Car Rental Tips

On a recent trip back East, we rented a number of cars. Car rental is relatively easy these days. You can do an internet search for the best rate, book it, add your frequent flier number and confirm. You can even modify and cancel online easily. Just watch out for the nasty $50 cancellation fee.

But here are a few tips to get the most out of renting your car.
1. When you do the internet search, check portals to see if you can get a miles or points bonus for your rental. But it doesn't always make sense to pay a higher rate to get points. Southwest car rental rates are way higher than Costco car rental rates so why would it make sense to pay so much extra for Southwest points.
2. When you arrive at the counter, confirm that your frequent flier number is on the reservation. It's way easier to have it on the reservation than try to add it later. All the rental car agencies will give you frequent flier points.
3. If the car rental agency offers to pre-pay your gas before you return, it's usually a good deal. I always ask the price per gallon and so far, it's been worth it every time. Plus if you don't have to stop to fill up the car right before you return, it saves you time.
4. If the car rental agency offers you an EZ Pass, take it. I have learned this one the hard way. If they offer it, that means you may run across toll roads on your drive. Toll roads only take cash or EZ Pass. Some don't even take cash anymore at all. Plus some are not obvious. I missed one and arrived home to a letter informing me of a ticket for failing to pay the toll. The EZ Pass is not extra, it just charges the tolls to your credit card automatically. Awesome!
5. Pay close attention to your pick up and drop off time. Car rental agencies now give you a 29 minute grace period and then start charging you an hourly rate. Ouch.
6. Last, remember to charge your rental car to the right credit card. Are you trying to reach a minimum spend, do you want cash back or travel credit i.e. Barclays Arrival card?

Remember it's all about leveraging your spending on the things you are going to buy anyways to get almost free family travel!

Two 100K Offers To Choose From

Two new 100K point offers are on the table so which one to choose, if any?

Hilton HHonors Surpass Credit Card from American Express just launched a brand new bonus offer for 100,000 points with a $3,000 minimum spend in the first 3 months. The card does have an annual fee of $75 which is not waived the first year.
This card comes with a free hotel night each year on your anniversary.
It's something to consider. Now HHonors points are interesting because each point has very little value.
But what can you get for 100,000 points?
I stayed at the Doubletree in Paracas Peru for 1 night and it cost me 50,000 points. If I had paid for the hotel, it would have cost me about $225 per night. Now the nice thing is I can fit 5 in a room here so that's a bonus, but no breakfast included.
Lots of chocolate chip cookies though!

The other 100K offer right now is for the Marriott Rewards Premier card and if you add an authorized user you will get another 7500 points. The card has a minimum spending requirement of $5,000 in the first 3 months and an $85 annual fee that is not waived. But since Marriott and Starwood merged last year, you can transfer these points to Starwood for 3:1 and then to dozens of airlines. You also get a free night at any category 1-4 Marriott every year on your anniversary.

So plan ahead and see if either of these offers will help you meet your goals!

Watch those interest rates!

Got this warning from Mint.com this morning for my credit cards. Since the interest rate increase announced this past week, this is a consequence of that decision.
So if you decide to play the points/miles game, I always advise people to pay off the credit cards each month anyway so the rate change shouldn't affect you. But it's worth noting anyway.

Remember when you open a credit card, there are several steps to follow:
1. Open the card, take a photo of the offer so you have proof
2. Write down on your calendar the date you need to reach the minimum and the date about a month before your one year anniversary. This date is important because you want to review the card and decide if you want to pay the annual fee to keep it or cancel it.
3. Set up an online account and put the card on auto pay.
4. Enter the card on a spreadsheet with the date opened, points you will earn, minimum spend, last 4 digits of the card.

If you follow these steps, you will be organized and on your way to almost free family travel.

Secrets to getting good deals on hotels

I promised tips from the San Diego Travel And Adventure show and here's one from CBS Travel Reporter Peter Greenberg, The Travel Detective. 
According to Greenberg, the internet is the worst place to find a bargain on hotels. He advises people to call the manager on duty and ask for thing to be thrown in like free Wifi, parking, resort fees etc. These are the types of charges that can really add up.
My recommendation, find the hotel online, book it through a cash back or points portal and then call and try to get the upgrades and add ons thrown in.
It's old fashioned, but works for the Travel Detective.

Property Taxes Are Coming Up....To Charge or not to charge?

