Travel Hacking - Tip #21 - Free Premium TV including HBO / Showtime

When I lived in Hong Kong I was fortunate to live in a nice furnished apartment with a view of the spectacular harbour but unless I wanted to look out the window all the time my home entertainment options were limited because the TV selection was pretty awful.  I was completely dependent on the internet for catching up on the best shows.  I wrote about free TV a few years ago. Even though it’s improved since then and there are a few free options from the major US TV networks and plenty of subscription options like Hulu Plus and Netflix, they lack the selection of latest premium offerings from HBO and Showtime like Game of Thrones, True Blood and Dexter etc.

If you want free premium cable TV while you travel (or when at home...sshhh!) you can set it up in about 5 minutes by following these simple steps.


1. Install uTorrent (this does the grunt work of downloading media to your computer)
2. Install TED (this auto checks for your desired shows and adds them to your download queue)
3. Add EZTV.it to your browser bookmarks (this lists all the latest shows that are available so you can manually add shows to your download queue)
4. Signup for UKNova to get the latest TV from the UK / Ireland
5. Sit back and enjoy free premium TV shows on your computer or connect your pc to your TV so the whole family can watch

Got a tip or comment?


Check out the rest of my travel hacking tips here.   .

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Travel Hacking - Tip #20 – Free Airport Lounge Access

UPDATE: DEAL IS DEAD - Now requires a CHASE Ink Bold credit card

With traffic and security issues, I like to get to the airport with plenty of time to spare these days. This means I spend more time waiting for a flight than I would normally like so I prefer to wait in comfort. I don’t travel in business or first class as much as I used to, but I did get to use the airport lounges for free twice this year thanks to this simple hack and now so can you by following these simple steps.

1. Click here
2. Enter invite code ‘CHASEINK’
3. Complete and register any Visa or Mastercard credit card (Update: You need an Ink Card now)


Upon completion - You get 2 complimentary passes to an airport lounge and the option to pay $27 for additional passes. Simple – No Brainer – No Strings attached!


Note: They send you a card which is valid for a year with option to bring one guest on each visit so when it is due to expire just sign up your better half to get another year for free.

  
Check out the rest of my travel hacking tips here. .

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Travel Hacking - Tip #19 – AMEX Small Business Promo

As I mentioned before American Express love to give away money.  Their latest offering is a variation on the Small Business Saturday deal.  If you live in or near Boston, Philadelphia or Chicago or will be travelling there on or before July 04th you can get a $10 statement credit (i.e. $10 for free!) by doing the following:


1. Register your AMEX card(s) at the relevant links below


Boston
Philadelphia
Chicago


2. Spend $10 at a one of these small businesses (enter a zip code)


Repeat the above steps for each AMEX card / authorized user to maximize the bonus  

If you don’t live near these cities you can still get in on the deal by finding a small business merchant on this list that satisfies 2 criteria


a.) Accepts online or phone orders
b.) The online or phone orders post to your AMEX account from the relevant city above (i.e. for Chicago it should be something like ACME Ltd, Chicago, IL - they must NOT use a third party outside the cities above)


According to the forums you can buy stuff to be shipped or even gift cards at some locations and it will qualify.  You typically get an email from AMEX immediately after registering and immediately after your purchase.  Here is one for Boston and one for Chicago. Still need one for Philadelphia so if you know of a merchant that works for any for these cities please leave a comment with the details below

Check out the rest of my travel hacking tips here.

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Travel Hacking - Tip #18 – NetSpend Prepaid Cards

Quite often a new product launch offers a generous sign-up bonus to generate hype/buzz.  This is one such case and is easy money.  Order a NetSpend Debit Prepaid Mastercard which you can use practically anywhere that accepts cards as payment and load $40 to the card and you get a $20 bonus.  Refer friends and family and both YOU and THEY get a $20 bonus.  It doesn't get much simpler than that! Feel free to leave your referral link in the comments.  


HT to FrequentMiler for yet another great tip!


Check out the rest of my travel hacking tips here.

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Travel Hacking - Tip #17 – American Express Prepaid Cards

This isn't exactly breaking news but American Express seem to love giving away money e.g. here so it would be down right ungrateful not to accept - right? A few months ago they were giving away a $25 Amex pre-paid card (up to 3 per person) if you bought a $25 pre-paid card (that was $75 for free per person).  I got 2 for me and 2 for the missus. 

If you didn’t get in on the bonus back then don’t worry because it is now available again here   until June 30th but this time you need to load $200 on each card (which can be used like a credit card and is reloadable) to get the $25 bonus.  They do require your social security# on the application and you give your bank a/c details to load the card but there is no credit pull so it’s easy money with minimal red-tape.


If you already got the $25 bonus from the original offer you should be able to get it again by loading $200 on the card. 


Check out the rest of my travel hacking tips here. 

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Earn Miles and Points with Auto Foursquare Check-ins - UPDATED

Update: 06/26 - Best Western will no longer participate as of June 30th

Update: 06/17 - The United Topguest link currently redirects to Topguest with no option to enter United#)


Foursquare mobile change location was not working for a few days but appears to back online


I also had a number of comments and emails about the Auto Foursquare Check-in hack so I've updated the original post to clarify a few things: 

e.g. 
 - United is a separate link outside of Topguest so slightly different rules apply.
 - Hilton check-ins are limited to Doubletree properties although some people say Garden Inn also works
 - Wyndham check-ins are limited to Wingate properties and must use a specific loyalty member #
 - You need to follow the exact steps in the post to get the points and avoid being flagged for abusing the T&C


Happy Hacking!

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Travel Hacking - Tip #16 – Shopping Portals

I have not been traveling much lately and have not even churned credit cards for a while so my point earning opportunities have been less than usual but I’ve earned a LOT of cash back and THOUSANDS of points with purchases e.g. the numerous American Express promotions that have been running.  Shopping portals offer the potential to double dip.  You get a discount and/or points for using the portal in addition to the points you get for using your credit card.  Sometimes it’s a toolbar and other times it’s a third part site that links to the merchant you want to purchase from.

When I have an idea about sharing tips / hacks on this blog, I like to research the facts.  Sometimes you come across a site that specializes in the topic you were going to write about e.g. Investment sign up bonuses or Free award flights.  Instead of trying to copy or re-hash the content of another site, I prefer to link / redirect readers directly to the subject matter experts.  FrequentMiler is without doubt the undisputed authority on this topic so please head over here for enlightenment. Trust me you won’t regret it.

Check out the rest of my travel hacking tips here..

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Sign of the Times

Just stumbled upon this sign a few blocks from where I live.  I guess it's OK for humans and cats?

Check out some more classic signs here

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