Earlier this month, I wrote about the 20 % transfer bonus promotion SPG was running, which is ending today. Typically, SPG members earn a 5,000 point bonus for every 20,000 points transferred to airline miles (essentially a 25% bonus). During this promotion, members who transfer their points to American Airlines or US Airways earn a … Read more
One of the most frustrating parts of using shopping portals for manufactured spending is waiting for the payout. I love the Alaska shopping portal because points usually post within 3 weeks. I wish that were the case for cash back portals. Back in April, I wrote about how you could purchase $200 Visa gift cards … Read more
Earlier this week, my extended family and I took a road trip to Monterey/Carmel. My aunt and cousin are visiting from Germany and we wanted to show them around a bit. So 12 of us loaded into (several) cars and took off for the coast. I had looked into possibly booking the Hyatt Carmel Highlands, … Read more
This week, my aunt and cousin are visiting from Germany. When you’re staying with family, it’s often tough to get around and do the tourist thing. So today, my cousin decided he was going to rent a car and go to San Francisco for a day or two. He wanted a rental car so he … Read more
One of the key benefits of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card has been the annual 7% dividend. It’s paid out annually on all point earnings. This payout wasn’t significant for folks who were using the card for everyday spend, but for those involved in manufactured spending, this bonus could be big enough to offset the … Read more
Thank you to all who participated in this past week’s $100 Hyatt Gift Card Giveaway! By the end of the week, there were 634 entries, which is a great turnout. I’m happy to announce the winner of the giveaway, according to random.org, is Steve K, who indicated he would be using the gift card at … Read more
When you’re just a few stays or nights short of status, you may find yourself contemplating a mattress run. For those unfamiliar with the term, it’s when you check in and out of a hotel just for the purpose of earning points and/or elite status. Why would you do this? Having elite status with a … Read more
If you’re new to the world of points and miles, you’re probably overwhelmed by all the information available. It seems like everyone in this game is speaking a different language and nobody is stopping to translate for you. I was in your shoes a few years ago, and look at me now doling out advice … Read more
I ran a post on this last week on Frugal Travel Guy, thinking it would end soon but it’s still around: Travelzoo is running a pretty amazing promotion on the Four Seasons Resort The Lodge at Koele, with rates of just $173 per night, including daily breakfast for two and wifi. This is pretty incredibly, … Read more
Anyone who knows me know what a huge Hyatt fan I am. They don’t have the largest hotel portfolio or the most generous award program (that honor goes to Club Carlson), but they do make up for their small portfolio with quality. Not only do they have some amazing properties worldwide, like the Park Hyatt Sydney, … Read more