Frugal Travel Guy

Brooklyn Reality Tour June 2, 2012

2012-01-28T03:05:00.000-05:00

The world famous Dan Hammer is conducting and leading the 12th annual Brooklyn Reality tour. The seating is extremely limited (25) and will sell out quickly. Most people have never experienced the life of a true "Brooklander", "Brooklinian", maybe its "Brookie" but Dan takes the gang to the place of his birth, local eateries and shops and shows what it is and was like to grow up in world famous Brooklyn. I'm going to try to get it on my schedule as Dan is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet.

Here is your official invite:

Announcing the 12th annual dhammer53 Brooklyn Reality Tour aka BRT.

Date: June 2, 2012

Time: 9:30, with pushback at 10:00.

Theme: Returning to our roots with a 25 passenger van.

Dedication: BRT 12 is dedicated to newself (Dave) who passed away last year. He rode on BRT 1.

Theme: We're going to anty up some money to the Captain Jason Dahl Foundation. http://dahlfund.org/ Details to follow.

The first 11 Brooklyn Tours were sellouts. BRT 4 - 7 I rented an airport type shuttle van. Last year we had a 50 passenger coach bus. We split the cost. This year, the cost will be about $60. per person.

Pick up 10:00 Saturday morning in the Grand Central Terminal neighborhood. Drop-off at 10:00pm. We have a tradition of departing ontime.
Besides touring Brooklyn (my home town), we eat, and eat, and eat. Can you say 'real' Brooklyn pizza? Can you say 'delicious' bakery goodies? Just ask any of the folks who have been on this tour. We drive. We tour. We eat.
If you're new to Flyertalk or Milepoint, the tour is a great way to make new friends.

At the end of the BRT tours 2 - 11, we went for dinner at an authentic Italian place in an authentic Italian neighborhood. Lots of jewelry showing.

Figure about $25- $30 a person if we do a sit down lunch or dinner. This is less than what you would pay in Manhattan; and twice the portion. The show is better than the food. Pizza is at L&B Spumoni Gardens.

Start planning now. Springtime in New York is beautiful. Consider yourself invited.

Past tour highlights include:

2001...poor AnnaS having a cold.
2002...Lisamcgu making us stop for White castle hamburgers.
2003...mjm insisting on a Starbucks break. After I stopped laughing at him for thinking that Brooklyn would even have a Starbucks... we found one.
2004...gorging on food at marysunshine's house...and this was a snack!
2005...cawhite knocking on the door of my childhood home; while I ducked for cover. It was a priceless moment. Details towards the last page of the 2005 thread. Also, a Tony Soprano type sitting at the bar added some extra flavor to our experience.
2006...Our van squeezing past a doubleparked car on a side street. You can just imagine the typical Brooklyn swearing. Also, the tour getting its 15 minutes of fame on Cable television News 12 Brooklyn.
2007... When cawhites 'friend' Larry (the guy who always sits at the bar), checked us out!
2008... "I had no intention of stopping at my childhood home. As we approached, I told the driver to slow down, then stop. Seems the front door was wide open. I took this as a sign from above. I stopped the bus.
A couple of years back, cawhite knocked on the door. I ducked for cover. This year I was apprehensive as I approached. When I told the woman that she bought the house from my Mom, she said in typical Brooklyn fashion whats her name? When I responded, she had a big smile for me.
This may have been the moment on BRT 8. Every year, there's always one moment that's noteworthy".
2009... We were filmed throughout the day for a documentary. Maybe it'll even come out one of these days.
2011... the bus went MX (mechanical). 90 minute delay.
Note: We rotate seats on the bus. Seat 1A is reserved for a couple of long time attendees.

We make plenty of stops.
No talking miles and points when I'm (ahem) lecturing on Brooklyn.

It takes a certain type of person to put up with other Flyertalkers/Milepointers for an entire day. If you're looking for an excuse to visit NY (Brooklyn) in June, the dhammer53 Brooklyn Reality Tour is it.
Note to new riders... I would suggest reading the 2011 thread to get a peek at what you can expect. 11th Annual Brooklyn Reality Tour - June 4, 2011. Saturday

Have a question? e mail dhammer53@aol.com

Limited Time Offer! First Year Fee Waived: 50,000 Points Transferable to Hyatt, Marriott, Priority Club, Continental and British Airways

Rookie Travel tips and where to go next?

2012-01-27T03:05:00.008-05:00

Rookie Travel Tips

with Shannon

Last weeks winning tip goes to Miles, Thanks for a great one!

"It's nice to have some local currency when you arrive at a foreign destination, and even nicer to have some small denomination coins and bills for tips, cab, etc. You can sometimes find foreign currencies for sale on Craigslist. If you don't see the currency you want for sale, then just post that you want to buy some.In advance of a trip to Viet Nam, I was able to purchase a million VND (worth about $50 USD) and the seller tossed in some small-denomination bills at no extra cost.- Miles"

My mom and I had a conversation not long ago about where she should go next as she was trying to find some interesting locations to put on the travel calander. My advice was to find places hosting festivals or destinations with activities she wanted to try. I'm sure many of you avid globe trotters have sat down and asked your self the " now where, now what?" question. For you here is a list of ideas. Check these places out.

1. The Holistic Day Spa
- Jackie's on the Reef Negril, Jamaica.
- Rancho La Puerta California

2. The Amazon Basin
- Chalalan Ecolodge in the Madidi National Park, Bolivia
- MARAPAJO ecotourismo Indigena, Rurrenabaque Bolivia
- La Selva Amazon Ecolodge Brazil

3. African Game Park

-Kruger National Park, South Africa

- Okavango Delta - Island safari ,Botswana

- Bwindi National Park, Uganda

4. If you haven't gone, Go.

-The Great Wall of China

- The Taj Mahal

- Machu Picchu

-Angkor Wat

5.For the Ladies Only

- Call of the wild

-Ela Brasil Tours

-Women's Quest

Women Traveling Together

Wild Women Expeditions

6. Odd Museums

-The Museum of Bad Art , Massachusetts

-Museu de Carroses Funebres (museum of funeral carriages), Barcelona Spain.

-Erimo Wind Museum, Hokkaido Japan- underground museum which uses natural wind to power music and light displays, also a wind tunnel you can experience 56mph gales (on a calm day).

-Songkran Niyomsane Museum , Bangkok Thialand. Medical Museum not for the weak of stomach, this museum houses the corpse of a cannibal, remains of accident victims and forensic evidence.

