Quick $200 Giveaway – Leave a Comment Here

by Gary Leff

Quick giveaway: $200 (2 prizes of $100 gift cards)

I received 5000 Starwood Starpoints from a complaint that I didn’t feel was a great idea for me to take. Rather than trying to get them to claw back the points, I feel better giving something away in its place. A few readers had proactively suggested (I didn’t ask for advice… 😛 ) that I give away Starpoints, but I can’t really transfer them and they’re expensive to buy. So a $100 gift card seems appropriate there.

And in addition I had an extra $100 card I had purchased to do a few experiments with, and that I don’t wind up needing. Obviously it’s money, and I could either use the card or manage to get the funds back into a bank account. But the card was purchased in the name of frequent flyer ‘science’ so I figure it’s worth giving away here as well.

So that’s two good reasons to give away $100, and I thought I’d give away 2 x $100 gift cards. It’s not a monster big prize, so we’re not going to do a multi-day multi-post extravaganza on it. Just a quick giveaway over the course of the next 24 hours. (I’m leaving it open that long to ensure everyone following by email subscription, or regardless of time zone, has a change to participate.)

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post that answers any of the following:

  • What you will do with a $100 gift card?
  • What is the best travel tip you know?
  • What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned from this blog?

Any of these work.

You may enter one time only. By entering you agree that I’m trying to do something reasonably nice and you won’t give me a hard time over the nuances of rules, complain in any way, and agree to be bound by any and all of my judgments are they relate to this offer (and agree that those judgments are final and are not appealable).

Fire away in the comments, I look forward to drawing winners and sending out the prizes.

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. probably save it for future vacation funds, and the best tip i got was to make a speculative booking pre hyatt devaluation. locked in the Paris Vendome and was able to add a night and even move the dates without the extra cost. would also probably be the best thing I learned is to jump on something when it’s present and not to wait

  5. 1. Use the money towards a chainsaw so I can clean up my yard after all that this winter has done.
    2. a)always bring Clif Bars b) stop caffeine 4 – 5 days before an overseas flight and start again the morning of your arrival time zone.
    3. During IRROPS use all available resources simultaneously (call, stand in line, look online…).

  6. We’d use the gift card for our trip this summer. The most impressive thing I’ve taken away from reading VFTW is the amount of quality posts you are able to tackle each and everyday. Maybe it’s because you get to spend lots of time sitting in airport lounges, planes, and hotels. Regardless, it’s still impressive.

  9. My netbook that I took on all my travels recently broke and so i would spend the voucher to help me get a new pad/laptop to take with me to help document and capture the places i go…

  13. If you don’t like the answer you’re getting from the airline awards desk, hang up and call back.

  15. The best travel tip I know is to pack about 2/3 of the stuff that you want to pack, especially if it’s your first of any specific type of trip.

  17. Had a standard size car booked at Tampa Airport through Costco for $175 for a week, a good price. However, they were trying to give us a 2013 Chrysler as a standard car and we were not happy with that. At time of reserving, a full size car, a 2014 Ford Fusion, was only $10 more for the week. But at the counter, they wanted $80 more for the week to upgrade at the counter. Using my smart phone online, at the counter, I was able to get a rate for that exact time for $125 for the week for the full size Fusion! In the end, their uncooperative behavior saved me a nice little chunk of change. The advice is that with car rental prices being so fluid, check again, online, at the counter when checking in. And Costco has the lowest car rental prices by far in my experience.

  19. I would spend the $100 on an upcoming trip to London. First trip in 8 years and first time to London since I was 14 yrs old and I am not 50.

    The best travel tip I know is to keep calm and rise above it when things go awry. A smile and kind word usually helps improve things in any situation.

    From your blog, which is a new discovery for me, I have learned how much valuable info is available – things I never knew I need to know. Looking forward to learning and using your advice as I plan for my next trip which is December of this year. I appreciate all your travel experience and feel fortunate to be able to learn from you.

  20. Points and miles are everywhere if you are just willing to put a little time into making it all come together.

  23. Most valuable thing I’ve learned:
    A well planned trip is so much more fun, and investing some time in learning the tips and tricks and help alleviate any last minute emergencies.

  27. Hi!

    Id use in on a vacation to Austin that im trying to book real soon.
    Using British Avios from LA to Hawaii for only 12.5k avios each way.
    You taught me about thr companion pass Southwest offers which im currently waiting to get!:)

    Thanks! !

  28. Thanks for the giveaway!
    I will use the $100 gift card to get a keyboard for my partner’s iPad, so that we don’t need to lug our laptop during travel.

  31. My laptop was just stolen, so I’d use the $100 towards a new one. Thanks for your blog, Gary! You’ve taught me a lot over the years, most importantly the foundation of free travel through credit card churning. Looking forward to more years to come!

  33. Hi Gary – thank you for this very generous offer. I have to be honest I would probably use the gift card to buy dress cloths for work or use it for my upcoming wedding. The one thing that has been the most valuable things I have learned from your blog is the endless possibilities that miles and points provide. The best travel tip I have is to use SPG hotel points in Europe where the room rates are very high – especially London and Paris. I find it best to use the fifth night free SPG redemption to maximize your points when staying at hotels. Thank you for taking the time to share your tips and posts each and every day. I truly look forward to reading them all. I also like when you talk about some of the tools out there to book awards, such as the KVS tool. I find that type of knowledge invaluable. Thank you again for all your insights and effort you take to make this blog such a valuable asset in the travel community.

  34. I’m a handful of American miles away from having enough for a Cathay Pacific ticket to Hong Kong (a dream since starting to read your blog). I’d use it to buy those miles with the current Aadvantage bonus miles when buying miles promo… and make the trip a reality!

  36. I’ve learned way too much from this blog to post everything, but I would use the $100 toward the status match program with USAIR as I make the transition from Delta. 🙂

  37. My ultimate travel tip is to pack one carry-on only and bypass checking luggage. This has saved me so much time and hassle at airports!

  38. Many valuable tips, but my favorite was how to get Star Alliance Gold through the Aegean program. That was an easy way to get into the premium lanes and get free lounge access. Thanks, Gary!

  39. Best travel tip I know: Always travel with a smile! A smile is not only universally understood, but a simple smile to a complete stranger can help to brighten their day! 🙂

  40. Well since I am currently suffering from acute bronchitis, all the money will go towards my drugs for recuperation. Exciting, ne?

  43. I have learned about focusing on the marginal benefit/gain (and cost) from using miles, rather than just on the total gain/cost.

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