Random News: Ads Coming to TWG, Free Paper from Staples, Expiring Hotels.com Credits, Chase Marriott Retention Offer Letter, Uber Airport Rides, British Airways Avios Award Cancellations, and New AMEX Offers

Good evening everyone, let’s get to today’s random news…

First off, as I slowly transition under the Prior2Boarding / BoardingArea umbrella, you will probably notice some changes, like the Prior2Boarding banner showing up at the top of my blog.  I will remain self-hosted, so all my page URLs will stay the same.

I have some bad news for those of you who hate ads (probably all of you).  I have partnered with BoardingArea to show their ads on my blog.  You will see them in the coming days on the right hand side of my blog and toward the bottom of the blog.  If you use an ad blocking software/plugin, I won’t be mad.  I actually use Chrome’s Adblock Plus myself.  If the ads are really annoying, distracting, or obstructing content, please let me know ASAP and I will fix them.  Thank you for understanding.

Now to the good stuff…

Like clockwork, Staples has another ream of paper that is free after rebate and coupon.  These reams go for about $2 at garage sales, so stock up!

I have a dilemma that I hope someone can help me with.  I have a Hotels.com account and I have 3 stays expiring November 11.  Is there anyway I can extend the expiration date besides booking a hotel room?

I typically book cheap hotel stays, so my average stay is $105.  Actually, I booked these stays for my brother, so technically it won’t cost me anything if these stays expire.  But still, is there anything I can do to extend the expiration date without booking a cheap mattress run to keep my account active?

I received the following letter today from Chase regarding my Chase Marriott Premier Rewards Credit Card retention offer.  For more details, please read Chase Marriott Rewards and Chase Southwest Airlines Premier Credit Card Retention Successes.  I already spent $1,000 on this card and am now waiting for the free night certificate (Category 1-4 only) to post to my Marriott account.

I really should have included this in part 1 of my weekend trip to Cabo (link).  I got a great deal on a ride to the airport.  After UberX discount and $10 Uber credit, it only cost $2.59.  Since I used my Membership Rewards earning credit card, I will earn 2x on this purchase.  5 Membership Reward points here I come!

Read Jennifer’s post on what it is like to be an Uber driver: 24 Hours as an UberX Driver

If you are new to Uber, sign up today and get $30 off your first ride (link).

I wrote a post a few months ago called 6,000 British Airways Avios + $163 for Phily to Paris.  Turns out I need to cancel or reschedule this flight since my plans changed.  Since I used Avios and Cash (the last option where you use the least number of Avios and the largest amount of cash), it is slightly trickier to cancel.

On BA’s website, the fee for changing the date/time is the same amount as the fee to cancel/redeposit the Avios.  It looks like if I call to change the date/time or cancel/redeposit the Avios, there is an additional $25 fee?  Am I reading this correctly?

Since I paid $163 in taxes/fees and cash copay, it is probably cheaper to officially cancel/redeposit the Avios than the usual cancel online and only lose the small taxes/fees.

Lastly, here are a bunch of AMEX Offers that caught my attention:

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.  Have a great evening!