Frugal Travel Guy

Deal Of The Day – AwardWallet – May 22, 2013

2013-05-22T18:56:13Z

AwardWallet is the the #1 miles and points tracker. Everyone here at FrugalTravelGuy uses it to keep track of our points and miles; both at home and on the road with their iPhone app and Android App too.

Here are our finds for the day. If you’ve got a great fare, mileage run opportunity, promo, new card sign-up offer, or the special twist you figured out on a deal today add it to the comments section of the post to be eligible to win. Just add your “find” (along with your first name, last initial, and airport) to the comments tonight by 11:59pm Eastern to be eligible to win a $50 Amex Gift Card from AwardWallet. Good Luck and Good Hunting.

[Mileage Run] Fly from MEM to BWI for 3.7 CPM on United.

Southwest and AirTran are both having sales through tomorrow on travel through June 25.

American Express is not charging fees on gift cards purchased for graduations and Father’s Day.

Earn 2,000 Aeroplan miles per stay at Best Westerns through August 31 up to 10,000 miles.

Here’s this week’s Top 20 from Travel Zoo.

Yesterday’s Winner of the $50 from TopCashBack is Raymond G from JFK with the deal “The promo of 40k mile sign-up bonus for the Delta Amex after $1k spent in the first three months was extended to June 23rd… and that’s good for both the personal and biz cards!”. Please contact Howie at howie@frugaltravelguy.com so we can get you your $50 deposited.

Thanks to everyone that submitted a deal / tip, keep them coming.

Travel Challenge: 7 Nights in Singapore and Bali for $601

2013-05-22T19:11:10Z

Hard-core points and miles enthusiasts love to get the most value out of their points. Booking a multi-city trip is a great way to achieve this.

This week we’re showing you how a couple can get a round-trip flight from Washington DC to Bali, with a 2-day stop-over in Singapore with luxury hotel accommodations.

This can be accomplished in a single application cycle with $18,500 spent within four months. For a refresher on meeting spending large requirements, check out this post.

It is important to note that each hard inquiry will be 5-10 point hit, and both individuals should have a score above 700.

HIS APS#1 – Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Ink Bold

HER APS#1 – Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Ink Bold, Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve Card

ITINERARY OVERVIEW: Fly out of Washington DC into Singapore on United (we chose an outbound flight sample date of October 24, 2013). Stay at the Conrad Singapore for two nights. Fly to Bali (October 27) and stay at the Grand Hyatt Bali for 7 nights. Fly back to DC on November 3.

TOTAL TRIP VALUE: $5,517.06
(Note: The airline value is based on the cheapest available seats found using ITA Matrix for sample dates in October. Hotel pricing is also from sample dates in October.)

HERE’S HOW THEY DO IT:

Multi-city trip: Washington DC – Singapore – Bali – Washington DC
Cost: $4,779.40 ($2,389.70 per person)
Method: Ultimate Rewards
Cards

1. Chase Ink Bold (x1) – 55,000 Ultimate Rewards

He receives 50,000 Ultimate Rewards after spending $5,000 within three months of account opening, which he’ll accomplish in the third month of spend.
He gets another 5,000 Ultimate Rewards points from his spend at a minimum of one point per dollar spent.

2. Chase Sapphire Preferred (x2) – 86,000 Ultimate Rewards

He receives 40,000 Ultimate Rewards after spending $3,000 within three months of account opening, which he’ll accomplish in the second month of spend.
He gets another 3,000 Ultimate Rewards points from his spend at a minimum of one point per dollar spent.
She receives 40,000 Ultimate Rewards after spending $3,000 within three months of account opening, which she’ll accomplish in the second month of spend.
She gets another 3,000 Ultimate Rewards points from her spend at a minimum of one point per dollar spent.

Explanation: For just 65,000 points per person, a couple can fly RT economy from Washington DC to Bali with a stop-over in Singapore. 130,000 Ultimate Rewards points can easily be acquired with two Sapphire Preferred cards and one Chase Ink Bold. After transferring the required 130,000 Ultimate Rewards points to United, the couple is left with 11,000 Ultimate Rewards points which can be applied towards hotel redemption in Bali.

Out of Pocket Cost: $154 in taxes for two tickets.

