Monthly Archives: April 2014

9 Tips for Making Friends at FTU or other Travel Conferences

FTU SEA

9 Tips for Making Friends at FTU or other Travel Conferences

This is my fourth FTU event, so at this point, I’m a regular.  People ask me why I keep coming and here is what I tell them:

  • Where else can you go where you have a few hundred other miles and points geeks who don’t think you are crazy for having 20+ credit cards, hop from hotel to hotel, and get in Uber/Lyft vehicles with strangers?  If you know of such a wonderful place, please tell me.

Here is my list of tips (off the top of my head) in no particular order:

  • Be 2X to 10X as outgoing as you normally are, when do you get a chance to talk to hundreds of other miles/points geeks at the same time…?
  • Talk about your travel experiences, not just the flat bed in first class or five-star hotel room with your own private butler. Talk about the sights, the smells, the people, and your experiences – whether that are good, bad, or ugly.
  • Don’t be afraid to disagree with other people, we all have our own thoughts , feelings and experiences – just try not to change the other person’s opinion.
  • Get in a free UberX taxi if you can, nothing is as good as 2 free rides.
  • 50% or more of the attendees are locals (2-3 hours away from the host city), you would be surprised by how many local people play this game in your area. Sidenote: always go to local events, you might just meet your new best friend.
  • Travel friends are the best friends to have, you never know what kind of adventures you will go on.
  • Try to get to the show early and stay through the end on Sunday, you don’t want to miss anything. The secrets you find out during the small private conversations you have with other attendees.
  • Good opening sentence: is this your first time to FTU? Where did you fly from? What are your thoughts on blank and blank?
  • Try to stay in touch with the people you meet at the shows, they might be your next travel buddy or offer you a place to stay if you are in their home town.  Who knows?

I’ve met people at FTU events and later booked a vacation with them.  I’ve helped people meet minimum spend requirements and hotel hopped for other people.  It truly is a crazy world out there!

With that said, I hope to see some of you at the next FTU event or Chicago Seminars.  Have a great weekend everyone!

Frequent Traveler University (FTU) Seattle This Weekend (April 25-27)

FTU SEA

Frequent Traveler University (FTU) Seattle This Weekend (April 25-27)

Good evening everyone, this is just a heads up that I will be in Seattle this weekend for Frequent Traveler University – a travel convention for miles and points junkies (agenda).  The event is sold out, but hopefully you can make it to a future FTU event or the Chicago Seminars.

I am also getting my Global Entry tomorrow morning, which I am very excited about, compliments of my Mercedes Benz Platinum American Express Credit Card.

If you see me this weekend (you will recognize me by my Travel with Grant t-shirt), come say hi.  I can’t promise I will tell you any secrets, but I can’t promise I won’t (just depends how many beers I have tomorrow night).

I am staying at the Seattle Airport Hilton ($50 + 12,000 Hilton HHonors Points per night) which is walking distance to the Seattle Airport Marriott.  Let me know if you are going and if you are staying at the Hilton.  Gunna be a fun weekend, hope to see some of you there!

Keep Track of Bluebird/Serve Transactions

BB to Bills

How to Keep Track of Bluebird/Serve Transactions

Download link for Bluebird-Serve-Transactions.xlsx

If you are juggling more than 1 Bluebird or Serve Card, it can be difficult to keep track of all your recent loads, bill payments, transfers, deposits, withdrawals, etc.  If you need a little help keeping it all straight, download the Excel file above.

I have it set up for 3 Bluebird/Serve Cards, but you can add or remove columns if you wish.  I enter my Bluebird or Serve user name and password for each card along with the actual card number.

3 BB Accounts

Read the entire post here.

Keep Track of Bluebird/Serve Transactions

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BB to Bills

How to Keep Track of Bluebird/Serve Transactions

Download link for Bluebird-Serve-Transactions.xlsx (Excel 2010 / 2013 Format) or Bluebird-Serve-Transactions.xls (Excel 2003 / 2007 Format).

If you are juggling more than 1 Bluebird or Serve Card, it can be difficult to keep track of all your recent loads, bill payments, transfers, deposits, withdrawals, etc.  If you need a little help keeping it all straight, download the Excel file above.

I have it set up for 3 Bluebird/Serve Cards, but you can add or remove columns if you wish.  I enter my Bluebird or Serve user name and password for each card along with the actual card number.

3 BB Accounts

Here is the important part, entering and classifying Bluebird/Serve transactions.

3 BB Transactions

Here is what each abbreviation means:

  • WM – Walmart
  • RL – Reload
  • VRC – Vanilla Reload Card (probably not going to use those anytime soon)
  • CB – Current Balance in Bluebird/Serve account
  • Hold – Hold funds in account for now
  • BP – Bill Pay, followed by the name of the credit card or account
  • TR T – Transfer To, followed by a name
  • TR F – Transfer From, followed by a name

The color coding makes it a little easier to use too:

  • Black – Loading, either online or in-store (I tend not to enter online credit/debit card loads)
  • Red – Bill payment or transfer out of my Bluebird/Serve account
  • Blue – Current balance in Bluebird/Serve account (I always leave money in my account, I don’t like to show a $0 balance)

With this spreadsheet, you can easily track how much money you have loaded per month so you never try to load more than $5,000 per month at Walmart and avoid that awkward feeling.  This is also a good way to keep track of all your bill payments, especially if you have several different bill payers.

At the beginning of each new month, I will put a black box across the bottom, so I know that the above transactions do not effect transactions below the black boxes.  Or you can just delete all the previous months transaction data, whatever is easier for you.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.