Archive for the ‘Lounge Access’ Category

I’m not so sure the math works out to actually fly these five round trips for the bonus frequent flier miles. Maybe somebody here can find a cheapie AA flight. (LAX-LAS???) Something that competes with SW? I mean a real cheapie flight that we can do five times between May 15th and November 15th.

$165 Dallas to Orlando, $179 Dallas to MSP, Lax to West Palm Beach $240 racks up some miles at .05 each plus the bonus?

Here is the registration page.

If somebody can find a really cheap fare, let’s all meet and fly it a few times.

Caution: We only have until April 30th to register and buy the tickets. I’m game for some flying fun

50,000 Marriott Points for Card Sign Up

I was just talking to somebody at Chase last week about how uncompetitive their Marriott credit card was. I’m glad to see they bumped up their offer to 50,000 points on sign up

Here is the link. Thanks, Gary!

Ric Garrido and the Loyalty Traveler blog are my source of hotel information. Ric posted today that the Hilton program has finally added a points and cash option for rewards stays.

Ric does the best job explaining the new promotion, so here is the link to his site.

And add him as a bookmark if you want to maximize your hotel spending.

The Bidding Traveler hits USA Today

I was impressed to see this posted in a national publication. What a terrific endorsement for this website. Not only does The Bidding Traveler give you past accepted Priceline bids, but it will also actually do automated Priceline bidding for you. I’m not so sure how Priceline will like this site, but I’m adding it to my favorites.

Update on Yesterday Afternoon’s Post

I had posted two credit cards with either updated or new offers. They were the Chase Sapphire (not Preferred, just standard). The offer was for 15K and I mistakenly posted that the points could be transferred to airlines and hotels. They could not. I made a mistake. Several readers pointed it out to me and I appreciate the backup.

On the PLUS Side I found you a link for the card with 25,000 points for the standard card. Click here

The second card was a 25K Premier Rewards card offer from American Express. I actually did test this link and Tuesday night it showed the 25,000 point offer. Yesterday afternoon I got word it was released to affiliates and should have not been. Do a Google search for the 25,000 point offer and should find it elsewhere on a non affiliate site.

It was not my best day with the blog, and I apologize for the mistake.

Competitours is ON for 2011

The date of the “Amazing Race for the Rest of Us” is July 23rd to August. Six teams have already signed up, making the event a GO with a maximum of 17 teams. If you have ever considered the Amazing Race, here is your chance. The owner of Competitours is a friend of mine and of all frequent travelers. Steve Belkin has put together a great opportunity for you.

Check out the website, details and rules here.

And An Offer From The Competitours Founder

Hi Competitouristas,

Platinum Card for the Delta Transfer Bonus, Elite Status, Lounge Access, $200 Incidental Credit and more. Read my February 6th blog post for details.

Pacific Sunset Photography by Anne

It took some effort, but my application for a US Airways Business credit card was approved last Friday.

I originally called and lowered my new personal card limit and reapplied for the business card, which they again denied without sending me the reason yet. And Friday I got another letter asking me if I indeed wanted to reopen my old US Airways Business card from my old Michigan business, which has been closed for over two years.

It took two phone calls and one cutoff to finally get to Mike, who listened to my tale of woe, (re: verified some information), saw that I did indeed lower me personal card limit with Barclays, and he approved me on the spot. He also reconfirmed that the old account was closed and yes indeed this was a new business and he understood.

So the mid-February churn was six for six. Personal and business cards from Barclays and US Airways, personal and business cards from Bank of America and Alaska Airlines, a Platinum Card from American Express, and finally the 50K frequent flier miles offer from Chase Bank and Continental Airlines. That should last me for three more months of cheap flying!

Of course, I still suffered the indignity of the denial as a non-first-time cardholder on the last day of the American Airlines 75K frequent flier miles promo, along with the stupid move of applying for the Capital One card after all those previous inquiries. But going six for six takes the sting out of my stupidity to some extent.  I  tried the phone reconsideration number with Cap One and spoke to a very professional gentleman. He reconfirmed the denial was for too many recent inquiries but also added that it was my delinquent credit that led to the denial. Well we know, that just ain’t so as I monitor my credit every month. He promised me a return phone call today.  That phone number is 800-955-1455

And Katybug is two for three still waiting to hear from Capital One. We did get the letter Friday that seems to indicate an approval but won’t count our chickens until the 100,000 miles ends up in her new Cap One account. The overall churn is now looking like an A- to me with a probable 9 out of 10. 

