Archive for the ‘US Mint’ Category



Footprints in the Surf by Andrew Ingersoll


British Airways 100,000 Miles is Back

Rumors starting flying two days ago about the return of the card. Gary at the View from the Wing blog posted it before I got up this morning. I will have a link for you to apply later today. From what I have been told it will be a limited time promotion.

1. 50,000 miles on first purchase, 50 more after $2500 spend in the first 90 days
2. 1.25 miles per dollar spent
3. 30,000 spend earns you a free companion ticket
4. First year fee of $95

This banner appeared on the British Airways Executive Club website earlier today. Wait for the application links from a website you are comfortable with. (Hopefully me:)

Will we be able to apply for the card again if we have had it before and get the 100K again? I doubt it, but stranger things have happened.

When the links are actually available for application, you’ll want to print the promo page  for your records.

UPDATE  9:30 AM Eastern I just got an email from the head of online marketing at Chase that I will have these links this afternoon.  I’m getting numerous emails indicating that the promo now only shows 50K on the BA site. You will need to wait until this afternoon for the 100K link. I will post it as soon as they give it to me.

Nathan K Shows us One Years Lounge Access for $59 NET

Rick-
I just got this email from us airways.

I know the 259 for club membership isn’t necessarily new but the t&c

below says NO initiation fee. That means star alliance club access for $59 afyer using amex plat 200 credit.

I’m almost certainly going to do this. My only concern is free wifi in RCC if I’m a us airways club holder. I’m going to call RCC services and ask.

Otherwise I believe benefits are same…two guests allowed at each etc.

Ill let you know what I find out!

Nathan

US Airways Club Membership is on sale for $259 through April 7th
Cozumel, Mexico

Bali Black Sand Beach, Bali, Indonesia; photo by Andrew Ingersoll

Here’s a Little More Free Advice

“Cold on the airplane? Tell your flight attendant. We’re in a constant battle with them over the temperature. They’re moving all the time, up and down the aisles, so they are always calling and saying, ‘Turn up the air.’ But most passengers I know are freezing.” -Captain at a major carrier

“I always tell my kids to travel in sturdy shoes. If you have to evacuate and your flip-flops fall off, there you are standing on the hot tarmac or in the weeds in your bare feet.” -Joe D’Eon

“Most people get sick after traveling not because of what they breathe but because of what they touch. Always assume that the tray table and the button to push the seat back have not been wiped down, though we do wipe down the lavatory.” -Patrick Smith

“The general flow of air in any airplane is from front to back. So if you’re really concerned about breathing the freshest possible air or not getting too hot, sit as close to the front as you can. Planes are generally warmest in the back.” -Tech pilot at a regional airline, Texas

“I know pilots who spend a quarter million on their education and training, then that first year as a pilot, they qualify for food stamps.” -Furloughed first officer, Texas

Sunday Funnies Coming to an End
We are revamping the Sunday blog post to include your Success Stories and removing the Funnies. If you have a successful frugal trip story you’d like to share, send it to me at ingy104@gmail.com

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

Recent legislation has taken most of the profit out of the debit card business and as such most, if not all, banks are eliminating debit cards rewards. Our friends at Suntrust are included. Here is a recent article that mentions Wells Fargo, Chase and Suntrust.

Link

So we lost this one for good, but there will be other promotion offers. There always have been. There always will be.

February Churn Results

My February churn results are starting to show in my accounts. All of my Alaska miles are in place. My Membership Rewards points have been posted and transferred to Delta and my Elite status now shows on my Delta account. My US Airways personal credit card miles show and I just did the first purchase on the business card with Barclays.  The only one that seems delayed is the Continental/Chase 50,000 points. I have already received the card, my first statement, and the first purchase miles have posted — but  not the 50K sign-up bonus. Anybody else see a delay in the 50K CO miles?

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

Four questions, easy as can be. 20,000 is the answer for elite status. And you get a second chance if you get it wrong.

Here is the link

500 SPG Points

Become a fan of the Charlotte Westin on their Facebook page and then email them at 01383Reservations@westin.com saying you did it. You’ll need to give them your SPG number as well.

Orbitz Code for Flight and Five Nights Stay $150 Off

The code is ORBITZOT150 After entering the code look for hotels that say “Orbitz Code applied $150 Off. You must click through to see the savings. YOu must use the flight and hotel search.

