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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I Downgraded to the Virgin America Visa Signature Credit Card

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Good morning everyone.  A few days ago, the $149 annual fee posted to my Virgin America Premium Credit Card.  I called the number on the back of the credit card to see if there were any retention offers available, but sadly, the rep had no offers available for me.  Instead of closing the credit card, the rep suggested that I downgrade to the Virgin America Visa Signature Credit Card that had a $49 annual fee.

Most of the card benefits are the same for both cards, including the Virgin America $150 off companion discount code, free checked bag, and 20% off in-flight purchases.  The only difference between the credit cards is the Visa Signature credit card does not earn status points (not a big deal since I am Virgin America Gold and Alaska Airlines MVP Gold), I will get charged a fee for changing or cancelling my ticket (I never used this feature when I had my Virgin America Premium Credit Card) and I will be charged foreign transaction fees (I will never use this credit card internationally).

The only reason I kept the credit card is for the Virgin America $150 off companion discount code and my curiosity surrounding what will happen to this credit card when the Alaska Airlines / Virgin America merger is complete.  If my memory is correct, the Virgin America $150 off companion discount code used to only apply to the Virgin America Premium Credit Card, but sometime in the last year, that benefit was added to the Virgin America Visa Signature Credit Card.

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How to Send Money to Friends (or Other Bank Accounts) Instantly with Zelle

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Good morning everyone, I hope your week is off to a great start.  Over the weekend, I had some free time on my hands, so I experimented with Zelle, the rebranded Chase QuickPay / clearXchange money transfer service being used by all the big banks.  Enrolling in Zelle is really easy and the feature is built into most bank apps.  In my 2 tests, I transfered $5 from my Chase checking account to my US Bank checking account, and then I decided to send $1 from my US Bank checking account back to my Chase checking account.  I did everything with the help of the Chase and US Bank iPhone apps.  Here are instructions for sending money from one account to another, or from one person to another with Zelle.  If you have Zelle with a different bank than Chase or US Bank, the process should be almost identical.

With Zelle, you have to have to enroll/link a phone number or email address.  Only one phone number or email address can be used per Zelle account.  I decided to use my email address with Chase and my phone number with US Bank.  I signed into my US Bank app, clicked the menu icon in the upper left corner, clicked Send Money, and clicked Receive with Zelle.  I made sure my phone number was listed and my US Bank checking account was linked.

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Wells Fargo Propel World AMEX Sign Up Bonus Posts Slowly

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Good morning everyone, I hope you all had a great weekend.  In March, I wrote a blog post where I contemplated applying for 10 credit cards during my March App-O-Rama.  In April, I shared the results of my App-O-Rama. And then in May, I wrote My March App-O-Rama Credit Card Sign Up Bonuses Post.  One noticeable exception to that last post was the 40,000 Go Far Rewards Points sign up bonus for my Wells Fargo Propel World American Express Credit Card.  I patiently waited for the sign up bonus to post, but it seemed like the points got lost (insert bad joke that Wells Fargo is still using horse-drawn stagecoaches to deliver sign up bonuses and maybe a bank robber intercepted my points).

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Ebates Flash Cash Back Day: 200+ Stores Offering Extra Cash Back

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Good evening everyone, I was just about to go to bed when I saw an email from Ebates regarding Flash Cash Back Day.  Flash Cash Back Day was created to compete against Amazon Prime Day which begins at 6pm PT on July 10.  During Ebates’ Flash Cash Back Day, you can earn extra cash back (somewhere between 2x and 5x the standard cash back rate) at 200+ stores.  You can see all participating stores here. If you are not a member of Ebates, you can sign up for a free account (my referral link) and earn a $10 cash bonus after you make a $25 purchase.

a screenshot of a cash back dayIf you have any questions, please leave a comment below.  Happy shopping everyone!

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Global Entry Adds Enrollment on Arrival at IAH, HOU, AUS, SFO & YVR

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Good afternoon everyone, happy Sunday.  I recently signed my girlfriend up for Global Entry and she was conditionally approved shortly after that.  Unfortunately, the soonest Global Entry interview time she can get for SFO is early December.  This morning, she received an email from Global Entry (donotreply@cbp.dhs.gov) with the subject line: “Why Wait? Interview for Global Entry When You Arrive.”  She sent the email to me, and since I had never heard of enrollment on arrival, I thought it might be useful for others who are considering applying for Global Entry soon or are waiting for their Global Entry interview.

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Here is the entire email:

Dear Global Entry Applicant,

Starting today, you have the unique opportunity to interview for Global Entry when you return from your next international trip at Houston, Hobby, Austin, San Francisco, and Vancouver.

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