10 days in Mexico, only $119 876

notfarnow · 05:24 PM

Mrs Notfarnow booked the tickets tonight.

Too excited, we've postponed this trip for two years, now we're going on air miles. Only had to spend 120k on our credit card to get it... i yi yi.

We're spending 2 days in Cuernavaca with family, then taking a bus to Zihuatanejo. In Zihu, we've got a little beachfront cabin with kitchen for 6 days. We wanted to avoid McResorts

4 hr stopover in LA on the way home, not quite enough time to borrow the keys to Wayne's 959.

MBAtarga · 01-03-2008, 05:27 PM

$120,000 ??

notfarnow · 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MBAtarga

$120,000 ??

Yes, and I can't even find the receipt for the damn Bentley!

Actually, we put EVERYTHING on our CC every month, and then pay in full. It sure adds up over 3 years. All our purchases, most of our bills, university courses etc etc. Even renovations that were going on the line of credit went on the CC first and got paid by the LOC. Over 3 years, we never carried forward so much as a $5 balance.

Always made budgeting much easier, knowing exactly what the total monthly tally was, and we always pay in full every month. It was especially helpful when my wife went back to school for two years and things were a bit tight... it was easy to see if we were running a bit "hot" for the month. The fact that we gathered enough air miles is a HUGE plus.

targa911S · 01-03-2008, 05:43 PM

$120,000. hell you could have stayed with me for...half that.

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

Please tell me what all you're getting for that amount.

MRM · 01-03-2008, 05:47 PM

That's a good way of doing things. You got a nice trip for your troubles. That's not so much. Over 36 months that's less than $3,500 a month. Everything in our household goes on our frequent flier credit card. I barely pay for coffee in the morning with anything but that card. Pay it off at the end of the month, save the statement, and you have perfect records for every place your money went and frequent flier miles for your trouble. I wish we had a mere $3500 a month in cc bill, but I mean EVERYTHING goes on that one card.

Do Bentlys cost only $120,000?

Jims5543 · 01-03-2008, 05:54 PM

Same here, we put everything on our points card and use the points for Free Hotel Stays.

We leave in the morning to drive to Miami and stay at a Sheraton for free for 2 nights. We are taking the kids to the Zoo on Friday and Barnum & Baily Circus on Saturday, possibly Bayside for Dinner Saturday.

I have 100,000 points on my card right now after cashing in for the hotel stay. I can trade for airline tickets as well.

notfarnow · 01-03-2008, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRM

Everything in our household goes on our frequent flier credit card. I barely pay for coffee in the morning with anything but that card. Pay it off at the end of the month, save the statement, and you have perfect records for every place your money went and frequent flier miles for your trouble. I wish we had a mere $3500 a month in cc bill, but I mean EVERYTHING goes on that one card.

That's exactly what we do. The CC is pretty much the only way we pay. Absolutely everything from a cup of coffee to a $4500 order of building supplies. Just makes things easier.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRM

Do Bentlys cost only $120,000?

Heck if I know. Over 3 years, I spent 120k on innernet porn, lotto tickets and Colt cigars.

notfarnow · 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MBAtarga

$120,000 ??

Quote:

Originally Posted by targa911S

$120,000. hell you could have stayed with me for...half that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Please tell me what all you're getting for that amount.

Just to clarify, the trip isn't 120k... that's what Mrs Notfarnow and I have spent in the past 3 yrs, and now we're cashing in our air miles to get flight delays, E.coli and the clap.

targa911S · 01-03-2008, 06:10 PM

Ohhhh....never mind.

widgeon13 · 01-03-2008, 06:16 PM

Any miles left over for the Dr. bills when you return??

notfarnow · 01-03-2008, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by widgeon13

Any miles left over for the Dr. bills when you return??

Funny, when I was cruising online checking things out, one site was going on about what a great deal it was down there for dentistry and eye surgery.

