a few days later from an AMEX rep who said they received my request for the new card but due to a new policy of no more than 4 AMEX branded cards per person (business and personal) she could only approve my app if I closed 2 other accounts. (Note: AMEX cards issued by banks etc are not subject to this limit)

This was actually ideal because I had recently just closed 2 gold cards (where I netted 175K bonus Membership Rewards points) but still had two Delta Gold cards (personal and business) where I netted a bonus of 80K Delta points, where the annual fee was now due so I asked her to close those and she went ahead and approved my Hilton card.

Hilton points are not worth a lot e.g. 30K points will get you 1 night at a reasonable hotel with a standard nightly rate of ~$200 so this offer is worth approx $400 (not bad for 5 minutes work).

I recently converted the 75K bonus miles from the Bank of America Virgin Atlantic card into 150K Hilton points (here's how) so I now have a nice little nest egg of $250K Hilton points. I'd like to add to that so next up on the churn is the no annual fee Citi Hilton Visa.

Note: I don't receive referral commissions for any credit cards

Tags: ..New Policy from AMEX - No more then 4 AMEX issued credit cards..

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Amex Spend $25 - Get $25 (small biz promo)

More easy money from Amex

1. Register your Amex card(s) here on November 18th - 24th (limited entries so hurry)
2. Get a $25 statement credit for spending $25 at one of the merchants listed in your area
3. T&C here
4. Repeat for each card / authorized user of card

I thought this was too good to be true last year but I used 8 cards and got $200 statement credits - but this year I only have 5 Amex cards left because I cancelled cards due to annual fee being due :-(

Still an easy $125 dollars for me at local restaurant = FREE! - let me know how it goes please!

UPDATE: the map on shopsmall.com was ridiculously hard to navigate especially on a phone and I was traveling while on small biz Saturday so didn't get to max out on this :-(

Tags: ..Amex Spend $25 - Get $25 (small biz promo)..

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Easiest $25 You Ever Made with AMEX Serve

I have posted many Amex promos but this is the quickest freebie $25 you are likely to ever get. (valid thru Dec 31st 2012)

1. Click here and register (sorry - US residents only)
2. Link a Bank account, Debit or Credit card (recommend debit card for instant bonus)
3. Load $25
4. Get $25 dollars as a bonus (instantly with a dr/cr card)

Tags: .$25 Amex Serve promo..

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Ding Dong - The Deal is Dead!

The Topguest hack is pretty much done. Almost everyone checking in on a regular basis is having their account suspended with no hope of re-activation. Ah well, it was good while it lasted. I netted about 100K points in total for my account and my missus. How did you do?

Tags: ..Ding Dong - The Deal is Dead!..

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Unlock your iPhone 5 Permanently for $30

There are currently a few options to do this already which is most unusual so soon after a new iPhone release. They typically get shut down pretty quickly so act fast to avail of the opportunity. The way this works is someone adds your phones IMEI to Apples white list which registers your phone for use on any GSM network. Right now it's only available for AT&T and a few more carriers in UK and Australia Head over here for details. Also check out my previous posts on unlocking iPhones here and here

Tags: ..Unlock your iPhone 5 Permanently..

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Unlock your iPhone 4S/4 for Free - Act Fast!

Unlocking means you can use your phone with another carrier (especially useful when you travel to save on expensive roaming charges) Not sure if this is just a glitch so probably won't last long so head over here to the AT&T unlock portal to unlock your iPhone even if it's still under contact. I recently unlocked my iPhone 4 because it was out of contract (I had it more than 2 years) but now it appears you can unlock your iPhone even if it's still under contract.

Tags: ..Unlock your iPhone 4S/4 for Free..

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Track Changes to your Credit Report for only $5

If you are maximizing your points by applying for credit cards (which I recommend for those with good credit) then you need to keep track of your credit reports by the 3 major credit bureaus. This helps you keep track of when someone has checked your credit report to determine your credit worthiness e.g. a bank will do this when you apply for a credit card. If you have too many inquiries then you should hold off on applying until some time has passed.

This is a schedule detailing the points I have earned (mostly via credit cards) - Use the scroll bars below or click here .

Many companies offer a service to notify you when your credit report has changed and will normally charge you between $13 to $30 per month for the service.

Citi offer a service here to monitor all 3 credit reports for $12.95 per month.

but if you use this link it's only $4.95 per month (note: I don't receive anything for you using this link - it's a discount for those in the know and available to everyone - enjoy!

Tags: .Track changes to your credit report for $5..

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Free Netflix Movies / TV

This is such a simple hack it's almost too good to be true. Netflix offers 2 plans in the USA and mostly just 1 (streaming) overseas.

1.) DVD via post or..
2.) Unlimited Online streaming.

After sign-up - the online streaming requires you to login with an email address and password.

You can can login on multiple devices at the same time. Here's the hack. If you or a friend has signed up for access, each of you can 'borrow' the login & pw and both of you can enjoy the service at the same time. Many streaming services limit you to just one device but good ol' Netflix has no such limit. Try it and see. Also check out my posts on other free Netflix alternatives here and here.

Check out the rest of my travel hacking tips here.

Tags: .Free Netflix Movies / TV..

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$10 per month Unlimited Data from AT&T

This hack has been around for some time and is still going strong. Most carriers are no longer offering unlimited data but it is still possible to get in on the deal. The USA has a very restrictive cell phone market. If you want a smart phone (Blackberry, iPhone, Android etc) so you can browse the web and check email you typically get locked into a 2 year contract and have to pay ~$30 per month for a limited data plan. This amounts to $720 over 24 months and doesn’t even include the price of making phone calls or texting which is another $30 to $60 per month. Compared to other countries in Asia and Europe this is extortionate.

There is an option with AT&T to get a dumb phone data plan which is designed for phones with basic email/internet functionality. The data plan is unlimited however and called medianet and costs from only $10 - $15 per month depending on if you combine a texting (sms) plan.

The hack works by first signing up for medianet with a dumb phone. You may need to borrow a dumb phone if you don’t have one or buy a cheap phone on ebay for ~$20. The second part of the hack requires you to swap the SIM card you used in step 1 to a phone which is not listed in the AT&T database as a smart phone . A list of these can be found in numerous forums e.g. XDA. The current smart phone of choice is the unlocked Google Nexus (purchased direct from Google) – Congrats! – you now have an unlimited data plan for $10 per month. – Enjoy the savings!

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Tags: ..$10 per month Unlimited Data from AT&T..

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Travel Hacking - Tip #28 - American Express Bonus for Mall Gift Cards

Go to one of these malls - buy a $50 mall gift card with your synced AMEX card - get a $10 statement credit. Repeat steps for each Amex card you own - e.g. stock up now on Xmas gift cards for your local mall - I love AMEX!

Tags: .Travel Hacking - Tip #28 - More AMEX Giveaways..

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