Why Radisson is paying me $146 to stay at their hotel tonight
I’m writing this post from my room at the Radisson Lord Baltimore Hotel, where I have taken the Deal Kids for what is known as a “mattress run”. A mattress run is generally defined as a trip you wouldn’t have taken except for the fact that you get bonus points (see also “mileage run”). I like Baltimore, and would have taken the kids to the Aquarium as a daytrip, but wouldn’t have planned a hotel stay in the immediate future. Before you tune me out, follow my math and see how such a trip might work for you.
This room costs me $112, including tax and parking. I would have paid for parking anyway ($16 a day), so the net cost is $96. With this stay I will earn 2000 points in the Club Carlson program (20 per dollar on $99 room rate), and an additional 50,000 by registering for the Radisson promotion I mentioned last month.
Before deciding to take the trip, I thought about The Deal Family’s next year’s travel schedule. Club Carlson points don’t expire for at least three years, but I tend to only think a year ahead. This summer I know Deal Dad is visiting his family in small towns in the Midwest, which have limited hotel coverage.
I have learned that small towns often have the worst hotel rates because they have no competition and know no one is planning a trip to a small town based on price! Conversely, they also have lower point redemption rates than hotels in the big cities as no one is going there on a purely leisure vacation. With this in mind, I searched the towns he needs to visit and lo and behold, there are Park Inns (in the Carlson brand) at 9000 and 15000 points a night that go for $92 and $149 for the nights he will need them next summer.
So here’s the math: $92 +$149=$242-$96 (spent)=$146 net gain for spending tonight in a hotel. That’s not to mention that I’ll still have 28,000 points left over for future trips!
As Deal Kids jump on the bed and relish the novelty of an instant vacation, I reflect on how this would work for pretty much any situation. Most people have at least one hotel stay (a wedding, graduation, etc) they know they’ll be doing in the next year, and I’m just encouraging you to take a second look at the promotions you see. I’ll be sure to keep sending them your way!
(And as a visual reminder, here’s a snapshot from the “miracle on 34th street” here in Baltimore, which I would have totally missed were it not for this trip.)
Original publish date Dec. 29, 2011
Two magic words that got me six first class upgrades last year
(drum roll, please) The magic words are “STATUS MATCH”. What is a status match, you ask? Well, it’s the secret that will get doors opened for you in tourism with very little effort. All you have to do is earn elite status (which you can do automatically with a Platinum American Express Card with ONE hotel and ONE airline and you’ll be able to leverage that with the others. Airlines and hotels fight for business from each other and are willing to give you the same rewards you have earned with a competing company. All you have to do is call or email the loyalty program of the new company and ask. They will usually ask you to forward a copy of your card in the existing program (or an emailed statement showing your status) and then will grant you status in their program. It can take a few days, but can be expedited if you get an agreeable agent.
Here’s how it worked for me to get six free first class upgraded tickets last year. Deal Dad and I have “Silver” status on Delta, which I got without flying by transferring AMEX points. We have no status on United, but were flying on United planes for our vacation to Guatemala. I called United, told them I wanted to Status Match to Delta, and emailed them a screenshot from Delta showing I was a Silver member. A few days later, I logged on to United.com and sure enough, both Deal Dad and I were “Premier” members on United!
Now that we were United Premier members, we were automatically upgraded on three out of the four flights we had on our vacation, which meant we got six free first class upgrades. So, one parent and Deal Kid took turns sitting in first class! The only downside is that our eight year old has gotten pretty spoiled regarding plane travel and now is expecting to fly in the front of the plane. I have to remind him that most eight year olds have never even BEEN on a plane, much less in first class. He’s going to have to get his own upgrades when he grows up.
I have to give credit to a book that taught me about status match: The Penny Pincher’s Passport to Luxury Travel: The Art of Cultivating Preferred Customer Status (Travelers’ Tales Guides). It is super-instructive and an inspiring read for anyone who wants “the best for less”.
Original publish date Jan. 30, 2012
How 15 minutes and $0 got Deal Dad the best gift ever!
I spend a lot of time at The Deal Mommy sharing specific links to deals that come and go in a flash. I do this not because I believe every reader should snag every deal, but to open your eyes to all of the possibilities out there. With that in mind, I want to share the story of Deal Dad’s Christmas gift this year. Maybe it will motivate you to think about how you can use the tips and tricks I provide to add some excitement to your daily lives.
I’ll start with some background. Deal Dad and I both agree that having time away from each other and the kids is a good thing! I’m very good (perhaps too good!) at planning my free time, but DD is not a planner. For this reason, I decided to surprise him with a visit from a childhood friend who lives across the country. This friend lives in a smaller market where good airfares are hard to find. Here’s where creativity and planning come in. I wanted this to be a Christmas surprise, so I started planning this in early October. I contacted DD’s friend to make sure he was available. Time spent: 5 minutes.
