Not on My Dime: Mother Nature
Posted by Howie Tuesday, August 30, 2011, No Comments
By Howie
This past week of travel for me was a short one. Out on Monday back on Wednesday, and then this past Saturday my wife and I (were supposed to fly) up to Massachusetts for friend’s wedding where we were going to spent the night and come back on Sunday. Enter Irene …
A delay in our return wasn’t possible for my wife as she had to be in the office for a meeting on Monday. For me, I just needed to make it to the office for Tuesday. I booked our flights to MA on Delta and used my companion voucher received from my Delta Reserve American Express card for my wife. The weather outlook on Thursday didn’t look promising and before Delta issued travel waivers I had cancelled our tickets; we weren’t going to chance it. On Friday Delta had issued waivers allowing a reissue through September 2nd and then extended it through September 6th. This did me no good. We were going up for a wedding and coming back the day after. This is where elite status and knowing what tools are out there can really pay off.
With travel waivers issued by Delta I now had an official acknowledgement and ability to rebook flights without a change fee, I just needed them to make an exception to the posted rules for me. This is exactly what they did. I provided the Diamond Medallion call center agent my itinerary and explained the situation. Conveniently for us we’re headed back to MA at the end of September for another wedding and I hadn’t booked our flights yet. Being clearly out of the posted window I wasn’t sure if it’d work, but being one of Delta’s most frequent flyers paid off. Using the voucher complicated things a little, but within 15 minutes we had confirmed seats for our trip at the end of September.
The process for cancelling our hotel also required an exception. I had found a great pre-paid rate at a Sheraton not too far from Logan Airport. Knowing the rate was pre-paid and the rules associated with that rate, only the property could make the decision to allow me to cancel the reservation and not charge me for the night. I called up the Starwood Preferred Guest Platinum Concierge and gave them the story. I indicated we wouldn’t be making the flight and would like the room cancelled. They indicated that the rate was pre-paid and would need to contact the property directly. I was placed on a brief hold and within 3 minutes had received confirmation that the room had been cancelled and I wouldn’t be charged. Again, top tier status pays off.
My last cancellation was with my rental car with Hertz. I’m not a top tier elite with Hertz, but rather just a #1 Club Gold. I don’t rent enough cars to make it anywhere near the top, and it was clear that Hertz wasn’t going to do a thing for me. I had booked a pre-paid rate direct through Hertz, and the customer service agent wouldn’t do a thing. No escalation, no request from a manager, no contacting the local office. I was within 24 hours of my scheduled pickup and it was either pay $53.73 (cost of my rental) or pay a $50 cancellation fee. I opted to deal with the $50 cancellation fee and will follow-up this week to see about getting a refund. Barring any success direct with Hertz I’ll go the route with disputing the charge with American Express. If businesses aren’t held liable in the case of a natural disaster how can a business hold the customer liable? I tried contating @Hertz on Twitter but got no where. They could certainly learn a thing or two from @DeltaAssist and @SPGInsider.
For this week I’m headed to the office in the US Capitol area, off to a meeting in Florida, and then a few meetings in New York. I’m flying Delta everywhere, and thanks to my ability to do Same-Day Confirmed changes for free I’ll have the flexibility to mix up my flights a bit from the (cheapest) ones that I booked. Some may think I abuse this benefit as I SDC on probably 30 to 40% of my flights, but it is a benefit and I’m just making use of it. What do you think?
For my visit to the office I’m staying at my Sheraton where I have a negotiated rate. When I go to Florida I’ll be staying with a co-worker at a Holiday Inn that I got for $49 on Hotwire. The best rate I could find at a place I *wanted* to stay at was $125. We got two rooms for less than that! And on my last leg, the visit to New York, I’ll stay with my brother in Queens and will take a cab in/out of Manhattan. The cab will be less than 1/2 the cost of a hotel room, and I get to spend a night with family; a big plus! I win and the company wins.
Travel Tip: Eat your vegetables.
