Tagging Miles

How to use Membership Rewards Points on Amazon

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There’s a super awesome deal going on now, that gives you 20% back on Amazon Purchases, up to $100 back, if you pay with at least one American Express Membership Rewards point. Doctor of Credit has a great and updated post on the deal. But as I was going through Amazon, I realized I’d never linked my accounts, as a result, I couldn’t use Membership Rewards Points on Amazon!

How to use Membership Rewards Points on Amazon

Linking is fairly easy to do, first you want to go to Amazon.com/Membership Rewards

Use Membership Rewards on Amazon

You’ve still got a few steps to go through though.

You’ll want to click that Get Started link, then you’ll see the following screen:

How to use Membership Rewards Points on Amazon

Once you decide to add an account, you’ll need to enter your name and your credit card number:

How to use Membership Rewards Points on Amazon

From there you’ll have to confirm address, then provide just a bit more info:

How to use Membership Rewards Points on Amazon.

Once you’ve enrolled, you’ll just need to select an American Express card to pay with, then you should have the option to pay with points. 

Wrapping Up

Hopefully this provides a pretty easy to follow way to link your American Express Membership Rewards card to your Amazon account. More importantly, hopefully this provides you a way of maximizing some of the incredible opportunities like the 20% off purchases, up to $100 back deal that is currently happening. But I’d imagine there are so many more awesome deals to come!

Transfer FatWallet Cashback to Ebates – Get $10 more!

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I just got an e-mail from FatWallet informing me that my cashback was at risk! Given that I love Shopping Portals, and I like to maximize everything I can, I had to jump on opportunity to transfer FatWallet cashback to Ebates and get $10 more! Of course, I’m not sure that this is exactly the last chance, but its a good reminder that if you have any FatWallet cashback, now’s a good time to act.

Background

May 10th, FatWallet shut down their shopping portal, instead focusing on Ebates. In the process, they initially offered folks to transfer their cashback to Ebates and get an additional $10.

transfer fatwallet cashback to ebates

Here’s the verbiage I received in the e-mail today:

Please update your FatWallet account to keep your Cash Back. Transfer your balance to our sister company, Ebates, and receive a $10 bonus* or cash out your full balance from FatWallet.

How to Transfer FatWallet Cashback to Ebates

Its actually about as simple as clicking a button for me, because they associated both accounts with my e-mail.

Transfer fatwallet cashback to Ebates

Clicking that button will get you over to the FatWallet / Ebates site for a quick transfer:

transfer fatwallet cashback to ebates

And then you’re done! It ended up netting me $10 on $0.90 of cashback that I hadn’t previously cashed out. Not a bad return for a whole 30 seconds.

Have you transferred your FatWallet balance to Ebates yet?

Cyber Monday Travel Deals

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fish

Cyber Monday is here! If you weren’t already worn down by Black Friday starting on Tuesday, well, in some cases, Cyber Monday sales have started early. In other cases, they have not. Here’s a round-up:

  • Air New Zealand (UK site) – 100 Seats to Los Angeles from London for 199 GBP, round trip. Start booking your tickets at 10am Monday (assuming this is GMT, since it was aimed toward the UK) – H/T God Save the Points
  • MSC Cruises offers up to 30% savings on Caribbean cruises, plus up to $400 shipboard credit per stateroom.
  • Royal Caribbean is offering 50% off cruise fare of a second guest booked in the same stateroom, including 50% reduced deposit, and up to $400 shipboard credit per stateroom.
  • Fiji Airways has a 48 hour Cyber Monday Sale, offering up to 40% off flights from the US to Nadi, Australia, and New Zealand. Travel dates 23 Jan 16 to 22 Mar 16.
  • 10% off at United Shop – CODE: SNOWMAN there are some great UA model planes for that #Avgeek in your life!
  • Starwood has a number of sales, book some as late as December 6th!
  • Expedia has a bunch of sales, including some better pricing on the Expedia App.

Sales that have been going on since Black Friday:

Cyber Monday Flash Sales:

  • Fox News reports that it is likely that we will see flash sales from the various airlines starting around 9am.
  • Alaska Airlines started at 8pm Eastern (5pm PST), you can find those deals here (although it seems to default to Baltimore for me)
  • The best way to keep up with the latest is to follow the airlines via Twitter. For your ease, here are the various airline twitter handles:

If Products are more your speed, here are some consolidator sites:

  • Kinja Deals highlights some of the best Cyber Monday Deals.

