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60,000 Point Signup Bonus for Chase Ink Plus

From now through May 25, 2015, Chase has increased the signup bonus on their popular Chase Ink Plus® credit card to 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards after spending $5,000 within the first 3 months.

Back in March 2014, I voted the Chase Ink Plus® credit card as my #1 overall credit card in the March Madness of Credit Cards. The benefits of this card are amazing!

Chase Ink Plus® benefits

5x points on first $50,000 spent annually on office supply stores, cellular phone, landline, internet and cable TV services

2x points on first $50,000 spent annually on gas stations and hotel accommodations purchased directly through the hotel

1x points on everything else

$95 annual fee

No foreign transaction fees

Ability to transfer points between the following programs

Amtrak Guest Rewards

British Airways Executive Club

Hyatt Gold Passport

IHG Rewards Club

Korean Air SKYPASS

Marriott Rewards

Ritz-Carlton Rewards

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

Southwest Rapid Rewards

United MileagePlus

are you a small business owner?

If the answer to my question is yes - - - Then you should already have this card! If you don't, you should strongly consider applying for this credit card.

do I have to own a business?

No...I have had many friends and experiences applying for a business card using your personal name and SSN.

5,000 points for referrals

Also through May 15, 2015, you can earn 5,000 points for each referral to the Chase Ink Plus® credit card. Be sure and have your family members, friends, business associates and anyone else apply using your referral link! You can receive a maximum of 50,000 bonus points.

happy churning!

Enough can't be said about the ability to earn bonus points with the Chase Ink Plus® credit card. The bonus categories make it the best credit card on the market! The ability to transfer points to powerhouse loyalty programs like United, Hyatt and Southwest make using your points easy!

#Credit Cards #Chase Ink #Chase Ultimate Rewards

Get 1,000 American Airlines Miles Free

Through American Airlines' Learn & Earn Promotion, you can get 1,000 easy air miles by watching six videos. This is what I like to call Low Hanging Fruit.

Go to this American Airline's website

Choose a destination (I'm not sure it even needs to be real)

Watch six videos included in the AAdvantage® University

After each video, answer the question (you don't need to get it right)

Enter your name, email address and American Airlines AAdvantage® number

Wait 6-8 weeks and you'll have 1,000 free American miles

New Customers Get $50 Off Your First Audi A4 Rental of 2 Days or More. Use Promo Code: AFF-FTD

#American Airlines #Air Miles

Alaska Airlines Announces New Destinations and Routes

Alaska Airlines has continued to expand their route map with new destinations and routes. This week they have announced a total of six new routes, including five brand new destinations.

Seattle, WA to Charleston, SC

Beginning on November 16, 2015, you will be able to fly directly to Charleston, SC from Seattle on Alaska Airlines. To promote this new route, Alaska is currently offering fares at $139 each way from Seattle and $159 each way from Portland.

Seattle, WA to Nashville, TN

Beginning on September 23, 2015, you will be able to fly directly to Nashville, TN from Seattle on Alaska Airlines. To promote this new route, Alaska is currently offering fares at $139 each way from Seattle and $149 each way from Portland.

Seattle, WA to Raleigh-Durham, NC

Beginning on October 1, 2015, you will be able to fly directly to Raleigh-Durham, NC from Seattle on Alaska Airlines. To promote this new route, Alaska is currently offering fares at $159 each way from Seattle and $179 each way from Portland.

Los Angeles, CA to Baltimore, MD

eginning on September 9, 2015, you will be able to fly directly to Baltimore, MD from Los Angeles on Alaska Airlines. To promote this new route, Alaska is currently offering fares at $149 each way from LAX.

Los Angeles, CA to San Jose, Costa Rica

Pending approval from the Costa Rica civil aviation authorities, you will be able to start booking tickets to San Jose, Costa Rica on May 21, 2015, for travel beginning October 31, 2015.

Los Angeles, CA to Liberia, Costa Rica

Pending approval from the Costa Rica civil aviation authorities, you will be able to start booking tickets to Liberia, Costa Rica on May 21, 2015, for travel beginning November 1, 2015.

my two cents

Alaska has knocked it out of the park with these new additions! Charleston and Nashville are definitely two of my top ten cities in America! And how about the addition of a new country to the mix with Costa Rica!?!?