I went over to CreditCards.com to look for a card that might help me with some bonus airline miles. I wanted a card without a large minimum spending requirement as I wanted to use the miles quickly, and with no fee for at least the first year. I saw the Citi® Platinum Select® / AAdvantage® World MasterCard®, which gives 30,000 American Airlines miles after only $750 in purchases, and a $100 AA flight credit, with the first year’s annual fee of $85 waived. I applied and was approved instantly. Time spent: 5 minutes.
When the card came, I used my own tips and used the card to charge things like groceries, gas, etc. and got to the $750 spend in the first month. I paid off the bill in full and the miles showed up within a week after payment. Once the miles were there, I went to AA.com and booked the ticket! Time spent: 5 minutes.
All in all, a total of 15 minutes and $0 out of pocket netted me 30,000 miles and $100 flight credit, which I used to book Deal Friend’s trip. The value of the ticket was $450, but the look on DD’s face Christmas morning when he read Deal Friend’s airline ticket (which I had wrapped as his present) was priceless!
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!
Original publish date Feb. 26, 2012.
The Grandparent visit and how I saved $894
Yesterday I mentioned a Priority Club promotion and the idea of buying points in advance as a “hedge”. Today I’m going to show you how I used a Delta hedge to save $894 and make the impossible possible: a last minute spring break Grandparent visit.
We had the idea sitting here on the couch just last Sunday. Deal Dad has a large home improvement project coming up, and Deal Grandpa has experience doing just such a project. While they were on the phone wishing Deal Grandpa could help, I fired up the laptop and did some quick searching to make it happen!
Here’s how: In December, Delta airlines was offering a deal that allowed you to buy points at a penny each. We use Delta quite often and the miles don’t expire, so I spent $1000 to buy 100k of miles, even though I didn’t have a specific use in mind. That’s the hedge strategy at work.
But lo and behold, three months later a possible use came up and I was able to secure two tickets on Delta for Deal Grandma and Grandpa to come visit for Spring Break at 25k each. The exact same tickets cost $697 EACH…an impossible to pay price due to it being over Easter/Passover AND last minute. So, that $500 I spent in December for 50,000 miles now seems like a real bargain!
There’s an ever better twist to this story: Delta charged me $20 in taxes for these tickets, but my American Express Platinum refunded that $20 as part of my $200 annual airline benefit!
Original publish date April 1, 2012.
The College Reunion and how I saved $260
Deal Dad really wanted to attend his college reunion in Iowa over the summer. We could have bought a ticket from DC to Des Moines for $260 (which is actually not a bad price), but I wanted to see if I could use some airline miles to save the cash. I had a bunch of options available to me and thought it might be helpful for you to see my thought process.
1. Pay 25,000 miles for a round trip ticket on Delta, USAir, or United. This was my least appealing option as I value my miles at a penny each (others use higher values, but it’s a good guideline for me) and didn’t want to spend them on a ticket that cost close to their nominal value. Still, using miles earned for free is definitely better than spending cash.
2. Use British Airways Avios to fly on American Airlines (which are distance based). The flight out cost only 9,000 Avios as it connected through Chicago, but the flight back cost 14,000 Avios as it connected through Dallas. Still, 23,000 is a better deal than 25,000.
3. Use a combination of both. Book the Avios leg at 9,000 there, and a United Airlines flight back at 12,500 miles (1/2 of the round trip cost). Cost: 21,500 miles. Bingo!
Now that I’ve decided which flight to book, I had to figure out how to get the miles needed. BA was already taken care of as I had capitalized on the Nordstrom promotion. I didn’t have the United Miles in hand, but here’s where creativity comes in. Deal Daughter had 4600 miles in her United account from our trip to Guatemala last year (tip, make sure EVERY family member has a FF account EVERY time you fly…they do add up!). I added 8,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Deal Daughter’s account, and viola: Free one way ticket on United!
So, the bottom line is this: Diligent collection of loyalty points pays off in the form of Deal Dad re-living his Glory Days and The Deal Family using that $260 on a weekend getaway…I’m thinking about this one to The Glade Springs Resort.
Original publish date April 8, 2012.
My Mother’s day gift…12 days in Europe this summer for $873 including Airfare!
EDIT: I just saved $43 on the car rental , so the total is down from $916 to $873 Woo Hoo!
I wanted to share my Mother’s day gift this year and see if it inspires you for next year! Deal Dad came through, big time, even if I did all of the planning.
So…drum roll…My Mother’s day (and Birthday, and Anniversary, which are both in June) gift is a 12 day vacation BY MYSELF!!!!!! Deal Dad is taking the kids to see his parents, so while they’re catching up on some Grandparent time, I’ll be having an adventure of my own. I’m going to go line by line to show why I chose this trip and how I’m accomplishing 12 days in Europe for a grand total of $916 including Air, hotel, and car.
I’m not telling this story as a brag. As Deal Dad reminds me daily $893 covers pretty much all of my gifts till Xmas. I’m sharing to answer the “how” questions and hopefully to inspire you to think more creatively about how you can accomplish your travel goals.
I’m hopping on an Air France A380 to Madrid (via Paris). After a day in Madrid, I’m headed to Tenerife in the Canary Islands, staying 8 nights, then flying back to Paris. After two days in Paris, I head home just in time to pick the Deal Family up at the airport.
The itinerary: Why Tenerife? Where is Tenerife? Good questions I didn’t know the answers to till last September. Notice this was 9 months ago, which is Tip #1: Plan Early!
The Canary Islands are part of Spain located due West of Morocco. I had very specific dates in July to take this trip and as soon as I knew them, I started scouring for an affordable summer European destination. After doing some reading, I realized the Canary Islands were a great alternative to Spain proper as they are actually in low season in Summer. The Canaries are basically Europe’s Florida. Tenerife was also Columbus’ last stop before he fell off the face of the Earth looking for India and was a hotbed for pirates…two subjects I’m a bit geeky about.
This leads to my 2nd tip: Think about the experience, not the destination. I wanted gorgeous beaches, European experiences and practicing my Spanish, without the crazy price tag. Tenerife checked all of those boxes.
The Flights: I booked an award ticket on Air France/Air Europa using 60,000 Delta Skymiles and paying $181 in taxes. I actually only needed 40,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points since they offered a 50% bonus. You can get the same deal until May 31 on British Airways…I already transferred a bunch over for future travel.
This leads to tip #3: Open Jaws and Stopovers are your friends. A stopover is where you stay in a transit city before taking your next flight, an open jaw is where you fly to one city and depart from another. I used the free stopovers allowed to visit Madrid and Paris for free en route to Tenerife.
The Hotels: I knew I had to get creative and that I couldn’t accomplish 11 nights on hotel points, or pay hotel prices, so I starting scouting for an affordable vacation rental. Fortunately, Expedia had an Ocean View studio in an apartment complex that was very highly rated on Tripadvisor by hundreds who had stayed there for $46 a night. I’m booked for 7 nights there, even though I’m staying on Tenerife for 8. Grand Total: $321.
This leads me to tip #4: Be prepared to make changes if a better deal comes up. Just recently, Marriott announced a promotion that gives you a night free after you stay at two separate properties. I had booked a Marriott property already, in downtown Madrid, for $80 net (after using 20% off Marriott gift cards purchased during the Daily Getaways promotion). So, I only needed one more stay to get the free night. The only Marriott on Tenerife is a Ritz-Carlton, that cost $247 a night. Luckily, with my AMEX Platinum’s Fine Hotels and Resorts program, at that Ritz-Carlton I get free breakfast, an upgrade, and $110 in room credit. So the net for my Madrid and last night on Tenerife stays is $67 (80+247-110 room credit -150 value of the free room).
In Paris, I’m using Priority Club points to stay at a Holiday Inn near the Opera for a net of $96 a night (the cost of the points I redeemed)…a 59% discount on the $234 advance purchase room rate for the same dates. This leads to tip #5: Hedge! If you want to travel later and see a way to get some points or free stays cheaply now, DO IT!
So, let’s total up.
$181 Flights
$581 Hotels for 11 nights (average $53/night)
$111 Rental car for 8 days on Tenerife
Total: $873
This trip could easily be for 2 or even four people, just add $181 each for the airfare taxes.
So, four people could have gotten to Europe this summer for a total of $1459, or $364.75 EACH. It may be too late to do this Summer 2012, but Summer 2013 is just around the corner!
Original publish date May 12, 2012.
How I saved $45 in five minutes. Always recheck your reservations
Just a quick reminder to always re-check your hotel and car reservations as your trips draw near. I recently did a status match to Club Carlson (who owns Radisson, etc.) and received gold status.
Anyone who has been reading my blog knows my trip to Europe is just 10 days away, and it involves 2 nights in Paris. With Gold Status, I qualified for their weekend extend promotion, which is buy one night, get one night free in Europe. They also have 4 for 2.
My room in Paris had originally cost $192 in points bought from this Priority Club promo in April. However, with this 2 for 1 promotion, I was able to get two nights at the Radisson Blu Paris Boulogne, a much nicer hotel than the Holiday Inn I had booked, for $237.50. With my upgrade (free with Club Carlson gold), I might even get an Eiffel Tower view from my room! Yes, this is $45 more, but follow me.
Readers also know about the Radisson promotion where you can get 50,000 bonus points for just one night’s stay. I had already booked a room in Harrisburg to combine with the other two Club Carlson chains promotions, at a cost of $90. With this new promotion, I cancelled this room (now doing two nights next week in Hershey with the kids), and re-booked the new one in Paris. So, I’m saving $45, and still getting the 50k bonus!
And to recap, here’s part one:
For my upcoming trip to Tenerife, I had booked a mini car with Auto Europe for 8 days for $154. (For European car rentals, especially solo, my usual rules get thrown out the window as Auto Europe is pretty much always much less, points or no points).
I got an email from Auto Europe about a “summer sale”, checked my dates and class of car, and lo and behold it had dropped to $131! One quick email later, and $23 goes back on my AMEX. THEN, I got another email with a Father’s Day sale and the price had gone down to $111! That’s an extra tapas meal, AND a souvenir from the Paris Flea markets, gratis!
Original publish date June 17, 2012.
Effective complaining 101, or the case of the missing upgrade
I just wanted to share a story which shows how to effectively manage customer service and that has a happy outcome. Maybe it will help you in your next trip to Dante’s customer service inferno!
I’m flying tomorrow on an economy Delta Skymiles award ticket Dulles to Madrid and was booked on Air France. I got an email from Flying Blue on Friday offering me an 349Euro ($438) buy-up to Business class. I know it’s a total splurge, but figured I could blog about it and have never flown trans-atlantic business class, so I signed up. The email said they would call me if it was available.
I missed a call from number 33712345678. Some googling showed this was Air France customer service in France. No message was left.
I called Air France in the US (reps 1 and 2), they had no idea what I was talking about and sent me to Flying Blue (Air France’s flyer program, rep 3) as it was an award ticket. Flying blue then sent me to Air France customer service (reps 4, 5, and 6 at two different phone numbers) because it was a purchase upgrade! I went around and around and FINALLY (rep 7) found someone who actually worked for Delta answering Air France web support phones.
The Delta supervisor took pity on me because she was literally the 7th person I’d spoken to and I faxed her the offer so she could train her team. She told me there was a switch 3 days ago to Delta reps taking Air France calls on the web support line. She was able to rebook me a Delta flight with the Business class upgrade at no charge!
In this case, I think the magic word might have been “Twitter” when she tried to transfer me yet again and I said “Wait, let me get this clear, you’re sending me to person #8? Just want to be sure I put the correct info on Twitter!” I was willing to pay the 349Euro, but at that point was just getting tired of being jerked around!
So again, the rule with customer service, is “if at first you don’t succeed, hang up and redial!” Most customer service reps WANT to help you, but are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of rules out there that change rapidly. If YOU know what you’re talking about, stick to your guns and eventually you might, just might, find someone who can help you.
Original publish date June 29, 2012.
Club Carlson promo roundup and some thoughts on promotions in general
Just a quick note now that all of my points have posted on the Club Carlson promotions.
Total $ Spent: $387.65
Total points earned: 150,627
Cost per point earned: .25 cents per point
Compare to Cost to purchase points is .7 cents per point
Value if points were purchased: $1054.39
All in all, I’m very happy with the results of this promo. In addition to the points value, I got two great nights in Paris for $109 a night and had an adventure with the kids in Hershey/Amish Country.
A question I’m often asked is “how do you decide which deals to do?” Many bloggers have different answers to this question, but I’ll share mine. Before I decide to go with any promotion I ask myself this question: “Will I have fun?”
For instance, before trekking with the kids to make pretzels and visit Hershey’s Chocolate World, I asked myself “will this trip be fun?” If the answer was no, I wouldn’t have done it, points or no points.
Other bloggers are perfectly willing to check in and check out of a hotel just to earn the points, and if I were the Deal Chick instead of the Deal Mommy I might be so inclined. However, with both time and funds limited, I pick and choose using the above rule. Having fun doesn’t usually steer me wrong!
How 15 minutes and the US Airways Mastercard got Deal Dad the best gift ever!
I spend a lot of time at The Deal Mommy sharing specific links to deals that come and go in a flash. I do this not because I believe every reader should snag every deal, but to open your eyes to all of the possibilities out there. With that in mind, I want to share the story of Deal Dad’s Christmas gift last year. Maybe it will motivate you to think about how you can use the tips and tricks I provide to add some excitement to your daily lives.
I’ll start with some background. Deal Dad and I both agree that having time away from each other and the kids is a good thing! I’m very good (perhaps too good!) at planning my free time, but DD is not a planner. For this reason, I decided to surprise him with a visit from a childhood friend who lives across the country. This friend lives in a smaller market where good airfares are hard to find. Here’s where creativity and planning come in. I wanted this to be a Christmas surprise, so I started planning this in early October. I contacted DD’s friend to make sure he was available. Time spent: 5 minutes.
I went over to CreditCards.com comparison portal to look for a card that might help me with some bonus airline miles. I wanted a card without a large minimum spending requirement as I wanted to use the miles quickly. I saw The US Airways Premier World MasterCard, which gives 40,000 US Air miles after the first purchase. (It’s on page 2 of the link above). I actually recommend applying through this link as it is a first year free-free version of the same offer. I applied and was approved instantly. Time spent: 5 minutes.
