The Choice Privileges Visa Card

Posted on September 27, 2013 by wpengine

Disclosure: Brad and I earn a commission if you use our link to apply for the The Choice Privileges Visa Card.  We would appreciate your applications!

Choice Privilege Visa

Link: The Choice Privileges® Visa® Card

Barclaycard continues to offer cards that are more and more competitive in the market.  This card is the The Choice Privileges Visa Card, and they’ve got an valuable proposition for you right now.

Hotels in the Choice Privilege Family

These properties aren’t going to compare with those of the Starwood Preferred Guest program, but many of them offer free Internet, breakfast, and are clean.  These are probably the three most valuable features to me when it comes to booking a hotel.

  • Comfort Inn
  • Comfort Suites
  • Quality Inn
  • Sleep Inn
  • Clarion
  • Econolodge
  • Rodeway Inn

Where can I find Choice Privilege Hotels?

They’ve got loads of hotels in the US and Canada, but still quite a few in Europe too.

Choice Hotels By Region Properties Top Destinations
U.S. 5,116 New York, Orlando
Canada 301 Montreal, Toronto
Caribbean/Mexico 29 Bahamas, Los Cabos
Central/South America 70 San Jose, Sao Paulo
Europe 417 London, Paris, Rome
Asia and Pacific 355 Sydney, Tokyo

Redemption of Choice Privilege


The hotel redemption varies by property.

  • Tier 1- 6000 Points
  • Tier 2- 8000 Points
  • Tier 3,4,5 on up to 35,000

They have over 1500 hotels across the globe in these first two categories.  This is very generous of them.  If you want to search these hotels, check out this list of hotels in their two lowest categories.

These guys really shine using lower categories in bigger cities.  For example: they have low category hotels in towns like London, Edinburgh, Venice, Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Paris, and more.  This is VERY valuable if you’ve ever tried redeeming points in cities like these.

You also have some advantages if you’re trying to travel through rural areas like Wyoming, North Dakota, and South Dakota.  Coming across a SPG property is much more rare in areas like these.

When do the Choice Privileges Points Expire?

Award nights are fully transferable to immediate family members (spouse, partner, children, parents, in-laws, brothers and sisters). Points expire on Dec. 31, two years after the year in which they were earned.

The ability to transfer them is great, but the redemption is a bit of a bummer.  For the points to not be able to roll forward from year to year with a new activity is a bummer.  If you’re looking to use them in the next two years, this is totally fine.

What is the current offer for the The Choice Privileges® Visa® Card?

 

This offer is a Limited-Time Offer, and has some real value. By staying and paying for one night at a Choice Hotel you’ll end up with 32,000 Choice Privilege Points, which can amount up to 4 nights at hotels in very valuable places like Paris, London, or Venice. You should really consider getting this card if you’ve got to stay in a Choice Hotel in the next little bit anyway. Then plan your dream trip.

What other benefits come from the Choice Privileges Visa Card?

  •  No Annual Fee
  • Ability to book hotels 50 days in advance of stay instead of 30

 

 

Posted in Barclaycard, Choice Hotels, Credit Cards, Hilton | 2 Comments

Ionian Sailing Breaks: The Island Highlights

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Brad Christensen

This is a sponsored guest post about sailing in the Greek Islands. Sailing has such an allure to me and as soon as life allows it, I intend to make it a part of my travel repertoire. I’ve always imagined sailing in the Caribbean, but who wouldn’t love the islands of Greece?

A sailing holiday gives you the ultimate freedom to explore where you like within the time you have at sea. If you want to laze on the beach in a secluded cove, do it! If you prefer to explore an authentic village that is unknown to tourists, do it! Whatever you want to incorporate into your summer sailing break, the options are there for you.

With Neilson Ionian island holidays, you not only have the chance to skipper your own flotilla and sail the open waves, but you also get to explore a beautiful corner of the world. As you sail along the planned route, you will be able to moor your yacht at any of the given ports and marinas, giving you the chance to discover areas that you’ve never seen before.

