Chase (JPMorgan Chase & Co.) Chase Bank USA, NA BA DansDeals.com

Free 7 Day Car Rental In Israel When You Purchase Tickets To Tel Aviv On Delta, United or ELAL!

Please note: This is a paid advertisement which is stickied as the top post, please scroll down for new posts.

Book your tickets with Global Tours to Israel on Delta, United and ELAL for travel through 8/31/13 and get a free 7 DAY CAR RENTAL!

Airline ticket prices range from $1285 in Spring and from $1575 in Summer.

-Purchase 3 Coach tickets and get a Hyundai I20 or similar
-Purchase 4 Coach tickets and get a Mazda 3 or similar
-Purchase 2 Business class tickets and get a Mazda 6 or similar
Car Rentals provided by Thrifty.
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Travel is valid NYC-TEL AVIV-NYC, Add-ons available from most US cities.
Valid for bookings made between 5/21/13 – 5/24/13.
Restrictions may apply.
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For more info & to book, please call 877-SEE-TEL-AVIV, 212-986-7400‎ or email sales@globaltoursinc.com

Stackable Travelocity Hotel Coupons

Travelocity Hotels Linky

Get an automatic $50 statement credit when you spend $200 or more on a GoodBuy or Top Secret hotel booking from Travelocity:

-Sync your American Express card with your twitter account and get bonus savings.
-Step 1: Tweet #AmexTravelocityOffer
-Step 2: Click on @connect to confirm that you are registered.

Plus use one of the following coupon codes during the hotel booking process:
-Use the following code for $25 off $200: MEMORIAL25
Or
-Use the following code for $50 off $300: MEMORIAL50

HT: azhoopsfan, via DDF

40% Off Everything At The W Hotel Store, Including The W Hotel Exclusive Mattress

Update: The 40% off code is now dead. The best code now is 35% off: WSTAR35

W Hotel Store Linky

W Store Mattresses Linky

40% off code (Exp: 05/31): MDXTW

-Charge the W Mattress to your Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express or Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express and get double Starpoints, as with all Starwood expenditures!

-The mattress comes with a 10 year warranty.

Plush top mattresses prices:
Twin: Normally $849, now $509.40.
Full: Normally $959, now $575.40.
Queen: Normally $1,059, now $635.40.
Cal King: Normally $1,379, now $827.40.
King: Normally $1,379, now $827.40.

Plush top mattress+box spring prices:
Twin: Normally $1,059, now $635.40.
Full: Normally $1,269, now $761.40.
Queen: Normally $1,379, now $827.40.
Cal King: Normally $1,769, now $1,061.40.
King: Normally $1,769, now $1,061.40.

The 40% off works on everything in the W store, but only the beds have free shipping as well.

Tax is only charged for deliveries to New York.

HT: YankyDoodle, via DDF

Jamba Juice: Buy One Smoothie, Get One Free!

Coupon Linky (Exp: 06/02)

Disclaimer: Ask your local orthodox rabbi about the kashrus status of jamba juice.  They do have a dedicated fresh squeezed orange juice machine and you can request fresh squeezed orange juice to be used as the only filler for any fruit only drink.

HT: far rockaway, via DDF

Open A New Snapfish Account And Get A $5 8×11 Custom Cover Hardcover Photo Book

Update: Existing customers can login via the link below to also get the photobook for just $5+ shipping!

Snapfish Offer Linky

No code is required. Just use the link above to open a new account and the offer will apply automatically.
Shipping will add $7.99
Normal price is $29.99+shipping.
Expires 06/30.

Discount Mags Magazine Subscription Deals

These prices are valid for today only.

-Reader’s Digest Magazine for $4.99 per year.

-The Atlantic Magazine for $4.99 per year.

Groupon: Save 50% At Pitopia Restaurant In Manhattan

Update: Alive again!

Update: Dead
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Groupon: Save 50% At Pitopia Restaurant In Manhattan

OU Kosher.
1369 Broadway
New York, New York 10018
(212) 792-6765

-Choose between $20 for $10 or $12 for $6.
-Expires 90 days after purchase.
-Limit 1 per person, may buy 2 additional as gifts. Limit 1 per table.
-Not valid for delivery.
-Must use promotional value in 1 visit.

Amazon Mom Appreciation Event

Update: Amazon has added more items to the sale like the Graco Pack ‘n Play Playard with Cuddle Cove Rocking Seat, normally $199.99, on sale for $169.99, and now $135.99 with the 20% off.

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Originally posted on 05/09:

Amazon Mom Appreciation Event Linky

Save 20% on purchases from items included in the event with code: BABY0513

-Amazon Mom subscription is required for savings. Amazon Mom members get 20% off diapers and wipes year-round as well as these appreciation sales multiple times per year.

-Save on thousands of eligible baby products in select colors and styles, for up to $100 in total savings.
-Expires 11:59 PM PST on May 31, 2013.
-If you join Amazon Mom or Prime after this promotion has started on May 8, 2013, you will need to wait 24 hours for the promo code to become active.

-The highly rated Britax Boulevard 70 convertible carseat is just $182.76 after the 20% off.
Compare to $329.99 at Buy Buy Baby!

-The top rated (by Consumer Reports) Chicco 30 Infant Carseat bundled with the Chicco travel system stroller is $280 after 20% off.
-The Chicco Liteway Stroller is $111.99 after 20% off.
-The Motorola Wireless Video Baby Monitor with 2.4″ Color LCD and Infrared Night Vision is $120 after 20% off.
-The Skip Hop Grand Central Diaper Bag is $61 after 20% off.
-The Summer Infant SwaddlePod is $7.80 after 20% off.

Post a comment of what you’ll be buying!

HT: noturbizniss, via DDF

20% Off One Item At H&M

Coupon Linky (Exp: 05/27)

You can print the coupon or show it on your phone.

Disclaimer: The link above contains a non-tznius picture.

Free Sample Pack Of 6 Varieties Of Nescafe Tasters Choice

Free Sample Pack Of 6 Varieties Of Nescafe Tasters Choice

-Limit one sample pack per person and maximum two sample packs per household or address.
-Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery.

HT: ybeeds, via DDF

Express: 40% Off Everything Plus Stackable $25 Off $100 Or $50 Off $200 Coupon!

Update: The $25/$50 off code is now dead.

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Express.com Linky

Express.com Clearance Linky

Everything on the Express site (regular and clearance) is currently 40% off! That savings is taken off automatically in your cart.
Plus you can save an additional $25 off $100+ orders or $50 off $200+ orders with code: 1665

Orders that are $125+ after all discounts receive free shipping, otherwise shipping is $8.

