I spend a lot of time at The Deal Mommy sharing specific links to deals that come and go in a flash. I do this not because I believe every reader should snag every deal, but to open your eyes to all of the possibilities out there. With that in mind, I want to share the story of Deal Dad’s Christmas gift this year. Maybe it will motivate you to think about how you can use the tips and tricks I provide to add some excitement to your daily lives.
I’ll start with some background. Deal Dad and I both agree that having time away from each other and the kids is a good thing! I’m very good (perhaps too good!) at planning my free time, but DD is not a planner. For this reason, I decided to surprise him with a visit from a childhood friend who lives across the country. This friend lives in a smaller market where good airfares are hard to find. Here’s where creativity and planning come in. I wanted this to be a Christmas surprise, so I started planning this in early October. I contacted DD’s friend to make sure he was available. Time spent: 5 minutes.
I went over to CreditCards.com to look for a card that might help me with some bonus airline miles. I wanted a card without a large minimum spending requirement as I wanted to use the miles quickly, and with no fee for at least the first year. I saw the Citi® Platinum Select® / AAdvantage® World MasterCard®, which gives 30,000 American Airlines miles after only $750 in purchases, and a $100 AA flight credit, with the first year’s annual fee of $85 waived. I applied and was approved instantly. Time spent: 5 minutes.
When the card came, I used my own tips and used the card to charge things like groceries, gas, etc. and got to the $750 spend in the first month. I paid off the bill in full and the miles showed up within a week after payment. Once the miles were there, I went to AA.com and booked the ticket! Time spent: 5 minutes.
All in all, a total of 15 minutes and $0 out of pocket netted me 30,000 miles and $100 flight credit, which I used to book Deal Friend’s trip. The value of the ticket was $450, but the look on DD’s face Christmas morning when he read Deal Friend’s airline ticket (which I had wrapped as his present) was priceless!
A few caveats here: I DO NOT recommend carrying a balance on credit cards. I use them for daily needs and bills, then pay them off. I am also not a credit expert, but have had no negative effects on my personal credit rating by applying for new credit. This is the most common question I get when I mention credit card signup bonuses. As long as you don’t apply for 10 in one day or are planning on getting a new mortgage tomorrow, I seriously doubt you will see damage to your credit score by getting a new card. You may even see it go up as you have more credit available to you.
And now I ask you…how can you benefit from this story? Where can points and miles take you? Please share your successes!