Category Archives: Hotels + Points

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Track IHG Nightly Award Rates & Rebook When Prices Drop (My Recent NYC Example)

Good morning everyone, I hope your week is going well.  Last week (Thanksgiving Week), Laura and I spent 4 days in New York City.  We stayed at the conveniently located Crowne Plaza Times Square IHG Hotel which is close to Times Square, the Theater District, the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, and several subway stations (which you can take to JFK via Jamaica Station and the AirTrain).  We stayed at this hotel last March during Laura’s Spring Break, so we knew the area well.

I used 2 IHG Free Night Certificates from my Chase IHG Business Credit Card and the Chase IHG Select Credit Card (no longer available) along with IHG Points.  Nightly award prices vary dramatically (see the nightly prices for award stays in December 2024), but I closely tracked the nightly prices over a few months and rebooked my stays a few times whenever the award price dropped.  Whenever I book a hotel stay of more than 1 night, I always book my stays in 1 night increments since it is much easier to cancel and rebook 1 night at a time.  At check in, the front desk agent linked the stays together and kept us in the same room for the duration of the stay.  You could also call, email, or text the hotel ahead of time to let them know about the multiple back to back stays.

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ExpressVPN Cyber Monday Deal: Get 6 Extra Months Free with 24 Month Plan

Good afternoon everyone, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!  Cyber Monday is here and ExpressVPN wants to get the party started.  ExpressVPN normally offers a 1 month free trial when you become a member, but during this promotion, you can get 6 extra months free when you purchase a 24 month planI have been using ExpressVPN since November 2016 and I love their desktop, laptop, and mobile app.  With data breaches occurring frequently, I think it is very important that we do our best to protect ourselves when we are online, whether that is at home or on the road.

I always use ExpressVPN when I am on free public wifi at hotels, airports, and lounges to protect my data.  ExpressVPN works very well when I travel internationally.  I connect to a VPN in the United States and then I can access streaming services that work in the US but are restricted / blocked internationally.  Lastly, since I am on the West Coast, I occasionally connect to a VPN in New York and watch TV shows that are airing on the East Coast.

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Buy Miles / Points Promos Ending Soon: Hilton (100%), Wyndham Hotels (60%) & Many More in December

Good afternoon everyone, happy Friday!  I was working on my Buy Miles & Points Page and found 2 offers that end this month and many more end in December (see the list at the bottom of this post).  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 2 offers that end soon.

Up first, Hilton Hotels is offering up to a 100% bonus, depending on the number of Hilton Honors Points you purchase. This offer expires on November 27.

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5 Buy Miles / Points Promos Ending Soon: Hawaiian Airlines (100%), Air Canada (30%), Avianca (160%), Wyndham (10%) & United (100%)

Good afternoon everyone, happy Friday! I was working on my Buy Miles & Points Page and found 5 offers that end in the next week.  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, Hawaiian Airlines is offering up to a 100% bonus, depending on the number of Hawaiian Airlines Miles you purchase. This offer expires today – November 15.

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Around the World in 24 Days: Day Two

Buenos días everyone, reporting in from Day Two of my quest to become a SAS EuroBonus Millionaire! Today is the most intense travel day of the entire journey, with four flights on three different airlines (and three separate tickets). Fortunately, everything has gone off pretty much without a hitch.

Day Two: LHR-AMS-MAD-BCN-CPH

Although I’d set my alarm for 5am, I woke up at 4:20am and didn’t feel like sleeping any more, so I took another shower and ate the rest of my snacks from Marks and Spencer before rolling out of the hotel around 5:10am. I quickly swung by the ticket counter to pick up a paper boarding pass and confirmed that my SAS number was on the reservation, then headed to security.  Security was quick, and I was at a newer machine where I only had to take out my bag of 100ml liquids (my electronics stayed in the bag). I picked up a bottle of water at WH Smith and then headed to my gate to board. Continue reading