Good morning everyone. Last week, I was flying back from Salt Lake City (SLC) to Oakland (OAK) on Delta. The flight was oversold, so the gate agent was looking for a few volunteers to take a later flight (depart SLC at 10:30pm, land in OAK at 11:30pm) in exchange for a $700 gift card. Since I didn’t need to get back to OAK right away, I asked the gate agent if I could take a morning flight into OAK (depart SLC at 8:30am, land in OAK at 9:30am – I would then take BART into SF for work) and I also asked for a hotel voucher for the night. The gate agent said that was possible, so he added me to the volunteer list, and I waited near the gate for all passengers to board. After all passengers boarded the flight, the gate agent called me up, changed my flight to the new morning flight, printed out a hotel voucher, and showed me the list of gift cards that I was eligible to claim. I didn’t take a photo of the laminated sheet on the counter, but I believe these were the same gift cards that were offered. I decided to go with an American Express gift card since that was basically cash to me.
Tag Archives: Cash Back
Success! Airbnb WORKS with US Bank FlexPerks Real-Time Rewards (Special Circumstance?)
Good morning everyone, I hope you had a great Memorial Day Weekend. I had delicious clam chowder in Bodega Bay and then BBQ’d chicken and corn at home. Last week, I got an email from Airbnb about paying for the second half of an upcoming Airbnb stay in Tahiti. I don’t use Airbnb very often, but apparently you can split your Airbnb payments into 2 parts (pay half when you reserve your Airbnb and pay the other half a few weeks before you arrive at the Airbnb). I had a stash of FlexPoints from my US Bank Altitude Reserve Credit Card and recently enrolled in Real-Time Rewards (for the 500 free FlexPoints). I was hoping I could redeem my US Bank FlexPoints for 1.5 cents each with Real-Time Rewards to cover the Airbnb payment. I clicked the Update Payment Details button at the bottom of the email and paid $804.69 with my US Bank Altitude Reserve Credit Card.
Frequent Traveler University (FTU) Signature Chicago June 1-2 ($30 Off with Code PIZZA + Free Pizza Dinner)
Updated 10am PT on 5/15/19: The new promo code PIZZA will save you $30 on your FTU ticket, but you must purchase by 5/17/19. You will also get a free pizza dinner on Friday, May 31 (attendees will get a RSVP email prior to the event, limited to first 75 participants to register, includes assorted pizzas and soft drinks).
Updated 6am PT on 4/24/19: The new promo code SPRING will save you $25 on your FTU ticket, but you must purchase by 5/13/19.
Updated 11am PT on 4/11/19: The new promo code EASTER will save you $30 on your FTU ticket, but you must purchase by 4/22/19.
Good morning everyone. I had a great time at the last Frequent Traveler University (FTU) in Seattle and I am happy to announce that the next travel conference has been announced for Chicago on June 1-2 at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare Chicago. You can learn more about the event and purchase tickets here. Use promo code EARLYBIRD by April 10 to get $35 off your FTU ticket. If you are one of the first 75 people to book your ticket, you also have access to a free pizza dinner at Barnaby’s on Friday evening (May 31). I love going to travel conferences, listening to speakers, meeting blog readers, and catching up with good friends, but sadly, I am busy that weekend. My fiance is a teacher and that is the first weekend of her summer vacation, so we are heading to Tahiti and Moorea for a few days of fun in the sun.
Use Chase Southwest Airlines Priority Credit Card to Purchase SWA Upgraded Boarding (4 Free Annually)
Good morning everyone, I hope you had a great Mother’s Day weekend. I flew Southwest Airlines down to Orange County to visit my family for the weekend. I also had the chance to use my Chase Southwest Airlines Priority Credit Card to purchase an upgraded boarding position (A1-A15) for my flight. I normally do not purchase upgraded boarding (I can usually get an A or early B boarding position when I check in), but the Chase Southwest Airlines Priority Credit Card provides 4 free upgraded boarding credits every year and my annual fee was coming up soon. On my May statement, I saw this message about the $149 annual fee that is scheduled to post on June 1.
If I pay an annual fee on a credit card, I like to maximize all the benefits/features and get my money’s worth. Here are all the benefits/features of the Chase Southwest Airlines Priority Credit Card, including the 4 free upgraded boardings every year.
How to Access Citi Flex Loan on Citi Credit Cards (Instant Cash Advance for 9.99% APR)
Good afternoon everyone, I just saw this new feature on my Citi online account. Citi introduced a new feature called Citi Flex Loan (learn more here) where you can basically get a cash advance up to your available credit limit. If you need a higher credit limit, you can Easily Request a Credit Limit Increase (No Hard Pull) via the Citi App. I am not saying this is a good idea, but I wanted to share the details with you in case you were interested. After I logged into my Citi online account, I saw this big banner above my Citi Double Cash Credit Card. I decided to check it out by clicking the View Offer button. FYI, my total credit limit is $7,700, but my current available credit limit is $7,685.87.