Help me plan our free New York City Weekend!
Color me excited! I just got the new Hyatt Chase Visa and am using the two free nights it comes with to take the Deal Family to New York City! The Deal Kids have never been and I haven’t been in over 10 years. Having never been with kids before, I’m looking for any tips you have for doing the Big Apple with a 5 and 8 year old. We’re staying at the Hyatt 48 Lex in Midtown, where my new Hyatt Visa gets us Platinum level in their rewards program. This means free breakfast, an upgrade, and late checkout, among lots of other benes!
I highly recommend checking out the Hyatt Visa if you have any big city hotel stays in your future (or if you want to!). I also love the Hyatt Chesapeake Bay as a family weekend getaway. The card offers (in addition to the two free mights and Platinum status I mentioned) a free Hyatt night every year upon renewal as well. This more than covers the $75 annual fee.
A few caveats here: I DO NOT recommend carrying a balance on credit cards. I use them for daily needs and bills, then pay them off. I am also not a credit expert, but have had no negative effects on my personal credit rating by applying for new credit. This is the most common question I get when I mention credit card signup bonuses. As long as you don’t apply for 10 in one day or are planning on getting a new mortgage tomorrow, I seriously doubt you will see damage to your credit score by getting a new card. You may even see it go up as you have more credit available to you.
And now I ask you…how can you benefit from this story? Where can points and miles take you? Please share your successes!
Feb. 2012
Points, balloons, and bucket lists
One of the rules I live by is “there is almost nothing worth having at full retail price”. I would also add “never travel during peak season” and DEFINITELY “don’t travel during the busiest travel day of the year to the single busiest place”. And I chucked all of my rules out of the window for the love of a beagle.
As much as I love off season travel and off-beat destinations, the Eiffel tower at Epcot just ain’t the Eiffel tower, and nothing matches the sheer spectacle of the Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade. After all these years, I still rush to the TV at 9AM to eagerly watch every minute: lip synching child stars, mid-western high school bands, already closed Broadway shows and all.
And the balloons. Oh, the balloons. Snoopy to Spongebob, Bullwinkle to Betty Boop, I love them all.
But there are so many reasons NOT to go. The crowds. The cost. The cost. The cost.
That’s where points come in. Or more specifically the points that I earn with Priority Club and the Chase Ultimate Rewards Visa That make the two nights at the Intercontinental Times Square that would have cost $1289 free.
And make an out of reach item possible.
What bucket list item have you crossed off with points?
Original publish date Nov. 9, 2012
How I found $175 incl tax hotel rooms in NYC for Thanksgiving and Christmas week
We’re headed to New York this weekend to cross off one of my bucket list items: the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. Here’s how I found an affordable room, and how you can too for a last minute Thanksgiving or Christmas trip to New York City (or anywhere else you are dreaming to go).
My strategy for this trip involves Priority Club is the rewards program for IHG hotels: Holiday Inn, Intercontinental, and related brands. In New York City they have 18 hotels whose redemptions range between 20000-50000 points per night. I used the 50% promotion below to buy my points, so the net cost of my 25,000 point hotel room is $175/night, which is actually $152 a night when you consider NYC’s crazy 14.5 percent sales tax. I found a room at the Holiday Inn near Columbus Circle that sleeps 4, so we’re all set for three nights on the busiest time of the year, when rooms at even bargain basement motels go over $400/night including tax.
I just checked over Christmas break and was surprised at how much availability I saw! At least 15 hotels have rooms that sleep 2, and five or more had rooms that slept 4. Even for Thanksgiving, there are still a few reward rooms left if the sight of Snoopy leaves you swooning.
The best part about this deal is that purchased points count towards elite status, which gets you upgrades and all sorts of other fun benefits. You need 60,000 points to get platinum status. With this deal, you only need to buy 40,000 (for $460.00) to get 60,000 points and instant platinum status for all of 2013.
What if your plans change? Rewards nights are cancel-able up to 48 hours, and Priority Club points do not expire, so no need to rush to use them. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that there is a back door method to buy Priority Club points for .7 cents each, but they don’t earn status which I value highly, especially since you can use it to status match. This deal comes to .0077 cents a point, so that .0007 is worth it to me for Platinum Status!
Points.com is the service Priority Club uses to sell their points. Points.com is currently showing the following special:
Priority Club Rewards
Buy Points
Buying Points is the easy way to top up your account to get the award you want!
