Points Queen: How to Maximize Your Travel Rewards Points

Points Queen. That's me. Not because I have the most points, but because I use them thoughtfully and creatively. I've bought furniture with hotel points and rental cars with airline points. I even plan to do all my Christmas shopping with my points.

Here is a great example. This weekend I went shopping for my new condo. I got all this stuff with minimal impact on my points balance:

Let me share my secrets.

I have travel points in 3 main accounts: Delta Skymiles, Marriott Rewards, and my American Express Business Card Rewards. You may have others (maybe you fly US Airways, bless your heart), but the guiding principles on how to use them are the same. Think about the following:

1. Point Value. All points are not created equal. Consider the dollar return on your points. For example, a Kindle PaperWhite 3G (with case) from the Marriott Online Store is 82,500, or about 375 points used per dollar. I can order the same thing from the Delta Skymiles Marketplace for 31,000 points, or 141 points per dollar.
2. Ease of Point Accumulation. My Marriott Rewards points multiply like bed bugs (see what I did there?). But my Delta Skymiles and Amex Points are much arder to get because my flights have been short and my business expenses low. So this is my point profile: lots of Marriott points, fewer Amex and Delta points. 

It's a balancing act. Let's consider the Kindle. Marriott charges over 2.5 times more than Delta (82,500 versus 31,000). But hey, I accumulate Marriott Points 5 times faster than Delta Skymiles, so using Marriott still makes more sense for me.
It will be different for everybody. Maybe you're like me - you don't travel far, but you stay in nice hotels. Or maybe you fly to Shanghai every week, but you stay in a 1-star hotel above a brothel.
In any case, getting the best bang for your buck is a function the two factors above. Consider both when decided how to buy with your points.

Here are some other useful tips to maximize your rewards:

1. Consider a rewards credit card. In addition to perks (free checked bags, double miles, buddy passes, automatic status upgrades, etc), you usually get a reward when you sign up (Delta offers 30,000 miles and Marriott offers up to 100,000 points). Be aware that there may be an annual fee after the first year. Therefore, these cards are really only worth it if you use them regularly.
2. Airline points are best for airline purchases.  Although not always true, airline points generally have the best return on travel purchases. Plus, many airlines offer wonderful packages or last minute travel deals for points; you can get a great deal if you're patient and flexible.
3. There are multiple ways to redeem for merchandise, and they are not equal. Let's go back to the Kindle example. Marriott offers the Kindle for 82,500 points. Or you could get a $200 Best Buy Gift Card for 60,000 points. The gift card is a much better deal! Shop around, be creative, and take  a moment to do the math.
4. Gift cards are awesome. In general, gift cards have great point value and give you flexibility. Here's another example: The Coach Madison East/West Satchel. American Express offers this gorgeous $398 bag for 52,550 points (132 points/dollar). Not bad. Or you can get a $400 gift cards for 40,000 points (100 points/dollar). The gift card also allows you to wait for a sale (even more value!) or go to the outlet to find a bag you like even better.
5. Shop Sales. And not just in stores. Points marketplaces will often put things on "point" sale. Truth be told, I haven't figured out any kind of pattern and they don't seem to advertise it. However, if you're not in a hurry to get something, then it may be worthwhile to watch and wait.
6. Shop through bonus portals. United Airlines offers a unique option for online shopping through Mileage Plus Shopping. Simply access your vendor through the United Rewards Marketplace, and you'll get miles for your purchase. You're still shopping from your chosen vendor (Macy's, Nordstrom, The Gap, etc), but you get a point boost with United Airlines. For example, my coworker spent $137.49 on Nordstrom.com and received 825 miles (a 6 mile/dollar bonus). I'm sure they're using her purchase history for evil market research, but if that doesn't bother you then it's a great deal.
7. Hooray for Promotions. Many companies offer occasional bonus promotions, often with little or no commitment. I'm a big fan of the Marriott Mega Bonus, which offers 50,000 points if you stay 25 nights within a certain time period. I almost exclusively stay at Marriott when I travel on business, so it's just free points. Here's another example: Delta is currently offering unlimited bonus miles for New York-->Milan. Do you live in NYC and fly to Milan every week on business? Congratulations, free points! Seriously, keep an eye out for these rando promotions! Read the spam email from your rewards programs, because there are hidden gems.
8. Don't be a status slut. Quality over quantity. The higher your status, the more points you get for every dollar you spend. So if you can, try to stick with one (maybe two) hotel/airline/rental car lines to build status. Here is food for thought: You're flying Atlanta-->Memphis on Delta. Without status you get 500 miles, with Silver status you get 625 miles, and with Gold you get 1000 miles. And so on. Monogamy wins.
9. Complain and reap the rewards. I'm not saying you should take advantage (wink), but if you have a really awful experience, then by all means call customer service. They'll usually help you out, especially if you have status. For example, this past weekend I rented an SUV that required a funnel to fill the tank (seriously, a FUNNEL), but the funnel was nowhere to be found. I was late for my flight. I gave up. I had to return the gar without gas. I immediately called National Customer Service to complain, and they didn't charge me for gas. I got a free tank! Awesome! Also, turns out the funnel was located under the spare tire in the trunk. Wtf.