I’ll provide an update Monday afternoon, but as always, if you see something that is a price you are comfortable paying, I’d recommend you jump on it, rather than waiting for a better deal, when it comes to travel, you have just as much likelihood of prices going up, as down.

Enhanced cashback via Ebates mobile app

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Shopping Portals are a big difference maker in reselling, earning more miles, or getting cashback for purchases you were going to make anyway. I wrote a few months ago, that Ebates was offering temporary increased cashback when making purchases through the mobile app, and before that, enhanced cashback on American Express gift cards when bought through the Ebates mobile app.

I said in September, that I thought Ebates was leading the pack. The fact is, that mobile devices are becoming a bigger and bigger part of mobile commerce, in fact, there are articles from August, 2014, that stated that Mobile accounted for more than half of eCommerce.

So, it should be no surprise that, as we start getting into the holiday shopping season, Ebates is running a 7 day special, of enhanced cashback when making purchases via the Ebates Mobile App.

ebates app 7 day promo

Of course looking at what Ebates considered as “enhanced” cashback, really doesn’t strike me as really noteworthy. Do note that Ebates says there are a 100 stores of enhanced cashback, the above graphic is just a selection of them.

What is noteworthy, is the increased use of the mobile app. It means we can’t simply go to places like Cashback Monitor. In all fairness, even without considering mobile apps, we found Cashback Monitor isn’t covering everything, like Aeroplan.

Wrapping Up

This holiday season, as you’re choosing the best cashback options, you’ll want to remember to consider the Ebates mobile app. I’m not saying that its actually useful — in fact, I’ve yet to see anything truly worthwhile, but, the fact remains, it could happen.

Is Vanilla Reload Finally Dead?

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Fly away, Bluebird. Fly until you get to the other side of the Rainbow Bridge. :-(

Many of you may have received an e-mail from American Express about your Bluebird accounts this afternoon. If you have not yet, it is probably coming. Brace yourselves: it’s not good.

In some way, shape, or form, I have been anticipating the death of the Vanilla Reload. It started when CVS stopped allowing credit cards for Vanilla Reload purchases this summer. But now, we may finally see the end of the road for the Vanilla Reload – if this semi-cryptic e-mail from American Express is true. Please note that the text is from the e-mail, but emphasis is mine:

InComm Vanilla Reload PIN Package is one of the many ways to add money to your Bluebird account. Starting April 1, 2015, the Incomm Vanilla Reload PIN Package will no longer be available for purchase. Any previously purchased Vanilla Reload can still be added to any Bluebird account.

So what does this mean? From my personal interpretation (which reserves the right to be wrong), this forewarns one of two things. Either American Express will no longer honor Vanilla Reloads as a way to reload your Bluebird Card after April 1, or the Vanilla Reload that we have loved so dearly is completely going away next spring.

Currently, the Vanilla Reload website still has the American Express Serve logo on the front page. Yet, I am choosing to interpret it as the latter. The sky could be, in fact, falling.

Is this a big deal? Or with many other ways to spend, is this one door closing before another window opens? Let me know your thoughts, while I mourn the loss of our dear friend: the Vanilla Reload.

Ed. Note: No compensation nor incentive was given to mention or link to any product or service in this article. This content is not provided or commissioned by American Express. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of American Express, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express.

Revisiting my Star Alliance Identity Crisis: United Airlines

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Fourtails-TM

Last week, I wrote about the particular problem I have with Star Alliance. After having Aegean Airlines Gold Status for the past two years, I’m disappointed to find out that it will probably come to an end in 2015 thanks to higher requalification requirements. And I’m not sure that flying nearly 50,000 miles is worth it to justify my status on an airline I will most likely never fly.

In that spirit, I’ve begun investigating different options to help me retain some semblance of status when I fly Star Alliance – because when the choices from your home airport are the “Big Four” airlines (American, Delta, Southwest, and United), you need all the help you can get. This week, I’ll investigate the pros and cons of going for status from scratch on United Airlines.

Come fly the friendly skies?

According to Wikipedia, United directly flies to 78 airlines across the United States, and over 100 more around the world – not that you would want to fly United internationally, but you could. Once a leader in air travel, United serves more destinations than American Airlines, but less than Delta Air Lines. None the less, United offers a healthy mix of destinations and air routes that will allow me to get to where I’m going with relative ease.

