Exploring Warsaw Poland With Teens

Bean bags to relax on in the old town

The old town of Warsaw was completely destroyed during World War 2. However, the government has rebuilt an exact replica of the old town. It is fascinating to see the photos of before and after. The Royal Castle is the only building that was not destroyed. In fact, it was set to be bombed, but at the last minute, the Nazis called off the bombing. They realized that if they bombed the castle, they would be trapped.  You can still see the holes that were packed with dynamite. The Royal Castle is FREE on Sundays and you can buy an audio guide for a few zloty. 

One of the rooms inside the Royal Castle Of Warsaw

 You could spend a whole day inside the Royal Lazienki park in Warsaw. Either by foot or bike, there are lakes, paths and even a fancy waffle and ice cream place inside the park called Trou Madame. You can also take a small boat around the lake in front of the palace.

The palace on the water in Royal Lazienki park 

 In the summer, there are FREE Chopin concerts in the park and on Saturdays, there are FREE yoga and mediation classes.

Fancy waffle and ice cream place inside the park

Poland is cheap for food, transportation and hotels. We used points to stay at the Hampton Hilton City Centre. 10,000 Hilton points per night per room including breakfast. The hotel is located across from the train station just minutes by bus from old town. We found a traditional Polish restaurant called Radio Cafe around the corner from the hotel and ate there both nights. Be sure to try the pierogies, potato pancakes and apple pancakes. The owner is a hoot and has a very colorful history.
That's how we do almost FREE family travel!

How To Get 100,000 Hilton Points

The Hilton Honors Surpass card from American Express is transferring to the Ascend card on January 18th 2018 so you may want to jump on this offer now.
The Surpass card nets you 100,000 Hilton points for a $3,000 spend and another 25,000 points for an additional $1,000 spend. You get 10 priority hotel club passes too. The annual fee is $75.
We don't know yet what the offer will be for the Ascend card, but we do know that the club passes will not be a part of it. We also know the annual fee will be $95, but there will be no foreign transaction fees.
So what can you do with 100,000 Hilton points? Check out some top hotels from our friends at the Points Guy. Other properties that we like include:

1. 3 nights in Krakow, Poland for 5,000 Hilton points per room per night at the Hampton Inn Krakow. The room included breakfast - 30,000 points
2. 1 night in Warsaw, Poland for 10,000 Hilton points per room per night at the Hampton Inn Warsaw City Centre. The room included breakfast. - 20,000 points

Other great category 1 or 2 Hiltons are located in Kuala Lumpur, Panama City, Cairo, Beijing, Oman and Mexico City.

This is an amazing way to travel almost FREE with your family!

How To Split Payments On Airbnb

One of the frustrations, I have had with airbnb.com is when I travel with another family or with my parents, we can't split the payment. In the past, one of us puts it on the credit card and then the other has to send money or write a check to pay the other back. 

It's tedious and who wants to chase down their friend or family member for payment. 

Now www.airbnb.com has added a way to split the payment. Since www.airbnb.com acquired a social payment startup, Tilt, it is now able to offer split payments. 

When the organizer books a listing that allows for split payments, the reservation is essentially put on hold for 72 hours until all parties make a payment. 

There can be up to 16 different parties making payments. 

If any of the parties do not make the payment within 72 hours, then all monies are refunded and the booking cancelled. 

Hope this helps when you try almost free family travel! 

*please use my airbnb.com link if you plan to travel 

and you will get $40 travel credit the first time you book. 

Should I cancel my Citi Hilton Credit Card?

Citi is transferring all Hilton Honors card holders to new American Express Hilton Honors cards in January. You should have received a letter in the mail alerting you to the change. Citi ended its relationship with Visa and is launching a new relationship with American Express. 

So the question is should you let the transfer happen or cancel your card?

The Visa card is a no fee card and as far as we know the American Express card will be no fee as well. 

There are currently 2 American Express Hilton Honors cards available. We suspect a third premium card will be added next year. 

The no fee card offers 7x points on Hilton purchases and no foreign transaction fees starting in January. 

The Hilton Surpass card will be changing to the Ascend card next year and offer a few more perks like 12x points on Hilton purchases, 10 complimentary lounge passes and if you spend $15,000 in a year, you will earn a free night at any Hilton property. 

That card has a $95 fee and next year no foreign transaction fees. 

American Express and Hilton are gearing up to offer a premium card next year too which will have a $450 annual fee and include perks like a $250 airline credit and $250 Hilton credit on your cardmember anniversary, unlimited lounge access, 14X points on Hilton purchases and a free night on your anniversary.  

We don't know about sign up bonuses for these cards yet so you will need to look at your own situation and decide if it's worth keeping your current Hilton Honors Visa card. I cancelled mine so I could take advantage of whatever is coming  in 2018. 

How to find FREE shipping for holiday shopping

Shipping charges are the #1 reason online carts are abandoned before the purchase is completed. But you can find FREE shipping during the holidays. 

Here's how:

1. do a google search for coupon codes

2. try signing up for www.shoprunner.com - you join for free and then get free shipping at a dozen or so stores. 

3. use a cash back portal like ebates.com and they will list all the promotions being offered right now by that particular store

4. use an airline shopping portal and again, it will list the promotions being offered right now by that particular store

5. increase your minimum spend in order to get the free shipping. Sometimes if you buy another $10 worth of product, your shipping is free so it's worth it. I would rather have more stuff than pay for shipping. 