Never Thought I'd Find Myself Antiquing

Apparently there is an alternate definition of "Antiquing". Learn something new every day.

On Saturday, Megan and I headed to Antique Row on S. Broadway. This area of Denver has over 7 blocks of antique stores, each with its own flavor. I got a kick out of the Bavarian taxidermy nightmare that was Heidelberg Antiques ("This place is haunted by the ghosts of 1,000 antelope"). We were also really impressed by an antique shop that sold full-size antique bars. Imagine if you took the entire interior out of Atkins Park and put it in a giant showroom - that's what this antique shop specialized in. 

I actually had a few things in mind that I needed. My condo's floor plan is unique. It has a few odd corners with strict width limitations. There are mirrors everywhere, including a full wall in the living room. So although I want a little more storage, I don't want to crowd it and I'm limited as to where I can put things. I'm also going for a rustic, farmhouse feel. Ugh, where to find furniture like this?

We spotted this thing in the far back corner of a huge antique co-op. Doesn't look like much. It was dirty and had some damage near the base. But we saw potential - it had a great red stain, was a good size for storage, and I had the perfect spot for it. It's an old root vegetable storage bin, which we thought was really unique and cool.
However, the seller's asking price was ludicrous. After a phone call and a quick negotiation, he marked the price down 1/3. It was SOLD.

Megan and I lugged it back to my place. I attacked it with a half a bottle of Murphy's Oil and...it cleaned up beautifully! We placed it in the corner by the giant wall mirror. I even bought a big, distressed metal clock to hang on the wall above it. As Megan would say, "LOVE it". 

Here's it is in full Transformer glory:

 Hooray for my first antique purchase!

Does Not Suck

Best. Weekend. Ever.

I flew out to Denver this weekend to finalize my moving plans. Megan (aka Mad Game Megan) came with me, and we had an absolutely whirlwind three days of working, shopping, carousing, brunching, and hiking. The phrase of the weekend was "This does not suck."

The view from my balcony does not suck:

 

The weather did not suck for Hiking at Betasso Preserve outside Boulder:

Kyla Rogers, Recipient of Nobel Humanitarian Award

Give this girl the Nobel Prize, Medal of Honor, Stanley Cup, or something. Kyla helped my mom and I at our neighborhood garage sale, which included loading up my car at 6am, staging everything at the event, and then wheeling and dealing all morning (which she is really good at). Could. Not. Have. Done. It. Without. Her.

Highlight of the day:
Mom: "I love making all this cash, especially small bills. I'd like a profession with that."
Kyla: "I believe that's called being a stripper.'"

The garage sale was an enormous success. I made $300! It's also a relief to unload years of accumulated stuff. I think Mom feels the same way. Whew!

