bank of america Archives - Your Mileage May Vary

When The Onion Satirizes Travel & It’s Not Very Far From The Truth

The Onion is a U.S.-based satirical digital media company and newspaper organization that publishes articles on international, national, and local news. Some people love it, some hate it. Either way is fine to them, I’m sure, as long as you keep clicking on their site ;-).

A while back, we discovered that The Onion has posted several articles about Disney parks and, like most satirical pieces, the articles were outlandish but very often based, in varying levels under the surface, in truth.

The Onion has also done a bunch of pieces on travel in general, many of which may or may not give you a chuckle:

Continue reading “When The Onion Satirizes Travel & It’s Not Very Far From The Truth”

How To Avoid Extra Credit Card Fees During International Travel

Going on an international trip is very exciting but it can also be very expensive. Using a credit card to pay for purchases when traveling internationally is often the best way to get a good exchange rate and the rate your bank gets will be better than the one you’ll get on your own if you exchange cash. Using a card also means that you don’t have to carry around a bunch of cash with you. However, many cards will add on a “foreign transaction fee” to any transactions made with anything except your home currency. Here’s an easy way to keep from paying that extra 2-3 percent on all of your purchases while away.

Continue reading “How To Avoid Extra Credit Card Fees During International Travel”

What’s The Best Credit Card To Maximize Earnings For Gas Purchases?

If you spend a lot of money each month filling your car with gas, it makes sense to maximize your return on those expenses. Many credit cards offer bonuses on gas purchases. It’s a smart business choice because using a card for gas means that card will always be in your wallet or purse and you’re more likely to use that card for other purchases besides when you go to fill up the tank.

Which card is the BEST? It depends on what type of reward you want to earn (cash or points), if you want to pay an annual fee and if you want an all-around card or a card that’s just for gas purchases. This is one of the instances where Your Mileage May Vary. Here are some of the cards available, with an above-average return on gas purchases.

Continue reading “What’s The Best Credit Card To Maximize Earnings For Gas Purchases?”

How To NOT Earn Points & Miles, Restaurants’ “Resort Fee,” When Airlines Do Nice & Thoughtful Things, & More!

Happy Wednesday to all of our travel friends, both near and far! Here are some articles we’ve read from other bloggers (and other sources) that we think you may like, as well, so we’re passing them along.

Continue reading “How To NOT Earn Points & Miles, Restaurants’ “Resort Fee,” When Airlines Do Nice & Thoughtful Things, & More!”

The Credit Cards That Will Pay For Your Global Entry Or TSA PreCheck Application Fee (Updated July 2019)

Global Entry is a program of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection service that allows pre-approved, low-risk travelers to receive expedited clearance upon arrival into the United States. In my opinion, it’s a no-brainer decision for any frequent traveler to sign up for this program. The $100 non-refundable application fee is a small price to pay in order to blow past the long immigration lines when returning to the United States. Your Global Entry status is then good for five years. So that’s $20 a year. Where else can you buy VIP treatment for twenty bucks?

What makes this an even better deal is when you’re approved for Global Entry, you also get a Known Traveler Number (KTN), giving you access to TSA Pre✓® lanes at domestic airports. This program charges an $85 membership fee if you apply for it separately, so it only costs an extra $15 to get expedited entry when entering the U.S. on international flights (as well as some cruise ports and land crossings). You could just apply for TSA Pre-Check instead of Global Entry but the process is similar and if you’re getting reimbursed, why not go for the better deal?

Continue reading “The Credit Cards That Will Pay For Your Global Entry Or TSA PreCheck Application Fee (Updated July 2019)”