Keeping a Good Credit Score

Credit for most people feels like a mystical world that nobody understands.  Most people have very little understanding of what their score is and how it works.  After studying this topic for the last couple of years I’ve come to know quite a bit about credit scores.  There are many things that you can do in order to earn and to keeping a good credit score.  Let’s review.

What is a Credit Score?

When you want someone to lend you money, that lender must do research on you to make sure that you’re faithful about paying your bills.  What the lender wants is a reference from someone, who isn’t partial to you, to tell them if you’ll pay the debt back or not.  Lenders share information on each of us so that there’s a reliable source they can look to to determine our creditworthiness.

You’ve actually got three credit scores.  There are three companies that track your reliability in paying your bills. They are Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian.  All three of these companies are like Santa Claus in that they know when you are naughty and nice (when you pay on time and when you’re late).  

The score tells the lender in a very simple code if they trust you or not.  The higher your score, the more they trust you. The scores range from 300-850 but they’re generally judged in tiers – more on that below.

How do they figure my credit score?

These three companies monitor five key areas when they calculate your credit score.  The five categories are:

Credit Score

Pie Graph Courtesy of www.myfico.com

That’s it.  They tell you exactly what percentage of importance each category has.  Paying people back on time is the most important thing you can do to improve your score.  Nothing will damage your score more than missing a payment.

You also want to make sure you’re paying your balances in full every month.  It will do you NO good to score millions of points and miles if you’re keeping balances and paying high ridiculous interest rates.  It’s also important to not let your statement close with more than 50% and ideally more than 33% of your available credit used.  Example:  If your credit limit is $10,000 and you spend $9000 in one month it looks bad.  Imagine if you were the lender and saw the guy who wants a loan hitting his maximums with the guy next door.  It would make you nervous too.

Length of Credit History is the average of all of your credit histories amongst all the accounts you’ve ever had.  This is why we recommend that you keep your cards for at least a year, if not more.

So many people believe that applying for new credit will drop your score.  Below is a quote directly from the myfico.com website that debunks this myth.

Fallacy: My score will drop if I apply for new credit.
Fact: If it does, it probably won’t drop much. If you apply for several credit cards within a short period of time, multiple requests for your credit report information (called “inquiries”) will appear on your report. Looking for new credit can equate with higher risk, but most credit scores are not affected by multiple inquiries from auto or mortgage lenders within a short period of time. Typically, these are treated as a single inquiry and will have little impact on the credit score.

What is a good credit score?

Most lenders look at a score above 720 as an A credit.  Obviously I don’t work for a bank, but the general rule is that as long your score is over 720 you’ll get the same interest rate as someone sporting an 840.  Sure there are exceptions to that, but overall you want to have a score above 720 with all of the crediting agencies.

Remember that in order to get approved and pile up bonus points with these credit card companies you must have an established credit history.  In most cases, they won’t approve you for their amazing offers if you haven’t proved yourself first.  If you’re new to this, and you don’t have an established credit then I recommend you start with a beginner card at your bank. This card should NOT have an annual fee and it should be a credit card that you plan on keeping for a long time (to stretch the average length of your credit history).

How will having a good credit score help me?

First of all, it will help you to get lower interest rates on any loans you might need.  This is crucial so you pay the least amount possible.  I just applied for a mortgage this month and my scores looked like this:

  • Experian: 788
  • Equifax: 788
  • TransUnion: 780

My wife’s looked like this:

  • Experian: 758
  • Equifax: 765
  • Transunion: 758

You’ll notice that the three scores are generally very close together.  We’re stoked because we’ll be getting a 3.375% interest rate on our house, but at the same time within the last two years we’ve applied for 9 credit cards between the both of us and we still have strong credit scores.  I’ve been keeping things cool until we got this loan approved as of late, but those 9 credit cards along with other promotions have earned us over 700,000 miles and points.

Those points have easily saved us over $10,000 in the last two years and that… my friend… is the real reason why you need to have a good credit score.