7.Island Escapes

-Vieques Island, Puerto Rico

-Koh Rong Cambodia

-Ilha Grande Brazil

8. Go by Rail

-The Sunlander Queensland, Austrailia
-Welsh Highland Railway Wales
-The Old Patagonian Express Argentina

9. Wine and Beer Festivals
- International Pinor Noir Celebration McMinnville, Oregon
-Vino al Vino Panzano Panzano, Italy
- Real Ale Festival Skipton, England

10. To the Wilderness

- Leirhnjukur Lava Fields Iceland

-Nunavik Canada
-Lake O'hara

Remember there is always somewhere else to explore and something else to do. Never stop.
Are you going on any amazing vacations this year? If so comment on your destinations below, I'm so curious to see where our readers are traveling.

Shannon, The Rookie

New Ink Bold with Ultimate Rewards Card

•50,000 bonus points after you spend $5000 in 3 months – that's $500 in rewards of your choice, or $625 towards airfare when you redeem online through our Ultimate Rewards booking tool.
•No limit to the number of points you can earn – and points do not expire.
•5X points per dollar on the first $50,000 spent annually on eligible business purchases.
•No foreign transaction fees and Free Employee Cards.
•No interest or over limit fees.
•No Annual Fee in the first year – that's a $95 savings.

Deal of the Day

2012-01-26T15:05:00.002-05:00

If you’re flying to Salt Lake City, you can get a free lift ticket at Park City, Deer Valley or Canyons!

You can stay at the luxurious New York Palace hotel for $250/night which includes up to $100 in resort credit + a free upgrade. The hotel is about a block from Rockefeller Plaza and across the street from St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

You can get an SUV from Avis for $22/day on weekends or $129/week!

It seems that the 50,000 point bonus for the Southwest Premier card is back! Sign up now if you missed the chance before!

The Points Guy has broken the story on the Q1 Hyatt Promo! They’ve finally announced the details of their Q1 promo, which every other hotel chain has already started!

50,000 Thank You Points!

I'm Now a Creditsesame "Excellent Guru" ?

2012-01-26T03:05:00.002-05:00

PITA? Yes. Husband, father, and recent grandpa? Yes. Frugal Travel Nut? Guilty. But now I have been classified as a "Guru" by Creditsesame for how I handle my credit. I just got the upgraded rating last week. In essence, it means that Creditsesame recognizes that I have excellent credit and they can not find any means to improve my financial situation. I earned the excellent rating for a score of 740+.

For all you new to the credit card game, I hope this confirms for you that you can, if prudent, apply for a few credit cards and keep an excellent credit rating. It takes discipline, patience, and a plan, but the rewards are many, the travel exciting, and at a very reasonable cost. We have been around the world twice on business class tickets that cost us taxes only and at the same time have almost 100 credit cards in our credit file (no, they are not all open now). Katy and I have over two million frequent flier miles in our accounts combined, and have visited 63 different countries with the vast majority of the trips coming from credit cards.

I get many, many, many emails per week from people asking me to review their credit situation and I'm glad to do it, with the understanding that you are responsible for your own decisions. And as some of you know, I can and will suggest that if your score isn't high enough to generate approvals for these premium travel cards, I'm gonna send you back to work on your credit, correct errors on your report, or establish a more complete credit file. It is such a waste of time to just apply for cards without a plan or the credit score to support it.

If you read the Sunday Success Stories in the blog, you'll see that plain old ordinary folks like you and me can see the world at prices we all can afford. Start by getting your credit score from one of the free offers on the left hand blog column, then drop me a note (rick@frugaltravelguy.com) with your results, and a few other things I suggest in the Rookie Tips and FAQ tab above.

I've spent years approving mortgages as a FNMA, VA, and FHA underwriter, done credit counseling for my local VA office, and used these techniques myself successfully for years.

Your credit is one of your most important assets. Please be careful but excited by the possibilities -- if you treat your credit right.

Deal of the Day

2012-01-25T15:05:00.011-05:00

Hey Everyone a OneWorld MegaDO update. Our return flight on AA LHR to DFW went mechanical so we were mostly accommodated on British Airways. Some stayed on the nonstop, some went through Boston, Miami, Chicago and four of us were sent through Newark. We made it to our Newark to
DFW gate just as boarding began and an AA employee named Kathy made sure we were all on board.

We missed a breakfast reception at Terminal 3 in Heathrow put on by AA but they all came to Terminal 5 to wish us well and Brian and Sagy guested Ray and me into the Concorde first class lounge before our departure. Nice breakfast and beautiful lounge if you get a chance.

I slept five hours plus on the flight to Newark so I'm ready to mingle when we get to Dallas. The reception begins at 7PM in at the Airport Hyatt. All is well.

[Mileage Run]You can fly AA from FLL-LAX for a low 2.12 CPM if you’re a EXP. Otherwise it’s 4.24 CPM.

You can earn up to 5,000 bonus miles on Spirit for every qualifying flight you make until Jun. 20

If you’re looking to get some flowers for Valentine’s Day, Mommy Points has a great breakdown of all the mileage earning possibilities from the online flower sites.

Here is this week’s Top 20 from Travel Zoo

AirAsia now Serving Sydney

2012-01-25T03:05:00.003-05:00

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; photo by Andrew

Jackpot!

by Andrew Ingersoll

I’ve known Malaysia’s low cost carrier AirAsia was going to introduce nonstop service to Sydney from Kuala Lumpur for a few months. I’ve waited anxiously for the introductory sale fare. Well this past week it finally came!

Reading the morning newspaper online, the travel section hinted the sale would begin that day. I checked the AirAsia website and sure enough, Sydney to Kuala Lumpur for $99 each way INCLUSIVE of taxes! You can be sure I snagged a ticket to the Malaysian capital right then and there. Now, I’ll be celebrating my 31^st birthday on a secluded Malaysian beach with a bowl of creamy and spicy Laksa soup and a fresh coconut served only with a straw.

For those of you not familiar with AirAsia, they are a low cost carrier that serves more than 70 Asian cities. They are no frills and all smiles. You pay for the extras you are interested in which helps keep prices at a minimum. So what does this mean for the average adventurous American?

Take a look at the AirAsia route map. You’ll notice larger international hub cities like Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok. All of these connect through Kuala Lumpur and on to smaller vacation hot spots like Siem Reap, Cambodia home of the Angkor Wat Temples; Phuket, Thailand; Bali, Indonesia; various cities on the island of Borneo; as well as some large cities in India; and of course, Brisbane, Melbourne and now Sydney, Australia.

A friend I made in Borneo, Malaysia; photo by Andrew

I can recall purchasing a ticket from Seattle to Singapore for under $700 on United a few years ago. Looking at Easter this year flying from NYC to Singapore is under $1000. There are definitely decent deals from America to Asian Cities also served by AirAsia. So if the idea of spending $1500-1800 for a ticket directly from North America to Australia seems like too much, why not break up the journey, go the long way around and explore an amazing Asian destination or two before making the journey on AirAsia to Australia.

Sale fares are still advertising Sydney to/from KL for $150 each way. So for example NYC to HKG on United in May is just over $800. Then add a separate AirAsia ticket from HKG to KUL for about $200, then snag the sale fare to Sydney from Kuala Lumpur for $300. All inclusive between $1300-1400 for exploring three of my personal favorite destinations. Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Sydney. Or alternatively, you can fly Qantas for just over $1500 and fly JFK to LAX to SYD (BORING, in my mind).

My point… I’m really happy to have an international long haul low cost carrier now serving Sydney. I feel as though the Asian market and indirectly the American market has become more accessible. For all of you who dream of exploring some unique places, they are that much closer. Be creative and think outside the box when booking your next holiday.

30,000 Delta Miles No First Year Fee

Deal of the Day

2012-01-24T15:05:00.002-05:00

Starwood is having a pretty big sale on some of its NYC properties, with some up to 50% off!

[Mileage Run]It looks like you can fly from SFO-CVG for 3.8CPM on CO/UA.

Priority Club has unveiled its new Point Breaks list that is valid through Mar. 31. Thanks Lucky!

UnRoadWarrior has a great post about asking for compensation if a flight is delayed due to the airline.

There are some reports on FlyerTalk that Chase has sent out a targeted 75,000 point bonus for the Sapphire Preferred card. Keep an eye out for any “junk” mail that includes this offer in your mail!

You can still get $5 from TripAlertz for every person you invite. You can use my link or one in the comments if you don’t have an account.

30,000 Delta Miles No First Year Fee

Not on My Dime: Starwood Ambassador Program

2012-01-24T03:05:00.031-05:00

by Howie

Last week I wrote about a so-so experience at the Westin Alexandria where I had to ask for an upgrade that Platinum members should be provided automatically. The property is nice, as is the location; however service did not meet my expectation.

At the end of 2011 I received the following email:

Subject: WELCOME by INVITATION ONLY to AMBASSADOR SERVICES!
Message: Dear Howard,
I hope this e-mail finds you in good health and great spirits.

My name is XXXX and I am an Ambassador for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.

I want to thank you for your loyalty to Starwood and extend to you a personal invitation into the elite complimentary Ambassador Service.

I will ensure that you have amazing personal experiences when staying at any of our properties worldwide. My goal is to ensure that all of your interactions with us exceed your expectations and are hassle free. I can be your single point of contact for all of your travel related experiences.

You may contact me for much more than hotel reservations. I can arrange transportation, dinner reservations, theatre tickets, meeting rooms, and special events.

Please accept my invitation by replying to this e-mail or calling me directly at (XXX) XXX-XXXX. It is my pleasure to be your personal Ambassador.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Best regards,
XXXX

I had heard of the Ambassador program ... and now it was my chance to make use of it. Prior to my stay at the Westin Alexandria I had emailed my ambassador to let her know of my arrival and to ask for a recommendation for a local breakfast joint that I could walk to. She suggested The Gallery Cafe, which worked out perfectly for me. It was within 200 feet of the front door of the hotel; its a perfect corner deli / grocery store.

After my not so exciting stay Monday night I had tweeted @SPGInsider my frustration, who in turn passed the comments along to my Ambassador, from who I heard from later that morning. I indicated my frustration, to which she apologized and indicated that she'd do what she could to make it right.

Conveniently I had another stay scheduled for Wednesday night at the Westin. This time, www.starwoodhotels.com did not show any suite availability ... but to be honest I was expecting a suite upgrade. I figured this would be a good way for them to go "above and beyond". I didn't receive a suite upgrade, but rather a king room on the top floor.

Ambassador Welcome Gift

What I did receive was a welcome gift and note from my Ambassador. Nuts, dried fruit, chocolate covered raisins, and an Izzy sparkling drink ... definitely appreciated.

I engaged further with my Ambassador and we've have had some back and forth; asking a bunch of personal details to better understand me and my likes. This program definitely seems like something completely different than other concierge programs. Anyone have other experiences with a Starwood Ambassador and something extraordinary?

30,000 Delta Miles No First Year Fee

Travel Geeks

2012-01-23T23:00:00.001-05:00

Anyone know who these geeks are? Rick sent this picture in ... oneworld MegaDo time!

-Howie

oneworld MegaDo

Deal of the Day

2012-01-23T15:05:00.001-05:00

You can get 20% off Virgin America flights by simply using your VISA card at checkout!

TravelZoo has a great deal on a trip to Vegas! From $185/person you get 4 nights at the Luxor as well as airfare on Southwest!

You can get vouchers to stay at The Peninsula New York for as much as 45% off from JetSetter. If you don’t have a JetSetter account, you can sign up for one here and you will get $25 towards your first purchase!

You can get 1,000 free Hilton points and up to 4,000 more if you spend $100 at a Hilton hotel, by signing up for text messages. You can opt-out at any time too!

Deals We Like has a great round-up of all the Q1 hotel promotions currently going on as well as her strategy on how to best take advantage of those.

30,000 Delta Miles No First Year Fee

Racking Up the Thank You Points

2012-01-23T03:05:00.003-05:00

Several months ago, I swapped out my Citi Thank You Premier card for a Citi Forward card. There was no substantial sign-up bonus to be had for the Forward card and I was not using my Premier card to book flights, so I didn't try to get a new bonus. I just asked Citi to swap them out for me. It took two months but am I glad I made the swap.

One of our big category spends is dining and the Forward card pays five points per dollar spent in this category. Last month I paid for a dinner for eight in Hawaii and paid in advance for $500 of dining at a local restaurant here on Hilton Head island. My total spend was $1342 in the bonus category and I earned a whopping 7000 Thank You points. Now, I won't spend that much every month on dining, but this is a bonus category I can really score with.