In other news, my custom dining room table arrive today! I'll do a full post when I reach Denver, but I wanted to give a sneak peak. It's perfect! I ordered from Miranda at White Pine Crafters, based out of Smyrna, TN. Please check out her store on Etsy, because she makes absolutely beautiful, thoughtful, hand-crafted pieces. 

Sneak Preview:

Life Lessons and Deep Thoughts and Stuff

I'll admit it: I waste a lot of time on Buzzfeed and Huffington Post. Usually it's articles like "30 Corgies Who Have Been Ruined by Fame" or "27 Reasons You Should Date a Ninja Turtle". You know, really deep stuff.
Today I ran across 30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself. I'm not a glutton for self punishment and I'm generally a happy person, but some of these resonated with me. A few of them are things I'm trying to remedy in Denver. And many of them are things I recognize in other people. I've highlighted the ones that hit home for me.

What about y'all? Leave me a comment? Tell me if any of these strike you?

1. Stop spending time with the wrong people - For me, this one isn't so much about getting away from the wrong people (I genuinely don't have many of those in my life anymore), but finding more of the right people. I guess I'm glass half full. I'm hoping Denver will be full of like-minded, outdoorsy people that will bring joy and adventure to my life.
2. Stop running from your problems.
3. Stop lying to yourself - Isn't this very similar to #25? But yes, I needed to take a good, hard look at myself. There are things I need to work on, and I need to push myself to make it happen. So I suppose this move to Denver has an emotional/psychological aspect to it. Call it what you will: purge, detox, purification, starting fresh, etc.
4. Stop putting your own needs on the back burner.
5. Stop trying to be someone you’re not.
6. Stop trying to hold onto the past.
7. Stop being scared to make a mistake - I've been comfortable for a while, so it's been too easy to justify my life here. But I realized I was very afraid of the next step. I have long wavered between buying a house here, trying a new city, or selling everything and living in a windowless van (OK, not really). But ultimately, commitment was intimidating. I feared failure and the unknown. What if the house payment was too much? What if I don't like the new city? What if the van breaks down? But this summer, I reached a breaking point where the risk of failure became less scary than the risk of letting things go unchanged. The worst that can happen is I'll be cold, lonely, and bored in Denver, in which case I can always come back. But at least I can say I gave it a shot.
8. Stop berating yourself for old mistakes - Back in college, I took a class called Psych 1000. It was mostly a silly class, but it did make me very aware of my internal "locus of control". Your locus of control is where you assign blame and responsibility. For example, some one with an external local of control does not attribute his success and failures to himself, but rather to factors outside his control. These people can be very care-free, and are able to accept when things are outside their power ("shit happens" mentality, LOL). However, at their worst, they may view themselves as victims of fate or refuse to accept blame. You know the type. On the other side of the spectrum are those with an internal locus of control. These folks believe in their ability to control their lives, and can accept responsibility for every aspect of their lives. This can be very positive; these people can honestly celebrate their successes and take ownership of their mistakes. However, at their worst, these people internalize their mistakes, obsessing over them and shouldering blame. They can contort their sense of responsibility into feeling of guilt and obligation. When things happen that are outside their control (let's face it, bad things happen), it blows their little minds. I have these tendencies. I have been aware of it for years, and have worked really hard at it. By God, you should have seen me in high school - when I came out of the horse show ring, I'd promptly list off all the things I should have done better (didn't matter if I won). If I made a mistake, I felt like I'd let down my horse, my trainer, and my Mom. Haha, it made me a very daunting competitor! My Mom did a great job of pushing me to celebrate myself rather than berate myself, and I got better, but it just didn't come naturally to me. It wasn't until I took Psych 1000 as a college freshman that I identified the problem - I have an extremely internal locus of control. Nowadays, I try every day to be more realistic in my expectations of myself and to recognize when I couldn't have done any more. I also try to recognize when I'm assigning unwarranted blame or responsibility to myself.
9. Stop trying to buy happiness.
10. Stop exclusively looking to others for happiness.
11. Stop being idle.
12. Stop thinking you’re not ready.
13. Stop getting involved in relationships for the wrong reasons.
14. Stop rejecting new relationships just because old ones didn’t work.
15. Stop trying to compete against everyone else.
16. Stop being jealous of others.
17. Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself.
18. Stop holding grudges.
19. Stop letting others bring you down to their level.
20. Stop wasting time explaining yourself to others.
21. Stop doing the same things over and over without taking a break - Bingo. Someone once told me that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, and expecting a different result.
22. Stop overlooking the beauty of small moments.
23. Stop trying to make things perfect. 
24. Stop following the path of least resistance.
25. Stop acting like everything is fine if it isn’t - I'm not afraid of confrontation or brutal honesty, but I'm also OK with the "fake it 'til you make it" mentality. Sometimes I have to let things lie and figure themselves out. And hey, if I continue living life like normal, they will gradually become normal. 60% of the time it works every time. But sometimes it doesn't work, and I'll find myself pretending that things are swell when I know damn well that the problem isn't going to fix itself. In fact, it might be getting worse - the frog is being boiled. This is the crummy part. Switching from passive mode to active mode is scary, awkward, and sometimes painful. But you gotta do what you gotta do. 
26. Stop blaming others for your troubles.
27. Stop trying to be everything to everyone.
28. Stop worrying so much
29. Stop focusing on what you don’t want to happen.
30. Stop being ungrateful.

