I just got an email reminding me that I hadn't been to emiles in a while. Not a revelation, since I get this email about once per week.
What caught my eye, however, was that my account went inactive and my points were about to expire. Oops, can't have that. I logged back in and did one of the clicks.
Emiles is one of the easiest GS hits and, since you can get either Hilton points or US Airways points, it's actually worth two hits, although getting enough Hilton points to transfer to US Airways for a hit would involve a thousand clicks. You can speed it up by signing up for the 10-15 point offers, but be sure to use an email address that is not vital to avoid all the spam.
Bottom line: because it's so simple, it's easy to forget about it. Don't.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
More eRewards!
Okay, you're gonna get sick of hearing about eRewards, but I've been getting a bunch of them over the past week, so keep at it in preparation for GS12. I'm up to $28, which is about 5-10% of what I believe I will ultimately need, but a good start.
Note: DO NOT just click random answers. They have filters to grab people who are doing surveys faster than humanly possible and/or giving highly inconsistent answers. Get caught enough times and they'll shut you off.
Note: DO NOT just click random answers. They have filters to grab people who are doing surveys faster than humanly possible and/or giving highly inconsistent answers. Get caught enough times and they'll shut you off.
Friday, November 18, 2011
e-rewards surveys coming in, so start now!
e-rewards tends to go in fits and starts. Over the past several days, I have gotten lucky and qualified for one or two, along with a few that booted me. Take advantage of the surveys while you can, since you may not see another one for a while.
Why start now? $7,500 gets you 4,500 Club Carlson points. $100 in e-rewards currency can get you any of the following: 4,000 Choice points, 4,000 La Quinta points, 4,000 Priority Club points or 7,000 Hilton points. What do those all have in common? Not a single one will get you enough points for a hit. Furthermore, there may be limitations on the number of transfers to a particular partner in a quarter, which means you need to get these transferred by the end of September to be able to get a second transfer in during the third quarter to top off your balances. And let's not forget the 500 emiles you can get for $25 e-dollars or the actual US Airways hit you can get for transferring 25 e-dollars.
The bottom line is this: You are going to need several hundred e-dollars to convert to hotel points to max out on these hits. True, there are easier ways to get those hotel points, but e-rewards is consistent. The good news is that there is a lot of time between now and next September, so get crackin!
Why start now? $7,500 gets you 4,500 Club Carlson points. $100 in e-rewards currency can get you any of the following: 4,000 Choice points, 4,000 La Quinta points, 4,000 Priority Club points or 7,000 Hilton points. What do those all have in common? Not a single one will get you enough points for a hit. Furthermore, there may be limitations on the number of transfers to a particular partner in a quarter, which means you need to get these transferred by the end of September to be able to get a second transfer in during the third quarter to top off your balances. And let's not forget the 500 emiles you can get for $25 e-dollars or the actual US Airways hit you can get for transferring 25 e-dollars.
The bottom line is this: You are going to need several hundred e-dollars to convert to hotel points to max out on these hits. True, there are easier ways to get those hotel points, but e-rewards is consistent. The good news is that there is a lot of time between now and next September, so get crackin!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
What's next? Preparing for GS12
So now that I'm essentially done with GS11, I've decided to keep this blog open and start preparing for GS12. Granted, it could all be for naught, since they may not run the promo next year, or it may be so different that nothing from this year applies. My suspicion is that we will see the promo again, but with more restrictions added regarding minimum purchases and what counts/doesn't count. That means you, Audience Rewards.
Now is the time to start preparing. Yes, now. eRewards is your friend. You're going to need several hundred eRewards dollars if you want to convert them into hotel points for later transfer, so get started. It seems intimidating at first, since you start at zero (if you can even get an invite) and don't often qualify for surveys, but you'll thank yourself later. And yes, I'll put it out there one more time: the new blog focuses solely on hotel points. By the time GS12 rolls around, you'll easily have enough for several transfers. I put up one opportunity today that may get you almost halfway to the Radisson hit, no money required. I promise, that's the last of the self-promotion for today.
Emiles is an easy hit. Start it today.
I'll be posting my progress as I go along. Obviously, the postings won't be as frequent, but I will show up. Stay with me in the journey to next year.
Now is the time to start preparing. Yes, now. eRewards is your friend. You're going to need several hundred eRewards dollars if you want to convert them into hotel points for later transfer, so get started. It seems intimidating at first, since you start at zero (if you can even get an invite) and don't often qualify for surveys, but you'll thank yourself later. And yes, I'll put it out there one more time: the new blog focuses solely on hotel points. By the time GS12 rolls around, you'll easily have enough for several transfers. I put up one opportunity today that may get you almost halfway to the Radisson hit, no money required. I promise, that's the last of the self-promotion for today.
Emiles is an easy hit. Start it today.
I'll be posting my progress as I go along. Obviously, the postings won't be as frequent, but I will show up. Stay with me in the journey to next year.
Hit #37 posts. Pshaw...
No waiting this one out for me. Hit #37 posted today, so I'm pretty sure that I'll be getting those last 20,000 miles. Total cost for the promo? Just a hair under 0.52c per mile. And lots of fun.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
And it's over! Part II
Hilton hit. 36 hits achieved, another 20,000 miles to make their way to my US account. 100,000 total. The insurance hit, which will post Thursday, won't be necessary. Rats, I could have used that hotel stay to earn my 50,000 Radisson points as discussed here. Surprisingly, they still haven't gotten 50,000 sign-ups.
I wonder what I'll do with all my free time now. Start preparing for GS12, perhaps? I'm already building up the erewards points and really should get to work on emiles, but for now, I'm just going to think about where SQ is going to take me.
Thanks to those of you who have checked out the new blog. It's been fun to write and I hope that you will continue to follow it.
I wonder what I'll do with all my free time now. Start preparing for GS12, perhaps? I'm already building up the erewards points and really should get to work on emiles, but for now, I'm just going to think about where SQ is going to take me.
Thanks to those of you who have checked out the new blog. It's been fun to write and I hope that you will continue to follow it.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
And it's over!
Grand Slam 2011 has come to an end. Don't worry, there's still plenty of time for those hits to count. I'm still waiting on one of two, but you could have hits posting for the next several months, so don't fret!
Monday, November 14, 2011
Still waiting...
It's not quite "excruciating," but I'd like to get that 36th hit securely over the finish line. Is that mixing metaphors? I don't know if that's allowed on the internet.
The Hilton stay hit my Hilton account and now I'm waiting for it to get over to US Airways. And then I'll be done with this friggin' promo for another year.
Mysuitepoints.com is up and running and I'm having fun posting promos that you may or may not be interested in. But I encourage you to visit, since it makes me feel good.
The Hilton stay hit my Hilton account and now I'm waiting for it to get over to US Airways. And then I'll be done with this friggin' promo for another year.
Mysuitepoints.com is up and running and I'm having fun posting promos that you may or may not be interested in. But I encourage you to visit, since it makes me feel good.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Stuck at 35 for now...
But it should come to an end on Thursday, when my Hertz hit posts, if not before then.
I stayed in the Doubletree on Washington Street in Boston the other night as my safety hit and I'll give them credit where credit is due. I have no status at Hilton but my wife is Diamond. We were staying under my number, but when we mentioned that my wife is Diamond, they gave her a Diamond amenity and free internet access, anyway. Granted, the amenity is only two bottles of water and a couple of bags of fruit snacks, but we both appreciated the gesture.
Meanwhile, I'm continuing to focus most of my time on getting mysuitepoints.com up and running.
I stayed in the Doubletree on Washington Street in Boston the other night as my safety hit and I'll give them credit where credit is due. I have no status at Hilton but my wife is Diamond. We were staying under my number, but when we mentioned that my wife is Diamond, they gave her a Diamond amenity and free internet access, anyway. Granted, the amenity is only two bottles of water and a couple of bags of fruit snacks, but we both appreciated the gesture.
Meanwhile, I'm continuing to focus most of my time on getting mysuitepoints.com up and running.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
The new hotel blog is up!
And as an added bonus, it has a cool name: mysuitepoints.com. Get it? "Sweet?" "Suite?" Okay, let's face it, all the good names were gone, so I went for a cute pun. It will focus exclusively on hotel point opportunities, which aren't as numerous as airlines in terms of points, making them a little more fun to manipulate.
This site is a major work in progress. I'm going to try to post daily, just to get into the flow of things, but I'm looking for questions, comments and observations. I encourage you to check it frequently and make it a part of your daily grind. Of course, I'm a little biased.
This site is a major work in progress. I'm going to try to post daily, just to get into the flow of things, but I'm looking for questions, comments and observations. I encourage you to check it frequently and make it a part of your daily grind. Of course, I'm a little biased.
The sweep has happened
At this point, it is academic, but another 35,000 miles made their way into my account, with the 32 hit barrier having been breached. Two Hertz hits remain, and one of them should post today. I've got a Hilton stay tonight as an insurance hit, but I don't think it will be necessary.
Monday, November 7, 2011
It's over! 36 hits achieved!
33 posted, with two Hertz hits and NetSol still to come. The Hertz hits shouldn't be a problem. Nor should the NetSol one, although that will take a few months to post. I have a hotel stay coming up this week, so that stay should provide the insurance hit. A few notes from my FT post:
With the mysterious Connie having saved my Choice transfer, I have finally reached 36 hits (insurance hit to come later, but that's a freebie). My total out of pocket was $596.24, earning me 114,462 miles, pre-insurance hit. Cents per mile of 0.5209083 (although that seventh decimal point might have been rounded), which just missed my goal of 0.5 cpm. That number includes the $44 I spent for Choice points to transfer; Had I decided not to do that hit, I would be under the goal but sweating out every hit.
A few notes:
1. Any hit which involved a hotel I would have stayed in anyway, a restaurant I would have eaten at, an item I would have ordered, etc. was considered a free hit, since there was no incremental cost. If I surrendered a more valuable currency for a cheaper one to earn points (i.e., not earning SPG points and choosing to earn miles instead), the difference was added into the cost.
2. When I transferred points from a hotel program to US, I added the cost of the points (based on Lucky's estimates) to the numerator and the miles that I received to the denominator. That made my "accounting" more conservative, since a straight valuation of the miles might have made them worth more than the points transferred, but ultimately I felt that it made for a better comparison in a cents per mile sense. There was no discount given in programs where I never would have used the points anyway (I'm looking at you, PCH.).
3. "Negative costs" accrued where I bought a substitute item at a cheaper price than I would have paid absent the promo. Let's just say my wife received cheaper flowers this year than she might have in the past. She can think about it while she's drinking her PDB in SQ F.
4. Most expensive hit: The Wyndham transfer, valued at $70. Ouch. I shouldn't have done that one so early. Or at all.
5. I gave no bonus for the enjoyment I got out of doing the promo which includes, but is not limited to: trying to explain to the Hertz people that I really don't need the car, chatting with Joan from Choice in her van down by the river and trying to figure out exactly how much to spend at the W Hotel restaurant without going over $67.
With the mysterious Connie having saved my Choice transfer, I have finally reached 36 hits (insurance hit to come later, but that's a freebie). My total out of pocket was $596.24, earning me 114,462 miles, pre-insurance hit. Cents per mile of 0.5209083 (although that seventh decimal point might have been rounded), which just missed my goal of 0.5 cpm. That number includes the $44 I spent for Choice points to transfer; Had I decided not to do that hit, I would be under the goal but sweating out every hit.
A few notes:
1. Any hit which involved a hotel I would have stayed in anyway, a restaurant I would have eaten at, an item I would have ordered, etc. was considered a free hit, since there was no incremental cost. If I surrendered a more valuable currency for a cheaper one to earn points (i.e., not earning SPG points and choosing to earn miles instead), the difference was added into the cost.
2. When I transferred points from a hotel program to US, I added the cost of the points (based on Lucky's estimates) to the numerator and the miles that I received to the denominator. That made my "accounting" more conservative, since a straight valuation of the miles might have made them worth more than the points transferred, but ultimately I felt that it made for a better comparison in a cents per mile sense. There was no discount given in programs where I never would have used the points anyway (I'm looking at you, PCH.).
3. "Negative costs" accrued where I bought a substitute item at a cheaper price than I would have paid absent the promo. Let's just say my wife received cheaper flowers this year than she might have in the past. She can think about it while she's drinking her PDB in SQ F.
4. Most expensive hit: The Wyndham transfer, valued at $70. Ouch. I shouldn't have done that one so early. Or at all.
5. I gave no bonus for the enjoyment I got out of doing the promo which includes, but is not limited to: trying to explain to the Hertz people that I really don't need the car, chatting with Joan from Choice in her van down by the river and trying to figure out exactly how much to spend at the W Hotel restaurant without going over $67.
And it gets interesting once again...
One more Hertz hit done, which puts me at 35. An upcoming Hilton stay will give me 36, so I am essentially finished. But I decided to do my Choice transfer, just in case.
Remember Choice? The one that told me they had the problem all fixed so I could transfer to US? Surprisingly, they didn't. I should have known. I called CP and got a representative named Joan, who sounds like she is answering the call from a van. "Hmm, um-hmm, um-hmm, hmm..." It's pretty bad. They're still trying to tell me that it is because the account was an old America West number (It wasn't.) and that there is literally one person who can help me. They have asked me to put AW in front of the redemption. Didn't work. Asked me to call US to make sure it's the right number. Umm, I'm pretty sure I'm okay there.
I have informed Joan that I paid for points with the express purpose of getting US miles and I expect them to refund me the $44 if I am not able to transfer them.
Remember Choice? The one that told me they had the problem all fixed so I could transfer to US? Surprisingly, they didn't. I should have known. I called CP and got a representative named Joan, who sounds like she is answering the call from a van. "Hmm, um-hmm, um-hmm, hmm..." It's pretty bad. They're still trying to tell me that it is because the account was an old America West number (It wasn't.) and that there is literally one person who can help me. They have asked me to put AW in front of the redemption. Didn't work. Asked me to call US to make sure it's the right number. Umm, I'm pretty sure I'm okay there.
I have informed Joan that I paid for points with the express purpose of getting US miles and I expect them to refund me the $44 if I am not able to transfer them.
This is it! The last week...
We're almost there! Get your hits in this week, since GS11 ends on Sunday. And it feels like it just started. Actually, with two fewer weeks this year, I think it did...
31/34 have posted for me although, if tradition holds, Hertz should post this week and SPG should post today. And I have a Hilton stay and a Hertz rental coming up this week, so that should leave me at 36. Now, what to do about that insurance hit...
31/34 have posted for me although, if tradition holds, Hertz should post this week and SPG should post today. And I have a Hilton stay and a Hertz rental coming up this week, so that should leave me at 36. Now, what to do about that insurance hit...
Friday, November 4, 2011
In the home stretch...
It's hard to believe that there are only two weeks left to go in the promo. I've made it to 34 hits, with 31 of them having posted. Waiting for one SPG, one Hertz and one NetSol. Unless that NetSol hit appears in the next week or two, I'm gonna have to do a bonus hit, just in case.
Hertz posted like clockwork this week. I don't know why I live in fear that it won't show up some week. Probably because a missing Hertz hit last year cost me my 36th hit.
My apologies to those of you who left comments that I didn't reply to promptly. I've been out for a day and a bit under the weather.
Hertz posted like clockwork this week. I don't know why I live in fear that it won't show up some week. Probably because a missing Hertz hit last year cost me my 36th hit.
My apologies to those of you who left comments that I didn't reply to promptly. I've been out for a day and a bit under the weather.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
One SPG hit...
I was getting pretty nervous about those SPG hits, where I got credit for dining. It was definitely taking a lot longer for the miles to get to US than it did when I was simply transferring points. Thanks to those on FT who pointed out that it is a longer process and, indeed, the first of two hit today.
One more meal, maybe two, and a Hertz hit should do it for me. I'm at 34 completed and have room for one more Hertz rental and at least two hotel stays. Come to think of it, I have a hotel stay this coming Thursday night. Cool. Down to one rental and one dine. Man, that was fast.
One more meal, maybe two, and a Hertz hit should do it for me. I'm at 34 completed and have room for one more Hertz rental and at least two hotel stays. Come to think of it, I have a hotel stay this coming Thursday night. Cool. Down to one rental and one dine. Man, that was fast.
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