Paddy in the Big Apple @ #BoDzBeeTzZ!

Travel Hacking - Tip #27 - Unlocked Phones (part 1)

This hack is kind of a no-brainer for most people but having an unlocked GSM Quad band phone while traveling overseas saves you a small fortune in cell phone roaming charges. You arrive at your international destination and purchase a local pre-paid SIM card for ~$5 and top it with some credit and pop it into your phone and you’re calling local destinations at the local rate and friends and family can call you (via Skype etc) even when you are out of Wi-Fi range!

In the USA a lot of people are on the CDMA phone system (Verizon, Sprint) so those phones won’t work overseas. Your best bet is to go to eBay and search for an ‘Unlocked GSM Quad band phone’ which range from $20 used to $900+ for the newer latest models. Go with a $100- $200 model and you should be fine for email, web browsing and calls. If you just want calls you can get away with a $50 phone. I am with AT&T who like to tempt you with a 2 year contract with high tech smart phones (iPhone and Android etc) but restrict you by locking the phone so you can’t use it at home or overseas on another network without extortionate roaming fees.

As a long time Apple fan boy, I just upgraded from an AT&T iPhone 4 (which is difficult but not impossible to unlock – more on that in another post) to the new Samsung Galaxy S3 4G Android Phone and bought an unlock code from eBay for $25 which worked like a charm so now when I go overseas I can just pop any SIM card I want into the phone. The phone is a state of the art high tech smart phone and it’s like carrying around a mini computer so I can surf the web, watch tv/movies, check email, and make/receive calls worldwide without roaming charges.

What’s your solution to international phone service while traveling?

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

Tags: ..Travel Hacking - Tip #27 - Unlocked Phones (part 1)..

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Weekly Photo - NYC

This photo was from the top floor of one of the office buildings I work in. It has an outdoor balcony where the wind was gale force despite the blue sky.

Travel Hacking - Tip #26 - Award Mileage Mistakes - Act FAST!

Update: Snooze ya lose - Deal is now Dead :-(

I previously mentioned price errors which you have to avail of ASAP that gave me $20 per day Hertz rentals in NYC for 9 months. Today there is a bargain due to a computer glitch at United for a Business Class flight to/from USA - Hong Kong / China for just 4 miles + $30 tax - Get it while you can because it won't last long. More details from Gary here.

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

Tags: ..Travel Hacking - Tip #5 - Award Mileage Mistakes..

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Travel Hacking - Tip #25 – Club Carlson - Country Inn - Success!

UPDATE: Following up from here - Very happy to report that a phanthom 'no show' booking just posted (took 3 days and I was sweating) for Country Inns for 44K points +4K bonus for being a silver member = 48K Carlson for $90 in Florida location - YMMV - am sure there are cheaper options.

This little hack = ~1 night in Top Tier Europe / Asia Carlson Hotel for up to $500+ per night aka BARGAIN!

Check out the rest of my travel hacking tips here.

Tags: .Travel Hacking - Tip #25 – Club Carlson - Country Inn - Success!..

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Travel Hacking - Tip #24 – Club Carlson Bonus Promo Loophole - Part 2 - sshhhH!

Following up from Part 1 – I was on the lookout for a better location that wouldn’t break the bank but would impress Mrs Paddy in BA and still score another 50K points. The Radisson website was limited to a ‘petite room’ for $138 incl tax for their midtown Lexington Ave location with no options for a larger room or free perks like parking etc.

The Radisson website also required a 2 night stay to secure a weekend e.g. Sat/Sunday. A quick search on google showed this location specific website with a better deal at $156 incl tax for a standard room (although it was still small) including free parking (which we wanted since we were arriving by car and NY parking is $$$$). Same day booking for same day stay on July 4^thafter the fireworks – spur of the moment romantic etc.

Late checkout requested and granted until 1pm by simply asking and smiling and another 50K points have posted to my wifes account. (tip: always sign up a family member / your partner so you can double dip the bonus promos) – so far we now have 100K points from this promo and 100K points from the November 2011 promo = 4 nights at top tier $500+ per night hotels when we visit Europe later this year! - WINNING!

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

Tags: ..Travel Hacking - Tip #24 – Club Carlson Bonus Promo Loophole - Part 2 - sshhhH!..

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Travel Hacking - Tip #23 – Club Carlson Bonus Promo Loophole - Part 1 - sshhhH!