Some of us have a hard enough time eating our vegetables at home and when it comes time to being on the road, forget it! I’m not going to try to be your mother (or your grandmother), but eat your vegetables. When we’re away from home we don’t have easy access to fresh food and often times are relegated to what can be found at an airport terminal or off the interstate. Sometimes you’ll luck out, but most of the options are processed foods by chain restaurants. And most of the time you’ll find something fried or microwaved. When you’re hungry you need to eat, and when you need to eat all of the rules about being healthy or making smart food choices are forgotten. Fresh / raw food is good fuel for your body and when you stress your body with travel you need to do whatever you can to keep yourself going. I’ll opt for a side of steamed veggies versus fries or chips if I go out to eat. I’ll get sushi/sashimi instead of the fried chicken. I’ll grab the salad without dressing instead of the bacon cheeseburger and an unsweet iced tea instead of a beer or a coke. Don’t get me wrong, I love all of these things. When I’m away from home, short on sleep, working long hours, and stressing my body beyond what I should I do what I can to keep it going. It works for me.
Packing Tip: Travel size can be cheaper.
Most of my travel is done on a plane, which means I have to abide by the 3-1-1 TSA rule. I never check a bag when on business, so I need to make sure I can fit my liquids in that quart-size bag. I do my travel size item purchasing at Target. They have all my wares at prices that work for me. While toothepaste, mouthwash, and shampoo are always more expensive in travel size I’ve found face and skin cleanser to actually be cheaper (by volume). Instead of buying a single bottle at 4.5oz and transferring contents to my travel size bottles, I’ll buy 5-1oz bottles where I’ll save $.50. Most importantly I’ll save the hassle of having to transfer product to the travel size container. Bigger volume doesn’t always mean better value.
Let me know of any tips you’ve got; I hope these can help you on your next trip.
Happy Traveling,
Howie (howie@frugaltravelguy.com)
Limited Time Offer American Express Gold Business Rewards Card 50,000 Membership Rewards Points! NO First Year Fee
How Often Can I Apply For Credit Cards?
Posted by Rick Saturday, April 09, 2011, 18 Comments
Switch Over to WordPress Today
Howie is attempting to move the blog today to WordPress so service may be interrupted. We are still here, just trying to improve the look of the blog.
The question of the day seems to be:
I applied for a Chase card in December and February and really want the 100,000 miles from the British airways card. Can I apply for this and expect success?
Here is an email I just got:
“Hey Rick, just a follow-up from our previous emails.
My girlfriend applied for the Chase Continental credit card two weeks ago and was accepted/received her card this past Saturday. She then applied for the Chase British Airways credit card yesterday and was denied. She called Chase today and they simply lowered her Chase Continental credit line and then approved her for the British Airways card.
So it looks like you can apply for and receive both of these cards within a short time period after all! Might be helpful to some of your other readers who are wondering the same!
Thanks again for your help!
Scott”
This proves that the Chase six-month rule is bunk. I knew it was, as I got five cards in six months from Chase. But here is the same result from another reader. You need high scores and few inquiries and the ability to lower the limits on your existing cards with the same card issuer, or be willing to close an older account. Your Mileage May Vary, but don’t believe that six-month rule line you get on the phone sometimes.
Every inquiry costs your credit score two to five points. That’s the amount you’re risking. If you are denied for a card, it does not go on your report as a negative factor. There is no drop in your score for a credit card denial.
This offer is large enough that if you aren’t sure of the outcome, it may still be worth the try, particularly if you have another Chase credit card you can cancel to earn the approval. Don’t cancel anything before applying. Wait until you get the denial if you do and then call the reconsideration phone number.
Reader emails are really providing valuable information to you, the readers. Several days ago we heard an example of a Premier Rewards credit card producing another sign-up bonus in the short term. Last month another reader email indicated that a Platinum Card from American Express, closed at least two years, could be applied for again and the new application would produce the points. I personally verified that one with my account at two years and three days since I closed my first Platinum Card.
This British Airways card has plenty of positives as a long term card for many people. It can be a terrific compliment to those carrying the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express credit card where Amex is not accepted.
1.25 miles per dollar spent
$30,000 spend to earn a free companion pass
No foreign transaction fees
I wish I hadn’t closed mine this year. Although I am not a fan of the fuel surcharges that British Airways charges on awards using their own metal to Europe, there are plenty of other options for using the miles with OneWorld partners. I also wish the companion pass provision was good on all OneWorld partners, but that is way too much to expect.
BTW: The 100,000 frequent flier mile offer is scheduled to last until May 6th.
Chase has really stepped up as the primary issuer of great credit card offers for travelers. Look at the offers we have recently seen.
100,000 Mile British Airways Card Offer. Limited time only.
100,000 Mile British Airways Card Link Now Available!