When the card came, I used my own tips and used the card right away. I paid off the bill in full and the miles showed up within a week after payment. Once the miles were there, I went to USairways.com and booked the ticket! Time spent: 5 minutes.
All in all, a total of 15 minutes netted me 40,000 miles which I used to book Deal Friend’s trip. The value of the ticket was $450, but the look on DD’s face Christmas morning when he read Deal Friend’s airline ticket (which I had wrapped as his present) was priceless!
A few caveats here: I DO NOT recommend carrying a balance on credit cards, especially on this one as it has a high interest rate. 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!
Original publish date Dec. 24, 2012
Camp Dad 2014: State Fair a Go-Go
Now that Camp Mom 2014 is in the books, I wanted to give a shout out to Camp Dad. I’m not the only one who gets in on the fun!
Let me just start by saying I have the best guy EVER. 4 years ago we made a deal that causes Moms to swoon every time I say it: Odd years: big family trip. Even years: Deal Dad takes to the kids to visit family in the Mid-West and I get to travel solo. Basically, my 40th birthday present was a release from most Oblications and everyone is happier for it.
Now as I finalize plans to Italy, Deal Dad and the kids are preparing for 2 glorious weeks Grandma-ing, AdventureLand-ing, and yes, State Fair-ing. Most of their destinations don’t even have a Hyatt Place, much less a Vendome, but miles and points still managed to save us a lot of money in planning his trip.
Flights: Those who book into small Midwest cities know that lack of competition leads to high prices, and tickets to Deal Dad’s hometown at $300RT are a bargain. With Avios I was able to get one way at 7,500 miles, and with SouthWest I was able to get the other at 6,900. Both are directly transferable from Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Avios has the added bonus of being transferable from AMEX as well. That’s over 2 cents a mile, and why I don’t use points to pay my bills!
Hotels: If you think lack of competition is bad for airfares, it’s absolute murder on hotel prices! I’ve seen barely 1 star Super 8s charge over $150/night in the most Podunk of places, simply because they can. Fortunately, Choice Hotels, one of my European faves, is also strong in the budget hotel category here in the good old USA. I was able to find a Quality Inn with suites where they wanted to be at 16,000 points a night, as compared to rates well over $200 due to proximity to the State Fair. At a 1 to 1 transfer to AMEX that’s a good deal (remember, no taxes/fees on points rates), but I bought some on the June Daily Getaways that averaged the price down to .6 cents a point…MUCH better. (Slightly off topic rant: My hotel in Rome is 10k points a night. Just sayin’.)
BLAZING HOT! Get up to 60 Free $10-$500 Victoria’s Secret Reward Cards! 2014
(Ed note: I had free underwear for nine years thanks to this promotion.)
A couple of weeks ago I mentioned a deal where you spend $13 to get 2 $10 reward cards. Now they’re simply giving them away! Just email promotions@eprizefulfillment.com to request your free code. One request per each email, send up to 60! Details here.
You can spend one per order, or in store per day. If you want to find out the value, just put something in your cart online and use the card to check out. The value will deduct at checkout before you complete the actual transation.
Lifting from my comment replies: The terms read to me as “60 codes total, one per email” meaning email MESSAGE, not ADDRESS since “address” is not specified. I’ve sent more than 10 from one email address and gotten more than 10 “you’ll get your codes in 3 days” response.
Eprize is reputable and manages most sweepstakes for large accounts. The secret rewards code is also a sweepstakes entry, which by law must be free. This is a more “corporate didn’t think it through” than a scam.
HOT Victorias Secret FREE Reward Card (well, 49 cents) Worth $10-$500, Get up to 25, 2015
Ed. Note: I can’t believe they brought this back.
Many of you got in on this amazing Victoria’s Secret Reward Card promotion last year where they gave up to 60 free $10 gift cards away with emails. The Victorias Secret free reward card promotion is back, but it’s a little more restricted this year. However, with a bit of effort, you can get up to 25 $10-$500 reward card for 49 cents each- the cost of a postage stamp.
Last year VS really screwed the pooch on this promotion and they seem to have learned some lessons. For one, they’ve made the process mail-in instead. This means you’ll have to pony up a postage stamp. They’ve also restricted it to one per day (I’m thinking they would use the postmark, so Sundays and holidays won’t count).
So you can make up the 4×6 cards and envelopes required in one fell swoop (I’m “hiring” the Deal Kids for this part at 10 cents each) but you’ll have to mail them one daily. Even so, with this being November 3rd (excluding Sundays and Thanksgiving) if you start today you can still get 26 $10-$500 reward cards for 49 cents each.
Want to make the process even cheaper? Here’s my no-brainer way to save 20% on postage.
Now the cards have restrictions: for one you can only spend one per transaction. Even so, I know many readers got enough free underwear for a lifetime last year. I’m actually wearing a pair as I type this!
