I always sign up for the free rewards programs, be it airlines, hotels or retail stores (great way to get free coupons). Sure, many times I never accumulate enough points to redeem for anything, but with Points.com, you can “swap” points and/or flight miles between certain reward programs, and did I mention that it’s FREE to use?!
After I won Chevelle concert tickets, I looked up the balances of my hotel rewards cards to see if I had enough points to redeem for a free hotel night in Grand Island (where the concert will be). I knew I had redeemed my Choice Hotels points recently for a free night in Sioux Falls, so that one was out.
I was excited to see I had 14,905 Priority Club Reward points, until I saw I needed 15,000 for a free night! Sure, I could redeem a lower amount and pay extra or even buy extra points in increments of 1000 – but I only needed 95!
So I logged into Points.com and saw that I had quite a few Frontier Airlines EarlyReturns Miles (yet not enough for a free flight) that were due to expire soon. So not only did I transfer some of those points to my Priority Club Rewards account so I’d have enough for the free hotel night, but I also redeemed some of the EarlyReturns Miles for a $50 Old Chicago gift certificate. My mouth waters for their pizza as I type this!
The gift certificate was emailed to me as a SuperCertificate at GiftCertificates.com that I could redeem for any gift certificate on their site. I looked over the restaurants available in Grand Island, but none sounded appealing, so I went ahead with Old Chicago and now have an excuse to go on another road trip!
Now, I’m heading to Restaurant.com to see if they have any participating restaurants in Grand Island, as right now they are offering an extra 80% off Plus Free $15 FTD Floral Reward with Coupon Code: HEART (expires 2/14). You can get $25 gift certificates for only $2 and $10 gift certificates for only 80¢! Certificates are valid for one year from the day you order.
Whatcha still reading down here for?! Add your rewards programs to Points.com!
Make your drive time on the road to your vacation spot (and back home again) with the kiddos go smoother with these recommendations…
1. Pack a Cooler. The kids can’t verbally fight (as much) with food in their mouth. Plus it’ll save a ton money by packing your own soda and snacks instead of buying them at a convenience store.
2. Movies. If you have a built-in or handheld DVD player, a new movie can keep them quiet for quite awhile! You can even rent Redbox movies for $1/night and return them to any Redbox on your route.
3. Word Games. When I grew up, we passed a lot of time looking out the window looking for objects for the A B C Game where you wanted to be the first one to see an object along the trip that started with A, then B, then C… you get the idea. In metropolitan areas with lots of signs, we’ll switch to finding words that start with A, B, C, etc.
4. Paper Games. I have picked up several Suduko, word search and crossword puzzle books at Dollar Tree that I keep in my van for the kids. Even a blank notepad and pens (for tic-tac-toe) or coloring books and crayons are good.
5. Batteries. A must have for the DVD headphones and electronic hand-held games.
6. Pillows & Blankets. Just in case you get lucky and the kids sleep part of the way.
7. Car Care. It is best to make sure your car is recently checked over so you don’t encounter any break-downs. I always make sure the windshield wiper fluid is full after driving through muddy snow one time. Not only did I run out, but all the gas stations along the interstate were out as well.
8. Do not add “cheap” gas to your vehicle. Because your mechanic may not tell you this. I learned this the hard way.
9. GPS Navigational System. Getting lost only adds to more time spent in the car.
10. First Aid Kit. Because you know someone is going to need a Band-Aid. And usually Mom or Dad gets a headache.
TwitterMoms asked bloggers to create and post ten great tips for creating a fun family vacation free of distractions for a chance to win a gas card courtesy of Alamo Rent A Car.