Keeping a Good Credit Score

Keeping a good credit score will benefit you throughout your life.  Make sure you make good decisions every time you apply for a credit card or a loan.  Never make purchases on a credit card that you would not otherwise make. Monitor your accounts responsibly and never miss a payment.  As you look forward to 2013, make sure you have a couple of important goals:

  • Travel more than you ever have before
  • Keep a good credit score

May 2013 bring you both of these things as you continue to worldwanderlust with us!


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How American Express Membership Rewards Work

We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again, the secret to free travel is flexibility – flexibility in your schedule to go and in your means of payment.  A good secret to point-hoarding is to get them when you can, where you can… worry about using them later.  What that means is that if you have a good opportunity to seize on a promotion, take it.  Of all forms of travel reward points, the bank program points tend to be the most flexible – and thus, potentially the most valuable.  American Express’ point program is termed “Membership Rewards,” and is similar in scope to the Chase Ultimate Rewards program which we’ve extolled on this site often.

Before I talk about the Membership Rewards, though, I just have to give you an example of how and why flexibility is the key to cheap travel.  It’s because flexibility is the key to cheap everything.  Let me break it down for you.  My wife sent me to the grocery store to get some Farr’s  Mint Chip ice cream.  But my mind doesn’t think in terms of necessity of brand and/or flavor.  My mind thinks in terms of value.  When I get to the grocery store, I see that they do have the Farr’s Mint Chip, and that it would cost me $4.59. That’s the kind of number that it just stings to see.  I like the bright orange super-sale tags, so my eyes are drawn to the Breyer’s Cookies and Cream, which has been marked down to $2.99.  I do what every man would do – ignore my wife’s demands and opt for the cheaper ice cream.  I’m whistling about the $1.60 I saved until I get home and find that Nicole’s not happy with the ice cream I selected.  She wanted the Farr’s mint chip.  When I tried to make the value explanation, she wasn’t buying it, but the reality was, the Breyer’s was some really good ice cream and we enjoyed it nonetheless.

Just as demanding the perfect brand and flavor of ice cream will often cost you money, so also will demanding the perfect time and location of your vacation cost you more.  If you insist on Hawaii on January 3rd to 15th, you might pay a mega-premium over what you’d pay to go somewhere with a beach in the spring… but I can guarantee that you won’t be disappointed in whatever you pick.  Give yourself that flexibility and the open-mindedness to do whatever makes the most sense, and you’ll not only save money, you’ll also see and do things you may never have otherwise seen and done.

AMEX Membership Rewards

Now, as we’ve discussed bank points like the AMEX Membership Rewards can be 1) spent like cash to purchase flights through an online booking tool, 2) Spent on travel gift cards and certificates, 3) Transferred to airline partner programs, or 4) Transferred to hotel partner programs.  These partner programs will vary from time to time, but here are the major ones at the moment.

cinderella castle

See our post about a tour through Alpine Europe

Airline Partners

Hotel Partners

There are many other ways to use these points, but because our focus is travel, we’ll isolate our discussion to these options.  You’re probably already starting to wonder, “why doesn’t he just tell me what is the best thing to do with them?” The answer – it depends.  If you want to do a short-haul flight in the US, transfer them to BA.  If you have 58,000 Delta Skymiles and you’re not accruing more, it may be best to move 2k to Delta.  If  you want to do an epic loop tour through Alpine Europe, you may want to convert them to Starwood Preferred Guest points.

But before you even start to think about those, you also need to consider one important factor – are there any programs for which AMEX is sweetening the deal?  You’ll want to check the Membership Rewards Travel homepage, because from time to time, there are promotions with certain partners to offer bonus incentives to transfer.  At the moment, for example, you’ll get 30% more Avios (points) when you transfer MR to British Airways.  What that means is that if you had 25k Membership Rewards, and move them to BA, you’d wind up with 32,500 – a nice little cherry on top.

Sometimes these bonuses can be extremely lucrative – 50% bonuses making these MR powerful tools for wanderlusters like us.

When booking a trip to Africa to hike Kilimanjaro (where I took the shot in our site header), it was this bonus, plus the flexibility, that allowed us to make the trip with a stopover in Amsterdam – using both Delta and Skymiles to make the trip happen.  If you’ve never had the good fortune of taking a KLM flight, I say find a way to do it.  If you have to be on a plane for 12 hours – it’s their plane you want to be on!

I happen to think that if you live in an area that is a Jet Blue hub (JFK, MCO, LAX, or BOS), transferring these points to Jet Blue may be a very efficient use.  It takes 250 MR to get 200 True Blue points, but True Blue redemptions start at 5000 for a one-way flight.  That makes for some intriguing possibilities which may be the subject of future WW posts. (Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss goodies like that).

How to get some AMEX Membership Rewards

I guess all that remains to be told is how you can get some of these bad boys in your awardwallet.  As with all these offers, they vary from time to time and you might have a targeted mailing for a specific offer.  You can get them for both personal and business cards.  One of the best and most available is the American Express(R) Premier Rewards Gold Card.

Click the link below and see if it’s time for you to get in on the action – using your credit responsibly to feed your free-travel fetish.

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Travel Photo Quiz

As you already know…we love to travel. This quiz is something we’ve done in the past, and are thinking about reviving. Let us know what you think.

Where was this travel photo taken?

gladiator

Where was this taken?

What currency do they use there?
What currency did they use there prior to 2001?

Winner can choose from a universal travel adaptor, an iPhone 4 or 5 credit card holder case, or an inflatable neck pillow.

Happy travels and thanks for worldwanderlusting with us.

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Panama Canal Transit on Google Earth

As the days count down to my trip to Panama, I’m getting more and more excited about the wonders I’ll find there.  One of the most intriguing sites we’ll visit is of course the Panama Canal.  I’ve been reading a very interesting book, The Path Between the Seas, by David McCullough.  It provides a level of understanding about the canal and the construction process that really compounds the wanderlust.

I started playing around on Google Earth and put together this quick, three-minute video flyover of the canal path.  I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I enjoyed making it.

Thanks for wanderlusting with us!

 

 

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Airline Points are Better than Buddy Passes

jungle

Waterfall close to Rincon de la Vieja, Costa Rica

My brother just returned from a trip to Costa Rica early this morning.  His trip was full of  Gallo Pinto, beaches, and Pura Vida.  He spent a week of paradise enjoying everything that Costa Rica has to offer.  His trip there went as planned, but his return trip had a few twists and turns.  This post is to tell you why travel points are much better than using buddy passes.

In my early days (Before I started accruing points & miles) I envied a buddy pass more than most things in life.  The idea of flying for cheap on an airline to somewhere far from home was exactly what I’d pictured.  In many cases this is exactly what you get, a cheap flight where you pay taxes and a small percentage of the adult fare.  However, it isn’t always so easy.

Bummer about Buddy Passes

The worst part about buddy passes is that you have to fly on standby.  This means that because you’re not paying much for the seat, they’d rather give it to someone who has actually paid for the flight.  So, if they’ve overbooked the flight, you’re not going home, or to your destination when you had originally anticipated.

Using airline points or miles, in contrast, provides a guaranteed seat on the plane.  It also gives you the option of giving up your seat (getting the bump) in exchange for credit on a future flight.  With the buddy pass you don’t even get this option.  They just tell you you’re not leaving.

Tyler’s experience with the Buddy Pass

Costa Rica

Tamarindo Surfing

His friend, who works at JetBlue, invited him along on the trip after a grueling semester at college.  This friend had  a few extra buddy passes laying around, and told my brother that he could use one to cut down the cost of the trip. What would normally cost $600, was cut down to $199.76.  Not too shabby considering the taxes alone were probably $100.  That means he only had to pay roughly $100 of the fare.

Of course my brother was excited about the trip as I had already informed him of a few wonderful things to eat and do in Costa Rica.  His break was much needed after a week of tough finals.  His trip was going to be perfect.  They would be flying from SLC to Liberia, Costa Rica, via JFK.  Their flight out was incredible and they arrived just as scheduled.  The week in Costa Rica was everything that he had imagined.  They enjoyed the beaches, volcanos, the food, and the relaxation.

They left Costa Rica just fine, but getting out of JFK is where they ran into trouble.  Obviously the fact that it was close to Christmas added fuel to the fire.  They realized when they arrived at JFK that they wouldn’t be making the flight, so they quickly had to make some hotel accommodations.