And a Related Reader Email

I title this – Don’t be a Louse Keep a Happy Spouse!!

I have had several Mileage/Points cards in the past. Once I found your site, I stepped up in pursuit of more points.

Well, I got the Delta AMEX Gold, Continental 50K and the AA MasterCard 40K all around the same time. (I recently received the 75K AA business – not activated yet)

I started charging on these cards and then lost track of the due date. Needless to say, I received a late charge right off the bat. I called (discovered within 2 days) and got them to remove the charge.

If I hadn’t gotten the charges reversed that would have been the end of pursuing points as I had to promise my wife better tracking.

I now keep a spreadsheet with the card name, offer requirements and activation date. I have met the spending requirements on all 3 new cards and will be putting in a safe place to prevent further charging.

I will activate the AA 75k card and try the “coin” strategy.

Larry H 

And my reply: “If Momma Ain’t Happy, Ain’t Nobody Happy”

Platinum Card for the Delta Transfer Bonus, Elite Status, Lounge Access, $200 Incidental Credit and More. Read my February 6th blog post for details.

We all have our own method. I’ll try to describe mine step by step as I try a phantom booking in Indianapolis, Indiana, the night of April 13, 2011. I chose Indy because I have never been there, haven’t done any prior research, and wanted to see how long the process would take (about 35 minutes). Hotel location will be determined by public transportation and cost. My phantom meeting is downtown the next morning, with an evening departure that night. I’ll describe my methodology as I go. And remember I am a three-star kinda guy.

First, I’m opening some browser windows:

• Indianapolis Airport Official WebsiteKayak
• Biddingfortravel.com
• Tripadvisor.com
• SPG.com
• Priority Club.com

Step One is the airport website and ground transportation. I hate renting a car in a strange city for one meeting downtown, and have found that I can get an Express Bus for $7 each way. This information not only helps me get downtown, but it also opens up airport hotels and their shuttle buses back to the airport to catch the Express Bus downtown. Airport hotels are quite often cheaper than downtown hotels. I have that covered. Now it’s time to check out some prices.

Off to Kayak, which shows me that the least expensive, well-known, three-star chain hotel downtown is the Sheraton at $129 per night. The airport search shows rates of $87, $90, $93, and $119 for hotels with shuttles. I now have retail prices so let’s find the deal.

Off to biddingfortravel.com where page one shows accepted bids of $48 and $49 for higher rated downtown hotels and $39 for a Radisson airport hotel. I may just stay downtown if it’s only $10 more, go the night I arrive, and be downtown already in the morning for my meeting.

More work to do. I’d better do a Tripadvsior search on those three hotels to see if any of them are lemons. Since I’m a month out, I have plenty of time to bid on Priceline in the range of accepted bids, but I’d better have a back-up plan. Off to PriorityClub.com.

I’m looking for Pointsbreaks hotels at 5000 points per night and “glory be” the Crowne Plaza airport is a Pointsbreak hotel for that night. My search may be over. I could also check Hilton Pointstretchers and the Marriott discounted awards as well, but I find that the Priorityclub Pointsbreak is usually the best deal in town. I can get Priority club points for .6 ( six/tenths) of a cents each (that’s another article), so my hotel cost is now down to $30. The airport has a 24-hour shuttle to and from the airport. Tripadvisor gives it a solid thumbs up. I think I’m done and happy.

So what if I hadn’t found the Pointsbreak hotel? I could have gone with the Expedia Best Price match guarantee to take $50 off the retail rate of another hotel. The lowest retail rate was $87 for an airport hotel, so I could have got in at $87-$50=$37. Or I could have bid in the high $30s to low $40s for a room downtown or at the airport on Priceline. And if those ideas hadn’t found results, I would have checked SPG.com for a cash-and-points or all-points redemption with Starwood. It’s tough to beat that Pointsbreak deal, though, when you can find it.

Do a blog search for the Expedia Best Price Guarantee (10/15/10 blog post) and Priceline/ biddingfortravel.com (10/27/07 blog post) to refresh yourself on these two methods of hotel savings.