Between my sign-up bonuses for the Premier card, Preferred card, and spending on the Forward card, I've racked up 93,997 Thank You points. That's almost a $1000 of gift cards or maybe more in airfare? (I've got to double check that feature) And I still have a 25,000 point second bonus for $5000 in spend once my Preferred card is in its second six months of activation.

The point of my post is to remind you to look closely at your spending patterns and don't get locked down to one or two general category cards. Imagine a truck driver, paying for his own gas, not using a card that bonused the heck out of gasoline purchases. He'd be crazy not to carry a card that offered the biggest bonus for gas. I think it is the Hilton Surpass card, but it may be the Citi Preferred card as well.

It is early in the year and time to take a look at your particular spending pattern. Do you have a big time category you are not taking advantage of?

If you care to comment on big category bonuses you are aware of and using, help your fellow travel crazy buddies by posting them in the comments section for all to see.

30,000 Delta Miles No First Year Fee

Sunday Success Story

2012-01-22T03:05:00.005-05:00

Your Sunday Success Story will serve as a living example that all of us average Americans can indeed see the world at prices we all can afford. We can do this by working together and sharing our stories. Send your story to me at rick@frugaltravelguy.com. Include you first name and last initial, along with your occupation and a photo if you wish.

Hi Rick,

Want to start with a big thank you for all the advice you have provided that led me down this path. I was lucky to have parents who taught me the importance of good credit. I have always paid everything on time and built up a great credit history.

Since I didn't travel much for work, I never thought that airline miles, hotel points, etc., could ever be better than regular cash back. Before I stumbled onto your blog, I thought hitting a little over 2% cashback would be the best use of my credit card spend. However, once I started reading about your travels and strategies about a year and half ago, I thought, "Hey, I can do that!"

A few helpful e-mails with you last year and I was off and running with a Starwoods Card and American Airlines Card. Now, as I said, I don't travel too much for work and really don't have time for mileage runs, so I focus mainly on the credit card bonuses and spend. Since then, only using sign-up bonuses I have successfully received 30,000 Starwood points, 60,000 AA miles, 100,000 British Airway miles, 70,000 Marriott Points (plus free night cert), and $880 in Southwest Fares all the while monitoring and keeping my high credit score.

Those bonuses and credit card spending tricks let me accomplish the following using only points earned (and small taxes/fees on airfare)...

Rooms at the Sheraton Louisville for the Kentucky Derby (Sheraton had a rate of $899/night for this high demand event and even Super 8's have plus $200/night rates.)
Flights for my fiancee and me in Grand Cayman for her sister's wedding during high season this spring.
Gold Status on Starwoods that has given me free upgrades to balcony rooms at the Westin Diplomat in Ft. Lauderdale, and club level rooms at Sheraton in Tucson, NY, and Atlanta (even with a Priceline or package trip room).
Flight to Tucson, AZ for this Christmas.

Finally, and most importantly, I just booked our honeymoon airfare direct from Chicago this September to Hawaii for $40 in fees. We are now trying to decide on which hotels on which islands we want to stay for our trip, but we have tons of options anywhere using points I have earned. With the cost of our wedding and other expenses this year, there is no way we would have been able to afford this level of trip right after our wedding without using miles and points.

I am definitely coming up much more ahead than my old 2% cash back bonuses with travel.

I just wanted to let everyone know, you do NOT have to be a business traveler or need time to do mileage runs in order to travel the world at an unbelievable low cost. Just use your credit history!

Thanks again, Rick.

-- Ed

Congrats, Ed, on the free travel and upcoming honeymoon. We did ours in Hawaii as well!

Limited Time Offer! First Year Fee Waived: 50,000 Points Transferable to Hyatt, Marriott, Priority Club, Continental and British Airways

Sheraton Miami Airport Hotel

2012-01-21T03:05:00.004-05:00

Why would anyone write a review of an airport hotel? Well, because, I liked it. It fit the bill. The staff was great and the location fantastic for an early morning connection or late arrival.

Although not actually connected to the airport, the Sheraton is the closest one to the terminals. The shuttles run every 15 minutes until late at night and start up again on a 15-minute schedule early (half hour late at night).

I planned on staying only one night during my mileage running but ended up there for two when I ran out of gas and faced a six-hour flight in coach the next morning. NO upgrade available. NO decent seat assignment. I took the second day off and just hung out at the airport hotel.

A few of my favorite Miami South Beach hotels, photo by Andrew

The breakfast buffet was overpriced but offered fixed-to-order omelets. You could eat indoors or outside by the canal and adjacent golf course. I don’t remember anything special about lunch, and dinner was in the bar area and again just OK food.

But I liked the place. The outdoor pool and Tiki Hut were inviting and the Internet connection worked all around the property, although the laptops in the business center had a habit of locking up. The front desk staff let me print an email from their computer when it happened. I bought the gals hot chocolate each morning and got real honest-to-goodness smiles in return.

There was a gym (I missed it). The club lounge was being remodeled and they didn’t grant access to it to Gold’s anyway. I’ll get Platinum this year.

The price was $179 or 4000 SPG points (I did points). A guy checking out told me he bid $140 on Priceline and got it. I think he overbid but didn’t know all the circumstances. The hotel is used by the airlines for distressed passengers and the airlines use it for pilots and crew.

So now I have a favorite at the Miami Airport. I stayed there last year and subconsciously looked it up again this year.

On the far side of the country, I like the Doubletree at Seattle's SeaTac airport. Stayed there lots of nights when Andrew lived in Seattle. I could take the 192 bus from right in front of the hotel to his apartment. Now, of course, SeaTac has a light rail. I always used Priceline for the SeaTac Doubletree. In my days in Seattle, it was about $42 per night to win the bid. I’m sure it's a bit more now.

Airport hotels are like real estate and neighbors. Location, location, location and everybody likes nice neighbors!

Share with us your favorite airport hotels. I’m sure the gang will appreciate your recommendations.

30,000 Delta Miles No First Year Fee

Internet Brands Acquires The Frugal Travel Guy

2012-01-20T16:08:00.001-05:00

Hey Everybody:

Big exciting news for us here on the blog.

Internet Brands Acquires The Frugal Travel Guy

Budget-focused travel blog helps consumers see the world at prices they can afford

LOS ANGELES (January 20, 2012) – Internet Brands today announced the acquisition of The Frugal Travel Guy (www.frugaltravelguy.com), an award-winning travel blog focused on helping consumers save money on travel around the world.

