Travel Map: New England Vacation with Free Nights at Starwood Preferred Guest Hotels

Posted on October 10, 2012 by wpengine

Start planning your tour through New England or other exciting destinations by signing up for this great travel credit card from American Express, the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express.

This wonderful loop through New England will show you how easy it is to travel with credit card points and worldwanderlusting.com. We teach you how to get the points, how to spend the points, and how to travel the world. If you’ve ever had desires to travel, this is definitely how you need to do it!

New England Travel Map

Instead of teaching your children about Plymouth Rock and the Pilgrims having Thanksgiving with the natives, take them to it next year. Plan a picnic close to the Mayflower and take them down the Freedom Trail in Boston. Take them to Fenway Park in Boston to watch a Red Sox game. This is history, not just reading from a book.

This is the loop that you can take through New England seeing the fall colors, or visiting historical sites where you can stay for free courtesy of the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express.

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Starwood Preferred Guest Sample Loop
Hotel Name Hotel Location Points Per Night Sample Trip
Four Points by Sheraton Boston Logan Airport Revere, MA 3000 Weekend 4000 Weeknight 3000 Points for Friday Night
Sheraton Colonial Boston North Hotel Winfield, MA 3000 Weekend 4000 Weeknight 3000 Points for Saturday Night
Four Points by Sheraton Manchester Airport Manchester, NH 3000 Weekend 4000 Weeknight 4000 Points for Sunday Night
Four Points by Sheraton Leominister Leominster, MA 3000 Weekend 4000 Weeknight 4000 Points for Monday Night
Sheraton Springfield Monarch Plaza Hotel Springfield, MA 3000 Weekend 4000 Weeknight 4000 Points for Tuesday Night
Four Points by Sheraton Meriden Meriden, CT 3000 Weekend 4000 Weeknight 4000 Points for Wednesday Night
Sheraton Providence Airport Hotel Providence, RI 3000 Weekend 4000 Weeknight 4000 Points for Thursday  Night
Total Starpoints Redeemed 26,000

Seven Free Nights in New England

 

Posted in Credit Cards, Hotels, How to Wanderlust, Living History, Starwood Preferred Guest | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Girls’ Weekend in LA: Free Flights for Five Thanks to British Airways

Posted on October 7, 2012 by Brad Christensen

When the British Airways Credit Card with 50,000/100,000 bonus Avios deal first came out, we did exactly what we do best at WorldWanderlusting… we started wanderlusting – dreaming of where we could go without paying for anything.  Our objective?  Maximize travel experience and minimize point usage. It didn’t take us long to figure out a strategy that would allow the Avios to stretch.  Using the British Airways Avios Calculator, we sought out direct routes on BA’s partner, American Airlines, that were just below the 750 mile maximum at the 4500 Avios level – the two standouts? SLC-LAX and BOI-SEA.  Other routes existed, but we tend to think about options in our area.  Some quick math told me that with the 50k Avios we got on our first purchase, five and a half people could get in on the action!

I then did what all wanderlusters should do – I asked myself three questions – Would applying for this card hurt my credit? Would I be able to meet the spending requirement without making purchases I wouldn’t otherwise make? And, if I had this card, would I have the discipline necessary to not make frivolous spending decisions and to pay it off in full immediately after use? “No”, “no”, and “yes” were my answers, so I applied and was approved instantly.

Thinking selfishly, as men often do, I started daydreaming about an Alaskan cruise with the boys out of Seattle… that was sounding pretty good until I started thinking New Years and the Rose Bowl in LA.  I went on and on with “man-cation” daydreams until it came – abruptly – the thought that my wife, who spends the better part of every day fetching sippy cups, sopping up spilled milk, and mediating sibling rivalries, might actually have designs of her own.

I then did another thing men often do – I made a rational calculation.  Did I stand to gain more from using my freely acquired points in selfish pursuits?  Or would I benefit from some well-intentioned generosity?

 

 

Girls on the Beach

Pretending like I had never considered, nor was ever capable of, any alternative use, I volunteered them to Nicole – masking my wince as I offered that she might really enjoy a weekend in Southern California with some friends.  Peeking above a stack of laundry as tall as her, I saw her eyes light up with emotion and I knew my coldly-calculated rational decision was warmly-received.

Nicole started doing her own daydreaming – mostly consisting of beach volleyball and relaxing in the sun (I’m fortunate to have a wife who cares little for the shopping scene of LA – thus my quick answer earlier about credit-card discipline).

When it came right down to it, more than just five and a half girls wanted to go – they had a total of seven – and that meant using one of our many hotel point programs for free lodging would require two hotel rooms a night, or possibly even more.  Nicole’s only demand was beach-proximity – something best obtained in personal homes like what you can find on www.airbnb.com.

They were elated to find a well-decorated, perfectly located, two-bedroom condo, where they could be accommodated for about $60 per person per night.

They enjoyed the sun, the sand, and even a little shopping, ate at great restaurants, and enjoyed the freedom of the weekend – a mom retreat that met needs that don’t often get met. For me it was a daddy’s weekend and hopefully a downpayment on the next “man-cation” I dream up.

How do you get British Airways Avios and have a getaway of your own?

Well, you could try to fly dozens of expensive flights to possibly eventually get enough for one measly trip, or you could opt for the WorldWanderlusting method of using your credit responsibly to maximize travel rewards and live a fuller, more vacation-filled life.

The British Airways Card – 50k Avios when you spend $1000 in the first three months, (and more if you keep going). Click here:

The Chase Ink Bold or Chase Ink Plus card (for business) both give bonuses of 50k Ultimate Rewards which can transfer to British Airways (or other programs) when you spend $5,000 in the first three months.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred (personal) gives a bonus of 40k Ultimate Rewards which can transfer to British Airways after you spend $3000 in the first three months.

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Posted in American Airlines, British Airways, Credit Cards, Fun Travel Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Weekend Workcation in Park City

Posted on October 3, 2012 by wpengine

It’s not considered a vacation, yet not really considered work either when you head to Deer Valley for a few days of training.  I’ll just call the trip a workcation.

We headed to Park City, Utah on Wednesday morning of last week.  We loaded up the Honda Accord and headed down for my work meetings that I’d be having at Deer Valley.  Once a year my employer has a work meeting at a place you can really enjoy, and for the last few years they’ve done it there.  Although it’s not the area’s prime time, Winter, I really feel like Fall is the second best time to visit.

They’ve got an abundance of fall colors everywhere you look.  The aspen trees turn from green to yellow to brown.  Other deciduous trees turn fire-red and make the hills look like they’re ablaze.  Although it’s not like the Eastern United States where trees are absolutely everywhere, it still provides open spaces, views of lakes, yet the perfect amount of fall colors.

Wasatch Golf Course Lawn Mower

The work meetings were inspiring, yet time-consuming.  If only I could have spent a bit more time in the fresh air.  I love fresh mountain air in the morning.  The steam comes off the hot tub and everything still seems frozen by the night.  As the sun rises on the already orange and yellow leaves it’s confounding because the moment feels more like twilight.  This is a feeling you can’t find in New York City, or in Los Angeles.  This is why it’s important to travel and experience different places in all seasons.

The food in Park City offers foods, flavors, and drinks of all varieties.  We settled on Purple Sage, which is a hole-in-the-wall restaurant on Main street.  You might find the lighting to be bad, but you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu.  I went with some buffalo ribs that were DELICIOUS. (I recommend getting extra sauce).  The Barbeque Chicken Tamales appetizer was definitely worth it as well.  Everything seems unique there, and it’s definitely not a franchise.

Ready to tee off!

Friday was golf day!  Don’t worry, I’m no Tiger Woods (neither that I’m good at golf, nor that I cheat on my wife).  This course has some of the best Fall scenery ever.  Maybe I can blame some of my lost golf balls on the desire to indulge in nature’s path.

Our team took last place in the golf scramble, which meant that we got a free sleeve of nice golf balls.  How exciting that I’ll get to lose them next time I’m golfing there.

Max at Dinner

Since my wife was going to hang out with some friends, I figured it would be a good time to have some “Man” time with my boy Max.  We did a bit of shopping for work clothes for me, and then headed off to dinner.  Since Max loves veggies and fruits more than most other foods I decided that Sizzler would be a good option as he could eat from the salad bar.

He ate more peas than I’ve ever eaten in one setting, but it is nice to know that he is getting some nutrients.  Somehow he will always find room to throw back more peas, corn, or watermelon no matter how full he might already be.  Although it was stressful being a “single dad” for two nights, it definitely gave me an appreciation for my wife and all of the other moms out there.  What a job!

Our hotel was an easy decision since we have so many Club Carlson Gold Points from their recent Big Night Giveaway promotion.  We chose the Country Inns and Suites in West Valley City, Utah.  It wasn’t fancy, but it was free, which makes it fancy to me.  The pool sounded fun, and the hot tub sounded relaxing, but both were hard to enjoy with Max.  We finally found the bath to be the perfect fit for our objectives.


Life is definitely harder when traveling with kids, but you’ll have moments that you’ll never forget, just like this awesome experience that we had playing cars in the bath.  Worldwanderlust with us and get 50,000 Marriott Rewards Points, which will just be kindling on the fire later.

 

Posted in About us, Club Carlson, Fun Travel Stories | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Don’t Miss Out on $4.2 Billion in Unearned Points – Register for Frequent Flier Programs

Posted on September 30, 2012 by Brad Christensen

After being very surprised to find that I was the only passenger of four seated around me to be participating in the Skymiles Frequent Flyer program on a recent Delta flight, I decided to take a very unsophisticated approach to estimating the total number of Frequent Flyer miles that go unearned by ambivalent passengers.

The AAdvantage program by American Airlines was the first airline loyalty program

I’ve told you about my high school government teacher who paid for new running shoes by picking up pennies as he ran… not willing to overlook even the slightest presentation of value.  But these are not pennies these people are missing out on – they’re dollars.  Big dollars.

The Airline Data Project by MIT says that US Domestic Airlines (I’m limiting the scope) fly somewhere between 650 and 750 billion seat miles each year – we’ll use 700 billion.  The load factor over the recent future hovers around 80% (up from 70% in the 90s), so really there are only passengers in about 560 billion of those seat miles.

Despite my anecdotal measure above, everything I can find says that somewhere around 54% of passengers are participants in the loyalty programs – startling is the fact that a small fraction of those don’t register their FF # when flying (I know, I gagged, too).

Let’s say, then, that 50% of those occupied seat miles go without earning Frequent Flyer rewards… that means that 280 billion loyalty points go unearned every year. With a tear in my eye, I’m calculating the value at a rate of 1.5 cents per mile (probably underestimated), and finding that roughly $4.2 billion in free travel benefits are overlooked by people unwilling to give their name, address, email, and phone number to the airline in a 30 second online registration.

The silver lining in this non-scientific appraisal is that those of us who wouldn’t dare let a single mile slip by will reap the benefits from the unbelievers.  There’s no way the airline companies (or the credit card offerers, for that matter) could be nearly as generous as they are if 100% of us were bloodthirsty point-mongers like those of you who wanderlust with us.

If you find yourself in the shameful camp of having traveled without earning miles, let me give you just a bit of advice – first, inquire about the possibility of re-acquiring miles which you might have earned earlier this year.  Most programs have a method for you to go back and recapture them if you were in the program but didn’t give them your number.  Oh, what’s that you say? You weren’t in the program? You didn’t have 30 seconds and an internet connection? Ughh… I’m sorry.

There is NO reason not to register for at least the major US carriers.  You’re going to want to go to our Using Air Miles Page – which is not exhaustive, but will get you started in getting registered for each program.

If you took a flight without getting miles and weren’t registered for the program, maybe you’d like to get them back by scoring some free bonus miles when you get the Gold Delta Skymiles Card and meet the minimum spending requirement.

Gold Delta SkyMiles®

Gold Delta Skymiles up to 30,000 Skymiles

 

Posted in American Airlines, Delta | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

What is TSA Pre-Check?

Posted on September 27, 2012 by Brad Christensen

Taken directly from www.tsa.gov, here’s their description of the program:

TSA Pre✓™ is a pre-screening initiative that makes risk assessments on passengers who voluntarily participate prior to their arrival at the airport checkpoint.

TSA Pre✓™ includes U.S. citizens who are members of existing Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Trusted Traveler programs including Global Entry, NEXUS, and SENTRI programs as well as eligible airline frequent travelers.

If TSA determines a passenger is eligible for expedited screening, information is embedded in the barcode of the passenger’s boarding pass. TSA reads the barcode at designated checkpoints and the passenger may be referred to a lane where they will undergo expedited screening, which could include no longer removing the following items:

  • Shoes
  • 3-1-1 compliant bag from carry-on
  • Laptop from bag
  • Light outerwear/jacket
  • Belt

In addition, passengers 12 and younger are allowed through TSA Pre✓™ lanes with eligible passengers.

TSA Pre-Check is not available in all airports yet

On my recent return flight from Tampa, I was invited to go through the new “TSA Pre-Check” security line – presumably because I’ve wrangled my way to Gold Medallion Status with Delta and I fly fairly often.  I had gotten to the airport with plenty of time and it’s not like the lines were atrocious, but it felt like a nice benefit nonetheless.

I was whisked to a conveyor belt where I simply placed my bag and emptied my pockets.  I walked through the magnetometer and grabbed my belongings.  It was a little like being time warped to a pre-9/11 world!  I didn’t have to take my belt off. I left my shoes on.  My vulnerably naked picture wasn’t transmitted into a dark room for someone to analyze.  My laptop stayed right where it was and if I had dared to bring a 3.1 oz tube of toothpaste not in a plastic bag, they’d have shrugged it off all the same.

Yes, this is encouraging.  For the record, I’m not one to complain about airport security measures.  I’d fly naked if it guaranteed my security… of course I am a bit of a nudist.  But it has gotten a little ridiculous in a world where my 5 and 7 year-old boys have to remove and re-tie their shoes – something that consumes far too much time when minutes are often at a premium.

Combine this little perk with a complimentary upgrade to First Class on a three-hour flight, SkyPriority Baggage tags that ensure that my luggage is free and among the first to come rolling out, and I feel a little like a celebrity.

Posted in Delta, Travel Tricks | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

How to Get More for Your Credit Card Annual Fee

Posted on September 23, 2012 by wpengine

Somehow it has been a year since my wife applied for the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express.  My Google calendar reminded me it was time to for the credit card annual fee.

I wanted to avoid paying the $65 annual fee for the card so I called American Express to see if they would waive my annual fee.


Here’s how the call went:

Me:          I would like to cancel this card please
CR Rep: Let me go over the wonderful features of this card.
Me:          (Thinking) I probably know more about this card than he does.
CR Rep: Bla Bla Bla Review….Are you still sure that you’d like to cancel the card?
Me:          Yeah, I already have this card and don’t want to have to pay the annual fee on               my card and my wife’s card.
CR Rep: That is understandable. What if I were to entice you to keep the card by    offering 2000 Starpoints? Would that make you keep the card?
Me:          Could you do 3000 points? That would get me one free night at a category 2 hotel.
CR Rep: I see you know quite a bit about the card. I’m sorry, 2000 is the best I can do.
Me:          Alright. Let’s do it.

I know that 2000 Starpoints isn’t super sexy, but it is better than nothing.

I also remembered that the American Express Small Business Saturday is coming up again in November.  That means that I’ll get $25 back from them, so I see the 2000 Starpoints as worth more than $40, which made it worth it for me to keep the card for my wife.

A few tips to remember when it comes to credit card annual fees:

  • Mark your calendars right now for each of the cards that you have.  Make sure you plan on calling to cancel before the fee is due.
  • If you do plan on keeping the card, call anyway to see if they will give you any type of credit card maintenance bonus just like my wife got.
  • Remember that your relationship with the credit card companies is important.  Don’t do anything that might them put a “black mark” on your account.
  • You want to keep your “average length of credit history” as long as possible.  For this reason it might be worth keeping a credit card to make sure that your credit has a great foundation.

What other credit card annual fee tips do you have?  What experiences have you had lately with your annual fees?  Share them in the comments.

Get your own Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card by American Express and score up to 25,000 Bonus Starpoints for your next vacation. Using our links help us to continue to provide you with this useful information.

Posted in American Express, Credit Advice, Credit Cards | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

New Virgin America Credit Card

Posted on September 21, 2012 by wpengine

Barclaycard, which is a lesser known bank issues credit cards for the US Airways Mastercard, and they also issue the Virgin America Credit Card.  This card is making its way to the table by upping its bonus.  Currently the card offers these benefits:

  • For a Limited Time Only: Earn up to 25,000 bonus points on qualifying transactions
  • Enjoy 3 Points per $1 on Virgin America purchases
  • Earn 1 Point per $1 spent everywhere else
  • Low Intro rate on balance transfers for the first 15 months after account opening
  • $150 off a companion ticket every year
  • No blackout dates on any seat, at any time for reward flights
  • Please see terms and conditions for complete details

20,000 of the points come from the first purchase and the extra 5,000 will come if you do a balance transfer within the first 30 days of having the card. Because I’m from Idaho, and our nearest servicing airport is Las Vegas, it appears as though I won’t be applying for this card anytime soon. The 25,000 miles will actually stretch pretty far. You can search if your city has a servicing airport and see where Virgin America flies by searching on their Elevate Redemption Award Chart.

This is a sample redemption from Virgin America from Las Vegas to Manchester, UK. I’m shocked at the amount that they charge for taxes and surcharges, so watch out for those when booking award tickets with this airline.

 

Also, keep in mind that Chase is asking us to remove the Marriott links early on Monday. They’ve done this before, so it is possible that they are just doing this to ramp up the offer, but you never know what will happen. The fact is that the offers can expire at any moment, so be aware that it might go away on Monday.

Posted in Credit Cards | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments