Stuff With A Couple Favorites

As you guys know, TSA PreCheck is one of my faves. Nothing like breezing past long security lines at the airport every time. The problem is that “every time” has become “most of the time.” PreCheck is letting a lot of randoms in, and the whining keeps getting louder. So if you think you could come up with a better system, click here and win some money for your idea.

The other favorite I referred to is my up-and-down relationship with Uber. This email from reader Joanne isn’t enough to make me down (yet again), but it’s something I didn’t know…

“Thank you for the time and energy you put into sharing what you know on your blog. I am inspired by your contributions to community and collaboration.  I am writing to share a data point about Uber with you, not complain. If you find this useful, you may want to save a fellow blog reader my pain.I’ll admit it right up-front. I read your blog…. just once or twice a week, not every day. Thus, you might have covered all the ins-and-outs of how Uber works, and I completely missed something you’ve already covered. I learned the hard way this summer that Uber credits are only valid in the currency that they are earned. My carefully stockpiled $60US of Uber credit was not valid in Austria for a ride from the airport to downtown Vienna.  I learned this after taking the $50EU ride. (A nice ride and a nice driver, but hey I’m a travel hacker and was expecting free). In response to my inquiry, Uber’s customer service said, “Credits cannot be converted into different currencies once they have been applied to an account.” Wah.My conclusion: While Uber is great for the domestic traveler, it has limited use for world travelers.”

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milenerdStuff With A Couple Favorites

Being Used

For those who read multiple blogs, here’s a very obvious way to know if you’re being taken advantage of…

You know the Marriott 70,000-point card I’ve been talking about for months? The one from the last few Top 25 lists? Well, if a blogger finally just posted about it this week, it’s because they’re finally getting paid for it. This should be a giant clue that you’re not being shown the best credit cards by that person. In case it wasn’t clear already, take notice of it now. You’re nothing more than income for most of these assholes. Be careful out there.

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milenerdBeing Used

Thursday’s Deals

  • Get a killer bonus on the Chase Ink Plus in your local branch. Not the usual damn-good 50,000 points. We’re talking about 70,000 Ultimate Rewards points! The best active card offer right now.
  • Ending Friday, get a 20% refund on award redemptions with JetBlue. This is for travel in September and October.
  • Have friends? Pick up 10,000 Marriott points per person for referring them to the Chase card. 50,000 points max.

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milenerdThursday’s Deals

100 Aeroplan Miles

You can pick up the miles if you sign up for text messages (max of 3 per month). The miles show up within 4 weeks and you can unsubscribe from texts then.

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milenerd100 Aeroplan Miles

Thank You, Citibank!

I only have one Citi ThankYou card on the “Best Credit Cards” page. Honestly, ThankYou points have started to become an afterthought over the last year or so. The main reason people applied for that card was because they were running out of options. Well, that just changed (for the better). I’m gong to have to bump this one up a few notches next month. ThankYou points can now be transferred to a bunch of airlines. There are a few good choices here, but Singapore Airlines is the best option for most of you. Premium cabin domestic flights for 40,000 miles round-trip, cheap flights to Hawaii, and so much more. Singapore miles are very, very good at the moment. If you did nothing with your Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, and Citi ThankYou points but transfer them to Singapore…you’d still be doing pretty well.

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milenerdThank You, Citibank!