Here are some of the island highlights:

  • The Lake Melissani.

    Melissani Cave (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

    Cephalonia is the largest of the Ionian Islands, but certainly not one of the popular haunts by tourists. It was made famous by Captain Corelli’s Mandolin and has plummeting cliffs, pretty beaches and vineyards aplenty.

  • Corfu can be found in the North Ionian is popular with tourists but that doesn’t mean you’ll run into them. Mooring your yacht at any of the recommended spots will bring you a little closer to lush scenery, tranquil coves and mesmerising scenery.
  • Paxos would be an ideal stop if you’re after complete tranquillity. This tiny Ionian island is home to three villages and that’s it! If you’re looking for relaxation and a laidback atmosphere, this island is the place for you.

From sheltered harbors like Melissani Cave to quintessentially Greek villages, Ionian sailing holidays will introduce you to a completely different holiday than you’re used to. Whether you are qualified to sail or you use the help of an expert skipper, the azure waters will gladly welcome you and your flotilla for the duration of your adventure.

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A Trip Every Month for Two Years with the Southwest Companion Pass

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Brad Christensen

I’ll just go ahead and give you my plans.  I used to be a little coy about all this incredible travel I’m able to do because I’ve spent the time to understand the frequent flyer programs and how to acquire points for them.  More often than not, people just adopt a “well that’s good for him” attitude, but my secret desire is for them to join in the fun.

Last week, I was incredibly pleased to see that the Chase Southwest Plus, Premier, and Business cards with 50k point bonuses have returned. “Pleased” because 50k is, like, double the 25k they were offering… and “incredibly” because it means getting the coveted Southwest Airlines Companion Pass is going to be so easy for me.

Southwest offers a unique bonus to frequent flyers who either fly 100 segments in a calendar year, or earn 110,000 Rapid Reward points in a calendar year.  They bestow a celestial Companion Pass… enabling the individual to invite a companion along for any flight they book with cash or points for the remainder of that year and the entirety of the next year. The companion pays nothing, save a $5 per segment fee.

Rapid RewardsThere’s obviously no way I could possibly fly 100 segments in the first month of the year, and earning 110,000 Rapid Rewards from flights only is also not an option.

How to get 100,000 Rapid Rewards

What is an option though, is for me to apply for the Southwest Premier Card in October of this year. I’ll need to pay the $99 annual fee, and then I’ll have to complete the minimum spending requirement of $2000 in December of this year, so that my 50k bonus points hit in my Rapid Rewards account in January of 2014.

I’ll also apply for the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Card, pay the $99 annual fee, and plan my spending so that I complete the $2000 in December. That way I’ll have 100k Rapid Rewards in the first month of 2014.

How to get 10,000 more Rapid Rewards

I’ll need 10k more in order to get the companion pass.  I could get those a few different ways – every $1 I spend on either card will give me a point, and I have some business expenses, but $10k in a month is hard for my budget alone.

It would be perfect if I could transfer some Ultimate Rewards, but doing that doesn’t give me companion pass qualifying points.

I could book some flights on SW and earn the points the old-fashioned way, but unless I pay big money for refundable anytime fares, it doesn’t earn me nearly enough.

I could transfer 30k Marriott points to Southwest at a 3:1 ratio and get my 10k, but I hate to use them like that because I’m going to need some free hotel nights for all these trips.

I could earn points through Southwest’s Shopping Portal, but then I’m just buying things I don’t want or need.

None of these options are super easy, but I do have one that’s going to work.  A friend of ours is building a house. They will have tens of thousands of dollars in expenses over the next few months. In January, I’ll charge two of his invoices to my Southwest card, each for over $5000. Voila! 110k points and the companion pass is on its way!

Planning 23 Months of Vacations with the Southwest Companion Pass

Now this is where it starts to get exciting. All of this could change at any moment, especially if or when Airtran flights get taken into the Southwest system and we are able to fly to Mexico.  I’d really like to sneak in a trip to Cabo San Lucas.

