Flying for Fitness

Safeway/Albertsons/Vons has brought back their popular Just For U deal for discounted Mastercard gift cards .  There are currently two offers: The $50 gift cards come with a $4.95 purchasing fee and the $100 gift cards come with a $5.95 purchasing fee.  So you'll be up 10 cents for buying two $50 gift cards and up $3.10 for buying two $100 gift cards. Which credit card to use? Starting April 1, 2020, the Chase Freedom will be earning 5X on all grocery store purchases, so that would be the best card to use towards these gift cards.  As an alternative, the Amex Gold card offers 4X on all grocery store purchases. Some Safeways accept gift cards as a form of payment towards other 3rd party gift cards, but YMMV.  As Safeway gift cards can be purchased online on Amazon.com and on staples.com, you could use a card that gets 5X on office supply purchases like the Chase Ink Cash and earn 5X on Safeway gift cards which may be able to be used towards the Mastercar...

Right now, you can get a pair of Sony WF-1000XM3 wireless noise cancelling earbuds for just $99!  It's listed as refurbished, but still a far-cry from the retail price of $229.  Also, the ear buds have been manufacturer refurbished and come with a 90-day warranty and a 30-day return policy. The Sony WF-1000XM3 have good reviews and are comparable to the Apple AirPod Pro.  The AirPod Pro will definitely have the advantage for those using iPhones and Apple products as they allow for seamless integration with Siri and for switching between Apple devices. In my experience, wireless noise canceling earbuds are the best when it comes to working out and for sleeping in-flight in lieflat mode.  Over-the-ear noise canceling headsets like the Bose QuietComfort 35 do reign supreme when it comes to sound quality and drowning out the noise, but they're bulky and you'll be drenched in sweat after a workout, especially with anything that involves HIIT or your dreaded ...

In the first move of its kind, Hilton Honors has extended the elite status and points expiration by a year.  As the travel industry has suffered tremendously from the coronavirus outbreak, very few people are traveling, and elite status benefits and award points are bound to go unused.  In Hilton's own words: Your Hilton Honors Status and Points We consider it our privilege to have you as a Hilton Honors member and we want to show our appreciation by extending your benefits: 2019 Status Extension.  All members whose 2019 status was scheduled to be downgraded on March 31, 2020—whether it’s Diamond, Gold or Silver—will automatically receive an extension through March 31, 2021. 2020 Status Extension.  We are extending your 2020 member status through March 31, 2022. This means you will continue to enjoy all the Diamond, Gold or Silver benefits you have access to today for the next  24 months . Points Extension.  We will pause the expiration of all ...

Amazon and American Express have another great deal where you can get up to 20% off by just redeeming 1 Amex MR (Membership Rewards) point for any merchandise purchase shipped and sold by Amazon.  The maximum discount is $50, and can be applied multiple purchases totaling $250.  Amex MR card holders who reported that they were ineligible for a similar promo last month are now reporting that they are eligible for this one.  To see if you're eligible, go to the promo link and click on "Activate now": Promo link Unfortunately, it looks like this offer no longer applies to 3rd party gift cards like Safeway, Uber, Home Depot, etc. and is only good for merchandise. Terms and Conditions This is a limited time offer. This is a limited time offer. The promotion will end on the earlier of (a) 11:59 PT on 4/20/2020, or (b) the time at which 40,000 customers have redeemed the offer. The promotion button will expire concurrently. Amazon.com reserves the right to canc...

In a sign that the coronavirus pandemic isn't likely to end anytime soon, American Airlines has become the first carrier to extend their travel waiver past March 31 to May 31, 2020 .  The waiver applies to the following: Any ticket purchased prior to March 1 will not incur change fees prior to travel. Customers must pay any fare difference, if applicable, at time of ticketing of the new fare. This is available for any of American’s fares for travel through May 31. Customers are allowed to change their origin and destination cities as part of this offer. The new ticket must be reissued on/before December 31 or 12 months from the original ticket date (whichever is earlier). Travel must also commence on/before December 31 or one year from original issue date — whichever is sooner. Where this waiver extension can become problematic for some are those who booked their flights 11+ months ago and were scheduled to travel soon.  Since the new ticket would still need to b...

Southwest has long been the maverick in the airline industry by never imposing change, cancellation, or checked bag fees.  A few days ago, they even begin waiving fare difference increases for flight changes, meaning that you could change your existing reservation to a more expensive flight with the same routing without any additional fees whatsoever.  In light of the public's hesitation to travel due to the coronavirus pandemic, today they also announced that they will be extending all expiring travel funds to June 30, 2021! Normally when you cancel a non-refundable Southwest ticket, you get a refund in for the form of travel funds that must be used on another Southwest ticket within 12 months of the original ticketing date.  So if you booked say a ticket in September 2019 to fly in April 2020 and you ended up canceling the reservation, you would need to travel and use the funds within 12 months of your original ticketing date by September 2020.  But with Sout...

With the coronavirus pandemic, people are literally stockpiling cleaning products such as hand sanitizer, toilet paper, and wipes.  Amazon is running a nice promo where you can get $10 off $40+ purchase of select household cleaning items. Offer link You should be able to find a number of household essentials totaling up to $40.  Downie Unstoppables are one of the most underrated laundry additives as they really do make your clothes smelling great even after wear. Just add the select items to your cart totaling $40+ and you'll see the $10 discount automatically apply.  Enjoy!

Chase is currently offering an increased 100,000 point sign-up offer for the Ink Preferred business card.  The card already has a great normal sign-up bonus of 80k Ultimate Rewards points, so this represents a significant increase.  However, a hefty spending of $15,000 within the first 3 months of card membership is required, so this offer is better tailored to bigger spenders or those who have large purchases coming up. Ink Preferred card benefits The Ink Preferred has a $95 annual fee that is not waived for the first year, but the card is definitely worth keeping for its benefits: Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases in the following categories each account anniversary year on travel, shipping, Internet, cable, phone, and advertising purchases with social media sites and search engines Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases No foreign exchange transaction fees Cell phone protection benefit Add additional employee cards at...

Southwest has long been the king of zero fees when it comes to changes, cancellations, and checked bags.  Whereas the other airlines are now all offering waived change fees due to the coronavirus pandemic, Southwest hasn't had to really make any policy changes because they still offer the best change/cancellation policies on the planet.  However, Southwest has now taken an extra step in no longer charging fare increase differences if you change your existing flight. Before, while changing your flight was free, a fare difference would apply.  Meaning that if you booked for say $99 and you changed to a later flight that cost $129, you would have to front the $30 fare difference.  But for existing Southwest reservations, you can now change the flight and no fare difference fee will apply as long as the routing stays the same and you change to a flight no more than 2 months out.  This is extremely generous in the sense that you can change your flight you booked ...

As our country is under a national emergency and many counties and states have issued shelter in place warnings, the risks of going out and exposing yourself to coronavirus has certainly increased.  Many individuals are now avoiding the gym as it can be a cesspool for pathogens.  Despite the efforts that many gyms have taken to prevent the spread of the virus, including excessive cleaning and installing extra hand sanitizer dispensers.  If you're sheltering at home and no longer have access to the church of iron, chances are that your muscles aren't getting the work that they deserve.  Here are some at-home exercises that you can be performing to keep your gains in check and active. Chest: push ups Push ups are perhaps the best bodyweight exercise for your chest.  It replicates the same movement as the bench press.  For the most effective chest workout, do them until failure.  And if standard push ups are too easy for you, elevate your feet o...

In light of the coronavirus pandemic, TripIt by Concur is offering its Pro version for free for 6 months for anybody who signs up by March 31, 2020.  TripIt Pro normally costs $49 per year, so this is definitely a gesture of goodwill by Concur.  Included in the Pro version are reliable features such as seat tracker, fare tracker, check-in reminder, an up-to-the-minute flight status. How does it work? If you’re new to TripIt,  sign up between March 13 and March 31 , and we’ll automatically give you access to TripIt Pro for six months. If you’re using our free TripIt service,  update your account  by March 31. For existing TripIt Pro users, we’ll be extending the same value to you. Safe travels, The SAP Concur and TripIt teams Quick thoughts TripIt Pro is a great app and has become one of the most trusted travel insurance apps among frequent flyers.  It's great to see Concur offer their premium product for free for 6 months.  The co...

The Chase Freedom is one of my favorite no annual fee credit cards out there.  The card offers 5% cashback on quarterly rotating categories, and if you have a premium Chase Ultimate Rewards card like the Chase Ink Preferred or the Chase Sapphire, you can transfer your Chase Freedom points over to the premium cards, which in turn can be transferred at a 1:1 ratio to their travel loyalty program partners.  If you don't have already have the Freedom, Chase is offering their best ever $200 (20,000 Ultimate Rewards points) sign-up offer after spending just $500 in 3 months. Chase has just announced their 2nd quarter 5% bonus cashback categories for their Freedom card: grocery stores, gym memberships, and fitness clubs .  Gyms are a first in the history of Chase Freedom 5% categories, and Q2 is all about the dieter and fitness enthusiast!  Grocery stores are where you pick your protein and veggies, allowing you to cook healthy, unprocessed meals at home.  And of...

United has been the most aggressive U.S. carrier in scaling back their operations due to the coronavirus outbreak, which the World Health Organization has now declared as a pandemic.  With bookings down 70% for the past month and with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security banning all non-U.S. resident travel to/from Europe, United was quick to respond by suspending many of their European routes after next Thursday, March 19, 2020.  After next Thursday, United is "expected" to only fly the following routes: Fly daily to Zurich, Brussels, Paris, Amsterdam, Machnester and Edinburgh Maintain ‘multiple flights’ to Frankfurt and Munich Operate 18 flights a day to London (the U.K. is not covered by the current travel restriction) Operate 3 flights a day to Dublin (Ireland is not part of the Schengen area and thus not covered by the current restriction) Offer ‘less than daily’ service to Lisbon That represents a substantial cutback in their service as United flies to pre...

SoFi is one of the best overall financial institutions for investments, interest earnings, traveling abroad, and overall simplicity without any fees.  They offer both Money, which is a cash management account, and Invest accounts for free, and both accounts come with unlimited free trades and no fees, no minimums, and no credit checks.  With the Federal Reserve's recent rate cut, the interest earnings rate for SoFi Money is still at a respectable 1.1%.  And right now, SoFi is offering a $75 bonus to anyone who opens a Money account and makes two direct deposits of at least $500 each. What I really like about SoFi is the simplicity without fees.  Money accounts come with free unlimited trades and a free debit card with no fees.  All ATM withdrawal fees from third party ATMs are reimbursed worldwide, making it perhaps the best debit card to travel with the following features: Earn 1.1% APY on your account balance.  This rate moves as interes...

Over the past few weeks, we've seen nearly all the major U.S. carriers offering waivers for no change fees for flights booked from March 1.  Unfortunately, none of the waivers applied to flights booked before March 1, and the waivers served as more of a marketing ploy to get customers to book flights that they may not have otherwise paid for.  But now, most of the major U.S. carriers have extended their existing travel waivers to cover pre-existing flights. United Airlines United Airlines is now waiving change fees on any ticket purchased prior to March 9 for travel through April 30. New tickets must be reissued on/before December 31, 2020 or 12 months from original ticket date, whichever is earlier Rebooked travel must commence within 12 months from the original ticket issue date Original ticket must be issued on or before: March 2, 2020 American Airlines American Airlines is now waiving change fees on any ticket purchased prior to March 1 for travel...

As coronavirus has started to creep across the U.S., more and more people are taking precautions to avoid contracting the deadly virus that has unfortunately already claimed the lives of over 3,400 victims worldwide.  The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has a website dedicated to the virus and set in place the following recommendations: Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. Stay home when you are sick. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe. Follow CDC’s recommendations for using a facemask. CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a facemask to protect themselves from respiratory diseases, including COVID-19. Facemasks should be used by people who show symptoms of COVID-19 to help prevent the spread of the disease to  others. The use of facemasks is also cr...

In the wake of coronavirus, which has already spread to over 100,000 individuals worldwide, the travel and especially airline industry has suffered tremendously from substantial reductions in revenue.  Alaska Airlines, which was one of the first airlines to provide a "Peace of mind waiver" eliminating all change and cancellation fees, has also just announced that they will be offering 50% bonus elite qualifying miles (EQMs) on all flights flown between March 7 and April 11, 2020: Registration  is required  prior to your first eligible flight (it’s fine if you booked travel prior to registering Valid for all flights marketed and operated by Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air; not valid for travel on partner airlines Only elite miles will receive a 50% bonus, and not redeemable miles This means that you'll earn a minimum of 1.5 EQM for every mile flown!  Alaska Air also currently has some great sales going on, including $20 on select flights and $99 ...

Following suit with most of the other U.S. carriers, United Airlines has issued a rather generous travel waiver due to the coronavirus outbreak: Tickets:  For tickets issued March 3 through March 31, 2020, customers will be permitted to change free of charge to a flight of equal or lesser value up to 12 months from the original ticket issue date. If the new flight is priced higher, the customer may change for no fee but must pay the fare difference. If the customer decides to cancel their flight, they can retain the value of the ticket to be applied to a new ticket without fee for travel up to 12 months from the original ticket issue date. Cancellations:  If the customer decides to cancel the flight they booked between March 3 and March 31, 2020, they can retain the value of the ticket to be applied to a new ticket without fee for travel up to 12 months from the original ticket issue date. Fare Validity:  This applies to all tickets, all fare types, all destina...