Author Archives: Grant

About Grant

Grant is an expert in frequent flyer miles, hotel loyalty points, credit card rewards, and cash back deals. He also has a pretty cool travel blog. Find him on Twitter @travelwithgrant.

Trim Saved Me Another $57 on My Comcast Xfinity Cable Bill ($167 Saved Lifetime)

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Good morning everyone, happy Friday and happy Memorial Day Weekend!  Earlier this week, I wrote Get $25 Utility Bill Credit from Arcadia + Earn 5% Cash Back with US Bank Cash Plus.  In that post, I mentioned that I Use Trim to Save Money on Cable / TV / Internet / Phone Utility Bills.  Trim must have been reading that post because the very next day, Trim saved me another $57 on my Comcast Xfinity cable bill.  As a reminder, Trim will reach out to your utility company (cable, TV, internet, and phone) on your behalf and negotiate a lower monthly cost or get you a 1 time courtesy credit.  In exchange for negotiating a lower rate, Trim takes a cut of the savings.  I received the following email from Comcast Xfinity regarding a credit to my bill.  Laura and I did not contact Comcast recently regarding our bill, so I knew Trim had worked their magic once again.

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Get $25 Utility Bill Credit from Arcadia + Earn 5% Cash Back with US Bank Cash Plus

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Good afternoon everyone, I hope your week is going well.  During the current Coronavirus Pandemic, it is important to save money on everyday purchases.  I recently wrote how to Use Trim to Save Money on Cable / TV / Internet / Phone Utility Bills.  In today’s post, I am going to show you how to save money on your electricity bill with Arcadia and earn 5% cash back paying your bill.  Most electricity utility companies charge you a fee to pay your bill with a credit card, but with Arcadia, you can use a credit card without paying any fees.  Plus, if you have a US Bank Cash+ Credit Card, you can earn 5% cash back (just select the Home Utilities cash back category).  Keep reading to find out how to earn a $25 utility bill credit.

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Hilton Grand Vacations (Timeshare) Package Extended Expiration Date & Free Change to Other US Resorts

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Good afternoon everyone, I hope your week is going well.  This summer, Laura and I were supposed to go to Boston and New York City for a week.  Then the Coronavirus Pandemic hit.  We recently cancelled our entire trip, including our JetBlue award flight from SFO-BOS, our Hilton free night stay in Boston, our Amtrak trip from Boston to NYC, our hotel stays in NYC, and our American Airlines award flight from LGA-DFW-SNA.  Part of our stay in NYC was at a Hilton Grand Vacations resort with the purchase of a timeshare package (and mandatory timeshare presentation).  Fun read: Profiting from 2 Timeshare Presentations in Hawaii (Secret: Attend, but do not Buy!)

Long story short, I originally bought the timeshare package in November 2018 and have extended / renewed it a few times over the years.  After cancelling my NYC timeshare package, I learned about the extended expiration date and the ability to change to another Hilton resort in the US for free.  More details at the bottom of the post.  My original timeshare package was $286 and gave us 2 nights in NYC (choice of 4-5 properties), $100 Spend a Night on Us voucher (hopefully no headaches like last time), $100 Elevated Rewards Dollars (Hilton resort credit during our stay), and 5,000 Hilton Honors Points (worth ~$25).  The original timeshare package expiration date was November 15, 2019.

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2 Strategies for Buying USPS Forever Stamps Online (AMEX Business Platinum Card $20 Monthly Benefit)

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Good morning everyone.  On May 1, American Express introduced many new (temporary) benefits to the American Express Business Platinum Card, including a $20 monthly credit for shipping (which includes USPS, UPS & FedEx) that is valid from May 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020.  A few days ago, I wrote How to Purchase & Print USPS Shipping Labels Online (AMEX Business Platinum Card $20 Monthly Benefit).  I’ve also read a few other blog posts where travel bloggers said that they will buy $20 of stamps every month, even though they have no need for stamps.  I thought it would be a good idea to share 2 strategies for buying stamps online.  Just a heads up, the USPS charges a small $1.30 shipping charge for buying stamps online, but if you would rather avoid the $1.30 fee, you can visit your local post office.

Strategy 1: Buy Stamps Throughout the Year for the Holidays

You might be surprised to know that there are 40 different versions of Forever Stamps currently available for sale on the USPS website, with new stamp designs added throughout the year.  If you are someone who sends Christmas / Hanukkah / holiday greeting cards, there are several options available and you can purchase the necessary stamps monthly throughout the year.  If you live in Alabama or Maine, there are also specific stamps featuring your state.

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Citi Rewards+: 2,500 Bonus ThankYou Points Posted to TYP Account, Not Credit Card Statement

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Good afternoon everyone.  Last month, I received a targeted spend offer on my Citi Rewards+ Credit Card where I could earn 10x Citi ThankYou Points up to 2,500 TYPs for online purchases.  Doctor of Credit wrote about the offer.  Spending $250+ online in a month seemed pretty easy and 2,500 TYPs is worth $31.25 toward TYP travel redemptions, so I activated the offer, made the online purchases, and waited for the TYPs to post.  My credit card statement closed yesterday, so I downloaded the statement and looked at the TYP earning section, but I didn’t see the 2,500 TYPs.  I did some digging and found that the 2,500 TYPs posted directly to my TYP account instead.  I will share my findings below.

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