Discounts on Travel - Part 2 - Hotels

Finding the right hotel for your vacation or business travel can be tricky. Many times we want all of the features for the best price we can get.

Here is a tip from my "Lessons Learned". Don't call the 800 number if you have specific requests such as a beach front room. Look up their local number and call the hotel direct to see if they can meet your specific request. We had an experience where we called the 800 number, was promised a beach front room, but they didn't have any available when we checked in. Better to call direct and note the name of the person you spoke with.

Now for hotel bargains. There are many websites such as hotel.com and others that can give you room rates for about any hotel in any location. And that is a good place to start. Usually you can choose what amenities you want, price range, and even see some photos of the hotel. Also, tripadvisor.com will give you the opinions of others about particular hotels. I suggest you read those as well before you book.

Both AARP (if you are over 50) or AAA (if you are a member), can get you discounts at a hotel. When calling for a reservation, ask them " What is your best rate?" After they have given you this quote, you then ask about AARP or AAA rates to see if you can save a little be more. If you are a member of the Military or work for the government, those rates are usually even better.

If you travel a lot, such as on business, you should join the membership of the hotels you tend to stay. Marriott has a good program, as does Hilton, Holiday Inn, Best Western, etc. If you don't belong, ask them for a form to sign up. Unlike airline frequent flyer miles, hotel miles seem to work much better. The rewards are not as good as they used to be, but still they are worth it and can add up over time. You can use their points for free nights, or room upgrades.

You can also search the internet with the name of the hotel and the words "promotion" or "discount". Sometimes you will find they have a summer special that does not show up else where. Try this in the black Google Search box at the bottom of this blog, just above the video. The search results will at the bottom of the blog. For example try this one in the search box(include the quotes):

discount "Legacy By The Sea" Panama City Beach, Fl


Now if you don't have children and there are only one or two of you traveling, then PriceLine is one to try. Priceline will quote you a price, but you can bid on hotel rooms and get them even lower. You have to remember this is an auction, and once you bid, if it is accepted you have bought the room.

There are some drawbacks with PriceLine. They only work with hotels. All rooms are only for 1 or two people. The drawback is you don't choose the hotel, you choose the area, and the * ranking. So always ask for a 4 or 5 star hotel to be assured of a nice one.

If you want to try PriceLine, I strongly suggest that you go to Bidding For Travel first.

Bidding For Travel will let you see how much other people have gotten rooms for at various hotels. However, they have a technique that you need to follow, and are most helpful getting you started. But you must follow the rules in order to be successful.

I just looked on Bidding for Travel and saw where one bidder got a room at the Marriott Marquis Times Square in New York City for $150. Or the Hyatt Regency in Boston for $100. For these hotels, those are great prices.

Similarly, Hotwire allows you to purchase rooms. But they show the prices, you don't bid. However you still don't know the name of the hotel until you agree to accept it. However, this site does use maps and shows smaller neighborhoods, so you can get right in the location you wish.

If you are not into bidding and taking your chances, then try Kayak. This site searches a ton of sites looking for your hotel room, including the hotel's own website, for any internet specials they may have.

For any of the sites, simply type the name listed below in the black Google Search box below just above the video. The search results will appear underneath that black box.

Hotels.com, TripAdvisor, Bidding For Travel, PriceLine, Hotwire, Kayak

Where ever you go, may you have a pleasant stay and get a great deal!!

Discounts on Travel - Part 1 - Air Travel

Ahhh!! Vacation, travel, time to get away. Exploring new places, enjoying time with your loved ones. Disney for the kids or grandkids; New York for shopping and Broadway shows; Washington DC for learning about our history; Colorado for skiing; Florida for some beach time. Do these stir memories for you, or inspire some wistful thinking?

I don't know about you, but we love to travel. Better yet, we love to travel when we can get a bargain.

There are usually two types of travelers. I call them the prince/princesses and the wolves. Those who want everything handled for them are the prince/princesses. Wolves are those who search and hunt for the best prices with the skill and passion of a wolf hunting for his next meal.

There is nothing wrong with being either type. And at times we all have a need to be treated like a prince or princess. For these moments, my advice is short and simple. Have a good trust worthy travel agent. One who has been places, and can not only get you a fair price for your travel, but at the same time can tell you things to do there that you absolutely do not want to miss. One who knows not only destinations, but passport rules, visa rules, latest baggage charges, etc. Also, if you have problems, the agent is willing to go to bat for you to get the situation rectified. To me, that is the real value of a good travel agent. My wife is a very good travel agent and does all of these things for her clients.