Conrad Centennial Singapore
Cost: $487.88 ($243.94 per night, including taxes – Great Escape rate)
Method: 2 Free Night Certificates
Cards:

1. Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve Card

She receives 2 free nights after spending $2,500 within four months of account opening, which she’ll accomplish in the fourth month of spend.
She gets another 7,500 Hilton HHonors points from her spend at a minimum of three points per dollar spent.

Explanation: The Conrad Centennial Singapore is one of the top hotels in Singapore and requires 60,000 Hilton HHonors points per night for a Classic King Room. With the recent Hilton HHonors devaluation, it is becoming tough to get much value out of HHonors points. The 2 free weekend night certificates from the Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve card make it easier to redeem two free nights at an upscale Hilton hotel.

Out of Pocket Cost: $0

Grand Hyatt Bali
Cost: $1748.45 ($249.78 per night)
Method: Ultimate Rewards
Cards:

1. Chase Ink Bold (x1) – 55,000 Ultimate Rewards

She receives 50,000 Ultimate Rewards after spending $5,000 within three months of account opening, which she’ll accomplish in the third month of spend.
She gets another 5,000 Ultimate Rewards points from her spend at a minimum of one point per dollar spent.

Explanation: The Grand Hyatt Bali is a category 3 property, requiring 12,000 points per night for a standard Grand King room.

Note: While the Category 1 Bali Hyatt is a cheaper option at 5,000 points per night, the property is closing at the end of August 2013 for renovations.

The couple will have 11,000 points left over from the two Sapphire Preferred cards and his Ink Bold. These points can be combined into her Ultimate Rewards account along with her Ink Bold bonus, brings her total to 66,000 Ultimate Rewards points. This is enough for 5 nights at the Grand Hyatt Bali, with 6,000 points left over. The last two nights are the cheapest of this stay, and can be paid for out of pocket.

Out of Pocket Cost: $447 for two nights, including taxes.

Trip to Hong Kong and Thailand (2 of 4) – The Perfect Airport Hotel in Hong Kong

2013-05-21T17:32:56Z

Post 2 in our 4 part series of our trip to Hong Kong and Thailand … a quick stop in Hong Kong

Getting to Asia - Cathay Pacific Business class to Hong Kong
Our Stay in Hong Kong - The Perfect Airport Hotel in Hong Kong
Our Stay in Khao Lak – Le Méridien Khao Lak
Our Stay in Bangkok – Le Méridien Bangkok

Ok, this isn’t frugal by any means … but I’m thrilled we did it.

On our trip to Khao Lak and Bangkok we had an overnight in Hong Kong. Neither Sara nor I had been to Hong Kong and the opportunity to get a taste of a new city is something we’ll never pass up. Who know’s if we’ll ever have the chance to make it back (and I’d like to); I refuse to regret a lost opportunity … and that definitely wasn’t the case here.

I recently posted about consolidating points between Marriott accounts, my reason behind doing this was Sara and I each had 50,000 points from our October 2012 churn but needed 70,000 points for a one-night stay. Yes, 70,000 points for a single night. It was at the Ritz Carlton Hong-Kong, which to date, is my favorite airport hotel.

Now the hotel isn’t on airport property, and private car service will run you about $100 each way … but there is an express train that takes you from the airport, past Hong Kong Disney to Kowloon station (2 stops). You get off, walk through a mall, and enter the lobby of the Ritz. It’s on the 8th story of a 118 story building. The Ritz itself is located on floors 102 through 118.

This hotel is fancy. It’s not opulent and extreme, but it’s fancy.

As a Marriott Platinum (currently in the midst of the platinum challenge), I was upgraded to a bay view room on the 115th floor and was provided access to the club lounge. Here’s where status pays off.

We had free Internet access and full access to the club. They had 6 food/beverage times throughout the day and all food and drinks were complimentary. This isn’t your standard breakfast buffet and concentrated orange juice. Free food and drinks all day long and an amazing view 116 stories up in the highest hotel in the world.

The 118th floor provided a fantastic fitness center and a pool … yes, a pool 118 stories up. Sara and I hit the equipment shortly after checking in to wake our bodies up after the flight from JFK, and then I took a dip in the pool before we headed out to downtown Hong Kong and up to the peak.

Everyone at the hotel was super friendly and not pushy.

So, why do I call this the perfect airport hotel? Well, typically airport hotels are cheap and serve the function of letting you sleep before/after a flight and that’s about it. Maybe a drink and a meal, but nothing special. Here’s my logic:

You can get from the Airport to the Ritz without ever stepping outside (beats most every airport hotel I know of except for the Westin at DTW … also a nice place as long as you’re flying Delta with a TSA checkpoint in the hotel).
Transportation via the train is just under $9 based on current exchange rates each way.
The train runs throughout the day, is comfortable, has plenty of space for luggage, and is only 2 stops/15 minutes from the hotel.
If you’re platinum you get free food and Internet – remember, this isn’t McDonald’s. Prepare for tasty Dim Sum, noodles, espresso … you name it.
With only 19 hours total (including sleep and to/from the airport) we were able to experience hotel amenities, dining, and got a taste of Hong Kong

That last point was key for me. All of the convenience of your standard airport hotel but the added convenience of actually being in the city and having access and the opportunity to get a taste for it all.

While it wasn’t cheap on points, the only Marriott points Sara and I had anyway were from our churn… I didn’t know what we’d ever do with those points, and am so happy we had the opportunity to use them here. Otherwise we were looking at about $700 for the room for the night. Sure we could have stayed at the W for about 1/3 of that and I would have received SPG benefits and credit for my stay, but this is one expensive redemption I won’t regret.

Deal Of The Day – TopCashback – May 21, 2013

2013-05-21T17:05:55Z

TopCashback.com is the USA’s most generous cashback rebates website as it gives you the FULL commission rate it’s paid by its 2,400 merchants – 100% of it – back as a cashback rebate; not just ‘a share’ like other cashback portals. There’s no minimum withdrawal threshold so you can even cash-out $0.01, plus it has a bunch of coupon codes that can be used simultaneously to earning cashback as well. It has a handy iPhone app so you can save money on-the-go too!

Today we’re sponsored by TopCashback.com. We’ve put up our finds, but now you have the opportunity to win $50 cash deposited into your TopCashback.com account for the best overall travel deal submitted. A great mileage run, mistake fare, promo, new card sign-up offer, or the special twist you figured out on a deal today. Add it to the comments section of the post to be eligible to win. Just add your “find” (along with your first name, last initial, and airport) to the comments section by TONIGHT at 11:59pm Eastern. Good Luck and Good Hunting.

jetBlue is having a sale for summer flights from June 4 to August 28 with flights from $53 each way. Unfortunately July 2-10 is blacked out.

Spend four nights in Riviera Maya from $499 per person including airfare at an all-inclusive resort. The prices do vary by departure city.

[Mileage Run] Fly from BOS to PDX or SEA for 3.6 CPM on United.

[Targeted] The Andaz Maui is opening this September and they are offering up to two nights free plus $150 in resort credits for stays between the opening and December 20. It appears to be available to just Diamond members, but everyone enter the promo code.

Get $50 off $150 when you download the Travelocity mobile app and book a hotel.

Yesterday’s Winner of the 2500 AAdvantage® miles is Sam S from SEA with the deal “Earn AA miles for hotel stays IN ADDITION to the standard hotel/airline rewards for your stay for booking at https://pointshound.com/. A quick search for a Friday & Saturday stay in San Fran. yields rewards from 3050 bonus miles to 700 miles.”. Sam, thanks for the great deal. Sometimes it can really be that easy to earn a few extra miles. Please contact Howie at howie@frugaltravelguy.com so we can get you your 2,500 miles.

Thanks to everyone that submitted a deal / tip, keep them coming.

Score Big Points and Cashback

2013-05-21T17:33:12Z

UPDATE: TopCashBack just notified me that they are offering 17% cash back on Score Big purchases. The Ebates payout has since dropped to 8.5%, making TCB the highest payout for this merchant.

Last week MileagePlus introduced Score Big, a new partner offering 5 miles per dollar on discounted event tickets. Through September 30, 2013, MileagePlus members earn an additional 1,000 bonus miles with their first purchase of $30 or more.

While this is a great way to save money on event tickets, it’s also an opportunity to quadruple dip and earn lots of points, miles and cash. This strategy consists of three parts:

1. Buy low, sell high. Since Score Big sells tickets below face value, buy tickets cheap and resell them for a profit.

I don’t recommend “scalping” – reselling tickets at exhorbitant prices. However, buying tickets at a discount and then reselling them at face value is fair game.

2. Shopping Portals. It’s possible to earn additional points or cash back through shopping portals. Current point payouts on EvReward range from 2-9 points per dollar. The best payout is 14% cash back through Ebates.

When I clicked through Ebates, I was still able to choose the “Connect with MileagePlus” option on the upper right. However, it is unclear whether this will earn portal points.

3. Coupon codes. Use the following coupon codes for additional savings:

15% off any order (coupon code SOCCER15) – expires 6/30/2013
$20 off $80+ order (CONCERT20) – expires 6/30/2013
35% off box office price on NHL Tickets (PUCK35) – expires 7/1/2013

Here is how you can combine these three methods into a quadruple dip:

1. Search for popular events on ScoreBig. You can’t go wrong with a Justin Bieber concert in a large metro area. Find out the best available seats.

2. Go to StubHub or Ebay and research what similar tickets are selling for.

3. Using the shopping portal with the highest payout, visit Score Big. If you want to run the risk of losing out on portal points, click on “Connect with MileagePlus” on the upper right side of the page. If you’re content with 14% cashback, skip that part.

4. Bid on the best seats available. Keep in mind the resale value, taxes, fees, etc.

5. If your offer gets accepted, apply one of the discount codes at checkout.

6. Resell the tickets on Stubhub or Ebay. Keep in mind that StubHub charges a 15% seller fee. You can also try selling the tickets on Craigslist to avoid the fee altogether.

Using this strategy, it’s possible to earn points from up to four different sources: Your credit card, shopping portal, MileagePlus 5 points per $1, and the first-purchase bonus. Add cash back and coupon codes and you’ve got the potential to not only save money, but earn some as well.

Will you be using Score Big to triple/quadruple dip on points and cash?

Deal of the Day

For today’s Deal of the Day TopCashback is donating $50 cash (to be deposited to your TopCashback.com account) for the best overall travel deal submitted. A great mileage run, mistake fare, partner promo, new card sign-up offer, or the special twist you figured out on a deal today. Add it to the comments section of this post (along with your First Name, Last Initial, and Airport Code) or this afternoon’s Deal of the Day post by TODAY at 11:59pm ET to be eligible to win.

Deal Of The Day – American Airlines AAdvantage® – May 20, 2013

2013-05-20T19:02:22Z

Learn more about the best ways to earn AAdvantage® miles

Today we’re sponsored by AAdvantage®. We’ve put up a couple of our finds, but you have the opportunity to win 2500 AAdvantage® miles by submitting the best AA Deal of the Day. Scour their website, find a great fare, or fill us in on a great AA promo and you could fatten your AAdvantage® balance by sharing what you found. Just add your “find” to the comments tonight by 11:59pm Eastern. Good Luck and Good Hunting.

Enter to win 100,000 American miles plus tickets to see Motown the Musical in New York City.

American has announced several new routes and 3X bonus miles to go along with them!

American has a lot of car rental deals such as up to 35% off plus up to 3,000 bonus miles when you rent from Avis for at least 2 days.

Get up to 7,000 bonus points from American partner British Airways when purchasing Avios points through June 13. However, you can also get a 35% bonus when transferring points from American Express through June 7.

The winner from Thursday’s Deal of the Day is Robert from YYZ with: “Get an extra 1,000 Aeroplan Miles (plus have a chance to win 200,000 more) for Aeroplan members either flying Air Canada or using Aeroplan Hotel partners by August 31st”. Robert, please email howie@frugaltravelguy.com so we can get you your luggage tags and FlyerTalk hoodie (pick up your own FlyerTalk swag at the Cafepress FlyerTalk store).

The Starwood Preferred Guest(R) Credit Card from American Express is a transfer partner of the AAdvantage® program. Transfer SPG points 1:1 to AAdvantage® and get a bonus 5,000 miles when you transfer 20,000 points.

