{Disclosure: We receive a commission from some of the links in this blog. We always write about the best deals, whether they pay a commission or not. If you decide to use our links we appreciate it, thank you!}

Tuesday 31 December 2013

Holiday Report US West Coast: Part 2 - Las Vegas to San Francisco

Bindi and I have been able to see lots of places that we could never have afforded to, if it were not for using points, or at least defraying the cost by searching for bargain fares on flights or hotels. 


We've been spending some time in Panama of late.  So we started our trip from there.

In September we converted Delta 35,000 points each, to travel up to visit my family in Ohio, and then from there to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary by driving and touring the US West Coast.  



Our Upgraded Room

Delta allows you to have a stopover at 1 location, and then another flight to an entirely different destination, when redeeming award tickets.  Effectively, you're getting 2 trips, for the price of 1 redemption. 

So we flew from Panama to Ohio, then later to California, and finally back to Panama at the end.  All for 35,000 points. 

We had decided to visit Las Vegas, the Napa Valley, and drive south along Highway 1, since these are places we've always wanted to see.

Holiday Report US West Coast: Index

Las Vegas to San Francisco


We set off early from Vegas and drove along the inland highway, which was faster to get to Northern California.  We planned to take our time as we drove South later along Highway 1.  Since we'd never been through this part of the California, we loved getting to see all the produce and orchards in this part of the state.  It was very sparsely populated, but beautiful.  




While traveling, we decided to stay at some Holiday Inn hotels along the way, in small towns.  Prices were reasonable, and it allowed me to qualify for my needed stays in order to get my Big Win promotion points.  Since I have Platinum status with IHG, it meant better rooms and other perks as well.

I was targeted for 90,000 points if I completed all my stays.  Spending the ~$400 or so I needed to to qualify for 90,000 points is well worth it since I try to redeem these for PointsBreak nights, which could cost ~$2,000 in cash, instead of using 90,000 points. 

We've stayed in PointsBreak hotels a few times and plan to do it more.  They are a great bargain for 5,000 points.  Before I realised how valuable they were, and went I began learning about the value of points, I purchased points to make my stays more affordable.  Since then I've built up points with credit cards and promotions like the Big Win.

Now we have +200,000 points so we'll be using those for some future trips we have coming up.










We took 2 days to drive from Las Vegas to San Francisco.  But we enjoyed the slow place, and getting to actually drive, and see the countryside.  Since we usually fly, when we have the chance to drive and see something, we like to if we have the time to spare.


Monday 30 December 2013

Holiday Report US West Coast: Part 1 - Los Angeles to Las Vegas

Follow me on Facebook and Twitter for last-minute deals! 

Bindi and I have been able to see lots of places that we could never have afforded to, if it were not for using points, or at least defraying the cost by searching out bargain fares on flights or hotels.  

We've been spending some time in Panama of late.  So we started our trip from there.

In September we converted Delta 35,000 points each, to travel up to visit my family in Ohio, and then from there to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary by driving and touring the US West Coast.  

My Cousin Who Lives in Africa, Was Also Visiting Ohio

Delta allows you to have a stopover at 1 location, and then another flight to an entirely different destination, when redeeming award tickets.  Effectively, you're getting 2 trips, for the price of 1 redemption. 

So we flew from Panama to Ohio, then later to California, and finally back to Panama at the end.  All for 35,000 points. 

We had decided to visit Las Vegas, the Napa Valley, and drive south along Highway 1, since these are places we've always wanted to see.

Holiday Report US West Coast: Index

Friday 27 December 2013

The Definitive Guide to 10 Best Rate Hotel Guarantees Series: Part 3 - Hyatt [with Video]


We try to get sales on hotels or airlines, since it saves us money.  And we've often gotten some great prices, if we've been able to plan in advance.  Other times, we've gotten some great last-minute prices by using a few tricks that I've posted about earlier.

