Delta Amex Credit Card 45K Mile Sign-up Bonus

Every once in a while, a terrific offer pops up on CreditCards.com — such as the amazing one-day offer earlier this year for 100K Amex Membership Reward Points.  I did not get in on that offer, because, frankly, a $450 annual fee is way out of my league.

Now there is a new, special offer available from CreditCards.com for the Gold Delta SkyMiles Amex credit card with a 45,000 mile signup bonus.  This is a better offer than the publicly  available offers on the American Express or the Delta websites.  Hat tip to View from the Wing.

The offer is available exclusively via CreditCards.com’s “Offers Matched for You” option (found at the top of the left sidebar on their website.)  To access the offer, you need to enter your name and address in the form on the CardMatch page.  The form asks for a social security number, but you can leave that field blank.  This offer is likely targeted at people with excellent credit.  Filling out the inquiry form constitutes a soft pull which is not recorded on your credit report.

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Four Small Hacks to Save Big on Car Rentals

UnknownExperienced travelers know that there can be a big variation in car rental rates from company to company.

It is all a function of supply and demand, and it pays to shop around.

I usually start by checking Priceline first, to determine which rental company is offering the lowest rates for my chosen dates.  Then I go to that company’s website to see more details.

Sometimes I use a rental code from an airline website, and sometimes I go through a cash back shopping portal like FatWallet.

On a recent trip, I discovered several other random factors that can make a big difference in car rental costs.

  1. Return Location
  2. Date of Booking
  3. Pick-up Location
  4. Pick-up Time

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Springtime in Hershey

Hershey Gardens Photo by Joel Shprentz
Hershey Gardens 

In April, we stopped in Hershey, Pennsylvania for a day to break up a road trip from New England to Virginia.  We had visited the amusement park ten years ago, and wanted to explore other three different attractions on this trip.

First up was the free tour of the fake “Chocolate Factory,” because we love corny rides, factory tours, and chocolate!

The Chocolate Factory is a Disney-style animated ride that tells the story of how chocolate is produced from the growing the cocoa beans to producing Hershey Kisses.  On a Saturday morning, we were able to walk right in without a wait. The ride in little carts through the “factory” was lots of fun. The ride ended with a free sample and let us off in a gigantic chocolate gift shop with all manner of Hershey candy.

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It’s Not the Journey, It’s the Destination

Web LinksI have an embarrassing confession to make.  WordPress.com has been serving up video advertisements on my website and I didn’t realize it until just now.

You see, the ads do not display when I am logged in to the weblog on my computer.  The other day, I happened to log in from an unfamiliar computer and the video ads were there plain as day.  The ads on odd topics were inserted smack in the middle of articles.  My apologies.

I took the necessary steps to remove the offending ads.  All I had to do was to pay a $30 fee to the WordPress host.  Which brings up another somewhat touchy topic:  affiliate links.

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Las Vegas Neon Boneyard — Photo Essay of Times Gone By

The Neon Boneyard
The Neon Boneyard
Photo by Joel Shprentz

Without a doubt, the highlight of our visit to Las Vegas last year was the guided tour of the Neon Museum’s Boneyard.

The tour is actually a superb introduction to the very colorful history of Las Vegas.

The museum houses discarded neon and incandescent signs from Vegas’ glory days.

The museum’s limited funds allow for the restoration of only a few signs each year.

The restored signs are displayed in the downtown Las Vegas block known as the “Fremont Experience.”

The rest of the collection — a hodgepodge of more than 150 historic signs — is on display at a two acre lot known as “The Boneyard.”

Stardust Sign
Volunteer Docent Welcomes Visitors
Photo by Joel Shprentz

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Big News: 5 Percent Off “Name Your Own Price” Hotels

Priceline has announced a big summer sale — to get an additional 5% discount on any Express Deal or Name Your Own Price® hotel stay.5% Off Sticker

Use the coupon code SUMMER now through July 31 to receive the extra savings on hotel bookings — up to 60 percent off.

“Express Deals” is Priceline’s semi-opaque site, and “Name Your Own Price” is the traditional Priceline offering where you can bid for hotel stays.  It is very rare to find promo codes for “Name Your Own Price” hotels on Priceline.

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Choice Privileges Goes Upscale . . . Huh?

I am not a hotel snob.   Aside from spending as little as possible — my personal priorities are:

  • safety
  • location
  • non-smoking
  • room with a view
  • clean
  • free wifi
  • comfortable bed
  • indoor pool
  • recreational amenities
  • business center with printer
  • free coffee or breakfast

In that order.

When I bid on Priceline, I like to get a 4 star hotel for a 2 star price.  But if none is available, sure, I will bid on a 2.5 star hotel, or a 2 star hotel, and sometimes I will be pleasantly surprised.

What I really enjoy when traveling though, are unique, special, quirky, or historic properties.  We’ve stayed in the teepee motel on Route 66, and the caboose hotel in Dunsmuir, California.

When nothing was available on Priceline in chi chi Laguna Beach, California, we ended up in a 2 star Best Western, a bit inland in San Capistrano.  It wasn’t fancy, but the swimming pool was surrounded by fuchsia and coral bougainvillea, and we spent a delightful morning visiting the historic Mission at San Capistrano — a real gem.

Mission at San Juan Capistrano
Mission at San Juan Capistrano
1921 Postcard, Library of Congress

To be perfectly honest, I have never given the Choice Privileges program or their rewards credit card a second glance.

The hotels in this chain are just not very exciting.  Think Rodeway Inn, Econolodge, Quality Inn, and Clarion.  Comfort Inn and Suites is about as good as it gets.

Think again.  

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JFK’s Flying Saucer Terminal Tops List of Most Endangered Historic Sites

The iconic Worldport Terminal at JFK International Airport has been named to the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s (NTHP) list of 11 Most Endangered Places.

Worldport Terminal Pictured in Chevy Ad<br />Image courtesy of Paul Stipkovich
Worldport Terminal Pictured in Chevy Ad
Image courtesy of Paul Stipkovich

The terminal, once home to Pan Am, opened in 1960 and symbolizes America’s entry into the Jet Age.  The first commercial flights of the Boeing 707, the first “modern” jetliner, departed from the Worldport Terminal.    The terminal was designed to allow for aircraft to be parked under the partial overhang.

The flying saucer-shaped building  has been featured in several Hollywood films, as well as the Mad Men inspired Pan Am TV series.  A Pan Am Boeing 747 and the Worldport appear in the James Bond film Live and Let Die,  and the terminal is featured in The Family Man starring Nicolas Cage, and That Touch of Mink with Doris Day.

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When a Delta Skymile is Worth Exactly One Cent

Have you ever been frustrated when trying to book an award ticket using frequent flyer miles?

I was arranging a trip home for our daughter on short notice. We were bound by school schedules and had very little leeway in terms of flight choices.  Delta Airlines offered a nonstop flight with departures and arrivals within our time constraints.

Delta Air Lines Sign
Delta Air Lines Sign at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
Photo by Mav via Wikimedia Commons

The flights we wanted to book were showing availability on Delta, but there were no award seats available.  Sound familiar?

The award seats that were showing up for connecting flights would entail adding several hours of travel time; in other words, the more attractive routings were not offered  as award seats.

For some unknown reason, the nonstop flights on this route are less expensive than the flights involving plane changes.  The flight in question was priced at $653 roundtrip.  My husband had 60,000 miles in his Skymiles account, which he had obtained by opening an Amex Skymiles Credit Card through a targeted offer.

 What to do?  

We noticed an interesting feature on the Delta reservations website:  Pay with Miles.  Pay with Miles is a feature available only to Delta Skymile credit card holders.

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