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Travelling Internationally? Get an International Driving Permit (IDP) at AAA for $20

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Good afternoon everyone.  I will be in Tahiti & Moorea in a few months and booked a rental car for my trip.  After I booked the rental car, I decided to get an International Driving Permit (IDP) from AAA (Automobile Association of America).  I was worried the process was going to be similar to a trip to the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles), but I am happy to say that the process was 100x more pleasant.

According to the AAA website, “Your IDP is a valid form of identification in 150 countries worldwide and contains your name, photo and driver information. It translates your identification information into 10 languages — so it speaks the language even if you don’t. Most countries highly recommend an International Driving Permit.”  In addition, “Many countries require an IDP to drive legally. Fines for driving without an IDP can be quite costly. Check countries requirements before travel. ”  For $20, the IDP seemed like a no brainer (the cost is $20 whether you are a AAA member or not).  Here is how to get your IDP quickly and easily from AAA.

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Image source: https://www.aaa.com/vacation/idpf.html

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Reality Check: My Dilemma Booking $200+ Hotel Room (But $200+ Flights Are No Problem)

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Good afternoon everyone.  My last reality check post was pretty popular (Reality Check: Traveling with Non-TSA PreCheck Travelers Sucks) so hopefully you guys enjoy this post and I get some good feedback from you guys.  Here is some background info and how I think.  I love nonstop flights and tend to book those even if they are not the cheapest option.  Booking flights under $100, under $200, and under $300 do not bother me at all, but when it comes to booking a hotel room, I find it hard to justify paying $200+ for a hotel room.  For the nonstop flights that I tend to book, using miles is not ideal.  Either the flight is so cheap that I would be getting a terrible value using miles (like a $100 Alaska Airlines flight vs. 12,500 Alaska Airlines miles) or only standard awards are available (like a $200 United Airlines flight vs. 25,000 United Airlines miles).  I mostly fly Southwest Airlines and have a stockpile of Southwest Airlines gift cards (thanks to airline reimbursements from American Express Business Platinum, American Express Hilton Aspire, and Chase Southwest Airlines Priority) and discounted gift cards sold on eBay, along with many Southwest Airlines travel credits that I need to use before they expire.  When I fly Southwest Airlines, I always use up my travel funds and then redeem Southwest Airlines gift cards.  In those instances, those Southwest Airlines flights seem much cheaper to me than the original price.

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Targeted Spending Offers for US Bank Radisson Rewards Business & Personal Credit Cards

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Good morning everyone, happy Friday! I’m heading to Las Vegas this weekend to do some hiking and watch the Golden Knights NHL game.  I hope you have a fun filled weekend ahead too!  Yesterday, I received 2 targeted spending offers from US Bank regarding my US Bank Radisson Rewards Business Credit Card and US Bank Radisson Rewards Visa Signature Credit Card.  I will go through both offers and tell you what I think of each offer.  If you received different targeted offers, please let me know in the comments.  Without further ado, let’s go over the targeted spending offer on my US Bank Radisson Rewards Business Credit Card.

After spending $2,000 on the credit card, I will earn 3 bonus points per dollars, up to 5,000 bonus points.  I would need to spend an extra $1,666.67 to max out the 5,000 bonus points.  In total, I would need to spend $2,000 + $1,666.67 = $3,666.67 and earn 23,333 points ( [5 x 2,000 = 10,000] + [8 x 1,666.67 = 13,333], 10,000 + 13,333 = 23,333).  If I spent $3,666.67 on my Citi Double Cash Credit Card, I would earn $73.33.  So $73.33 cash back vs. 23,333 Radisson Rewards Points.  According to Frequent Miler’s Reasonable Redemption Value table, Radisson Rewards Points are worth 0.38 cents per point, so 23,333 points is worth $88.67, or only $15.34 more than the cash back.  I’m currently sitting on a stash of 146k Radisson Rewards Points, so I do not want/need any more points.  If you value Radisson Rewards points at more than 0.38 cents per point, you might be interested in this offer.

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Buy Miles/Points Promos Ending Soon: IHG (75%), United (85%), Etihad (20%) & Southwest (40%)

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Good afternoon everyone.  I was working on my Buy Miles & Points Page and found a few offers ending soon.  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 4 buy miles/points promos ending this week.  First up, IHG is offering up to a 75% bonus, depending on the number of IHG Rewards Club Points you purchase.  This offer expires today – February 28.

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How to Calculate Discover It Credit Card Bonus Category Spend

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Good morning everyone.  Today is the last day of February, so we are 2 months into the year and 2 months into the first quarter.  I wanted to check the spending on my Discover It Credit Card and see how much I have spent toward maxing out the grocery store bonus category.  Every quarter, you can earn up to $75 cash back on up to $1,500 in spend.  Discover has made it really easy, you can see your bonus tracker here.  Based on the $21.92 in cash back, I assume I have spent $438.40 at grocery stores.  But that might not be 100% correct…

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