The Frugal Travel Guy was founded in 2007 by Rick Ingersoll, a retired mortgage banker and avid world traveler. Ingersoll is a noted expert in frequent flier mile programs, customer service requests, and using good credit ratings to take advantage of bank promotions.

“Rick’s passion for travelling frugally is contagious. You can feel his energy and enthusiasm in The Frugal Travel Guy blog, which is constantly updated with new travel tips and informative personal anecdotes about saving money on travel,” said Brent Conver, General Manager, Travel and Leisure at Internet Brands. “The expertise Rick and the entire Frugal Travel Guy team offer make The Frugal Travel guy a valuable asset to our growing portfolio of travel sites designed to make travel easier, cheaper and more efficient for consumers.”

The Frugal Travel Guy will join well-known travel sites including FlyerTalk (www.flyertalk.com), Wikitravel (www.wikitravel.org) and CruiseMates (www.cruisemates.com) in Internet Brands’ Travel and Leisure category. Ingersoll and his team of writers will continue producing the Frugal Travel Guy blog after the acquisition.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to align with an online leader in leisure travel,” said Rick Ingersoll, founder of The Frugal Travel Guy. “Internet Brands will enable us to upgrade our readers’ experience though a new design and new features while allowing our entire staff to remain with our readers for years to come.”

About Internet Brands

Headquartered in El Segundo, California, Internet Brands is a new media company that operates online media, community, and e-commerce websites in vertical markets. The company also develops and licenses Internet software and social media applications. In its Consumer Internet Division, Internet Brands owns and operates more than 200 principal websites in seven categories. The company currently attracts, on average, more than 90 million unique visitors per month, with 97 percent of the network’s audience originating from organic, non-paid sources.

###

Contact Internet Brands:
Joe Ewaskiw
Internet Brands
(310) 280-4539
joe.ewaskiw@internetbrands.com

Rookie Tips: Finding Food on the Road

2012-01-20T03:05:00.010-05:00

Rookie Travel Tips
With Shannon

No one submitted any tips last week, so no winner.

How do I find good food on the road?

I love food. it has become a passion of mine. I like thinking about preparing it, planning what I want to try to make, and actually putting dishes together and serving them to friends and family. I also love watching food being prepared, learning about the ingredients and culinary customs behind dishes. and being able to share a meal with locals anywhere I go. If you haven't had a chance to watch the Travel Channel's show "Anthony Bourdain, No Reservations," I highly recommend it. That show has given me such a desire to stay raw and local in my travels, to avoid tourist traps, and to hunt down the best grub around. He has my dream job. Anthony, if you're reading, I envy you!

Internet

I have searched the Internet for ways to find great restaurants while abroad and I have come up with a pretty nice way to decide where to eat while on the road. One of the new and interesting websites I use is www.chowhound.com, it is a website full of food news, media, videos, recipes, hot topics and to my aid discussion boards. The whole site is interesting but when searching for information about a locale I am visiting I go to the discussion boards and search by location then scroll through the discussion boards for tips on dining. As far as St.John goes I found a great discussion about dining on the Island. I looked through the restaurants and took the most commonly recommended places with local fare and saved them into my phone so when we get there we can check them out. When I save the name of the restaurant I also may included little details such as what people really liked there, tips on finding the place or the dress code.

After I compile my list I also spend a bit of time on www.tripadvisor.com searching the local scene for anything I may have missed, reviews of the places I have chosen and additional places to add and any other bits of information I see helpful.

My St. John List:

The Lime Inn- lobster or whole fish
Shipwreck- for lunch, conch fritters
Caneels- Monday night seafood Buffet, need reservations
Zozo's- nice, reservation
La Tapa **** definitely try
La Panche de Mer ****definitely try
Sogos- Local joint across from Lime Inn-Roti dish is they have it
Mrs.Fretty- local place on the corner by a bus stop coral bay, pink building , no sign weird hours.
Very Casual places: Skinny legs,Lucy's, Banana deck, Spyglass(tacos).

Magazines

Another strategy I use is when in a local book store or library I look at the magazines for local editions or food features on places I am going. A great magazine for this information is Southern Living, I have a list of places close to me in Charleston SC, and Atlanta GA to try. As I continue collecting ideas they really add up, and by the next time I visit one of these places I have a whole list of coffee shops, bakeries and restaurants to try. I found a feature on dining in a magazine on Texas and saved a bunch of the Dallas restaurants for my April trip. I also save the website or phone number so I can check out the menu or call as needed.

My Dallas List

Breakfast- Company Cafe, White Rock Local Market, La Duni, All Good Cafe and Crossroads Diner.

One Art****- need reservations definitely go
Private Social
Velvet Taco
Nana****- reservations definitely go
Nonna
Maple and Motor
Bolsa
Bakers Ribs
Stephan Pyles

Then when you arrive pick up a copy of the local "free" paper which usually features a ton of food options. Search for local food trucks, street vendors and back door joints and ask as many locals as you can where to eat. Don't be scared to try new things they may amaze you and when you find something great tell people about it.

My number one food rule on the road: No Chain Restaurants! Support local business.

Food Tours

Next on my agenda is a food tour in hopes of experiencing some real local fare. Check these sites out if you are interested in a food tour on your next vacation.

Foodie Tours- Offers a world wide search feature by location.

L.A.
www.sixtaste.com-

NYC
www.sidewalksofny.com - offers a food truck and cart walking tours!
www.foodtoursofny.com

Houston
Houston Culinary Tours

San Fransisco

Local Taste of the City Tours

Okay, yes I am a little obsessed, but food is one thing that gets me excited about travel. Please share your tips and tricks as well as any amazing places you've found or experiences you've had while on the road.

Eat Well, Live Well!

-- Shannon, The Rookie

Limited Time Offer! First Year Fee Waived: 50,000 Points Transferable to Hyatt, Marriott, Priority Club, Continental and British Airways

Deal of the Day

2012-01-19T15:05:00.002-05:00

[Mileage Run]You can fly from LaGuardia to Portland, OR for only $122!

If you don’t have an e-Miles account, you may be able to enter for a chance to win 100,000 UA miles!

Million Mile Secrets has a reader referral for 50,000 point bonus for the AMEX Platinum card

You can stay at Nine Zero in Boston for $139/night until April on JetSetter. If you need an account at JetSetter, you can sign up for one here and you will get $25 towards your first purchase!

Trip Alertz is giving away $5 for every person you invite. You can use my link or one of the links in the comments if you don’t have an account.

Free Travel Experiences: The Best Presents of All

2012-01-19T03:05:00.011-05:00

An interesting thought and one I've often wondered about: How do we get our parents or grandparents to let loose on some of their outstanding and unused credit for miles and points -- for their enjoyment and possibly our own?

I don't know about your family but growing up, I can't tell you the number of times I was asked by a family member: "What do you want for Christmas? your birthday? graduation?"

Hawaii from the air, photo by Andrew Ingersoll

What if you answered: "A trip to Hawaii and it won't cost you a thing." Or: " Can I have two to five points off your credit score? I promise you'll get them back."

Very few of us would ever expect, or even ask, a family member to pay for a ticket to Hawaii for us. But what about if you show them how to earn the miles to give us a ticket? I've been doing it for my kids as long as I can remember. I've always been a believer that giving someone an "experience" is far more valuable than a "thing." Anybody see where this is going? And it only costs me 2-5 points on my credit score.

Many of our elder family members have credit scores "through the roof," so to speak. And in their mature years there may be little or no need for additional credit in many families. That great credit score just sits there waiting to be tapped and put to good use. But how to approach the topic? I'm not touching that one with a 10-foot pole other than in my own family. But, it is something each one of us should at least think about: Giving experiences not possessions.

How would this play out in your family?

If you are the older generation of the family: How would you react if one of your children answered your question with: "A Trip to Hawaii and it won't cost you a thing" or "two points on your credit score?" Would you listen or blow off the question as unreasonable or unattainable? I've bought one honeymoon, four graduation trips, and so many birthday, Christmas, and job interview/audition tickets I can't count them all. Will those of you in the older generation now consider this as a gift-giving experience? "Teach a kid to travel hack and they'll travel for a lifetime."

And if you are the younger generation: Could you answer the inquiry that way or name another location you'd really like to see, being fully aware of what was involved in getting your parents/grandparents to earn the miles then using the miles and points involved? You'd have some teaching and handholding to do. And you'd have to accept the responsibility for "closing out the position" upon completion.

I'd love to hear from those of you who have had this conversation from whichever side you were on. I'm sure we will all learn something from your past and present experiences.

Limited Time Offer! First Year Fee Waived: 50,000 Points Transferable to Hyatt, Marriott, Priority Club, Continental and British Airways

Deal of the Day - Amex Credit and 787 Promotions

2012-01-18T15:05:00.001-05:00

You can get $40 worth of Avis credit for only $20 from Groupon. 2-day rental required to redeem.

Enter to win two free business class tickets to S. America on LAN!

[New York]You can get a $50 statement credit on an AMEX when you spend $200 at various stores around New York. Deals We Like has the best summary of the program.

AAdvantage Geek has a great post about several promotions for the new 787 flight from Tokyo to Boston. You can go here to read about the double miles promotion!

TripAlertz is offering $5 for every person you invite. You can use my link or one of the links in the comments if you don’t have an account.

Here is this week’s Top 20 from Travel Zoo

Hawaiian Airlines and Virgin Atlantic

2012-01-18T03:05:00.004-05:00

Kauai, Hawaii Coast, photo by Andrew Ingersoll

My Appeal for Redemption Successes
by Andrew Ingersoll

This week I thought I found another great award redemption, then I hit a brick wall. I’m hoping some of you may be able to provide some insight.

In my last credit card churn, I received the Bank of America Hawaiian Airlines card (35,000 bonus frequent flier miles) in addition to the Bank of Hawaii Hawaiian Airlines card (also 35,000 bonus). I made my minimum spends on both of them and now have more than 70,000 miles in my newly created account.

The award table for partner airlines on the Hawaiian Air website is HERE. What struck my interest was a round-trip coach ticket between mainland US and anywhere serviced by Virgin Atlantic for 70,000 miles.

Virgin Atlantic flies daily from Sydney to Hong Kong, then continues on to London Heathrow as Flight 201. The return to Sydney from London is Flight 200, again via Hong Kong.

Overwater Fishing Village, Lamma Island, Hong Kong, photo by Andrew

What I wanted to know was: Could I use my Hawaiian Airline miles to fly from Sydney to New York via Hong Kong and London for the 70,000 miles as stated on the Hawaiian Air website? Or alternatively, and importantly, could my father, mother, brother, sister, friends, or whoever fly from any of Virgin Atlantic’s US cities to Sydney for 70,000 miles (Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Orlando, San Francisco, Washington DC). I also wanted to know if such an award allowed for a stop-over in either London or Hong Kong.

So I rang the Hawaiian Airline Miles number and made my inquiries. Disappointingly, I received this response: “Virgin Atlantic has not provided us with this as a schedule for use with Hawaiian Airlines miles.” I was a bit confused as to what the agent meant by the word “schedule.” “Route” would make more sense. I asked about Sydney to New York and vice versa and received the same "computer says no" response.

Hawaiian made it seem as Sir Richard Branson and the Virgin group were not providing Hawaiian with seats for redemption. Or, really, was Hawaiian advertising an award redemption option that is not possible?

So my appeal to you, the readers, is this: What sort of luck have you had in redeeming Hawaiian Airlines Miles on Virgin Atlantic?

30,000 Delta Miles No First Year Fee

Deal of the Day - Delta giving away 1,000,000 SkyMiles

2012-01-17T15:05:00.010-05:00

Delta is giving away 1,000,000 SkyMiles and a Caribbean Cruise for Signing up with SkyMiles Cruises

You can travel to Cancun for only $599/ person incl. air at an all-inclusive, adults-only, all suites Secrets Silversands resort.

If you’re from the NYC area and are looking to get out to Vail for some skiing, it appears that there are some RT fares from $210, which is a great deal!

US Airways is offering a 50% discount on purchased miles! You can purchase up to 50,000 at 1.87 CPM

[Targeted] - Mommy Points has been targeted for a bonus of 15,000 US miles for spending $1,250/month in each of Feb, Mar, and Apr on her US Air MC. If you have the card, keep an eye out for this offer!

You can still get $5 from TripAlertz for every person you invite. You can use my link or one of the links in the comments if you don’t have an account.

Not on My Dime: Good and Great

2012-01-17T03:05:00.006-05:00

by Howie

First off, Don't forget to sign up for the the Q1 2012 SPG Promotion. If you want to reap the benefits from this promo, don't do what I'm doing! I'm hopping every night until I re-qualify for SPG Platinum (then I can think about status in another program). On with my story ...

I've had good experiences in first class and great experiences in transcon in coach. The same holds true for hotel experiences. Mommy Points wrote a review of the Holiday Inn Elk Grove Village, which in my opinion is your average 2.5-3 star property. No frills, no lounge, nothing fancy, but good basic accomodations. Clean, working Internet, comfortable bed, and a hot shower; it meets my four basic needs for when I'm traveling. What made this hotel stand out was the level of service Summer received.

On the flip side, Ben over at One Mile at a Time wrote about an experience he had at the Park Hyatt Tokyo; a 5-star property where one expects a perfect experience in all aspects.

The best part about both of these stories is that neither of the reviews really had a thing to do with the quality of the room, or the comfort of the bed. They instead focused on the attention to detail of staff, and quality of service. Both of these properties have customers & fans for life with their dedication.

I wish I could have said I had the same experience two nights ago at my stay at the Westin Alexandria; my experience was good. As a Platinum with Starwood Preferred Guest I'm guaranteed the best available room up to a standard suite. Two hours prior to arrival I checked online and saw that Studio, Executive, and the Presidential Suite were all available; the most expensive at $450. Upon check-in I was told I was in a King Room on the Club Floor; certainly not a suite.

When I'm on the road I generally couldn't care less about a suite, or a room with the view. I work in my room, I watch some TV, and most importantly I shower and sleep there. However, when I'm supposed to receive something as a benefit to my loyalty I don't think I should have to ask (I pay my bill don't I?). Well, I asked, and was put into a Studio suite. It was a pleasant stay and due to yesterday being MLK day I was able to park on the street for free. I'm headed back to this same property tomorrow; I wonder what'll happen.

On the flip side, Sunday night also brought a great experience, and reaffirms exactly why I continue to fly Delta. On my flight from Atlanta to DC I was blessed to have an amazing flight attendant; let's call her Marilyn. Marilyn, who's been flying with Delta for almost 20 years, flew with Pan Am for 26 years. When Delta bought Pan Am, they also got Marilyn. I had my laptop out, but didn't get much work done. We joked about travel and she had some great stories on how times have changed but she still loves it. I felt like I was talking to an old friend that I hadn't seen in 15 years. We spoke about rescuing pets, donating blood / platelets, and how surgery is never fun. No politics or religion though :)

I asked her for a business card (which I'll keep with my pile of favorite employee cards that I have), and gave her "a job well done" certificate from Delta. I'll also write to Delta at Delta.com about the excellent service.

The best part, was at the end of the flight as we were waiting to deboard we exchanged hugs and I had made a friend.

I may never fly with Marilyn again, and it'll be a shame. Give my post from December 6th a re-read and contact your airlines about those that deserve and extra Thank You.

Rick loves reading success stories; I love hearing about experiences where someone went above and beyond, or making a friend / travel buddy. Tell us a story you have and I'll pick five random stories to each win a $10 Amazon.com gift certificate (so make sure you post your email too).

Here are links to Domestic US Airlines Comment / Feedback Pages in case you get inspired:

AirTran Airways
Alaska Airlines
Allegiant
American Airlines
Delta Airlines
Frontier Airlines
Hawaiian Airlines
JetBlue
Southwest Airlines
Spirit Airlines
United Airlines
US Airways
Virgin America

New Ink Bold with Ultimate Rewards Card

•50,000 bonus points after you spend $5000 in 3 months – that's $500 in rewards of your choice, or $625 towards airfare when you redeem online through our Ultimate Rewards booking tool.
•No limit to the number of points you can earn – and points do not expire.
•5X points per dollar on the first $50,000 spent annually on eligible business purchases.
•No foreign transaction fees and Free Employee Cards.
•No interest or over limit fees.
•No Annual Fee in the first year – that's a $95 savings.

Deal of the Day 2 Free Southwest Tickets Card offer

2012-01-16T15:28:00.001-05:00

If you have a season pass at a ski resort in the U.S. or Canada, you can ski for free whenever you book 3 or more nights at a Grand Targhee hotel. You will receive one lift ticket per pass holder per night that you book.

Just to let everyone know (most of you probably do already), but Bank Direct is now charging $12/month for their American Airlines checking account. If you just have a bunch of cash sitting in an account to earn the miles, you might want to figure out if the $12/month is worth it for you. Via Deals We Like

Gary has a great post about how you can possibly get a second (yes, two) 50,000 point bonuses for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. It usually is issued as a VISA, but you can ask them to issue you a MasterCard, which is where the second bonus can come from as you can apply twice for the two different cards.

You can still get $5 for every person you invite to TripAlertz. You can use my link or one of the links in the comments if you don’t have an account.

Allen just sent me this link indicating it was still working for the two free tickets on Southwest with the card application. I have not checked it out so please send a comment and copy and print all info for your files.

The 99% Can Be Quite Frustrating

2012-01-16T03:05:00.009-05:00

For the discussion in this post, I'm not talking about the 99% of us in the low, medium, or medium//high income bracket. I'm talking about the 99% who just don't get it. Have any of you run into this situation or something similar?

Back in the fall of 2010, Suntrust Bank offered 25,000 miles for opening a business checking account and provided an additional 25,000 miles for each additional $55 debit card tied to the account. Many of us earned 125,000 per account we opened with five debit cards. It was a true bonanza.

I suggested the account to several and they were really excited at the opportunity. One was actually a family member and I gave them the opening balance as well as the 125,000 miles as a Christmas present. Pretty nice Christmas present, I thought. All I asked was that after the points posted, they close the account and cancel the cards as there was a monthly maintenance fee. If the debit cards didn't get cancelled, they would get hit with a $55 renewal fee at the one year mark.

Each and every month the bank statement would come to my home, and each and every month I would forward it on with a note to use up the money, withdraw it, and CLOSE the account. Remember, I'm just trying to help somebody out.

Today I received another monthly statement from the bank and the account is not yet closed. In fact, the account is now overdrawn and been open for over one year.. The annual fee for the debit cards times five has come due.

Another example is a friend who wanted to do mission work in India and had no means of paying for the required airline ticket. In steps Rick the Gullible, who offers to open the account (with my money and only my name on the signature card). When the miles post the friend get the miles (125K) and I withdraw my money less about $50 to keep the account open. It took this friend 10 months of my constantly reminding him to change the mailing address on the account to his address. I had removed all my financial interest in the deal. I didn't need his statement coming to my house anymore and hadn't for months.