Free Victorias Secret Rewards Card Promo is Back! Up to 28 $10+ Gift Cards for 98 Cents Each, 2016
Ed note: SMH that they did this three years in a row.
Perry Platypus gave me a heads up: it’s back! Many of you got in on this amazing Victoria’s Secret Reward Card promotion in December where they gave up to 25 free $10 gift cards away with a mail in entry. The free Victorias Secret reward card promotion is back, but it’s a little more expensive this time. However, with a bit of effort, you can get up to 28 $10-$500 reward card for 98 cents each- the cost of two postage stamps.
Every time VS runs this promotion they learn some lessons. This time, they’ve made the process mail-in WITH A HAND WRITTEN SELF ADDRESSED STAMPED ENVELOPE. You’ll have to pony up 2 postage stamps. They’ve also restricted it to one per day (They use the postmark, so Sundays and holidays won’t count) and have tightened up the “mail one per day restriction”.
So you can make up the 4×6 cards and envelopes required in one fell swoop (I’m “hiring” the Deal Kids for this part at 10 cents each) but you’ll have to mail them one daily. Even so, with the promotion starting Feb. 25 (excluding Sundays) if you start at the beginning you can still get 28 $10-$500 reward cards for 98 cents each. Want to make the process even cheaper? Order your discount postage now!
Now the cards have restrictions: for one you can only spend one per transaction. However, I won a $100 card last time and readers won up to $500! Many readers got enough free underwear for a lifetime last time. I’m actually wearing a pair as I type this! When I spent the cards I went through ebates to get cash back on each transaction. It wasn’t much, but every bit helps!
Rite Aid Hyatt Promotion: Results and Lessons Learned, 2015
After a deal is done, I find it helpful to look over the results and take away any lessons learned for future promotions. Today I’m analyzing the Rite Aid “New Year, New You” promotion that gave 2 free Hyatt nights after $250 spend.
Money Spent
In order the earn 2 free Hyatt nights from Rite Aid “New Year, New You” , you had to spend $250 at Rite-Aid. Using Cardpool I was able to get $250 in gift cards for $225. By entering through Top Cash Back I earned back $4.50, or 2%, for a net cost of $221.50.
Then I was able to use manufacturer coupons. After testing, I learned that the coupons did NOT lower the price credited towards the promotion. I was able to redeem $63 in coupons, taking the cash price down to $158.
The requirement was $250 is “qualifying products”. I tried to keep the purchases to items we normally use, but a few items on the list were priced over what I would normally pay. I’m adding $25 (10%) to my outlays for that reason.
Grand Total: $183
Result
First off, I got $250 worth of stuff we already use for $183. Not too shabby. The Hyatt redemption went more smoothly than I expected. We got our confirmation with date requests 3 days after sending in the codes, then the call booking our first choice came 10 days later. The room I booked costs 12,000 Hyatt Points a night or a cash value of $240.
Verdict: Worth it!
Lessons learned:
- I hate coupons, but they’re a necessary evil. If you’re going for specific items trying to hit a specific target spending amount, clip away.
- Rite Aid reward bucks and in-store coupons are NOT helpful when trying to earn your way to $250. Use them on non-list items only.
- Matching “qualifying products” to sales to coupons to stuff we already use was WAY too time consuming. In the future I’ll have the ad matched up with the coupons before leaving for the store. The issue is that not every item is on a list and sometimes only certain sizes/flavors match the “qualifying item” description. Those items tended not to be on sale.
- I think the promotions are made intentionally difficult as they really don’t have to be so.
- In this case redemption was a piece of cake. If another Hyatt promotion comes along I’d definitely recommend it. However, I’m skipping the February version as the items seem harder to redeem.
Why I Decided to Go for the Marriott Platinum Challenge (Hint: It’s Got Nothing to do with Marriott), 2017
We’re not even out of February and I’m reverting to a bad habit. However, I’ve done the math and I think it makes sense. I’d love to hear your thoughts about the 2017 Marriott Platinum Challenge and why I’ve decided to go for it.
What is the Marriott Platinum Challenge?
Before I tell you my story I should back up a bit and define our terms. In general, loyalty programs offer members different kick-starters to help them get to the next higher level more quickly. Sometimes they’ll match status from a competitor (which worked not so well for Hyatt) but more frequently they’ll offer you a “challenge”. The challenge is to meet a certain number of miles/nights in a short period of time- usually 90 days.
The Marriott Platinum challenge in early 2017 is available to any Gold member who hasn’t gone for a challenge in the past 24 months. (I hear 12 from time to time but was told 24 today.) Most people can get Marriott Gold by matching to their Starwood Gold – obtained via the American Express Platinum Card- or via spend on the Marriott Chase card. You’re required to complete 9 stays (individual hotel stays, not combined nights) in 3 months. To enroll you just call Marriott Rewards at 800-228-2100. I was able to get approved for my first stay the same night.