Sometimes we have to transit through a city or airport, and need just one night in a hotel.  When that happens I like to start by looking for Best Rate Guarantees, and if you locate one you can stay for free.  And there are some nice places we've stayed at, and others we have coming up.  You can also use them to lower the overall cost of a longer stay, of more than just 1 night.  

Bindi and I in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh)
 But how hard is it to find one?  What are the rules?  How can it be free? 

Thursday 26 December 2013

Deals for This Weekend

If you're looking for a quick getaway this weekend, that doesn't break the budget, have a look at a few of these Secret Saver hotels.  

If you have kids, these rates will work with 2 adults with 2 children.

I am highlighting 1 bargain rate hotel in each city.

These rates are booking through Expedia.com.au, for this Friday and Saturday nights, December 27 - 28, 2013.  

Adelaide
4.5* $385 for this weekend

Auckland
4.5* $263 for this weekend  

Brisbane
4.5* $246 for this weekend 

Gold Coast
Nothing available

Melbourne
Nothing available  

Perth
4.5* $320 this weekend

Sydney 
4.5* $337 this weekend

Wednesday 25 December 2013

The Definitive Guide to 10 Best Rate Hotel Guarantees Series: Part 2 - IHG

We try to get sales on hotels or airlines, since it saves us money.  And we've often gotten some great prices, if we've been able to plan in advance.  Other times, we've gotten some great last-minute prices by using a few tricks that I've posted about earlier.

Sometimes we have to transit through a city or airport, and need just one night in a hotel.  When that happens I like to start by looking for Best Rate Guarantees, and if you locate one you can stay for free.  Totally free.  Hotels which could cost +$500/night, FREE.  And there are some nice places we've stayed at, and others we have coming up.  You can also use them to lower the overall cost of a longer stay, of more than just 1 night.  

But how hard is it to find one?  What are the rules?  How can it be free? 


A Hotel We Got for Free in Manhattan! Regularly $450/night

Tuesday 24 December 2013

35,000 Points - HSBC Platinum Qantas Credit Card ~ $400 Cash Value - Till 31 Dec 2013

[Disclosure: I receive no commission from this card.]

The HSBC Platinum Qantas Credit Card may be the best Qantas card on the market right now.  But it ends in 2 weeks, so now is the time to apply for it if it's of interest to you.

35,000 Points for the HSBC Platinum Qantas Card

Monday 23 December 2013

Lots of Velocity Award Space in January 2014

Follow me on Facebook and Twitter for last-minute deals!

With points and cheap deals we've been able to see many more places than we could have otherwise afforded on our small budget.  Recently, I've highlighted some perks of the Velocity Escape card, and Gold card, which if approved for both would give you enough points for a return ticket between heaps of cities, including Melbourne and the Gold Coast. 

If you already have points with Velocity, you could cash in now for some getaways if you live in either of those cities, or others.  Since lots of folks want to get away this time of the year, if you haven't already made plans, there is plenty of availability to cash in your points for flights if you still want to get out of town. 

Just a Few of the More Than 9 Flights Using Points This Friday 27 December and Tuesday 7 January

Friday 20 December 2013

The Definitive Guide to 10 Best Rate Hotel Guarantees Series: Part 1 - Choice [with Video]

We try to get sales on hotels or airlines, since it saves us money.  And we've often gotten some great prices, if we've been able to plan in advance.  Other times, we've gotten some great last-minute prices by using a few tricks that I've posted about earlier.

Sometimes we have to transit through a city or airport, and need just one night in a hotel.  When that happens I like to start by looking for Best Rate Guarantees, and if you locate one you can stay for free.  Totally free.  Hotels which could cost +$500/night, FREE.  And there are some nice places we've stayed at, and others we have coming up.  You can also use them to lower the overall cost of a longer stay, of more than just 1 night.  

But how hard is it to find one?  What are the rules?  How can it be free? 


A Hotel We Got for Free in Manhattan! Regularly $450/night

Thursday 19 December 2013

Deals for This Weekend

If you're looking for a quick getaway this weekend, that doesn't break the budget, have a look at a few of these Secret Saver hotels.  As always, there must be a few hotels hoping to fill up, since weekends are their lowest earning days.  Save some money yourself while having a nice weekend away.  

If you have kids, these rates will work with 2 adults with 2 kids.

I am highlighting 1 bargain rate hotel in each city.

I'll also include Auckland for the Kiwi readers.  

These rates are booking through Expedia.com.au, for this Friday and Saturday nights, December 20-21, 2013.  

If this is of help to you I might just make it regular thing, so please let me know what you think!

Wednesday 18 December 2013

Million Mile Secrets Interview

Last week I was interviewed on Million Mile Secrets.  I learned a lot of my miles and points tricks from that blog.  Now, I'm tweaking those and adding lots more to help people Down Under to get the maximum value from our own points programs.

Thanks for visiting, to any new readers who've linked over to check out my blog!

I hope some of the information I'm sharing will not only help my Aussie friends, but maybe even some the US folks who have a look through my site.

And thanks to Daraius for the interview!

Tuesday 17 December 2013

4 Must-Have Communication Tools When You're Overseas

When we're overseas, there are a few communication tools that we always use to save money.  We're frugal travelers, so if we save $5 here or there, it adds up.  Plus, why would you want to throw money away when you don't have to?  Enough said, I'm sure I don't need to convince you!

This post is not meant to cover every single app on the market.  Why not?  There are more coming to market every day!  So, here I'm sharing just a few common tools I use to stay in touch while overseas.  

These are established companies which offer a good product for a fair price, and if you're not using them you could be throwing your money out the door.  

Sure, you could enable your Telstra or Vodafone phone to receive calls in Bali when you're there.  But you could pay a fortune if you're not extremely careful.

Which of the 4 programs should you use, and when?  I'll cover the pros and cons of each.


Monday 16 December 2013

Final Chance - Buy American Airlines Points for a Discount

If you saw the earlier post about buying American Airlines points, and redeeming them on Qantas flights, then you'll know that today is the final day to signup for an American Airlines account, if you don't already have one, and then buy the points while still on sale before 31 December, 2013.  

In that post we covered a number of scenarios as to how how you could redeem those points for great trips you'd otherwise pay much more for in cash.

You really need to start thinking out of the box to consider the multitude of ways you can make a trip with points and extracting value from this deal.  Feel free to leave a comment or contact me if you have a question.

Today, I'll post once more about this, so you can see why you should consider buying points to use for a future trip.  I'll be showing you how to make a trip from the Gold Coast to several destinations, but your starting point could just as easily be almost any city in Australia or New Zealand.


Queenstown - Jump-Off Point for a Ski Holiday

Friday 13 December 2013

Top Reasons Why and When to Use Your Current Hotel Status to Get More

Earlier, I posted about how to get Hilton Honours Gold status by fast tracking through special offers.  This can save you thousands on your way to getting the perks of elite statuses. 

However, what else besides gold status do you earn with this offer?  You earn the potential to get status with lots of other hotel chains! 

I've used statusmatcher.com to upgrade my status with other chains once I've achieved it with at least one chain.  I started with Hilton Honours Gold and went from there.

Our Upgraded Room - Due to Status!

Thursday 12 December 2013

The Winner of the iPhone 5 Case or an iPad Mini Case!

I'd like to thank everyone who participated in the blog giveaway to win an iPhone 5 case or iPad mini case, with a choice of styles and colours.

The winner was: Rebekah Gray


Congratulations!  I will be in touch to find out which prize you choose and post it out to you!

To win future contests be sure to like my Facebook page, follow Aussie Points Expert on Twitter, or sign up for my once daily email blog post, or in a rss reader!

Wednesday 11 December 2013

An Easier Way to Hotel Status Perks

Earlier I posted about how to get Secret Saver hotels, saving a load of money over normal rates.  If you have status with a hotel chain, I've always had it honoured when I checked in even though I had booked at a much cheaper rate than normal bookings.  

But in that post I mentioned that I've gotten free status with a number of chains, which has provided all kinds of perks, which would normally cost you much more for the night.  Perks like free buffet breakfast, free wifi, room upgrades, early check-in, late check-out, and extra points during the stay for the elite status.  To me these extra perks can be worth $20, $30, or more, since you're getting free breakfast or other extras.


hilton-hhonors-mvp-gold-fast-track

Tuesday 10 December 2013

TripAdvisor - Great for Holiday Rentals As Well

When love getting bargains, and even more when we stay for cheap or free in a hotel.  But sometimes we just don't have the points, or can't find good prices in certain expensive cities or locations.  In those cases we've often used private rentals, of houses or apartments.  There are some incredible deals to be had when staying and the places we've used have been nice and even quite luxurious, and saved us hundreds of dollars or more!

There are lots of websites that offer private rentals, just search on google and you will find lots of competition.  Some owners list on multiple websites to get wide advertising.  

But did you know TripAdvisor offers private rentals?  Maybe like me, you've always used the review section on TripAdvisor to get an idea of where to stay in hotels, but you should also know that you can use it for private rentals.  

Our Private Rental Apartment in Mellieha, Malta $700/week!

Monday 9 December 2013

Blog Giveaway! iPhone 5 Case OR iPad Mini Case

The blog has been up and running for a couple weeks and to thank all the readers I'm giving you the choice to get something free.  Have you gotten in on any the recent deals posted, like last-minute hotels, flights, or the incredible Velocity 20,000 points offer?

Lots of folks have an iPhone 5 or iPad mini, and love them!  So to thank you for reading the blog I'm giving to 1 winner their choice of either an iphone 5 Cygnett case or iPad mini in your choice of colours!  I'll give the winner more specs on the products if they need them to choose their prize, and it will be shipped for free to you.


Cygnett Icon iPhone 5 Case

Friday 6 December 2013

A Deal You Shouldn't Miss - Act Before 16 December 2013

In the 1st post of this blog, I outlined some goals.  It was to help Aussies find and redeem points on local airlines, or even take advantage of airline 'sweet spots', using foreign airlines to help us redeem points for incredible value here in Australia and New Zealand.  I should add at this time, that this blog is good value for our Kiwi cousins as well, since they can benefit from these offers also!


Buy Points Right Now for Cheap - Redeem for 'Sweet Spots'

Thursday 5 December 2013

3 Ways That a Mystery Can Save You a Fortune - Part 2

Mystery, Unpublished, or Secret Saver hotels can save you hundreds of dollars, as we discussed in an earlier post.  I wish I could say that every Mystery hotel we've gotten was great!  A couple were...not that great at all.  However they were cheaper by far than anything we would have paid for actual advertised prices, particularly in small towns.  So in that case we felt we got a bargain, since we saved at least $20 or $30/night by booking a Mystery hotel for the 1 night we were passing through a town.


Our Dallas, Texas, $45/Night Mystery Hotel - A Fair Deal


















But if you have just 5 or 10 minutes extra there is a way to come very close, or even exactly know, which hotel you're going to get. 

Wednesday 4 December 2013

3 Ways That a Mystery Can Save You a Fortune - Part 1

In a recent post we discussed all the tricks to getting last minute hotels for bargain prices.  Hopefully you're using those tricks to find some bargains for wherever you're going this month or next!  For some people, booking last minute accommodation is daring, edgy, even scary; but after doing it once or twice you'll find it's not that big a deal. 
Our Hotel in Minneapolis - $756 Saved!
You can save 10%, 20%, 30%, even 50% or more by booking last minute.  Now, it does carry risk.  You might not get to stay where you wanted.  But you might get to stay somewhere even better

However, now we need to talk about an even bigger tip.  How can a mystery save you a fortune? 

Tuesday 3 December 2013

20,000 Points - American Express Velocity Gold Card ~ $280 to $500 Cash Value!

