Minimum Spend, Minimum Spend!!! And A New Email Address

August 6, 2011 - Rick

Update: I admit it. I screwed up. Thanks for all the comments. Here Bert has found, and I’m suggesting, the perfect solution to our new problem of minimum spend. I guess you all know now that Bert and I don’t get out much, at least not with Amazon gift cards. And the comments about possibly crossing the line, I can not and will not dispute.

Bert, thanks for the effort. Why didn’t we think of that?

It’s back to the grocery store service counter for us, trying to buy money orders with a can of coke, using our credit cards.

Tons of emails coming in on how to meet card minimum spends. Bert L gives us this suggestion|

Hi Rick,

There’s a new site called myhabit.com that’s run by Amazon. It offers clothes, shoes, etc., with free shipping and free return shipping. The value of anything returned gets credited to one’s Amazon account rather than refunded. Thus, it’s like using a credit card to buy Amazon credit. Not a bad move for someone who needs to meet a minimum spend and who uses Amazon a lot.

Best,

Bert

My New Email Address

In an effort to simplify my life I’m setting up rick@frugaltravelguy.com as my new email address. I still check this address at least three times per day to answer any of your inquiries or questions.

Thanks for the help in changing my contact info.

Lawrence

Shannon, great post! It really demonstrates the value of those points. Just one thing: Your math is off by two decimal places! Or, if you had said "dollars" instead of "cents" you'd be spot on. And you did it consistently. For example, on the Category Three hotels, the points are worth eleven cents each. Or, put another way, 0.11 dollars each. You wrote, "0.11" cents each. What you wrote means, literally, 11/100ths of a penny. But they're not worth 11/100ths of a penny each, they're worth 11/100ths of a dollar! They are worth eleven cents each.
Same thing with the higher hotel examples.
It was a great analysis, though. Keep them coming.
Cheers,
Larry
Anonymous

Stayed at one of your mentioned hotels, the Le Meridien Vienna, last month for 4,000 points plus $60. We were upgraded to an Executive Suite which goes for over 500 euros! I'll let someone else do the math on that one…
Anonymous

As usual, a great helpful tip from you guys!

And I did some looking of my own for the cash and points and there are some places you can get around a 15 cent value per point which is phenomenal. So every dollar I spend on everyday purchases is getting me 1/7th of a dollar for a room. Depending on your spending habits and how much you put on your card each month, you can earn a day or two (plus the cash expense) every month.
Guy

Does anyone know if you can use cash & points along with 5th free night?

Thanks!
FrugalTravelGuy

guy: no double dipping cash and points and fifth night free
Anonymous

I earned 7 free resort night (from stay 3 get 1 resort night free promo) which I'd like to use at a category 7 hotel. Is there a option to get one night free as well?
Anonymous

Thanks for the great post. Could anyone tell me easy way to get elite DOG status that will get me automatic upgrades when I'm staying at a hotel? Thanks
Anonymous

Sorry I meant SPG elite status
Anonymous

MYRflyer said: Occasionally SPG offers a transfer bonus. For example, last year they were offering a 35% bonus when transferring starpoints to American Airlines. 40k SPF = 67,500 AA miles."

I have been an SPG Starpoints member for several years and have NEVER seen a transfer bonus offer, other than the ongoing offer of transferring 20K points to some airline programs and getting 25K airline miles.

How can I find out about other transfer bonus offers??
JD

MyMoneyBlog posted today, 8/5/11, that the Chase SW premier card 50,000 point offer will be expiring on 8/8/11 @ 8 AM EST. http://www.mymoneyblog.com/800-southwest-airlines-credit-card-offer-ends-soon.html#comment-177024
Anonymous

Just wanted to mention that sometimes using cash and points is not always the best use of Starwood points: Case in point. Just returned from Grand Cayman Westin, where we booked using 4800 points plus $90 per night (plus don't forget some resorts such as this one charges a $20 resort fee per night). But lets say we wanted to just pay for the room? Same room goes for $149 per night. so basically we only saved $59 per night, yet spent 4800 points times 4 nights= saved Approx $240, but used 19,200 points. Now I think if I had an apportunity to buy 19200 points, I would pay that for that many points. Also, with SPG running the pay for 3 nights get one free PROMO, I think that would have been a better deal, I just didn't think it thru enough to have made the right decision on this one. You live, you learn.
Charlotte

I have used cash for points and it is great for expensive hotels. I like the use points for four nights and get the fifth night free. Just did it earlier this summer at the Moana Surfrider in Waikiki, Honolulu and it is like getting another day of vacation for free.
Anonymous

You have mentioned in the post: "That is great when the purchasing value from SPG is around 2 cents per point". When I went to the spg.com site I see a purchase value of 3.5 cents per point. How do you get a rate of 2 cents per point.
TJ

folks, why did you mention Le Meridien in Dresden. There is none there. Dresden has a Westin but that's about it from Starwood (it's a smallish city in which I grew up).
FrugalTravelGuy

anon: I personally hink the minimum value is 2.5 cents eac. example a $100 lower tier hotel night can be had for 4000 points, 3000 or 2000 points

Minimum Spend, Minimum Spend!!! And A New Email Address

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