ASUS 15.6″ Core i5 Thin And Light Laptop For Just $499 Shipped From Amazon

Buy this laptop on an American Express card like the American Express® Premier Rewards Gold Card, Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express or Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express OPEN and you’ll get a 2nd year of top notch warranty coverage from AMEX for free! Have a problem with the laptop during the AMEX warranty year? AMEX will pay to fix the problem or refund the entire purchase price of your laptop, free of any hassle!

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ASUS 15.6″ Core i5 Laptop Linky

This is a $130 price drop from yesterday and it’s the lowest price ever for this laptop on Amazon.

It also comes with a free 1-year accidental damage protection warranty!

-Beyond being extra thin and light, the new ASUS S56CA-WH51 Ultrabook pack a full feature set in just 0.83-inches. The cool grey hairline design expresses a personal professional approach. One-piece molded top casing reinforces notebook strength and rigidity, and the entire style embodies subtlety that meets all your performance portability needs.

Specs:
-3rd generation Intel Core i5-3317U processor with Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 Technology
-6 GB DDR3 RAM
-750 GB 5400 rpm Hard Drive+24 GB Solid-State Drive
-Instant on in 2 seconds, faster computingm and longer standby time with the efficiency of Super Hybrid Engine II SSD technology.
-ASUS SonicMaster Lite deliver more powerful sounds and richer bass to provide the best audio experience
-CD/DVD Burner
-802.11 b/g/n
-SD Card Reader
-HD Webcam

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Save on all your Amazon purchases! You can buy Amazon gift cards (as well as gift cards for airlines, hotels, clothing stores, gas stations, and much much more) at any Office Supply store with your Ink Bold, Ink Plus, or Ink Cash card to earn 5 points per dollar (worth roughly 9.5% back)!

For Q2 You can also purchase Amazon gift cards at Lowe’s with your Freedom card to earn 5 points per dollar!

HT: jj1000

Ashford.com Watch Specials

Concord Women’s La Scala Tonneau Watch
-Retails for $1,990, on sale for $795, now just $398 shipped with code (Exp: 05/28): DANSCALA398

Calvin Klein Jeans Men’s Continual Chronograph Watch
-Retails for $330, on sale for $182, now just $99 shipped with code (Exp: 05/28): DANSCHRONO99
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-2-year warranty on all watches
-30-day money back guarantee
-100% brand-new, authentic watches

Seamless Food Delivery Coupon Codes

Seamless Linky

Today only, all customers can use the following code for 15% off: GIMME15

New customers can always save $7 on orders of $15+ with code: FOOD7

Lots of kosher places are on Seamless. Post a comment on where will you be ordering from.

HT: far rockaway, via DDF

My MVP Cards

I have several dozen active credit cards (heck I have more than 2 dozen active cards just from AMEX and Chase) but only a handful are actually regularly used.  People always ask me which card is “best.”  Unfortunately there is no best card out there but by determining the value you get from spending you can figure out which cards will be best for you.

Some of the cards that I have that typically gather dust include The Platinum Card® from American Express and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express OPEN which have awesome benefits ($400 fee refund, global entry, 2 lounge membership programs, Starwood Gold status, etc) but aren’t what I would use for spending on a daily basis because of the lack of bonus categories.  The Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express and Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express  may give free luggage, but there’s no good reason to spend money on those cards as even if you want awful Delta Skypesos you can do better by spending on Starwood and transferring miles to Delta with a 25% bonus (though I sincerely hope you don’t!)
The Chase Chase British Airways card and the Citi Hilton Reserve has fantastic signup bonuses, but they’re just not compelling cards for my spending as their point values can’t compare with more valuable cards.

The Barclaycard Arrival World Mastercard has a very nice signup bonus and 2.2% back for spending isn’t bad for most people’s needs, but I personally prefer earning airline miles. I prefer real airline miles (or points transferable to real airline miles like American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, or Starwood Starpoints) because they allow me to book expensive last minute domestic tickets that can otherwise cost over $1,000 for 9,000 miles or even less. I’d have to shell out over 100,000 bank miles for such a ticket. I also love airline miles because I can take business and first class trips that I could otherwise never afford. Spending $20,000 to fly in a suite is ludicrous but using 110,000 airlines miles is a steal. I’d need some 2 million bank miles to pull off such a trip!

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Here are the cards that I consider to be my Most Valuable Plastic as they’re the ones I go to depending on the purchase type.  Below I will endeavor to explain my target value system for each currency and how that helps me determine where every single one of my purchases is made in order to always maximize the value I get from every purchase.

-Chase Ink Bold Charge Card and Chase Ink Plus Credit Card
What’s great? The 50K signup bonus is fantastic of course and you can get both of these cards for each business that you run to keep expenses for each separate.
But what really shines on these cards are the bonus categories which is where I primarily use this card.
You earn that on internet/cable service and telecom purchases, so that’s a nice rebate when you purchase a new cell phone an off your cable bill. More importantly you also earn 5 points per dollar at office supply stores. With hundreds of gift cards sold by office supply stores you can earn a ton of miles for anything from buying gas, online shopping on Amazon or Groupon, buying clothes from Gap Inc, Kohl’s, Macy’s, Marshalls/TJMaxx, or Nordstrom, and much more. Plus you can buy $200 Visa gift cards that earn 1,000 points and can be uploaded to Bluebird or used for cash back, bill pay, money orders, etc.
Gas and dining purchases earn 2 points per dollar.
Fringe Benefits: No foreign transactions fees, 2 free lounge visits per user even on free additional user cards.
In dollar terms: I value Ultimate Rewards points at a minimum of 1.9 cents per dollar, so 5 points per dollar purchases mean a 9.5% rebate. 2 point per dollar purchases would mean a 3.8% rebate. I use this card for all of the 5x categories and for gas. I don’t use the card for 1 point per dollar purchases as they only earn 1.9%.

Yes, the Ink cards are business cards. But anyone can open a business (a little side income never hurts!) and there are several huge advantages that business cards have over consumer cards as you can read here.

For example if your name is Joe Smith and you want to sell or you do sell items on Ebay or on Amazon, or if you have any other side business/hobby and want a credit card to better keep track of business expenditures you can just open a business credit card for “Joe Smith Sole Proprietorship” as the business name. You don’t need to file any messy government paperwork to be allowed to do that.
Just be sure to select “Sole Proprietorship” as the business type and just use your social security number in the Tax Identification Number field as well as in the social security number field.

But most importantly the Ink cards are rare in that they offer awesome offer signup bonuses and awesome spend bonuses which makes them the current kings of the credit card world.
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-Chase United Club
From the United Explorer card you can click on the Club tab.
What’s great? I get this card free via SM but normally there’s a hefty $395 fee meant to cover the full United lounge membership, 2 free checked bags per person, and waived award expedite/close-in fees.
From a spending standpoint this card is great for everyday purchases as you earn 1.5 miles per dollar on everything.
While other cards offer more points per dollar on car rentals this card and the United Explorer card offer free primary car rental insurance in almost every country in the world besides Israel. In other words if you dent your rental car on other credit cards you’ll have to file a personal insurance claim and only if that’s rejected will the credit card coverage kick in. With the United cards you won’t have to ever inform your personal car insurance of the accident.
Fringe Benefits: Non-expiring miles, expanded saver, and last seat standard award availability.
In dollar terms: I value United miles at a minimum of 1.8 cents per dollar, so 1.5 miles per dollar mean a 2.7% rebate everywhere.  I use this card for most purchases over $25 unless I’m trying to hit spend thresholds elsewhere, the purchase is in a bonus category elsewhere, or it’s a purchase that I want to be covered by AMEX’s awesome purchase protections.
It’s worth bearing in mind that if you spend $25,000 in a year on the the United Explorer card that you get a 10,000 mile bonus, meaning that you will have earned 1.4 miles per dollar (2.52% at 1.8 cents per mile), or nearly as much as on the Club card if you stop spending there.
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-Chase Freedom
What’s great? On all versions of this fee-free card you get 5 points per dollar in rotating categories. Currently that includes Restaurants, Movie theaters, and Lowe’s. In July it will be Gas stations, Theme parks & Kohl’s. Lowe’s also sells gift cards to hundreds of other stores, which means you can earn 5 points per dollar there as well.
There are also 2 versions of Exclusives programs on this card if you also have a Chase checking account. The old program gives 10 bonus points monthly per transaction and 10% bonus points monthly on base spending. The new program gives 10% bonus points annually but it’s good even on bonus spending, so that means 5.5 points per dollar in the rotating categories. The catch here is that the bonus points are limited to $1,500 in spending per quarter, but if you’re like me and downgrade Sapphire cards into Freedom cards then you probably have a few cards and don’t need to worry about that.
In dollar terms: I value Ultimate Rewards points at a minimum of 1.9 cents per dollar, so 5 points per dollar purchases mean a 9.5% rebate.  I have the old Exclusives program so on a $10 purchase in a bonus category I earn 61 points or a 11.59% rebate.  Of course when I send a penny via Google Wallet I earn 11 miles or a 2,100% rebate :D
I use the card for all the 5x category purchases and for everyday purchases under $25 as a $20 purchase for example earns me 32 points or a 6.1% rebate.  When the everyday purchase is more than $25 I shift over to United Club which will offer more miles per dollar in those cases.
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-Chase Sapphire Preferred
What’s great? The 40K signup bonus is pretty great of course, but there are a plethora of bonus categories with this card to take advantage of.
-You earn 1.07 points per dollar spent and 2.14 points per dollar spent on restaurants, airfare, hotels, car rentals, charges in airports, travel agencies, caterers, timeshares, trains, buses, taxis/limos, ferries, bridges, tolls, and parking. On the first friday or every month you’ll earn 3.21 points per dollar on dining.
Fringe Benefits: No foreign transactions fees, no phone-tree to speak to a live rep, plus the heavy metal card is sweet looking. Convert the card to a Mastercard and you’ll get free primary car rental insurance in Israel.
In dollar terms: I value Ultimate Rewards points at a minimum of 1.9 cents per dollar, so 3.21 points per dollar purchases mean a 6.1% rebate. 2.14 point per dollar purchases would mean a 4.45% rebate.  I use this card for the 3.21x and 2.14x categories except for airfare which typically goes on AMEX and car rentals go on United though if I have time I’ll switch the car rental from United to Sapphire Preferred at the end of the rental (assuming I didn’t damage the rental car of course :D ). I don’t use the card for 1.07 point per dollar purchases as they only earn 2.03%.
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-Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express and Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express
What’s great? This used to be the best card out there. Now it faces serious competition. Still nothing ever comes close to the AMEX protections so whenever I buy an item that I might need to return, may need extended warranty coverage, is a final sale item, or that is from a merchant where it may need to be disputed this is my go-to card. Sure you only get 1 point per dollar but really that’s 1.25 miles per dollar as 20K points converts into 25K miles with dozens of airlines.  Or use the points for hotel stays with no capacity controls at high values.  On the business card you also get Open Savings benefits which means cash back on top of points at places like Hyatt, Hertz, HP, Microsoft, Fedex, OfficeMax.com, Barnes & Noble, and more.  That means it’s better to use your Starwood card at a domestic Hyatt over a Hyatt card.
Fringe Benefits: Having the card entitles you to room upgrades and 4pm late checkout.  It also gives you credit towards earning lite status. Plus for the past 3 years AMEX has allowed you to spend $25 for free on Small Business Saturday.  Free additional user cards also qualify for the $25.
In dollar terms: I value Starpoints at a minimum of 2.2 cents per dollar (which means I value the miles I get from the points at 1.76 cents per dollar), so 2 point per dollar purchases mean a 4.4% rebate and 1 point per dollar purchases mean a 2.2% rebate.  I use this card at Starwood hotels, on purchases that qualify for Open Savings, and for any purchases that may need any of the AMEX purchase protections.
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-American Express® Premier Rewards Gold Card and The Business Gold Rewards Card® from American Express OPEN
What’s great? The business card currently has a 50K signup bonus (bumpable to 75K)  The kicker with these cards are the bonus categories.  Both offer 3 points per dollar on airfare.  The consumer card offers double points on gas and groceries.  The business card offers double points on advertising, shipping, and gas.
Fringe Benefits: You can get a 15K annual point bonus on the consumer card by spending $30K in a year.  AMEX MR runs promotions throughout the year like the current 35% bonus for transfers to British Airways.
In dollar terms: I value Membership Rewards points at a minimum of 1.5 cents per dollar, so 3 point per dollar purchases mean a 4.5% rebate, and 2 point per dollar purchases mean a 3% rebate. Don’t forget that if you can get to $30K spend that you’ll bump those numbers significantly. I use the consumer card for airfare and groceries. The Ink cards are better for gas whether you buy gas gift cards or pay at the pump.

Sony Ultra High Speed SD Cards On Sale At Adorama

Sony 32GB UHS1 Class 10 SD Memory Card: $18.95 Shipped

Sony 64GB UHS1 Class 10 SD Memory Card: $36.95 Shipped

HT: Am, via DDF

Woot-Off Going On Now

Woot Off Linky

Kids Woot Off Linky

Home Woot Off Linky

Sport Woot Off Linky

Instead of selling 1 item for 24 hours, for the next 24-72 hours woot will be selling lots of stuff for very short periods of time-expect some very good deals-but don’t expect them to last more than a couple minutes!

Shipping is now $5 per order in your Woot cart.

Will this be the time you finally get a legendary BOC?

HT: sguitarist18, via DDF

Discount Mags Magazine Subscription Deals

These prices are valid for a limited time only.

-Popular Science Magazine for $4.99 per year.

-Wired Magazine for $4.99 per year.

Google Wallet Offering Free Credit Card Processing; Post In The DDF Conga Thread To Join!

DDF user Emkay reported on DDF 4 days ago that Google was integrating the ability to send money into Gmail.  DDF user magnus then posted that Google is temporarily not charging any fees to send or receive credit card payments.

The payment are considered a regular purchase and will earn miles.  You should probably avoid using Citibank cards however as they are notorious for changing online purchases into costly cash advances.

They’re rolling out the ability slowly, but if you receive a payment from someone you’ll be able to send money to anyone else within a few minutes.

I still don’t have the ability to send directly from Gmail, but once someone sent me a penny, a red “Send Money” button appeared when I went to http://wallet.google.com/

wallet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have created a temporary board on the DansDeals forums with conga lines where forum members can get in line to receive a penny from the person before them in line and then they will pass on a penny to the next guy once their account is enabled to send payments.

Of course I used my grandfathered Chase Freedom Exclusives card so that I’ll earn 11 miles for sending that penny :D

There is a hard limit of $9,999.99 that you can send at once.  If you try entering more than that you’ll get this cute message:

wallet2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While there doesn’t appear to be any limit on how much you can send in total, Google is not going to like it if you send very large amounts or if you pass money back and forth between accounts and they will likely close your Wallet accounts if you do that.  So take it easy and don’t go sending $5,000 to meet a spend threshold in one shot unless you’re willing to risk testing the limits and possibly losing your ability to use Google Wallet.  Hopefully they’ll warn you before closing your Wallet account but they don’t have to.

It’s unknown when the free processing promotion will expire.  Hopefully it will last for years like the $1,000 in free processing that Amazon Payments lets you do every month :D

You just gotta’ love the plethora of manufactured spend methods we have today to meet those climbing spend thresholds.  Between this new development, Amazon Payments, Bluebird, Vanilla Reloads, Vanilla Debit cards, Visa/MC gift cards with pins (that can earn you quintuple points and) that can be cashed out via WalMart ATMs, Bill Pay, or even Money Orders this is truly a golden era.  Perhaps not as scalable as those gold dollar coins I used to get by the truckload, but cards are a whole lot lighter than coins!

Using Gift Cards From Chase To Meet Spend Thresholds For Free

Update, 05/20: Just to confirm, I was able to purchase these gift cards to help meet the spend thresholds on an Ink Bold and Ink Plus card to earn another 100,000 points. It posted on the statement as a regular mileage earning purchase.
When I called to activate the card the system automatically gave me a pin number. I had no problem using the gift cards to fund my Bluebird cards at the WalMart ATM machine (which calls them WalMart MoneyCards) for free, though it took a couple of tries on one of the cards.

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Originally posted on 04/18:

Related posts:
-Having Fun Cashing Out Gift Cards
-Is Bluebird The Next Dollar Coin Churn?
-Another Flavor Of Vanilla: My Vanilla Debit Card
-Today’s Escapades
-Meeting A Spend Threshold In One Night.
-Need To Meet A Spending Threshold Deadline? Send And Receive $1,000/Month With No Fees Using Amazon Payments!

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Chase is currently offering gift cards with no initial fees and no shipping fees.

DDF user ckmk47 reports that he bought some, added a pin, and loaded them on his Bluebird card at Walmart for free.

Once it’s on your Bluebird card you can pay off any bill or credit card or write a check to anyone.

Alternatively once you have a pin for the card you can also use them at Walmart to pay off any credit bill for $1 or buy a money order for 70 cents (and you can split the money order or bill pay among 4 gift cards at a time) without going through Bluebird.

It’s a great way to meet the spend threshold on Chase cards as there are no fees at all with a Bluebird fund.  I just ordered $2,500 worth myself for complete the threshold spending on some more Ink cards.

-Chase cards with a $500 spend threshold include: Freedom Mastercard and Freedom Visa.

-Chase cards with a $1,000 spend threshold include: United Explorer, British Airways, Marriott Premier, and Hyatt.

-Chase cards with a $3,000 spend threshold include:Sapphire Preferred and Ink Cash.

-Chase cards with a $5,000 spend threshold include: Ink Bold and Ink Plus.

Groupon NYC: Get A One-Year Carpingo Car-Sharing Membership And $150 Rental Credit For Just $49

Update #2: Alive Again! If you did this deal last time it was around please share your experience in the comments!

Update: Sold Out.

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Originally posted on 04/10:

Groupon NYC: Get A One-Year Carpingo Car-Sharing Membership And $150 Driving Credit For Just $49

-$29 for a one-year car-sharing membership with $50 worth of driving credit (a $125 total value)
-$49 for a one-year car-sharing membership with $150 worth of driving credit (a $225 total value)
-Application and membership fees are included in both options.

-Carpingo car rentals run $5 an hour after midnight, $8 an hour on weekdays, and $11 an hour on weekends Rates include gas, insurance, and a free parking spot.

HT: Yoel, via DDF

Today Only: Office Max Halfway To Cyber Monday Sale

Office Max Halfway To Cyber Monday Sale Linky

Save up to 75% on iPod docks, printers, laptops, office chairs, desks, and more.  Shipping is free on $20+ orders.

Don’t forget to use your Ink Bold, Ink Plus, or Ink Cash card to earn 5 points per dollar (worth roughly 9.5% back)!

HT: akivacp, via DDF

50% Off Shutterfly Hardcover Photo Books!

Shutterfly Photo Books Linky

-Use the following code for 50% off hardcover photo books (Exp: 05/22): DADSGRADS

-Use the following code to get free shipping on $30+ orders: SHIP30
It can sometimes be worth adding additional pages to your book to get over $30 and get free shipping, though with 50% off additional pages it can be tricky to get to $30 without ordering a 2nd book!