It's a fact of life .... property taxes. Twice a year, we are faced with this looming tax on our homes. But what if you could turn that tax around and make it work for you to earn free travel?
Now it's not quite so bad, right?
You can pay your taxes online with a credit card, yes, you will incur a fee of 2-3%, but even if you pay a $100 in fees, if the charge nets you two roundtrip plane tickets to Europe, it's worth it.
Now with a big expense like this, I like to put it on a brand new credit card to help reach the minimum spend.
You could just put it on a card you already have but you will probably earn just 1 mile/point per $1 spent which is okay, but if you get a bonus by charging this expense, now we are talking some serious bank.
For example, we just applied for a Starwood Business American Express card with the increased bonus of 35,000 points for $5,000 spend in 3 months and an additional $3,000 spend in the first 6 months. Our property taxes will net us almost the entire $5,000 spend and then with just regular spending, we can earn the 35,000 points.
35,000 Starwood points are the most valuable points out there. They can get us multiple hotel stays or we can transfer them to airlines and get the additional bonus 5,000 miles for airlines tickets. Starwood merged with Marriott recently so you can transfer Starwood points to Marriott at 1:3.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is another favorite of mine. Right now, you can spend $4,000 and get 50,000 ultimate rewards points. The $95 fee is waived for the first year. You can use these for hotels, airlines, experiences, cash back and gift cards. Add an authorized user and get another 5,000 points.
Another idea would be the American Express Gold Business Card.  With a $5,000 minimum spend, you earn 50,000 American Express membership points. Fee is waived for the first year. OR try the American Express Gold Personal Card with a $2,000 minimum spend and a bonus of 25,000 points. Fee is waived for the first year. I have seen higher bonus offers for this card so it may not be the best option.
Property taxes are a fact of life, but at least there's a silver lining and you can travel for free!

Audience Rewards - Starwood

You know how much I love shopping, cash back and airline portals. So now if you are a theatre goer, you can rack up the Starwood, United, American and Amtrak miles and points. It's called Audience Rewards.  You can collect Audience Reward points to use on future shows or you can collect Starwood points which I value higher. You can do the same thing to earn American Airlines or United miles or Amtrak guest rewards. Here's how it works:

For example, for Starwood, use the Audience Reward Starwood partner website , click on the city you want and the show you want to see how many Starwood points you will earn if you buy your ticket. Be careful with days and show times because the points vary.
Obviously if you can attend a show mid week or a matinee, you could earn more points.
You can also check featured offers to see if there are any bonus points to be earned.

This can be another way to rack up points on things you are spending money on anyway. Try it and see how it works for you. Here's the link for all the partners. 

Starwood Personal or Business Card?

Starwood increased credit card offer to 35,000 points ends April 5th 2017. The increase is good for both the personal and business card so which one should you apply for? Both cards award you 25,000 points for meeting minimum spend and an additional 10,000 points for meeting the second minimum spend. 

Here are some of the differences:

1. Personal card only has a $3,000 spend compared with the business card which has a $5,000 spend. 

2. Both cards waive the $95 fee for the first year

3. To get the additional spend on the personal card, you need to spend $2,000 and on the business card, you need to spend $3,000.

4. The business card has the added perk of FREE club access at Starwood hotels worldwide. This is huge for me because you get breakfast. And if you follow my blog, you know I love hotels that include breakfast. 

5. The business card has protection for luggage and car rental loss. 

So the bottom line is if you can swing the minimum spend, get both cards. Since Starwood merged with Marriott, we do not know how long Starwood will be offering deals. Plus 70,000 Starwood points can go a long way, but it's a big minimum spend too. 

Great New Travel Planner Site

Great new travel planning site! Rome2Rio is a free tool to add to your travel planning toolbelt. You enter where you would like to travel from and to and it will give you all your options, prices and links. 

Check it out! When I enter Berlin Germany to Prague in the Czech Republic, Rome2Rio returns transportation options by train, bus, rideshare, drive and flights. You can see price options and then if you click on the option, it will show you actual times with a link to the ticket office to book.
No more checking various websites, taking notes and comparing. Now it's all in one place.
They offer an accommodations and rental car search as well.
The accommodations tab took me to Booking.com so not too impressive.
The rental car search returned no results for cars in Chicago, but returned a nice list for car rentals in Krakow Poland.
Add this one to your toolbox and get set for some almostfreefamilytravel!

Starwood Targeted Offer 5,000

If you have a Starwood American Express credit card, you may have been targeted for this great offer! Here's the deal:
1. Enroll your card in the offer. If you didn't get an email, log in to your account and see if the offer is listed.
2. Spend $5,000 on your card by the end date. This offer ends May 31st 2017.
3. Starwood will match your 5000 points with another 5000 points.

That's 10,000 points for a $5,000 spend. Nice. What can you do with 10,000 Starwood points? Well, some hotels cost 10,000 points per night, but other category 1 hotels cost just 3,000 points per night. So you could nab 3 nights in a hotel. OR transfer the 10,000 points to Marriott for 30,000 Marriott points OR transfer it to more than 30 airlines. If you have 10,000 Starwood points in your account, add the new 10,000 Starwood points and transfer both to an airline, Starwood will give you a 5,000 bonus.

Marriott Giving Away 3.75 Million Reward Points

Just announced this morning, Marriott is giving away 3.75 million reward points with its new promotion Free Travel For Life.  Couple of ways to enter:

1. Download and use the app to make a reservation at any Marriott or one of their brand partners. Residents of the US are automatically included in the drawing if you enter your rewards number with the reservation. One entry per reservation regardless of the number of rooms or nights booked. You can use this method up to 20 times. 

