A way to save $ for travel
Jun 12th, 2003, 03:42 PM
#21
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John D
Hi!
Our card is the American Express Platinum. We get 2 miles for every dollar spent. It does cost a little over a hundred dollars annual fee (when I first heard this I was adament against getting this card) (or $80 if you pay it off every month)But we have found it very worth it... also, after you renew you get a free companion ticket!!
The only thing is that Am EX is not accepted everywhere, MOST places, yes, but not everywhere(our local vet takes only Visa/MC) ( We pay all of our Bills with it and these miles really add up!! We *almost* have enough for 2 tickets to Hawaii next year!(Delta)
If you choose to go Visa, or another card please make sure you check into all the fine print, we did carefeul research, and for us we found AmEx the best deal.
At first we started with AmEx gold, paid a very nominal fee and got mile per dollar, or double miles at any gas station, grocerey store, or home improvement store(no companion tix)
We have earned many more miles with our new card... I hope this helps, let me know if you have anyother questions
Vetee4Paris, thanks for the mortgage idea, my husband is going to look into it.
Ruby
Hi!
Our card is the American Express Platinum. We get 2 miles for every dollar spent. It does cost a little over a hundred dollars annual fee (when I first heard this I was adament against getting this card) (or $80 if you pay it off every month)But we have found it very worth it... also, after you renew you get a free companion ticket!!
The only thing is that Am EX is not accepted everywhere, MOST places, yes, but not everywhere(our local vet takes only Visa/MC) ( We pay all of our Bills with it and these miles really add up!! We *almost* have enough for 2 tickets to Hawaii next year!(Delta)
If you choose to go Visa, or another card please make sure you check into all the fine print, we did carefeul research, and for us we found AmEx the best deal.
At first we started with AmEx gold, paid a very nominal fee and got mile per dollar, or double miles at any gas station, grocerey store, or home improvement store(no companion tix)
We have earned many more miles with our new card... I hope this helps, let me know if you have anyother questions
Vetee4Paris, thanks for the mortgage idea, my husband is going to look into it.
Ruby
Jun 12th, 2003, 03:53 PM
#22
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Priceline, priceline, priceline. I have saved thousands just this last year from using priceline exclusively for business and weekend getaways. I never even would have considered it had I not learned so much from this board. Last year I paid $169/nt for a business meeting in Chicago. Three monts later I pricelined it and got the same hotel (Sheraton) for $70 per night same meeting! All that money saved on travel expenses is going to help fund an early retirement and hopefully other travel to new exotic places.
Jun 12th, 2003, 06:05 PM
#23
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I don't get that change idea. Wouldn't it be more prudent to use all your change up instead of breaking bigger bills? Sounds more like a way to trick yourself than actual savings. CoinStar charges 8.9% for transactions, and if you have $100 in change, that's quite a bit you lose off the top.
Jun 16th, 2003, 11:17 AM
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My husband and I never used to order beverages at restaurants, just water. We'd have good quality liquor at home, and still save money. It was nice to drink wine after coming home from the restaurant. We're instituting this again for the whole family as we save for a Hawaii trip.
Jun 16th, 2003, 12:09 PM
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No coke machines allowed! I guess it all depends on how much you go out to eat, but for our family of four, I'm expecting to save about $80-100 a month, if my husband can stand forgoing beer and coffee.
Jun 16th, 2003, 12:33 PM
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I agree with the sack-lunch idea. I bring lunch and snacks to work almost every day, and it not only saves money -- it saves CALORIES.
Another idea for those of us who get paid every two weeks (instead of twice per month): two months a year, you'll end up getting THREE checks. Since most of us handle household accounting using the two-checks-per-month method, take the extra check and put it in your travel fund. That means you'll have two paychecks per year for travel.
Another idea for those of us who get paid every two weeks (instead of twice per month): two months a year, you'll end up getting THREE checks. Since most of us handle household accounting using the two-checks-per-month method, take the extra check and put it in your travel fund. That means you'll have two paychecks per year for travel.
Jun 16th, 2003, 01:03 PM
#31
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we have the HILTON Amex Card 3pts per $1 and 5 pts for $1 on Hilton stays.
We paid for 2 wedding nights and 4 nights of our honeymoon and 8 nights of our vacation this past week in Germany.
We easily saved $300/night in Munich! I think in total for our 8 nights we saved $2000. Other than parking or phone calls we paid NOTHING. Stayed in lovely hotels, had AC in all but the Scandic, ensuite bathrooms, king sized beds, non smoking rooms!!! We had all the amenities of an american hotel that we have grown to appreciate and expect in our travels....all for using our Amex card.
Granted without out our wedding this past year we wouldn't have accumulated as many points as we did and we are now down to 10k points after last week's trip.
BUT we will continue to put every possible bill and everyday living expenses on the Amex and we pay it off every month. IT has no annual fee.
My husband has accumulated several hundred thousand frequent flier miles on US Air...and for the items we can't put on the Amex we use the Bank of America Visa US Air Miles card. I know it has an annual fee of around $90.
We may in the future switch to a Marriott Amex card because my husband's job has him staying at Marriott's for work in Germany for 2 weeks at a time. So for the next year or 2 we may try to gather Marriott points. Whichever gives us the most bang for the buck and which ever one we can get the most points the fastest is the way we will go.
Just make sure you find an airline/hotel chain that is convenient for you to use and goes to the places you want to go.
OH and we empty out our change in our wallets and try not to spend it--we had almost $100 in the jar before Xmas last year. We used it to buy the Pet's Xmas toys/treats/supplies.
Worked out great! I worked with a waitress that saved up all of her quarters/misc change on the job and have several hundred $ saved up to use for Xmas presents at the end of the year.
It is just another way to save.
Might as well get FREE items from doing your every day living!
We paid for 2 wedding nights and 4 nights of our honeymoon and 8 nights of our vacation this past week in Germany.
We easily saved $300/night in Munich! I think in total for our 8 nights we saved $2000. Other than parking or phone calls we paid NOTHING. Stayed in lovely hotels, had AC in all but the Scandic, ensuite bathrooms, king sized beds, non smoking rooms!!! We had all the amenities of an american hotel that we have grown to appreciate and expect in our travels....all for using our Amex card.
Granted without out our wedding this past year we wouldn't have accumulated as many points as we did and we are now down to 10k points after last week's trip.
BUT we will continue to put every possible bill and everyday living expenses on the Amex and we pay it off every month. IT has no annual fee.
My husband has accumulated several hundred thousand frequent flier miles on US Air...and for the items we can't put on the Amex we use the Bank of America Visa US Air Miles card. I know it has an annual fee of around $90.
We may in the future switch to a Marriott Amex card because my husband's job has him staying at Marriott's for work in Germany for 2 weeks at a time. So for the next year or 2 we may try to gather Marriott points. Whichever gives us the most bang for the buck and which ever one we can get the most points the fastest is the way we will go.
Just make sure you find an airline/hotel chain that is convenient for you to use and goes to the places you want to go.
OH and we empty out our change in our wallets and try not to spend it--we had almost $100 in the jar before Xmas last year. We used it to buy the Pet's Xmas toys/treats/supplies.
Worked out great! I worked with a waitress that saved up all of her quarters/misc change on the job and have several hundred $ saved up to use for Xmas presents at the end of the year.
It is just another way to save.
Might as well get FREE items from doing your every day living!
