According to the USDA, an average family of four spends upwards of $1000 per month on groceries.
What if you could save five percent of that cost?
Better yet, what if you could earn 60,000 frequent flyer miles each year just from your grocery spending?
Since I’ve never seen this mentioned elsewhere, I wanted point out that Staples.com is now selling Safeway gift cards.
If you purchase Safeway gift cards with an small business credit card that pays five times points on office supply store purchases, such as a Chase Ink card, you can accumulate five percent cash back or five times points for travel.
Staples.com sells two types of Safeway gift cards in several denominations up to $200 — emailed cards, and actual plastic gift cards. There is a mailing fee of $2.00 per card for the plastic version.
I have been buying these cards for sometime, and have only encountered two Safeway cashiers that know how to use the emailed version of the gift cards. So if you opt for the paper gift cards, be prepared to endure the wrath of shoppers standing in line behind you!
Did you know about this deal before reading this post?
The AAdvantage frequent flyer program of American Airlines has a new promo offer to earn 2,000 miles.
The offer involves signing up for a free 30-day trial of the Next Issue digital magazine service. After your free trial, you can earn 2,000 AAdvantage miles if you subscribe to the service.
This is Not an Offer for 2,000 Free AAdvantage Miles!
I misread the offer and thought I could get 2,000 easy miles for signing up for Next Issue, after which I would cancel my subscription. That is not the case. You only earn the miles if you subscribe to the premium service for $14.95 a month, after your free trial ends.
Download the Next Issue app on iTunes
I registered for the service, downloaded the Next Issue app, and took at look at the magazine offerings.
First up was the complete Consumer Reports 2016 Auto Guide. I could access vehicle specs, crash test results, reliability data, ratings, and the results of the Consumer Reports road tests. This is tremendously useful information for me as I am in the process of researching new cars.
Remember to cancel your registration before the 30-day trial ends or you will be charged $14.95.
If you want to spend $14.95 on a one month subscription, however, you can earn 2,000 AAdvanatage frequent flyer miles. You can cancel your subscription at any time.
I’m Not Going to Subscribe to Next Issue
Next Issue allows you to read 100 popular magazines online or offline.
Current titles include People, US Weekly, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Time, GQ, Consumer Reports, Rolling Stone, Esquire, Sports Illustrated, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Parents, Dwell and dozens of others.
Enjoy unlimited access to all the magazines you love — all in one app, for one low price — with Next Issue. Plus, earn 2,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® miles when you become a subscriber before October 1, 2015.
A subscription gives you access to past as well as current issue.
The service works on iPhones and iPads, Android phones and tablets, and Windows tablets and PCs. I found it difficult to read magazine articles on my iPhone 5s — it’s just too small. I don’t have a tablet, and the service won’t work on my Macbook, so I won’t be subscribing.
My daughter graduated from high school this June (hooray!), so we are entering a new phase of life.
For the first time in 13 years, our travel plans will not be dictated by the public school calendar.
As parents well know, travel during school breaks and over the summer is considered high season in terms of airfare and hotel rates.
Flights and hotel rooms are expensive and award availability is limited. Parents with kids in school simply don’t have the same flexibility as free agents.
We are not quite empty nesters because my daughter is living at home while attending community college. My husband is looking forward to retirement soon. That will expand our opportunities for leisure travel.
There are lots of places we want to go, with Japan at the top of the list.
Bargain Flights are Back!
Have you noticed that the airwaves these days are filled with airfare deals?
My inbox and twitter feed are chock full of amazing airfare bargains.
Getting in on these deals requires you to act fast and to have schedule flexibility.
In terms of frequent flyer miles, I have a stash of American Airlines and United miles, as well as some British Airways and Southwest miles.
My strategy going forward is to spend down my miles balances and to focus on cash back opportunities.
Growing Your Travel Savings Account
Earlier this year, I opened Capital One’s Venture Card. This card earns 2 times points on all purchases. Rewards points can be redeemed for travel expenses.
I also opened a Chase Sapphire Preferred Card early this year. This card earns 2 times Ultimate Rewards Points on restaurants and travel. These points can be transferred to the several airline partners or cashed out for statement credits.
Cash Back is King
I plan to concentrate my spending on the Venture card, with the exception of most travel purchases that will go on the Sapphire card. Cash back is still king, but Ultimate Rewards points can be used as miles or cash.
Both the Venture card and the Chase Sapphire Preferred card carry annual fees, which are waived the first year. I have heard it is easy to get the fee waived on the Venture card. That is not the case for the Sapphire Preferred, so I will probably will probably cancel that card when the fee comes due.
In the meantime, I will be accumulating points in my “travel savings accounts.” These points are a lot more liquid than miles, it part because they are good for any bargain tickets you may grab, and also because partial redemptions are possible.
Has your points collection strategy changed, in light of the raft of cheap flights?
I purchased a ticket on the US Airways shuttle for myself, and secured companion pass tickets for my husband and daughter. The tickets cost $99 each, plus tax of about $20. This was about $4oo in savings, compared to the cost of two full price tickets.
We each checked a bag, which normally costs $25 per flight. We know we’d need extra suitcase space for all the sales we hoped to hit on Black Friday. The checked bags flew free because of the credit card. This equalled another $150 in savings.
Black Friday Sales Did Not Disappoint Joel Shprentz Photo
The US Airways credit card carries an annual fee of $89, but it came with 40,000 frequent flyer miles. I am saving those miles for another trip.
The current offer for the US Airways credit card is even better: 50,000 Dividend Miles after the first purchase and payment of an $89 fee. Plus, you get the two companion passes and free checked bags.
If you are following along, that is a terrific deal!
You have to be a bit crazy to fly the day before Thanksgiving. I am happy to report that despite a two hour weather-related delay, everything went smoothly.
What’s the worst thing about frequent flyer programs?
Frequent Business Traveler and FlyerTalk are running a survey on the most annoying aspects of frequent flyer programs.
With input from frequent flyers, the survey sponsors have complied a list of pet peeves with the award redemption process.
They ask you to rank order your most annoying award redemption problems.
This survey caught my attention because one of my biggest pet peeves is that many mainstream miles and points bloggers do not tell the full story about frequent flyer programs.
I started Fishing4Deals to provide objective information about the pros and cons of various programs.
My number one concern with the award redemption process is that low-level award tickets are often unavailable when I want to fly.
As Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagen said:
I always thought that the way these agreements worked were that if I flew a certain number of miles on your plan, I was going to get a free ticket. If I knew that it was really up to you to give me the free ticket . . . I don’t think that I’d be spending all this time in the air on your planes. You know, I’d find another company that actually gave me the free ticket.
To rank your top pet peeves, head over to the survey site by November 30, 2014.
What are your biggest frustrations? Is this survey on target?
Click here to compare current rewards credit card offers.
The App is your key to finding special offers and discounts at restaurants at select locations in the U.S. and Canada.
Most of the restaurants included to date are fancy steak houses or expensive French bistros, but there are also Japanese, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern offerings.
MasterCard Concierge App
The typical offer is for a free glass of sparkling wine or a free dessert to accompany your meal.
You’re not going to get rich off these offers.
But the Concierge app may come in handy some day if you find yourself headed to a participating restaurant in a big city like Miami, Los Angeles, New York, Washington DC, Chicago, San Francisco, Montreal, or Las Vegas.
You must call or email the MasterCard Concierge to access the offers.
Credit Cards Eligible for the MasterCard Concierge Program
Examples of cards that may be eligible include the Barclaycard Arrival and Arrival Plus, as well as the The US Airways® Premier World MasterCard® and the The Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite MasterCard®.
The US Airways® Premier World MasterCard® is currently offering 40,000 bonus miles after your first purchase and payment of the $89 annual fee.
This is a pretty good deal for accruing U.S. Airways Dividend Miles, because there is no minimum spend requirement to worry about. 40,000 Dividend Miles could come in handy with the American/USAir merger underway, and the upcoming merger of their frequent flyer programs. I got this card for that very reason.
The Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite MasterCard®offers 35,000 bonus miles when you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days.
I was on hand yesterday for the arrival of Air China’s inaugural flight from Beijing into Dulles International Airport (IAD).
The Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority (MWAA) invited some local people to participate in the gala welcoming ceremony as part of their “Discover Dulles” program.
The airport authority sure knows how to throw a party.
The 25 Discover Dulles participants, along with about 50 journalists, were transported to the airfield via IAD’s infamous mobile lounges for a close up view of landing.
It was an exciting moment when the plane touched down.
We were rushed back onto the mobile lounge and whisked closer to the terminal so we could view the aircraft run the gauntlet through the ceremonial water arch.