Discount laser eye surgery in mexico, what could possibly go wrong?

charleskieffner · 01-04-2008, 02:51 AM

thats how i went to barbados! every stinking purchase is "CREDIT" not debit. everything. adds up very quickly. then pick off season and your exotic vacation becomes very reasonable. thats just being a "normal" consumer. throw in goofy p-car and all the non-stop goodies and maint. your points add up like being pinned into the seat of a turbo!

st lucia and grenadines are on our next "to do" list. just gotta throw the dice when a hurricane may blow thru. my entire trip to barbados was put on credit card. diving/film/drinks/food/etc. lots of points in a very short order. kind of like a "revolving" vacation each year.

Joeaksa · 01-04-2008, 04:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Cesiro

Same here, we put everything on our points card and use the points for Free Hotel Stays.

We leave in the morning to drive to Miami and stay at a Sheraton for free for 2 nights. We are taking the kids to the Zoo on Friday and Barnum & Baily Circus on Saturday, possibly Bayside for Dinner Saturday.

I have 100,000 points on my card right now after cashing in for the hotel stay. I can trade for airline tickets as well.

Guy I used to work with did the same thing. He had over 20 million points on several credit cards after having his business expenses on them for years. These days you can trade points for a lot of things.

I am a novice at this with 1,300,000 points on Marriott and 600,000 American Airlines and American Express a low 300,000 points.

Problem is that I travel for a living. The last thing I want to do when I am off duty is fly in an airplane or stay in a hotel. Sitting by the pool at home with a steak cooked on the BBQ in one hand and a margarita in the other is my idea of a vacation!

Just found out that Marriott trades points for flat screen televisions. Might just have to find space for a 75 inch version in the den when I get home...

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

I'm up to a free RT ticket to Asia with my limited miles on my Continental MC.

BTW, anyone here get the recent class action settlement notice about foreign transaction fees? I think it's like a flat $25 for signing it, or you can get more if you think you've spent at least $10k on credit cards abroad in the the last 12 yrs. or so. I have, so I'm going for the big bucks

.

cstreit · cstreit's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joeaksa

Problem is that I travel for a living. The last thing I want to do when I am off duty is fly in an airplane or stay in a hotel. Sitting by the pool at home with a steak cooked on the BBQ in one hand and a margarita in the other is my idea of a vacation!

Aye to that. I accumulated flight miles for years when I was traveling 4 days a week. Never wanted to use them. Took my wife quite a while to understand that I didn't want to travel on vacation and didn't want to eat our having been on 2-3 flights and eaten out 12 times every week.

Got a nice stereo, kitchen appliances and some other stuff with the Diners Club points though!

Porsche_monkey · 01-04-2008, 06:59 AM

a) I wish that was all my wife & kids spent in the last three years

b) Have you forgotten Ms. Notfanow's last travel fiasco?

c) Still planning on travelling with her?

d) Who would leave Canada dring the hockey season?

notfarnow · 01-04-2008, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PBH

a) I wish that was all my wife & kids spent in the last three years

I know, it really isn't that much when you look at groceries, house repairs and everything else. We are very frugal, and Mrs Notfarnow scrutinizes every dollar we spend. She will not tolerate wasteful spending, which is great.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PBH

b) Have you forgotten Ms. Notfanow's last travel fiasco?

Ha! You have a good memory. Actually came into play when she was booking the flights... they tried to convince her that a 55 minute flight transfer was cool in Mexico city. After missing a flight and spending 28 hours in Johannesburg this summer, she knew better this time around,

Quote:

Originally Posted by PBH

c) Still planning on travelling with her?

She booked the tickets, so I'm probably being presumptuous that she's bringing me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PBH

d) Who would leave Canada dring the hockey season?

Hockey? I thought lacrosse was our national sport?!

WI wide body · 01-04-2008, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

I'm up to a free RT ticket to Asia with my limited miles on my Continental MC.

BTW, anyone here get the recent class action settlement notice about foreign transaction fees? I think it's like a flat $25 for signing it, or you can get more if you think you've spent at least $10k on credit cards abroad in the the last 12 yrs. or so. I have, so I'm going for the big bucks

.

I also got that notice. Did it actually go back that far? The kids got us a trip to Italy a few years ago and I thought that what we spent at that time was the only amount I qualified for so I took the $25 bucks.

But if it went back to 1996 then all those short foreign assignments I did for my former company after retiring would be on my credit card even though they reimbersed me for it. I might have screwed up.

Also, did it include South America and Australia or just Europe?