February & March 2020 Real World Travel, Budget, Deal, and Life Hacking
Unfortunately, because of the Covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic life has changed for the foreseeable future. However, that doesn’t mean that our budget, deal, and life hacking has stopped. In fact, we even got in some travel hacking these last two months!
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.
Chase Offers (Chase Ink Business Preferred) - Airbnb & Starbucks
We checked our Chase Offers this month and found that our Chase Ink Business Preferred credit card was offering a $30.00 statement credit on $100 spent at Staples!
While we didn’t need any office supplies we could always make use of a couple of gift cards. We ended up purchasing two $50.00 gift cards, one for Airbnb and one for Starbucks.
“We saved $30.00 on $100 of gift cards, which is a 30% savings! ”
Tip: Gift cards are a great way to take advantage of deals like these, especially when there’s nothing in particular you need to purchase. To make the most of your money, consider purchasing gift cards on services you already use or stores you regularly shop at. Otherwise, they make great gifts!
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.
10% Back in Groupon Bucks with Chase (New!)
We signed up for a Groupon promotion that will earn us 10% back in Groupon Bucks for every Groupon purchase we make with a Chase credit card.
Be sure to opt in your Groupon account now!
We often use Groupons for sightseeing while traveling, massages for relaxing, and thoughtful birthday and holiday gifts for loved ones. The promotion is good for 12 months after enrolling, so from now on we’ll be sure to pay with our Chase Ink Business Preferred or our Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card!
The need to know for this deal:
Enroll by 02/28/2020, 11:59pm ET
Get 10% back, rewarded as Groupon Bucks
Earn up to $50 each month, for a year
You may only enroll in the offer one time
See terms and conditions for full details
Cashback Portals
First, no one should ever buy anything online without checking to see if there’s a deal through a cashback portal!
Here’s why, cashback portals offer a flat dollar amount or a percentage back for online purchases (and sometimes even at brick and mortar stores!) if you click through a ‘portal’ (a link). In other words, you purchase something you were already going to buy but get paid to do so. We can’t argue with that!
To make our cashback accounts easier to manage and to have our payouts be quicker (cashback portals have minimum payout amounts) we focus on four of the top cashback portals.
Mr. Rebates - Sign up through our link and get a $5 bonus!
BeFrugal - Sign up through our link and get a $10 bonus!
Rakuten (formerly eBates)- Sign up through our link and get a $10 bonus!
TopCashback - Sign up through our link and get a $10 bonus!
TopCashback - eBay Up to 5% Cashback
We usually do most of our shopping online, but with the current Covid-19 situation, it’s a must. We made a few purchases on eBay this month, which already lends itself to a good deal. But we made it even better by earning cashback on each purchase!
TopCashback was offering up to 5% cashback, depending on the category.
“With TopCashback on eBay we earned $1.60 back on our purchases! ”
TopCashback - $3 Bonus
At the end of this month we noticed a promotion on TopCashback for a $3 cashback bonus on any purchase made over $10 through their site. We saw it on the 28th of March, but it expired on the 29th, a day later. We didn’t think we’d be able to take advantage of it…
But, tax time is upon us and we needed to purchase Turbo Tax 2019. What perfect timing!
“We got 1.5% cashback plus a $3 bonus on our Turbo Tax purchase!”
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, and Delta accounts should be connected to your Lyft account.
New! Chase Ultimate Reward Points Bonus with Lyft
If you haven’t already received a Chase credit card, here’s one more reason to do so.
Chase and Lyft just partnered up and are offering either cash back or a point multiplier when you use your Chase card to pay for your Lyft rides.
We haven’t used this yet, but our Chase Ink Business Preferred credit card will earn us 5x total points on Lyft rides! If you hold the Chase Sapphire Reserve than you can rake in 10x points and a free year of Lyft Pink! Check out the Lyft/Chase promotion details to see what you can earn!
Freebird for Lyft and Uber
Use Freebird with Lyft or Uber and earn cash back and points with all of your rides!