Air China Lands at IAD
Two fire trucks were dispatched to pump a stream of water over the airplane to celebrate the arrival of the inaugural flight. This is aviation’s equivalent of christening a new ship.
After the plane landed, the Ambassador of China and Virginia Governor McAuliffe were feted by Chinese lion dancers.
Several traditional Chinese musicians played at the reception.
Water Cannon Salute
The speeches heralded the 7,000 mile avionic bridge that had been established between Washington and Beijing, and the cultural, diplomatic, and economic exchanges that would ensue.
Oh, and the swag! Each participant received a goodie bag with a propellor paperweight, a model of the airplane, and other “stuff.”
Traditional Chinese Musicians
This was a fun event: I got to meet some Chinese journalists, airport personnel, and aviation geeks.
This hotel has reasonable weekend prices, so why not plan to stay the weekend and take in the sites. If you’d rather not go downtown, the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum’sUdvar-Hazy Center is just down the street.
Family Travel for Real LifeWill Cover These Topics
Scheduling around a school calendar
Saving money without relying only on credit card bonuses
Condo rentals and hotel rooms for families traveling overseas
Booking award tickets when you need more than two
Destination planning for families
Camp Mom: traveling with your kids for less than the cost of camp
How to save on theme park vacations
Several top notch speakers are already lined up, with more to be added:
Carolina Travel Girl: Where to stay when a hotel room won’t cut it
Jason Steele: Booking award travel for families
Shawn of Miles to Memories: Booking loo00ong summer vacations
Follow this hashtag on Twitter to stay in the loop: #FT4RL
Registration will begin at 9 a.m. and sessions will run from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (possibly 5:00). Lunch and an afternoon snack break are included in admission.
Sign up early because the first 25 registrants can get tickets for $49. After that, tickets are going for $59. Here’s the link to register!
As a Reston, Virginia local, I was pretty psyched about the news this week that Frontier Airlines will be flying a regular schedule of flights to 14 popular destinations out of Dulles International Airport (IAD) near Washington, DC.
Grab Introductory Fares on Frontier Airlines Now!
Frontier is a low-cost airline and they capped their announcement with a 12 hour sale with fares as low as $15 one way! I didn’t get in on the sale — I heard the website was pretty overwhelmed — but there is still a chance for introductory fares as low as $39 if you buy your tickets by May 17, 2014.
Beginning August 19, 2014, Frontier will offer nonstop service to:
Foxy the Fox
Atlanta
Charlotte, NC
Orlando, FL
Minneapolis/St. Paul
Tampa, FL
Beginning September 8, 2014, Frontier will begin nonstop service to:
Chicago-O’Hare
Cincinnati
Detroit
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Las Vegas
Memphis, TN
Fort Myers, FL
St. Louis
St. Augustine/Jacksonville, FL
Buddy the Badger
Frontier’s service from Washington-Dulles will operate on 168-seat Airbus A320 aircraft.
Cranky Flyer has a great analysis today about the tortured history of low cost airlines at Dulles Airport and it’s not a pretty story. Hopefully, Frontier’s entry into this market will create some price competition.
Frontier Credit Card Sign Up Good for Two Free Round Trips
Frontier Airlines has a pretty generous standard award chart, with 20,000 miles required for a roundtrip for travel within the U.S., including Alaska. The Frontier Airlines World MasterCard® offers a sign-up bonus of 40,000 miles after spending $500 in the first 90 days.
So the current credit card offer is good for two round trips, and then some. That’s because you can travel with a companion for just 15,000 per round trip.
That’s a pretty generous bonus for a very low spend requirement!
There is a $69 annual fee which is not waived in the first year. Note that Barclay’s advertises this offer as a 50,000 mile bonus, but that includes the balance transfer provision, which is never a good deal because of the fees charged.
What’s more, look at all the cute animals that you can get on your credit card!
United Airlines has announced a 20 percent off sale on “saver” award tickets to Mexico City. Tickets must be purchased by April 29, 2014, for travel in May 2014.
Roundtrip saver awards between the U.S. (excluding Hawaii and Guam) or Canada and Mexico City, Mexico normally cost 35,000 miles. For the month of May 2014, the price is 28,000 Mileage Plus miles, plus taxes and fees.
There was plenty of saver award availability when I checked flights from and to IAD.