But just for the fun of it, I decided to layout a potential itinerary of the kind of trips I’d like to make over the next two years.  I’m sure some would get put off, too, because of those dang “responsibilities,” but it doesn’t hurt to dream.

Here’s what I came up with:

Month Depart Destination Activity/WW Post Estimated Points
Feb 2014 (SLC) Orlando (MCO) Orlando Area 15000
Mar 2014 (SLC) Burbank (BUR) Los Angeles 10000
Apr 2014 (SLC) Virginia Beach (ORF) Jefferson Tour 15000
May 2014 (SLC) New York (EWN) New York City 15000
Jun 2014 (SLC) Branson (BKG) Branson shows 12000
Jul 2014 (SLC) Providence (PVD) Rhode Island Area 15000
Aug 2014 (SLC) Seattle (SEA) Alaskan Cruise 9000
Sep 2014 (SLC) Charlotte (CLT) Carolinas 15000
Oct 2014 (SLC) Manchester NH (MHT) New England Fall Colors 15000
Nov 2014 (SLC) Los Angeles (LAX) Positioning for Thailand flight 9000
Dec 2014 (SLC) Phoenix (PHX) Dirtbiking with my brother 10000
Jan 2015 (SLC) San Antonio (SAT) San Antonio and Alamo 12000
Feb 2015 (SLC) Las Vegas (LAS) Las Vegas shows 9000
Mar 2015 (SLC) Nashville (BNA) Great Smoky Mountains 15000
Apr 2015 (SLC) Boston (BOS) Positioning for Ireland flight 18000
May 2015 (SLC) Philadelphia (PHL) American History Tour 15000
Jun 2015 (SLC) Rochester (NY) Niagara USA 15000
Jul 2015 (SLC) San Francisco (SFO) San Francisco Tour 9000
Aug 2015 (SLC) Grand Rapids (GRR) Michigan 12000
Sep 2015 (SLC) Baltimore (BWI) Washington DC 15000
Oct 2015 (SLC) Boston (BOS) New England Tour 18000
Nov 2015 (SLC) Tampa (TPA) Tampa Area 15000
Dec 2015 (SLC) Denver (DEN) Ski Trip 9000

Yes, epic, isn’t it?  You see that I don’t want all this domestic travel to hamstring my international travel plans, so on a couple of occasions I planned a domestic flight to make an international flight “cheaper” -pointswise.  My estimates come from the lowest available redemption rates I can find on those routes, and I won’t always be able to find them that good.  Assuming I did every one of these, I’d need to have a total of 302,000 Rapid Rewards points.

I already have about 2,000, and by the time I complete the Companion Pass requirements, I’ll have 110,000 more.  I have more than 100k Ultimate Rewards points that I can transfer to Southwest, so I’ll just need to figure out how to get 90k more Southwest points and I’ll have 2 RT tickets a month for 23 months for nothing more than the $5 per segment fee. (And the $198 in annual fees… but really, we are talking about $6000 in flights here!)

I have the option of changing my companion 3 times during the life of the pass, so I’m imagining having my wife as companion for most of the time, but also taking some trips with my brother, my dad, or a friend.

I know how surreal this all sounds, but the reality is that it’s no more difficult than following a simple recipe.  You just apply for the cards, meet the requirements, and start traveling!

Where would you go if you had a companion pass for 23 months?  Is there someplace I’m missing?

Disclaimer: Sheldon and I don’t get any commission if you apply for the Southwest Cards with our links.  We promote them because our interest is in showing you what incredible things you can do when you master the art of frequent flyer mile accumulation through responsible use of your credit purchases.  We’re after having you as a loyal visitor and sharing your successes with us. That’s how we get paid.

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Posted in Chase, Credit Cards, Southwest, Travel Tips | Tagged , , , , , , | 18 Comments

How does an App O Rama Affect Your Credit score

Posted on September 20, 2013 by wpengine

You probably shipped your pants the day you heard that I had applied for five credit cards in one day.  You probably order the undertaker to lower my credit score down to below 100 (which isn’t even possible). Your heart skipped a beat.