Now for the wolves, here are your tips. I can hear your lips smacking now.

There are a multitude of websites offering the best prices on air travel, hotels, cruises, and packages (includes air, hotel, transfers or rental cars). You also see advertisements in newspapers. You want to make sure that when you compare prices, you compare apples to apples. Most advertisements show only the base price. They don't include the taxes, passenger facility charges, fuel surcharges, baggage charges, etc. These fees can add 20% - 30% to the cost of your ticket. So be careful when you compare prices, and don't get lured in with the appearance of a low price in an ad, these are usually starting prices and without the fees.

If you truly just want to go somewhere, anywhere, and want the best deal you can get, then you have to be very flexible. Mainly, you see who has airfare sales going on, choose a place, then figure out what you will do when you get there. This is spur of the moment travel and can provide you with many travel experiences. However, it does require you to do your research on your chosen destination. Otherwise, you may come back with the opinion "That was just another boring, dirty, major city". You might miss that museum, or nearby national park, nice restaurant, or wonderful store with great bargains. So do your homework. www.tripadvisor.com is a great place to search for information opinions posted by fellow travelers.

Speaking of spur of the moment bargains, Clark Howard is a local radio celebrity (WSB 750) here in Atlanta. His show is syndicated and may be on one of your local stations or on the internet. On Friday afternoons at 3:00 PM, his show is spent entirely on travel bargains, great deals. We have made many spur of the moment purchases of airfare based on information on his show, then figured out what we would do when we got there. A friend of mine once got a $188 round trip airfare to Hawaii that he heard about on Clark's show!!! Now that is a bargain and a whale of a discount!!!

However, if you have specific plans involving particular dates, then you need to begin checking airfares early and check them often to understand what the price ranges are. You monitor the prices, or have websites monitor the prices for you and notify you by email when the price drops. Just remember that these prices won't reflect all of the additional fees, just expect the final price to be about 20% or so higher.

When buying airfare, it is always a guessing game, and you are not always sure when to pull the trigger and make the purchase. Next week the airfare could go lower, but it could also go higher. If for example, you are planning a trip to London in early spring, and you see airfares are currently running $1000 each, then you know it is a good deal if you see airfare for $300. Beware, some destinations have seasonal variances. Europe is usually cheaper in the winter than in the summer. Las Vegas is higher on the weekends than on weekdays.

For the best prices on airfares, I use a couple of sources. I check Travelocity.com just to see what the price range is going to be. I like this site, because I can choose a flight, then I can see which days have seats available. I will take it up to the point of booking, then cancel out. I do this so I can see which days that bargain airfares are available, and what it will actually cost me. Also, if you have favorite cities to go to, you can set up an alert to send you an email if the price fells below a certain $ amount.

There are some downsides to using Travelocity. We used them once, and had to make a change to a ticket. Travelocity made the change, but charged us more than if we had booked it through the airline. Plus we had to go to the airport to get the new ticket. Plus, I spent about 40 minutes on the phone with them, it was a hassle. Now I just use them for information.

For domestic travel, another site is www.kayak.com. This site will check 140 different sites for you, including internet only specials. It searches places that Travelocity, Expedia, and Orbis do not pull from. Best of all this site is free, and you can click to make your purchase directly from the airline or agency.

For international travel, a good site to use is www.mobissimo.com, which is similar to Kayak.

There are also sites such as Hotwire and PriceLine, however, I have only used them for hotel purchases and have not tried them out for airfare purchases. More about these two sites in my next blog on hotel discounts.

For my last tip, the best airfares are usually midweek, not on weekends. Everyone wants to travel on Friday and come home on Sunday to get a long weekend. However, they are competing with business travelers who want to get home of Fridays, and need to leave for work on Sundays. Tuesdays seems to be the best day to get the cheapest airfare. Around holidays, you need to book early. Although, you may find some bargains on the morning of the holiday such as the actual day of Thanksgiving or Christmas. However, most airfares are going to be at a peak at these times.

Beware of spring break, especially if you are going near a beach. Discount seats sell out early. So plan ahead, don't wait until the week or even the month before.

I hope you have found this helpful. Let me know what you think about what I have posted above, or share your suggestions. We all learn from each other.

My next blog will be about finding really good deals at hotels.

Also, if you enjoy this blog, feel free to share the link with your friends and family. Here is the link for you to copy and paste into your email: mrterrycreditcardhelp.blogspot.com

May you find the deal of the day and have a wonderful vacation!!

Mr Terry

Buying Books at a Discount

Do you enjoy reading? It can be for pleasure, learning, research, or just something that catches your eye.

Do you buy your books at the local bookstore and pay the full retail price? That's good to support the local merchants, but there are times that I like to keep some of that money in my pocket. Well, let's say not just sometime, but for me that is all the time...

As for local book stores, I enjoy going to Barnes and Noble or Borders. They have everything under the sun and I wish I had the knowledge packed in all of those books.

If you frequent Barnes and Noble, you probably know that you can buy a membership card for $25 which gives you 40% off their best sellers, 20% off other hardcover books and 10% off most everything else. Now combine that with a coupon and you can save some money on books.

Where do I get coupons? If you take their membership, they will send you coupons from time to time. Sometimes for an additional 15% or 20% off one item. Another source is to google "Barnes and Noble Coupon Code". I have used codes from CouponAlbum.com when I am ordering online. You enter the coupon code near the end of finishing your order for an additional discount. If one code doesn't work, try another from their list.

Let's use an example and do some shopping. The number one book on the NY Times Fiction bestseller list is Nora Robert's "Tribute". List price is $26.95, not including taxes. If I were to order this book at the list price, it would be about $28.57 including taxes.

On Abebooks.com, it is $19.04 including shipping. On Barnes and Noble it is about $23.98 including shipping and taxes for members, or $25.36 for non-members including shipping and taxes. Shipping is about $3.99 to my house, and taxes are 6%, your situation may be different. I find a coupon for 15% off and apply it and my book total is now $18.79 for a member or $20.98 for a non member. So Barnes and Noble is the best deal if you are a member, or Abebooks.com is the best one if you are not. Not a great deal, but better than paying full price plus taxes!

There is one more place that I would like to mention for used books and new as well. The website used.addall.com searches many book dealer sites including Abebooks.com. Many times I see a book that I am interested in which is selling for the full retail price and I find it on this site at more than 50% off. For example, I saw a technical book that I was interested in and it was $26.95 plus tax. But using used.addall.com, I found a used copy for $10 which included shipping. I didn't mind that someone else had read it, or made notes in it. I might find them helpful.

I was pleased with my purchase!

For text books, there are many sources. Such as ecampus.com, campusbooks.com, half.ebay.com and many others. Just google "used textbooks", and you will get a whole list.

In fact, if you would like me to help you find the best price on a book, post a comment and I'll see what I can do. If I get a lot of suggestions, I will pick a few and go through the techniques that I used to find the lowest price.

Plus, do you have favorite sites for books that you visit? Or do you have certain bookstores that you enjoy visiting? Let us know, we would love to hear from you.

Happy Book Hunting!!!

Buying a new car

My wife absolutely hates going to car dealers. She feels like they assume you are an idiot that will pay the sticker price, and every discount you try to bargain for, is like trying to move a mountain.

The ones that I totally avoid are the "no hassle", "pay the price you see" dealerships. These are dealerships that count on the large group of people that feel negotiating is too intimidating or trying to get a bargain is below their dignity.

Well, I am for getting a bargain, and I have my own no hassle method of getting the best deal.

Here is the approach that I used on my last purchase of a new vehicle. First I determined how much I was able to spend for a new car. Second, I made sure that I had either cash or a reasonable pre-approved loan from my local credit union (low interest, not too many years).

Then I began checking on the internet to see which cars would fit within my budget. Kellys Blue Book is a good place to do this. You can check out both new and used car prices. You can see invoice prices, any incentives/rebates available, EPA Milage estimates, technical specs, etc. And you can get a price quote, but I have never tried that feature. Also, Consumer Reports magazine is a good source to find ratings on cars.

If you want to just look at some cars and not be bothered, go on Sunday mornings when they typically are not open, and wander around the lot. Or tell the sales person you are just looking. Next you will need to visit some dealers to test drive the cars you are interested in. Then you need to narrow your choice down to one car, know what options you want, color, etc.

Now you are ready to bargain. Choose three to five dealers in your area, and include any you may have scouted and took a test drive. Call each dealer's sales department and ask for two things. The Manager's name and their fax number.

