by The Frugal Tourist | Oct 30, 2022 | American Express, Rakuten
Rakuten is a shopping portal that allows consumers to earn extra cashback or travel points for every purchase. These rewards can add up quickly and help get us closer to our dream vacation on points or cash! Since most of us love to redeem our points for nearly free travel, I set up my Rakuten account to receive American Express Membership Rewards points that I can use for discounted flights. In this blog post, I will walk you through the steps on how to set up your Rakuten account to earn American Express Membership Rewards so you can be on your way to your next bucket-list destination.
by The Frugal Tourist | Oct 29, 2022 | American Airlines, Barclays, MILES & POINTS
Many individuals who recently applied for the AA Aviator World Elite Business Mastercard from Barclays are reporting that they are missing their $95 statement credit, which is earned after meeting the minimum spend requirement.
If it has been a few months since you met your spending requirement and you still don’t see a credit of $95, then there’s a good chance you are one of those affected. In this blog post, I will walk you through the steps on how to request for that credit via Secure Message or Twitter. Read along!
by The Frugal Tourist | Oct 16, 2022 | MILES & POINTS
One of the most lucrative frugal strategies I’ve been optimizing the past decade or so is leveraging points and miles earned from credit cards to pay for my airfare and hotel stays. These credit cards require for a certain amount of spending to occur before they give out bonuses. In this blog post, I will lay out some ways on how you can meet this requirement without breaking the bank.
by The Frugal Tourist | Sep 25, 2022 | CHASE
Knowing where to begin when you have a question about your credit card might be challenging. Should you look up the answer on google call the bank, or stop by a branch. Fortunately, you have several options available to connect with your bank. One of the most secure and convenient ways is through the messaging center. In this blog post, I will go over the steps on how to send a secure message to Chase bank.
by The Frugal Tourist | Sep 6, 2022 | North America, San Francisco, USA, Walking Tour
San Francisco’s stunning geography has certainly attracted an artistically-inclined populace. Aside from its majestic attractions, it is also speckled with incredible street art, particularly in its famous Mission District. There are hundreds of amazing murals scattered all over SF but the “Mission” is hands down the epicenter of this kaleidoscopic movement. This tour aims to connect some of the most sublime and well-known neighborhood masterpieces in the Mission. Let’s go!
by The Frugal Tourist | Aug 31, 2022 | Hotels, Hyatt, Italy
Venice can also be an extremely expensive destination. If you’re not mindful, you can easily spend a fortune on your lodging alone. For those seeking an inexpensive stay in this lovely city using points, I highly recommend the Hyatt Centric Murano Venice. In this blog post, we will discuss some of the reasons why we recommend this hotel, as well as how to book a stay at this property.
by The Frugal Tourist | Aug 20, 2022 | CHASE, MILES & POINTS, Singapore Airlines
Chase Ultimate Rewards Points is one of my favorite flexible travel rewards currencies. Since Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer is a transfer partner of Chase, you can essentially accumulate KrisFlyer miles as a result of earning Chase Ultimate Rewards (UR) points. In this blog post, I will walk you through the steps on how to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to the Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer program so you can be on your way to your next vacation on points.
by The Frugal Tourist | Aug 1, 2022 | MILES & POINTS
One of the fastest ways to accumulate travel miles and points is to purchase gift cards (Visa Gift Cards or Mastercard Gift Cards) when they go on sale, either at office supply stores or grocery stores, by using travel credit cards. In this blog post, I will list out the various liquidation methods I’ve utilized through the years to convert these gift cards into cash, while simultaneously earning travel points for free flights and hotels.
by The Frugal Tourist | Mar 13, 2022 | Capital One, Hawaii, MILES & POINTS, North America, Redemptions
Hawaii is a bucket-list destination that is popular with both local and foreign tourists alike. However, there is no doubt that embarking on a grand Hawaiian vacation carries the risk of instantly wiping out anyone’s hard-earned savings. Thankfully, it is possible to reduce a significant amount of travel expenses by using miles and points whenever we travel. In this blog post, I will do a deep dive on Capital One points and walk you through several options to fly to Hawaii for nearly free.
by The Frugal Tourist | Feb 26, 2022 | Europe, Italy, Walking Tour
Milan is a vibrant city full of culture, art, fashion, and history. It’s no wonder that it has become one of the hottest tourist destinations in Europe! With its stunning architecture and beautiful scenery, Milan offers something for everyone. Whether you’re looking to explore the city’s historic sites or shop at designer boutiques, there are plenty of free things to do and see in Milan.
From strolling through picturesque parks to visiting awe-inspiring churches without paying admission fees, here are some of the top free activities in this amazing Italian city. So what are you waiting for? Start planning your trip today!
by The Frugal Tourist | Jan 14, 2022 | Travel Tips, USA
With over 400 stunning national parks speckled across the country, the United States boasts an array of some of the most striking landscapes to be found around the globe. While some of these parks are free to enter, several of the major players require a reasonable fee. This can be quite prohibitive to some, especially if cash is tight. The National Park Services recently released the list of entrance-fee free days for this year. Therefore, anyone can now experience the splendor of the great outdoors, regardless of budget and income.
by The Frugal Tourist | Sep 30, 2021 | Cash Back, MILES & POINTS, POINTS ACCUMULATION
I’ve found that with a little bit of effort and know-how, it is possible to earn hundreds of cash back or airline miles each year without spending more than you would typically spend when eating at your favorite restaurants. In this blog post, I will go over the steps on how I was able to stack multiple dining offers to earn miles and cash back from my restaurant bill not twice, not thrice, but four times. Whether you plan to eat out or dine in, make sure to check out the various apps and dining programs I mentioned in this post. Good luck on your future dining stack.
by The Frugal Tourist | Sep 6, 2021 | North America, San Francisco, USA, Walking Tour
San Francisco, arguably the most beautiful city in the United States, is divinely formed by nature to be a gift to walkers and hikers. As my first ever stairways post in the blog, this particular walk is dear to my heart as it is one of my favorites. This walk is filled with spellbinding vistas, remarkable neighborhoods, glorious stairways, and Coit Tower perched atop one of SF’s striking hills – Telegraph Hill. Let’s go!
by Adam Fortuna | Mar 20, 2021 | Financial Independence
Are you one of the millions of Americans who are currently rethinking their finances? If you want to reset and reevaluate not only your money but what your life will be after the pandemic, there are ways to bring it all into balance without feeling deprived. The pandemic dramatically and immediately changed the speed of our treadmill. You can choose to permanently slow it down and live a more simple life now and in the future. Let’s look at 20 ways to nudge your mindset in a new direction.