I think I may have discovered a little loophole to allow anyone to get the bonus points without even checking in (assuming you register at the links here first). The T&C say “no shows” don’t qualify but my recent experience says otherwise.

A few weeks ago, I availed of a 30% promo and booked a stay at the cheapest Radisson I could find near where I live. I did this so I could collect 50K Carlson points which is enough to redeem 5 nights in their lower category hotels or 1 night at any of their top tier properties worldwide which go for $500+.

The hotel I booked was this one in Carteret, New Jersey which despite the good reviews on TripAdvisor is in the middle of an industrial zone with plumes of smoke coming from nearby factories. Long story short, having driven past the hotel earlier in the day I decided to cancel but I forgot to do so by the 6pm deadline. I called at 7pm and I explained my plans had changed due to flight issues and assumed that was that.

This week a charge showed up on my credit card for $90 (bummer) but almost instantly 50K showed up in my Club Carlson account (hell yeah!) I am not going to fight the charge because I was just going to stay there as a mattress run to get the promo 50K bonus so I’m more than happy to pay $90 for 50K points which can be redeemed for a $500 top tier hotel in Europe / Asia. I don't know if calling to cancel gives you a better chance than a pure 'no show' - as always YMMV - UPDATE: After more research I realized the original cancellation was honoured and no charge was issued: I had booked another reservation online and did not cancel so was charged for the 'no show' i.e. 'no show counted for the bonus points and no need to call to cancel!

Check out the rest of my travel hacking tips here .

Tags: ..Travel Hacking - Tip #23 – Club Carlson Bonus Promo Loophole - Part 1 - sshhhH! ..

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Travel Hacking - Tip #22 - 3 More AMEX giveaways

1.) American Express are giving away more FREE money ($30) here for syncing your AMEX card(s) and making a total of $150 in purchases at 3 locations in Washington D.C. before 07/31 (for those not in DC - online purchases at some of these merchants on this list will count e.g. call to purchase a gift card at a restaurant for a future visit)

2.) Buy an Amex prepaid Gift card here and load $50 before 07/31 and they will give you a $10 gift card free

3.) See details on how to Sync your AMEX card(s) with Twitter here and get $5 credit on $25 purchase at Shell by 07/31

Long live the AMEX promos and enjoy your July 4th celebrations wherever you may be!

Check out the rest of my travel hacking tips here.

Tags: ..Travel Hacking - Tip #22 - More AMEX giveaways..

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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. .

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

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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. .

Tags: ..Travel Hacking - Tip #20 – Free Airport Lounge Access..

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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.

Tags: ..Travel Hacking - Tip #19 – AMEX $10 Statement Credit Small Business Promo..

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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.

Tags: ..Travel Hacking - Tip #18 – NetSpend Prepaid Cards..

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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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Tags: ..Travel Hacking - Tip #17 – American Express Prepaid Cards..

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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!

Tags: .Travel Hacking - Earn Miles and Points with Auto Foursquare Check-ins..

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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..

Tags: .Travel Hacking - Tip #16 – Shopping Portals..

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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

Weekly Photo - Panama Canal

This is from part of my Central America trip to Panama a few years ago. There is a restaurant and bar at this site where you can get a splendid ceviche and a cold beer as you watch the ships pass thru the strategic canal.

Tags: ..Weekly Photo - Panama Canal..

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Travel Hacking - Tip #15 – Investment Account Sign-up Bonus

UPDATE: 06/23 - Deal appears to be dead: Here is a fairly simple way to get 100,000 free miles / points by just opening a brokerage account. Fidelity are offering a 50,000 mile sign up bonus with either United or American airlines for new brokerage accounts if you deposit a mere $100,000 – ouch! You get another 50K Delta miles for being an existing Fidelity customer.

So if you don’t have that kind of cash lying around don’t worry because cumulative deposits count which means you 1.) deposit 2.) withdraw 3.) repeat step 1 & 2 until you have deposited $100K. If you did this with $10K you would get the bonus after 10 iterations of step 1 & 2. Fellow travel hacker The Travel Abstract explains it much better than I can so head over here for the details.

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Tags: .Travel Hacking - Tip #14 – Investment Account Sign-up Bonus..