Thanks Amrick for the code

From the Incentives Division of Travelocity comes this offer for 2 gift cards valued at $50 each for the cost of only $25. There are some restrictions and minimum pricing on using the gift cards.

It seems fairly straight forward to me, after reading the terms and conditions page.

Here is the link for you, and the link to the terms and conditions.

My Last Mint Order from Michigan

With our impending move to South Carolina the last thing I want to happen is have a pile of boxes of US coins showing up at the new owner’s doorstep. I think I just placed my last order in Michigan until next year.

I came to that conclusion by knowing what I can securely deposit without grief at one local bank branch. I know the day to take them in and the approximate time they must be there to minimize the time they take up space in the vault. I also am aware of the limit per deposit without bringing on suspicion so I took the number of that particular day’ in the week left before our departure and came up with only two more large deposits before we leave. That is assuming that my order placed today will arrive the week of August 29th. Maybe I’ll get lucky and they will show up a week early but by then, it will be too late to place another order.

I gave up on the Hilton Surpass card looking for $40K spend for Diamond status and only got in $6K. The points are just not that valuable to me and the Hilton Diamond status would be nice, but a chunk of SPG points and Thank You points at 3 per $ is much more appealing to me.

I’m not done with the Mint deal by any means, but must now wait until we get relocated before reloading again.

And then there is the issue of training a whole new staff of tellers and learning each new banks quirks and courier schedules. I did the bank deal last winter in a much smaller scale. I mean much smaller (like only 1000 per deposit).

Speaking of smaller deals: As I mentioned a day or so ago, I bought some money orders at the grocery store with coins. It may cost you a buck or so per 1000 points or miles, but that is still an acceptable return in my book. And you have the added benefit of using the shopping cart to lug the coins around in.

My last thought was buying a car with coins and then paying the credit card off with the eventual car loan.

Can you imagine taking in your old clunker filled with $1 coins. What could the dealer say?

It has been a great run. Some of the easiest miles and points I ever collected. I hope I can still make it work in South Carolina. But if not, well it will be about time to churn again.

I Want to Refer YOU to the Priority Club and You Get a 5000 Point Bonus

Send me your email address and I’ll get you a link for a 5000 point referral bonus for each of us when you sign up for the Priority Club hotel program. You’ll have until December 31, 2010 to make your first stay and earn the 5K bonus.

5K equals a free Pointsbreak night. Don’t miss out on a freebie here. Email me at ingy104@gmail.com

I perform this exercise a couple times per year to show you how easy frugal travel is these days.

With the current Continental Checking account deal (expire 12/31/09) listed in Rick’s Top Five Travel favorites, the US Mint deal, (same Top Five and no expiry) and maybe a little Citicard churning (still a Top Five Favorite hopefully forever) you and you partner, wife, travelling companion can be off to Hawaii for 8 nights for $0.00 or $90 if you choose.

Here are the step by step requirements and instructions.

You must have the following for a 10 day stay or if only just yourself, you’ll still get a free five day trip.

Requirements

Two travellers living at the same address, each individual must be breathing, have a pulse and the ability to use a computer. (It really is that simple.)
Each of the two travellers must have credit scores of at least 700+.

The Required Steps

1. Each traveller must go to spg.com and join the Starwood Preferred Guest program and retain the membership number.
2. Each traveler must go to aa.com and join the Aadvantage program and retain the membership number.
2a. As an alternative to step #2 each traveller must go to continental.com, join the OnePass program and retain the membership number. If you choose 2a, it will cost you $90 and you must have about $700 of available cash assets. ( you won’t spend the $700 but will need it to participate)

3. Go to a credit scoring agency ad on the right hand column of this blog and sign up for a free trial period. I’d choose the Equifax or Experian ad personally. Complete the registration process, find out your credit score (you are looking for 700+) and remember to cancel the service within the trial period if you do not want to continue monitoring your credit score.

4. If you and your travel partner each have scores over 700, each individually apply for a Starwood Preferred Guest credit card from one of the blog ads. There is no fee the first year. If your potential travel partner does not have a credit score of 700+, boot them out and get another travel partner, or move another travel partner into the household. Remember if you are going it alone, your free trip will only be 4 nights long. (only kidding about booting them out).

5. Each of you individually go to the Ricks Top Five Travel Deals and apply for two Citi AAdvantage credit cards (one is Mastercard and the other is Amex). 30,000 miles per card offer ends on August 31st and reverts back to 25,000 per card. If you only receive one approval and the second is denied for too many applications within a 60 day period, wait 65 days after your first purchase posts on the card you were approved for, and then reapply for the second card and fulfill the spending requirements on the new card when you do get it. Update Done Use Chase deal 5a

5a. Alternatively you can go to the Top Five Travel Deals on the right hand column and complete the necessary steps for the Continental/Chase personal and business new checking account deal. You will need to buy the debit cards $25 personal and $65 business that is non refundable and complete the requirements of the promotions. Some states will require documentation regarding your business before allowing you to open a business checking account. If you can’t do the business checking account, do the personal one and Chase/Continental will put out another promo in January 2010 to get you the remaining miles you need. (one each biz and personal allowed per calendar year)

6. Each traveller individually should go to the US Mint site link here and purchase $750 of Native American coins with each of their two new Citi Aadvantage cards if you chose step #5. Deposit the coins in your checking account and payoff the credit card bill when it arrives.
You may skip this step if you chose 5a as an alternative. Update Done Use Chase deal

7. Each traveller must individually purchase $15,000 of Native American coins from the US Mint with their new Starwood Preferred Guest Credit card. If it takes more than one purchase depending on your credit limit, you must spend $15,000 on each Starwood card within the first 6 months the card is open. Example: If you get a $6,000 credit limit, you will want to make a $5000 Mint purchase, pay it off, then make another $5000 Mint purchase pay it off and repeat again until you have reached the $15,000 spending requirement.

Here Are Your Results

Hotels
The Starwood Preferred Guest card will award you 10,000 points for your first purchase and 15,000 more points when you reach $15,000 in spend. 10K + 15K + don’t forget the $15K in spend = 40,000 Starwood points. Your travel partner has done the same thing and also has 40K SPG points. Because you live at the same address you can call SPG customer service and have them combine the points for a total of 80,000 points. Then book 8 nights at the Sheraton Princess Kaulani in Honolulu by Waikiki Beach. For every 4 days booked, you will get a fifth night free. (It is one block from the ocean) Or if you are fighting by now, go on two separate 5 day vacations.

Flights

The Citi Aadvantage Mastercard and Amex card each have a sign up bonus of a minimum of 25,000 American Airlines miles each. Two cards = 50,000 AA miles. A round trip ticket from the US Mainland cost 35K off peak and 45K in peak season. Don’t forget you must meet the minimum spend requirement to get the miles.

If you chose the Continental Airlines/ Chase promotions and fulfilled the requirements of their free promotion, you will receive 50,000 Continental miles. A roundtrip ticket from the mainland to Hawaii is 35,000 Continental miles.

Out of pocket costs for the American/Starwood method $0.00

Out of pocket costs for the Continental/Chase then / Starwood method $90 for the debit cards.

FAQ:

How will the Credit Card Applications Effect My Credit Score?
Each of the three inquiries will cost you 2-5 points on your score. If you can’t stand the hit, don’t do it. You want your scores to stay above 700+

Can I go to another Hawaiian island?
Yes, the miles cost is still the same, but the hotel cost may be different.

Can I choose another hotel on Oahu?
Yes, but the hotel costs may be different. You can also choose other SPG hotels on the islands. The cost in points per night is more, but please be sure to explore the “Cash and Points” option from Starwood.

Can I use another airline’s promotion?
Sure if you want, but these are FREE and available now.

Can I use another hotel chain’s promotion?
Sure if you want, but this one is FREE and available now.

I want to stay in Hawaii longer?
Howie wrote me this morning and said there is currently a redeem 4 and get one free promo. OK, you can stay 10 days.

Do you know of any free rental car promotions?
No, you are on your own, but the Entertainment Book ad below will get you discount coupons for rental cars, attractions and meals.

Can you provide me with Free Food?
No, but this restaurant.com ad may save you a few bucks.

Can I call you, write you, or text you with further instructions?
Every piece of information you need is listed above. You can do this.

If you have questions use the search function on the blog for the topics: US Mint, Chase, Continental, Citibank, and Starwood Preferred Guest card

Remember that Your Credit is One of Your Most Important Assets

Use it responsibly and have fun.

It all piles up at times and this seems to be one of those times. We have sold our house in Traverse City and closing is next week. The new owner has agreed to let us rent back until we go to South Carolina in late September. Bless her. We still have a rental with a 5 year tenant and will leave them in place throughout the winter and possibly come back to that house for next summer.

Mom is not doing as well as we had hoped, needs another blood transfusion and more testing. But she is cognitive again after the antibodies helped clear up her systems.

I have a closet full of Native American coins to deposit over the next few days. Our last order of July 25th made it, and Katy will be getting another 24.5K of SPG points in the near future.

We got Katy’s Citi American Express Card with Thank You Points just in time it seems. The offer has been changed to 2 points and a $99 fee for new applications. I called to verify her bonus promos and she is still under the old promo codes so we will be getting 3 points per $ for the first two years.

My Hilton Surpass card just arrived and $40K in spend is the goal. I know things are too hectic when I miss a provision of a promotion. In this case I completely forgot that I get 2500 extra points for each of the first 8 stays within the first 18 months that I pay for with this card. My time requirement is in this calendar year so you know how I’ll be gathering those points. But I don’t have to pay the annual fee until July or August of 2010.

Now the question of the day is: when I go to New York for the US Open Tennis, and Yankees and Mets games, do I also pack on an overnight trip to Dublin and an American Airlines Platinum Challenge or wait until I get to Savannah before making that trip?

These are all “high class problems” as I like to call them.

Colorado was beautiful and Aspen is quite a hoot. Some of the faces have been peeled and tightened so much it reminded me of a wax museum. And the Aspen cemetery will need a toxic waste classification if any or all of those “silicons add ons” ever break after interment. Humans, we are a funny lot.

Seriously, it is a beautiful village with crisp mountain air and exhilarating pricing for everything. An older home in town that I guessed at an overinflated price of $1.5 million was actually on the market at $4.5 million. I bought a comparable house in Traverse City in the late 1980′s for $54,000.

On our last afternoon in town Aaron took us to the Orchestra performance by the Aspen Music Festival Orchestra. A unique twist is that the instructors and teachers actually play along with the students. The concert consisted of three pieces. The first being the Sorcerers piece that you will all remember from the Disney movie Fantasia. Remember them throwing those buckets of water non stop to stem the flood ? The second piece was by a living composer that just happened to be in the audience and was given an introduction and time to talk about the work. The consensus was, it was a yawner and then the break.

Katy and I layed under an aspen tree for the second half which was the Brahms Piano Concerto #2 in B-flat (I think). It lasted about 45 minutes and as we watched the aspen leaves bounce around in the wind, we were transformed to another time and place. I am not a classical music guy by any stretch of the imagination, but we both really loved the piece, the setting and one anothers company, listening, watching and people watching all at the same time.

An interesting sidelight was we each got altitude sickness while we were there. We just felt off, somewhat dizzy, light headed (well more light headed than normal) and actually a little nauseous. I didn’t realize that 8,000 feet could do that to us flatlanders, but the feeling subsided as soon as we landed in Traverse City.

So now it is time to get my feet under me again. Lots of challenges ahead and the move to the south is fast approaching.

We flew out last night to see my son Aaron and the hip village of Aspen in the summertime. I have never been here before and it has been over 20 years for Katy.

Aaron is here on scholarship studying Opera with his instructor from New York City and the Julliard School. With this scholarship, he gets more intense training and assistance with the other facets of Opera including performance opportunities. It will be a great weekend in the mountains for us and a chance to hear his progress since last hearing him sing. It is sometimes overpowering as a Dad to listen to this young man and the progress he has made since his first solo back in elementary school. This is his gig, and Katy and I support him 100% in a field we have absolutely no knowledge about. It is beautiful to hear him and that deep, deep bass voice.

At 6’7″ tall, with his voice, he has the potential we are told to be a career professional and he has been working at it since the 4th grade. Graduate School begins this fall in College Park, Maryland at the University of Maryland so this summer is his last tune up before heading off on that next big step.

Enough of the Dad brag. We came out on two United voluntary denied boarding free tickets and are staying at Aaron and his two roommate’s condo for 3 nights so we beat the high cost of living so far. I’m sure we’ll get tapped for a meal or two while we are here and probably a gang of music students as well.

The trip from Traverse City is actually non stop to Denver on a regional jet then the short hop to ASE on the same type aircraft. We scored exit row seats for the long haul. I just can’t justify using miles or e-500′s for a regional jet flight, no matter how uncomfortable it is, so in the back of the bus we sat.

US Open Tennis Tickets $10 Each

No promises here but I checked yesterday and you could still snag a few seats for the September 9th Day session at 11 AM. I got 4 and with taxes and blah, blah, blah fees it came to just under $20 per seat. Aaron tells me it will be the Men’s quarterfinals. I’m going to try to dovetail the day with a visit to Yankee Stadium and and CitiBlank Field so I stay current with all the major ballparks. I will be in NYC from around the 8th til 11th fo September.