We’re in love with Shutterfly’s 8×11 sized hardcover photobooks, we make an 8×11 book for every vacation we take (big bookcase ;) ).  They also make for great gifts for the grandparents.

Groupon NYC: Save 64% On Israel vs. Honduras Soccer Match At Citi Field

Groupon NYC: Save 64% On Israel vs. Honduras Soccer Match At Citi Field

-Sunday, June 2, at 5:30 p.m.
-Citi Field, 126-01 Roosevelt Ave. Flushing, New York 11368
-Doors open at 4 p.m.
-Ticket includes all fees.

-$12 for promenade endline seating in sections 401–402, 410–430, 501–502, or 510–532 (a $33 value)
-$39 for excelsior sideline seating in sections 306–312 or 334–339 (an $86 value)
-$69 for field sideline VIP seating in sections 110–112 or 136–138 (a $126 value)

HT: b haas

35% Off At Banana Republic

Banana Republic Linky

Use the following code for 35% off at Banana Republic on 05/20 only: BRSAVE

Valid on regular and sale priced items except Monogram, Heritage, Men’s Performance Collection, men’s suit jackets, men’s and women’s blazers, leather apparel, cashmere, designer collections & collaborations, men’s Gavin, Dawson & Emerson pants, Carlie & Ashley Flats, and men’s Digby & Owen shoes.

Shipping is free on $50+ orders or with any orders on a BR Luxe or Gap Silver card.

Return shipping is free on all orders or can be done in-store.

If you have an Ink Bold, Ink Plus, or Ink Cash card you can earn 5 Ultimate Rewards points (transferable to several airlines and hotels) per dollar spent at Banana Republic by buying Gap Inc gift cards at Office Depot or Staples.

HT: sb5917, via DDF

Air Canada/Delta/United: Washington DC To Tel Aviv For $638.97 Round-Trip With Tax!

-Bookable on Orbitz with full mileage earning and free cancellations until 10pm CT the day after you book.

- Earn 3 MR points per dollar with American Express® Premier Rewards Gold Card, 3 MR points per dollar with The Business Gold Rewards Card® from American Express OPEN, or 2.14 UR points per dollar with Chase Sapphire Preferred.

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This fare is valid on select dates between November 2013 and March 2014. Not valid for departures in December. Availability in January and February is excellent.

Flights on Air Canada are via Toronto, flights on Delta are via JFK, and flights on United are via Newark. You can’t get this fare from Toronto, JFK, or Newark you must pickup the first flight in Washington DC (DCA or IAD)  or else the rest of your itinerary will be cancelled.
You can book a one-way flight from JFK to DCA for just 4,500 Avios (that’s less than 3,500 AMEX MR points with the current 35% bonus).

Nobody will force you to take the last leg to Washington DC.

You will earn full miles for these fares.

Air Canada sample dates:
11/10-11/21
11/17-11/25
11/24-12/05 (Chanukah)
11/27-12/05 (Chanukah)
01/12-01/23
01/15-01/23
01/19-01/27
02/09-02/17

Delta sample dates:
01/12-01/23
01/15-01/23
01/19-01/27
01/27-02/06
03/02-03/11

United sample dates:
01/26-02/04
01/27-02/06
02/02-02/10
02/09-02/17
03/02-03/11
03/09-03/23 (Purim)

HT: EJB, via DDF

Free Bluebird Paper Checks Ends 05/21

Update: Checks will continue to be free through 08/13/13!

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Bluebird is the best thing since sliced bread.  It’s possibly never been easier to meet all of your spend threshold needs.

I’m not going to rehash info on Bluebird in this post, you can just read these posts instead:
-Using Gift Cards From Chase To Meet Spend Thresholds For Free
-Having Fun Cashing Out Gift Cards
-Is Bluebird The Next Dollar Coin Churn?
-Another Flavor Of Vanilla: My Vanilla Debit Card
-Today’s Escapades
-Meeting A Spend Threshold In One Night.
-Need To Meet A Spending Threshold Deadline? Send And Receive $1,000/Month With No Fees Using Amazon Payments!

At any rate there are numerous ways to cash out funds that are in your Bluebird account including paying off your credit card bill, paying your mortgage, sending a check electronically, and transferring money into a checking account.

Through this Tuesday only you can also order up to 100 checks for free.  Just login to your account, hover over “My Account” and click on “order Bluebird checks.”

bluebird

 

You do have to pre-authorize Bluebird paper checks online before they are cashed.

Get A Free 1 Year ShopRunner Membership Or Extension With An American Express Card!

Get A Free 1 Year ShopRunner Membership Or Extension With An American Express Card

ShopRunner provides for free 2nd day shipping and free return shipping to dozens of stores!

If you already have a Shoprunner account just click to signup, enter your AMEX card number (it won’t be charged), click on verify eligibility, click on complete account setup, and then click on “Sign-in to get your Free 1–year extension” right under where it says “Already a ShopRunner member?”

HT: jack12, via DDF

Today Only: $4.99 Sports And Fitness Magazine Subscriptions

$4.99 Sports And Fitness Magazine Subscriptions

This sale ends tonight.

If you pickup ESPN for $4.99 you’ll also receive ESPN.com’s awesome insider access for free. ESPN.com insider normally costs $40 for a yearlong subscription.

Disclaimer: The link above contains non-tznius pictures.

Canon PowerShot ELPH 520 For Just $109.99 Shipped From Best Buy!

Canon PowerShot ELPH 520 Linky

-World’s thinnest camera with a 12x Optical Zoom 28mm Wide-Angle lens with Optical Image Stabilizer
-Canon’s HS SYSTEM with a 10.1 MP CMOS Sensor with DIGIC 5 Image Processor (up to 3200 ISO)
-3.0-inch PureColor System LCD
-Smart AUTO with 58 predefined shooting scenarios and the new Face ID function
-Full 1080p HD Video in Stereo Sound with a dedicated Movie Button and HDMI Output for HDTV viewing
-10.1 effective megapixel, 1/2.3-inch high-sensitivity CMOS sensor
-3-inch TFT PureColor system LCD with wide-viewing angle
-DIGIC 5 Image Processor
-Full 1080p HD video with stereo sound and dedicated movie button
-28mm wide-angle lens (12x optical zoom, approx. 4x digital zoom and 48x combined zoom) with optical image stabilizer

Currently $155 on Amazon.

