Manufactured Spending

United Gets Whacked For Mistreating Disabled People, Death of Bluebird And Free Wine

January 11, 2016By Edward Pizzarello0 Comments

Today’s Best of the Rest includes United getting smacked around, the death of Bluebird, discounted gas cards, free wine and more. Did I mention free wine?

The Risks Of Manufactured Credit Card Spending

March 31, 2015By Edward Pizzarello20 Comments

Don’t forget to enter my giveaway for $99 SIM cards for free data when traveling internationally. Bluebird, REDbird, gift cards, Walmart Money Center. These are all terms you’re very familiar with if you engage in “manufactured spending”, where you create spending that costs little to nothing but earns you lots of points/miles from a credit card. It’s a typical strategy for maximizing the generous sign-up bonuses many card companies are offering now. One of my readers (Anton) relates the following story to me about a problem they encountered. I’ve paraphrased […]

Disney World Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground: Transportation & Amenities

Our recent stay in a cabin at Disney World Fort Wilderness Resort was a bit of a welcome surprise. The property covers a lot of ground and has plenty of amenities. The size of it makes transportation a bit of a pain at times. I covered the cabins themselves in a previous post. Today’s post will cover the transportation and amenities you’ll find at Fort Wilderness. While not an amenity, per se, it’s worth noting that the cabins aren’t the only lodging options at Fort Wilderness. You can also camp, […]

Now Boarding….I Launched Another Podcast!

If one podcast is good, two must be better, right? I sure hope so. But, I’d love to hear what you think about my latest project!

New Episode: Secret Airfare Discounts And Elite Status Shortcuts

Lots to cover in this week’s episode! We’ve got news and notes, buying stuff to earn lots of miles, hotel status shortcuts and secret airfare discounts you might not know about.

Hyatt Brings Back One Of My Favorite Promos, Rebates On Award Bookings!

Hyatt brings back one of my favorite promos, rebates on award bookings. Hyatt cardmembers will receive a 10% rebate on award reservations, Points+Cash, spa bookings, dining services and more!

My Favorite Anker Batteries, Chargers, Cables On Sale For Prime Day!

Lots of my favorite Anker gear on sale for Amazon Prime Day, including batteries, car chargers, adapters, cables, and other gear.

A Summary Of United Airlines Global Services Benefits

As travel has gotten more stressful the benefits of elite status are even more valuable. In some cases, what used to be free for everyone is now only free for those customers that fly most frequently. I value my American Airlines Executive Platinum status more highly than any status I’ve earned, including 1K service with United Airlines. However, Global Services is another matter. For those not aware, Global Services is an invitation-only status level that United bestows on their best customers. What defines a best customer? Well, United doesn’t list […]

Is Foursquare Dead?

Venture Beat doesn’t think so, and I’m not 100% sure they’re wrong. But, before I discuss the article, a little background on why someone allergic to social media like me became a Foursquare nut. A few years ago, a company called TopGuest came up with this concept where you could earn airline miles and hotel points for checking in at various places on Foursquare. I can’t say I thought it was a terribly good business model, but they convinced a bunch of hotel chains to hand out miles for this. […]

I Flew Frontier, Saved $400 And Didn’t Die. My Frontier Airlines Review

Those low-cost carriers always have very appetizing fare sales. Who wouldn’t want to pay $20 to fly somewhere? But, what does $20 really buy you? I found out exactly what Frontier does (and doesn’t) offer customers on my first flight with them recently.

Update: American Airlines Variable Choice Plus Pricing A Feature, Not A Bug

I have to admit, I was pretty pleased with the original announcement that American Airlines was creating bundled pricing that included change fees at a lower apparent cost. Things got a little better when American also announced they were expanding the timeframe you could request a same day change to your flight. And, then things started to get a bit screwy. It started with just one flight I couldn’t get to price right with Choice Plus as an add-on. But, then I did a bit more digging and found out […]

Clarity On Restriction of American Airlines Ticket Sales in Argentina

There seems to be some clarity on exactly how American Airlines will handle restrictions for ticket sales in Argentina. I received the following information that was sent by American Airlines to ticket agents today: Argentina Point of Sale Restrictions September 26, 2014 American Airlines has implemented sales restrictions for Argentina point-of-sale on our flights to/from Buenos Aires (EZE), Argentina. These sales restrictions do not apply to point-of-sale outside of Argentina. Reservations can still be made or ticketed for travel on American and American codeshare (AA*/OA) flights for departures prior to: […]