Disclaimer: Please make the most responsible decisions for your credit. We do our best to explain how this stuff works, but ultimately you are responsible for the decisions you make.  

How crazy was I to apply for five credit cards in one day?

Back in the beginning of February, I made the plunge and applied for five cards in one day.  After reaping over 250,000 miles, I felt like a potato farmer admiring his beautiful crop.

I’ll be honest.  My blood pressure ran about 400/200 when I was pulling the trigger on the cards.  The rush was greater than that of riding a crazy rollercoaster…. And I can’t wait to do it again.

What was my Credit Like Before the App O Rama?

I had 8 years of solid credit reporting.  Never missed a payment, and never paid interest. It’s that simple. You shouldn’t be paying interest either.

Here are some more details:

  • One mortgage for four years
  • Seven other credit cards
  • Four of those cards were active at the time I did the App O Rama
  • I had just been approved for a new mortgage

My score was floating at about 760 at the time that I decided to make the plunge.

How Has the App O Rama Affected My Score?

Credit Score

My Credit Karma Report from January through September

CreditKarma is a free service that gives you an estimate of your TransUnion credit score. Their service is bomb.com and you should really use it whether you apply for credit cards through the App O Rama process or not.

They look at all of the information from your score without performing a “hard pull” on your credit.  The soft pull gives them an idea of your approximate score, and they share it with you for free.

Proved you wrong!  You thought my score would drop like a hot rock, but instead it has actually improved according to Credit Karma.

What Factors of an App O Rama Would Negatively Affect your Credit?

Credit Categories

You’ll benefit by doing an App O Rama by:

  • Using a Credit Card
  • Paying it off each month
  • Increasing the amount of accounts

You’ll be negatively affected by doing an App O Rama by:

  • Lowering your age of credit history
  • Making a new credit inquiry

The initial affects of an App O Rama can definitely be seen as the worst of it.  My credit score took a dive of about 20 points a couple months after the day I applied for five credit cards in one day.  The new inquiries and the lowering of my average credit age definitely hurt me in the short run.

However, in the long run it has been working out great.  With more credit accounts and more on-time payments my score has actually improved from the App O Rama.  Today they’ve got me estimated at 777, which is higher than I was when I started.

Once you’ve proven yourself as a worthy creditor, the benefits can really start to outweigh the the costs.

When Should You Avoid Doing an App O Rama?

Whether you’re talking about exercise, getting a vasectomy, or joining a new religion the answer is the same.  You need to research.  Be prepared, because a vasectomy isn’t easy to undo, and neither is your credit.

Here are a couple of reasons why you should NOT do an App O Rama:

  • You have not established credit history
  • You have a credit score lower than 720
  • You only have one or two items in your credit history
  • You plan on making a serious purchase within the next 2 years

If you’d like more information on this topic, check out our post about Planning a Successful App O Rama, and see how My First App O Rama worked out for me.

 

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Three Anniversary Trip Ideas from the Northeast

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Brad Christensen

There’s a reason newlyweds set out on their new life together by indulging in a honeymoon vacation… travel allows people to connect in ways that no other activity provides with such tremendous ease.

The fact is, travel is about discovery – it’s about novelty and adventure.  When two people travel together they rely on one another, and the experiences they have together weld them in a way that everyday life doesn’t allow.

It makes sense, then, that we also travel for anniversaries.  I’m going to make the case that creating a memorable experience together will have a much more lasting impact than any gift that moth or rust corrupts.

At WorldWanderlusting, our objective is to banish from your mind the thought that there are travel experiences that you’d love to do, but money doesn’t allow.  We’ve been traveling on a little cash and a lot of points – something you can do, too, if you can be prudent with your spending and use credit cards for everyday purchases.

I’m going to show you how you can have your choice of three different 4-day getaways from the northeast US – with free nights in hotels – that will rekindle romance for you and your spouse as you celebrate an anniversary or some other special date together. 