As published earlier this year, the same 48,000 miles I would have to fly on United to requalify for Aegean Miles and Bonus Gold would get me most of the way to United Premier Gold Status. As a Premier Gold, I would benefit from many of the elite benefits that I enjoy today, including priority check-in and boarding, free checked luggage, and same-day flight changes. In addition, I would get the added perk of qualifying for upgrades – something that I don’t get as a Aegean elite.

Out of my home base of Port Columbus International Airport, discount award seats are often plentiful on United, allowing me to fly on miles nearly at will. With all of these perks, making United my new Star Alliance partner seems to be the best route.

Or is it?

But are they that friendly?

As I outlined in my previous post, there are several inherent flaws with United that I find frustrating – to the point where I’m not sure that United is the best partner for my flying habits. To begin, the new mileage earning system has lost all semblance of generosity. Instead of earning award miles based on actual air distance, I’m earning based on the amount spent on my ticket…with limitations. Let’s take this example fare for example:

United-MP-Problems2

If I were to buy this ticket as a mileage run with no status, I would earn 4,730 Premiere Qualifying Miles, but only 1,825 award miles. Makes perfect sense, right? Flying that route and price combination 11 times a year (roughly once a month) would get me to my Premier Gold mileage, but only earn me just 20,075 miles – which may not be enough for an award ticket.

On top of this is the minor detail known as Elite Qualifying Dollars – which you probably know about by now. In the same scenario outlined above, I would have spent an estimated total of $4,015 Elite Qualifying Dollars, leaving me $1,000 short of reaching Premier Gold Status. This now turns my planned 11 flights into 15, just to make status for 2016.

But, as always, there are ways around the system.

Are there alternatives to United elite status?

There are many alternatives that I can use to either help my quest to elite status, or simulate the benefits of being an elite. Let’s start with the credit card route.

In 2015, United is continuing the Elite Qualifying Dollars waiver for Chase United credit card holders who spend at least $25,000 in a year. Though creative manufactured spending, I can probably make that threshold without many problems. This solves two problems: allowing me to make up for the missing elite miles that I would have earned from flying and gives me some elite benefits (like a free checked bag and priority boarding) until I hit Premier Gold.

But this still doesn’t solve my problem of domestic lounge access – because who wants to sit among the hoi polloi? This can be solved by upgrading to the Chase United Club card, which comes with a 50% spending bonus and United Club membership. The card also comes with a $395 fee, which is less than the American Express Platinum, but more than I’m paying now for access to the United Club.

The Verdict: Pass (for now)

If I was convinced that I would be flying exclusively on United, then this plan could work to solve my Star Alliance identity crisis. The problem that I’m facing is that I’m spending more money annually for the same benefits I receive now, with no consistency in my product or experience. Not to mention that the price of award redemption- especially on premium products to international destinations – is going up. For now, it’s time to pass over this plan to see what else is available for my flying dollar.

Next time on Tagging Miles: solving my Star Alliance Identity Crisis with international partners – is it possible??? Stay tuned!

Did Manufactured Spending Kill Amazon WebPay?

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As many of you may have heard (through other blogs, or directly from Amazon themselves), Amazon WebPay is coming to an end in exactly one week from today. What was once viewed as a easy portal for manufactured spending will no longer be available – but are we responsible for killing it?

Using Amazon WebPay to hit those pesky minimum spends and manufacture points isn’t a secret by any means. A quick search of “Amazon Payments” shows a number of bloggers talking about this service as soon as the second page. With all this publicity, certainly the team behind the payment portal was going to get wise to what was going on.

However, it appears that the project was just never meant to take off. Amazon addressed the shutdown on their FAQ page as follows:

We are not addressing a customer pain point particularly better than anyone else. We’ve learned a great deal about how and when customers want to send money and will look for ways to use these lessons in the future.

Amazon Payments was around for four years as a challenger to the PayPal empire, but had a hard time breaking into the mainstream community. What’s worse, Amazon never really invested anything into it – neither time nor manpower. Engadget called Amazon Payments “unpopular,” and are hoping that they will come back with a second offering, such as: “…a more full-fledged mobile wallet service à la Google Wallet or Apple Pay.”

So did the points hoarding community kill Amazon Payments? While I believe it was a contributing factor, the ultimate decision was based on the fact that the service wasn’t getting anywhere for the company. Amazon is known for making rational decisions based on good business. So while we didn’t help it, the points hacking community can’t be blamed for the downfall of Amazon WebPay.