Then you type up a letter saying that you are going to purchase a new car within the next three business days. You are interested in the 2009 Mustang V6 Premium Convertible, Black exterior, red interior, with AM/FM Stereo w/CDx6, 8 Speakers & MP3, Touch Screen DVD Based Navigation System, etc....In other words, you have to know exactly what you want and which options and list everything you want.

You tell them you would like their very best offer, showing drive out price including all taxes, registration, add ons, destination charges and rebates. You also tell them you are submitting this proposal to four other dealers and they must provide their very best price, because this will be their only chance to sell you a car. They must show the Vehicle Identification Number, the options on that car (for verification), and the drive out price. They are to reply by fax (give them your fax number) and it must be signed.

If you don't receive their fax offer by Noon on August 1st (use your own date), then you will assume they are not participating. Further, the one with the lowest price will win your business. You will let them know by 3 PM who is the winner.

So when you get to the dealership, take your fax and ask to test drive the car to make sure it is OK and it is exactly as described, drives good, and is new.

Dealers are hurting right now and are looking for business. So as long as it is not a popular model, you might be in for a steal of a deal!!!

Happy Bargain Hunting!!!!

Discounts, discounts, and more discounts!!

Ah discounts!!! They always put a smile on my face, if they are for something that I knew that I would use anyway.

There are multiple sources of discounts. For groceries, I previously wrote about “Couponing for Groceries”. One source I didn’t mention was the Valu Paks and other coupons sent via snail mail. Just flip through them when you receive them. Sometimes there are nice surprises. They also usually have restaurant discount coupons, they are a good thing. Save those as well. I put them in a baggy and carry in the car's console or glove box, so when you stop to eat out or plan to eat out, you check to see if you have a coupon for some of your favorite places. There are some restaurant coupons that maybe only you would use with a girlfriend(s), keep those in your handbag or car, not the family car. Then when you are out or with a friend you have some discount options for dining.

We have a favorite pancake house that we visit for breakfast and they frequently put coupons in those Valu Paks. They are usually buy one breakfast and get the lesser meal for a $1. It usually saves us about 30% to 40% on our breakfast meal.

If you are 50 or more find out what the rules are at your favorite store(s) for Senior citizen discounts. Usually there is a certain age requirement and the discounts are on a specific day of the week. Then you can use your coupons, store card and senior discount at checkout. It adds up! Speaking of discount cards, sign up for them if they are free. I have found them at some grocery and drug stores. I keep them in a small zip lock bag in my glove compartment. So they are always handy.

Don't forget to shop store brands. Many people mistakenly think that store brands are not as good as the name brands you buy, are seconds, or there is something wrong with them. This is not true. If you take your brand product and compare its label to the label on the store brand, nine times out of ten, the ingredients will be identical. Also, most of the time you will find that whoever makes your brand also makes the store brand. It is just different labeling for a much less price. What a deal!

When browsing the Sunday paper look at the ads for Drug stores and discount stores. They may not have coupons, but for either a specific number of days or for the upcoming week they may have items on sale cheaper than can be purchased at your regular grocery store. Plus you can use any coupons you have for the product(s). Here again, sometimes these discounted prices are only good if you have one of their discount cards.

Big box shopping store's like Costco, Sam's Club and BJ's Warehouse are good if you have a large family and will use 24-36 of an item within the time you will go shopping again or if you have the space to store them. Otherwise, not a great deal. You can buy in bulk many staple items at your regular grocery store or Wal-Mart, K-Mart, etc. Paper towels, toilet tissue, cleaning supplies, detergent (laundry and dish) soap, napkins, Kleenex, etc. do not go bad. If you have a laundry room, large pantry or storage area buying these items in bulk with a coupon or at a sale can save a bunch! So stock up when you have the opportunity.

Always check your receipts from your purchases when you get home. Some stores now offer a survey you can do online or via phone that takes from 1 - 5 minutes. For participating you are entered to win a Shopping spree at the store, what do you have to lose?! Or at the bottom of the receipt may be a coupon good for your next purchase. If you shop there regularly, that's a deal!

If you are surfing the web late at night or early in the morning Google some of your favorite stores with the words promotion or coupons or discounts. I have found promotion codes good for free shipping and even 30% off. You will be surprised to see what you will find. Not all offer discounts or coupons, but many will have them out there just for the looking and the printing!

