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.

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How to Combine SPG & Marriott Accounts (Points, Lifetime Status & Free Night Certificates)

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Good morning everyone, happy Friday!  I’m not a huge fan of SPG or Marriott and didn’t give too much thought to choosing a reward package, so I’m far from an expert when it comes to the SPG / Marriott merger.  But I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night…  But I did just combine my old SPG / new Marriott account with my existing Marriott account, so I wanted to show you the steps and share some of the interesting things about the combination process.  First thing first, I signed into my new Marriott account (old SPG account) and it shows that I have 3,495 Marriott Rewards Points, which sounds right, since I did have 1,165 SPG Points in my account.  It also shows 2 “Standard Redemption Rate” awards – I’m not sure what those are, but I think they are related to my 2 SPG award stays booked on July 11.

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Visit San Francisco’s Newest Attraction: Salesforce Park

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Good morning everyone.  On Monday, I finally got to experience the brand new Salesforce Park, the newest attraction in San Francisco.  The bottom levels are the new Salesforce Transit Center and the top level is the new Salesforce Park.  The park is surrounded by Salesforce buildings and is a short walk from Embarcadero Bart, Montgomery Bart, and the SF Ferry Building.  If you are planning to visit San Francisco, I highly recommend visiting the new Salesforce Park.  It is free to visit and is open everyday from 6am to 9pm.  I walked the entire park path in 13 minutes and that included taking in the sights and taking a few photos.  There are lots of tables, chairs, green spaces, and activities throughout the day.

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Up to 50% Bonus on Alaska Airlines Miles (Expires October 4)

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Good afternoon everyone.  Yesterday, I received an email from Alaska Airlines stating that they have a mystery buy miles promotion with up to a 50% bonus.  I was curious if I was targeted for the 50% bonus offer, and it looks like I was.  I know a lot of people chose Alaska Airlines when they purchased their Marriott Rewards Travel Packages, but if you still need more Alaska Airlines miles, now is the time to buy more.  A 50% bonus is very generation from Alaska Airlines, so check to see if you were targeted for the 50% bonus.  Always remember to check your math before purchasing miles and points and make sure you have a redemption in mind.

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Buy Points Promos: 40% Hyatt Bonus & 100% IHG Bonus Ending Next 24-48 Hours

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Good afternoon everyone.  I have 2 buy points promos that are ending in the next 24-48 hours.  The first is with Hyatt.  Hyatt is running a mystery offer where you can buy Hyatt points and get up to a 40% bonus.  This offer ends tomorrow (August 21), so if you need Hyatt points, you need to act fast!  You might be targeted for a higher or lower buy points promo, so check the math to see if it makes sense.

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Chase IHG Premier Credit Card $50 Statement Credit Posted (1 Week After First Purchase)

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Good afternoon everyone, I have a quick update to my recent post: Get Matched to the New Chase IHG Rewards Premier 100,000 Point Sign Up Bonus.  In that post, I sent Chase a Secure Message (SM) and got matched from the 80,000 IHG Points sign up bonus to the 100,000 IHG Points sign up bonus.  In the comments section of that post, readers wanted to know if I would still get the $50 statement credit after my first purchase if I accepted the higher sign up bonus offer.  I’m happy to report that the $50 statement credit posted a few days ago.  My first purchase posted on August 7 and the $50 statement credit posted on August 13, roughly 1 week later.  My $89 annual fee posted on August 1, which is roughly 2 weeks before the $50 statement credit posted.

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