HT: sb5917, via DDF

Save An Additional 40% Off Gap Sale Items

Gap Linky

Use the following code for 40% off already discounted sale items (Exp: 05/19): GAPSALE

You can also save 30% off everything at Banana Republic with code (Exp: 05/19): BRTAKE30

If you have an Ink Bold, Ink Plus, or Ink Cash card you can earn 5 Ultimate Rewards points (transferable to several airlines and hotels) per dollar spent by buying Gap Inc gift cards at Office Depot or Staples.

Avis SUV Rental Savings

Update, 05/17: Just a reminder that this deal is still valid for another month.

Originally posted on 04/17:

Avis SUV Rental Savings Linky

-Book an intermediate SUV for just $23 per weekend day or $169 per week.
-Book an standard SUV for just $26 per weekend day or $179 per week.
-Use AWD Number D039700 to take advantage of this offer.

Additionally you can use the following coupon code (Click on “add a coupon”) for $30 off a 5+ day rental, dropping the weekly rate down to just $139 or $149: MUGA062
Or save $40 off a 10+ day rental with code: MUGA063

-Offer can be reserved now for pickup through 06/15/13 at participating Avis locations in the contiguous U.S. excluding the NY Metro area.
-Weekly rates require a five consecutive day minimum rental and a 14-day maximum rental.
-To use this offer, reservation must be booked 24 hours in advance of pickup.
-Blackout dates apply.
-Taxes, concession recovery fees, vehicle license recovery fee, customer facility charges may apply and are extra.

HT: jj1000, via DDF

Current Vente-Privee Sales

Update, 1:40pm: The $48 spinning globe cufflinks are now sold out!

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Vente-Privee Signup Linky (And thanks for allowing me to refer you!)

Several women have ventured onto the DansDeals Forums to complain that they have a hard time figuring out what to buy for their husbands. Vente-Privee has some great deals for men running today and they are all sure to be a Father’s Day hit!

Shipping is free for $100+ orders that are charged to your AMEX card.  Otherwise shipping is $5.95.  You can combine items from multiple different sales to reach free shipping.

Return labels can be requested for 21 days from when the item is shipped.  A return shipping label costs $6 but is free if there is any problem with your item or if your order doesn’t arrive by the delivery date window.

“vente-privee is a joint venture between American Express and vente-privee.com. The site features member-only sales events with premium European and American brands at up to 70 percent off. Each day’s sale will begin at 10am EST and items will often sell out quickly!

Sample brands on sale now:

-Versace Ties that retail for $135 are just $39-$45.

-Trafalgar belts, ties, wallets, and more are available from just $25.

-Link Up Cufflinks that normally sell for $125-$175 are just $48-$58.
A pair like globes that actually spin (I have these and love ‘em!), functional watch or compass cufflinks, magnetic golf game cufflinks, airplane cufflinks that also come with bonus Tuxedo studs, or dozens of other novelty designs will make for a fantastic father’s day present!

vp

vp1

 

 

 

 

 

-Creative Sound Blaster Speakers that Amazon sells for $95 are just $49 from VP. A higher end model that is $189 on Amazon is just $125 from VP.

Groupon NYC: $15 For $30 At Nu Cafe Boro Park

Groupon NYC: $15 For $30 At Nu Cafe Boro Park

HT: 972sg212, via DDF

Air Canada/United: Los Angeles To Tel Aviv For $712.97 Round-Trip With Tax

-Bookable on Orbitz with full mileage earning and free cancellations until 10pm CT the day after you book.

- Earn 3 MR points per dollar with American Express® Premier Rewards Gold Card, 3 MR points per dollar with The Business Gold Rewards Card® from American Express OPEN, or 2.14 UR points per dollar with Chase Sapphire Preferred.

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It’s been one crazy day for cheap flights to Israel and though I’m just about head into 49 hours of Shavuos with no internet access I’d be remiss not to make a quick posting for folks on the west coast.

This fare is valid on select dates between November 2013 and March 2014. Departures are not available in December.

A United flight will earn 16,292 miles!

United sample dates:
11/21-12/05 (Chanukah)
11/24-12/03 (Chanukah)
11/25-12/05 (Chanukah)
11/26-12/09 (Chanukah)
11/26-12/10 (Chanukah)
02/02-02/10
03/10-03/25 (Purim)

Air Canada sample dates:
01/09-01/23
01/19-01/27

HT: marko, via DDF

“Hacking” A Newark To Tel Aviv Nonstop For $925.97 Round-Trip…

Not everyone wants to connect in Turkey…but a nonstop flight to Israel currently runs at least $1,208 for this winter.

If you’re creative though you can manufacture a cheaper ticket, though the airlines may not like it and they may punish people who abuse hidden city ticketing repeatedly, so don’t do this every month.

There are currently flights from Chicago and Houston to Tel Aviv from November-March for under $650 on United.

You can use the Travelocity multi-destination search page and search for NYC-TLV (in flight #1) on 11/24/13 and then TLV-IAH or TLV-ORD (in flight #2) on 12/05/13.  That puts you in the holy land for Chanukah.

You can choose a nonstop on United from Newark to Tel Aviv. For the return on 12/05 you can select a United flight from Tel Aviv to Chicago or Houston connecting in Newark.  Your bags will be tagged to Chicago or Houston but everyone, whether their destination is NYC or anywhere else in the world, must pickup their luggage in Newark on the return and bring it through customs. At that point you can either recheck your bags or just leave the airport.

ord

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the red square is a flight that nobody is going to force you to board.

The price using this “hack” is $925.97, a $282 savings off the regular nonstop fare.  Now the price for Chicago-Tel Aviv via NYC is another $287 less than that, but this allows you to fly nonstop both ways and realize part of that fare differential without flying to Chicago to start the trip.  Of course you can always just fly to Chicago for 7,500 Avios to save yourself another $287 per person.

Or of course you can just go to Chicago, enjoy a fantastic dinner at Shallot’s Bistro or Milt’s BBQ and then use 7,500 Avios to fly back to NYC.

Of course this will work for other dates as well.  For example 01/26-02/03 or 02/16-02/24 or dozens of other dates.  The key to finding valid dates is searching for cheap flights from Chicago or Houston to Tel Aviv with flexible dates.  The outbound flight date doesn’t need to be cheap from Chicago but the return flight date does need to be on a cheap date.  Once you find a cheap return date just use the Travelocity multi-destination search and plugin any outbound date and any of the cheap return dates to Chicago or Houston. Read about using ITA Software here and use the following advanced routing code to limit the calendar search to United flights that connect in Newark: UA, UA

ita5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Air Canada/United: Chicago To Tel Aviv For Just $638.97 Round-Trip With Tax

-Bookable on Orbitz with full mileage earning and free cancellations until 10pm CT the day after you book.

- Earn 3 MR points per dollar with American Express® Premier Rewards Gold Card, 3 MR points per dollar with The Business Gold Rewards Card® from American Express OPEN, or 2.14 UR points per dollar with Chase Sapphire Preferred.

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This fare is valid on select dates between November 2013 and March 2014.
Flight on Air Canada are via Toronto, flights on United are via Newark. You can’t get this fare from Toronto or Newark you must pickup the first flight in Chicago or else the rest of your itinerary will be cancelled.
You can book a one-way flight to Chicago for just 7,500 Avios (that’s less than 6,000 AMEX MR points with the current 35% bonus).

You will earn full miles for these fares.

Sample valid dates (Plenty of others are available as well):
-11/24-12/05 (Chanukah)
-12/02-12/11 (Chanukah)
-12/09-12/17
-01/15-01/23
-01/26-02/03
-01/19-01/27
-02/09-02/17
-02/16-02/24
-02/23-03/09
-03/02-03/11
-03/09-03/17

HT: WhyAich, via DDF

Turkish: JFK To Tel Aviv For $651.57 Round-Trip With Tax!

Update: DEAD!

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-Bookable on Orbitz with free cancellations until 10pm CT the day after you book.

- Earn 3 MR points per dollar with American Express® Premier Rewards Gold Card, 3 MR points per dollar with The Business Gold Rewards Card® from American Express OPEN, or 2.14 UR points per dollar with Chase Sapphire Preferred.

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This fare is valid on select dates between November 2013 and March 2014. Departures are not available in December.

This is valid for flights originating in NYC only.  It is not valid for flights originating in Tel Aviv.

The flight times work out very well with connections in Turkey that are as short as 1 hour to Israel and 75 minutes on the return:

tk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turkish does not award miles on their ultra-cheap fares, so you will not earn miles for these flights.

Sample valid dates (Plenty of others are available as well):
-11/03-11/18
-11/17-12/01 (Chanukah)
-11/26-12/09 (Chanukah)
-01/12-01/21 (Tu B’Shvat)
-01/19-01/27
-01/26-02/02
-02/03-02/16 (Purim Katan)
-02/16-02/23
-02/23-03/02
-03/02-03/09
-03/10-03/24 (Purim)

If you’re nervous about being an Orthodox Jew transiting Istanbul know that thousands of people have done it without issue. Or just take a look on DDF…
-Galitzyaner davened with his tefilin in the open in the airport and reports that the kosher food served on Turkish was great.
-Cw3323 davened on the plane and loved the Wi-Fi and other amenities in coach
-Mordy788 confirms that the kosher food from Istanbul is better than the slop from JFK. He is a travel agent who has booked numerous travelers via Istanbul without issue and has done it himself with only positive experiences-including davening on he plane.
-YakovT booked coach but was upgraded for free to comfort class which has received rave reviews.
-bb_sam reports that he prefers flying with Turkish with a stop to Toronto over flying nonstop on El Al to Toronto and that the Turkish lounge is one of the best in the world.
-You can access that lounge with a United Club card or if you have Star Alliance Gold status.

HT: MEIR613 via DDF and stockmanjr via FT
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Join the 13,800+ people who follow @DansDeals on twitter and you’ll get a tweet when a deal is posted on DansDeals.com!
You can even set up your mobile device to receive text messages (and choose which hours of the night not to bother you) and you’ll be the first to know about every deal. After setting up your device be sure to opt into mobile notifications from DansDeals (it’s in the drop-down menu next to the blue “Following” button), so that you will never again be kicking yourself for missing another deal!

Aeroplan Transfer Bonuses Are Back

Update, 05/13: This promotion ends today.

Originally posted on 04/15:

Related links:
-Air Canada Award Flight Chart

-Starwood Mileage Transfers
-Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express
-Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express OPEN
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Aeroplan Transfer Bonus Offer Details

Through May 13th you can get bonus points for transferring points to Air Canada’s Aeroplan program.

Unfortunately the bonus does not apply for American Express Membership Rewards transfers, but it does work for Starwood transfers.  Starwood gives 25K Aeroplan miles for every 20K Starpoints transferred.
-If you transfer 5K Starwood you’ll have 6K Aeroplan (effective 20% bonus)
-If you transfer 10K Starwood you’ll have 12K Aeroplan (effective 20% bonus)
-If you transfer 20K Starwood you’ll have 29K Aeroplan (effective 45% bonus)
-If you transfer 40K Starwood you’ll have 60K Aeroplan (effective 50% bonus)
-If you transfer 80K Starwood you’ll have 125K Aeroplan (effective 56.25% bonus)
-If you transfer 120K Starwood you’ll have 190K Aeroplan (effective 58.33% bonus)

120K Starwood points will get you more than enough Aeroplan miles for 2 people to fly round-trip business class to Europe on highly rated Star Alliance carrier Swiss with no fuel surcharges.  Plus you’re free to fly to and stay in 3 cities for as long as you want for the same mileage rate!

Of course there are many other options for your Starpoints, so you’ll have to consider if a 25% bonus to American (or dozens of other airlines) may serve you better than a 58% bonus to Aeroplan as you can transfer Membership Rewards to Aeroplan but not to American. Or whether you may do better just redeeming for free hotel stays.

Then again if you’re feeling creative you can transfer 120K Starwood into 190K Aeroplan and then use Points.com to transfer 190K Aeroplan into 159,622 USAirways miles.  That’s 9,622 more miles than you would get if you transferred directly from Starwood into USAirways.  There are no fuel surcharges on any partner airlines with USAirways.  Soon you will also be able to transfer USAirways miles into American miles as well.

A breakdown of Aeroplan policies:

The good:
-Air Canada has one of the best lap child policies out there. You pay a flat fee of just $50 in coach, $100 in business, and $125 in first for a lap child. Compare that to 10% of the paid fare with other airlines and you can save a small fortune, especially if you are flying in business or first class.
-Air Canada generously allows for 2 free stopovers, so you can check out up to 2 cities for as long as you want in addition to your final destination.  If used properly you can create for yourself a mini round-the-world trip, all for the single award rate of flying to your final destination. So for just 90K miles you can fly in business class to 3 European cities and stay in each for as long as you want. Or for 135K miles you can fly down under in business, with stops in Europe and in Asia along the way for example.
-There are no expedite/close-in fees.