Missing Christmas was becoming a higher probability by the moment.  The mood of the vacation changed, and everyone started getting grumpy.  It’s like having a wonderful meal at a buffet and the final tastes on your tongue still linger in your mouth until you accidentally grab some nasty tasting dessert and it ruins the flavors of the meal.

FOUR DAYS LATER they finally got on the plane and were able to make a trip to Salt Lake City.  Although he was able to see parts of NYC in addition to Costa Rica, it cost him a significant amount more as a result of the four additional days in New York.  Not even mentioning the lower morale amongst his compadres who were all disappointed about the extra expenditures too.

Why use Airline Points?

Our objective at WorldWanderlusting is to help you to acquire as many frequent flyer miles (airline points) as possible with the least amount of effort, and then to help you to plan some amazing trips that you’ll remember for a lifetime.  It’s that simple.  There are very few reasons that should stop you from traveling the world.  Don’t allow silly excuses like, “I don’t have any money,” “I have children,” or “Where would I go?” stop you from seeing the world.

US Airways just updated their credit card which is offering 40,000 US Airways Dividend Miles for their current offer.  If you want to know where that’ll take you, check out their dividend miles redemptions.


It does have an annual fee of $89 that you’ve got to pay the first year, but that is cheap flying!  Also keep in mind that you get a 5000 Dividend Miles discount for having this card on your redemption.  So a flight that would normally cost 25,000 will only cost 20,000 because you’ve got this card.  Awesome!

It is also possible that they approve you for a lower bonus depending on their criterion, so that is always a possibility.

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Airline Flights to the Dominican Republic

A good friend from high school saw one of our posts and asked exactly the kind of question we like to hear – How do I get airline flights to the Dominican Republic? Like a fish on bait, here we go.

First off, let’s just establish that whether you know it or not, you want to go to the Dominican Republic. If you like red-hot nightlife, an orange tan, yellow sunrises, white sand, green jungles, blue water, or purple sunsets, you are going to love every moment of it.  If you’re not keen on any of those, how about history, adventure, or relaxation? Because the D.R. is full of all that, too. Before we get you too excited on it, though, let’s get you there. As you know, WorldWanderlusting is about helping you get to places you had only dreamed of at a fraction of a fraction of the cost you’d expect to pay.  We’re constantly seeking out opportunities to build up our stash of frequent flyer miles, and often the quickest and most effective way to do it is to sign up for a new credit card, use it responsibly, and reap the rewards.

Beach, Dominican republic

Beach, Dominican republic (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Now, you can get to the D.R. on almost any airline, but if you want to go to a specific airport, Punta Cana (PUJ), for example, your options may be more limited.  That said, it’s only about a 2.5 hour (very scenic) drive from SDQ to PUJ.  I like to remain open to the possibility of flying into a different airport.

For the timeframe and origin (IAH) I’m looking at, tickets to PUJ that aren’t ridiculous routings are going to cost at least $655, and the airlines that run these flights are American, US Airways, Airtran (out of HOU) and Delta.

$655 is a lot of scratch.  Let’s see what we can do about getting this flight for a song.

The biggest key to award travel (using frequent flyer miles to book flights) is flexibility.  The more flexibility you have in terms of when and exactly where you’re flying, the cheaper you tend to get things.  If you can fly on a Tuesday or Wednesday, rather than a Sunday, chances are you’ll have better luck.

Airline Flights on the Cheap

Delta wants 55k +$110 too book the flight into PUJ, but you can get it for 35k and $110 if you go into SDQ.  At that rate, if you happen to already have 5k Skymiles or so, you could get the Gold Delta Skymiles card that gives you 30k miles after spending $1000 in the first three months and be on your way.   Plus, this way you can stop in and see La Catedral de Santa Maria – the oldest cathedral in the Americas, among other treasures, in downtown Santo Domingo.

United is almost the exact same story.  They want 35k points and about $110 into SDQ.  If you have some United Miles already, this is probably the best way to go.  If you need to top them off with 30k more, pick up the United MileagePlus Explorer Card- which will also give you some of those lounge passes so that you really feel like a high roller.

American Airlines can get you right into PUJ for 35k+$110, but you may have to stay a couple of extra nights.  You can get 40k American AAdvantage miles after spending $1000 with the Citi American AAdvantage Card.

US Airways is up in the night, thinking there is some idiot out there who would fork over 60k+$150 for these flights, so we’ll just write them off on this trip (but they could be great on others).

Airtran is intriguing because they have some really good flights.  If you have a lot of flexibility, there’s a chance you could get it done for 16 credits and $110.  You can get those 16 credits with the Airtran Airways A+ card, but it does require that you spend $1000 on it and pay the first year $69 annual fee.

If none of those options really make sense, there’s always the option to get some bank points and use them like cash to book whatever flight you’d like.  So, for example, if you got the Chase Sapphire PreferredSM and got your 40k Ultimate Rewards points after spending $3000, those points would be worth $500 towards whatever flight you choose.

Of each of these, I have to say that your best options in this instance would likely be the Chase Sapphire PreferredSM (if you can meet the $3000 spending requirement without making otherwise unplanned purchases) or the United MileagePlus Explorer Card (if you already have at least 5k United Miles).

Whatever method you choose, you’re going to be impressed with all there is to see and do in the Dominican Republic.  I’m hoping you’ll make it up to the Samana area, where you can meet my friend the ex-patriot entrepreneur who built the “Walk the Plank Zipline.”

Zipline

 

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Posted in American Airlines, Chase, Chase Ultimate Reward Points, Cheap Honeymoons, Credit Cards, Delta | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Travel Tips from Travel Blogger Jessica of SuitcasesandSippycups.com

Meet & Learn about Jessica of Suitcasesandsippycups.com

Jessica, the author of Suitcasesandsippycups.com, is a blogger who travels with her children.  Their wanderlust has taken them across the globe, and four children haven’t stopped them.  Her witty writing, mixed with travel tips, will be useful.  We invite you to subscribe to her blog.

world traveler tips

Jessica and the kiddos

Tell us about yourself – how did you catch the wanderlust?

I think true wanderlusting-the kind that makes you feel more alive when you are exploring a new place-I think you are born with that. But, at some point, that fire has to be ignited, and that happened for me in the eighth grade. That year, our class was a guest in the library as the librarian shared photos and stories from her most recent trip to the concentration camps of Europe. As she described in vivid detail the sights, sounds, and smells of the trip, I was enraptured by the idea that I could get on a plane and go to the places that I had read about in books. Even though I had never been on a plane or even left my home state, I was hooked.

As a made for TV movie ending, I actually married that librarian’s youngest son, and we went on to wander together as a couple, and then as parents of four boys, ages 12-3. Having children has done nothing to curb our wanderlust. In fact, it has intensified it! As a parent, I have the most awesome task of framing my children’s perception of the world. They are counting on me to provide them with experiences that generate growth. Whether it is the first taste of a new cuisine, or a trip to an ancient monument, travel is a living lesson that they are citizens of a world filled with wonder. Traveling is a way to say without words: “Go! Grab Hold! Savor every moment! Be Inspired!”

How do you save for/pay for your travel?

We are, quite possibly, the cheapest people ever! We are relentlessly stingy about spending money on “normal” things, so that we can save all our money for travel. We haven’t always been this way, but when the economy took a downturn, we realized we could either ‘keep up with the Jones’ or travel. So, we chose to travel. Even though our family was still growing, we moved into a smaller house. We drive unbelievably trashy cars. We buy our clothes secondhand. We repair things over and over again, rather than buying new. If you looked at our normal life, you would be shocked to know that we had traveled all over the world. It’s because of the one that we are able to afford the other.

mirror picture

Family at the Bean

What resources do you use in planning your trip?

Trip Advisor is my go to research tool, but in a perfect world it would be easier to access blogger posts about hotels and itineraries. Travel bloggers know travel!