Download the Freebird app (App Store or Google Play) and connect it to Lyft or Uber. For every ride you take you’ll earn points that you can redeem for rewards or cash. Take it a step further and use Freebird when going to participating business and get cash back on your ride.
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 only 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.
“We saved $15.00 with ride credits on Lyft this month!”
Update: Due to Covid-19 and the slow down of business Lyft rides, as of March 31, 2020, Lyft has ended their business rewards promotion that gave a $5.00 credit for every five business rides. Hopefully we’ll see this reward return soon!
On a positive note, if your account is only one or two rides short of the five rides to earn the reward, Lyft is generously gifting the $5.00 promo anyway. We’re in this boat (three of five business rides taken) but haven’t seen the credit added to our account yet.
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 1,467 Hilton Honors points thanks to Lyft business rides this month.
“Per our own valuation of $0.006 cents per point, we earned $8.80 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 200 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 $4.00 in Delta SkyMiles!”
World Elite MasterCard Credit Cards and Lyft
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 credit per month.
Each month we’ve earned the World Elite MasterCard $10 Lyft promo it has come in handy and this month was no exception. We’d usually take public transportation to the airport, however with Covid-19, that’s highly discouraged. Instead, we were able to use our $10 Lyft credit and pay only $3.24!
“By using our World Elite MasterCard Card to pay for five rides with Lyft, we saved $10!”
Tip: The World Elite MasterCard bonus is only triggered by taking five personal rides (not business rides) and once earned the $10.00 credit is applied to your next personal ride.
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 Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
We met the minimum spend on our (Sergio’s) Chase Ink Business Preferred credit card and received 80,000 Chase Ultimate Reward points.
Because the minimum spend to earn the signup bonus was $5,000, we also earned 8,979 points through everyday spend. In total we earned 88,979 Chase Ultimate Reward points!
“We earned a total of 88,979 Chase Ultimate Reward points. Per our own valuation of $0.015 cents apiece, that’s $1,334.69 in Chase Ultimate Reward points!”
Miles Earned by Flights - Delta
In February and March we also earned miles the old fashioned way, by flying with Delta.
Shannon flew for work on an international trip with Delta and earned a total of 7,189 Delta SkyMiles.
“Per our own valuation of $0.02 a mile we earned $143.78 in Delta SkyMiles!”
2-for-1 Airline Tickets with Southwest Companion Pass
We once again took full advantage of our Southwest Companion Pass! This past month we flew to our next house sit on Southwest and got Sergio’s airline ticket for free (+$5.60 in taxes)!
“We booked two Southwest tickets with the Companion Pass for $11.20 and 4,644 points. That’s a 50% savings!”
So what’s the Companion Pass?
The Southwest Companion Pass is one of the best travel hacking tools in the industry. While most airlines give you only one companion pass per year, or simply offer a discounted fare for your companion, Southwest takes it to another level.
By accumulating 125,000 Southwest miles in a year, you’ll earn a Southwest Companion Pass. Do this and your companion will fly for free (pay only the tax) for the rest of the year you earned it in and the following year!
“Time it correctly and that’s nearly two full years of two-for-one travel on Southwest!”
20,000 Southwest Miles for Referrals
We’re known for taking full advantage of travel hacking whenever we can. However, we also like being able to help our friends and family do the same.
We knew we could be of help to our friends when they started talking about a couple of upcoming vacations. The perfect solution seemed clear, they need a small stock pile of Southwest miles and the Southwest Companion Pass!
So, just as we did ourselves, we had our friends apply for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus and the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business credit cards. Not only were they approved for the cards, but they’re well on their way to meeting the minimum spends required to earn the sign up bonuses.
All said and done they’ll earn more than enough points to get the Southwest Companion Pass and fly two for the price of one for over a year!
The cherry on top is that we earned 10,000 miles for each of the cards they applied for and received. So, we added 20,000 points to our Southwest balance this past month.
“We earned a total of 20,000 Southwest miles. Per our own valuation of $0.015 cents apiece, that’s $300 in Southwest miles!”