So where do we go from here? Two options include:

  • Venmo allows you to send and receive cash from credit cards through a social platform. However, it won’t be entirely free: the service charges a 3% fee for processing credit cards.
  • The Miles Professor has a step-by-step guide on how to use PayPal & Square to continued manufactured spend activities. Be careful, though: PayPal has always been a touch defensive on how their services are used.

Though we didn’t kill this opportunity, this serves as a good reminder that it’s important to be a good steward to the community. Remember: only you can prevent the end of manufactured spending opportunities.

Ice Cream Doesn’t Fix Uber’s Systemic Problems

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This blog post isn't so much about ice cream - because everyone loves ice cream. It's more about how Uber can better improve their level of service. And until they do...I preface this article with the following disclaimer: ever since a poor experience with multiple UberX drivers in Boston, I’ve not been a fan of the 21st Century car service. I’ve also not been a fan of their customer service policy: instead of addressing the problems the customer faces, their customer service policy seems to dictate that community managers keep giving the rider free credits to placate them. Placing all those previous experiences aside momentarily – who doesn’t love having ice cream delivered to their workplace?

Maybe my experiences were a set of strange, isolated incidents. Perhaps the Uber experience in Columbus was better, and this could be the first step in what would be a grand new partnership for my travels. With sheer curiosity in mind (and the want of ice cream), I put my $20 down, and ordered my very own Uber delivery.

What resulted was a less than stellar experience.

After ordering my ice cream delivery from UberX, I was given the update and location of the ice cream delivery driver, and a time estimate. Like a kid counting down to Christmas, I watched with great anticipation as the wandering ice-cream cone made it’s way towards my location. And like a child who got underwear instead of the brand new bicycle under the tree, I watched in utter disappointment as the UberX car pulled into a completely different parking lot that wasn’t my location. After watching the UberX driver get lost, my cell phone rang. The conversation went something like this:

Me: Hello?
UberX: Hi! This is [NAME] from UberX! We’re here with your ice cream delivery!
Me: Um…no, you’re not. Where are you?
UberX: We’re in your parking lot!
Me: Um…no you’re not. I’m standing in the parking lot.
UberX: Yes, we are! You’re at [ADDRESS], right?
Me: Yes, that’s where I’m at…are you looking at a Tim Horton’s, by chance?
UberX: Yeah – we’re parked right beside it!
Me: Okay. You’re on the other side of the building. Stay right there. I’ll come to you.

Despite giving the UberX driver the name and address of my office through the app, the clear roadside sign, and company logos adorning the doors of each office, the UberX driver did not pull up to the right side of the building. Not that I minded walking – but I would expect a little higher quality of service. The driver & sidekick weren’t that impressive either: the driver said nothing, while the sidekick (community manager, maybe?) was working hard to sell me on the UberX service in Columbus.

While the ice cream delivery was overall entertaining, this experience brings to light the larger systemic problems that Uber – and other rideshare services – continue to face. Before Uber becomes my regular ride when I travel, I would love to see improvements in their background investigations, and lack of regulation.

Why Uber needs better background checks

As NBC 4 Los Angeles reported back in April, basically anyone can be an UberX driver. Additionally, drivers do not need to have licensure or additional insurance to be an UberX driver. This creates a potentially dangerous situation for anyone riding. Taxi drivers need to pass background checks and have licenses, and are held liable for their passengers. Shouldn’t Uber drivers be held to the same standard?

Why Uber needs better regulations

In of itself, regulation is not a bad thing: it sets operating parameters for everyone to do business within. If Uber truly considers itself an alternative to taxis and other vehicle for hire services, why not agree to a similar level of standards? While Uber is still allowed to do business in Columbus, rules and regulations are starting to take shape with the input of multiple stakeholders.

While ice cream is nice, it doesn’t fix the potential problems that riders may face. Until those problems are solved, I’ll opt to use Taxi Magic or HailO – both of which hail licensed and regulated taxis.

Am I the only one facing this problem while I travel? Have others had similar problems with the Uber service? Let me know where you stand in the comments below.

Ed. Note: Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, and do not necessarily reflect those of Tagging Miles, Saverocity.com, or any blogger in the Saverocity family of blogs. No compensation nor incentive was given to mention or link to any product or service in this article.

Note: Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline, or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. The owners of this website may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links and advertisements posted on this website. For more information, please see our Legal Notice.