PreCheck

Personally, I can’t say I’ve ever been an Orbitz customer. So thanks to reader Mike for pointing out how TSA PreCheck can be had for free there – assuming you’re a lot more active than I am on that website.

If (like me) you’re a non-Orbitz person…there are still plenty of credit cards that offer PreCheck without the pesky need to pay money for it. See here or here for specific cards that might work. Also handy since many of us are probably getting close to renewal time. Global Entry is good for 5 years and you can renew once you’re inside the last 12 months. Just a quick, non-subtle reminder to look and see how much time you have left.

Travel Show Hosting

I heard from a producer who had also reached out a couple of years ago. He’s been a loyal reader for years and is looking to groom one or more potential hosts for the kinds of television shows he specializes in (all are travel-related). There is no guarantee that anyone selected will be on a show that makes it to air, but that’s the goal. He’s very experienced in his industry and is searching for outgoing people with a deep love for travel.

I’m not connected to this at all, but can vouch for him being the real deal. I told him I’d pass the opportunity on to my readers. If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, here’s the initial step…

  • Create a short (60 seconds or less) video about your love for travel. It could be where you’ve gone, where you wish to go, what you love about traveling, etc. But keep it under a minute for now.
  • Filming on an iPhone is fine. It’s about you, not the cinematography.
  • Only send a video if you’re flexible enough to travel for 2 weeks in February or March of next year.
  • Send a YouTube or Vimeo link of the video to castingtravelshow@gmail.com with the subject “MileNerd Post.”
  • No questions will be answered at this time. The email address is only to be used for video submissions.

Have a great weekend, nerds!

The Top 25 Credit Cards

(If you see any errors, please let me know. I try to keep a full list, but it’s a lot of information and I do make mistakes)

 

Significant Changes Since Last Month:
-New American Express Gold card.
-Alaska up to 40,000. Business version up to 32,500.
-Spirit up to 30,000.
-Air France added.
-Avianca LifeMiles bonus back up.
-Citibank American Airlines links updated.
-Hawaiian Business card up to 60,000.
-Removed Citibank ThankYou Premier card.
-Some readers seeing 100,000-point American Express Platinum offer via CardMatch again. Others seeing 75,000 in incognito browsers.

 

Before Playing This Game:
-Find a new hobby until you can pay off all balances each month.
-Take a second to look at what you’re applying for and confirm a bonus is what you expect.
-Get a screenshot of the bonus description in case you have issues collecting it later.
-Take 2 minutes to read the small print before applying.
(Look for “once in a lifetime,” “no bonus for cardholders in last 24 months,” etc.)
-Keep everything very organized in a spreadsheet. You’ll thank me later.

 

Time for my monthly Top 25 Credit Cards. It’s called “Top 25” out of tradition, but you’ll get many more links than that below. Again, if you’re a rookie, make sure you read The Newbie Guide. It’s a little outdated but many basic questions can still be answered there. For people running out of cards, remember there’s often a Business card option. Also, “churning” (getting the same card more than once) might be an option. The dates here were a guideline but things always tend to vary individually. If you’re new, it might be wise to start with Chase cards because of the limitations they’ll place on you soon.

Miles and points are far from an equal currency. 50,000 Delta SkyMiles are worth less to me than that amount from Alaska Airlines. 25,000 Hyatt points mean way more than the same number from Hilton. And so on. These links work right now (November 1st at midnight). If you read this later, many of the offers will have changed. Things move fast so read offer details and terms before applying. Especially all that small print when you’re trying to get bonuses more than once on the same card. Ok, enough chatter…here we go! My “Top 25” current credit cards are below.

Read More

Sale Stuff

In addition to yesterday’s Delta deal…

  • There’s a sale from Wow Air to Iceland and a few other places in Europe. Book by Friday.
  • Frontier’s “penny” sale (which is actually 1500 pennies) is back. Book today.
  • Of course JetBlue and Southwest never want to be sale party poopers.
  • Paying money for First Class flights isn’t exactly a defining trait of my readers…but Alaska is offering 25% off today.

Delta 10-Year Sale

In Delta’s now seemingly weekly attempt to kill me slowly…

They have a “10-Year Thank-You Sale” if you book by the end of the day tomorrow.

It’s 10,000 dongs…correction, 10,000 annoyingly useful SkyMiles…for select domestic round-trips.

Pretty damn good sale.

Again.