Tag Archives: Free Stuff

a black text on a white background

Stacking Carnival Cruise Line Fun Match “Free” Cruise with 2x $35 Off $100 Chase Offer & BankAmeriDeal

Posted on by . 5 Replies

Good morning everyone, I hope your week is going well.  A few weeks ago, I followed Nick’s advice from Frequent Miler and got a “free” cruise from Carnival Cruise Line.  Nick also got me a “free” Holland America Cruise, so if I ever see Nick on the High Seas, I will be sure to buy him a refreshing drink (or two).  Technically, these “free” cruises aren’t really free, I still had to pay a few hundred dollars in taxes, fees, port expenses, and gratuities, but I’m excited to go on my first cruise since my 2002 cruise to Alaska (scroll to the bottom to see some old school photos).

With the Carnival Fun Match promo, I received an offer for a “free” room (up to a balcony room), $50 in FunPlay credit, free drinks in the casino, and $100 OnBoard Credit per person. To reduce the cost, I split the $200 deposit and paid with 2 credit cards to trigger 2x $35 statement credits.

a screenshot of a web page

Continue reading →

a close-up of a credit card

My 2 Unsuccessful Retention Offer Calls for Chase Marriott Bonvoy Premier Plus Business & AMEX Gold

Posted on by . 4 Replies

Good morning everyone, I hope your week is going well. Yesterday, I called Chase and American Express about 2 credit cards that had annual fees that just posted. When I called Chase about my Chase Marriott Bonvoy Premier Plus Business Credit Card (no longer available for sign up or product change), I told the rep that the $99 annual fee just posted to my account and that I wasn’t using this credit card very much since I use my JPMorgan Chase Ritz Carlton Credit Card (no longer available for sign up, but can be product changed into) for my Marriott purchases.  I asked the rep if they were able to waive the annual fee. The rep looked for retention offers and said there were no offers available.  For reference, in past years, I have received retention offers of $50 or $100.

Generally, I prefer to keep credit cards that are no longer available, unless there is a very good reason to close or product change them to another credit card, so I decided to keep the card open.  With that said, I can easily get more than $99 of value with the 35K Marriott Free Night Certificate that comes with this credit card each year. In fact, I already redeemed my 35K FNC for a stay later this month that costs more than $200.

a screenshot of a credit card

Continue reading →

a blue text on a white background

15K Referral Points Posting for Referring Friends to 75K Barclays Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Credit Card

Posted on by . 3 Replies

Good morning everyone, happy Saturday!  Last month, I wrote Refer Friends to the 75K Barclays Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Credit Card & Earn 15K Points (45K Yearly Cap).  In that post, I shared how you could find your referral link and refer friends to the 75K sign up offer for the Barclays Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Credit Card.  The terms and conditions of the referral offer said the bonus points “can take up to 6-8 weeks from June 30, 2023 to appear on your statement.”  I’m happy to report that the referral bonus points posted on my May credit card statement even though I had no other activity.

a screenshot of a social media page

Continue reading →

a colorful streamers and confetti

TWG 10 Year Anniversary Amazon Gift Card Winners + 2 Bonus Winners

Posted on by . 2 Replies

Good afternoon everyone, happy Friday, and happy Cinco De Mayo!  I am very touched by all the compliments and nice words that you all shared in my 10 year anniversary post (Travel with Grant Turns 10 Years Old + 10 x $10 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway). I had such a hard time selecting just 10 winners, so I decided to add 2 bonus winners to the list.  Here are the 12 winners sorted by posting time.  By the time you read this post, you should have received your $10 Amazon Gift Card via email.

Thanks again to everyone who left a comment and for all the love and support over the last 10 years.  Here’s to many more years to come!

Name Time Comment
Rick 2023/05/02 at 3:47 pm Your posts on Carlson/Radison were extremely useful. I’m spending the last of these points now for a free week in London!
Adam H. 2023/05/02 at 3:52 pm I started reading your stuff about 9 years ago and got into the CC points game pretty hard then. You helped me and my wife make many trips thanks to the old gift card to bluebird checking account routine. In the course of time as things changed, all those CC’s helped me have really good credit! So a big thank you for all the content over the years.
Danny 2023/05/02 at 3:58 pm Congratulations Grant on 10 years. That’s a great accomplishment. I really appreciated your blog post about the Citi Access More card and the info about doing a Product Change for it since it wasn’t publicly available any more. I’ve had that card for many years and I’m grateful for you passing that knowledge on.
Kalboz 2023/05/02 at 4:06 pm Congratulations and wishing many more productive years in the blogosphere helping the traveling community. As of late, your buy points/miles articles are informative and great reminder of ongoing good offers. Thank you!
Meg 2023/05/02 at 4:56 pm Congrats! I have been reading for a while and look forward to your credit card app-o-rama. It inspires me! I also learn quickly which credit cards to apply to, and most importantly WHY. I also like reading about your weekends away – nothing too glamorous or aspirational but doable.
ipod 2023/05/02 at 5:16 pm Really appreciate your yearly annual fee articles. I like that you thoroughly explain your rationales for which cards you think are worth keeping and which you downgrade or cancel.
Mike L. 2023/05/02 at 5:23 pm Your best post is your last post, because, like all your posts, it consistently demonstrates that you just want to spread your experiences and thoughts, rather than being a salesman for Chase.
Bill 2023/05/02 at 5:29 pm Thanks Grant & congrats!!! Ive been following you for a long while & have really appreciated the articles on using various point sources for using fewer points for flying. You’ve really helped make our points go farther! Looking forward to more of the same
Brian 2023/05/02 at 8:34 pm Congratulations! Thank you for so many useful and detailed articles you’ve written over the past decade. I’ve particularly enjoyed the coverage of using miles and points for stays in places with more space – Vacasa via Wyndham and HICV properties with IHG, for example.
Todd S. 2023/05/03 at 8:54 am You turned me on to the InKind App deal. Much appreciated!!
Mike S. 2023/05/03 at 11:23 am I really enjoyed your blog on the Vacasa and Wyndham bookings. I haven’t yet done it but I always like when bloggers go out of the ordinary topics. I have been following your blog for many years and it was great meeting you in person at the Seattle FTU seminar many years ago.
Gregory A J. 2023/05/03 at 12:54 pm I really enjoyed your article on reallocating credit limits with Bank Of America after your recent app-o-rama. Good advice to readers to reallocate credit limits. I have done this with Chase Business Unlimited card recently to meet a 6000.00 spend requirement! Worked like a charm!! Happy 10th anniversary!
a colorful streamers and confetti

Travel with Grant Turns 10 Years Old + 10 x $10 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

Posted on by . 85 Replies

Good afternoon everyone, I hope your week is going well.  Travel with Grant just turned 10 years old!  Yup, I started this blog on May 1, 2013 and I can’t believe I’ve had a travel blog for 10 years (I really can’t believe I have done anything for 10 years, let alone blogging). To celebrate this special occasion, I wanted to give away 10 x $10 Amazon Gift Cards to my readers.

To enter the giveaway…

Leave a comment on this post by 11:59pm PT on May 3 telling me about your favorite article / topic covered on Travel with Grant.  I will select 10 winners by Friday, May 5 and email them a $10 Amazon Gift Card.

Good luck to everyone who enters the giveaway and here’s to 10 more years!

P.S. In case you were wondering, here are the 9 other blogiversary posts I wrote throughout the years: