The Money Mustache Community
General Discussion => Welcome and General Discussion => Topic started by: Megma on July 29, 2017, 10:12:06 PM
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What is the most exciting/enjoyable thing you've gotten for free from credit card points this year?
For me, I booked a deep cleaning service for our house the week before my mom visits for our wedding. $100 via Groupon paid with Amex points. I'm so excited with about this cleaning service (and it hasn't even happened yet) that I might have even been willing to pay for it 😀 But I'm pretty happy I got it for free.
So what have you gotten for free and why was it exciting???
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I got $400 worth of grocery gift cards, which is over a months worth of groceries for me!!
My first credit card + first credit card hack I've done. Still amazed (and a bit suspicious ... I don't understand why the credit card companies give away free money eg huge bonus points to sign up plus first year fee waived...surely there must be a catch?!)
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$1k in cold, hard cash.
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Aside from flights and hotels?
Hand down, Global Entry. I've only used it twice so far, and it already saved me 90 minutes of waiting in line. I have two more international trips this year and this effectively removes the worst part of travel. Global Entry is the bomb.
Other perk I've used: free towing up to 10 miles.
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Approx $720 in cold hard cash. Another $220 pending = $940 in cold hard cash.
The nice thing is the points keep on paying cold hard cash.
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A week in Banff and Jasper national parks in Canada. Got the hotels and car rental completely free, and we paid about $100 for the fees on the business class flights.
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... I don't understand why the credit card companies give away free money eg huge bonus points to sign up plus first year fee waived...surely there must be a catch?!)
I think people who take the bonus and then quit are in the minority. Probably most people keep the card, rack up a bunch of debt, and pay exorbitant amounts in interest. The credit card company comes out ahead (even though we in the minority don't pay any interest).
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Credit card companies do not buy points at the same price as you and me. They also get a cut of every transaction.
They surely lose money on some customers, though. Just how much is damn near impossible to say.
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Another delicious free In-n-Out Burger, courtesy of Bank Amerideals. (up to $2.70 back on any purchase. Redemption is automatically dumped into my checking account)
Sure, I've gotten cash and points and such - but the burgers are really satisfying
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2 first class tickets from Seattle to DC. 5 nights on Pennsylvania Ave. Return trip on Amtrak in a family sleeper. All without ever paying a penny of interest.
Then by using the same card for the reservations we earned another 2% on the free trip.
Gotta love that free stuff.
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Booked a cruise, for free. balcony. :). just giving money away. Big plus about credit card rewards is it comes TAX free. that is huge.
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iPad Pro with reward cash, just before the new one was released. then with citi double cash "price rewind" got refunded $100 after "last years model" was reduced in price at various retailers.
i plan to save rewards $ for future iDevice purchases since they only need to be ugraded every few years.
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I bought a DJI quad for Xmas and promptly crashed it. The $370 damage was paid for by the CC insurance company. That was pretty cool.
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Used the $300 travel credit from the CSR for both 2016 and 2017 on hotels I'm going to get per diem for anyways.
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Have had CSR for a year. With it got:
* Included Priority pass, several visits to airport lounges
* A couple times thru TSA pre check, thanks to Global Entry that came with the card.
* $600 back towards travel costs (but that was eaten by the $450 fee)
* Free travel insurance, didn't use it, but skipped buying it since I had $2500 of coverage + evacuation covered.
* Free round trip from Seattle to Indonesia - awesome trip - blogged here: https://thehotflashpacker.com/indonesia/
I still have close to $900 in free travel to use up on that card. Definitely keeping it for another year.
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Have had CSR for a year. With it got:
* Included Priority pass, several visits to airport lounges
* A couple times thru TSA pre check, thanks to Global Entry that came with the card.
* $600 back towards travel costs (but that was eaten by the $450 fee)
* Free travel insurance, didn't use it, but skipped buying it since I had $2500 of coverage + evacuation covered.
* Free round trip from Seattle to Indonesia - awesome trip - blogged here: https://thehotflashpacker.com/indonesia/
I still have close to $900 in free travel to use up on that card. Definitely keeping it for another year.
The CSR was awesome for first time users. $100 TSA pass + $600 in travel credits + 100k points. Even with the $450 fee, it still essentially paid you.
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Have had CSR for a year. With it got:
* Included Priority pass, several visits to airport lounges
* A couple times thru TSA pre check, thanks to Global Entry that came with the card.
* $600 back towards travel costs (but that was eaten by the $450 fee)
* Free travel insurance, didn't use it, but skipped buying it since I had $2500 of coverage + evacuation covered.