Limited time offer: 50% Bonus!*
Buy Priority Club points between Nov 15-22, 2012 and automatically receive a 50% bonus on the number of points purchased. Top up your account and buy your Priority Club points today!
Buying Points is the easy way to top up your account to get the award you want!
You may purchase points in 1,000 increments:
1,000 – 10,000 points for $13.50 per 1,000 points
11,000 – 25,000 points for $12.50 per 1,000 points
26,000 – 50,000 points for $11.50 per 1,000 points
You can buy them and your spouse can buy them as well if you need more points than 75,000.
Here’s how you do it:
1. Get a Priority Club account if you don’t have one yet.
2. Get a Points.com account if you don’t have one yet.
3. Add your Priority Club Account number to your Points.com account.
4. Click the Tab marked “Trade, Exchange, and Buy points”.
5. Scroll down, and on the right you’ll see “Buy Points”. Select Priority Club from the drop down menu.
6. Buy your points and you’re good to go!
Original publish date: Nov. 16, 2012
The real reason I do all this
‘m sharing a story today that demonstrates exactly why I jump through all of the hoops required to earn miles and points and scour the internet for free Megabus tickets and other deals that help us travel more.
The Deal Family enjoys “Project Runway” together. Both kids have definite opinions both about the fashions and the designers, and besides the occasional language slip it’s a fun family activity.
Inspired, Deal Girl decided to play “Project Runway” this morning. She brought out her handy Project Runway Fashion Design Sketch Portfolio and we re-created an episode, pretty much scene for scene. I gave her a challenge, she sketched, went shopping at Mood then came back to the “workroom” (a cardboard box) to design her creation out of recycled craft paper and markers.
After a hard day’s work (and a break for go-gurt) she headed to the “L’oreal Paris room” (the bathroom) for some chap-stick and a high pony.
For a finale Deal Dad and I judged a fashion show starring Deal Girl and Dolly and awarded Deal Girl immunity for next week.
Ok, I hear you: Nice story, Deal Mommy, but what does this have to do with miles and points?
Actually, a lot. You see, because of my work diligently scouring for deals, we’ve visited New York three times in the past year for less than most would pay for one trip. Deal Girl has shopped at Mood, has walked down Fashion Avenue, and has seen now one but two sets of Project Runway designs in person, at Radio City Music Hall and at Dylan’s Candy Bar.
So when Deal Girl plays Project Runway, she’s not only imaging what being a fashion designer looks like, she’s seen it with her own eyes. And when she presents her final product, it’s with the confidence of not only pretending that she’s a designer (or marine biologist, or Mayan Empress), but the firm belief that she can be whatever she wants to be because, in her 6 year old mind, seeing is believing.
What better reason could there be?
April 2013
Something I’m Very Proud Of
One of the tenets of my manifesto is 9 times out of 10, experiences are worth more than possessions. That’s a hard enough concept for grown-ups to get, especially around the holidays. I admit a certain weakness for “little luxuries” and pretty much abandon all hope of restraint at the sight of Missoni at an outlet mall.
With that I’m mind I don’t expect much from the Deal Kids in regards to self-control when it comes to gifts and Santa. (Yes, even at 10 Deal Kid is still mostly all-in. I’m proud of that, too.). I just ask that they don’t ask for stuff nicer than we have and DID draw the line at the treehouse idea, explaining that a treehouse was a construction project, not a toy.
This year Deal Girl, whose 7th birthday is also in December, blew me away. When I asked her what she was going to request from Santa, she turned pensive. I figured the wheels in her head were narrowing down the options, but I had it absolutely wrong. She replied, “Mom, I’m just going to ask for a surprise. I have too many toys already, and the best gifts are the times you and me spend together, like at the Hyatt.” (Note to Hyatt: Deal Girl calls ANY luxury hotel a “Hyatt”. Well done!).
I gathered myself, pressed a bit further (in the guise of “playing a game”) and discovered what she REALLY wanted was time with just “us girls”. So, for her Christmas gift, on points or their new points plus cash option, I’m taking her to New York for the weekend. To a Hyatt (probably Times Square or the Hyatt Place near Macy’s on 34th, although she’s rather fond of the 48 Lex’s lounge).
And Santa? He can bring her a camera so she’ll always remember our girl’s weekend.
Original publish date: Dec. 13, 2013.
Downtown Deal Girl: Our New York City weekend
For Deal Girl’s Christmas present this year the two of us spend a girl’s weekend in New York City. We decided to split up the visit between 2 hotels (she likes hotels, and 2 hotels means 2 STAYS, which gets me closer to status for next year) so our first night was at the Hyatt Union Square.
Most of the kid-centric NYC stuff on her wish list (IE Times Square, Toys R Us, FAO, Dylan’s Candy Bar, Etc.) is in midtown or higher, so I had some flexibility with our day on the other end of Manhattan.
Fortunately, right around the corner from the Hyatt is the Strand Bookstore, which boasts 18 miles of new and used books. I can’t say we marched every mile, but Deal Girl and I passed two wonderful hours in The Strand wandering and finding all sorts of discoveries: Mad Libs (which were new to her) for $1.95, Flower pens for 50 cents, a bunch of Mr. Men and Little Miss books to add to the collection ($2-3), and in a bin next to one of the elevators I found the lady above. I took her to the attic where the rarities are housed and the expert up there verified that she’s a lithograph, not a cheap reproduction, but couldn’t give me any hints as to the artist or it’s age…any ideas?
Deal Girl’s one Downtown mandate was our choice for lunch, which was non-negotiable: Peanut Butter and Company.
If you’ve never heard of PB and Co., well, you must not have visited NYC with a kid. The shop itself is postage stamp sized with about six 2 and four seater tables, so don’t expect much…but the sandwiches ARE worth it. Deal Girl is a fan of the fluffernutter, while I recommend the Elvis (peanut butter, banana, honey and…wait for it…bacon). You can actually buy PB and Co on Amazon or at Whole Foods, so save yourself the hassle of carting the stuff home.
Do you have any downtown discoveries to add to the list for our next trip? We really enjoyed the Hyatt Union Square and I’d love to spend more time down there.
Jan. 2014
Kid’tooning with The New Yorker and Mastercard: Priceless, Free, and SO worth the trip!
“So this is a blogger thing, right?” asked my friend Larry between bites of chicken taco brought around by the caterers.
“Nope. Open to the public.”
“So you bought the tickets?”
“Nope. Totally free from Mastercard.”
“So you have one of those super-platinum cards.”
“Nope. Anyone with any Mastercard could have signed up.”
“How do you find out about this kind of stuff?”
“Well, follow The Deal Mommy for one…”
I don’t blame Larry for the confusion. As we were privately signed into the Museum of Arts and Design here in NYC, as we were whisked up to a private suite on the top floor, and as we were served kid-friendly finger foods at tables stocked with sketchpads and colored pencils for our private brainstorming session with cartoonists from The New Yorker I had to pinch myself, too.
Deal Kid, while enjoying the pigs in blankets, didn’t seem too enthused. I mean yes, he loves cartooning, and yes, we shared some guffaws over the The Complete Cartoons of the New Yorker, but 11 year olds are hard to impress. Especially shy ones when asked to participate in group activities. And the first activity the cartoonists led us through was a brainstorming session in which random people, places, and things were shouted out by the kids to serve as inspiration for a series of on-the-spot cartoons we would all create. Deal Kid tried to slide under the table while other kids screamed “pick me!”.
The idea, as explained by the cartoonists, is to get the juices flowing by putting things that don’t belong together in a scenario to see what madness might ensue. Items on the list ranged from Darth Vader to a soccer player at a graveyard or a carnival with lipgloss or a sled, for example. We all had fun playing around with the various options, even Deal Kid, in his own way. While we worked, the kids one by one got to visit with a cartoonist and have a custom cartoon drawn for them. Deal Kid’s features a sledding soccer player on a roller coaster.
Then we were let loose to add in our own ideas. Deal Kid sat pensively over his drawing for a good 20 minutes and came up with his own cartoon.
But the best part? He wanted to show his work to The New Yorker’s staff. I can’t tell you what a big deal this is for a kid who would prefer to blend in with the wallpaper in almost any public situation. Seeing Deal Kid enthusiastically break out of his own comfort zone was SO worth the trip for me. Of course they loved it!
Now to the part you care about: How do I get on the list for such a cool free event? The best way is to sign up for the Mastercard Priceless email that gives you the heads up on events. I’ve linked to the New York one but they have a bunch of cities worldwide.
Dec. 2014