Bringing New Life to Old Wrought Iron

This weekend, my mom and I finished refurbishing my wrought iron patio furniture. What a project! But wow, what great results! I am so excited to have these, because I have a beautiful 6th floor patio to enjoy in Denver.

Here's the bill:

Sofa = $50

2 Spring Chairs = $40/each

Side Table = $18

Coffee Table = $25

1 can Rust Stop = $4.99/each

12 cans Rustoleum Primer (Flat Black) = $3.77/each

12 cans Rustoleum Flat Protective Enamel (Black) = $3.77/each

Plastic Plugs for Feet = $3.99/4-pack

Total = $280.44...but let's call it $300, because I'm probably forgetting something. But hey, quality wrought iron sets can easily be upward of $1000! Furthermore, the sofas are really hard to find.

Here are items my Mom had on hand:

Pressure Washer

Spray Can Trigger (OMG Lifesaver)

Sand Paper & Various Scrubby Tools

Electric Sander

Tarps

Nylon gloves 

This is what I started with. It doesn't look like much, does it? I bought all my pieces at Fabbu Estate Sales in Austell, GA. They have great things at fantastic prices (I got a solid oak trunk for $70!), especially if you're willing to give it some love. And boy, did these wrought iron pieces need love.

Step 1: Clean. Thankfully Mom has a pressure washer, although a scrub brush and bucket of soapy hot water would do it.

Step 2: Sand. That old nasty paint had to go. Although I didn't want to get down to bare metal, I had to at least get off the chipped paint and outer layers. Our sad little green table was apparently hideously yellow in some past life. Bless its heart.
Mom had an electric sander, which was really a life saver on the larger pieces.

Step 3: Rust Stop. Luckily, there wasn't any really bad rust. The Coffee table and spring chairs had some rust on their mesh areas, and the sofa had a few spots here and there. All in all, not bad. I used the spray-on rust preventer to hit these spots and prevent future damage.

A note about rust: It's not a killer, but it really depends on where it is. Patches of rust on non-weight bearing areas are no big deal. Deep rust on the feet or major joints is a big problem.

Step 4: Primer Coat. Self explanatory. I did a double coat, and was especially attentive to the footsies (which are very susceptible to rust). The spring chairs had lots of curlicues, so I had to get all up in there. The mesh areas were also a challenge, and ate up a lot of paint.

 

 
Step 5: Paint Coat. Hooray!

Step 6: Dry.

Step 7: The Ceremonial Placement of The Foot Caps. Yay! Done!


And the final result:

 

Ready...Set...Lounge! 

View Preview

So this isn't my exact view. This is actually from the unit 6 floors above me. But this is the direction I face and I have an identical patio.
So who's visiting?!