* Free round trip from Seattle to Indonesia - awesome trip - blogged here: https://thehotflashpacker.com/indonesia/ (https://thehotflashpacker.com/indonesia/)
I still have close to $900 in free travel to use up on that card. Definitely keeping it for another year.
The CSR was awesome for first time users. $100 TSA pass + $600 in travel credits + 100k points. Even with the $450 fee, it still essentially paid you.
Definitely paid us:
-$450 annual fee
+$300 travel credit for a hotel on a work trip I was reimbursed for (December 2016)
+$300 travel credit for AirBNB for husband's first month at grad school (August 2017)
+$1,000 cash tradein of the 100K bonus points
+$X in rewards points traded for cash (all spending for most of the year here, so a couple hundred $$)
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+$1,150 + $X (whatever the rewards points came to).
Will downgrade before the next annual fee hits in late November.
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Credit card companies do not buy points at the same price as you and me. They also get a cut of every transaction.
They surely lose money on some customers, though. Just how much is damn near impossible to say.
Chase apparently lost big bucks on last years Sapphire Reserve Bonus: https://millionmilesecrets.com/2016/12/06/chase-sapphire-reserve-300-million/
But I still don't feel bad for them :) I'm sure they made plenty of money overall.
aGracefulStomp, yes when you first start hacking it seems crazy just how much they will give you for free, right? In the past year, I have introduced my fiance to the hacking game and he is often shocked what we get for free. We went to France/Spain last year and paid almost nothing of our own money for flights or hotels (my flight was also paid by my job).
I am surprise how many of you just take cash, usually my cards don't give the best redemption for cash so a lot of times I use it for travel or gift cards to someplace I'd shop at already. Amex points to Groupon is a favorite pathway because I can use that for local restaurants or service providers, just opens up a lot of options.
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Megma, we could get more in travel points but don't travel - I was not at all sure I was going to be able to use the second year's $300 reward until we decided on AirBNB for regular living, for example. So more useless points don't help me.
And there's no Groupon around here - nothing that uses it, that is, and I probably wouldn't use it if there were. Gift card rates seem to be the same as cash so far, but there's only so much I can spend on Amazon, anyway, and there never seem to be grocery gift cards. So cash it is.
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I think I'm most proud of the $600 we got during our credit unions balance transfer promotion. We found out that they considered our student loans a balance transfer, so we just added one more step in our payment process for two months and instantly got extra $ in our bank account for doing nothing special.
We're fairly new to travel hacking, but it's amazing! Right now, we're working on a free 9 day trip to Florida this winter. We've got plane tickets for 5, hotel room for us and the kids, hotel room for both our mothers, an airbnb on the beach, the rental car, and an uber from the airport all taken care of. We're working on free Disney tickets and food. We're hoping to come out only having to buy food for the 4 days we're at the airbnb.
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I don't understand why the credit card companies give away free money eg huge bonus points to sign up plus first year fee waived...surely there must be a catch?!)
Credit card companies mitigate their losses from people who collect signup bonuses then never pay interest or annual fees, because they charge merchants a small percentage of every transaction. (That's why some places won't let you pay with a credit card unless you meet a certain amount, and why some places don't accept American Express -- because AmEx charges higher merchant fees than Visa and Mastercard.) So if they make you spend $3000 on their card in order to get a bonus of 50,000 miles, they'll collect roughly 1-3% of that $3000 (depending on the credit card company) directly from the merchants. That amount probably isn't worth the 50K miles they gave you, but it means they lose less on you. And, presumably, that 50K hooks enough people who WILL pay interest and annual fees to make it well worth the company's while (or they would stop offering exorbitant bonuses).
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Flying business class to Bali on points. It made 30 hours of travel far more enjoyable.
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DW and I each picked up the Chase Sapphire card with 100,000 bonus points. Up to almost $4k available to spend on our trip to Europe next year.
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we have not claimed much yet this year its our first year of hacking...
But we have 900$ in Air b&b gift cards
410K UR points
we did just get through our global entry interviews so that is exciting but we have not had a chance to use it yet. We had to use the CSR to book some flights at midnight a few months ago when Spirit was having issues and stranded us in Florida it was the best customer service experience I have ever had.
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Right now, we're working on a free 9 day trip to Florida this winter. We've got plane tickets for 5, hotel room for us and the kids, hotel room for both our mothers, an airbnb on the beach, the rental car, and an uber from the airport all taken care of. We're working on free Disney tickets and food. We're hoping to come out only having to buy food for the 4 days we're at the airbnb.
I am just about to look into this...any tips?
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I thought we were taking it easy this year, but so far:
- I booked Rhine River cruise for this December on a Barclay Arrival Plus card and got a $625 travel credit. I plan on using it on the trip because I still have about $30 in rewards on it that I can't use because of the increments you have to cash out in.
- I also had to buy a washer/dryer after my real estate agent didn't put it in my offer (and I didn't notice... sigh) and got $150 in savings (5% off, $20 credit, free installation instead of the $70 it would have been) applying for the Sears card.
- My husband did the Alaska Airlines card with the $100 credit in addition to the 30k bonus miles.
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I thought we were taking it easy this year, but so far:
- I booked Rhine River cruise for this December on a Barclay Arrival Plus card and got a $625 travel credit. I plan on using it on the trip because I still have about $30 in rewards on it that I can't use because of the increments you have to cash out in.
- I also had to buy a washer/dryer after my real estate agent didn't put it in my offer (and I didn't notice... sigh) and got $150 in savings (5% off, $20 credit, free installation instead of the $70 it would have been) applying for the Sears card.
- My husband did the Alaska Airlines card with the $100 credit in addition to the 30k bonus miles.
Nice! Make sure to hit up some Christmas markets while on the cruise 😀
SilveradoBojanges, that sounds amazing! How many points did that set you back???
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Writing this from Kauai Hawaii. Flights, hotels and rental car...$64.03. We have been here for almost three weeks.
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Doing the Amex 'thing' in Canada this year mostly. Paid some income tax and property tax with the points.
Still amassing others. US side, Chase/Southwest is what I'm currently working on, which AFAIK -> $800 in Amazon credit.
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Was super excited to open both Southwest cards during the 60,000 rapid rewards bonus. We already had some planned expenses that would help us hit the $2,000 spend per card. Had both bonuses on my first statement close. Because they were both 60,000, I immediately got the companion pass. We've booked two trips for these year already, all on points! And I have plenty more to spare! It's so fun to book flights that are free for me and then just go click add companion to my flight!!
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Was super excited to open both Southwest cards during the 60,000 rapid rewards bonus. We already had some planned expenses that would help us hit the $2,000 spend per card. Had both bonuses on my first statement close. Because they were both 60,000, I immediately got the companion pass. We've booked two trips for these year already, all on points! And I have plenty more to spare! It's so fun to book flights that are free for me and then just go click add companion to my flight!!
Yeah it's a crazy offer. I should probably pick up the other card too... except I don't live where they fly, and I don't like flying :P
Can you get to France or the UK from Eastern North America on SW? Edit: No :(
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Writing this from Kauai Hawaii. Flights, hotels and rental car...$64.03. We have been here for almost three weeks.
That is awesome! Nice work.
I am most proud of getting a free flight to Hawaii to travel to a wedding I wouldn't have been able to afford otherwise. Also, I treated two of my friends to a 4-night getaway in a fancy resort destination. The hotel room was much cheaper on the travel portal than on the website, and so the points went a long way! I hardly spend anything on credit cards so it was all due to the Chase bonuses.
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Writing this from Kauai Hawaii. Flights, hotels and rental car...$64.03. We have been here for almost three weeks.
Pass along some hotel recommendations please - going there next year.
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The Sheraton in Poipu Kauai was our favorite resort. Starwood points. We plan to stay at the nicer Hyatt next time. Presently writing from The Holiday Inn Beachcomber in Oahu. Heading home tomorrow.
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The food trucks in Kauai are fabulous. Kickshaws for the awesome burger in various locations. Tege tege shave ice..long but worthwile wait. Eat at Tiki Tacos. You didn't ask for restaurants, but thought I'd mention. They have Costco to help you be Mustachian while you are there.
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I am just about to look into this...any tips?
I don't know if I have anything new to offer, but here are some pointers...
Time. We don't do manufactures spending, so it's taking us about a year to accumulate everything. DH and I refer each other to credit cards to get bonus points and the current (or better) promotion. Don't forget that your Disney tickets can count towards your spend limit on the Barclays card and capital one card. We also put reimbursable business travel on those cards so that we could essentially cash out the bonus.
With our small budget, we offer to pay for lots of things and have people pay us back cash. It also means ignoring some sites that tout advice on the best travel cards. We get cards based on what they have to offer and the spend we need. For example, we're staying at a Hilton instead of Starwood because $2k is an easier spend limiit to reach then $6k. That might be blasphemy to some people, but we care more about getting more nights from an okay hotel than fanciness.
Find a way to keep on top of all of it. We have a detailed spreadsheet with all of our cards and their bonus and requirements. After Disney, we're going to have to slow down so that we can become eligible for chase cards again.
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That might be blasphemy to some people, but we care more about getting more nights from an okay hotel than fanciness.
There are a lot of people in this hobby who are obsessed with "extracting as much value as possible", and whether consciously or not, fall into the trap of comparing their redemption to the cash price.
I'm with you on this- fanciness is overrated. There are some occasions where upgrading to premium cabin on flights can be justified, but not hotels. I'll pick more nights over a "better" hotel any day of the week. Holiday Inns and their ilk are perfectly fine establishments.
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I have a premium card, so they give me like 80 free movie tickets per year. This is so useful.
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Posting to follow. I have been doing this, but probably not as effectively as I could have. Here to pick up a few ideas.
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We've got a 2 week vacation in Kauai paid for by the CSR; covered flights and accommodations.
We also used have a short trip planned for 3 weeks from now to see the total solar eclipse, which the CSR points covered about half of.
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The Sheraton in Poipu Kauai was our favorite resort. Starwood points. We plan to stay at the nicer Hyatt next time. Presently writing from The Holiday Inn Beachcomber in Oahu. Heading home tomorrow.
I looked on the Starwood website and it looks like that hotel is 10.5k points per night! How did you get enough points for 3 weeks?
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8 days, 7 nights in Madrid, Spain with flights from Chicago to Madrid that included a nice little layover in London to see family. Train tickets all around the city and to go see Toledo and El Escorial. Hotel was paid for as well all thanks to the lovely people at JP Morgan with their CSR.
That got me hooked and I've since gotten the Ink Preferred, CSP, Southwest Business and Southwest Personal. I think that'll get us some nice trips to the Magical World of Harry Potter, maybe Vegas, and a trip to Thailand for spring break.
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The best card this year? Probably Chase Fairmont, which we used for 2 nights at Lake Louise. Add in the suite upgrade and the dining vouchers and it was a pretty damn nice stay (for free, since they forgot to charge for parking.)
The other 25 days of hotels (IHG, Hilton, Hyatt, Choice, Starwood) on this trip have been covered as well.
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Nice! Make sure to hit up some Christmas markets while on the cruise 😀
That's why we're going! Fulfilling a lifelong dream!
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2 tickets to Europe (only paid taxes) with rental car and half of hotel stays paid for with points/cash back!!
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The Sheraton in Poipu Kauai was our favorite resort. Starwood points. We plan to stay at the nicer Hyatt next time. Presently writing from The Holiday Inn Beachcomber in Oahu. Heading home tomorrow.
I looked on the Starwood website and it looks like that hotel is 10.5k points per night! How did you get enough points for 3 weeks?
We just stayed there for one week. Points accumulated from two amex Starwood cards. We also stayed at the Hilton on the east side of the island. Hilton Surpass had huge sign up bonus and you get a fifth night free. Not as nice hotel wise, but located adjacent Lydgate Park. Super snorkeling. They also have a local group that cleans the beach every Saturday morning. We helped for both Saturdays we were there.
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Nice! Make sure to hit up some Christmas markets while on the cruise 😀
That's why we're going! Fulfilling a lifelong dream!
You're gonna love it! Germany is spectacular during Christmas season. This year my SO and i ate going to be in Austria for thanksgiving and I'm looking forward to seeing if i like their markets more but i don't see how it's possible 😀
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Not just this year, but over the past couple we've used the equivalent of more than 400k SW points by leveraging the companion pass, points earned from SW credit cards, and transferred UR points. Have been all over the country and to Mexico four times without paying anything other than taxes. Quite smug about it :)
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Since January, Ive used rewards/points to pay for:
3 days in a waterpark hotel with my kids
5 days in a waterpark hotel and homeschool conference with kids and spouse
7 day trip to AZ with kids, visited Grand Canyon, Sedona, Tucson
and I have a solo upcoming trip to Portland, OR. flight on points, staying with family while there.
Oh, nearly forgot! Used a point credit to pay for tickets to Hamilton for myself and one kid. We had great seats and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! I never could have justified paying cash for it, but using points Id earned was awesome.
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I've lost tracked of how many free vacations my wife and I have been on. I'll tell you this though. We normally travel about every 8-10 weeks and I haven't paid for a hotel or flights in over 5 years. Not counting how many show tickets, dinners, and gift cards have been thrown into the bag also.
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Wow aspiringnomad and Duke03 you have some mad points games!
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A flight to and hotel in Kauai