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Travel Hacking - Tip #14 – Transfer / Exchange Points and Miles

There are numerous options for exchanging points and miles from one program into another e.g. Starwood and Ultimate Rewards points have numerous transfer options to airline and hotel points. With these and other transfer options, sometimes the exchange rate is great and sometimes it’s not so good e.g. with points.com but when you need extra points to get that coveted award it’s important you know what your options are.

There is a very useful point conversion calculator at WebFlyer here. It shows how you can convert from one award partner to another. It also lists options for how to top up a specific account.

You should also keep your eyes open for limited time deals and promotions e.g. American Express are currently offering (until May 31st) a 50% bonus on Amex Membership Reward Points transferred to British Airways Avios points. As I mentioned here I have signed up for numerous credit card sign-up bonuses including the 180,000 MR points I earned from applying for 2 AMEX credit cards, so today I availed of the transfer bonus into 270,000 Avios points which posted instantly. I had already got the bonus of 100,000 Avios points from signing up for a British Airways Visa credit card so now I have 370,000 Avios points for future trips by simply opening 3 credit cards. Not bad for a few minutes work. Let me know of any good transfer promos you know of.

Check out the rest of my travel hacking tips here.

Tags: ..Travel Hacking - Tip #14 – Transfer / Exchange Points and Miles..

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Step #13: Travel Hacking with FREE ONEWAY Award Flights

Did you know that when you book an award flight (i.e. with miles) on many of the big airlines you can get an extra free one-way flight? I had no idea until fellow travel hacker Scott Grimmer brought it to my attention. The general idea is to be creative with the use of permitted stopovers and open-jaw bookings.

Rather than me trying to explain the process it’s probably much easier if you head over to the Scots blog 'MileValue' where he has a topic with easy to follow instructions and even videos dedicated to FREE ONEWAYS.

Check out the rest of my travel hacking tips here

Tags: .Travel Hacking with FREE ONEWAY Award Flights..

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Weekly Photo - No Swimming

I took this photo in a parking lot in Florida with no water in sight...

Travel Hacking - Tip #12 – Auto Foursquare Check-in = 100,000+ points/miles

As I mentioned here, this is an easy 100,000+ points but since some reward sponsors are getting wise to the hacks e.g. the gmail hack, I recommend you take a few precautions and play it safe by opening some new accounts (which I will detail below). It adds a little extra setup time to this hack but this should minimize the chance of being flagged, as I was, for flouting the T&C for earning ‘too many miles’.

This is actually a combo hack which uses 1.) The previously mentioned TopGuest Foursquare hack with the 2.) Foursquare spoof location hack and 3.) a tip from blog reader Jim to automate the process with a Foursquare add-on app called Auto4SQ which lets you auto check-in on Foursquare whenever / wherever. Once you set this automatic routine up, your miles and points will auto post i.e. you don’t even need to check-in on Foursquare. THIS IS HUGE!

Before you start the hack you need to do some prep work

PREP STEPS:

A. Install Google Chrome as a browser as you will use a cool feature it has called “incognito mode” to prevent your pc remembering who you are – Important - since you will be switching between multiple accounts!

B. Sign-up for AwardWallet if you haven’t already to keep track of your existing and new reward accounts you may need to set up during the hack

C. Since the gmail hack may not work with this hack you will need to sign up for at least six new email accounts to get the full 100K points – gmail is my fav so I will assume this is what you will use below (feel free to use another). For now just sign up for one extra account as I’m sure you want to test the hack (if prompted for telephone # during the gmail sign-up just leave it blank) – Keep a note of the new email account id’s & pw’s. To be safe, avoid very similar email addresses like emailbob1@gmail.com and emailbob2@gmail.com

D. Sign-up for a reward account (if you don’t already have one) with the following travel partners. United, Best Western, Hilton, Priority Rewards, Virgin Elevate, Wyndham. There are a few more options with Topguest but not worth it in my opinion.

Repeat this step for each friend/family member to multiply the bonus many times. For now just try one account. Record the ff#’s with AwardWallet so you can track your bonus miles.

After the prep steps above - You need to follow yet another 10 easy set-up steps per rewards partner. You only need to do this once per mileage / hotel account and then the points will post everyday without you needing to do ANYTHING! (pretty cool eh! – Read On..)

IMPORTANT: All steps below occur in 1 session of the Chrome Browser using new tabs for each step. To avoid cookie issues use a clean browser session e.g. Chrome Incognito mode. After completing all steps – close Chrome and start again.