Describe your favorite foreign food encounter

Okay, lobster is not normally thought of as a foreign food, but if you are a kid living in the
center of Texas, whole lobster is apparently very foreign. While we were in Maine recently, we took advantage of the cheap whole lobsters and treated ourselves to two. When they arrived at the table the kids were mortified, horrified, and disgusted. There were dry heaves all around, as one of them exclaimed, “It actually has eyeballs!” Two of the boys actually had to excuse themselves to the restroom. We were completely unprepared for their reaction. I think it is safe to say we can never show our face in that restaurant again!

Share with us your most interesting/nerve-wracking/epic travel experience

On a trip to Athens, airport delays dictated that we arrived way after dark. We hoped that our late arrival would not be too problematic. Wrong. We could easily see the lights of our hotel. But, as we looped under the overpass, we would pass the hotel on the other side and head off in the opposite direction while watching our hotel disappear in the rear-view mirror. More than once we tried to make the loop with no luck. My husband I were discussing (read: yelling) about which way we should go next as we pulled up to a familiar corner. “Why don’t you stop and ask those people,” says a little voice from the back. Standing on the corner were two professional women. In order to make their availability quite clear, they were beckoning to us to come closer in such a way that made their occupation unquestionable. “Do you think they are cold?” asked a practical little voice from the back. “If you go to sleep, I’ll pay you $5,” I begged, hoping that the questioning would stop. I slumped down in my seat, and implored Gary to please drive faster.

He was inappropriately amused at my discomfort with our situation. Having been a traveler all his life, he had been exposed to all varieties of corruption, so he was unabashed. It seems impossible, but it took us three more loops around the hotel before we finally found the secret entrance. Each time we passed the ladies on the corner, although by the third time around we had revealed ourselves as stupid lost tourists and not interested customers. Honestly, if I had thought they spoke any English, we would have taken the little boy advice and asked them for directions.

hard hats

Jessica with the Kids at the Mine

What is the best beach on earth?

Ko Olina Lagoon in Oahu. It’s a “private” beach that is part of the Marriott Resort that is
nearby, but locals visit the beach all the time for the luxury and the protected swimming the lagoon offers for families.

What is the most intriguing cultural experience you’ve ever had?

There are so many, but the ones that stick out in my memory are when my kids interacted with kids in other countries. Kids are just so open an unencumbered by the things that hold us back as adults. One time, we were picnicking near the Roman baths in outside Rome, and the kids were playing among the ruins. They spotted another little boy about their age and soon he was joining in their play. They spoke English, he spoke German, everyone around them spoke Italian, but somehow they found a way to communicate through the universal language of “play.”

Share an “absolute-must-do” trip itinerary

Alright, we’re headed back to Hawaii, but this time, to the North Shore. You can do all this in one day or space it out over several days. Driving around the area of Oahu that the locals call “the country” is the best way to get a feel for the authentic Hawaiian culture. Stop first at Dole Pineapple Plantation-it’s touristy, but its fun for the kids and you can eat pineapple ice cream. Then, you want to tune your radio to a Hawaiian station and get ready for some amazing vistas. The first town you will hit is historic Haliewa, a genuine surfer town where you can shop for authentic souvenirs. Shrimp Trucks and Shave Ice are two treats you will want to sample on the way. Next stop is Turtle Beach, where you can actually see giant green sea turtles playing in the waves and sunning themselves on the beach. After that, you’ll head to Waimea Valley, and take a chilly dip in the sacred Waimea Falls. Turtle Bay Resort is the next stop and they have a perfect cove for novice surfers to take lessons or try out a board. The last stop is the Polynesian Cultural Resort for a luau to end the day.

What travel gadget could you never do without?

GPS, no question. I have directional dyslexia. And, yes that is a real thing. Look it up.

beautiful tree

Family Photo at Chihuly Festival

What book(s) have you read which really provoke the wanderlust?

Jack Kerouac’s On the Road and Thoreau’s Walden. Although, I can only read Thoreau in small doses. Man, that dude could talk!

Do you have any legendary travel souvenirs?

Yep, our youngest son! He was a souvenir we brought home from a trip to DisneyWorld. After waiting for two years and being told that having more children was medically impossible, we think he is pretty legendary.

Once again, we encourage you to visit her blog and subscribe to her engaging writing style, and wonderful picture.  You can find her at suitcasesandsippycups.com.

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