The ability to fly into San Jose is great, as that is the big city in Costa Rica! But the addition of Liberia is the one that really has me excited. This airport is approximately 1 hour away from the Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort, a Category 4 Hyatt property. Free nights at this hotel are only 15,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points AND you can redeem your free anniversary night if you are a cardholder of the Hyatt Credit Card.

One last crush of this announcement - another great use for the companion pass with the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® card.

#Alaska Airlines #Destinations

Air Miles - A Love/Hate Relationship

For those of you that have air miles or frequent flyer miles, it can be a royal pain in the rear trying to redeem them for good value. Getting a good redemption value is difficult and takes time and careful research. To those that have the patience and put in the work, air miles can be incredibly valuable. So today, I offer my loves and hates!

LOVE - The ability to fly anywhere in the world for free (sans taxes and potential fuel surcharges). I'm a bit of a dreamer, and having a stockpile of air miles allows me to dream about flying to far off destinations. Air miles can allow me to do this at a very low cost.

HATE - Restrictions on award seat availability. As airlines continue fill seats near capacity, it means that there are less seats available for award tickets. As a result, it's often incredibly difficult to use your air miles for the exact itinerary you desire.

LOVE - Using air miles for last minute travel. Whether your team makes the championship game or a family member is ill, most of us have booked airfare on short notice. And as most of us know, airfare is Economics 101 - - - Supply and Demand. The less seats available, the higher the price. Air miles allow you to score a seat for free when prices are expensive.

HATE - Having air miles with one specific airline. Whether your air miles are with Alaska Airlines, American or United, having all of your miles with one specific airlines can be cumbersome when redeeming your air miles for free travel.

LOVE - Earning air miles with one specific airline. The reason I'm writing this post and the reason you're reading it is because airlines are gunning for your loyalty! If you are a frequent flyer, being loyal to one specific airline means you have the chance to earn elite status. With elite status comes big perks like bonus miles, free checked bags, free drinks, lounge access, and coveted first class upgrades!

HATE - Airlines control the award seat inventory. Although there are a handful of ways to earn airline miles, the award seat inventory for flights is purely determined by the airline company. You want to take your family of four to Australia in First Class? Good luck.

LOVE - The ability to book a business or first class ticket for free. Business and first class tickets are expensive. Unless you have elite status with airlines, prepare to pay the piper for premium class! Air miles allow the in-frequent flyer to fly the premium cabins!

HATE - The time commitment to using frequent flyer miles. It takes time to book the tickets. Some people don't have the time. As a result, frequent flyer miles are wasted or used ineffectively.

So what are your loves and hates about frequent flyer miles?

#Air Miles

How to Choose the Best Travel Rewards Credit Card

I get these questions a lot....and I do mean a lot.

What is the best travel rewards credit card? Which travel rewards credit card should I apply for?

Although I don't have one specific answer, I do have a process that can lead to answers!

step #1 - determine your goals

When it comes to choosing the best travel rewards credit card, you must first determine you travel goals. I normally ask people the following questions:

Do you want air miles, hotel points or a flexible point that allows for both free flights and free hotel stays?

Do you fly frequently?

Do you stay at hotels frequently?

Are you you looking to help pay for a specific vacation?

Do you have a specific destination in mind?

Do you desire free checked bags while flying or airport lounge access?

Every good credit card plan starts with your goals! These questions help me pin down what people are really looking for.

step #2 - review travel rewards credit cards

By now, you know the exact reason you're looking for the best travel rewards credit card based on your specific travel goals. As a result, it's time to review the credit cards that will fulfill those goals. Let me help lay the foundation of this process by stating the four types of travel rewards credit cards as well as the three reasons you apply for credit cards.

The 4 types of Travel Rewards Credit Cards

Hotel rewards credit cards

Frequent flyer or air mile credit cards

Bank rewards credit cards

Cash back credit cards

The 3 reasons you apply for Travel Rewards Credit Cards

Credit cards with big signup bonus offers

Credit cards that you use for every day spending

Credit cards that include benefits and perks (i.e. elite status, free checked bags, lounge access, etc.)

step #3 - determine your portfolio of travel rewards credit cards

I never said that you had to apply for only one travel rewards credit card! I have quite a few credit cards I use on a weekly basis. Sometimes, the best travel rewards credit card is a portfolio of cards!

the best travel rewards credit cards

I feel obligated to throw out some names of credit cards I consider to be the best travel rewards credit cards on the market. The credit cards below consist of those that I most often recommend to people who don't have specific goals in mind.

Chase Freedom® Card - My #1 credit card for first time applicants due to no annual fee and powerful earning capabilities. This credit card is labeled a cash back credit card but combined with other Chase cards can be a great bank rewards credit card.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card - This is probably the travel rewards credit card that I recommend the most due to it's bonus structure (2x points on restaurants and travel).

Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express - Although this credit card is a hotel rewards credit card, you have the ability to convert your points to air miles at a 125% rate (20,000 SPG points convert to 25,000 air miles, for most frequent flyer programs). That makes this credit card an extremely valuable one.

Ink Plus® Business Card - For the advanced credit card user, the Chase Ink Plus® Business Card is my #1. The bonus earning structure (5x points on a number of categories) make this travel rewards credit card one of the most valuable out there.

Barclaycard Arrival Plus™ World Elite MasterCard® - This travel rewards credit card is a stellar one for the person that doesn't want to put much thought into redeeming their points. You get 2x points on all purchases and your points can be used for free travel through many outlets. 1 point = $0.01 in free travel.

#Credit Cards #Air Miles #Hotel Points #Chase Sapphire Preferred #Chase Ink #Chase #Freedom #Barclays #Starwood Preferred Guest #Amer

The Hyatt Credit Card Review

In my last round of credit card applications, I applied for The Hyatt Credit Card issued by Chase. I had been holding out on submitting an application for this credit card for a number of years due to it's heavyweight signup bonus. (I didn't want to waste a great thing)!

the details

2 free nights at any Hyatt worldwide after spending $1,000 within the first three months

3 points per $1 spent at Hyatt properties

2 points per $1 spent at restaurant, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airline and at car rental agencies

1 point per $1 spent everywhere else

No foreign transaction fees

Automatic Hyatt Gold Passport Platinum benefits

Annual free night certificate in Category 1-4 property

2 stay credits and 5 night credits toward Diamond status upon spending $20,000 in each calendar year

Additional 3 stay credits and 5 night credits toward Diamond status upon spending $40,000 in each calendar year

$0 introductory fee, $75 annual fee thereafter

reasons to apply for The Hyatt Credit Card

2 Free Nights Worldwide - If you're planning on traveling to an area with a top tier Hyatt property, you may be able to squeeze serious benefits out of the signup bonus. Take for instance the Park Hyatt Sydney (as pictured below). Two random nights in July 2015 would cost $727/night or $1,454 in total before taxes. By the time you factor in taxes, you will have earned over $1,500 in value from this credit card signup bonus at this Category 7 Hyatt property.

Free Anniversary Night - As a megawatt benefit of this credit card, your $75 annual fee will net you a complimentary night in a Category 1-4 Hyatt property. Essentially, you're paying $75 for a Category 1-4 night. You could stay at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa (read my review), Hyatt at Olive 8 (read my review), or Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa (read my review) to name a few. All of these properties normally cost over $200/night making The Hyatt Credit Card free anniversary night benefit a great one!

Hyatt Gold Passport Platinum Status - With Hyatt Platinum Status you will receive a 15% point bonus when booking paid stays. You will receive preferred rooms, based on availability, complimentary internet access and a 2:00PM checkout.

reasons NOT to apply for The Hyatt Credit Card

Using 2 Free Nights at Lower Tier Properties - If you plan on applying for the credit card for the two free nights, plan on using them at a top tier property. Otherwise, you're wasting a good credit card application! For instance, using the free night certificates at the Hyatt Place Las Vegas (read my review), which regularly costs under $150/night, would not be advised.

my experience

I finally applied for The Hyatt Credit Card because we are slated to head to Europe this summer! I'll be redeeming my two free nights at the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome, a Hyatt Category 7 property that normally costs over $550/night. I plan on keeping the card at least for a couple of years to take advantage of the Free Anniversary Night benefit!