Posted by Rick Wednesday, April 06, 2011, No Comments
Sunday Funnies and Fotos
Posted by Rick Sunday, March 13, 2011, No Comments
Koalas at Taronga Zoo, Sydney © Andrew Ingersoll
What Really Drives Us Crazy
“Please don’t complain to me about your lost bags or the rotten service or that the airline did this or that. My retirement was taken to help subsidize your $39 airfare.” -Pilot, South Carolina
“Here’s a news flash: We’re not sitting in the cockpit listening to the ball game. Sometimes we can ask the controllers to go to their break room to check the score. But when I fly to Pittsburgh on a Sunday afternoon, the passengers send the flight attendants up at least 10 times to ask us the Steelers score.” -Commercial pilot, Charlotte, North Carolina
“I am so tired of hearing ‘Oh my God, you’re a girl pilot.’ When you see a black pilot, do you say, ‘Oh my God, you’re a black pilot’?” -Pilot for a regional carrier
Platinum Card for the Delta Transfer Bonus, Elite Status, Lounge Access, $200 Incidental Credit and More. Read my February 6th blog post for details.
Off to Ann Arbor and the Ann Arbor Art Fair DO
Posted by Rick Friday, July 17, 2009, No Comments
At last count we had over 60 planned in attendance for the two day event discussing how to maximize miles and points.
I’m looking forward to seeing some of you there and getting to share ideas with some very intelligent individuals.
Saturday is Ben’s day from the “One Mile at a Time” blog. I wish I knew half as much as him at his age re: miles and points. I just saw him report on his blog that he had close to 300,000 Elite Qualifying miles this year on United. He is my guy when I have a United question and is always ready to offer a helping hand. We flew together with Captain Flanagan several months ago and I’m looking forward to picking his brain again.
After Ben’s talk we are off to dinner somewhere in Ann Arbor as arranged by our host Dave or Bikeguy and more miles and points.
Breakfast will be at Weber’s Sunday AM and their great buffet followed by my spiel in the afternoon on how we planned and accomplished our Around the World trip. I’ll be talking about the actual costs in terms of cash and points, the revisions we made along the way and what we had as a starting point for parameters.
In the audience will be some of my mentors and friends from previous years Ann Arbor DO’s along with some friends we met along the way. Gray from the Wing and a Prayer blog aka “I Flew to Sydney for Breakfast” will be in attendance as will Andrew “As Big as My Head Beer Guy” from Savannah, Georgia will be there. And Geoffco, who gave me a surprise visit in Munich, and I conned into taking back all my amenity kits for door prizes will be there as well.
If you read here regularly, you will be impressed to know that I actually did my first Powerpoint presentation for the DO and our projectionist tells me it works just fine. If there is someway to put it here on the blog after the event, I’ll post the presentation for all to see. There is no startling revelations, just the philosophy that makes things work for me.
I’ll post more info as we get on with the weekend. And maybe a photo or two.
Results from the Starwood Amex Requests
Several days ago I posted results of my email to Amexx regarding the 15K additional bonus for $15K spend on the SPG card. I got the card before that offer and asked what to do.
I’m glad to report that everybody but one that contacted Amex also got a bonus of some sort just for asking. I have no idea why, but I’m the only one that so far has got the full 15K in SPG points but what the heck, I had the idea right?
It seems you are all enjoying an additional 3K to 5K SPG points in your account, and that makes me very happy. Thanks for reporting in your success. I love it when a plan comes together.
CitiCards Gives Out Two Personal Cards in Same Day
A friend I’ve been coaching finally got around to taking the big plunge and got both personal Citi AA cards approved on Wednesday. This individual had a relatively high score and no previous credit with Citi which may have helped. I wish I could figure Cit out with the one card every 60 day policy,but read the next paragraph please:
Several people have asked about a denial on your credit report. I have never seen a denial posted on your report. All that happens is the inquiry shows, which may cost you 2-5 points on your credit score. There is no black mark on your report for a denial.
With that info in mind if you are starting to churn, why not try two personal cards?
Fare War Fare War Fare War Delta and United Airlines
Posted by Rick Saturday, August 16, 2008, No Comments
Seems like the kids are fighting again and the hub cities are in play. Look for United flights and prices out of CVG, SLC and ATL and Delta flights our of SFO, IAD and maybe ORD.
Sub $200 roundtrips and Delta has already pulled thier fares so hurry.
