TPG staffer mistake story: The rental car misstep that cost me big time

Source: thepointsguy.com
Source: thepointsguy.com
Some of my fondest college memories arenât from going to homecoming games, attending my first college party or walking around campus when no one else was going to class. Some of my favorite memories are going home for winter break and seeing all my high school friends. Seeing old friends was always so fun, especially since we had all matured during the previous semester. Â
But getting home was another story. I went to college in Bloomington, Ind., a small college town where the university was the main attraction. That meant getting a flight back to my hometown of Memphis, Tenn. was always a struggle. I hated having to coordinate buses and flights while in the middle of finals.Â
Hereâs what I learned about booking flights home, so you donât have to struggle like I did. Â
The first step to saving on holiday travel is planning ahead. If you wait until the last minute to buy plane tickets, youâll probably pay more. You may even be completely out of luck and not find any flights that work for you.Â
You can sign up for travel alerts through Hipmunk.com, which aggregates flights from most major airlines. You can also look at Google flight alerts or sign up for emails for your favorite airline. Â
Learn about what airlines fly out of your hometownâs airport and what alternative routes there are. For example, if youâre struggling to find cheap flights coming out of Louisville, look at Cincinnati’s airport. You might have to get creative and look at airports you never consider.Â
According to the travel website Skyscanner, the best month to buy plane tickets for Christmas is in October. Yes, it might seem crazy to book tickets for winter break when the leaves are barely falling off the trees, but you could save lots of money.Â
If youâre at a big university, you might find someone whoâs also traveling to your destination for the holidays. If you carpool with them, youâll save money on transportation while also dividing the driving time.Â
I did this a lot in college because I didnât have a car, but I only needed to travel a couple hours for Thanksgiving break. It was easy finding someone who was also going that way. Â
If youâre not traveling to a popular city, you should put out feelers ASAP. Make a shareable post on Facebook, put a physical notice in your dormâs common area or ask your college advisor if there are any official student carshare groups.Â
Even though the US isnât known for its public transportation system, buses can be a decent way to save money on travel if youâre going somewhere close. For example, you can find MegaBus tickets as little as $5 if you book way in advance. Some of these buses include WiFi and let you pick your seat beforehand.Â
Buses almost always take longer than driving, but are a good option if youâre on a budget and have time to kill. If youâre lucky, you can find a fellow student whoâs also traveling by bus and book your tickets together. Â
If youâre flying home for winter break, you probably have some leeway on when you arrive and when you need to leave. Being flexible on travel dates can save you a lot of money, especially during the holidays.Â
When you look at flights, you can often look at dates with one to three days of flexibility. Flights that leave or arrive on Tuesdays and Wednesdays are often less expensive than weekends. You should also use an incognito browser when you book tickets.Â
If you find an especially good deal that coincides with class, ask your professor if you can get an excused absence. Some may be ok with you taking a final early or if you miss the first day of classes for the new semester.Â
Again, ask your professors about this ahead of time. They may be more lenient if youâre asking in early November instead of the week before finals.Â
If you or your parents have a travel rewards credit card, see if they have enough points to book a flight. This works best if you book early, because flights often increase in price as the dates get closer.Â
Travel rewards programs all work differently so itâs good to compare offers before you book a flight. Your parents can book your flights using their account, or they can transfer points to your personal account. This doesnât work for every credit card, so call and ask if thereâs a way to do it for free. It may be easier to do if youâre an authorized user on the account.Â
Nowadays airlines are trying to cut corners everywhere, by trimming seats and charging more for basic amenities. When you buy your flight, read through the ticket agreement to understand whatâs included and whatâs extra. In some cases, a carry-on bag costs extra just like a checked bag. But a checked bag may be cheaper than a carry-on.Â
If snacks arenât provided, bring your own beforehand. Also, try not to pack your bags completely full. If youâre like me, youâll have Christmas presents and new clothes to take back with you. And who wants to pay a $30 carry-on fee? Â
If youâre lucky, your college may have some free transportation options. For example, my university was in Bloomington, Ind., an hour away from Indianapolis. There was a free shuttle to the Indianapolis airport that left every two hours.Â
Thereâs also a student-only bus that goes from Indy to Chicago and Chicago-area suburbs. This is only available during the holidays and is very affordable. Â
The key to saving on holiday travel is to plan ahead, ask other people and do lots of research. You may discover someone in your dorm whoâs driving through your city on their home or someone who also takes the bus home. Â
Â
The post How to Plan and Save on Holiday Travel appeared first on MintLife Blog.
