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CategoryQuick update: Vanilla Visas and "Delayed Redemption"
In my post yesterday I forgot to mention an occasional problem that arises when manufacturing spend with Vanilla-branded prepaid Visa debit cards. This oversight is especially un..
Liquidating deeply-discounted $200 Vanilla Visa gift cards
As most of my readers no doubt know, through May 16, 2015, you’ll instantly receive $20 off every $300 in Visa gift cards purchased at both Office Max and Office
I love last seat availability
I’ve written before about the lie of “no-blackout-date” policies at major hotel chains. By guaranteeing access to any standard room at a fixed redemption rate, hotel loyalty prog..
Should US Bank product changes be a part of your game?
When I wrote yesterday’s post, I wasn’t planning to make this a series! But ever since a US Bank representative told me it was possible to request a product change
Deciding between, applying for, and changing between US Bank credit cards
I currently carry all three of the US Bank-issued credit cards which I consider the most valuable for my current miles, points, and cash back strategy:Cash+. Has historically off..
Pro tip: Did Uber turn off "Gifts" in your account? Ask them to turn it back on!
Back in November I wrote about a trick I like to use now that the Barclaycard Arrival+ card allows Arrival+ miles to be redeemed against taxi purchases: buying Uber credit in
Should you use super-premium cards to pay for airfare through manufactured spend?
A few months back I wrote a breakdown of three cards which earn bonused flexible points currencies at gas stations: the Chase Ink Plus (and Bold), Citi ThankYou Premier (as of Ap..
Manufacturing Chase Freedom's second quarter bonus categories
A reader recently wrote to me asking if there were any super-secret hush-hush methods of manufacturing the $1,500 in 5% cash back offered by this quarter’s Chase Freedom bonus ca..
Quick hits: American Express gift card denominations and Smart & Final
I’m enjoying lovely San Diego but wanted to share two quick hits that passed my desk yesterday.TopCashBack tracks multiple $2,000 American Express gift cards in a single orderBac..
Mountain Collective – Small Price Raise, Still Great Value
I have raved and written extensively about this ski season ticket a lot in the past, but it really is an excellent deal and one of the few ways to
Iberia Plus requires a positive points balance to search oneworld award space
Iberia and British Airways, two of the airlines that use Avios as their rewards currency, have long had a number of differences in their award charts. British Airways charged each
An invitation to beta test a thing
I don’t really know what this thing is yet. It’s quite possible it’ll be another one of those over-technified, but functionally useless concepts we see bouncing around the Intern..
When are more points worth more than fewer points?
Back in January I posed the rhetorical question, “Should all manufactured spend go through American Express gift cards?” and outlined a number of practical problems with using Am..
Quick hit: Hotel Hustle Hot Rates
I’m fond of saying that what travel hacking needs is more facts and less data. Much of affiliate blogging is taken up with listing transfer partners and earning rates, without co..
If US Bank is trimming the fat, is Flexperks Travel Rewards next?
Plenty of digital ink has been spilled about the May 28/31 Club Carlson devaluation, including here, and there’s not too much left to be said. However, one thing has been bugging
Note on booking Delta flights with Alaska miles
One of the great things about Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan program is the ability to both credit paid flights operated by American Airlines and Delta Airlines, and redeem Mileag..
The May/June Club Carlson devaluation makes it just another middling hotel loyalty program
Before I get to the meat of my analysis of Club Carlson’s recently-announced devaluation, allow me to briefly mention my general approach when it comes to credit card rewards:I p..
Yes, the new Wyndham Rewards program will be great
I saw yesterday morning that Shawn at Miles to Memories had taken a crack at comparing the much-beloved Club Carlson rewards program with the just-announced changes to the Wyndha..
What's the point of class-of-service bonuses?
With the 2015 division of US airline loyalty programs into revenue-based (Southwest, Delta, United) and distance-based (American, Alaska) models, deciding on a primary carrier an..
Trailing interest charges: the silent killer
Every travel hacker knows that interest charges (and annual fees) are the flip side of credit card rewards. You may earn 2% on the front end when paying with a
Anatomy of an Award Trip: City of New Orleans
As teased in yesterday’s housekeeping post, I’m headed to New Orleans for a week! Here’s the scoop:Getting there: a family bedroom on Amtrak’s City of New OrleansAmtrak operates ..
Blog housekeeping for March 26, 2015
A few quick notes on the site, feel free to skip if this stuff bores you.WELCOME SAVEROCITY READERS!Matt, the benevolent dictator/head honcho over at Saverocity, recently reconfi..
Onward from Madrid, Dublin, Berlin
Last week I wrote about the three transatlantic British Airways partners that, due to the distances involved and the fact that taxes and fees are low on these routes, make