That was fun! Try it yourself with an unfamiliar city and see how you do.

Platinum Card for the Delta Transfer Bonus, Elite Status, Lounge Access, $200 Incidental Credit and More. Read my February 6th blog post for details.

I pulled my credit report and scores after my recent application binge. I got five of my original six applications approved, and was turned down on the last day of the Citi 75K frequent flier mile promo as a previous cardholder and was rejected by Capital One for the 100K frequent flier mile match because of too many recent inquiries.

All well and good. I can accept rejections, but Capital One really pi$$ed me off. They pulled my credit from all three agencies, placing inquiries on all three bureaus. Their offer, even if I was accepted, is not worth three pulls to me. I have stayed away from these guys in the past based on vague rumor and innuendo I have heard, and now this confirms to me:

No more Capital One for me.

I hope you all get your 100,000 frequent flier mile matches and spend the points wisely. Katy may still get an approval, but I learned my lesson.

They have the right, I’m sure, to pull as many times as they want, but for a churner, it is too steep a price.

My scores changed as follows based on the recent app-o-rama:

Transunion 885 down to 848 with 2 pulls
Experian    881 down to 859 with 5 pulls
Equifax      869 down to 835 with 2 pulls

You’ll note nine new pulls for seven applications as Capital One decided to pull all three bureaus.

NOTE: My analysis this month also talks about other factors that are affecting my scores:

Experian – None of your real estate accounts show a credit amount. Lenders may be able to better evaluate your creditworthiness if there is more information about your accounts on your credit report.



TransUnion, Equifax – You have no real estate accounts that can be used in determining a credit score. A healthy balance of credit and loan accounts is key to achieving a high credit score. It is important to build a record of responsible credit use over time with different types of accounts.


TransUnion, Experian, Equifax  – “The available credit on your open revolving credit accounts is too low. Having credit available to you is a sign that you are able to manage your finances responsibly. Lenders usually like to see that consumers have a large amount of credit available to them.”


TransUnion, Experian, Equifax – “The balances on your open accounts are too high in comparison to their credit limits.  It is a good idea to use your accounts regularly, but remember to keep your balances low in comparison to your available credit limits. Having a high ratio of balances to credit limits on open accounts may be viewed negatively by lenders.”


TransUnion, Experian, Equifax – “The sum of your bank credit card account balances is too high. High credit balances may be considered by lenders to be a negative factor when determining creditworthiness. Paying down your balance may improve your score.”

The last comment is the new one on my account, which is also attributing to the decline in my scores. They must have caught my balances at a high point as there are still no interest charges on my cards. I pay them all in full each month. I still believe credit inquiries costs 2-5 points per credit pull.

A good range on this VantageScore scale is 800, so I’m still well within that range for applications, but will be on hold until some of my inquiries fall off again in the recent one’s season for at least three months. I will not be taking out a real estate loan to improve my score (unless I can make an interest arbitrage play, doubted), but I may just get an open account (store charge card) to have that reason for negatively affecting my score removed.

I just got a Scorewatch check from my FICO, and my FICO score is still 750 even after the Capital One inquiries. I am canceling the service at the end of the three-month required membership.

It is a lifetime game: Andrew just told me that the first frequent flier program was in 1979 by Texas International Airlines, which was taken over in 1981 by American Airlines and the now famous AAdvantage program. That is more than half my lifetime, and credit card sign ups are still the easiest way to build up your account balances if you play the game within some reasonable guidelines.

Take Note: I expect another big offer to happen very shortly. Wait a day or two before doing applications if you are close to the magic 700 or 800 number or worried about your inquiries. I can’t say anymore, but I’m anxiously awaiting further details. I will do a separate post when I can.

Platinum Card for the Delta Transfer Bonus, Elite Status, Lounge Access, $200 Incidental Credit and More. Read my February 6th blog post for details.

California Forest Photography by Anne

Another lesson learned and to be passed along. As many of you know, I did a six-card churn in mid-February with terrific results (five of six approvals). I then got greedy and tried the American Airlines 75K frequent flier miles offer on the last day of the promotion, 2/28/11, and was denied as a previous card holder. They had pulled a credit score (at least that is what the denial said).