#Credit Cards #Hotels #Chase #Hyatt

Earn up to 5,000 Alaska Airlines Bonus Miles For Self Bag Tagging

Alaska Airlines announced yesterday that they will be offering 1,000 bonus miles for using their new Self-Tag Online option via checkin. You can earn up to 5,000 Alaska Airlines bonus miles with this promotion. The promotion runs from April 20, 2015 through October 20, 2015.

With this new option, Alaska Airlines allows frequent flyers to print their checked baggage tags from home. Once you arrive at the airport, you leave your bag with a customer service agent at a bag drop location and you're on your way!

In order to qualify for the 1,000 Alaska Airlines bonus miles, you must do the following:

Check in for your flight at alaskaair.com

Use the Self-Tag Online option for printing your bag tags (see eligible cities here)

Put the tags in a reusable bag tag holder and drop the bag off at a Bag Drop location at the airport

Earn 1,000 bonus miles

terms & conditions

"Mileage Plan™ members who use Web Check-In at www.alaskaair.com and use the "Self-Tag Online" feature to pre-tag and check at least one piece of baggage on an eligible flight between April 20, 2015, and October 20, 2015, will receive 1,000 Bonus Miles per eligible Web Check-In (regardless on number of bags checked). Offer valid on flights marketed by Alaska Airlines and operated by Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air, SkyWest, or PenAir. Mileage Plan™ number must be in the reservation at the time of Web Check-In, and flight miles must be credited to Mileage Plan™ to qualify. For multiple Mileage Plan™ members traveling on the same reservation and using a single Web Check-In session, 1,000 Bonus Miles will be issued to the account of each Mileage Plan™ member who uses Self-Tag Online to pre-tag at least one bag. Offer is limited to a maximum of 5,000 Bonus Miles per Mileage Plan™ account throughout the promotional period. See alaskaair.com/bagrules for complete baggage rules. All terms and conditions of the Mileage Plan program apply. Offer subject to change without notice. Please allow up to 5 days for Bonus Miles to post to your account." -- Alaska Airlines

#Alaska Airlines #Bonus

Mega Points At Staples Starting Today

I'm back!

For the last two and a half months I have been handcuffed to the desk (not the blogging desk). 12-15 hour days, 7 days/week has left me with no time to blog. Today, I'm back and I'm excited today to let you in on one of my favorite opportunities to earn Mega Points at Staples!

the deal

Starting Sunday, April 19th and ending Saturday, April 25th, Staples is running a promotion in which they'll give you a $20 Staples gift card for purchasing over $300 in Visa OR MasterCard gift cards! Now this may not seem like a Mega Points deal to most, but to the advanced points earner, there are some serious points at stake here!

the skinny

To take advantage of this deal, you have to have a points earning credit card. To take the Staples Mega Points deal into overdrive, you should have one of the following credit cards:

Ink Plus® Business Card - 5x points at office supply stores

SimplyCash® Business Card from American Express - 5% cash back at office supply stores

Ink Cash® Business Card - 5x points at office supply stores

Staples stocks both Visa and MasterCard gift cards in $100 and $200 denominations. The $100 gift cards have a $5.95 transaction fee while the $200 gift cards have a $6.95 transaction fee.

In order to qualify for the $20 Staples gift card via Staples Easy Rebate, you must purchase at least $300 in gift cards. Rebates are limited to one per household.

the math

Earning Mega Points at Staples has been around for quite some time. I personally whip out my Ink Plus® Business Card to take advantage of these deals. It's very important to do the math on these deals to weigh the total points you are earning versus the cost of earning the points.

Example with Ink Plus® Business Card

If you purchase two $200 gift cards the total cost is as follows: $206.95 x 2 = $413.90

Total points earned are as follows: $413.90 x 5 points/$ spent = 2,070 points

Net cost of doing this: $413.90 (total cost) - $400 (cash value of gift cards) - $20 (Staples gift card via rebate) = $6.10 profit

Another Example with Ink Plus® Business Card

Now let's say you want to purchase three $200 gift cards: $206.95 x 3 = $620.85 (total cost)

Total points earned: $620.85 x 5 points/$ spent = 3,104 points

Net cost of purchasing three gift cards: $620.85 (total cost) - $600 (cash value of gift cards) - $20 (Staples gift card via rebate) = $0.85 cost

what do I do with the gift cards?!

