by PointsGuru | Apr 13, 2016 | Virgin America Elevate
When you see an opportunity to earn extra bonus points or miles for doing almost nothing you should always take them up on the offer while it lasts. Even if you do not fly the airline often or if they are not in your city yet. You never know when Virgin America could be in your city. They are offering 500 free points just for joining their airline loyalty program.
Virgin America’s promotion is called “Flights With Benefits,” and through it you can earn 500 bonus points for joining their rewards program called Elevate. You can also earn 500 bonus points for referring your friends to Elevate up to a maximum of 2,500 bonus points or 5 people.
Sign up here for the promotion. Valid for new member sign-ups through May 31, 2016, with bonus points posting within 4-6 weeks. After you sign up make sure to go here for 250 more free points.
Virgin America Elevate points are worth around 2.2 cents each towards the cost of a revenue ticket on Virgin America, so 500 Elevate points are worth around $11. This is similar to the value of Southwest airline points which would be higher than American Airlines per redemption.
Once you get your free Elevate points from Virgin America keep in mind that they expire after 18 months of inactivity. One way to rack up additional points is through American Express Membership Rewards transfers with a current promotional transfer bonus of 50%. You can also earn with over 700 retailers in their Elevate Fly Store online earning up to 10 points per $1.
by PointsGuru | Apr 11, 2016 | Bank of America, Capital One, International Travel
When traveling internationally you really have to plan months ahead not just in booking your rewards points but be able to strategize what cards you will take with you. You need to know way ahead of time so you can make sure you apply for those cards and have them in your wallet in time for overseas travel. A good credit card and ATM/Debit Card are two of the most important things to carry with you right after your passport.
If you have traveled to foreign countries you should now that ATM cards that carry foreign transaction fees can really add up and sometimes be shockingly high. While I normally prefer to use my credit cards to earn points with a no international transaction fee credit card there are some situations you must use cash abroad. The best way to get cash is to use the ATM and not any kind of currency exchange that you see lined up near the baggage claim and along the streets of many tourist destinations.
Capital One 360 Checking Debit Card
You may remember this account which changed over from what used to be the ING Direct Electric Orange. Capital One 360 debit card no longer charges any Foreign Transaction Fees since the change. Comparable cards charge at least 3% charge to this 0%. Keep in mind that the ATM you use may issue a surcharge which is generally a flat fee. This tops our list for No Foreign Transaction Fee debit cards. (more…)
by PointsGuru | Apr 11, 2016 | Taxi Rideshare & Rentals
A new rewards program came out from Uber this year for their top riders. This program for the most loyal riders gives you the best treatment possible when you take a ride. You should receive exclusive Uber experiences with top quality cars, high rated drivers, special giveaways, and more.
How to Make the VIP List:
1. Sign up for Uber
2. Take 10+ trips this month
3. Enjoy the VIP perks next month
4. Continue this trip trend monthly to keep VIP access (more…)
by PointsGuru | Mar 29, 2016 | Taxi Rideshare & Rentals
When it comes to getting around town whether you are going out on the town for the night, drinking for happy hour, or traveling with your family the best ride is with ride sharing services such as Uber and Lyft. Uber and Lyft are part of a sharing economy that gets us normally a brand new car picking us up instead of a old run down taxi. The best part is that we can call Uber or Lyft by pressing a button on our iPhone, Windows Mobile, or Android smart phone and it tells us when the driver will arrive.
Register here to get up to $50 in credits from Lyft towards your first 10 rides. Lyft is similar to Uber but it’s a bit more personal where you can add more to your profile and know more about the person driving you. They can sometimes be cheaper as their surge rate seems less than the competition most of the time. A surge rate is when they do not have many drivers or they are busy on a big holiday such as Memorial Day Weekend at 10pm or 2am.
$5 Off Lyft in New Orleans
Never miss a jazz solo, beignet, or parade, because Lyft is now live in the Crescent City. Whether you’re partying your way down Frenchmen street or eating your weight in crawfish, Lyft will get you wherever you need to go. Get $5 off your first ride in New Orleans with CODE:GOODTIMESROLL. Valid for 1 ride with max $5 discount. Offer valid until 5/30.
Uber Promos
Register here to get a $15 credit for Uber towards a Free Ride. Make sure that Promo code ubervip4me is entered. Uber is an amazing on-demand car service that is replacing taxi’s and they have service in most cities across the country.
Bonus Cash Back and Starwood Points
If you have the Capital One Quicksilver card or the Capital One QuicksilverOne card, you’ll get 20% back on all Uber rides through April 30, 2016. This is an amazing discount off the popular Uber service. If you’re stayed at a Starwood hotel you can also get bonus points once you sync your Uber account. (more…)
by PointsGuru | Mar 9, 2016 | International Travel
The United Arab Emirates turned nasty Wednesday as a massive storm whipped through the desert nation, causing damage throughout the capital, Abu Dhabi. The downpour quickly overmatched the drainage systems according to CNN leaving motorists stranded in standing water on city streets.
The storm, which contained strong winds, frequent lightning and even some hail, caused all flights to be suspended Wednesday at Abu Dhabi International Airport and disruptions at Dubai airport. Wind gusts reached hurricane strength — 75 mph (120 kilometers per hour) — at nearby Al Bateen Executive Airport. Emirates flights to Chicago and Seattle were some of the flights canceled today.
While the UAE airports look amazing on the outside and inside deep down they are still third world with no regulated roofing for protection for travelers. The Middle East does not seem too prepared to handle rain as these storms have caused part of the roof to collapse at Abu Dhabi Airport today:
Several events were cancelled or suspended for the day, including Abu Dhabi Expo and Dubai Canvas festival activities.
by PointsGuru | Mar 9, 2016 | Gas Savings
ExxonMobil rolled out a new service for 6,000 locations today allowing you to pay faster at the pump without having to look through your wallet for a physical credit card. They will start accepting Apple Pay as a form of payment but they won’t be tap-to-pay, unlike the experience at almost every other point-of-sale system that works with Apple Pay. With these gas stations, Apple Pay will be integrated into Exxon’s existing Speedpass+ app, which is free to download and uses your geolocation to pull up local pumps.
How Apple Pay works at ExxonMobil:
A customer drives up to the pump. Then enters the pump number within the Speedpass+ app. You will then and use a thumbprint to authorize payment through Apple Pay.
Earn Rewards Easy
This is a great alternative to the Speedpass key tag which is a “touchless“ payment device that links to your existing credit or debit card. This is a physical keyring device where you can pay at the pump or in-store at participating Exxon- and Mobil-branded service stations. You needed to do this to link it to Plenti and earn rewards. You should now be able to earn rewards using the app with the Apple Pay. Gas retail competitor Shell has a rewards program that is similar but you have to use a card or enter the member number. We hope Shell gas stations upgrade to the Apple Pay in their Fuel Rewards Program.
This comes at a time when gas stations are changing over to EMV chip cards which can be more hassle than a basic swipe-and-go card. The Speedpass+ could prove to be faster than the EMV chip card in some cases (we are hoping). It could also be slower having to pull up an app and using your phone’s network to connect with the pump. From a rewards standpoint it’s so much better. Standing outside at a gas station fumbling through your wallet for cards is sometimes dangerous so this is a great alternative to showing every person asking for money outside how much cash is in your wallet.
This is not available at all ExxonMobil locations they plans to extend support of Apple Pay to 8,000 locations by mid year.
by PointsGuru | Mar 4, 2016 | AAdvantage American
American Express has released new Twitter sync promotions to save money at participating merchants. Make sure that you sync these offers with your AMEX Card immediately as the number of available uses is limited. It’s kind of like any other freebie you find online you have to act fast. Just click the links below to allow you to Tweet directly from this page to sync these offers with your American Express card.
Qantas Airlines –
Click Here to Tweet #AmexQantas to get $400 back when you Spend $2,000+ at Qantas online by Qantas Spend $2000 or more, get $400 back.
Expires 04/14/2016. This would be great for a non-stop roundtrip flight from DFW or LAX to Sydney in business class.
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by PointsGuru | Mar 3, 2016 | American Express
From now for just a few weeks you can earn 35,000 Starwood points on both the AMEX personal and small business cards when you sign-up and meet the minimum spending requirements. Starwood points are highly valuable because they’re not as diluted as other programs and are hard to earn apart from staying at Starwood hotels. This is the highest offer ever for the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express Card!
- 35,000 Starwood points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the 1st 3 months of opening your account (personal card), OR
- 35,000 Starwood points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the 1st 3 months of opening your account (small business card)
- 2 points per $1 you spend at Starwood hotels (includes Aloft, Design Hotels, Element, Four Points, Le Meridien, Sheraton, St Regis, The Luxury Collection, Tribute Portfolio, Westin and W brand hotels)
- 1 Starwood point per $1 you spend on everything else
- Unlimited use of Boingo Wi-Fi hotspots (excluding in-flight)
- For small business cardholders, access to Sheraton Club lounges (free breakfast and hors d’oeuvres) for cardholder and 1 guest staying in the same room (3rd-party bookings such as Orbitz or Hotwire are excluded).
- 2 stay credits or 5 night credits toward Starwood Elite Status
- $95 annual fee, waived for the 1st year
- No foreign transaction fees
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by PointsGuru | Feb 19, 2016 | Cheap Travel Deals
DOUBLE DOWN TO VEGAS.
You Can Now Get 2 For 1 Fares To Sin City!
Virgin America has new service between Dallas Love and Las Vegas and they are giving away some amazing deals if you buy right now. Virgin America flights come with happy hour on demand, WiFi, moodlighting and more. Book now to fly March 1 through April 30.
This offer ends on February 21, 2016 at 11:59pm PT. This offer is valid for nonstop travel in DAL-LAS only; offer is not valid for any multi-city itineraries. Travel must occur between March 1, 2016 and April 30, 2016. Blackout dates include: 4/24- 4/28. One time use promo code is valid in Main Cabin only. Promo code applies to newly booked travel and may not be applied to prior bookings. Promo code discount is valid for 50% off the base fare of two guests’ tickets. USE PROMO CODE: 2FER when booking.
Need hotel booking promo codes or transportation to and from the airport?
Earn Up to 3500 Virgin America Elevate Bonus Points
Virgin America Elevate members earn 500, 1000 & 2000 points on their 1st, 2nd and 3rd rentals, and four points for every $1 spent on additional rentals with Silvercar. For a limited time, 1st time renters reserve with promo code VME and ELEVATE50 online in the Silvercar mobile app for $75 off on any reservation of 2 days or more. Returning customers, use code ELEV15 and save 15% off your next reservation!
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by PointsGuru | Feb 8, 2016 | Retail
Free shipping is by far an online shopper’s favorite feature when comparing retailers. Most people do not keep in mind that when you shop at some retailers online you do not get free returns. Some retailers force you to go into a physical location or pay a fee for the return processing. Paypal is now changing this from now until January 31, 2016.
To get FREE Return Shipping for Paypal Purchased Items head over to Paypal.com and click the activate offer button to activate it for your account. You will then get free return shipping reimbursement for up to 11 purchases (max refund of $30 per return shipment) from now through 12/31/16.
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