Well, I went in again, and got a flat out denial on the Capital One card for the 100K frequent flier mile match. I don’t have the reason yet, but too many inquiries will be the answer. It is not my credit score or history. 

So what is the lesson here? Even experienced card churners can get caught up in the excitement of the moment. There was no way I should have applied for that card.

We are in a very tempting time for churners. The sign-up bonuses are so huge and profitable they are very hard to ignore. I got five nice offers approved in February and have taken seven hits to my credit report. I  expect my scores will have dropped 15-35 points. We are fortunate that our home is paid for and we have sufficient cash reserves that we don’t need any loans.

I’m going to have to review my methodology of card churning. The bunching I use in my applications (multiple applications all on the same day) may need to changed. I may have to start just taking the monster offers when they happen one at a time. There are just so many. If I take that approach, I’m sure that there will be denials in my future for too many inquires in recent months. Time to back off and regroup.

So I’m out of the game for a few months at least. If a biggie offer comes along, I’ll have to pass until some more inquiries fall off my report at the two-year mark. I’m guessing I may not churn again until late summer. Excess denials just don’t make sense. I am at that point now. I’m glad I have plenty of miles in the bank. But its time to take my own advice again:

Your credit is one of your most important assets.

Free Bags on Star Alliance Carriers

Lucky posted this link for free Silver status on British Midland Airlines. With Silver status on BMI you also receive silver status with the Star Alliance, which gives you free baggage.

100 Free Starwood Points

link

Rookie Tip of the week goes to David H with the following tip:

“You said the best tip last week was to set a travel goal when choosing your preferred airline. Why not do the same for your credit card? Which airline did you choose? US Airways — there’s, as you know, a fee-free card there. United and/or Continental, go for the CO 50K card. American, go for the AA 75K card. You get my drift.”
-David H.

David H, send Rick your email address!

Also, Angik S offered a great tip about the Continental 50K frequent flier mile card, which I plan to apply for this week. His tip was as follows:

“My advice to you would be: Don’t apply for too many cards now. However, I would make an exception to the Continental card for 50K miles (53k if done during mileathon). That card will never be offered after 2011. You can try your luck with that one. The rest — all of them can wait. You can just get bonuses once in your life for each card. Unless the card will disappear, why spoil your credit report now? Your credit is more important than a few free flights. As Rick says, “Your credit is your most important asset.” -Angik S

So my program searching has brought me to Rewards Network. Basically, Rewards Network allows you to link a debit or credit card to one of their chosen programs and earn points while dining out at participating restaurants.

Under Dining Programs, they offer an array of points-earning opportunities. First on the list is Reward Cards, which links you up to Idine. Idine is a free rewards program in which you link a debit or credit card into the system then use that card at participating restaurants to earn points. When you dine at an Idine, you are automatically eligible for five percent off your bill. Depending on how frequently you dine at a participating restaurant, you can earn up to 15 percent off your bill. Every 30 days you can complete a dining survey, and once you have earned $20 back they will send you an American Express Reward Card for your personal use. Idine’s website is much clearer about their program. You can search for restaurants by zip code, state or name, and you can even get Idine on your cell phone (Android, Blackberry, or iPhone). You can also gain additional bonus points at certain “Hot Spots.” Just search under the bonus tab for current deals.

The next area on the Rewards Network is Airline Miles and Credits. AA, Delta, Southwest, Alaskan Airlines, USAir and United participate and you must sign up through their websites. Rewards Network has links on their pages. The current breakdown:

Alaskan Airlines – Mileage Plan Dining:  Three levels of rewards exist: Member, Online Member and VIP. A member is someone who simply signs up for the program. Members earn one mile per dollar spent and some bonus opportunities. If you provide an email address and elect to receive emails from the program, you become an Online Member and they bump you up to earning three miles per dollar spent, more bonuses and alerts. Finally, if you’ve provided an email address and have 12 or more qualifying transactions in a calendar year, you become a VIP Member and earn five miles per dollar spent, get more bonus opportunities, exclusive alerts and VIP only bonus opportunities. Available Bonuses right now include a 500-mile “Foodie” bonus if you sign up before 12/31/11 and spend at least $25 in a single visit within 30 days. Next, if you join the Dine 1-2-3 bonus program and dine three times by 3/16/11, spending at least $20 each visit, you earn a 1000-mile bonus. They also have a list of restaurants offering double miles for dining.