Niagara Falls Anniversary Trip

Niagara FallsWe’ve blogged pretty extensively about the Niagara Falls area – and it has a romance all its own. We have a couple of specific posts that go over some of the details on this: Best of Niagara USA and Niagara Falls Vacation.

Do

  • Maid of the Mist – A ferry takes you into the mist of the falls.
  • Old Fort Niagara – Be transported back in time.
  • Lockport Cave – Your lover will cling tightly to you as you do this darkened tour.

Eat

  • The Red Coach Inn – Near the falls with plenty of history.
  • Sweet Sixteen Cafe – Perfect little sandwich shop and bakery in Lockport.
  • Dinosaur BBQ – An abundance of smoky deliciousness in nearby Rochester.

Stay

Martha’s Vineyard Anniversary Trip

English: Cottages, Martha's Vineyard, Massachu...

English: Cottages, Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, USA (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Do

  • Aquinnah Cliffs – Sit atop the cliffs and watch the waves roll in.
  • The Vineyard Playhouse – Catch a show
  • Oak Bluffs – Just wander through the neighborhoods of quaint gothic revival homes.

Eat

  • The Black Dog Tavern – The MV original chowderhouse.
  • Smoke n Bones BBQ – If you’re like me and seafood’s not your thing, there’s no shame in some delicious BBQ.
  • I’m not sure where I got it, but I know that some eight years ago I ate the most delicious meatloaf sandwich I’ve ever tasted from a great little deli somewhere on the island – if you manage to find it, please tell me!

Stay

Burlington, Vermont Anniversary Trip

Do

  • Ride the Bike Path – Along Lake Champlain, this is the way to experience the area. Bring your bike or rent one, but do this with your lover and find an isolated beach.
  • Visit the Ethan Allen Homestead – You’ve heard the name, now hear his story.

Eat

  • Logans of Vermont – This place is #1 on TripAdvisor for good reason.
  • Trattoria Delia – Not cheap, but this place has atmosphere.
  • Penny Cluse Cafe – New England diner – great place for breakfast.

Stay

I hope you’ve enjoyed these ideas. Do you have other ones?  Any other comments or questions?  Please comment below!

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Free Hotels in South Carolina with Club Carlson

Posted on September 11, 2013 by wpengine

Disclosure: The Club Carlson Credit Card does not pay us a commission when you choose to apply for this card.  

Club Carlson

Rainbow Row

My affinity to the Carolinas was like love at first sight. Our romance has openly progressed over time and my wife is aware of our relationship.  We’ve been together four times int he past two years.

Neglecting the Carolinas would be like never tasting chocolate.  Once you’ve tasted, you’ll definitely want to go back again and again.

The most affordable way to visit the Carolinas is simply to WorldWanderlust your way there.  If you’re new to our site, this term might be new to you.  Put simply, it is to travel as much as possible while paying as little as possible.  This may seem like a unachievable paradox, but once you learn the way of WorldWanderlusting you’ll be convinced too.

The Club Carlson family of hotels (Radisson, Country Inn & Suites, Park Inn, Park Plaza) has a boatload of properties across both North and South Carolina.  The attractive feature about this list of hotels is that there’s a way to stay at each of these hotels for two nights for only 15,000 Gold Points.

And, conveniently, there’s also a way to get 85,000 Gold Points.  Club Carlson credit card offers this bonus Gold Points after meeting the $2500 spending requirement in the first 3 months.  At that rate you would be able to stay in five of these properties at 2 nights a piece, which gives you 1o free nights in amazing hotels -almost all of which offer free breakfast.
Carolina Trip

I know you’re skeptical.  You should be.  You’re first thinking is that these are the Cockroach Motel.  Nope.  Most of these are Country Inn and Suites hotels that not only offer clean rooms, but also free hot cookies upon check-in and an impressive breakfast spread.  What else do you want?  A swimming pool? Check.

Here are the hotels in South Carolina:

First Stop on the South Carolina Road Trip: Charleston, SC

South Carolina

Riding a Rickshaw in Charleston

When it comes to romance, this place takes the cake of all cities that I’ve visited in the US.  For some reason it’s got a magical feel.

Please splurge on the rickshaw ride when you’re visiting downtown.  As you ride through the streets of the beautiful homes that have pristine, manicured lawns and flower gardens.  You’ll feel the spark too.  Even with our son in tow we both felt like it was a romantic experience.

You could easily spend hours checking out the downtown area.  You can tour Fort Sumter which is famous because…..(Hint: Civil War).

If you’re really feeling rich, you can tour some of the homes in the downtown area with their gardens.  These are some luxurious homes that were once owned by plantation owners. Ensure you eat some Carolina BBQ for lunch and dinner.  You won’t regret the double down on that stuff.

You’ll stay at the Radisson Charleston Airport hotel.  You’re right, it is a small commute to the downtown area, but it’s free, and so is the parking. Plan on staying two nights here for sure.  You’ll also find some sweet factory outlets by the mall if you’re into shopping.

Second Stop on the South Carolina Road Trip: Columbia/Sumter

South PorchFirst thing you’ll notice about South Carolina: Trees.  Second thing: More trees.  This place is covered  in trees.  The further you get from Charleston you’ll notice a few hills, but the greenery is stunning.

The abundance of porches will blow you away.  You’ll still see Confederate flags from time to time, but for the most part the people have a very patriotic feel.

You know because it is football season that I’m going to recommend you attend a South Carolina Gamecocks game, right?  Their stadium is massive, and will definitely make you a fan.

You’ll also notice that this entire area is full of Civil War battlegrounds and museums.  Columbia boasts a Confederate Relic Room & Military Museum. That scores great reviews on TripAdvisor, and it teaches the perspective from the South.

Plan on spending some time here, but leave enough time for you to make the dash over to  Sumter, which is where you’ll be staying tonight at the Country Inns and Suites in Sumter, SC.

Third Stop on the South Carolina Road Trip: Florence

You’re probably thinking, Florence, like Michelangelo?  No.  Not that Florence.  This Florence is the heart of the South.  Here you can visit tobacco plantations, eat grits, fish off the banks of the river, check out the cotton trail, and much more.

Florence is still about an hour and a half to Myrtle Beach, so you could always add a side trip to Myrtle Beach if you don’t mind the drive.  They’ve got more mini golf in Myrtle Beach than everywhere else in the world.

Fourth Stop on the South Carolina Road Trip: Rock Hill

If you enjoy the outdoors, you’ll love this portion of your trip.  Plan on doing a hike in the Andrew Jackson State Park.

South Carolina FoodStop at a local restaurant and order something you’ve never tried before.  The South has foods like Okra, Grits, Hushpuppies, and more that are pretty unique to the South.  Food is a huge part of travel, and you need to be sure you’re trying it all.  The small diners are always going to give you more culture than the McDonald’s.

If you’re still looking for romance, rent a row boat and spend some time on the lake.  Hope that it begins raining cats and dogs like on The Notebook!  The lakes in the the South tend to be a bit more calm and give a surrounded feel with all the trees along the banks of the lake.

You’ll definitely miss it, and have strong desires to return.  The best part is you can get the Club Carlson Credit Card for your spouse and come back for seconds!  Tonight you’ll be at the Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Rock Hill, SC.

Whether you fall in love with the Carolinas, or fall in love with your spouse as you tour them, two things are for sure: You’ll remember this as one of your most romantic trips, and your hotel stays won’t cost you a nickel.

Thanks for Carolina wanderlusting with us.

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Posted in Cheap Honeymoons, Club Carlson, loops | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Notice: Sheldon and I run this blog as a hobby – a really fun one that allows us to show other people how we’re able to use our credit prudently to get frequent flyer miles and points to travel like kings on a pauper’s budget.  We do make a little money at it because some of the cards we’re promoting pay us a commission when readers apply using our links and are approved.  The card we mention in this post is one of them, but we promote it because of the great travel benefits, not just for our own self-interest.  Most of the money we make is turned right around into trying to grow our readership.  We hope you’ll share our blog with your friends.

