British Airways Lesson

Like so many of you with busy lives, I find it hard to get away for long stretches. My trips right now tend to be quick domestic getaways for a few days. When I’m lucky, I can occasionally  get as far as Hawaii. This type of travel is probably boring to some of you, but I’m really enjoying my exploration of America. When it comes to flying within the country, I have 2 big loves…

  1. The Southwest Companion Pass
  2. British Airways Avios points

Of course there are a million helpful tools, but these 2 mean the most (by far) to my domestic travel. I talked about the Companion Pass yet again recently, so wanted to point you to a couple great posts from Travel Summary here and here. These lessons on Avios points are incredibly helpful for newbies, a great refresher for experts, and are must-read for all  in my never-very-humble opinion. Between the British Airways credit card, Ultimate Rewards points from Chase, and Membership Rewards from Amex…it is very easy to earn Avios. It’s probably a good idea to learn how to use them.

austin_powers

Chase Ink

“OMG!!! IT’S THE GREATEST THING EVER!!!”

“APPLY FOR THIS CARD THIS SECOND!!!”

“WOOHOO! PRAISE THE LORD CHASE DOES IT AGAIN! YEEEEHAW!”

Hmmm…

Just, no.

If you’re seeing those headlines from any bloggers…maybe, just maybe…could it have something to do with getting a new paid link?

Here’s the thing…this “new” offer has been alive for a long time. 70,000 Ultimate Rewards points. The only difference now is an online application. Check your email to see if Chase also offered you 10,000 points for referring a friend.

office-space-05_l

Latest PointBreaks

I post these as an occasional reminder to pay attention. Hotel points get burned ridiculously fast, so we need to look at promos. InterContinental’s Pointbreaks aren’t the greatest deal you’ll see this week, but they will stretch your IHG points further. 5,000 points per night can go a very, very long way. If you have their credit card or some Chase Ultimate Rewards points, you’re in the game. Marriott’s PointSavers are similar, but not quite as valuable, in my opinion.

3.

Small Business Saturday Is Great Again

After a down year, we’re back in business! Highlights?

  • All Amex cards including Bluebird and Serve work this time.
  • Each card gets three $10 credits. That’s a free $30 for every American Express card.

If you’re new to this, it’s pretty simple. Small Business Saturday is free money day. You register your card on November 16th. Then, on the 29th, it’s time to have fun. You’ll swipe every Amex card you have 3 times for $10 per swipe. Those charges won’t cost a cent. As always, if you have a pile of American Express cards, it’s going to be a great day. Full terms are here.

 

small_business_saturday_for_your_store

Lifestyles Of The Cheap And Flexible

I’ve done a few things in my day, but flying private isn’t one of them. Never been close, actually. My most intimate experience with a private jet was the time I glared angrily at a jerk who was whining about “problems with his plane.” Anyway, when you hear something over and over…it eventually makes an impact. I’ve gotten emails about this company for a while (and got 2 more yesterday), so I finally decided to click the link. Keep in mind, I hate recommending anything I haven’t experienced myself. That being said, this really is a killer deal. And every review I’ve gotten from you guys has been a very strong thumbs-up for them. So, here’s the deal…

JetSuite offers last-minute, one-way private jet fares. The routes change all the time, and are for travel the same/following day. That’s the reason you get such special pricing…you need to fly immediately. An example for travel today is Oakland, CA to Scottsdale, AZ. The price for that trip is  $536.43. Yeah, for the plane. So, if it’s 2 of you, it’s a private flight for under $300 each. Not too shabby.

jetsuite_f