Diversify Your Manufactured Spending

2013-05-20T19:02:56Z

I suggested about 6 years ago at the Ann Arbor DO that we all consider diversifying our frequent flyer accounts and holding miles and points in numerous accounts. The advice is still valid today but for a different reason:

“Pigs get Fat and Hogs get Slaughtered”

The frequent flyer game has turned to credit card signups and manufactured spending, and one of the most asked questions is:

“How much can I get away with, without raising a red flag?”

Here is an elegant way to avoid the issue: Diversify your manufactured spending.

Granted most of my spending now is done to donate to charity, and I’m working cash back cards harder than frequent flyer miles, but the principle is still the same. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Here is our family’s set up:

Katy and I each have Bluebird cards

Vanilla Reloads are easy to find in my neck of the woods. Equals $10K per month

Katy and I each have grandfathered in Amex Blue Cash Preferred cards and she has a Citi Preferred card.

I have a Fidelity Investments 2% cash back card and like TopCashBack (let me refer you and the referral bonus will go to charity) and the GiftCardMall.

My new AccountNow account allows $1500 per day and $9500 per month. (Katy will add one when proven to be successful)

I’m currently working on the Fidelity Investments 50K United Airlines bonus and an account with Fidelity that accepts deposits.

There is a Walmart nearby that sells money orders both from the kiosk and the counter. I still collect Delta miles for my trips to the WSOP.

Many blogs are criticized for spilling the beans on deals in too great of detail. I try not to go down that road and with this post, hope you can see that I’m playing way more than one game. And in doing so, averting putting all my eggs in one basket and causing suspicion. If you are playing the miles game exclusively, you are missing out on some decent category bonuses with the bank rewards programs.

I fully realize that the game has changed significantly from the days of big hotel and airline programs, and as such I need to move to what’s hot in the market today. If you look hard at this post, you’ll see I have unlimited opportunities to earn cash back and miles without causing suspicion. Some deals won’t pay me 6 points per dollar, but some will. I just need to stay a pig with every program and hope that in moderation, I don’t get slaughtered.

Dissection of an Award: One Day in Berlin Part II

2013-05-20T19:06:01Z

“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that wall…”

On March 27th, the day I left Berlin for the warmth and beaches of Tenerife, the Wall was removed once again; this time to give way to a new luxury condo development. The Berlin Wall! Feared and loathed symbol of a once divided nation, divided continent, divided world. It wasn’t Gorbachev, though, who has removed the longest standing remnants of the Wall from the open-air East Side Gallery. It was the construction crews moving under the protection of Berlin police that completed the task in the early morning, under the cover of darkness to avoid protests. Am I glad I got there in the nick of time!

aliteratia / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

There are plenty of compelling reasons for building a condo development on this site. To begin with, the East Side Gallery is not where the Wall used to stand. The memorial has never been authorized. Yes, 134 East Berliners lost their lives trying to leave it behind, but the Gallery was still, so to speak, illegal. The skyrocketing rents and real estate prices, as well as astonishing city debt do not agree with the premium parcels of the city land standing vacant. The authorities were completely within their rights to do with it whatever they (or the developer) wanted. Maybe that explains why they went ahead and gave the developer police support to remove the obstacle. Nothing like a government-sanctioned destruction of a once memorialized site. All perfectly legal.

Photo credit: pablokdc / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

The developer promises to return the removed blocks after the construction has been completed. He insists he only needs the access to the actual construction site. I hope I will find the wall in the old place after I return to Berlin. Because one thing my blitzkrieg landing taught me was that I should come back. I want the chance to see Berlin for real, without being on a crash course from arrival to departure.

We stayed at Holiday Inn Alexanderplatz for 10,000 points a night. Excellent location, next to everything East Berlin has to offer. It was within a five-minute walk to the Metro, as well as many of the museums and memorials that no one should miss. Me being Platinum, they upgraded us to a small, but amazing room with a great bathroom and a fantastic balcony stretching the whole length of the room. There was one problem, though—one bed. As much as I like my cousin Timmy, that was more than we’d be willing to endure. So they moved us to a regular (read tiny) room that had two single beds stuck together. But at least those beds could be taken apart, so for one night, I guess it all worked out. The location was unbeatable, the coffee machine was great, and our tiny room bore the title “executive”, which I thought was funny as hell.