The bad:
-There is a $90 charge to change or cancel an award ticket and a $180 charge to cancel within 21 days of departure. (The $90 cancellation price when done at least 21+ days in advance actually is pretty good)
-One-way awards cost about 2/3rds of the award cost of a round-trip.
-Awards can’t be held.
-For travel to Israel the coach rate is the same 80K as United and USAirways charge, but you need 135K in business (compared to 120K with United or USAirways) and 190K for first class via Europe (compared to 150K with United or 180K with USAirways). Some people have been able to fly to Israel for less by using Tel Aviv as a stopover point on the way to Asia.

The ugly:
-Air Canada charges a fuel surcharge if you redeem their miles for travel on the following carriers: Adria, Air Canada, ANA, Asiana, Austrian, LOT Polish, Lufthansa, TAP Portugal, and THAI. (There is no fuel surcharge if you redeem their miles for travel on the following carriers: Aegean, Air China, Air New Zealand, Avianca/TACA, Brussels, Copa, Croatia, EgyptAir, Ethiopian, SAS, Singapore, South African, Swiss, TAM, Turkish, United, and USAirways)
-Air Canada miles require activity every 12 months to keep them active. They also expire 7 years after they are earned regardless of activity.

HT: Shimmy P.

The Best Cards From Barclays Bank

Barclays bank has several great credit card offers. Best of all they typically pull from your Transunion credit report.  Most banks pull from Experian though this does vary by state.  If you are NJ or NY based you shouldn’t have almost any credit pulls on your Transunion report if you don’t have Barclays bank cards.

I have done successful 4BMs with Barclays in the past. If you are denied you can call reconsideration at 866-408-4064.

The Lufthansa Premier Miles & More World MasterCard offers 20K miles for spending $1 and another 30K miles for spending $5,000 within 3 months.  This means you’ll have 55,000 miles after meeting the spend threshold.

Lufthansa miles have a few sweet uses.  You can fly on Star Alliance partner United in domestic first class (on 2 class planes) or domestic business class (on 3 class planes) for just 17,000 miles each way with no fuel surcharges.  United flies several planes a day between JFK or Newark and Los Angeles or S. Francisco that have lie-flat seats in business class.  Plus you can still order hot kosher meals on these routes.  United charges 25,000 of their own miles each way for these seats, so you’ll save 8,000 miles each way via Lufthansa.

Remember to book one-way flights as a round-trip business class is 35,000 but they charge half the price and round down for one-way so it’s only 17,000 each way.

You can also always transfer 20,000 Starwood points into 25,000 Lufthansa miles if you need more miles.

Domestic first class on a 3 class plane is 50,000 miles round-trip though United’s 3 class first class on the JFK to Los Angeles or S. Francisco routes are being phased out.  United charges 70,000 of their own miles round-trip for these seats, so you’ll save 20,000 miles via Lufthansa.

A one-way coach ticket in the US will run 12,000 miles.

Business class to Europe is 52,000 miles each way and there are no fuel surcharges on USAirways (which has a very nice Envoy Suite in business) and Lot Polish (which flies 787s with an excellent business class to Warsaw.)

Coach to Israel is 40K each way and business class is 67K each way, again with no fuel surcharges nonstop on USAirways from Philadelphia.

The only current way to book Swiss First Class is with Miles & More.  I flew it a few years ago when it was still bookable with partner miles and it was fantastic. However it’s quite pricey now at 85,000 miles plus fuel surcharges each way.

Barclays cards can be churned though, so you can always start saving up.

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The Barclaycard Arrival World Mastercard Linky offers 40,000 points for spending $1,000 within 90 days.

It’s one of the best cashback cards out there and it offers a nice signup bonus unlike the other cashback cards.

The card gives 2 “miles” for every dollar you spend plus a 10% refund when you redeem miles so that you effectively earn 2.2 “miles” per dollar spent.  The 10% refund means that the 40,000 points signup bonus is really 44,000 points as you’ll get 4,000 of those points back after you redeem the points for a cash refund.  Of course when you redeem those 4,000 points you’ll also get a 400 point refund, etc. The 10% refund posts within 1-2 weeks of making a redemption.

Miles is a misnomer, really they just mean cents with each mile being worth 1 cent. The way it works is you book travel via any booking site and then you can just go online to your Barclays account and request that the purchase be refunded using your points. You can refund any purchase that is categorized as “Airlines, Travel Agencies & Tour Operators, Hotels, Motels & Resorts, Cruise Lines, Passenger Railways and Car Rental Agencies.”

So if you spend $420 on a plane ticket and have 42,000 points from opening the card and spending $1,000 you’ll be able to get a $420 cash refund.

2.2% cash back on all of your spending is excellent, but still I personally prefer real airline miles over bank miles. However this card is probably the best you’ll get for bank miles and can make sense for some depending on what kind of travel you book.

The no annual fee version of the card also has no foreign transaction fees.  It only has a 20,000 point signup bonus though that also will receive a 10% point refund with every redemption.

People have been able to book a refundable travel itinerary to get their points converted to cash without actually traveling.

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My affiliate link for the USAirways card offer 30,000 miles for spending $1 though this link (which I have not tested but others have) should give 35,000 miles.

With USAirways merging with American these will soon be converted over to American miles.  In the meantime there are several sweet spots on the USAirways award chart like off-peak awards and on the Star Alliance award chart like 90,000 miles in business for a round-trip to Asia or 110,000 miles in business for a round-trip to Australia.

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-The Virgin America card only offers 10,000 points for spending $1.

Now 10K signup miles typically isn’t even a good offer, but their award chart is interesting.  You can fly coach on Singapore from JFK to Frankfurt for just 20,000 miles round-trip or to Asia for just 35,000 miles round-trip with no fuel surcharges.  Other airlines charge double or triple that.

I flew Singapore in coach (as well as in their awesome business and suites class products) and it’s fantastic, like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.  Coach passengers get amenity kits, free drinks, fantastic kosher meals (the best I ever had on a plane), and kids even get free toys!  Service was awesome and much better than what I’ve had in business class on domestic carriers.  Of course it helped that I grabbed an empty row of 4 seats all to myself!

You can also fly from Las Vegas, Los Angeles, S. Diego, S. Francisco, S. Jose, Sacramento, Seattle, Phoenix, or Portland to Kailua-Kona on partner airline Hawaiian for just 15,000 miles round-trip with no fuel surcharges. Once on the awesome Big Island of Hawaii you can see an active volcano erupting or drive up Mauna Kea to see one of the most stunning sunsets and clear starry night skies that you’ll ever experience. Spend $5K on the card and the round-trip will be free.

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