This kind of stuff drives me crazy. When we do a deal, there are certain simple requirements to close out an account, meet a minimum spend, or close a credit card. We are not talking rocket surgery here. And when we go through the gymnastics to help somebody out, shouldn't our expectations be that he or she will perform the minimal account closing that it takes to "close the position?"

These types of situations are not the norm for me. In this particular case I helped out seven new account holders and had "situations" with only two. It makes me wonder:

Do you get put in these spots?
Is it just my naivete' that gets me in this trouble?

It almost feels like another form of beating our heads against the wall -- trying to get others to believe in, and participate in, our very productive and extremely lucrative hobby.

Should I head for codependency classes? Do some of you end up in the same situation -- feeling as if you've been taken advantage of? Do you screen your newbies for better compliance with explicit written instructions? Or do you just accept it as part of the process?

Are we the 1%? I'm really starting to wonder???

Limited Time Offer! First Year Fee Waived: 50,000 Points Transferable to Hyatt, Marriott, Priority Club, Continental and British Airways

Sunday Success Story

2012-01-15T03:05:00.007-05:00

Your Sunday Success Story will serve as a living example that all of us average Americans can, indeed, see the world at prices we all can afford. We can all do this by working together and sharing our Sunday stories. Send your story to me at rick@frugaltravelguy.com. First name and last initial, along with your occupation and a photo if you wish.

Hawaiian Waterfalls, photo by Andrew

Hi Rick,

Before kids, my husband and I traveled the world. We always flew coach and paid for our tickets, but we were young and didn't really care. We accumulated quite a stash of frequent flier miles on Northwest between our leisure trips and my work travel.

Then kids came. Thirteen years and many Orlando trips later, we are ready for some serious travel again.

In June 2011, we used nearly all miles earned on Northwest back in the '90s to get five coach round-trip Delta tickets to Hawaii. It was our first trip to Hawaii and I was hooked. I came back and immediately began investigating ways to get free / cheap flights to Hawaii in the future.

My first jet-lagged attempt at free travel was a major misfire. I got my husband a Citi Expedia card that offered a low-cost companion fare with each purchased ticket without doing any research first. A few days later, after adjusting to my own time zone again, I did some searches and found out that the companion fare was essentially worthless. However, in researching this card, I found a FlyerTalk post about the Chase Sapphire Preferred. I quickly applied for a Chase Sapphire for my husband and myself.

Enlightenment had begun!

I began to read extensively on FlyerTalk and other travel blogs. We got the Citi American Airlines cards (75K x 4), the Amex Preferred Rewards Gold (75k x 2), and the Starwood Preferred Guest (25k x 2), and the Priority Club Visa (80k x 2).

Now for the payoff: Our 20th anniversary is next fall. I used 200K American miles to book business class tickets for three days into London and home from Paris. We paid $470 in fees and taxes for these business class tickets, which are currently costing $4372 each before taxes and fees ($8744 for 2 tickets). We'd never have paid that, so the coach fares of $1093 ($2186 for 2 before fees) is the better savings comparison.

I participated in the Club Carlson Big Night giveaway. My husband, my sister, my brother-in-law, and I all had a night's stay at a Radisson, yielding 50K points each and costing $282 total. With the 200K Club Carlson points, I booked two Premium award nights at the May Fair in London at 75K each and one standard award night at the May Fair at 50K. There are no taxes and fees. Paying for the room would have cost $1687.

After three nights in London, we're heading to Paris where we will stay at the Intercontinental Le Grand for three nights at 40K points each (120K Priority Club points). Comparable paid booking would cost $1669 plus tax if I pick the Advance (restricted) rate.

Our final night in Paris will be at the Westin at CDG airport because our flight leaves very early the next morning. The night costs 16K Starwood points instead of approximately $450 cash. Considering the value of Starwood points, this is not a great redemption, but I've got the points.

All in, I'm using 200K AA miles, 200K Club Carlson points, 120K Priority Club points, and 16K Starwood points, plus $752 ($282 Radisson, $470 AA fees) for this trip in business class and luxury hotels. Paying for this trip as booked would cost $12,550 before taxes and fees.

How's that for a Sunday Success Story? (Not to mention the success of 20 years of marriage!)

Anita

Terrific story, Anita, and congratulations on the 20 years of marriage! A good marriage provides not only companionship and support but a card churning partner as well. :) And that doubles the number of hotel nights. Thanks for sharing your story. - Rick

30,000 Delta Miles No First Year Fee

Two United Systemwides Available and Expire January 31, 2012

2012-01-14T03:05:00.007-05:00

UPDATE: I got lots of requests and Mike Z got upgraded YVR-DEN and waitlisted DEN-ORD I also got a request from a member of our military flying international end of the month and I'm saving the last one for him. Thanks alls and I just wish I had a 20 SWU's to fulfill all the requests.

Thanks for emailing me

I got my last run-around from United Airlines last week. When I called them in December about extending my system-wides in 2012, I was told that it would gladly be done for me -- just call back in January 2012 to have them extended until December of 2012.

But when I made the call last week, I was told a new story. As I had not re-qualified for 1K in 2012, they would not extend them. If they'd told me that back in December when I first called, I could have used them. I had eight people flying to Hawaii in December and could have used them to upgrade somebody -- somehow, some way.

They are now available for the asking. If you're using them internationally, the fare class MUST be W or higher and upgrade space must be available. If you don't know your fare class or if upgrade space is available, please don't even ask as the email will be overwhelming. A better use would be something domestically that we can get done easily, preferably to a member of the armed services or for somebody who has never flown in first class before.

Send me an email at rick@frugaltravelguy.com after you've checked to see if my United system-wides can be used to sponsor an upgrade for your itinerary, which flies before January 31, 2012, and I'll get it done for you today. First come first serve and please be sure you have checked all the right boxes.

New Ink Bold with Ultimate Rewards Card -- see the link below

•50,000 bonus points after you spend $5000 in 3 months – that's $500 in rewards of your choice, or $625 towards airfare when you redeem online through our Ultimate Rewards booking tool.
•No limit to the number of points you can earn – and points do not expire.
•5X points per dollar on the first $50,000 spent annually on eligible business purchases.
•No foreign transaction fees and Free Employee Cards.
•No interest or over limit fees.
•No Annual Fee in the first year – that's a $95 savings.