Of course, we managed to squeeze in the time to sample some of the local food, as is always a priority on any trip I take. On the referral of the front desk guy, we found our way to an excellent restaurant called Mutter Hoppe on Rathaus Strasse. The food was delicious (well, most of it, it turned out I’m not a fan of blood sausages, but Your Taste May Vary). The restaurant is in the cellar, and the décor is amazing The service was a little slow, I thought, but it was well worth the wait, and the price wasn’t too hard on the wallet. Some of the pieces from this plate were pure heaven (and I have no idea what they were). If you enjoy beer and German food, this is a great spot to check out.

My layover in Berlin started out fairly chilly and bumpy, but once I battled the wind and bundled up it was amazing to witness the history Berlin had to offer. Here is to one more city to cross off my list. Just kidding:)

Next: Tenerife, Canary Islands

Photo credit: Hadar / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Earn More Miles With Sears: Part 2

2013-05-20T16:23:26Z

Earn More Miles With Sears: Part 1

All right, we’ve renewed our acquaintances with the friendly cashiers at your friendly neighborhood office supply store, and with the resulting Home Improvement Gift Cards obtained, we’ve bought Sears Gift Cards – and patiently (oh, so patiently) waited for the US Postal Service to deliver them. Now you’re sipping a refreshing skinny latte in front of your laptop, with a gift card (or cards) burning a hole in your pocket. Time to log onto the Sears site, buy some Hello Kitty lunchboxes, get ‘em shipped, and then plan how you’re going to get your hard-earned money back

STOP – too late. Now’s not the time to plan your sales strategy. You need to start planning your sales strategy before you ever click on that “Add to Cart” button.

Something to consider, grasshopper: the miles generation portion of our little exercise is, for all intents and purposes, already done. We’re on the Sears website, and we’re going to use the gift cards to buy something. Whether it winds up being a power drill, a standing mixer, or fifty pairs of Spider-Man boxer shorts, we’re going to receive the same number of bonus miles – it doesn’t matter what we buy.

Now is the time to move to the second phase of the merchandise: getting your money back. And that starts with carefully choosing the items you’re going to resell. Here are some guidelines to make your online entrepreneurship go a little more smoothly.

Pick items that are popular. This is Basic Salesmanship 101. It doesn’t matter if you get a fantastic clearance deal on that complete Beavis and Butthead 14-volume set of VHS tapes if nobody’s ever going to buy the dang thing. When researching resell items, it never hurts to have an additional browser window opened up to Amazon.com. Just make a note of your candidate’s UPC code, and search for the identical item on Amazon – you’ll get a wealth of free marketing research, including how popular the item is, under the Product Information – Additional Information heading (for example, “#4 in Novelty Toilet Seats”).

Pick items that are small and light. While you’ll almost certainly qualify for free shipping from Sears, reselling that cast iron Franklin stove isn’t such a great idea. You’re going to be paying for shipping when you send your stuff off to Amazon’s fulfillment center, or your eBay auction winner. Consider light, compact items that won’t set you back an arm and leg.

Pick items with high resale value. This may be the most challenging step – you’re trying to minimize your cash losses while trying to undersell the BIGGEST FRICKIN’ WEBSITES in the known universe. Again, Amazon provides you with priceless market research here – wherever you wind up selling, you’re going to have to beat Amazon’s price to get any buyers. If Amazon is beating Sears’ price by 20% or more, you probably want to consider choosing something else.

Pick items that can actually be resold. Guess what? Amazon won’t allow you to sell certain items on their website – or won’t allow you to list them as new – due to their vendor agreements. If you’re planning to resell your items via Fulfilled By Amazon, make sure to bring up the item’s Amazon listing and click on the “Sell on Amazon” button. If you see a stop sign and the dreaded message “The item is restricted”, then you’re out of luck. Even if you don’t, look under Section 2, “Describe the condition of your product”, and make sure you can select “New” – that’ll have a huge impact on your ability to get a good price. Still, anything you can’t sell on Amazon, you’re almost certain to be able to sell on eBay.

Consider items with low commission rates. Hop onto Google and type “Amazon Seller commission rates” or “eBay seller fees”. That’s their cut for the privilege of using those warehouses full of state-of-the-art computer servers. Depending on what you’re selling, you could pay a commission of anywhere from 6% to 25%.