Source: mint.intuit.com
January 12, 2021 Spending Money Wisely, Student Finances Read more >
Itâs shopping season, and millions of us who arenât out shopping in stores right now are sitting in front of our computers buying out the internet. It doesnât matter if youâre shopping for groceries or gifts â if shopping is on your to-do list this month, youâre in luck.
With retail stores scrambling for shoppers, the cash-back craze gone wild and banks offering up to 10 points per dollar on some purchases to entice consumers to use their credit cards, the opportunities for stacking deals upon deals has reached fever pitch.
Right now, there are more stackable offers for online shopping than Iâve ever seen in all my years of points wrangling. There are so many offers, in fact, that some days I find myself in shopping paralysis trying to decide which credit card to pair with which offer and accompanying points or cash back portal to get the best return. These are the good kinds of 2020 problems that put money back into your pocket.
See related: Not traveling anytime soon? Hereâs what do to with your points and miles
If youâve never heard of deal stacking, itâs just a fancy term for using multiple coupons or deals to maximize your savings or earnings on one purchase. In the travel-rewards world, we also like to call it the double or triple dip.
Getting started with deal stacking is as easy as considering each and every one of these three steps or âstacksâ anytime you make a credit card purchase.
Always choose the card that will earn the most points per dollar spent in your purchase category. And donât forget to register for any special offers from your credit card to earn bonus points or discounts. These offers are usually easy to find by logging into your credit card account.
Before you buy online, always access the online store via a shopping portal like Ibotta or Rakutan rewards if youâre looking for cash back. If youâre collecting points, try the portal of your favorite airline, hotel group or bank program.
A tool like Cash Back Monitor can help you decide which portal will offer you the best return for each purchase youâre planning to make.
After you make your purchase, scan your receipt into an app like Fetch Rewards or CoinOut to accrue points that can be turned into gift cards for more shopping â and even more savings.
My friend Angel Trinh over at Pennywise Traveler is a rock star on deal-stacking and loves to share tutorials on her stacking successes. Because points-stacking is best explained through example, hereâs how sheâs stacking up deals for her Amazon purchases this month using her American Express® Gold Card.
Putting into practice the first stacking principle, when Trinh checked her American Express Gold Card account this month, she saw that she was targeted with an offer to earn 8 Membership Rewards points per dollar on Amazon purchases (up to 3,000 points). She registered her card for the offer, then set out to spend $375 â the amount it would take to max out the bonus to earn the full 3,000 points.
âFor American Express, the best way to maximize deal stacking and to save money is to add AmEx offers to your account,â Trinh explains. âYou can add a maximum of 100 offers to your account for discounts.â
Privacy Policy
In checking out, Trinh acted on this offer and opted to pay 1 Membership Reward point (a single cent) towards the cost of the items in her cart. Even though this was a single cent, it triggered a 10% discount on her full purchase! This offer added an additional savings of $37 back on the $375 spent to max out her 8x American Express offer â stacked on top of the 3,000 Membership Rewards points already earned.
After maxing out points and saving 10% using steps one and two, Trinhâs final deal-stack for her Amazon shopping was to check for additional cash back returns using Fetch Rewards.
Because Amazon receipts are only digital, no physical scanning is even required. You simply link your Amazon account to Fetch Rewards, and after youâve completed your online shopping, use the app to trigger an automatic scan for your Amazon receipts. The number of points earned varies based on what youâve purchased and from which store and allows you to cash out your accrued earnings with gift cards.
Deal-stacking is easy to start, not too hard to master and can certainly help you put more money back in your pocket â while also putting presents under the Christmas tree this year. Happy holiday shopping!
Source: creditcards.com
January 12, 2021 Cash Back, Spending Money Wisely Read more >