Frequent Miler

Delta shows Southwest how a real “air line” melts down, a trick to avoiding AirBnb conversion fees and the another Lufthansa downgrade story. All that and more in this week’s Saturday Selection, our weekly round-up of interesting tidbits from around the interwebs (links to the original articles are embedded in the titles).

How to avoid AirBnB fees, a Lufthansa First Class downgrade and Delta now meltdown champion (Saturday Selection)

In the post What’s in Greg’s Wallet? 2024 Edition, I explained that I have three Custom Cash cards which I use exclusively for grocery purchases. Since these cards earn 5x on the category you spend the most, but only up to $500 per billing cycle, I can maximize earnings by using them only at grocery stores and only up to $500 each per month. Instead of keeping track of this myself, I used the Curve card to manage my Custom Cash spend. Whenever I spent more than $500 on a single Custom Cash card, I used Curve’s “Go Back in Time” feature to move the charge to another Custom Cash card. That was easy. But now, in the US, Curve is dead.

How I pay for groceries now that Curve is dead

SoFi has recently increased a stackable offer that can give you up to $530 back when opening a new checking/savings account. The shopping portal Swagbucks is offering a 23,000 point (~$230) bonus for opening a new SoFi Checking/Savings account by clicking through the portal link and making a $400 direct deposit within 30 days. Once the Swagbucks are credited, they can be redeemed to your PayPal account as cash via a PayPal gift card or redeemed for merchant gift cards as well. I signed-up for this offer when it was 25,000 SB last year and it was easy money.

Earn up to a $530 bonus with a new SoFi checking/savings account

Hawaii State

Save up to 30% on Southwest flights when using promo code PRIME. Up to 30% off promotion code savings valid for one-way or round trip Wanna Get Away and Wanna Get Away Plus fares booked on Southwest.com® from July 16-17, 2024 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time (the “Booking Period”) and flown between August 6-December 18, 2024 for continental U.S. travel and August 13-December 17, 2024 for international/Hawaii/Puerto Rico travel (the “Travel Period”).

Southwest giving up to 30% off with promo code PRIME (book by 7/17/24 for flights 8/6/24-12/18/24)

Ever wanted to gift a free hotel night to someone else? In today’s episode of Frequent Miler on the Air we’ll discuss the ways you can do this!. Watch the full episode below, or listen on your favorite podcast platform. You can click the timestamps below to navigate directly to a specific part of the episode within YouTube.

Podcast: How to gift free hotel nights | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep265 | 7-26-24

In honor of its 50th anniversary, Wyndham Hotels brand Super 8 is “bringing back the iconic 1974 room rates of $8.88” for a limited time. At 8am on 8/8, you’ll be able to “book” one of 800 “throwback” rates of $8.88 plus tax at www.super8.com/50Years. This promotion is actually selling points — and it’ll be a great deal if you can snag it.

Super 8 50th anniversary promo: Reserve (i.e. buy 15K points) for $8.88 on 8/8

Hilton did a giant cannonball into the center of the points and miles pool when it added Small Luxury Hotels of the World to its loyalty program earlier this Summer. While we were cautiously optimistic in the Spring after hearing pre-launch details from Hilton, the reality post-launch has far outpaced our expectations.

How to maximize your Hilton cards (with upgrades and downgrades)

A couple of times per year, Hy-Vee – a decently-sized grocery chain in the Midwest – runs a deal on Visa and Mastercard gift cards. In years gone by the deal was extremely lucrative, providing an opportunity for people to make almost $25 profit for each card they bought. That sadly doesn’t seem to be the case anymore, but it is still a profitable deal that can hopefully be scaled fairly easily.

Hy-Vee: Get $10 off when buying $150+ Visa & Mastercard gift cards

Kissimmee, FL

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Akeena

One Dunkin’ Donuts location, known for its familiar aroma of coffee and donuts, found itself temporarily closed after a state inspection uncovered a few issues. Not all Dunkin’ locations are created equal. Take the one at 3745 Pleasant Hill Road in Kissimmee, for instance. This particular branch, despite its efforts to keep customers caffeinated and satisfied, has had its share of mixed reviews.

Florida's donut shop closed due serious violations after state inspection

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NewsNinja

One raunchy piece of advice made Haliey Welch an internet sensation — though her fame has come with a price. The 23-year-old, best known as "hawk tuah girl," has had to deal with some rather creepy fans ever since a video of Welch giving a tip about intercourse went insanely viral online.

'Hawk Tuah' Girl Haliey Welch Says She Was Offered $600 to 'Spit in a Jar' After Her Lovemaking Tip

Hilton’s recent incorporation of hundreds of new SLH (Small Luxury Hotels of the World) properties got us excited. One of the most attractive options is Grand Hotel Victoria next to Lake Como in Italy which Nick visited a couple of times when SLH was still with Hyatt. Award availability...

Grand Hotel Victoria Lake Como has wide open award availability

Chicago, IL

Foodie in Chicago

Shortly before 3 AM, people in the Chicago area may have felt their houses shake as a 3.4-magnitude earthquake occurred about 60 miles west of the city. (CHICAGO) The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported a 3.4-magnitude earthquake around Somonauk, IL. Somonauk is in DeKalb and LaSalle Counties, 64 miles west of Chicago.

Did You Feel the Earthquake?

South Carolina State

Explore Beaufort SC

The mantis shrimp is one tough customer. Beautiful and deadly are two words you don’t typically use to describe shrimp, but the mantis shrimp is definitely in a class of its own; earning a reputation as the ‘savage boxer of the sea’ and one of the most fearsome creatures in the ocean. And, they're right at home here in South Carolina.

Savage Boxer of the Sea: The Deadly Beauty of Mantis Shrimp

Depending on how many Chase and American Express Marriott credit cards you hold, it’s possible to end up with numerous free night certificates after renewing your cards each year. You also have the option to select a free night certificate valid for properties costing up to 40,000 points per...

How To Use Marriott Free Night Certificates (And How They Can’t Be Used)

Barclays and JetBlue TrueBlue are out with an offer to earn 80,000 TrueBlue points after spending $1,000 on purchases + paying the annual fee in the first 90 days. That’s a great offer for JetBlue fans and could also be a great deal for folks looking to use their JetBlue points to travel on partners like Qatar Airways.

80K JetBlue points on $1K spend with new card offer

The Alaska Airlines shopping portal is offering the following three-tiered promotion:. During the “Back-to-School Bonus” offer, which runs from 7/17/2024 through 8/5/2024 at 11:59:59 pm ET (the “Bonus Period”), Member will receive a one-time bonus of up to 1,000 Mileage Plan bonus miles on qualifying purchases made through the Mileage Plan Shopping mall or from purchases made through Mileage Plan Shopping in-store offers.

Alaska Airlines shopping portal promo: Earn up to 1,000 bonus Mileage Plan miles by 8/5

Discover Card holders hoarding cash back rewards may want to log in and check for a discount on Apple gift cards. Doctor of Credit reports that Discover is offering 15% off on Apple Gift Cards, which means that a $100 Apple Gift Card should cost you $85 in Discover cash back.

Discover Card Rewards offering 15% off on Apple gift cards

South Dakota State

Herbie J Pilato

Former child star Bobby Buntrock's life ended in tragedy. Best known as Harold “Sport” Baxter on the popular 1960s TV sitcom Hazel, Butrock died at only 21 years old in a car accident in 1974.

The Tragic Death of Child Star Bobby Buntrock, and How TV's 'Hazel' Shirley Booth Protected him

(01:40) – Noteworthy perks of the Wells Fargo One Key+ card…. Read more about the Wells Fargo One Key+ card here. (03:52) – Is the Wells Fargo One Key+ a good card?. (08:32) – Good alternatives to the Wells Fargo One Key+ card. Find our Best Category...

Podcast: Wells Fargo One Key+™ Mastercard | Card Talk Ep2 | 8-8-24

Yesterday, I flew through Dublin, Ireland and had a chance to check out the T1 Lounge there thanks to my Priority Pass membership. I was pleasantly surprised by this lounge. While it won’t win any awards for its dazzling array of food and drinks, the food was both better and more extensive than I’d expected based on the couple of quick reviews I’d checked. This isn’t a top Priority Pass lounge, but if you’re connecting in Dublin you can certainly grab a bite and a better place to sit than in the terminal.

Dublin airport Priority Pass “T1 Lounge” quick review

NewsBreak

Cheap Star Alliance Gold, first class for the price of business and the Paris Olympics kill hotel demand (Saturday Selection)

A possible path to cheap Star Alliance Gold, how to book Qatar First Class at the business class price and the Olympics are cratering the demand...

Cheap Star Alliance Gold, first class for the price of business and the Paris Olympics kill hotel demand (Saturday Selection)

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