We’ve identified the problem, now what…?  You’ll notice there were no Airline Credit cards on the list.  One word, sustainability.  We’ll cover that later.

First, lets go to Google Flights (www.google.com/flights) and enter the dates and locations.  The best value shows in green.   United $575.00 round trip with one stop in Chicago.  Hmmm,  that’s a lot of money.  Let’s explore other options with our 4 cards.

1. Chase Sapphire Reserve:  We received 50k points when we signed up.  $300 Airline credit, which can be used for any travel expense.   Go to Chase.com, find Travel and put in your flight information.  Ok. same price but they will book the flight for 38,333 points.  Is this a good value? 38,333 x .021=$805.00 worth of points. Not liking that…even if I remove the $300 credit, I’m still at $505.00
2. American Express Business Platinum: We received 75k for signing up.  $200 Airline credit but we have to choose one airline and stay locked in for a year. 50% Point refund when you book at Amex Travel.  Go to American Express and log into your account, select travel, enter the info and…same price $575.00 or 57,500 MR points.  We have the points but wait, we get half back!  That means we ultimately use 28,750 MR points.  28,750 x .019=$546.25.  $200 travel credit is no help because it only applies to luggage fees, lounge access fee’s etc..  Ho-Hum
3. Starwood SPG card:  We received 25k in points for signing up.  Remember that little card quirk?  we’ll come back to that…
4. Amex Everyday Preferred: Put it away, other than getting points for the purchase, it’s no help here.
5. Now at this point I go to United.com and enter my flight info and ask it to show the price  in miles.  50k United miles for this trip. United miles are valued at ~.015 each so 50,000x.015=$750.00 in United miles…still no good. BTW, we don’t have an Airline card so where do we get the miles anyway?  Chase Sapphire will transfer 1-1 to United.  50k Ultimate Rewards=50k United Miles, very easy to do.  Math time:  50k Chase points are valued at .021 each.  $1050.00.  Definitely not a good option.
6. Last stop is Delta.com, enter info, choose show flights with points…What’s this? 20k Delta points round trip non-stop?! Wow Really?  Same Problem though, I have no Delta Points.  Amex Membership Rewards ALSO transfer 1-1 to Delta easily.  20,000 MR points x.019=$380.00 +about $20 in taxes, so we are near $400.00 round trip and non stop.  Use the $200.00 travel credit (choosing Delta or use the $300 Chase credit at the check-in counter to pay luggage fees.
7. The SPG use 20k points get 25k airline miles option?  No good here. 20k x.027=$540.00
8. So I used 20k MR points from Amex, transferred to Delta immediately, booked a $575.00 flight for around $380 in points+~20 in taxes.  Told her to be thankful and take a carry-on bag (free) and went about my day.

This Matters:  In points and miles, your goal is to obtain more value that the point value is listed for, that is a win.  Amex values their points at ~.019 so, we received $575.00 in value for $380 in points.  575/20,000=.028 in return!  We used points valued at .019 and made them worth .028.  Big Win.  This math applies to Hotels and Airlines.  If I can’t at least equal the value of the point, it’s time to just pay for it and earn more points.

Wasn’t that a fun exercise?  I love that part and while it appeared to take a lot of time, it took me about 10 minutes start to finish.  As you become more familiar with PMs, you will become more efficient.

This will be a long discussion, so let’s clear our minds and go down the Rabbit Hole together.

They’re many ways to solve problems.  In this business, I like to identify the problem and work backwards to the solution.

My daughter has a travel problem.  My kinda Problem.  She needs to fly from A to B on a Thursday and return the following Sunday. Sounds simple enough right?  We need to get a ticket.  How hard can it be.  If you’re loaded and don’t care call a travel agent and pay cash. If you want a money-saving challenge (and you are cheap like me) read on.

In today’s world, buying a plane ticket can be overwhelming.  There are so many ways to buy them (Orbitz, Priceline, Delta etc…) and they all have “The Best Deal”.  I don’t count on deals, I count on smart (or at least my version of it).  Random Scenario Time….

You have to choose 4 credit cards.  That’s  It.  Which 4 do you choose?   They must give you the best of everything with Hotels and Airlines and they must be sustainable. Sustainable means that once you use up the points they give you, the card must provide extraordinary  value for you to keep using it to earn points, perks or SOMETHING.  This is where it gets subjective and everybody has an opinion.

Here is my 4:  Chase Sapphire Reserve, American Express Business Platinum, Starwood (SPG) and American Express Everyday Preferred.

What does this even have to do with the Airline Ticket Problem?  Lots…Below is a brief description of some of the benefits of my 4.

1. Chase Sapphire Reserve:  3 pts per $ on Travel/Dining, $300 annual Anything Travel Credit,  Airport Lounge access, 50K sign-up pts and when used for travel, it’s worth ~$750.00.  Value per point ~.021
2. Amex Business Platinum:  1 pt per $, 2 pts if you book through the Amex Travel portal, $200 Airline credit (cannot be used to buy ticket, good for luggage etc…), lounge access, Automatic Gold with SPG (also Marriott and Ritz) and Hilton, 50% of Arline Points back (Wow) and GOGO and Boingo. Wifi-Airplane and Wifi-Airports and elsewhere,  respectively. 75k sign-up points.  Value per point ~.019
3. SPG is easier, it’s the best way to earn points in non-Dining/Travel.  You also get great value when you use it at Starwood, Marriott and Ritz Hotels.  It has a quirky perk, 20k SPG points becomes 25k points at over 150 Airlines. 25k sign-up points   Value per point ~.027
4. Amex Everyday Preferred:  This is my Gas and Grocery card, 3 amex (MR) points per $ at Grocery stores and 2 points per $ for fuel.  15k sign-up points Value per point .019.

Quick Note, Chase Points are called Ultimate Reward Points (UR) and Amex Points are called Membership Rewards Points (MR).  Check out each card for details (I just covered a few of the details that apply to our long forgotten problem).  Keep in mind this list does not include all benefit etc…and is subjective;  Translation, no whining if you disagree.

Tomorrow let’s get back to the “problem” and it’s solution.  This is a two-parter…

It’s possible to get increased sign up bonuses on many American Express cards again, these are often referred to incognito mode offers (as it’s possible to get them to show up by using incognito mode. If that doesn’t work, try one of these methods instead). AmEx EveryDay Preferred 30,000 Membership Rewards Offer. Great deal, especially [&hellip

Source: Increased American Express Credit Card Bonuses (Incognito Mode) Are Back Again + List Of Offers – Doctor Of Credit

2 Increased Offers: 10,000 Extra Points or $50 Statement Credit With AMEX Hilton Card

http://bit.ly/2kMIOOk

Let it me know what you think.

Big Changes by the tech department, we lost the “blogspot” and are now Travelinggump.com

A new look and it’s now easy to comment!

Happy Travels!

Marriott Rewards Program!  If you started at the beginning, hopefully you have gained a basic idea as to how a Hotel Program works.  Marriott’s is not that different than Hilton in its fundamentals.

Both have credit cards available, both give you points for staying and have similar websites that allow you to use points alone, pay or use points and miles.  They both have Elite Programs and have a global presence.  After that things start to get interesting…

My first thought about Hilton…Puppies and Butterflies.  Why yes, a walk through the garden sounds nice.

My first thought about Marriott…Briefcases and leather shoes.  A scotch at the bar? Yes, neat please.

When I interact with Marriott, I have my gameface on.  Their customer service is polite but firm.  No Elite Status Match For You!  We do Challenges.  A challenge is where you agree to stay X number of nights during a period of X time.  I absolutely Love Marriott Hotels and with the recent acquisition of Starwood Hotels (Westin, Sheraton etc…) and the third leg of their stool, Ritz-Carlton, Wow, they are a force in this business and they know it.

Their rewards program is still separated for now.  Which is fantastic and this is why, Marriott and Ritz points are valued at ~.009 (10,000 pts ~$90).  Starwood points are the most valued in the business at ~.027 (10,000pts~$270.00).  You can convert SPG (Starwood) to Marriott at…1-3 (10,000 SPG convert to 30,000 Marriott)  This borders on Magical!

To put this in perspective, a $100 room at Hilton should cost about 20k in hhonors points (20,000x.005), the same $100.00 room at a Marriott, about 10-15,000 points (10,000x.009). 

Earning points at Marriott sounds like a no-brainer right?  Remember the gameface?  Marriott is not nearly as generous as Hilton with promotions or points and if they disagree…well good luck.  You’ll most likely earn less at Marriott so it’s all kind of relative.  Unless…you are sitting on a load of SPG points, which you then convert, in that case its all Sherry and Giggles.

I just booked 4 nights in Beijing at a JW Marriott for 60,000 points.  Lets do the math.  60k points has an approximate value of ~$540.00 (60,000x.009 ~$540.00).  The cash price with tax is about $1051.00.  I am getting a value of .0175 using points~valued at .009) ($1051 / 60,000=.0175).  Definitely a time to pay with points.

I spend 80% of my Hotel stays at either a Hilton or a Marriott, with IHG (Holiday Inn) and Hyatt filling in the balance. 

Next Blog ,we’ll cover the available Marriott Credit Cards

Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Writer’s block…I envisioned writing something witty and useful this morning. Not gonna happen…so we’re going to use my default setting, Bullet Points (no relation to Hilton Points…get it?… Ugh, ok).

Lets recap the process and benefits because most hotel chains work in a similar fashion. If you understand Hilton, you’re well on your way to understanding them all.

Sign up for the rewards program http://www.hhonors.com and save your new number.

Download the app or save the web site on your computer.

Sign in and explore.

Do some math, play with the points, remember that they are worth ~.005 cents each (10K pts ~$50

Explore Citi Hilton http://www.citi.com and American Express Hilton http://www.americanexpress.com and choose which one best suits your needs. Apply (if they stall ie: we need to review your info, message me and I will provide you with the phone number for their “Reconsiderations Department”. These are the actual people who approve or decline you and they will usually do it while you are on the phone. Most of the time, the initial delay is because a question about something was generated, income, address errors or something that a quick phone call can cure.

When you receive your card in the mail, celebrate and welcome it into the family!

Get serious and complete the spend as specified using your new card. Pay everything you can such as utilities, groceries etc…Try not to take the full 90 days, try for 70 or less if possible. (Don’t go wild on a spending spree either and remember that the balance must be paid off each month or the interest you pay ruins the value).

This Matters: There are many websites that talk about “Manufactured Spending” and other ways to earn points or meet the minimum spend by exploiting a cards rules or policies. Don’t go there. The programs provide plenty of opportunities to earn points in ways that you don’t have to worry whether you’ll be kicked out, and they will, or have your points clawed back.

After the points hit your account, consider the IHG card http://www.chase.com and, if you choose, follow the same plan and ask Hilton for a Status Match. (If your income levels and spending needs support it, get them both at the same time, swing for the fences!)

Remember, you earn points from the hotel from paid stays in addition to those you can receive from the credit card. This can add up to a very large number.

The no-fee cards from Citi and Amex come with Silver Status (Yawn…) and the fee cards come with Gold (Happy Dance).

Then, Go Somewhere! It works Worldwide and for some crazy reason, I get better value from using points OUTSIDE the United States.

Here are a few helpful websites that will add value to finding the great promos. They provide links to Hilton and other Hotel promo’s as they become available.

http://www.doctorofcredit.com
http://www.thepointsguy.com
http://www.frequentflyerbonus.com (This one is great for current promos for all forms of travel)
http://www.travelinggump.com (A shameless plug, I know… Message me and I’ll update you on promos as I watch them like a hawk)

Now that you have a good working foundation, in the next blog we’ll explore other Hotel Chains.

Jenny has a goal. Save money by traveling smart and enhance her experience at each Hotel property. In the prior post, I listed two websites that provide the details of their respective Credit Cards.  Look the sites over and become familiar with the two types of Hilton cards they offer.  Each offers a no-fee card with fewer points/perks and a fee card with enhanced features.

To save time, I like the American Express Hilton Surpass Card.  American Express is great to work with and the card is awesome.  Stay at Hilton and pay the bill with the card get 12 pts per dollar. Restaurants, gas stations and supermarkets get 6 and everywhere else gets 3 pts per dollar. It comes with Gold Elite status for as long as you have the card.  Hilton status is, Blue, Silver, Gold and Diamond.  It also gives you access to many airport lounges for $27.00.  But the best part, do the minimum spend ($3000.00) and earn 75,000 Hilton Honors points.  Annual fee is $75.00.

So you pay $75.00 for the year.  The points are worth about $375.00 or more if you catch deals and you’re now Gold which means free room upgrades if space is available and free wifi.

Jenny, armed with her new Amex Surpass card, completes the minimum spend by paying her utility bills, groceries, fuel and everything else that takes a credit card.  In addition, she used a company called Plastiq (www.plastiq.com) to pay her mortgage/rent, taxes and car payment (anything legitimate that won’t normally take credit cards as payment).(Plastiq charges a fee of approximately 2.5 percent but has occasional promos that reduce that fee).

Jenny now has 78,000 or more Hilton Honors points, Gold Elite Status and a Hilton app on her IPhone that is loaded with places to go where she can now Book free with Points or mix Points and Cash. 

This Matters:  Hilton hates that you would even think about staying anywhere else.  So if you have Platinum status elsewhere, they will usually “Match” that status.  Holiday Inn has their own card called the IHG Platinum card by Chase.  Its similar to Hiltons except that it comes with Platinum status, 60-80,000 points and a FREE night at any IHG hotel anywhere once a year.  Minimum spend, wait for it, $1000.00 and the annual fee…$49.00.  And the best part, Hilton has been matching the status.  You would be Hilton Top Tier Diamond…for $49.00. 

Get the Hilton card first, satisfy the minimum spend as suggested above, then get an IHG account (www.ihg.com), then the IHG credit card from Chase (www.chase.com), complete the minimum spend ($1000) and then after the points hit (by next statement date usually) get out of town.  Always book through each Hotel’s app (for bonus points) and now you are a Points and Miles Traveler, it’s really that easy.

So where is Jenny now?  On a beach at a Hilton in Florida (20k pts/day) for 3 nights (Diamond).  She needs her rest as her boss was recently terminated (shocker) and she has been promoted to Manager (with an excellent salary) starting Monday.

Next blog, Hilton Wrap up

‘

At the beginning of the movie Deadpool, the story stops suddenly and rewinds in time quite dramatically. That is what we kinda need to do now. At the end of the last post, I left you with a cliffhanger of sorts and lots of unanswered questions, such as where do these points come from and um, how do I get them?

First, when stay at a Hilton, you receive 10 points per dollar on room rate ($100 before taxes=1000 hhonors points. They have a lot of promos that 2x or 3x that amount per dollar. In addition, if you book through their app or have Elite status, extra points can also be added. Hilton is very generous with their points and seem to do all that they can (usually) to give them to you.

This Matters: Hotel points do not always have to come from hotel stays (as a percentage, about 25% of mine come from stays). They can come from obtaining the right Credit Card(s), signing up for Hilton’s many points promos, shopping at their (Hilton’s) on-line shopping portal, buying points on-line when the value is right and lastly, maximizing the points you receive when you do have to stay. In addition, you definitely want Hotel Elite Status. This, gloriously, does not require hotel stays either.

Having said that, its time to quit stalling and take a detailed look under the hood. Let’s stay with Hilton for now.

Scenario time: Jenny is 35 years of age, single and loves to travel. She makes $75,000 a year and works for a misogynistic micromanaging creep who pays her fellow male employees $80,000 a year….! Hmmm…I…um…yeah, well anyway, Jenny has excellent credit and is financially responsible.

The easiest way for Jenny to begin, is to look at the assortment of Credit Cards which are available in the market place. To simplify the process she could focus on Hilton credit cards of which there are basically two companies that fill the void (there may be more, probably is). American Express (www.americanexpress.com) and Citi (www.citi.com). Both companies offer sign up bonuses if you meet a minimum spend.

This Matters: A credit card can offer you a sum of points or miles if you agree to use the card and spend a certain amount of money on goods and services etc. over a certain amount of time. For example, spend $1000.00 on whatever within 90 days of the account opening and we will give you 50,000 points to be used at our Hotels/Airline. in addition, some cards will offer you Elite Hotel status for having and using their card. The best cards (subjective) usually come with some sort of yearly fee.

In the next post we’ll expand on the two card companies mentioned above and dig deeper into the myriad of benefits and perks offered by each as we get Jenny set up.

I was just talking to Lilly about why I was writing a blog.  Everybody seems to have a blog covering some subject or another.  Travel blogs are loaded with tips, links and references to every aspect of Travel including Points and Miles.  I’m doing this because I just don’t remember one that helped you get started.  I should have called it “An Idiots Guide to PMs”.  In the beginning, as you search for information, its like drinking from a firehose, totally overwhelming.   I’m hoping to fill a niche. I am a niche filler. That’s all I have to say about that (Forrest G.)

I’m on Hilton’s Gloriously easy-to-use web page (IPhone).  I’m thinking St. Louis, Missouri, February 24-25th (apparently I’ve decided to freeze to death), Two adults, Use Hilton Honors Points…Yes (toggle on) and I’ve checked the AAA circle.  Engage!

And there it is, a list of hotels.  Most offer two ways to reserve your stay, dollars or points and at least one of them, has three! Dollars, Points AND Dollars+Points.  Like it wasn’t complicated enough.

Here’s what matters:  You need to know the value of a Hilton Point and do some math.  I love this part, it’s now me against Hilton.  I do enjoy a challenge.  All points and miles have a subjective value and every month www.thepointsguy.com publishes them.  This site is great source of information.

Since, apparently I have no life, I know them all by heart.  Hilton points are valued at one half of one cent (.005).  As we go forward you will see that .005 is rather pathetic at best, but it is what it is.  Hyatt, for example is valued at .019 (almost two cents each).

Looking at Hilton again, I see Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark (I hear they have a baseball team).  The rate is listed at $177.00 or 40,000 points (AAA rate).  Which is better?

This matters:  When you use Points to book a Hotel room, taxes are included.  This can be a huge value if you stay in an expensive city (NYC, New Orleans, St. Louis etc…).

Doing the math, 40,000 points has a dollar value of $200.00, (40,000x.005).  At Hilton, just cut the points required in half and lose a few zeros.  I then go through the motion of checking the Dollar rate, 1 King City View at $177, yes, next screen AAA Hot Deals, Yes and then finally on the next screen, Total for Stay $209.50. (Don’t go forward in the process as you will book the room. (which are very easy to cancel and usually will have no penalties this far out).

Ok, this deal is meh…I could go either way.  Most likely I would just pay the dollar rate, earn more points and save them for a better deal, like a $350.00 room for 40,000 points. 

What about the room with Three Options? Mathtime with Michael again… St. Louis Union Station, Hmmmm, $126.00/40,000 hhpoints/ $65+16,000 hhpoints. Wow! 

$126.00 with tax = $144.58
40,000 points = $200.00 in value
$65.00 + 16,000 points (16,000x.005=$80.00) $65.00+$80.00= $145.00

Which is better?  Definitely NOT the 40k points!  Whether you use Cash and Points or just pay Cash is a toss up.  Or is it?  In my next post I will show you why though they may seem to appear almost equal in value, often times they are miles apart.