I have turned the Barclaycard Arrival World MasterCard into my “rack up some serious spending” card.  For my business, I often wind up with considerable “credit card-able” expenses. With its reward program which offers 2 points for every dollar and 10% in points back after redemption, the way I see it, I get 2.22% cash back for travel on every expense I put on the card.  Considering that the issuer probably only makes 3%, I’m recapturing a significant percentage of what vendors have to pay to accept my card in the first place.

Even if I didn’t have the business expenses, my wife and I have calculated that we have about $1500/month in costs that we can use a credit card to pay.  (Here’s a post about what expenses you can pay with a credit card). At that rate, I’m accumulating $30/month in free travel in addition to the $420 I start with the 40k bonus after meeting the $3000 spending requirement.

In any case, with all Barclaycard Arrival Points I’ve been piling up, I’m starting to feel pretty flush.  With our Italy trip coming soon, we had to pin down a babysitter, and with four rambunctious kids, our options were limited to paying someone.  I thought… what would be really nice would be to pay our babysitter with points!

But I came here because you said I could cruise for free

I know. I’m sorry, I’m getting there.  Nicole’s sister has heard us rave about cruises and seen us travel all over the world on points. She’s great with our kids and it seemed like the perfect nexus. I pitched her on the idea of us paying her for watching our kids by booking her and her husband a cruise.

Royal Caribbean Enchantment

Enchantment of the Seas – Photo from www.luchaniktravels.wordpress.com

My favorite cruise-booking site is www.vacationstogo.com.  I’m especially fond of the 90 day ticker which lists some seriously discounted cruises. It just so happened that their window for time off to vacation was limited to the first week of January.  It also just so happened that there was an amazing deal on the Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas – $149 before taxes for an interior cabin for a four night cruise. PLUS a $50 on-board credit! (In case you’re worried that a $149 cruise might not be all that great, read these great posts about this ship [Photo Review and Midnight Buffet] by www.luchaniktravels.wordpress.com).

I tend not to hesitate when I see incredible deals like that, so I booked it – paying with my Barclaycard Arrival World MasterCard. The total, including taxes, was $441. Now, reimbursing myself will be incredibly simple.  When the charge appears on my account, I’ll see it by logging into the Barclaycard site.  I’ll click on the charge and redeem 44,000 points… then I’ll smile really wide when I see it instantly reimbursed in my account.

Using Barclaycard arrival points

How the Barclaycard Arrival World Mastercard works

It really is that simple.  I always marvel at the value presented by cruises – I mean, to think that you can have lodging (small, but well-serviced), food (incredible and unlimited), entertainment (hokey at times, but very well-done), and transportation to islands in the Bahamas for $55/day? Now, heap upon that the fact that with the reward points from my Barclaycard I can get it for free? I know it sounds like a fantasy… but this is for real… Tiffany and her husband are already planning their cruise in the Bahamas.

Here’s where it gets really crazy cool.  With the 10% back on reward points, I’ll get 4,400 right back in my account… already piling up for our next adventure (or the next babysitter bribe we have to pay).

Well, cool! But, what about the every 13 months thing?

Even if I didn’t have any business expenses, just using this card for every day expenses at $1500/month and starting with the 4,400 points, I could be right back to where we could do this again after 13 more months (13×3,000=39,000+4,400). Now, you’ll see that this card does have an annual fee, though it’s waived for the first year. You’d need to determine whether it’s worth it for you to do this twice (once for you and once for your spouse), or to keep the card and re-up every year.  I always recommend calling to renegotiate on the annual fees, too – you never know what they might give you.

What I’m getting at is that whether your wanderlust is for cheap cruises, Allegiant Airlines getaways, or whatever else you’re imagining, using the Barclaycard Arrival World MasterCard is a brilliant way to help yourself make these things happen sooner and more often.

Have a question?  Check our FAQ or leave a comment below.

Posted on September 9, 2013 by Brad Christensen | Leave a comment