Pond Scum Van Lines, and Other Disreputable Businesses

Maybe I'm missing something here. But how in God's name do scammers survive in the Age of the Internet? Just google "Pond Scum Van Lines" (or whatever the company's name is), and every scathing review is at your fingertips. But sadly, not only do these effer clowns survive, they thrive. I'm willing venture that for every legit moving company, there is a disreputable one.

So here are a few things I've learned. Maybe it'll save you some heartache:

• Carriers versus Brokers. This is a big one. A carrier is a moving company that owns its own fleet of moving trucks. They maintain their trucks, have their own facilities, and hire their own drivers. If you select a carrier, you get that carrier's services. So what's a moving broker? A broker is a company who sets a price with you, and then bids out your move to a carrier. You won't know who will show up on your doorstep on moving day. Surprise! You could get that clown from "It". Or Snookie. Or John Boehner.  God only knows. 
• ProtectYourMove is your best friend. Sorry, Stephanie. ProtectYourMove is a government-run web site with a registry of all moving companies. You can look up a company by its DOT number, as well as a lot of other helpful info. For example, I was considering a company who claimed they were a highly regarded carrier with hundreds of vans in their fleet, but ProtectYourMove had them registered as a broker with a fleet of zero! When I asked the rep about it, he hung up on me! Which leads me to my next point.
• DOT Number. If a mover doesn't have a DOT number readily available, don't even think about using them. If a mover lies about its DOT registration, don't even think about using them.
• Beware the Deposit. You may be asked to submit a deposit to reserve a truck. Don't do it. Most reputable van companies don't ask for this.
• Beware the Low Bid. This is so sad to me. Here's the setting: a moving company gives you a low big. You rejoice at the great deal you're getting. The moving guys arrive on the big day and load all your stuff into the van. Then they demand more money or they'll drive off with your stuff. You can't reach customer service and you're crying and these guys are rude and oh god they're pulling away...fine, fine, here's another $500! Hard to believe, but apparently this is extremely common. I got six very low bids, and sure enough, a Google search revealed that every one of them used this tactic. Sad, but true.
• Small Volume Moves. Don't have much stuff? Move yourself! If you hire a carrier, you will probably share a van with other people who are moving to the same area as you. It may take longer to get your stuff, and there is a higher probability that items will be lost/stolen.
• Stick to a Top Ten Carrier.
• U-Haul
• Ryder
• Allied Van Lines
• Mayflower
• United Van Lines
• Atlas Van Lines
• Bekins
• North American Van Lines
• Crown
• ABF U-Pack

Splurge Denial

I've got an empty condo in Denver to fill. With so many pieces to get (couch, kitchen table, rugs, omigod it's overwhelming), I've had to go about this thoughtfully and frugally. Stay tuned for next weekend's project: refurbishing wrought iron furniture!

Anyway, I've taken to perusing home decor blogs and catalogs for inspiration. The AJC recently featured this gorgeous remodel, which is actually in my Atlanta neighborhood. This father-son duo snapped up a loft on the cheap and transformed it into a chic bachelor pad.
I fell heads over heels in love with their leather chair. It's rustic. It's modern. It's got character. It's a beautiful, warm color. I want it sooooo bad. But let's be realistic: quality leather chairs don't run cheap and there are so many other things that I need first. So I filed this chair to the back of my mind.

Today I visited The Dump, a discount furniture store roughly the size of an airplane hanger. The Dump is hit or miss. Sometimes it's filled with the tackiest crap you've ever seen (purple brocade settee with mahogany claw feet, any one?), but today was a good day. I found my chair! Well, darn close to it. It's also a recliner (although it doesn't look like one, thank goodness), which is a nice space saver in lieu of an ottoman. And it's so comfortable and the leather is so soft! The lighting isn't great, but it's a beauty.

The best part? I got a great deal! It was marked down 50% from full retail, then marked down again due to some minor scratches. I'll investigate some leather repair products, but I decided that the scratches won't bother me.

Hooray for new furniture! I'm so thrilled to get a high quality piece at a great price. So although it's still a splurge, I feel good about it.