What you get after the Marriott Platinum Challenge
We’re in a sweet spot in early 2017 for Starwood and Marriott. Each program is distinctive but each matches to the other. Once the programs fully integrate the opportunities won’t be nearly as good. But for now Marriott Platinum will equal Starwood Platinum. Marriott Platinum status earned in 2017 is valid for 2017 and 2018 via multiple sources.
UPDATE: The final word on status expiration, straight from a Marriott Rewards team member:
If a member achieves Platinum Elite status in February or March 2017, the new level would be valid for the remainder of the year it was achieved PLUS the next full calendar year. Elite levels achieved in the month of January are valid for the remainder of the year only.
That’s good in itself, but what really interests me is the airline benefit- Marriott Platinum equals United Silver. United Silver gets you a free bag, economy plus at check in for you and a companion, a higher earning rate and the (slim) possibility of an upgrade. If you have no United status and don’t want to pay for a United credit card- Silver is really helpful.
Here’s where it gets really interesting: Starwood has a similar program with Delta. They don’t officially call it Silver, but the benefits are about the same so let’s call it “Silver lite”. So for the immediate future 9 stays gets you not only Platinum with Starwood AND Marriott, but Silver with United AND Silver lite with Delta. One challenge for 4 elite statuses is hard to resist.
Check your math (mine is pretty good)
Here in DC hotels get cheap on the weekends. I can knock out 9 weekend stays in 5 weekends at an average of $50 net (after points earned). Let’s call it $500 to be safe.
Of course, benefits mean squat if you don’t use them. However, I just happen to have a flight to Puerto Rico late next month on United. Econ + is $69 each way for both me and Deal Kid. $280- over 5 of the 9 stays rebated there.
Things start to get really interesting this summer in Chile and Argentina. The only hotel in Iguazu Falls national park is a Sheraton, and it’s 12,000 SPG points a night for a base room. I’d need a suite or two rooms for the 4 of us, which is 24,000 points a night and with Gold the hotel isn’t known for handing out upgrades. However with Platinum I have a much better shot at getting that suite for the price of one room- it’s not guaranteed, but I have no shot at Gold. On even a one night stay a 12K Starpoint savings is over $200 by my valuation. That one night pretty much takes care the rest of the challenge cost.
In the gravy column is the fact that many SPG hotels in Chile are going down a category this year. In Santiago in July a Platinum has a great shot at a suite. Sheraton suites in Santiago for 7K points a night with the 5th night free? Not bad.
A “stretch” goal for our trip is Easter Island. Awards flights to IPC are few and far between, but for some reason award flights via Easter Island to Papeete, French Polynesia are popping up right now in business class. The best way to book them is on Japan Airlines- only 65K round trip in Business Class, which is a steal. However, Japan Airlines only accepts transfers from SPG.
The Verdict? Marriott Platinum Challenge is worth completing for us even if we don’t step foot in a Marriott again after we do so.
The benefits I’ve calculated are only the ones we already have planned. As with many of you trips come up last minute and who knows where we might end up? The one thing I do know is that Platinum status in two hotel chains and Silver status on two airlines for less than $500 is a no-brainer for us. It’s certainly cheaper than 25 stays in two months at Hyatt!
How I Found United Saver Availability to from Europe to Iowa. In August, 2018
f I ever apply for a job as an award ticket booker, this post will be my resume. Finding United Saver Availability for such an obscure itinerary as Venice, Italy to Des Moines, Iowa is a point of pride.
The Backstory
If you follow my adventures, you know that I’m a huge fan of Camp Mom: extending your trips by keeping the kids overseas for less of the cost of summer camp. So far we’ve done Camp Mom Europe, Camp Mom Asia, and Camp Mom South America.
On the off years, Camp Dad took the kids to see the Grandparents while I traveled solo for two weeks. I’ve done Panama, Tenerife, Puglia and the French Riviera.
This year we are doing Camp Mom and Camp Dad a bit differently. Instead of the entire two weeks, I’m doing half and half: sending Deal Dad and the kids ahead to Grandma’s and joining them a week later after doing my thing in a farmhouse near Venice.
I’ve marveled for years about how it costs more for me to get Deal Dad and the kids to Iowa from Washington DC than it does for me to get to Europe. This year proved to be no exception. One way tickets to Iowa cost $383. Fortunately, I found American Airlines Saver Space.
I also found lots of low-level options to get myself from DC to Venice. I decided to go with Delta because their non-stop from JFK has no surcharges and because I prefer to connect in the US rather than Europe. At 30K plus $5 I’m not gonna complain. (Hopefully JFK has improved since I last had to connect there on Delta.)
The problem arose with the extra wrinkle: I had to get myself back to Des Moines, Iowa from Venice, Italy. In August.
Time to get to work.