I know the seats are in the nosebleed sections but I’ve never been to a big tennis tourney. If any body scores more tickets and has an interest in meeting up for tennis or baseball, drop me an email. I hope you tennis fans can take advantage of the offer.

The required promotion code is in all caps: WFANDANGO

Chase and Continental Extends the Checking Account Offer and Up the Miles to 25K for Business and 25K for Personal

The deal is now good through 12/31/09 and the mileage has been upped to 25K CO miles. More importantly they clearly state in the terms and conditions that the lower priced debit card ($25) still qualifies for the last 15K of the offer. Here is the updated link for personal.

And here is the updated link for the Business checking deal

Remember Only one Personal and one Business checking promo per year from Chase.

This is 50K CO miles for virtually nothing. Thank you Eric.

You are today’s Frugal Travel Guy

Photo of Medal of Honor Winner: Ed Freeman

Free Hotel Night Giveaway for Community Service Work

In addition to “doing the next right thing” and helping those in need, Jason sent along information on this Thank You from the Sage Hospitality management group and their giveadaygetanight promotion. What a great way to say thanks, and thank you Jason for the information.

NEW YORK — Some 50 hotels across the country are giving away a free night to guests who can prove that they completed at least eight hours of community service between July 1 and Dec. 20.

To qualify, you must provide a letter on the nonprofit organization’s letterhead proving that you’ve completed the volunteer work at a 501c3 organization such as Meals on Wheels or Habitat for Humanity.

The hotels, all managed by Sage Hospitality, include The Nines in Portland, Ore., The Blackstone in Chicago and theSheraton Tucson Hotel and Suites in Arizona.

The room must be reserved at least 48 hours before arrival. Guests must pay taxes for the room. Blackout dates apply and there are a limited number of rooms available at each hotel.
The offer runs to Dec. 20.

Details on how to book can be found at http://www.giveadaygetanight.com./

Other participating hotels include the Sheraton Tempe in Arizona; the Courtyard Monrovia, Courtyard San Diego, andhomewood suites Brisbane in California; the Courtyard Denver, hilton Garden Inn Denver and Residence Inn Denver; thehilton Garden Inn, Orlando, Fla.; the doubletree Atlanta; the Sheraton Chicago NW; the Courtyard Brighton, Detroit; the Fairfield Inn Duluth in Minnesota; the Sheraton Kansas City in Missouri; the Holiday Inn Omaha in Nebraska; the Fairfield Inn Las Vegas; the Marriott Charlotte in North Carolina; the Fairfield Inn Cincinnati North; the Courtyard Portland in Oregon; the Renaissance Pittsburgh; the Renaissance Providence in Rhode Island; and the Residence Inn Milwaukee.

You’ll have to copy and paste the info.

Being an American Hero

This post is not about politics. It is about the right things in life.

You’re a 19 year old kid.

You’re critically wounded and dying in the jungle in the Ia Drang Valley ,

11-14-1965, LZ X-ray , Vietnam… Your infantry unit is outnumbered 8 – 1 and the enemy fire is so intense, from 100 or 200 yards away, that your own Infantry Commander has ordered the MediVac helicopters to stop coming in.

You’re lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns and you know you’re not getting out.

Your family is 1/2 way around the world, 12,000 miles away and you’ll never see them again.

As the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day. Then – over the machine gun noise – you faintly hear that sound of a helicopter..!!

You look up to see an un-armed Huey!! But…. it doesn’t seem real because no Medi-Vac markings are on it.

Ed Freeman is coming for you..!!

He’s not Medi-Vac so it’s not his job, but he’s flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire anyway. Even after the Medi-Vacs were ordered not to come.

He’s coming anyway.

And he drops it in and sits there in the machine gun fire, as they load 2 or 3 of you on board…
Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire to the Doctors and Nurses.

And, he kept coming back..!! 13 more times..!!

He took about 30 of you and your buddies out who would never have gotten out.

Medal of Honor Recipient, Ed Freeman, died last Wednesday at the age of 80, in Boise , ID

May God Rest His Soul.

Restaurant.com Coupons at 70% Off

The coupon code is SEVENTY for big savings on the $10 or $25 coupon. They are good for one year. Check it out,