There are many ways to liquidate the Visa and MasterCard gift cards that you purchased through this Staples Mega Points deal!

Use them for every day spending!

Give them away as gifts (wedding season is right around the corner)

Use them to load your Bluebird® or Target Prepaid REDCard®

With the Staples gift cards you should be able to use them to buy other gift cards in store like Shell gas cards, iTunes, Amazon.com, etc.

#Staples #Chase Ink #Credit Cards #Gift Cards #Manufactured Spending #Free Points #Visa #MasterCard

Earn Bonus Points with Chase Refer A Friend!

I love Chase credit cards! And I love the Chase Refer A Friend bonus program! Chase is back and if you're a cardholder of their Chase Freedom® Card or Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, you could earn up to 50,000 bonus points for referring friends to their popular cards.

Click on this Chase Refer A Friend link, enter your information and see if you're eligible. Unfortunately, I am not, but you might be!

Historically you can earn up to 5,000 bonus points per approval! It's a pretty nice shot in the arm for popular Chase Ultimate Rewards products!

#Chase Sapphire Preferred #Chase #Chase Ultimate Rewards #Freedom #Credit Cards

Up To 10,000 Bonus Miles with US Airways® Premier World MasterCard®

If you are a cardholder of the soon-to-be-vanished US Airways® Premier World MasterCard®, you might be eligible for 10,000 bonus miles!

From March 1st through June 30, 2015 you can earn a 50% bonus on all spend with the US Airways® Premier World MasterCard®, up to a maximum of 10,000 miles! That means, if you spend $20,000 on the card between now and June 30th, you'll receive 10,000 extra miles!

That's an earning rate of 1.5X miles per $1 per spent!

how to get in on this - - -

Login to your Barclaycard account and navigate to your US Airways® Premier World MasterCard®. On the right there should be a bonus button that looks like so:

Click that Get Started button and let the bonus miles earning bonanza begin!

engage happy dance

Happy bonus mile earning!

~Shout Out: WTM, FFFM

#Barclays #US Airways #Credit Cards #Bonus Points #Air Miles

Double Miles on Alaska Airlines (Popular Routes)

From February 15 through May 15, 2015, Alaska Airlines is rewarding frequent travelers with double miles on some of their most popular routes.

In order to qualify, visit Alaska Airlines' 2x miles site and register using your Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan number. Then book a flight on one of the following routes:

Not a bad deal if you live in Salt Lake City or Seattle!

#Alaska Airlines #Double Miles #Bonus Promotion #Air Miles

Best Way To Earn Southwest Companion Pass

Earlier today, Mommy Points posted an article on one of the best ways to earn a Southwest Companion Pass that I have seen.

The premise of the deal is that you need to make three round-trip flights out of Atlanta between February 13th and May 17, 2015. Given some of the routes on Southwest Airlines are incredibly cheap, one could do this inexpensively.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Companion Pass, those who earn it are allowed to have a companion fly free for the remainder of a calendar year PLUS the entire next calendar year. This deal doesn't allow the following calendar year, but it's still an amazing deal!

I speak from experience when I say that the Southwest Companion Pass is one of the best deals in the domestic travel industry!

#Southwest Airlines #Companion Pass

60,000 Point Signup Bonus for Chase Ink Plus® Credit Card

For a limited time the Chase Ink Plus® credit card is offering a 60,000 point signup bonus after you spend $5,000 within the first 3 months. Normally the signup bonus on this card is 50,000 points, but from now through March 1, 2015, you can score an extra 10,000 points.

Back in March 2014, I voted the Chase Ink Plus® credit card as my #1 overall credit card in the March Madness of Credit Cards. The benefits of this card are amazing!

