September 2019 Real World Travel, Budget, Deal, and Life Hacking
We earned a lot of miles and points this month between flights on Delta, hotel stays with Marriott, and a bunch of Lyft rides. Not to mention, we were approved for a few credit cards that offered attractive sign-up bonuses. Read on to see what deals and life hacking we took advantage of in September.
This is a recurring series where we talk about our travel, budget, deal, and life hacking for the month. We share with you in hopes that you’ll find a few takeaways to implement yourself.
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As a digital nomad couple pursuing financial independence, retire early (FI/RE) we’re often asked how we keep our budget and expenses so low.
Being minimalists and frugal helps, but there’s a bit more to it than that. We’re able to get exponential savings and benefits with travel hacking, stacking deals and offers, house sitting, strategically using miles and points, and being flexible enough to take advantage of opportunities as they come up!
Quick Links
If you’re wondering how to travel internationally, or simply vacation nearby and not spend a fortune on airfare or hotels, then we’d like to welcome you to the world of ‘travel hacking’. See what credit cards we carry, and how we take full advantage of the points and miles we’ve earned.
Amex Offers (Hilton Surpass Credit Card) - fuboTV
We checked our Amex Offers this month and found that our Hilton Surpass credit card was giving us $20.00 back on our next bill for fuboTV!
We attached the offer to our eligible credit card and made sure we paid the bill with it.
“We saved $20.00, which is nearly a 45% savings on our monthly fuboTV bill. ”
Tip: Take your savings to the next level by using the ‘right’ card that offers the highest category multiplier, i.e. 4x at office stores.
Don’t miss our Ultimate Gear and Packing Lists! Whether you’re traveling long-term or going on a short vacation, we'll show you how to travel with a single carry-on. We share our packing lists (his and hers!), packing tips, and our favorite gear. Plus, we discuss what we don’t carry and why!
Be sure to use the best credit card you have for the specific category you’re spending in (travel, restaurant, office supplies, etc.) to maximize savings/points further.
In the case of Lyft, credit card transactions code as ‘travel’ so you’ll want you be sure and use the best card (highest multiplier) in that category. Cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve (3x on travel), Wells Fargo Propel (3x on travel), Citi Premier (3x on travel), etc.
The exception to using the card with the best travel multiplier is when you’re trying to hit a minimum spend to get a bonus on a specific credit card.
Price shop all ride sharing services: Uber, Lyft, Juno, etc. Also, you can use the Bellhop app to compare services.
Review ride sharing reward programs to find the program that best suits your riding habits.
If possible, avoid surge pricing. Prices increase in situations where demand is especially high for rides, like rush hour or when it’s raining.
When using a ride sharing service that offers reward points or miles on other reward programs, be sure to connect the appropriate accounts. For example, Hilton, JetBlue, and Delta accounts should be connected to your Lyft account.
Lyft - Business Rewards
For every five Lyft business rides completed (at a minimum of $10.00) a $5.00 ride credit is added to your personal account.
Shannon rides frequently with Lyft for work so she accumulates more $5.00 personal Lyft ride credits than we can use. The downside to this reward perk is that you can’t combine credits on a ride. Meaning, only one $5.00 personal Lyft ride credit can be used per ride. Sadly, $5.00 doesn’t get us very far in NYC!
“We saved $35.00 with ride credits on Lyft this month!”
Lyft - Hilton Honors Reward Points
Every dollar you spend on Lyft rides (economy, luxury, and extra seats) earn three Hilton Honors points! If you’re taking advantage of Shared Lyft rides then you’ll be earning two points per dollar spent.
We earned 1,086 Hilton Honors points thanks to Lyft business rides this month.
“Per our own valuation of $0.006 cents per point, we earned $6.52 in Hilton Honors points!”
Lyft - Delta SkyMiles
Link your Delta SkyMiles account to Lyft and get one mile for every dollar spent on Lyft rides. Plus, get two miles for every airport ride!
This month we earned a total of 632 Delta SkyMiles by using Lyft to get around town and go to and from the airport for business!
“Per our own valuation of $0.02 a mile, we earned $12.64 in Delta SkyMiles!”
World Elite MasterCard Credit Cards
World Elite credit card holders receive a $10 credit after taking five Lyft rides in a calendar month. The credit is automatically applied to your next ride and is capped at one per month.