Also, check Ebay. Sometimes there are coupons that can be purchased for a minimal fee of .99 cents and that includes shipping sometimes. If you don't look you don't know!

What are some of your tips for finding discounts, or favorite websites for finding discounts? You will be my hero if you can tell me about some new websites or ideas.

Don't forget to Shop 'n Save!!!

Couponing for groceries

People say they don't have the time to clip coupons. Oh contraire! If you don't subscribe to the Sunday paper, pick one up at the quick stop or grocery store. Pull the coupon books out. Set them next to your seat while watching your favorite TV program, or set them at the table while you eat your breakfast. It only takes a few minutes. You don't need scissors; you can fold those dotted lines and tear them out just as fast and neatly. Only select those items that you usually buy. Don't take the coupon just because it is a coupon.

When browsing the Sunday paper, take time to thumb through the ads for drug stores and discount stores. They may not have coupons, but for either a specific number of days or for the upcoming week they may have items on sale cheaper than can be purchased at your regular grocery store. For instance we found a 39 oz. container of the coffee that we use which was $2 less than it sells for at the discount stores. Plus the store was on the way, so there was no extra driving.

Check your store's ads, many offer double coupon days. That means whatever the value on the coupon it is doubled when you purchase the item on that day. Usually up to $1.00 face value of coupon.

When you are on the web go out to your favorite store's websites, many times you can sign up to receive additional or special coupons on line via your email. And don't forget if your store has a discount card to attach to your key ring and/or carry in your wallet sign up for it. Many of their specials are only good if you have their discount card to be swiped at the register, and they are free!

There are several websites out there that offer additional coupons and you can make them specific to your zip code. Couponmom.com is one of many. Sign up and get their emails weekly, select the coupons you want and print. Just search for the word Coupons to find other sites.

Now that you have all of these coupons, how are you going to keep up with them? Go to a Dollar Tree or Wal-Mart and pick up a coupon organizer. A $1 is all it costs. It is made of heavy duty plastic coated paper with labeled pockets. If the labels are not exactly how you would classify your shopping items, white them out or use a blank mailing label to cover it up and write in your own label. This is something light enough and small enough to carry in your handbag so it is will you every time you shop! If you do not want it in your bag put in your car console or glove box, or somewhere that would be easy to get to and accessible when you shop.

One last tip, when shopping, you should always use a list! This keeps you from forgetting those things you absolutely need and keeps you on track while shopping. We keep a magnetic list pad on the refrigerator, when we run out of an item or are down to the last of the item, I add it to the list. This keeps you from having to reconstruct what you need or have used during a week, 2 weeks or month, however often you shop.

What are some of your tips on shopping for groceries? Do you have some websites you could share?

My next blog will be talking about finding discounts.

Happy Couponing!!!!

Free Audio Books for your MP3 Player

I enjoy books and there are many that I have not read. I first discovered audio books when a friend told me that you could go to Cracker Barrel restaurants and "rent" audio books on CD for a week. I think they cost you about$3 or $5, much cheaper than buying one. Of course what they do is charge the full amount to your credit card, then when you return it, you get a credit back that for that amount less the weeks' rental amount.

That really worked out great for long road trips, because we usually found a Cracker Barrel restaurant somewhere along the way where we could drop off that one and pick up another one.

The next place I found was my local library also not only carried audio books, but they also subscribed to an audio book library, where you could have online access from your home PC, download the book to your MP3 and listen to it for free. This library had a good source of fiction, language tapes, etc. All are DRM protected and the license expires after 3 weeks. But when you finished you could check the book back in and get another one.

The cool part about MP3 books are that I listen when I am exercising, or working around the house outside, or inside. However, when exercising, I still like good music with a good beat to keep me moving.

Now my latest source is a site called Librivox. This site offers audio books that are in the public domain. Books such as "Sense and Sensibility", "A Midsummer Night's Dream", and "David Copperfield".

In addition, there are old radio programs such as "Dragnet", "The Shadow", "An Evening with Groucho Marx" and many others. I even found one that was World War II news broadcasts. Imagine stepping back in time to see what entertainment was before TV and the Internet.

I'm not going to tell everything that is out there, it is too big of a site. So you need to go take a peek and look around to see if there are things that you might be interested in.

Then download them to your MP3 or IPod, and enjoy.

If you have other MP3 or Audio book favorite websites, let us know!!!

Happy Listening!!!