As I’ve mentioned before, tablet computers are excellent examples of what to look for in a resale item (that’s not exactly a state secret, so I think I’m safe from the FlyerTalk Assassination Squad for now). They’re popular, so they sell very quickly, and usually for excellent resale. And they’re relatively cheap to sell and ship. Of course, some brands sell better than others – that’s your homework assignment.

There are a few other things going in your favor when you shop at Sears that can help lower the price of your merchandise: promotion codes, and Shop Your Way Rewards. As I mentioned before, you’ll almost always qualify for free shipping. And a little Googling should uncover an active promotion code that you’ll be able to apply to your order during checkout. Hey, even if it’s just $5 off … five bucks is five bucks!

Sears also has its own loyalty points program, called Shop Your Way Rewards, that gives you points equivalent to a 1% cash rebate that you can apply to future purchases. You won’t get rewards for buying the gift cards, buy you’ll get them for buying your merchandise. Should you sign up for Shop Your Way Rewards? Dang Skippy you should sign up for it! So what if it’s only one percent? It’s free money! Exploit anything that gives you a pricing advantage and minimizes your costs.

That’s a quick set of guidelines for making the most from the Sears.com website. Next time, I’ll look at another big portal payback store – Kohl’s.

Photo credit: robertstinnett / Foter.com / CC BY

Ways to Save Money at Disney World

2013-05-17T21:28:10Z

Disney World is one of the world’s most popular destinations – and Disney knows it. They charge a lot of money to get into the parks, eat at the restaurants, and stay at the hotels that are part of the Walt Disney World resort. However, there are ways that you can save money if you do some research and are patient.

Hotels

As far as hotels are concerned, even the most affordable accommodations at Disney World are still expensive. This summer, rates at the Caribbean Beach Resort are over $200 per night plus taxes! If you’re going to Disney for a week, that’s over $1,400 just for the hotel room.

That’s a lot of money to spend for a room at a resort that isn’t terribly convenient to any of the parks. However, there is a way to spend a lot less on hotels – use points!

Starwood has a property inside the Disney World Resort area! The Walt Disney World Swan is a Category 4 hotel and costs just 10,000 points per night. For a seven night stay, that’s just 60,000 points since you get the 5^th night free. If two parents were to sign up for the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card, they would each receive a total of 30,000 points after meeting $5,000 in spend within 6 months! The Walt Disney World Swan is also in a great location. It has easy access to both Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios by boat. You’ll also get access to Disney’s BoardWalk which has lots of shopping and eating options. While Disney can certainly be an expensive place, the hotel does not have to be part of the expense.

Transportation

Florida can be very expensive when it comes to car rentals, but luckily you don’t need one while you’re at Disney World. Disney offers complimentary transportation to and from the airport via Disney’s Magical Express, which will take care of all your bags for you. I took this service for the first time last summer and I was amazed at how well it was operated. I waited for just a few minutes while at the airport and not at all when being picked up at my hotel. It’s a great service that I’m sure not enough people take advantage of.

Disney World itself has an amazing transportation system that can take you all over the resort for free. Buses pick up guests at their resorts and can take them to all the different parks as well as Downtown Disney. The only time you would need a car is if you wanted to leave the resort, but each hotel has plenty of cabs waiting to take guests anywhere they want to go.

Admission

Park admission is still expensive. There are sometimes packages that go on sale, but there’s nothing cheap about them. If you’re able, try to buy multiple days at the same time. The more days you buy, the cheaper each day gets.

A one-day pass is $89 for people over the age of 10, but a 10-day pass brings the price down to $31.80 per day. Passes do expire within 14 days of first use, unless you purchase the “no-expiration” option. This option used to be available online, but according to this article in the Orlando Sentinel it is now only available via phone or in person.

Food

Food will also be a big expense at Disney World. Luckily, there are plenty of grocery stores nearby, where you can stock up on snacks or even meals to help off-set the high resort prices.

For many people, the price of Disney World might make it seem out of reach. However, with some research you’ll find that you can save a lot of money by using the same techniques we always use – points and the internet!

Photo credit: Stuck in Customs / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA