Category: Bougie on a Budget

Posted on

5 Ways You Can Save More at Restaurants

This page uses affiliate links. When you click an affiliate link, we get a small compensation at no cost to you. See Our Affiliate Policy for more information.

That restaurant ???? across the street might give you more value and #cashback than the restaurant next door because you can stack! Besides using a dining credit card for 3x-5x points, here’s  ⬇️how to stack and save more ???? at restaurants!

SAVE ????this post for a list of #creditcards that give 3x-5x for dining, and allow you to transfer to partners for airlines and hotels. Also what apps and programs to use to stack to save more at restaurants!

Feel free to DM ✍️or go my link in my bio if you want a referral link for credit cards or any apps below..

3x Dining
American Express Green
Chase Freedom Flex
Chase Freedom Unlimited
Chase Sapphire Preferred
Chase Sapphire Reserve

4x Dining
American Express Business Gold
American Express Gold

5x Dining
Citi Custom Cash

1) Book a walk in or reservation on the #Seated App. We booked separate walk ins as 1 person, and still got a table. Use my link below for an extra $20 reward on your first reservation.  

https://seated.app.link/26q6TBNMl1

2) Sign up for an airline or hotel program on the Neighborhood Nosh  network, such as American Airlines AAdvantage, Delta, or Hilton HHonors

3) Link you credit card to the Dosh App.

https://link.dosh.cash/ANGELT108

4) For Rakuten go to dining, and activate the restaurant you want to dine at. If you are new to Rakuten my referral link is $30 for your first purchase with the Rakuten portal. You can also convert Rakuten from cash back to Amex points

https://www.rakuten.com/r/TRINHA47

5) In the Yelp app check if there are any offers for you to check in at the restaurant

Use your credit card to pay. My favorite one to use is Amex Gold, since I get 4x at U.S. Supermarkets (up to $25,000) and 4x at Global Restaurants. Feel free to DM me or go to my link in bio if you are interested in Amex Gold. The sign up offer is 60,000-75,000 points if you spend $4,000 in 6 months. On  Amex Gold card ($250 annual fee) you also get $120 Uber/Uber Eats and $120 Seamless credits. These credits are split monthly for $10 Uber and $10 Seamless/Grubhub to use.

If you find this post helpful feel free to send to a ???? friend, so you can save on dining together. Thanks!

https://www.tiktok.com/@pennywisetraveler/video/7064857586297933102?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1
Posted on

Should I Pay for my Flight with Points or Cash?

This page uses affiliate links. When you click an affiliate link, we get a small compensation at no cost to you. See Our Affiliate Policy for more information.
Pay with Points or Cash
Should I pay with points or cash? Please see video below for more details on how to decide.

Should I pay for my ✈️ vacation with points or cash? Believe it or not, some award redemptions are better with points, and some are better with cash.

SAVE ????this post, so you can easily calculate if you should pay with points or cash for your flight. I am doing this example specifically for #ChaseSapphire Reserve, so my #ultimaterewards points are worth 1.5x in the Chase Portal/Pay Yourself Back vs 1.25 for Chase Sapphire Preferred.

Please feel free to DM me or go to this link to learn more about applying for credit cards.

1) Compare the Google Fights price, Chase Portal Price, and travel points price.

For example, a round trip flight from Cancun to Miami you might find the following.

Google Flights: $323 roundtrip on #AmericanAirlines for Basic Economy

Chase Portal Price: 21,518 points

British Airways #Avios Price: 15,000 Avios + $86.08 in taxes

2) Do the math for taxes & fees (Points = Cost/Rate) for the transfer partner

$86.08 is equivalent to 5,738 Chase Points

Cost / Rate = Points
5,738 points = $86.08/.015

15,000 Avios + 5,738 = 20,738 Chase Points for Transfer Partner. Please note, you do not have to wipe out your taxes and fees with Chase Pay Yourself Back, but I did this specifically to calculate the overall points cost.

3) Do the Google Flights cash comparison. (Points = Cost/Rate) $323/.015= 21,533 Google Flights price (points)

4) Compare the total points cost vs Chase portal vs transfer partner price. #BritishAirways is cheapest with total points cost 20,738 (15,000 Avios + 5,738 Chase points) vs 21,518 Chase portal points vs 21,533 Google Flights price (points)

5) Since British Airways is the cheapest you will transfer your Chase points to British Airways, and you can pay the taxes and fees on Chase Sapphire Reserve for 3x travel and trip cancellation and interruption insurance

6) If you want to make this trip entirely free with points, look at your most recent eligible purchases and use Chase Pay Yourself Back to offset the taxes and fees based on eligible purchases, such as dining, Away luggage, and Airbnb (until 3/31/22).You will receive a statement credit

Do you like this tip for figuring out if redemptions are better with cash or points? Feel free to send this to a friend if you find this helpful! Thanks!

https://www.tiktok.com/@pennywisetraveler/video/7058000173066374447?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1
Posted on

Award Flights Cheaper than a Carry On Bag Fee

This page uses affiliate links. When you click an affiliate link, we get a small compensation at no cost to you. See Our Affiliate Policy for more information.
Booking an award flight and paying only the taxes and fees can be cheaper than paying for a carry on. See video below for more details.

Who ????‍♀️else wears a bunch of clothes to avoid a carry-on fee? Even better, is that you do not have to do that anymore, and can instead book an award flight that is cheaper! A United award flight (booked with points) also has a #carryonbag included. Here ⬇️are more details.

Save ???? this post as an example of how booking a flight with points can easily save you money on things, such as a carry-on fee. Not only can the plane ticket be cheaper with points, but you can only save money on the $25 #carryonluggage.

On a recent trip to New York to Savannah, I booked my flight a few days before departure. The cash price for my flight was $199 + $25 ($224) if I had a carry on. The $199 was for a Basic Economy flight, which means you can only bring a personal item and that you would have to pay $25 for a carry-on bag.

Since I booked an award flight, my flight was only 7,500 points + $15.60 in taxes. I also had a free carry on because I booked an award flight, so I saved $25 for not paying the carry-on fee.

The reason why I booked an #Avianca flight instead of booking with United direct is because I can transfer my American Express points to Avianca 1:1 and pay less for the flight!

Both Avianca and United are on Star Alliance, so I can book any airline on the same alliance. Avianca tends to be cheaper than United for most award flights (award chart vs dynamic pricing).

Avianca is a transfer partner for Citi, Amex, and Capital One, so feel free to DM me or go to this link if you are interested in any travel cards. All of these banks have had transfer bonuses in the past with Avianca, so you can also save on points.

Please note, if you use the Chase/Amex/Capital One portal to book your flight with points, you may still need to pay the carry-on fee, since it is from a 3rd party. You must book from a #StarAlliance partner like #Unitedairlines, Avianca, and Turkish Miles & Smiles to make it an award booking. Feel free to share this post with a friend if you find it helpful!

Would you rather pay $199 for the flight and have only a personal item, $224 for a personal item and carry-on, or $15.60 for a personal item and carry-on? Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Thanks!

https://www.tiktok.com/@pennywisetraveler/video/7050247974458510639
Posted on

Backpacker vs Travel Hacker Problems

This page uses affiliate links. When you click an affiliate link, we get a small compensation at no cost to you. See Our Affiliate Policy for more information.
backpacker vs travel hacker
Are you a backpacker or travel hacker? Please see video below for more details about the differences.

Are you a travel ✈️ hacker or are you a backpacker? Learn and tell me ⬇️ in the comments below.

Fun fact travel ????hackers and backpackers are more similar than you may think! Both want to save money when traveling! Feel free to save ????this post, so you can quickly reference the similarities and differences! Here are some common problems we face.

Backpacker: I don’t need food at the airport, it’s $$$!

Travel Hacker: What time does the airport lounge open? I’m hungry!

Backpacker: I found a cheap flight!

Travel Hacker: OMG 40% transfer bonus! I can save on points to travel!

Backpacker: Wow only $10 a night for this hostel!

Travel Hacker: There’s a Hyatt for 5,000 points! Is there availability?!

If you are looking for a credit card that has ✈️ airport lounge access and that you can transfer points to Hyatt, I would recommend Chase Sapphire Reserve.

Chase Sapphire Reserve ???? has a $550 annual fee and you can get 50,000 Ultimate Rewards points when you spend $4,000 in 3 months. Feel free to DM me or go to this link if you would like a referral for this card!

Most recently, I received a retention ???? offer on my CSR card for $150, used the $300 travel credit on groceries, and received a $100 renewal credit. Essentially this offset the $550 annual fee I paid. I have also used Pay Yourself Back a few times to offset some of my travel costs at 1.5x.

Feel free to send this post to a friend ????if you also want to know if they are either a travel hacker or backpacker. Thanks!

https://www.tiktok.com/@pennywisetraveler/video/7018714435283913990?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1
Posted on

Theme Parks Tip to Save Up to 80 Dollars or More per Ticket

This page uses affiliate links. When you click an affiliate link, we get a small compensation at no cost to you. See Our Affiliate Policy for more information.
Check your health insurance to see if you have access to LifeMart. Please see video below for steps.

Who wants to go to ????Disney, Universal Studios, Six Flags, and other theme parks?

Better yet, tell me how I can save on ????tickets, so I can go!

Save ????this post because you can easily save $80+ off your ticket! Here’s an example for Disney.

1) Sign into your healthcare insurance account (ex: Aetna) and click “Health & Wellness”

2) Go to “Get Discounts and Health Products and Services” and click “Browse Discounts”

3) Click “Fitness” and then “LifeMart”

4) Fill out the form to get LifeMart access

5) Login to your LifeMart account and go to the menu side bar and click “Theme Parks”

6) You will get redirected to this page and see a list of theme parks for discounts (Disney, Universal, SeaWorld, Six Flags, Busch Gardens, Discovery Cove, Sesame Place, Hersheypark, Legoland, Knott’s, Great America, Cedar Point, etc)

7) Browse the different ticket offerings and click “Add to Cart” for the tickets you want!. For example, this was a Savings of $80+ ($365-$284 = $81) for the Disneyland Resort 3 Day Park Hopper

8) Follow @pennywisetraveler on Instagram for more money/travel hacks

Do you like this tip on saving money ???? at theme parks? Feel free to send this post to a ????friend, so you can go together! Thanks!

https://www.tiktok.com/@pennywisetraveler/video/7064377929869839662?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1
Posted on

Pay Less to Fly First Class

This page uses affiliate links. When you click an affiliate link, we get a small compensation at no cost to you. See Our Affiliate Policy for more information.
Would you rather pay $62 for First Class or $395 for Economy? Please see video below for more details

Who wants to fly first class ✈️ instead of economy?! Even better is when flying first class is cheaper than economy.

Save this post as an example of how it can be cheaper ???? for you to fly first class than economy with points! I also have an example of how to offset the annual credit card fee, so you can save money and potentially make money off this card!

1) Go on the Delta website to check for availability

Economy was $395, first class was $712.38, and first class on points was 18,000 points and $61.68 for taxes

4 cents per dollar is a really good redemption

18,000 Delta points + 2,160 points for Amex Excise Tax = 20,160 points required

Cost/Points = Value

$712.38/20,160 = .04

2) Transfer your American Express Membership Rewards points to Delta. My favorite Amex Card to use is Amex Gold ($250 annual fee)

$250 annual fee – $120 Uber Credit – $120 Grubhub Credit = $10 fee after credits. You can offset the $10 if you spend $417 at U.S. Supermarkets/Dining, since you get 4x for these categories

$417 X 4 Category = 1,668 points. Amex lets you redeem .6 cents per point for the statement credit, so 1,668 points X .006 = $10

I prefer to use my points for transfer partners 1:1, but if redeeming your points to offset the $10 for statement credit gives you peace, that you offset the $250 annual fee with credits, so be it!

Amex is known to have targeted Amex Offers, which are essentially coupons on the card to let you save money & even make money off the card

Please note, Amex does charge an excise tax for U.S. Airlines (Delta, JetBlue, and Hawaiian) at .06 cents per point

18,000 X .0006 = $10.80 or you can pay 2,160 Amex points

Message @pennywisetraveler if you are interested in the Amex Gold card or go to this link to sign up. You will get up to 75,000 points if you spend $4,000 in 6 months

3) Delta will email you this award receipt with your flight details once you flight is booked and paid

Follow @pennywisetraveler on Instagram for more money/travel hacks

Do you like this travel tip for offsetting the annual credit card fee and paying less to fly first class than economy? If so, feel free to send this post to a friend, so you can travel together! Thanks!

https://www.tiktok.com/@pennywisetraveler/video/7004971435647077638?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1
Posted on

Use Credit Cards to Travel for Free

This page uses affiliate links. When you click an affiliate link, we get a small compensation at no cost to you. See Our Affiliate Policy for more information.
Look into credit card points to use as your travel fund. Pleas see video below for more details.

Fact you can get that ????beach vacation with credit card points! Who else wants a nice view of the ocean on the way to paradise?

Save ????this post, so you know what credit card transfer partners to use to get to a beach destination like Playa del Carmen, Mexico! I also explain how travel hacking increased my credit score!

Fun fact ✈️travel hacking increased my credit score! My score only dropped temporarily due to the hard inquiry. My credit score went back up due to the increased number of accounts, longer credit history, and lower credit card utilization.

To get started on ????travel hacking I highly recommend you have your finances in order first. Otherwise this hobby might put you in debt!

I recommend starting with ???? Chase Sapphire Preferred (for 5/24 reasons). You will earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

If you are planning to go to Playa del Carmen ☀️here are some options:

Hotels: Grand ???? Hyatt Playa del Carmen at 25,000 points per night, or @thompsonplayadelcarmen Main House at 12, 000 points per night. Hyatt is a 1:1 transfer on @chase. Hyatt also lets you combine points with a friend through a points combining request form, so both of you can transfer to Hyatt to book the hotel.

Airlines: All major ✈️airlines fly to Cancun, Mexico, and you can do either of these:

British Airways ✈️ for American Airlines. Chase is having a 30% transfer bonus until 9/26/21 for Avios

United ✈️or Singapore Air ✈️for United

Did you find this post helpful? If so, feel free to share this post with a ???? friend, so you can travel to Mexico together!

https://www.tiktok.com/@pennywisetraveler/video/7053092845414272302?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1
Posted on

Is Stacking a Waste of Time and Effort?

This page uses affiliate links. When you click an affiliate link, we get a small compensation at no cost to you. See Our Affiliate Policy for more information.

Most of my items from Walgreens are either free or a money maker. Please see the video below for some of the items I got either discounted, for free, or as a money maker.

Fun fact: Most of the items in the ????video were either free or a money maker! And I also get ✈️ travel points! And it took me less than a minute to find these deals. Here’s ⬇️how.

SAVE ????this post as an example on how to stack at Walgreens! I literally went on the Instagram hashtag #walgreensdeals and filtered the posts based on most recent. Please note, some of these deals are no longer active from the video, but you can find the latest deals by researching the hashtag.

Steps
1) #walgreensdeals (sort by Most Recent)

2) Use Rakuten portal (for Amex points or cash back)

3) Pay with Chase Freedom Unlimited or Chase Freedom Flex (3x drugstores)

4) Depending on the IG post, I may have to clip coupons on the Walgreens app, upload my receipt to Fetch, Ibotta, Swagbucks, Coupons.com app, or Checkout51

Shopping ???? at Walgreens is very efficient for me because they have free store pickup (no minimum spending required), and it is right next to my gym. So,  I literally order my Walgreen stuff on the bus en route to the gym, ????️‍♀️workout, and then pickup my items from Walgreens after my workout! No time spent looking for items or waiting in line!

Since I’m getting reimbursed through a 3rd party app like Ibotta, I will still keep the Chase points and Amex points from Rakuten. Ibotta will reimburse me for my purchases, once I reach a certain ???? balance in the app through PayPal.

Amex has 17 airline ????and 3 hotel partners, and Chase has 11 airline and 3 hotel partners to transfer your points to travel for free. Points are a big part of my travel budget. Friendly reminder you have until 9/30/21 to use the Chase Pay Yourself back feature to offset your travel costs with dining purchases.

Do you like this money and productivity hack for saving ????money on things at Walgreens? If so, feel free to share this post with a friend! Also let me know if you need any referrals to any of these apps and credit cards!

And if you do not like this tip, no worries! It gives more room for people like me to buy items in stock, save ???? money, and earn more travel points. I hope you enjoy spending more money keeping your ????teeth clean!

https://www.tiktok.com/@pennywisetraveler/video/7052722485820738863?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1
Translate »