Author Archives: Shelli

About Shelli

Shelli Stein is a health and fitness entrepreneur who travels the world in search of culture, food, and fun! Besides contributing to Travel with Grant, you can find her at Joy in Movement.

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Buy United Miles with 100% Bonus: Such a Deal!

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“United miles on sale with a 100% bonus…..yes please!” My friend Rich sounded excited. He’s a long-time United flyer. He does monthly commutes from Hawaii to California so he can never have enough United miles. When I saw this sale I let him know about it, and then I took a look at it for myself. I don’t fly United metal very often, though last year I did have a great trip home from Europe in First Class in their now retired plane. I do book a lot of flights through United using Star Alliance partners, though. I’m partial to Star Alliance airlines when I go to Europe or Asia. Sometimes the best and quickest way to top up miles for an award trip is to simply purchase miles from an airline, especially when they have 100% bonus sales going on. We all like to travel more, for less! I keep a list of airline point promos handy to see if they’ll work for me. Depending on your travel plans, this might be worth checking out.

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Marriott Rewards Travel Package Update

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Marriott Rewards official launch day for combining Marriott and Starwood programs came and went, but not without controversy around its Travel Packages. At first Marriott disallowed changes to their Travel Packages and members who had Travel Packages were, to say the least, frustrated by the way Marriott had been communicating all along and especially during the launch period.

Fortunately for Marriott and its members holding Travel Packages, the main two issues have been resolved. Continue reading →

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Are You Protected from the SIM Swap Hack?

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Enjoy sharing your travel adventures with others? Of course you do! So do I. But over time it’s become more and more apparent that we need to be very careful how we do this. And on which mobile device we use. As frequent travelers, one of the most popular ways for sharing our travels is using Instagram. But it’s not just Instagram. Use Amazon, PayPal, or services like Netflix or Hulu on your phone? Then you need to make sure you keep your phone number safe from hackers who SIM swap your phone number and steal it. And don’t link your phone number to your online accounts, either, like Facebook or Twitter. All the major US cell phone providers have introduced new security features. Make sure you implement them. Here’s how!

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Who Sells Uber Gift Cards?

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Have you ever been in the “know” about a topic only to find out you were in the “how did I NOT know about this” with that very same topic? Even though, thanks to Harry, our Uber insider, I’m totally in the know when it comes to all things Uber, I’m not an Uber user myself.

But my cousin is! She uses Uber a lot. So when I wanted to get her a special present, being the practical cousin that I am, I thought an Uber gift card would be the perfect gift. I figured Uber had gift cards since every business these days has gift cards. But I had no idea which stores carried them.

I’m not late to the party of people who enjoy earning extra miles and points on purchases, though it’s entirely possible I am late to the party in knowing about this Uber link. So just in case you’re like me and need gift cards for those Uber using special people in your life (or even for yourself), take a look at this link. I don’t like showing up to stores and finding they don’t carry the gift cards I’m shopping for, and I’d imagine you don’t either. Here’s the link to find a store near you. Just plug in a zip code and you’re good to go. And please, don’t tell my cousin about her upcoming gift!

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Marriott Rewards: New Program Launch Day is Here!

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Though the talk about Marriott and its new combined hotel rewards program has been going hot and heavy all summer, the day is finally here when the new program will finally launch. The combined program will launch tomorrow, August 18. I hope everyone who wanted to book hotels before the rates went up has already done so!

No one has covered this news better and given us easier to understand rewards points lists more than Ric over at Loyalty Traveler. If you’re still confused or need the most up to date information on Marriott’s 8 hotel categories and the hotel point increases, head over here.

One aspect of all combined program I’ve thought about, having been an SPG loyalist for years but not much of a Marriott customer, was how much I’d be affected by this merger.

I took a look at the Marriott stays I had booked and decided to pay with cash instead of points. It’s a better value for me because I use Pruvo and never overpay for my hotel stays and also because I use my Citi Prestige 4th night free benefit and reduce my out-of-pocket costs that way, as well. It’s always good to let math be your friend and see whether points or cash gets you the best value.

Were you able to book some of your favorite Marriott hotels before the prices in points increase tomorrow?