Category Archives: Promotions + Deals

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My Easy 2 Day & $100 Global Entry Renewal Process

Good afternoon everyone, I hope your weekend is going well.  On Wednesday, April 24, I logged into my Global Entry account to saw that my Global Entry / TSA PreCheck membership was set to expire this year in November 2024.  Side note: Do you know when your Global Entry / TSA PreCheck membership expires?  Once your membership is within 12 months of expiring, you can begin the renewal process.  In this post, I will walk you through the Global Entry renewal process and show you how long it took (spoiler alert: my renewal was approved in 2 days).  To get started, sign into your Global Entry account and click the Renew Membership button.

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Listen to Grant on the Miles to Memories Podcast (Again)

Good afternoon everyone, I hope your week is going well.  A few days ago, I had the pleasure of being a guest / co-host on the Miles to Memories Podcast.  I spoke with Shawn Coomer (MtM Founder) while Joe Cheung took the day/night off. This was my second time on the Miles to Memories podcast (first time was back on September 24, 2020).  We talked about many different topics, ranging from the JPMorgan Chase Ritz Carlton Credit Card and accompanying Priority Pass membership; closing my American Express Business Platinum Card; upcoming Summer trip to Dublin, Helsinki, and Stockholm; and more.

You can listen and subscribe to the podcast here.  Please let me know what you think of the podcast episode by leaving a comment below.  Lastly, if you want to hear more of my lovely voice, check out my Podcasts & Interviews page.  Have a great day everyone.

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My Preparation to Close American Express Business Platinum Card

Updated 2:20pm PT on 4/24/2024: My $237.77 refund check from American Express arrived in the mail today, 5-6 days after requesting the refund check.


Good afternoon everyone, I hope your weekend is going well. A few days ago, I wrote Contact AMEX if Alaska Airlines Seat Assignment / Upgrade Purchases Do Not Trigger Airline Fee Reimbursement Credit.  That post was in preparation of closing my American Express Business Platinum Card after the $695 annual fee posted earlier this month.  I had already tried my luck at retention offers via AMEX Chat and calling, but the only offer I received was for 10,000 AMEX Membership Rewards Points after spending $5,000 in 3 months.  That retention offer wouldn’t have made a large enough dent toward the $695 annual fee, so I decided to close the card.

I still had a few weeks before the annual fee had to be paid or the card had to be closed, so I was determined to earn as many of the benefits before that date.  Through mid April, I was able to get 4 x $10 Wireless Credits, the $200 Dell Credit for the first half of the year, and the $200 Airline Incident Credit with Alaska Airlines (read the blog post at the top of this post for more details).

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5 Buy Miles / Points Promos Ending Soon: Wyndham (40%), Air France / KLM (70%), Leading Hotels of the World (60%), United Airlines (100%) & Choice (30%)

Good afternoon everyone, happy Friday!  I was working on my Buy Miles & Points Page and found 5 offers that end this month!  Always check the math to make sure that buying miles & points makes sense for you.  Do not buy miles & points speculatively unless you have a use in mind.  With that said, here are 5 offers that end soon.

Up first, Wyndham Hotels is offering up to a 40% bonus, depending on the number of Wyndham Rewards Points you purchase.  This offer expires on April 21.

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My Dilemma: Buy 97K Choice Hotels Points from Daily Getaways for $505 or Transfer 49K Citi ThankYou Points to Choice?

Updated 2:30pm PT on 5/10/24: I was able to buy a 42K Choice Hotels Point package from Daily Getaways on April 29.  The 42K points finally posted to my Choice Hotels account today (May 10).  I transferred 9K Citi ThankYou Points into 18K Choice Hotels Points, and then I booked my 3 night reservation in Stockholm (3 x 20K = 60K points).


Good afternoon everyone, I hope you had a great weekend.  Laura and I are planning our Summer vacation to a few Scandinavian / Nordic countries and I have identified 2 Ascend Hotel Collection properties (part of Choice Hotels) that are bookable for 20,000 Choice Hotels Points per night.  We would spend 5 nights in these properties, so 5 x 20,000 points = 100,000 points.  I currently have 3,000 points in my Choice account, so I need 97,000 more points.  Currently, there are 3 possible options, and I am having a hard time figuring out which path to take, so this is where I need your help.  Please read through this post and let me know what you would do if you were in my situation.

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