We haven’t earned this credit yet, but we’ll let you know when we do!
Tip: You can only earn the World Elite MasterCard $10 Lyft credit when taking personal rides (not business rides). If you’re submitting your emailed Lyft business receipts for reimbursement, be aware that you’ll still receive an emailed receipt. However, personal Lyft ride receipts won’t include a start or end address.
Our tool box is full of resources! From travel hacking to house sitting, digital nomad jobs to privacy and security, financially independent retire early (FI/RE) to entertainment, plus travel hacking (credit cards, miles, points, and rewards), and much much more…
Signup Bonus on IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card
We met the minimum spend on our IHG Rewards Club Premier credit card at the end of last month. So, we received IHG points for both the spend and the bonus this month. In total we earned 146,402 IHG points!
“We earned a total of 146,402 IHG points. Per our own valuation of $0.006 cents apiece, that’s $878.00 in IHG points!”
Note: Unfortunately, the IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card offer we received is no longer available. Check here for the latest offer on this card.
Signup Bonus on Radisson Rewards Premier Visa Signature Card Credit Card
We also met the minimum spend on our Radisson Rewards Premier Visa Signature Card this month and received Radisson points for both the spend and the bonus this month. In total we earned 136,259 Radisson points!
“We earned a total of 136,259 Radisson points. Per our own valuation of $0.006 cents apiece, that’s $818.00 in Radisson points!”
Approved for the Chase Ink Business Preferred
This month we applied for and were approved for the Chase Ink Business Preferred credit card. We have yet to meet the minimum spend ($5,000 in three months), but once we do, we’ll get a bonus of 80,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards!
It carries a $95 annual fee, but when we weigh the bonus points along with 3X bonus points in travel, shipping purchases, internet/cable/phone services, and advertising purchases with social media and search engines, we believe it’s well worth it.
Miles Earned by Flights - Delta
This month we also earned miles the old fashioned way, by flying with Delta.
Shannon flew quite a bit this month for work. She flew exclusively on Delta, earning a total of 13,566 Delta SkyMiles.
“Per our own valuation of $0.02 a mile we earned $271.32 in Delta SkyMiles!”
Marriott Platinum Elite Status
Earn Marriott’s Platinum Elite status by staying 50+ nights (including award nights) within a calendar year.
This month we took advantage of the following Marriott Platinum Elite benefits:
Enhanced internet access
50% bonus on earned points
4 pm late checkout
Room upgrades
Free breakfast
Club lounge access
With our 50% point bonus, quarterly promotions, and points earned by paying for stays with our Marriott Bonvoy credit card, we earned 23,525 Marriott Bonvoy points this month.
“Per our own valuation of $0.01 cents a point, we earned $235.25 in Marriott Bonvoy points!”
Tip: Make the most of your Marriott stays by paying with you Marriott Bonvoy credit card. You’ll get an additional multiplier on points earned and end up scoring big!
London, San Francisco, Paris, New York City, Athens and more?! Trusted Housesitters has allowed us to travel the world on a budget, but more importantly given us an opportunity to make new friends and have cute and cuddly companions along the way. Sign up and start your next great adventure!
House Sitting - Saving on Rent, Mortgage, and Hotels
In November of 2016 we completed our first house sitting job. We loved it so much that we continued traveling (out of one 36-litter backpack each) and house sitting around Europe for the next year. In that first year, we completed 18 house sitting jobs!
After a year in Europe (3 continents, 26 countries, and 60 cities) we came back to North America and chose to keep house sitting full time.
Now, nearly three years after our first house sitting job we’re nearing our 50th house sit! As we’re currently house sitting primarily in New York City, we’re saving a considerable amount of money by not paying rent, a mortgage, or daily hotel/Airbnb costs.
“We spent $0 in rent, mortgage, Airbnb, and hotel costs! ”
Here’s a break down of where we stayed and how much we saved by house sitting in September:
Final Thoughts
This month was big on travel hacking because of the amount of travel Shannon did for work. Per our valuations, we earned approximately $2,220 worth in airline miles and hotel points! However, we must not forget the huge life hack of house sitting and cutting our lodging/rent/mortgage costs to $0 this month!
Again, hopefully our travel, budget, deal, and life hacks this month have inspired you to implement similar savings and point and mile earnings.
