Using Chase Ultimate Rewards: Six Roundtrip Tickets to Panama for $261

Posted on September 9, 2012 by Brad Christensen

San Blas Islands Panama – Island Paradise

Any good points-hoarder has a good stash of bank points – travel rewards that can be transferred to other programs OR spent as cash.  For example, the much-extolled Chase Ultimate Rewards program not only lets you transfer to a variety of other programs, they also allow you to spend your points as cash.  Thus, when you can find a great deal on flights AND use points to book it, you get a double benefit by being extremely efficient.

For example – most times a flight from SLC to PTY (Panama – a bastion of jungle adventure, among other things) would cost ~$900 or 72,000 UR points.  But get that flight for $332 and you’ll only spend ~27,000 UR points.  It gets even more exciting when you consider that you’ll also receive traditional FF miles when you fly ~6,000 of them.

Using Ultimate Rewards

US Bank Panama Redemption

In May, I was alerted to just such a deal and because I was prepared with points program proliferation, I booked my family of six to Panama in January for $261 in out-of-pocket costs.  I used about 59,000 UR points and 60,000 US Bank Flexperks points.  The US Bank points allow me to book any flight up to $399 for 20k points – so it would have been optimal to use them on a $395 flight – but I figured it was still a bargain.  (They also give you $25 each ticket each way to spend on in-flight expenses).  And, yes, if you’re doing the math, we’ll also get 6k AA miles for each passenger – a total of 36k AA miles – enough to fly to Central America again!

Ultimate Rewards Panama Redemption

Hopefully you’ve been wanderlusting with us for long enough to have some of these puppies socked away so you can jump on this opportunity.  If you don’t, here are some bank-point programs where you can begin piling up points for the next time.

  1. Chase Ultimate Rewards: Ink BoldSM with Ultimate Rewards or Chase Sapphire PreferredSM
  2. US Bank Flexperks
  3. Barclaycard Travelocity

If you’re not convinced that Panama or Central America is the kind of destination that would really draw you in, check out some of our previous posts:

  1. Eight Great Things to do in Panama
  2. A Loop Through Costa Rica
  3. Portobelo, Panama

Thank you for wanderlusting with us!  Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook so you never miss the alerts on these kinds of deals.

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Ten Reasons to Take Your First International Trip

Posted on September 4, 2012 by Brad Christensen

There is surprisingly so much nervousness over taking that first big leap – leaving the country.  There are dozens of excuses, few of them valid.  I hear them all the time, but the reality is that international travel is not as intimidating as you might believe it is.  I want to give you ten reasons to stop hesitating and take the plunge.  I promise you’ll never regret it.