2. If you already have a reservation at a Marriott or brand partner anywhere in the world except Japan or Venezuela, use the mobile check in on the app and you will be entered in the drawing. One entry per check in. You can use this method up to 20 times. 

3. Use the mobile request feature on the app and earn another entry. You can use this method up to 20 times. 

4. For US residents, hand print your name, address, day and evening phone number, email address, birth day and rewards number on a piece of paper and put it in an envelope with sufficient postage. Mail it to Marriott Mobile App Travel For Life c/o Hello World, Inc. PO Box 5029 Department 829846 Kalamazoo, MI 49003-5029. Entries must be postmarked by May 31st and recieved by June 7th. One mail in entry per envelope. Each mail in entry counts for 3 entries.

Promotion ends on May 31st 2017. You can enter as many as 60 times by any combination.

By the way, Marriott defines "free travel for life" as 5 nights each year for 30 years at Hotel Category 5. Check out the rules for terms and conditions. 

Winner will be announced June 30th and Marriott will award the winner with a check for $10,000 to cover tax liability.

Tips From The San Diego Travel And Adventure Show

Day in Paris? I wish. No, it's the San Diego Travel and Adventure Show. I learned some great travel tips and advice from CBS Travel Reporter Peter Greenberg  plus rode a camel. Check out the photo below!

So much fun to dream about different places to go and ways to get there. Cruises, hotels, resorts, volunteer opportunities, the list goes on and on.
Do you know only 37% of Americans have a passport? And scary fact, only 42% of our elected officials in the Senate and Congress have passports. Can you imagine setting foreign policy without ever having traveled outside the US?
And with about 193 countries in the world to check out though a couple are not safe to travel to right now, you just have to decide where, when and how to get there for almost free.
This week, I'll post several blog posts with tips and tricks that I learned from the show so look for those coming soon.

Thailand with kids

During our flight to Thailand, a man came up to me on the plane and asked me why I would take my children there. I was puzzled, why wouldn't I take my children there.
Thailand is so culturally different that it is exhilirating. My children learned the history of Buddhism, they were blessed by monks, they visited a dozen temples, they learned some basic Thai, they learned to cook traditional Thai dishes, they learned how to train and care for an elephant, they cuddled tiger cubs, they drove Tuk Tuks, they had back massages, foot massages and fish massages, they explored an entire floating town, they spent the night on a train and a bus, and so much more.
Besides the cultural, once you get to Thailand, it is so inexpensive to live, eat and do that you can just enjoy.
We spent 3.5 weeks in Thailand. Of course, we used American Airlines miles on partner airlines Japan Airlines to fly round trip to Tokyo and then one way through to Bangkok. On the return, we had to buy 5 one way tickets with points from Bangkok to Tokyo on United Airlines due to availability. Each tickets cost 15,000 United Airlines miles.
We stayed at the Sheraton Royal Orchid with 7,000 Starwood points per night. While in Bangkok, we took a daytrip to visit a train market and the floating market, pet the tiger cubs and see the Bridge Over The River Quai.
We decided to take the overnight train to Chiang Mai. The other option is to fly, domestic flights are super cheap.
Chiang Mai is one of the most spirtual and beautiful places I have ever visited. We chose to pay for a homestay which was outside of town. For kids, you can train elephants, zipline and take a cooking class. The temple in Chiang Mai is amazing and highly worth the cab ride up the hill.
I would recommend flying from Chiang Mai to one of the town's in the south. We went to Phuket where we took a daytrip out to the islands. The islands are amazing! The kids got a chance to play soccer on field that floats in the middle of the ocean. They canoed through caves and jumped off the boat.
Phuket is a bit more Americanized so hamburgers are available everywhere, but I was super pleased that my kids chose to eat more Thai food.
Though we paid for hotels in Chiang Mai and Phuket, we rented out our house while we were away and broke even on the entire trip. Now that's almost FREE family travel.

*If you would like a copy of our itinerary plus contact information for all of the tours and guides we used, check out the itinerary page on the website. They are available for purchase for just $5.

500 United Miles For FREE

I love shopping portals! They are easy ways to earn points/miles on purchases you would make anyway. Sometimes I use a cash back portal and sometimes I choose to use an airline shopping portal.
And then there are portals that are independent like MyPoints.com. On MyPoints.com, you earn points that you can cash in for cash back, gift cards or travel. Another helpful feature, if you check the travel page, the site lists all the hotel deals being offered on Groupon.com and Living Social.com.
And right now, they will give you 500 United miles just for signing up. If you spend $50 in the first 30 days on a purchase through the portal, they will give you another 1,000 United miles.
That's pretty easy. It's a great way to top off an account or just move you another step closer to almost FREE family travel.