How I Found United Saver Availability
I’m going to lay out the steps I took one by one with an generic title, then my specific steps.
1. Evaluate The Currencies
It is always a good idea to burn the currencies that you already have. In my case I had a pretty good stash of both Delta Skymiles and Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Since Chase transfers to both United (Star Alliance) and BA (OneWorld) my options were pretty open.
Note I did not go out of my way to evaluate other programs. While I like a good treasure hunt as much as the next girl, I am not a masochist. My problem here is availability rather than saving a point or two. I would rather solve that first. If you want to go crazy finding the absolute best pricing within an alliance once you find your flights, you be you.
2. Price Out The Unicorn
For a coach ticket departing and arriving on my date, United wanted 70K + $54 and Delta 50K + $180. American actually had a Saver flight listed but it required two connections, a change of airports in London, and $260 in taxes. No thanks.
3. Figure Out The Non-Negotiables
In this case I had to be in Des Moines on a specific date. I wanted as few connections as possible to minimize the chances of muck-ups.
4. Find The Flex
Here’s what I flex, in order of how I flex them:
- Departure/Arrival city: There’s good news here: Europe is full of small airports with good train transportation between them. This is a possible flex point if I need it. Des Moines doesn’t have any alternative airports so no love there.
- Departure/Arrival date: As I mentioned above I didn’t have any flex in the arrival date, but I could leave Venice anytime. Here’s another possibility for flex.
5. Find The Options
Here’s where things get into the weeds. Since I wanted to minimize possibilities for missed connections, I looked for the common airports between my departure and arrival. Obviously I was not going to find any non-stops from Des Moines to Venice. In fact, I knew I was not going to find any non-stops from Des Moines to Europe at all.
So I went for the next best option: finding where I could get a non-stop to Des Moines. To do this I used the airport’s website. Then I figured out where I could get a non stop from Venice using Wikipedia. (Search the airport name and you will find a list of destinations and airlines). Then I looked for matches.
In this case from Venice there was an American Flight to Philadelphia and a Delta flight to Atlanta that each could have connected to a non-stop flight to Des Moines. As I expected, the Des Moines non-stops just were not available to the saver level. In fact, in both cases I could have flown Saver to the gateway- adding Des Moines jacked up the price.
6. Work From The Pain Point
Note this is the opposite strategy than “get over the pond”, which is what I use if I have more flexibility.
At this point I knew the trick would be to find saver availability from anywhere to Des Moines. Using ITA Matrix I looked for non-stop flights arriving into Des Moines from Denver to the East Coast. (Select a city in the mid-west and under “nearby” select 1,000 miles to get an idea). I looked for the latest flights in the day as I figured that gave me the best chance to make a connection.
Doing that I saw United Saver Availability on a flight that left at 7PM from Houston. I ran IAH-DSM through United.com and found a saver seat. I was halfway there.
7. Fill In The Rest
Now I just needed to get to Houston, which is much easier than getting to Des Moines.
By checking Houston Airport’s website, I saw what Star Alliance non-stops from Europe were possible and found one from Frankfurt on Lufthansa. Running that flight through United.com, I found a saver seat.
The last step is getting from Venice to Frankfurt. In order to make the morning flight from Frankfurt I would have to leave Venice the evening before. It’s not perfect, but it does minimize the chance of missing my flight over the pond. Fortunately, the flight is late enough that I can still enjoy the day in Venice. There is also a new MOXY by Marriott at Frankfurt that is only 15,000 points or $69 for the night I needed.
8. Use Multi-City Search to Book (or Call United)
Now that I knew exactly which flights were at United Saver Availability I utilized the the Multi-City search tool. I was able to get the FRA-IAH-DSM to connect properly (see photo above) but when I added the Venice-Frankfurt route the price kept changing.
I verified that I was within the 24 hour stopover rule then called United MileagePlus Reservations. Feeding the flight numbers to the rep I got it booked straightaway for 30K plus $84 in taxes.
9.
Expediting Deal Kid’s Passport for a Stay Credit, 2016
You think I would have learned my lesson when I procrastinated on Deal Girl’s Passport. But 10 weeks out from Spring Break in Gran Canaria and we still haven’t applied for Deal Kid’s new passport. This week I got around to looking for an appointment and learned (again) that it takes at least 6 weeks to get a passport appointment in the metro DC area. That would require expediting the passport and an extra $60: and still would cut it close.
The good news is that I DID learn something from my experience with Deal Girl last year: rural areas have much less demand for passport applications. Ten minutes of research located a post office in a trailer that had an appointment available this Saturday. So instead of spending $60 on expediting a passport we are heading to a Hyatt Place in the outer burbs. By spending $68 we’ll get not only Deal Kid’s passport processed this Saturday (saving the expediting fee) but also get a stay credit and a mini-getaway. A jump on Diamond status while taking care of the to-do list? Win-win!
