Tag Archives: Gift Cards

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How to Use Amazon Shop with Points Redemption for Orphaned US Bank Rewards (Get 1 CPP Value)

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Good afternoon everyone, I hope your week is going well.  A few weeks ago, I was approved for the US Bank Business Altitude Connect Credit Card that offered 60,000 points (worth $600 cash back) after spending $6,000 in 6 months.  I completed the minimum spending requirement and received the sign up bonus this morning.  After redeeming the majority of the sign up bonus as a statement credit, I had 1,772 orphaned (aka leftover) points.  In this post, I will show you how to use the Amazon Shop with Points feature to use up any orphaned US Bank Rewards (either points or cash back).

To get started, sign into your US Bank account, go to your credit card account, click the Rewards and Benefits tab, and then click the Redeem or View My Rewards button.  As you can see, I have 1,772 points left in my account.  To see the redemption options, click the 3 lines in the upper left corner.

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

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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.

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

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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!
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[Targeted] Westin Princeville, Kauai Timeshare Vacation Package: $799 for 5 Nights + 15,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points

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Good morning everyone, happy Friday!  Yesterday, I wrote Hilton Timeshare Vacation Package Deals: $299 for 4 Night Stay + 150,000 HH Points (7 Destinations Available) [Expires January 10].  Today, I have a targeted timeshare vacation package offer at the Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas on the north shore of Kauai.  The cost is $799 for a 5 Night / 6 Day stay, plus you have your choice of 15,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points or a $75 resort credit.  15K points is worth $100 to me, so that brings the cost to ~$140 / night.  You do need to attend a 2 hour timeshare sales presentation, but that seems like a pretty good deal for a great property in Hawaii.  I have experience with timeshare sales presentations and they are not too bad.  I will go through the booking process to show you what it is like, what is included, and how much it costs.

Here is the letter I received and here is the link to the landing page.  Unfortunately, this offer is only available if you received a targeted email or letter with a personalize code.  You might be able to call in and see if you are eligible at 1-855-762-0111.

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How to Redeem Southwest Airlines Gesture of Goodwill 25,000 Point Award Codes to your SWA Account

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Good afternoon everyone.  Yesterday, Frequent Miler reported Southwest compensating passengers with 25K points each as a goodwill gesture (check your email!).  Since I read that post, I eagerly awaited my email since Laura and I were both affected by Southwest Airlines when we tried to fly home on December 26.  This morning, at 10am PT, I received the Southwest Airlines email that contained 2 sets of award codes for 25,000 Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Points each.  This is a very nice goodwill gesture by Southwest Airlines and I really appreciate it.  In this post, I will show you how to redeem the award codes to get the points deposited into your account.  Lastly, if you would rather redeem your points for gift cards, I will show you how to do that too.

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