6. Ship to store and pick it up there

Don't waste your hard earned money on shipping charges, instead spend it on almost FREE family travel. And remember to use the right credit card to maximize those points! 

Get FREE Netflix From Tmobile

If you are a Tmobile subscriber or if you are thinking about becoming one, here's an added perk. 

Tmobile is giving everyone who qualifies Netflix for FREE. 

The fine print says you must have at least 2 active lines on a Tmobile ONE tax inclusive voice plan. The Netflix subscription is a standard one. You can upgrade to premium, but you will need to pay the difference. You must also use the same credit card as your Tmobile autopay. 

From Tmobile:

Before you can get Netflix On Us, you'll need to opt in to it on your T-Mobile account.

To opt in from the T-Mobile app:

1. Make sure that you or someone else isn't currently logged into Netflix. Even if you're creating a new Netflix account, logging out of Netflix will ensure that you're linking to your Netflix account, rather than to someone else's account that might be currently logged into Netflix.
2. Open the T-Mobile app.
3. Tap the menu (the three stacked lines in the upper left).
4. Tap USAGE & PLANS.
5. Scroll down to your name and tap View line details.
6. Scroll down to the Services section and tap Manage Services.
7. Tap the + next to Family and Entertainment, and select the box next to Fam with Netflix ($10.99 value).
   Note: If you don't see the Netflix option, you'll need to change your plan to qualify for Netflix On Us. To go through the process, tap the menu, tap USAGE & PLANS, and then tap Change Plan. (Or, you can contact T-Mobile customer service for assistance.)
8. From the Order Confirmation page, tap the Continue to Sign Up button below Your Account's Now Ready for Netflix!
9. On the next page, tap the Sign Up For Netflix button.
10. You'll be rerouted to Netflix to continue the process:
    • If you're completing this process from a device that you've already streamed Netflix on before, it'll default to an existing customer sign-in page. Or, you can create a new account by selecting the Not yet a Member? Sign Up link.
    • If you're completing this process from a device that you haven’t streamed Netflix on before, it'll default to a new customer account creation page. Or, you can use an existing account by selecting the Already a member? Sign in link.
      Note: If needed, customers may also delete their browser cookies and cache and start this process over.

To opt in through your computer or a browser on your device:

1. Make sure that you or someone else isn't currently logged into Netflix. Even if you're creating a new Netflix account, logging out of Netflix will ensure that you're linking to your Netflix account, rather than to someone else's account that might be currently logged into Netflix.
2. Go to My T-Mobile and log in to your T-Mobile account.
3. Click PLAN.
4. Scroll down to your line and click CHANGE SERVICES.
5. Under Family and Entertainment, click the + to expand the Fam with Netflix ($10.99 value) section. 
   Note: If you don't see the Netflix option, you'll need to change your plan to qualify for Netflix On Us. To go through the process, tap the menu, tap USAGE & PLANS, and then click Change Plan. (Or, you can contact T-Mobile customer service for assistance.)
6. Select the box to add the Fam with Netflix ($10.99 value) feature to your account.
7. From the Order Confirmation page, click the Continue to Sign Up button below Your Account's Now Ready for Netflix!
8. On the next page, click the Sign Up For Netflix button.
9. You'll be rerouted to Netflix to continue the process:
   • If you're completing this process from a device that you've already streamed Netflix on before, it'll default to an existing customer sign-in page. Or, you can create a new account by selecting the Not yet a Member? Sign Up link.
   • If you're completing this process from a device that you haven’t streamed Netflix on before, it'll default to a new customer account creation page. Or, you can use an existing account by selecting the Already a member? Sign in link.
     Note: If needed, customers may also delete their browser cookies and cache and start this process over.

Canceling your Netflix subscription

If you need help canceling your Netflix subscription billed through T-Mobile, or if you've recently transferred your line between T-Mobile accounts, contact T-Mobile customer service for assistance. If you remove Netflix On Us, you'll need to contact Netflix to update your method of payment to avoid a lapse in streaming service.

Best Websites To Use To Find Additional Black Friday Savings

The countdown is on to Black Friday! Do you have your list ready? You may not need to wait til Friday to nab the best deals. In the last post, we talked about the 5 best products to buy this week. Now let's talk about the best websites to use to layer additional savings.



1. Check out ebates.com to see a lot of the Black Friday ads early so you can plan your shopping. Some of the stores offering deals on the products you want may surprise you. Remember when you shop online, sign into your ebates.com account first and then click to the store you want. Ebates.com will offer you a percentage in cash back. The percentage will be range from 2% to 15%. 

2. Groupon.com  - Over the years, I have liked and disliked Groupon.com. Right now, I put them in the like column again. They offer spectacular savings on products and services. Plus they are listed on Ebates.com so you can spend less and get cash back. Wow! 




3. Airline Shopping Portals - Most airlines offer a shopping portal. Check the earn miles section of the frequent fliers club website for that specific airline. This week in honor of Black Friday, they are offering extra miles for your purchases. 

4. Travel deals - The airlines don't want to be left out of Black Friday so our friends at Skyscanner.com will be posting all the deals so you can nab some great affordable travel. Again, check ebates.com to see if that airline is listed for additional savings. 


Happy shopping and let us know about the great deals you find. That's how we do it at almost FREE family travel.