The American Express Velocity Gold card isn't free, but when you dig into the benefits you get from the card it can pay off handsomely.  I applied and was instantly approved for it in September.  


https://www.americanexpress.com/australia/mgm/mgmeeApply.cgi?mgmeeCard=velocityGold&CPID=999996001&MGM_URN=AAAAEgAWFxIVCg%3D%3D
15,000 +5,000 bonus = 20,000 Velocity Points up to 31 January, 2014

Why is this such a great deal, and why did I feel it was worth it to spend $99?

Monday 2 December 2013

Put the Money Back in Your Pocket!

If you're reading this blog, you're probably someone who likes to stretch your pennies.  My wife and I don't live on a big budget, so we have to make our pennies go as far as they can!  

Earlier, we discussed getting cards like the Virgin Velocity Escape card.  While it's not the most lucrative card on the market, it can still get you a free one-way flight between a few cities here in Australia.  Hey, free is free!

But are there any other ways to save actual cash on travel?  On even everyday items?  Recently, I explained ways to save BIG on last-minute travel with Expedia.com.au.  But how about saving even more cash.  Here's an easy way.

Saturday 30 November 2013

AirAsia Cheap Holiday Flights - Now

If the post from a couple days ago got you thinking about a holiday in Asia you should know that AirAsia has some great incredible deals right now.

If you're still trying to decide what do in December, or January, there are still some great deals to be had, if you don't already have Qantas or Velocity points to redeem for a trip.  


Traveling With My Wife's Parents to China on Airasia

Friday 29 November 2013

Want to Save ~$300 Cash?

Yesterday, we went over some tips on how to get bargain hotel prices when booking last minute.  But the post also mentioned that airlines LOVE to charge prices through the roof when you are trying to book last-minute.  It hurts.  You need to get somewhere, and you have to pay 2x or 3x as much a regular fare because you're traveling last minute.  

Are there ways to save money on last-minute airfares?  Here are a few tips to keep up your sleeve.


Thursday 28 November 2013

Use Expedia to Save BIG with the Upcoming Holidays!

Some folks plan things well in advance.  Others don't like to, or don't have the time to plan as well.  My wife, Bindi, and I try to plan our trips in advance, and lots of the time we do.  But sometimes we just have to book last minute.  And we hate having to pay extra because of that!  Airlines tend to sting you the most when you book last minute with them. 

But did you know that booking last minute award flights (flights booked paying with points) are sometimes the biggest bargains?  We'll cover that in another post soon.

But what about hotels?  Are they more expensive when booked last minute?  If you think so, you could be wrong! 

Wednesday 27 November 2013

15% Off Virgin Australia Rewards up to 30 November, 2013 (Expired)

If you have a small or large stash of Velocity Points, you have only a few days left to cash them out if you want to save 15%.  Up to 30 November, 2013, you can redeem and save a fair amount of points.  According to the rules, this is only for redemption on Virgin flights, not their partner airlines.



Make a booking

*Airline terms - Search for Reward Seat and Any Seat availability on Virgin Australia domestic and international flights, as well as selected codeshare flights operated by Etihad Airways and Virgin America. Please note: 15% offer above only applies to Virgin Australia operated and marketed flights.

Why the Virgin Velocity Escape Card is a Bargain

On my credit card page, you can compare various cards which give back free or cheap flights, along with my review of them.  Some of the cards also give free lounge entry, extra points for daily purchases, and free checked luggage. 

Which of the cards is best, if you are starting into the points world, or don't want to spend much? 

Tuesday 26 November 2013

Australia - Your Time Has Come

The last 20 years have seen incredible leaps in travel.  Most of us have enjoyed the rush!  Maybe, like me, you've traveled heaps both here and overseas for cheap.  Ticket prices have actually fallen over the years, both overseas and here in Australia!

When I was 22 I read a book called, "How to Travel as an Air Courier", and I immediately booked my first trip to Caracas, Venezuela.  I took sacks of packages as my checked luggage, and only had hand luggage; but I snagged a bargain.  And I did it