Sign Up Bonuses with Credit Cards
Posted by Rick Monday, August 11, 2008, No Comments
To continue with the idea of maximizing your airline and hotel bonuses, I thought I’d give you a look at my credit card portfolio and my success rate. Remember I’m the “olde guy” and have had some time to accumulate these cards, but did not really start using credit cards for sign up bonuses until 2000. So the history is primarily in the last 8 years.
To date I have had 65 different credit cards and presently have 25 open credit card accounts according to the latest check of Truecredit monitoring service. The majority of these cards have been airline and hotel cards that I acquired for sign up bonuses. My largest credit card line is %51,500 and smallest is $1,000 after moving most of that cards line to some other card I needed more credit on.
It did obtain about 12 cards last July for the purpose earning interest income on 0% interest balance transfer cards by depositing the money drawn on those cards in interest bearing savings accounts. It was a profitable experience and I’ll do it again when saving rates rise again.
My credit profile also shows that I have never had a late payment or derogatory comment on my credit reports. I did have one derogatory comment, from a medical bill in 2006 but was able to have that removed after some additional documentation, effort and persuasion.
In August of 2007 just before I took out the 12 new credit cards, my credit scores on the day of those applications were 726, 737 and 693 at the three credit reporting agencies, TransUnion, Experian and Equifax. The lowest they dipped to were one month later in August when I had borrowed heavily against those cards and the new balances were showing on my credit file. The scores had dropped to 717, 678 and 674, where they basically remain today.
Since applying for 12 cards in July of 2007 I have had 22 additional inquiries to my credit, primarily from banks as I open new checking or savings accounts to take advantage of cash sign up bonuses. There have also been about 4 credit card approvals for sign up bonuses and promotions.
My credit scores will all rebound into the mid to upper 700′s and possibly 800′s within the next 30 days as the credit inquiries from July of 2007 age past one year and have less significance on my credit score. In addition all the cards but two are now paid off and will show $0.00 balances by September. I will have a $2400 balance remaining on a Discover personal card that I have 0% on for life as long as I make two purchases per month ( I donate $1 each to the Humane Society and American Cancer Association) which each count as purchases and preserve the 0% rate. I also am carrying a $9000 balance on a card for my son while he is in Australia at school. It more sense for me to carry his car debt as I could get a 0% rate for him with low monthly payments. When he gets back in the states, and employed he’ll refinance that into either another 0% card, auto loan or sell the car. It was just one of those Dad things we do sometimes.
In the years I have been churning cards, I have turned down twice. Once by Citicards just recently as I have about 9 open cards with them and was carrying significant balances during the App o Rama. As mentioned those balances have been paid off and I have reduced credit lines on two cards I don’t use ( I hate reducing credit lines). I expect to be churning Citicards again within 30 days when the payoffs post. I don’t remember the other card actually, but do remember being turned down once previously.
I don’t mean to say that I have only been turned down twice, I mean I have only been unable to have a rejection letter reversed twice. I probably have been initially rejected 5 or 6 times but have been able to state my case for approval in letter form or reduced existing credit lines to gain approval for the card I was looking for and the attached sign up bonus.
I’m providing this information as background for you to compare your present credit card inventory and ability to use your credit for future bonuses.
Three key things to remember:
1. I have never been late.
2 I very rarely carry a balance where I am charged interest on my credit cards. Sure I have had balances on my 0% interest cards, but I consider those profitable opportunities.
3. There are very, very few sign up bonuses that have a value greater than the interest you will pay on a credit card in a very short frame of time. If you can’t pay off your credit cards in full every month, you should not be opening new accounts.
And lastly, Your credit is one of your most important assets. Don’t mess with it if you have major purchases contemplated in the near future.
I offered yesterday, to help you look over your current card portfolio and potential for future sign up bonuses. I hope this synopsis of my past credit card success will spur you into taking advantage of the opportunities in front of you.
IF, you can control yourself and preserve one of your most important assets.
A Little Fare War Breaking Out??? Hawaii til October 27th
Posted by Rick Saturday, August 09, 2008, No Comments
Between now and October 27th, Houston, Cleveland and Newark all seem in play for discounted fares to Honolulu in the low to mid $500′s
Delta, United, Northwest and Continental are offering these fares out of these Continental hubs??? Some appear to have a 3 day minimum. Watch for a spread to other hub cities like:
Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Cincinnati, Memphis, Detroit, Minneapolis, Chicago, Washington and San Francisco. I just have a feeling a shot has been fired across somebody’s bow.
