Nashville Travel Hackers - December Meetup

Nashville Travel Hackers

By: Nate Buchanan

Outline

• Travel Hacking Euroland – Mistake Fare to Europe & Thailand– Free Hotels in Vienna & Bangkok– Free Train Rides Through Europe – $111 Flights Home from Bangkok

• How to Earn the Southwest Companion Pass• Meeting Minimum Spending Requirements– Manufactured Spending

Introduction to Euroland

New York

Milan

Vienna

Prague

Bangkok

Islands of Thailand

Beijing

Total Cost of Euroland

Hacker Cost = $2,420

Retail Cost = +$7,000

Mistake Fare to Europe & Thailand

Hacker Cost = $511

Retail Cost = $2,000

What is a Mistake Fare?

• Abnormally cheap airfare that has been mistakenly priced too low for one reason or another– Computer Glitches– Human Error– Currency Conversion Errors– Miscommunication between OTAs and Airlines

How to Book a Mistake Fare

• Sign up for My Email List [natebuchanan.org]• Follow my Travel Hacker Twitter List• Take Action ASAP– DOT 24 hour mandatory refund

• Don’t Make Other Travel Plans Until You Receive Confirmation Number

Free Hotels in Vienna & Bangkok

Hacker Cost = $0

Retail Cost = $70078,000 Club Carlson Points

Earning Club Carlson Points

• 85,000 Points• Instant Gold Status

Redeeming Club Carlson Points



Free Hotels in Vienna & Bangkok

Hacker Cost = $0

Retail Cost = $31031,000 Barclay Arrival Miles

Redeeming Barclay Arrival Miles






Barclay Arrival Miles Travel Bonus

Flights Home From Thailand

Hacker Cost = $111

Retail Cost = $2,00080,000 United MileagePlus Miles

Earning United Miles

40,000 Ultimate Reward Points

50,000 United Miles

Redeeming United Miles




Savings from Travel Hacking

• Mistake Fare– $2,000 - $511 = $1,489

• Free Hotels in Vienna & Bangkok– $700

• Free Trains Through Europe– $300

• Flights Home From Thailand– $2,000 - $111 = $1,889

Total Savings = $4,378

Questions About Euroland

Southwest Companion Pass

What is the SWCP

• Companion Pass lets you designate one person of your choice to fly for FREE with you as long as you have the pass

How Long Does the SWCP Last?

Two Ways to Earn the SWCP

How to Earn Points towards SWCP

• Credit card signup bonuses• Southwest Flights• Shopping Portals • Dining Rewards• Hotel Point Transfers

Southwest Credit Cards

• Personal– Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier– Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Plus

• Business– Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier– Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Plus

Application Strategies

• Personal + Business– Apply on same day

• Personal Premier + Personal Plus– Apply 91+ days apart

Earning Points in the Air

• Points Earned Based Off Price Paid for Ticket• Business Select Fares = $1:12• Anytime Fares = $1:10• Wanna Get Away Fares = $1:6• * A-List & A-List Preferred Members Earn 25%

and 100% more points than regular members

Earning Points Through the SW Shopping Portal

Earning Points Through the SW Shopping Portal

Rapid Rewards Dining

Transferring Hotel Points

Best Transfer Rate

2.5:1 Ratio

These Points Don’t Count

• Points Transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards

• Points Transferred from Another Southwest Account

• Points Earned in Previous Calendar Year

Easiest Way to Earn the SWCP• Sign Up For Two Southwest Credit Cards– 100,000 Points

• Meet the Minimum Spending Requirements– 4,000 Points

• Earn and Additional 6,000 Points– Spend $6,000 on your credit cards– Transfer ~15,000 Hyatt Points– Shop through the Rapid Rewards Shopping Portal– Eat out with the Rapid Rewards Dining Program– Fly on Southwest

Questions About the Southwest Companion Pass

Meeting Minimum Spending Requirements

What is a Minimum Spending Requirement

• A required amount of money you must spend on a credit card before receiving the signup bonus

Examples of MSR’s

$3,000 within the first 90 days of card membership

$10,000 within the first 90 days of card membership

$5,000 within the first 6 months of card membership

Ideas for Meeting MSR’s

• Put ALL of Your Spending on Your Credit Card– Bills, Groceries, Gas

• Buy Gift Cards for Future Purchases– Amazon, Gas, Grocery

• Charitable Giving– Charities, Church, Kiva

• Volunteer to Pay for Group Purchases– Meals, Travel, Other

Manufactured Spending

What is Manufactured Spending

• Spending money without actually spending money…

My Strategy

Step 1: Sign Up for Bluebird Account

What is Bluebird

• Partnership Between American Express & Walmart

• Prepaid Bank Account

Adding Funds to Bluebird Account

• Cash • Direct Deposit • Debit Card• Prepaid Card

Withdrawing Money from Bluebird

• Debit Card• Checks (FREE)• ATM• Pay Bills Online

Other Prepaid Options

• Bluebird• Serve • REDcard• More?

Step 2: Purchase $500 Visa Giftcard

• Opry Mills $2.95 (Simon’s Mall Visa Gift Card)• Kroger $5.95• Others $?

Visa NOT American Express

Step 3: Set Pin Number on Gift Card

• Call the Number on the Back of the Card• Listen to Prompts • Key in Pin

Step 4: Load Gift Card to Bluebird

• Go to Any Register at Walmart• Tell the Cashier You Need to Add Money to

Your Bluebird Account• Give Them Your Bluebird Card• Tell Them You Want to Load $500• Tell Them You’ll be Using a Debit Card• Swipe Gift Card• Enter Pin Number

Step 5: Pay Credit Card Bill with Bluebird

Cost of Meeting MSR

$2.95 x 6 = $17.70assuming $3,000 minimum spending requirement

Bluebird Total Account Limits

• Total Funds Added– $100,000 Per Year

• Total Account Balance– $10,000

Bluebird Limits to Adding Funds

• Checking or Savings Account– $2,000 per month

• Debit Cards– $200 per day, $1,000 per month

• Cash (includes swipe reloads)– $2,500 per day– $5,000 per month

Bluebird Withdraw Limits

• Bill Pay– $15,000 per month

• ATM Withdrawals – $750 per day, $2,000 per month

• Checks– Subject to total account balance

Personal Experience

• Simon’s Mall Gift Cards– $500 x 4 = $2,000– Purchased all four in a single transaction

• Loading Gift Cards at Walmart – $500 x 4 = $2,000– Loaded each card as a separate transaction

This Use to be WAY Easier

Questions