IHG Hotel Stays and Credit Card Spend
Last summer we were approved for the IHG Rewards Club Premier credit card with not only a 125,000 point sign up bonus, automatic Platinum rewards status, but also 40x points on all purchases at IHG properties.
As you can probably guess, our hotel focus has shifted and most of our hotel stays will be with IHG.
Earlier this year, Shannon updated her IHG Rewards membership to a Business Rewards account which gives 3x points on every dollar spent for business group events. When she booked a business event for work she not only earned points (with multipliers) on her stay, 40x points on the IHG Rewards Club Premier credit card spend at the hotel, but also earned 3x points on the group’s stay. The deal was further sweetened because there was a 3x multiplier on top of the 3x points for Business Rewards (9x total).
Plus, mid-way through we earned enough points to bump up our IHG status from Platinum Elite to Spire Elite. As newly achieved Spire elite status IHG members, we chose a 25,000 point bonus as our Spire Elite choice benefit and promptly benefited from a 100% point multiplier (instead of 50%).
In February/March we earned 350,168 IHG points!
“We earned a total of 350,168 IHG points. Per our own valuation of $0.006 cents apiece, that’s $2,101.01 in IHG points!”
Tip: Make the most of your IHG stays by paying with your IHG Rewards Club Premier 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!
Hilton Diamond Status
We’ve held Hilton Diamond status for several years now, even having done some incredible mattress runs to keep it going. However, as mentioned above, IHG started to take our hotel stay focus last year and we didn’t stay enough nights to maintain Diamond status for 2020.
There aren’t many upsides of Covid-19, and frankly we’d give any ‘up-side’ back if we could make the virus go away. But, because of the lack of current travel, many hotels brands are amending their reward programs to more lenient requirements in earning status, keeping status, and earning points.
Hilton was incredibly gracious and even though we’d only earned Gold status for 2020, they extended our 2019 Diamond status anyway.
Thank you Hilton!
So what’s Diamond Status and how do you typically earn it?
Earn Hilton’s Diamond Elite status by staying 60+ nights (including redemption nights) within a calendar year. Here’s just a peak and what it gets you during a stay at Hilton properties:
Premium WiFi
100% bonus on earned points
Executive lounge access
No resort fees on reward stays
Room upgrades
Free breakfast
2nd guest stays free
Late checkout
Tip: Make the most of your Hilton stays by paying with your Hilton Surpass credit card. You’ll get an additional multiplier on points earned and end up scoring big!
Google Fi International Cell and Data
As smart phones have become an integral part of daily life, having a reliable plan with voice, text, and data that can take us nationwide as well as internationally at a reasonable price is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
As we travel not only around the United States, but worldwide, having a phone that’s affordable, has good coverage, is simple, and ‘just works’ is critical!
There are an incredible number of voice and data carriers and subsequent plans to choose from. We considered the major U.S. providers (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon) and an assortment of mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), as well as purchasing a SIM upon arriving at new international destinations.
But in the end, Google Fi (formerly Google Project Fi) was hands down the best for our needs, and travel style!
“In February and March we averaged only $43.03 a month on cell and data with Google Fi!”
Check out Google Project Fi | The Best International Cell Phone & Data Plan for World Travel for more information.
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, 23 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 60th house sit! As you might imagine, we’re saving a considerable amount of money by not paying rent, a mortgage, or daily hotel/Airbnb costs!
The new year brought with it a work promotion for Shannon, and now we’re able to travel around the United States again!
In February and March we enjoyed a couple house sits in northern San Diego, California near the beach and one near downtown San Diego. We’re grateful that we were able to travel to Portland mid-March and start a six week house sit that will take us into May!
“We spent $0 in rent, mortgage, Airbnb, and hotel costs!”
Final Thoughts
Things in the travel world came to a complete halt in February and March. We still took advantage of the deals that came our way and had a couple of decent months.
Again, hopefully our travel, budget, deal, and life hacks this month have inspired you to implement similar savings and point and mile earnings.
We wish you and your loved ones nothing but the best. Stay healthy!
