If you thought the Carnival Cruises Shareholder benefits were good, wait until you see what Royal Caribbean offers its shareholders.

Like with Carnival, you are eligible if you have 100 shares of RCL stock. With Carnival, you get $250 (14+ nights), $100 (7-13), or $50 (5 or fewer) but with Royal Caribbean there are four tiers of benefits. It’s only one extra tier but those going on sailings of 10-13 nights will appreciate the extra hundred bucks! Here are the tiers: [Read more →]

About eight years, when I first moved into the Washington D.C. region, Southwest was still trying to build up its presence in the Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI) so it had an almost standing offer of double credit into and out of BWI. When flights to and from BWI weren’t double credit, flights into and out of Long Island Islip Macarthur Airport, near where my parents live, had the offer. Nowadays, the promotions are rarer and you can see the difference, Southwest has a large presence in both airports.

Perhaps it’s the recession, perhaps they want to say thanks, but double credit is back at BWI (and Philadelphia and Washington Dulles) and any flight into and out of those airports will receive double credit in the Rapid Rewards program. Travel must be booked between July 15th and August 15th and completed before September 30th.
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Last week I wrote about how you could earn up to 62,500 Hilton HHonors points when you sign up for the Hilton American Express card, spend some money, and stay a few nights at Hilton. All in all, it looks like a no lose proposition for someone who would otherwise meet those requirements right? The nights aren’t free but if you’re going to be staying there anyway you might as well earn some bonus points right?

The allure of free points and miles when you sign up for a new credit is really appealing but it isn’t free, even if there is no annual fee. There are the costs you can see and the costs you can’t. It’s clear that hotel stays will cost you money. It’s clear that spending money will, of course, cost you money! There is, however, one cost that you will pay that you may not realize and it’s a small hit to your credit score.
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Cruises to Nowhere are exactly that – a cruise that doesn’t actually go anywhere.

If you think the best part about a cruise is life on the ship, a cruise to nowhere may be exactly what the doctor ordered. Cruises to nowhere let you enjoy life on the ship without the extra hassle of entering into any ports. With the size cruise ships are today, you could easily fill your days with activities on the ship and many cruise lines are catering to this type of customer.

Cruises to Nowhere are often cheaper because you don’t have to pay any docking or port fees, which can get quite expensive if your ship docks in numerous ports. They’re also cheaper because they’re shorter, no more than two or three days, so you don’t get sick of being on the ship even though that’s exactly what you signed up for!
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The brilliant minds that make up the Fatwallet Forums are absolutely amazing in the deals they’re able to discover and this one is downright criminal. How about getting 62,500 Hilton HHonors reward points for using their Hilton American Express card exactly as it was intended? Shahhere at Fatwallet Finance discovered you could earn that many points by doing exactly what they tell you to do on the application page.

The American Express Hilton HHonors card is the Hilton branded American Express rewards card that, among other things, rewards you quite generously when you spend it at Hilton hotels. Simply apply for the card and you can earn 62,500 points just by:

• 20,000 HHonors bonus points after your first purchase
• 30,000 HHonors bonus points when you spend $1,500 in your first three months of Cardmembership
• 2,500 HHonors bonus points for each of the first four stays at any participating properties within the hilton Worldwide portfolio paid for with the Card during the first 18 months of Cardmembership
• 2,500 HHonors bonus points when you add an Additional Cardmember to your account

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The Chase Sapphire^SM is Chase’s premier rewards credit card designed for people who love to travel. Besides a sleek look that makes the card look like a jewel, you get premier travel protection on your trips and a 24/7 dedicated service advisor (like in the commercials) all for no annual fee.

Earning Rewards

The rewards structure is pretty standard – 1 point for most purchases and 2x points earned on airfare booked through Ultimate Rewards. The points never expire, which is a fantastic perk, and there is no annual fee. A no annual fee travel rewards credit is very rare. Most credit card companies will waive the first year’s fee but charge it in subsequent years, but Chase doesn’t with the Sapphire card. No annual fee means no annual fee this year and no annual fee next year.

Here’s a little extra incentive that very few other rewards cards are offering: after your first purchase, you hit the ground running with 10,000 Ultimate Rewards reward points, worth $100 in rewards from many of their partners. [Read more →]

OK, the title is a little misleading because we didn’t hike all of Patapsco Valley State Park, but we did take one of the trails off the Park and Ride near the end of 195 and MD 166 (Rolling Road). The trail isn’t terribly challenging, it has no significant elevation changes nor does the surface ever deviate much from a dirt path. It’s a popular mountain biking path, as evidenced by the dozens of mountain bikers we avoided on our trek through the forest. It makes for a nice walk with a someone lazier dog (we have a Beagle and he’s more interested in the scents than anything else).
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For years you could travel between the United States and Canada armed only with a driver’s license. It was great because it meant you could take a quick trip to Canada without bothering to pay the hundred bucks or so for a Passport! Unfortunately, that all ended several years ago and now travel between Canada and the United States is covered by the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. In fact, if you are returning from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or the Caribbean Region, chances are you will need a U.S. Passport Book or a card.

Passport Entry Requirements

• If you travel by air from any international location, you are required to have a U.S. Passport Book in order to regain entry.
• If you travel by land or sea from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or the Caribbean Region, you will need to supply a U.S. Passport Book or Card.
• If you travel from any U.S. territory, you only need a valid photo ID.

Visa Requirements

If you travel to Canada and are a citizen of the United States, you do not need a visa to visit Canada. Specifically the following do not need a visa to visit Canada – citizens of the United States as well as:

persons lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence who are in possession of their alien registration card (Green card) or can provide other evidence of permanent residence;

If you travel to Mexico and are a citizen of the United States, you will not need a visa but you will need a U.S. Passport (to show that you can return to the United States) or other form of citizenship identification.

On July 13th, the Department of State will be increasing the price of visas and passports so get your documents squared away as quickly as possible. The cost of a passport for an adult, aged 16 or more, will increase from $100 to $135, including a $25 administrative fee. Those under the age of sixteen will see an increase from $85 to $105 for the passport book. Passport cards, which are less common, will increase $10 from $45 to $55; for under 16, the price increases $5 from $35 to $40. You can see the full list of fee increases at this page from the Department of State.

Also, if you need extra passport visa pages, it’s currently free but will jump to $82 on July 13th (you can only get extra pages if you have fewer than 4 Visa pages remaining). Finally, if you wish to renounce your U.S. Citizenship, the price of that will jump from free to $450.

You still have a few days to file your documents and save yourself some money. Passport books for adults are valid for ten years while for minors they are good for only five.

Travel insurance is a huge money maker for the travel industry because the people who purchase it will rarely use it. Just because it makes the travel industry a lot of money doesn’t mean it’s always a bad idea. When it comes down to travel insurance, it’s usually up to the buyer to figure out whether or not it’s a bad deal.

If you’re considering travel insurance, check with your credit card company first because they may offer complimentary insurance if you make the purchase with their card. Not all cards offer this but many do and, like purchase protection and other benefits, it really pays to know what you get for free. You can spend the savings on your vacation!
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