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 Booked SFO-JFK Virgin America First Class for 25,000 AS Miles not 62,708 VX Miles

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Good evening everyone.  I’m really excited that Virgin America flights are now booking with Alaska Airlines miles.  I have had my eye on a SFO-JFK flight around Labor Day Weekend, but I was waiting for an airfare sale before booking.  I was leaning toward JetBlue or Virgin America since I have lots of miles with those airlines, but I was just waiting for the price to drop.  Here are the current prices for a one way flight in economy, business, and first.  I’m not sure why some flights fall into business class and not first class, but whatever.

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60,000 LifeMiles Posted After My First Avianca Vuela Credit Card Purchase

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Good morning everyone, I hope you all had a great weekend.  Last month, I was instantly approved for the Avianca Vuela Credit Card and wrote PSA: Call to Activate Avianca Vuela Credit Card & Confirm 60K LifeMiles Sign Up Bonus.  A few days ago, my Avianca Vuela Credit Card statement closed and I was excited to see the 60,000 LifeMiles from the signup bonus.  Unfortunately, my LifeMiles account number was not listed on my credit card statement and I did not input a LifeMiles account number on the credit card application when I applied for the credit card.  I called the customer service number on the back of the credit card to find out what LifeMiles account number was linked to my credit card.  After answering a few security questions, the rep gave me my LifeMiles account number.  Now, I just needed to log into my LifeMiles account to see if the 60,000 LifeMiles posted to my account.

To sign into your LifeMiles account, DO NOT go to the Avianca website.

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Instead, go to LifeMiles.com and click the Get Your Password link.

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When will my 40,000 Bonus Club Carlson Anniversary Points Post to my Account?

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Good afternoon/evening everyone.  I know what you are all thinking… how long does it take for Club Carlson to post the 40,000 bonus anniversary points to my account?  That is a great question and I am happy to say you are in the right place to find out.  I have both the US Bank Club Carlson Visa Signature Credit Card and the US Bank Club Carlson Business Credit Card, so I can share those 2 data points with you.  Up first, let’s look at the US Bank Club Carlson Visa Signature Credit Card.  The $75 annual fee posted on November 2, 2016…

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Guest Post: 600 Euro Compensation for Delayed Flight in the European Union (EC261/2004)

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Good morning everyone, I hope your weekend is off to a great start.  I am home in San Francisco this weekend and it is supposed to rain all weekend.  Therefore, I plan on posting and scheduling several blog posts over the next 48 hours.  This first post is from my close friend Jim who is a long time traveler and travel hacker.  We actually have a trip to South America together next weekend (more info to come).  He was recently on a delayed United Airlines flight and he shared his experience with me regarding claiming 600 Euros (~$633).  Enjoy the guest post!

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My Outrageous 2017 Travel Predictions + Reader Ideas Needed

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Good morning everyone, I’m sorry for the delay, but I have been diligently thinking about my 2017 travel predictions.  I am going to channel my inner Nostradamus to come up with some outrageous travel predictions for 2017.  Doctor of Credit has a good resource for all other 2017 travel predictions.

Disclaimer: I have made some travel predictions in previous years and I am more often wrong than right, but that losing streak has not dampered my prediction spirit.  To see how bad I am at making predictions, please read A Look Back at my 2016 Predictions (Airlines, Hotels, Credit Cards & MS).  I consider myself an optimistic pessimist (I prepare for the worst, but hope for the best), so these travel predictions will sound depressing.

Airlines

  • Southwest seems bent on making the Companion Pass very difficult to get unless you fly Southwest every week.  I believe credit card signup bonuses will no longer count toward the Companion Pass and Southwest might kill the whole concept of the Companion Pass entirely or switch to a certificate program similar to the Alaska Airlines companion fare or Virgin America companion ticket.
  • Other airline credit cards will adopt the Alaska Airlines companion fare (you pay full price and your companion pays up to $120) or the Virgin America companion ticket (you pay full price and your companion pays full price minus $150).

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