  1. So Many People Speak English:  Obviously this will vary by destination, but people are paralyzed by the fear that they will be unintelligible to the locals. The fact is that there are very few places in the world where you won’t be able to find someone who can understand you.  Do not let this deter you from the overseas adventures that await you.
  2. Baggage Charges: I’m not even kidding you here – let’s just say you were going to travel some place within the US and check two bags.  Unless you’re flying Southwest or if you have an airline credit card (both of which we recommend, by the way), those bags will cost you at least $50 each way – adding up to another $100.  Swap Panama City, Panama for its name-parallel in Florida, and you’ll not only have a different adventure, you won’t have to fork over a baggage fee x4.
  3. Speaking Another Language is Enlightening:  Basque is my third language, and yet it took until I was learning Basque vocabulary before I realized just how enlightening it can be.  The verb for “to help” in the language that predates Latin is “lagundu” – which isn’t really interesting until you consider that it’s taken from the noun “lagun” – meaning “friend.”  Thus, in Basque, the notion of “helping” is articulated as “friending.”
  4. Food is so Freaking Good: Guys, I am here to tell you… you will eat meals that will rock your palate’s world.  Something as simple as “Salsa Lizano” in Costa Rica will introduce your tastebuds to flavors that break boundaries of previous experience.  I had “sweet corn soy ice cream” in Belize – umm, yeah… it was pretty much a deliciousness explosion that I crave to this day.
  5. Bargains: I’ve bragged before about the $35 suit I bought in London – and it’s not like that’s bargain shopping destination. Part of the reason I’m thrilled about Panama in 2013 is because I can watch blockbuster movies (in English) there for $3.50, load up on $2-4 kids clothes, and eat $5 restaurant meals.
  6. Sugar Cane Soda: This is almost negated by the fact that I don’t often find Mt. Dew overseas.  Nevertheless, there is just something about an ice-cold non-corn-syrup Coke in a glass bottle on a powder sand beach that just makes you feel good about life.
  7. America the Beautiful: No matter how much I travel and no matter how much fun I have while I’m gone, I am always enthusiastic about coming home.  We appreciate the simple things so much more when we’ve gone a series of days without ice.  I mean, when was the last time you were truly grateful for warm running water?  Spend some time without it and you will be enthralled.
  8. Broaden your Horizons: Other cultures have great traditions.  Being exposed to people who think differently enables you to have a perspective that I believe genuinely makes you a better person.  It is so easy to get caught up in our “rigmarole” and pretend that we’re the only thing in town.  It just comes as a really good reminder to consider others as equals and have a sense for what makes people who they are.
  9. Interface with History: The better part of world history has taken place outside of the US.  If you never leave, you’ll miss out on the opportunity to stand atop ancient ruins that were home to mega-civilizations of previous centuries.  Europe is so rich with meaningful history that you could spend a lifetime discovering and still never find enough.
  10. Stretch Your Dollars: I met a couple who spent $50k traveling all over Asia – the crazy part was that it took them 3 years to spend it all.  There are still places where our dollars will get us pretty far.  It may not be like that forever, so it only makes sense to seize those opportunities and maximize our adventure by economizing our expenses.  I’ve stayed in some great hotels for $20 in some places – still not as cheap as the free hotels I get with the myriad of points programs I belong to, but cheap enough to brag about whenever I get the chance.

If you’re even just the slightest bit closer to taking an international trip after reading these little bits, then I’m satisfied that I did my job.  Do us all a favor and leave a comment about where you’re headed.  There’s nothing like travel buddies and we hope to have them everywhere.

Please remember to like us on Facebook so you never miss another point travel promotion.

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Why Low Level Redemptions?

Posted on August 31, 2012 by wpengine

At WorldWanderlusting.com we like to focus on Low-Level Redemptions.  This means that you maximize the use of the miles that you accrue by spending them efficiently.  For example:

American Airlines Redemption Chart

Shae, Max, and I in Verona

Europe: Oct. 15 – May 15 is the off season(Miles SAAver Off-peak) when going to Europe with American Airlines.  Therefore, I’d recommend that you book your flights to Europe between October 15th and May 15th.  This will save 20,000 AAdvantage miles per person per direction.

Bottom line is that if you’re taking a family of three kids to Europe, this makes your miles requirement 100,000 less than if you were to go during the Mile SAAver timeframe.  In April of this year our trip to Europe burned 80,000 miles for my wife and I.  My in laws came with us, which burned another 80,000 miles.  So for 160,000 AAdvantage miles we were able to take five people (my son is under 2) to Europe on miles.

If we were to try the same trip during the peak season it would have burned 240,000 miles.  This is the power of using the low-level redemptions.

Starwood Preferred Guest

I’ve also taken advantage of some amazing deals in the Starwood Preferred Guest redemption program as well.  This is like shopping in the grocery isle and picking the items that are on sale.  Most people probably purchase whatever without looking at the price.  If you’re the kind of person who shops for bargains, then that is seeking the low-level redemptions.

With hotels I’m always shopping in the lower categories.  With the Starwood Preferred Guest program you can shop amongst tons of hotels that fit within the Category 2.   If you stay in category 2 hotels on weekends it only burns 3000 points per night.  If you stay there on a week night you burn 4000 Starpoints.

Right now you can get up to 25,000 Starwood Preferred Guest Starpoints with the American Express SPG card.  When you use low level redemptions this card will allot you up to 10 free nights.  With each night coming in at a value of over $100, I see this offer worth over $1000.  Hurry, it won’t last long.


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Las Vegas Anniversary with a $20 Upgrade and a Hike in Zion

Posted on August 29, 2012 by Brad Christensen

Just last month, my wife and I celebrated our eleventh anniversary. We met in a dance class at Boise State, and ballroom dance has always been an interest for us, though four busy kids and too many other hobbies have kept us from pursuing it as we’d like to.  So for our anniversary we decided we’d like to see the Dancing with the Stars show in Las Vegas.

We live within driving range and we figured we could use the time driving to talk about the things that 42 sippy cups, two t-ball games, and 8 books before bedtime a day don’t really allow us to talk about.

While I could have stayed for free in a number of hotels, I opted to take advantage of an email special for the Palazzo 5 star hotel at $109 a night rather than spend my miles.  I wanted to stay somewhere really nice and try out a trick that I blogged about when we first started all this.

As we carried our bags to check in, I made a neat $20 sandwich with my ID and credit card. When we went to the counter, the gentleman asked if I’d like to upgrade to a view suite.  We expressed interest but balked when he told us it would cost $49 more a night. He asked for my ID and credit card, at which point I handed him the carefully-prepared  .  He slid the two apart and noticed Andrew Jackson peeking from between them.  That’s when he thanked us for staying in the Palazzo for the first time and that he’d like to give us a complimentary upgrade.  He also dug deep and doled out four drink vouchers.

I’m not saying your experience will be the same, but I’d urge you to give it a shot.  We had three great days of lazing by the pool and enjoying the lap of luxury.

On our return we wanted to break up the drive a bit, so we stopped in to Zion National Park.  Inspired by a photo that was entered in our Travel Photo contest, we set out to climb to the top of Angel’s Landing – an exhilarating hike along a narrow ridge with a rewarding view.  Natural beauty is hard to rival, and Zion has plenty of it… especially when it combines with Nicole’s beauty.  I’m a lucky guy!

 
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Offering up to 40,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points

 

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Why You Should Never Buy a Timeshare: RCI, Trendwest, and the others

Posted on August 23, 2012 by Brad Christensen

Go ahead, buy a $1800 vaccum.  Succomb to the “we’ll give you a discount if you put our home security sign up on your lawn” pitch.  Overpay for more meat than you can fit in your freezer. But please, please, never-ever buy a timeshare.  RCI, Trendwest, they’re not looking out for your travel budget, they’re looking out for theirs.

They are cunning… they are manipulative… they  are shameless. They’re the best in the business when it comes to high-pressure sales.  They draw you in with irresistible loss-leaders and tap into the mega-vulnerability of your wanderlust.  They’ll convince you that unless you pony up the $25k or finance it at ridiculous rates, you’ll spend your life cooped up in an adventureless existence. But please, please, never-ever buy a timeshare.

They have one thing right – your money is better spent on experiences than on “things.”  I could point you to a dozen studies that say money doesn’t buy happiness, but it can buy you experiences, and what is happiness if it’s not the sum total of your experiences?  But a timeshare is neither an experience, nor is it a thing.  It’s neither an asset, nor a depreciable liabilty.

When you “buy” a timeshare, you’re “buying” a committment to pay an annual maintenance fee which is likely 50% or more of the cost of a week in a vacation rental home.  You’re “buying” the obligation to stay in a specific place at a specific time with limited flexibility.  You’re “buying” something that is unmarketable – something that isolates your travel options to only a few destinations – and something that prohibits you from spending money in ways that compound your travel opportunities.

These are not things I would take if given to me – much less things that I would actually pay for – and certainly don’t merit borrowing to buy.  Consider that investing your $25k inital purchase price at an 8% yield would spin off $2000 a year! That’s more than enough to stay a week in some incredible places.  If you’re still not convinced, consider that timeshare salespeople are paid commissions as high as 20%.

But by all means – let not this extinguish your desire to see the world.  There are plenty of other, more cost effective means of arranging lodging in interesting places. To illustrate, consider these options of places you could stay in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Home Exchange

You have a home, someone else has a home.  They want to go where you are, you want to go where they are. This idea is far from far-fetched.  There are dozens of these, but start with www.exchangezones.com – which is free and has a ton of great listings.  (Incidentally, if you like cold, blustery winters, I’d be happy to exchange my Idaho Falls house with you for the month of January – no matter where you are).

Vacation Rentals

Second homes sit empty for months and months a year.  Smart owners monetize them by renting them out.  Smart vacationers take advantage of screaming deals – especially at the last minute.  There are many places online to search the options, but here are some favorites:

Hotel Loyalty Programs

Oh yes… the free option.  We happen to be quite fond of this one at WorldWanderlusting.  It’s hard to believe it’s even possible, but you could sign up for a single credit card and stay 6-9 nights in some posh hotels and resorts around the world. Check out our previous posts to get a sense for what we’re talking about.

Other ideas

Whatever you do, don’t forget to like us on Facebook so you keep getting these kinds of amazing travel tips.

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How to Meet Credit Card Spending Requirements

Posted on August 22, 2012 by wpengine

When I applied for my first credit card to acquire points and miles I was worried about meeting a $1500 spending limit and I had six months to do it.  Soon I learned that almost anything can be put on a credit card.  Meeting the spending limit has become increasingly easier as I’ve learned how to make it happen.  I’ve compiled a list of easy ways to help you meet the spending requirement.

Still worried about the spending requirement?   Here are a few ides of things that you can purchase to help you meet the spending requirement within the allotted timeframe without spending money you wouldn’t otherwise spend.

Meeting Credit Card Spending Requirements

  1. Pay Utility Bills ie: electricity, gas, sewer, water, garbage, etc. Most times this can be done without an additional fee and even in advance if necessary.  Sometimes I’ve prepaid my city bill for four or five months in advance when needed.
  2. Car Insurance: Most car insurance companies accept credit card payments.  Pay your bill annually rather than monthly.
  3. Health Insurance:  Many health insurers aren’t up to this yet, but there are a few.  PacificSource in Idaho allows for credit card payments on an automatic withdrawal.
  4. Life Insurance:  Once again, not all companies do this, but pay your bill in an annual sum to help increase your spending during the three months.
  5. Reimbursed Business Expenses:  Some lucky people out there can file their own business expense reports and be paid back for their expenses.  Anyone who has this option rather than using a business credit card should do this NOW.  Spend on your personal card for all business expenses then have the company pay you back in the form of a check.
  6. Cell Phone: Everyone these days has a cell phone, and most people have a data plan.  You can’t get one of these for cheaper than $70 per month.  There is no reason that this shouldn’t be put on a credit card each month to help you reach the spending requirement.
  7. Gas:  Every time you fill up the tank you need to score more miles.
  8. Restaurants:  Eating out can really add up each month.  If you’re currently paying cash or using a debit card, STOP IT.  The Sapphire Preferred will give you 2 Ultimate Rewards per dollar, so get a twofer!
  9. Home Improvements:  Most contractors these days accept credit cards.  Always ask them if it’s an option if there’s no added charge.
  10. Medical Expenses:  Even if you have a FSA, HSA, or HRA many times you can spend your own dollars, then file for reimbursement from the plan administrator.  Don’t let the dollars come directly from your account, you’re missing miles.
  11. Groceries:  Walmart takes plastic.  Always use it.
  12. College Tuition:  Not all schools will accept your Visa, but many will.
  13. Loan Payments:  Very few loans will allow you to pay them off with a credit card, but it is always worth asking.
  14. Travel:  Hopefully by now you’re flying for free and staying in free hotels, but there are scenarios where paying makes sense.  Always use a credit card to pay for your travel expenses.
  15. Dish Network or DirecTV:  Who doesn’t have satellite? (I might be the only one without it) Set this up on autopay or pay for a year at a time if needed.
  16. Store Gift Cards: If you can pay off the credit card, and know that you’ll be spending more money at “Wally World” each month, but a Walmart Gift Card to help meet the requirement, then use it next time you head to the store.
  17. Additional Cards:  Most companies will allow you to give a spouse a credit card on your same line of credit.  That way you never miss one $ because you are in two places spending money at the same time.
  18. Mortgage Payments:  This does have a fee associate, but might be worth doing for a month if you are close.  Use Charge Smart for this if needed (Thanks MMS)
  19. Rent: Williampaid allows you to pay your rent online, but does cost a fee as well (Thanks MMS)
  20. Car:  One car I purchased from a dealer that accepted credit cards.  I put the expense on my card and loaded up a few thousand miles.  Be careful with this to never allow your statement to close with more than 40% of your available credit utilized.  For example:  if your spending limit is $10,000, never let the statement close with more than $4000 owed on the card.  Pay it down before the close of your statement.
  21. Vanilla Reloadable Pre-Paid Cards: These are especially nice when you buy them at office supply stores with your Ink BoldSM with Ultimate Rewards card.
  22. Ask Siblings/Parents/Friends to Help:  I’ve asked family to allow me to purchase something for them and allow them to write me a check in return.  Be very careful as this might spark a fire in your family relationships.  It can be great if you have siblings with large expenses, but pay everything with check, cash, or debit cards.

As you can see, there are tons of ways to meet the spending requirement for this credit card.  Prepay a few expenses if you need to, but don’t let a spending requirement keep you from wanderlusting with us.

Get Credit Sesame, which will give you an estimate of your credit score free.

 

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Stay Free Nights in SE Asia Sheraton and Le Meridien Hotels

Posted on August 19, 2012 by Brad Christensen

This site has to be one of my favorite wanderlusting websites.  What is it? It’s the list of Starwood Preferred Category 2 hotels (Usually Four Points by Sheraton, which are very nice) – hotels and resorts around the world that you can stay at for 3000-4000 Starpoints a night.

Yeah, that means nothing to you until you know what Starpoints are.  Don’t worry – they have nothing to do with Star Wars or Star Trek… you’ll have to go to a different blog for that.  Starpoints are the loyalty currency of Starwood Hotels’ Starwood Preferred Guest program.

Again, it still means nothing until you know how to get them.  Well, the traditional method would be to stay at Starwood Hotels – they’ll add them to your account for each  night you stay… but that’s painfully slow when there are places in British Columbia, Italy, and China that you are dying to visit.

Now, get excited because there is an easier way.  Every dollar you spend on the Starwood Preferred Credit Card gets you a Starpoint – meaning that for every 3-4000 in spending you have, you’ve got a free night.  More often than not, people make purchases on debit cards and with checks that could be put on a card and paid off immediately.  We don’t recommend making any purchases on credit cards that you wouldn’t otherwise make.

It’s about to get even better… If you’re like me, that sounds great, but I’m more impatient than that.  I don’t want to wait until I spend all that money until I can go and do some amazing things.  The American Express Starwood Card is offering a total of 25,000 bonus points after meeting the $5000 spending requirement in the first 6 months of having the card. Yeah, quick math says you’ll be staying 6-9 nights right off the bat with this beauty.

Our wanderlust-invocation wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t see this effort through with a proper taste of just what you could do with 30k Starpoints (25 bonus + 5 for spending).

Now, how about a three-country tour of Southeast Asia without paying a single dollar, dong, riel, or baht  in hotel costs?

Photo from Wikipedia.com

Vietnam – Sheraton Hanoi Hotel

  • Catch a show at the Hanoi Opera House.
  • See Vietnamese Pagodas.
  • Enjoy authentic “pho” – a delicious noodle soup.
  • Stop in on historic Vietnamese war sites.

The pool at the Le Meridien Resort

Cambodia – Le Meridien Angkor

  • Tour the historic ruins of the Angkor Wat temple.
  • See countless other temples in the area.
  • Visit the floating villages.
  • Try out the royal bathing pools at Sras Srang.

Thailand – Le Meridien Chiang Rai Resort

Photo from thailandcitytrip.com

  • Ride an elephant in the jungle mountains.
  • See the incredible White Temple.
  • Swim in the Khun Kon Waterfall.
  • Enjoy $4 hour-massages.

Ummm… yeah, you’re thinking what we’re thinking.  If you want to look into the American Express Starwood Card, check out the following link.  As always, if you don’t mind using our links when you actually apply, we’ll make a little commission to help keep us inspiring you with travel tips.

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