AA Advantage Dining- offers the same membership tiers with the same qualifying requirements as above: Member 1:1, Online Member 3:1, and Vip 5:1. Bonuses are a bit different, though. If you join and register for the New Member bonus by 3/31/11, then spend $25 or more on a single dinner within 45 days of joining and complete a post-dining review within 30 days, you earn 500 bonus miles. You can  repeat this process once and earn an additional 500 miles. Also, if you register for the “Make It A Double” program, dine at a participating restaurant by 3/31/11, and complete a dining review within 30 days of your visit you’ll double your miles. You can do this up to five times. They also have a variety of double-mile bonus restaurants.

Delta Skymiles Dining- offers the same membership tiers with the same qualifying requirements as above: Member 1:1, Online Member 3:1, and Vip 5:1. New Members can qualify for up to 1100 bonus points by joining and registering for the Light Up 2011 Bonus, spending $25 at participating restaurants over the following 30 days, and completing a review within 30 days of each dine. The result: You earn 1100 bonus miles. They also offer a list of double-bonus restaurants. Note: the Mouth Full of Miles Bonus is closed.

United Mileage Plus Dining offers the same membership tiers with the same qualifying requirements as above: Member 1:1, Online Member 3:1, and Vip 5:1. Bonuses available now include a New Member bonus of 1000 frequent flier miles when you sign up for the Welcome Bonus and create a profile, and you must dine once at a participating restaurant, spending $50 or more within 30 days of registering. Right now they’re wrapping up the Twice as Nice Bonus . If you register for the bonus then dine at any participating restaurants during January/February 2011 and complete a dining survey within 30 days of each visit, they will give you double award miles. They also have a list of double-bonus restaurants.

US Airways Dividend Frequent Flier Miles offers the same membership tiers with the same qualifying requirements as above: Member 1:1, Online Member 3:1, and Vip 5:1. New Members who join and register for the new member bonus by 3/31/11, spend $25 or more on a single dine within 45 days of joining and complete a post dine review within 30 days of the dine will earn 500 bonus miles. This can be repeated once for a total of 1000 bonus miles. They also have a list of double bonus restaurants.

Rapid Rewards Dining with Southwest Airlines is a little bit different than the other programs. You sign up and begin dining at participating restaurants. When you reach $100 spend, a 0.25 credit is added to your Rapid Rewards account. Members in this program must keep a valid email address registered and receive emails in order to qualify for credits. New Members earn a 0.25 credit bonus when they spend their first $25 at a participating restaurant.

Note to all: READ THE FINE PRINT. Some restaurants only offer points on certain days of the week, etc. You must read the details in order to maximize your points.

Question of the week: Any tips on the Reward Network and/or how to maximize bonuses?

- Shannon

Shannon’s TripAlertz.com Referral Link Thank You.

Platinum Card for the Delta Transfer Bonus, Elite Status, Lounge Access, $200 Incidental Credit and More. Read my February 6th Blog Post for Details

Photo: Three Sisters Katoomba, Australia

Look on the right hand column near the bottom. Do you use Skype?


Go Card for Attraction Savings in 13 US Cities

The American Airlines Rewards Network is offering a 1000 mile bonus for every $100 spent between now and September 30th. So a $500 gift card gets the max bonus of 5K miles. Or do it one meal at a time but you must register first.

USA Today Article

Monday’s article about soaring airfares and travelling becoming a luxury for the wealthy does nothing more than inspire me to look more, work harder and smarter to find the deals we need to travel. The deals are still out there.

You can still fly cross country for $200 roundtrip, you just may need to start and end at a Southwest Airline’s city. Hotel rooms can still be had at Priceline rates and car rentals still offer rates at $18 – $20 per day.

We need to find a promo code, be just a bit more flexible in our plans and maybe take public transportation to an alternate airport to get the best deal, but they are still out there.

I think we will actually see hotel rates drop as the occupancy rates decline. It is already happening in Las Vegas and should spread nationwide shortly as demand decreases.

Let’s stay alert for bargains, and be willing to share them here. And if you see a fantastic frequent flyer promotion, spread the word. We can do this. Maybe differently, but we can still see the world at prices we all can afford..