Chase Ink Plus® benefits

5x points on first $50,000 spent annually on office supply stores, cellular phone, landline, internet and cable TV services

2x points on first $50,000 spent annually on gas stations and hotel accommodations purchased directly through the hotel

1x points on everything else

$95 annual fee

No foreign transaction fees

Ability to transfer points between the following programs

Amtrak Guest Rewards

British Airways Executive Club

Hyatt Gold Passport

IHG Rewards Club

Korean Air SKYPASS

Marriott Rewards

Ritz-Carlton Rewards

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

Southwest Rapid Rewards

United MileagePlus

are you a small business owner?

If the answer to my question is yes - - - Then you should already have this card! If you don't, you should strongly consider applying for this credit card.

do I have to own a business?

No...I have had many friends and experiences applying for a business card using your personal name and SSN.

happy churning!

#Chase Ink #Chase Ultimate Rewards #Credit Cards #Signup Bonus

Earn More Air Miles and Points (Beginner Series) - Keeping Track

Part 1: Introduction Part 2: Types of Miles/Points Part 3: Determining Your Loyalty Part 4: How to Earn Air Miles Part 5: Earn More Air Miles - Elite Status Part 6: How to Earn Hotel Points Part 7: Earn More Hotel Points - Elite Status Part 8: Applying for Credit Cards Part 9: How to Earn Credit Card Points Part 10: How to Earn Cash Back Part 11: Using Shopping Portals Part 12: Dining Programs Part 13: Manufactured Spending Part 14: Other Methods to Earn Miles Part 15: Keeping Track of Your Miles/Points

You now know how to earn frequent flyer miles, hotel points, and even cash back! But how do you keep track of all of those points?! For me, the hardest part is having easy access to all of your loyalty member numbers.

Some people use Excel. I use Award Wallet!

Award Wallet allows you to store your login information for many loyalty accounts. I often go back to Award Wallet when I need to enter my loyalty account number. Additionally, Award Wallet tracks your points balances for many accounts (some frequent flyer programs block access).

I'm a big fan of Award Wallet and think it's probably the best way to track your miles.

how do I keep track of credit card balances?

Although I've never tried it, I've heard of many people using Mint.com. I tend to be a bit more detail oriented with my financial lifestyle, and as a result I use QuickBooks. I can keep track of each of my credit cards, including prepaid accounts like (Target REDcard® or Bluebird). Additionally, if I'm buying massive quantities of gift cards, I can keep track of those too.

conclusion

I hope this beginner series has helped you discover all of the ways to earn the various types of loyalty currencies. If you know anyone or have children getting into The Game, feel free to refer them to this series!

#Award Wallet #Guides #Beginners

Earn More Air Miles and Points (Beginner Series) - Other Methods to Earn Miles

At this point I have explained the bulk of the ways to earn frequent flyer miles and hotel points, cash back and even bank rewards! There are some additional creative ways to earn points and I'll do my best at describing them below.

signup for DirecTV

Many airlines like American Airlines and United often run promotions that will award big time bonus miles for signing up for service with DirecTV. See the offer below (from American). You normally have to sign a contract to earn the bonus miles, so make sure you math out the costs of having satellite television and how long you're required to have it.

car rentals

Most airlines have partnerships with all of the larger rental car agencies. You can earn valuable miles by giving the rental agency your frequent flyer information. On top of earning bonus miles, because you are a frequent flyer, you can likely earn discounted rental car rates!

charitable contributions

Sometimes you can earn bonus miles for making charitable contributions. Be sure and consult with your tax professional to determine whether or not earning air miles taints the ability to get a tax deduction!

financial services

Banks like Fidelity and TD Ameritrade offer bonus miles if you open an account with minimum balances. American Airlines has a partnership with Bank Direct where you can earn bonus miles for completing a bunch of different transactions. Many airline programs have partnerships with mortgage lenders and will give you bonus miles for refinancing your mortgage.

paying your utilities

Certain frequent flyer programs have partnerships with utility companies like Energy Plus, Gexa Energy and Reliant. If you sign up for the program you can earn bonus miles for dollars you will normally spend on utilities.

hotel reservations

Although I might not recommend this depending upon your situation, you can earn bonus miles for crediting your hotel stays to your favorite frequent flyer account. Based on my research, it normally behooves you to earn hotel points through a hotel loyalty program, rather than air miles.

#Credit Cards #Beginners #Guides #Air Miles #Hotel Points

Hotel Review: Springhill Suites Portland Airport, Portland, OR

Fresh off an amazing trip to Vegas, Florida and New Mexico, we landed in Portland for a night out with my parents. On the docket for the night were visits to Belmont Station for beers, Apizza Scholls for pizza, a Portland Winterhawks game, followed by Salt & Straw for ice cream.

I had earned a couple of free night stays during 2014's final Marriott MegaBonus promotion. We decided to use them at the Springhill Suites Portland Airport for this occasion.

Location

Unlike some of our favorite Portland Airport (PDX) area hotels, the Springhill Suites Portland Airport property was located east of Interstate 205. It isn't that much farther to the airport than the hotels in Cascade Station (see Hyatt Place PDX). There are plenty of restaurants and shopping within the area. If you're renting a car from PDX or dropping one off, the rental car returns are located very near this property.

Rooms

The Springhill Suites Portland Airport had amazing rooms. We had a King bedroom and much like a Hyatt Place brand, the property featured a living area, a bed area, then a bathroom. The living area seemed fresh, updated and very elegant for a lower tier Marriott property.

We agreed that given the right circumstances, we would definitely stay at a Springhill Suites again.

Benefits

All guests at the Springhill Suites Portland Airport are entitled to free breakfast, which we gladly indulged in. The breakfast wasn't anything to write home about, but most importantly, it didn't leave a bad taste in our mouths. There were select hot and cold items, but overall a very solid breakfast.

There is an indoor pool that we didn't use. Additionally, there is a free shuttle to the Portland International Airport (PDX), making this property a decent one for travelers. The property also features a business center and small fitness center.

Staff

We had very limited interactions with the staff, but for the most part they were great. Checkin was super efficient and they were able to accommodate our request of having my parents in a room next to ours.

Overall Impressions

This hotel stay actually shocked us a bit. We didn't expect much of the stay and were pleasantly surprised. Our Portland Airport go-to hotel is the Hyatt Place, but this is definitely a nice option as a fallback or alternative. I'm pleased to say we will likely return to this hotel.

#Marriott #Hotel Review #Trip Report #Hotels

Earn More Air Miles and Points (Beginner Series) - Manufactured Spending

Ahhh, manufactured spending...a technical term in the frequent flyer world for "putting more expenses on a credit card at no cost to you." This is every points earning aficionado's dream! Being able to generate piles upon piles of air miles and hotel points at little to no cost - - - A true advanced technique.

In order to properly understand manufactured spending I need you to concentrate. There can often be many transactions or steps in the process of a good manufactured spending technique. However, the rubber hits the road when you bust out your credit card and swipe it at the register (or online).

Below are a few manufactured spending techniques to think about the next time you whip out the plastic!

reimbursable expenses

Are you employed or do you have a business? Shifting as much business spend to a credit card could be a great way to bolster your points balances. I try to offer to throw everything onto my credit card at my office. I then turn in an expense report and am reimbursed for my business expenses.

If you own a business, I would consider putting absolutely as much onto the credit card as you can (without carrying a balance and incurring interest expenses).

Other options for reimbursed expenses include offering to pay for a group dinner in return for cash. You could offer to buy your family's Christmas gifts in return for a check. (Doing this you could combine with shopping portals for a double dip).

reloadable prepaid cards

Using a reloadable prepaid card can provide big time benefit. See this post related to the Target Prepaid REDcard. Other options include Bluebird and Serve. All of these offerings are through American Express.

buying and reselling

This manufactured spending option is perhaps the most riskiest, but also can prove to be the most rewarding. Using shopping portals, you buy goods that are discounted and attempt to resell them via eBay, Craigslist, or Amazon.com. The shopping portals offer big time bonus points and you may be able to break even. Some experts turn a cash profit in addition to earning millions of frequent flyer miles.

buying gift cards

Every now and then certain stores offer cash rebates or discounts on the purchase of Visa, MasterCard or American Express gift cards. Buying these cards at a discount can wipe out the transaction fee. Visa and MasterCard gift cards have the ability for you to set a PIN number to the card. You can then load the gift cards to a prepaid account like Bluebird or even use them to purchase money orders.

#Guides #Beginners #Credit Cards #Manufactured Spending

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