1. Sign in to one of the new gmail accounts you set up above in the prep steps
2. Sign-up for a new foursquare account using your real name and a new gmail account
3. Confirm/Validate your new foursquare account in your gmail
4. Sign up for a new account with TopGuest (except for United - see note below) for one of the following partners using the new gmail a/c but use a bogus (made up) name to avoid being flagged for multiple sign-ups (they seem to check for duplicate names and gmail hack email addresses)

TopGuest United (Update 06/17: The signup page should look like this

but currently the link redirects to the main topguest site with no option to enter United#)

( - note: the UNITED link is not part of TopGuest but on this you DO need to use a foursquare account with your real name as it appears on your United air-miles account)

The following are all part of TopGuest so use a bogus (made up) First Name, Last Name when signing up to avoid being flagged

Hilton HHonors (you need to check in at a Hilton Doubletree per the T&C (some folks say Garden Inn also works)
Virgin America Elevate
Priority Club Rewards

Best Western Rewards (is opting out as of June 30th)
Wyndham Rewards (see below) (Update 08/07 - link no longer seems to work)

(Wyndham have 2 rewards programs with 2 Loyalty member numbers- The one to use is Wyndham by Request which starts with 2 alphas i.e. letters AND you need to check in at a Wingate by Wyndham hotel only) - Update: Note some say the Wyndham Rewards # works also and potentially for a double dip

5. Validate your new Topguest account in gmail (except for United see above)
6. Add one of the partner frequent flyer id’s to Topguest by clicking 'Programs' then 'Add Member id' and here you add just one of your Frequent Flyer or Hotel id#

7. Click ‘Get Points’ in Topguest and then ‘Points on Foursquare’ and ‘Connect with Foursquare’ (links to the foursquare id you are already logged into above)

8. Open m.foursquare.com (mobile version) and fake your location to a partner location e.g. google the zip code of 'Best Western LAX Airport' and choose option '7. Change location' and enter that zip code - then choose option '4. Search venues' and choose the above location then option '2. Check-in'

9. Open auto4sq.com and select 'login in using foursquare' using the account (above) - your latest check-in will now show up in auto4sq under the venue drop down
10. Schedule your daily check-ins - best to add a few to mix it up a little in terms of check-in times to avoid attention

Once complete - Close your browser and repeat all the above steps adding a new Topguest, email and foursquare account for each reward partner.

Congrats! – you will now earn 275+ miles/points automatically on a daily basis without doing anything! 275 x 365 days = 100,000+ points per year per person!

Note: Topguest seems to miss at least 1 or 2 foursquare logins per month for me – YMMV!

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

Tags: .Travel Hacking - Tip #12 – The Mother of all Hacks!..

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Weekly Photo - San Juan, Puerto Rico

A work colleague is on a cruise right now and sent this pic from the ship...

Travel Hacking – 100,000+ FREE POINTS (easy)!

I’m a little hesitant to publicize this hack in case the rewards sponsor pulls the plug. The invite I posted on my recent travel hacking article was inactivated by the sponsor within 24 hours but I think I’ve found a way whereby this hack should remain safe if you follow my rules.

This new hack was brought to my attention by a reader (thanks Jim) a few weeks ago. I got a little lazy and greedy and got busted by the rewards sponsor within a few days for not adhering to the Terms & Conditions A.K.A – I was earning TOO MUCH, TOO FAST! so I had to go back to the drawing board. I’ve now come up with what I believe to be a sure fire way to get an easy 100,000+ points/miles per year, per account. Multiply that by each family member / friend to earn oodles of free points.

I know this is cruel but I don’t have time to post all the details right now so stay tuned!

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

Tags: .Travel Hacking – 100,000+ FREE POINTS (easy)!..

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Weekly Photo - George Washington Bridge

This is a commuters nightmare most of the time but makes for a great photo!

Travel Hacking - Tip #11 – Mattress Runs - Hotel Promotions

Many hotels offer bonuses for staying at their properties and most require registering for the bonus even if you are already a member of their loyalty program. A mattress run describes the process of staying in a specific hotel just to qualify for a specific bonus. It can be very worth while.

Most of the deals can be found here

e.g. One of the best mattress run promos I’ve benefited from is for the Radisson Hotel – Big Blue. I got 50K points for wife and another 50K points for myself back in November for simply registering and staying one night each at a hotel we needed to stay in anyway. I’m delighted to say the offer is back on. Rules (from the previous promo) as follows:

If you don’t already have an account use this link to get a 4,500 Club Carlson sign-up bonus.

