Tag Archives: Cash Back

a colorful streamers and confetti

Travel with Grant Turned 11 Years Old Today!

Posted on by . 4 Replies

Good morning everyone, I hope your week is going well.  I have an exciting announcement: Travel with Grant just turned 11 years old today!  Yup, I started this blog on May 1, 2013 and I can’t believe I’ve had a travel blog for 11 years (I really can’t believe I have done anything for 11 years, let alone blogging).  I am very grateful for all the amazing friends I have met through the miles and points hobby and all the incredible memories I have made along the way.  I appreciate my readers for reading, asking inciteful comments, and sharing helpful tips on my blog posts.  Let’s keep it up for another 11 years, shall we?

If you have a moment, please answer this poll question.  Thank you.

Continue reading →

a logo with a star and a circle

My Easy 2 Day & $100 Global Entry Renewal Process

Posted on by . 4 Replies

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.

a screenshot of a computer

Continue reading →

a black and white logo of a microphone

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

Posted on by . Leave a reply

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.

a collage of photos of a man walking on a dock and a lake

a close-up of a credit card

My Preparation to Close American Express Business Platinum Card

Posted on by . Leave a reply

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).

a screenshot of a computer

Continue reading →

a blue text on a white background

Contact AMEX if Alaska Airlines Seat Assignment / Upgrade Purchases Do Not Trigger Airline Fee Reimbursement Credit

Posted on by . Leave a reply

Good afternoon everyone, I hope your week is going well.  Recently, I noticed that my Alaska Airlines seat assignment purchases on my American Express Business Platinum Card were not triggering the $200 Airline Fee Reimbursement Credit.  I paid for 4 premium economy seat assignments on Alaska Airlines in January and the credits had not posted in the following 2 months.  I went to Frequent Miler’s Amex Airline Fee Reimbursements. What still works? post and scrolled down to the Alaska Airlines section.  There was a note that said:

“Since 2022, there have been many reports of Alaska charges not being reimbursed automatically. It seems that many have had success getting charges for premium seat selection and things that ordinarily should be included (like lounge access, onboard purchases, etc) manually credited via the chat function, but only after 2 weeks has passed since the transaction date. Historical Alaska data included below, but beware that you may need to chat and hope for a friendly agent. See more data in this Flyertalk thread.”

I decided to reach out to American Express for help.

a screenshot of a computer

Continue reading →