Sign-up here after midnight on May 15th and complete the T&C i.e. stay 1 night in a qualifying hotel by July 15th and get an easy 50,000 bonus Club Carlson points.

This will get you a free night in any of their top end Club Carlson hotels e.g. (Radisson) worth several hundred dollars or you can get several nights in a low-medium end hotel.

UPDATE: 3 more deals with Carlson below:

SOGOCountry.com
ParkInnOnePlusOne.com
ParkPlaza

Check out the rest of my travel hacking tips here.

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Tags: ..Travel Hacking - Tip #11 – Mattress Runs - Hotel Promotions..

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Travel Hacking - Tip #10 – E-Rewards

e-Rewards is a rewards program that gives money (sort of) for taking online surveys. You sign up by invitation only thru a partner / sponsor. If you have signed up for e-mails with your frequent flier account there is a good chance there is already an invitation in your inbox already. Here is an invitation for e-rewards with a bonus 250 US Airways Dividend Miles if you complete just one survey - Update: Above link not working but stay tuned I'll get you another :-(

ok - got some more links thanks to blogger 'New Girl in the Air' here.

250 Alaska Airlines miles
250 American Airlines miles
250 Delta Airlines miles
350 JetBlue points
0.5 AirTran credits when you complete 2 surveys within 3 months of joining (transferable to Southwest credits)

For me it’s too time consuming to do the surveys and the ‘money’ you earn must be redeemed for miles/points/gift cards at a pretty bad exchange rate. However, you can choose to only sign up with the different e-rewards partners and collect the sign-up bonuses which are usually instant miles. You should first sign up for all the bonus emails with e-rewards partner sites and once you get the invitation from the partner to e-rewards just be sure to use a different email address or the gmail hack.

Right now there is an e-rewards bonus offer of 4,500 Club Carlson points for registering as a new Club Carlson member. The T&C say you need to be an existing e-rewards member (use the link above if you are not) and you need to use your e-rewards email address when you register with Club Carlson (not sure if this is true – in fact I doubt it is!) and it is for new Club Carlson members only. You can exchange Club Carlson points into miles at a fairly awful rate of 8 to 1 so the above bonus would only equal 500 miles. It only takes 30 seconds to sign up and if you sign up for a new account ten times using the gmail hack you could earn 5,000 miles for 5 minutes work. YMMV

Rumor has it Club Carlson will be giving away 50,000 points in a repeat of the Big Blue promo to each person who registers and stays a night at a qualifying hotel. More on that when the details are published. Update: Rumor confirmed here .

Check out the rest of my travel hacking tips here

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Tags: .Travel Hacking - Tip #10 – E-Rewards..

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Weekly Photo - Atlantic City

This is from a recent stay in Atlantic City. We stayed in the Sheraton and used points so it was technically a freebie. At night the city looks impressive but it ain't no Vegas!

Travel Hacking - Tip #9 - Audience Rewards

This hack is not going to get you a lot of points but is great for keeping accounts active and thus prevents your miles/points from expiring due to inactivity. I lost 70,000 United points a few years ago by having no activity on my account. That will never happen again. Some of the points from this hack can be used at points.com to count as a US Airways Grand Slam hit (more about that in a future post)

Sign up for a new account at Audience Rewards which is a theatre rewards program
When your account is active - click on

- ‘Edit Profile’
- ‘Select Point Earning Preferences/Add New Partner’ – Edit
- Add New Partner Account to Profile

Current Partners include SPG, Delta, US Airways, Amtrak, Best Buy
You should add all of them

Every 7-10 days there is a quiz with 5 or 6 multiple choice questions which if answered correctly gets you a paltry 2 miles/points per correct answer. Not a lot of points I know, but wait there’s more.

The links to the questions and more importantly the answers are posted online by the most excellent travel hacker blogger InAcents. So add his blog to your rss reader and follow his links to get to the relevant landing page with questions and use his answers to get 100% of the points. If you do it right it should take no more than 60 seconds for 5 questions. You won’t become a mile millionaire this way but your larger nest egg of points will not expire due to inactivity and the points add up over time.

Check out the rest of my travel hacking tips here

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Tags: ..Travel Hacking - Tip #9 - Audience Rewards..

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