Triple Dip on Uber Rides: 8+ Points & Miles for $1 Uber Spend

Even if you don't have the American Express Platinum Card, which will soon be awarded $200 in annual Uber credit, you can still stretch your Uber spend with free credit cards and loyalty programs. Take this triple dipping example:

1) Purchase Uber Credits from the United MileagePlus X App: 1.25 United Miles per $1 on Uber

MileagePlus X App Receipt

Download the United Airlines MileagePlus X App on your smartphone.  Like the web-based MileagePlus shopping portal, you get to earn United miles for purchases.  However, unlike the web portal, this app instantly generates a gift card that you use for the purchase.  You simply enter the amount of funds you need, select the credit card you'll use to pay for the gift card, and then the gift card code is generated.  I generally just buy $50-$100 in credits at a time and load them into the app so I don't have to bother with it for every ride.  You'll earn 1 United mile for every dollar spent.  Pay with a Chase card and you'll get a 25% bonus, for 1.25 United miles per dollar.  Once you generate the gift card code in the MileagePlus X app, simply go to your Uber app, select "Payments" from the menu, then "Add Promo/Gift Code".  After you've entered the code, the credits will stay in your account profile and be used as the default payment method until you've depleted the credits.

2) Pay for the Uber Gift Card with Your Chase Freedom Card: 5 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points per $1 on Uber

Presuming you've already enrolled for the 5% quarterly cash back bonus categories for the no-fee Chase Freedom card, you want to use that card to pay for the Uber gift card that you're purchasing through the MileagePlus X app.  You'll earn 5 points per dollar spend during Q1 2017 on transportation purchases, which includes Uber.  If you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you then can also transfer those points to travel partners or redeem them for cash back or gift cards.

Since the Chase Freedom bonus on transportation ends March 31, you may want to consider purchasing a bigger block of Uber credits right now through the MileagePlus X app paid with the Chase Freedom.

3) Link Your Starwood Preferred Guest Account and Uber: 0.5 - 2 SPG Points per $1 on Uber

If you have a free SPG loyalty program membership, have completed at least one qualified stay, and linked your Uber and SPG accounts here, you will earn 0.5 SPG points for every $1 spent through the Uber app, and any days you're staying at a SPG property you earn 2 SPG point per $1 for rides that coincide with the dates of the stay.

So, don't miss out of free points and savings on your Uber rides.  Depending on how you choose to redeem Chase points (you can for example transfer 1:1 from Chase Ultimate Rewards to United), you can now earn 6.25 United miles per $1 on Uber plus 0.5 - 2 SPG points.  Three ways to earn, all on the same underlying Uber spend!

Celebrity Silhouette Specialty Restaurant Menus (Solstice Class) - Murano, Tuscan Grille, Lawn Club Grille, Qsine

From our recent sailing aboard the Celebrity Silhouette, a Solstice Class ship, here are all the menus from the primary specialty restaurants onboard.  We went with the 7-night dinner package that we purchases in advance, so we made our rounds.  We recommend going for the specialty restaurants as it's a great way to avoid the crowds.

If you like to travel and dine out, you should also consider getting the Chase Sapphire Preferred Visa to earn bonus points on restaurants and travel, plus the flexibility to transfer points to United, Southwest, Hyatt and other travel partners.

And check out the rest of the posts from our February 26 cruise on the Celebrity Silhouette:
Rocky Day at Sea
Forward Oceanview Stateroom Tour
Buffet, Fitness Center and Elite Perks
Celebrity Elite Status Gets You Hyatt Elite Status
Embarkation Day

Murano ($50 cover charge per person)

Tuscan Grille ($45 cover charge per person)

Lawn Club Grill ($45 cover charge per person)

Qsine ($45 cover charge per person)
Qsine's menu is browsed via iPad, so I don't have the full set of options.  Here are the ones we happened to select for our dinner.

Aqua Spa Cafe - Lunch (free)

Live at Sea: Rocky Day on Celebrity Silhouette

Today is our final full day of the cruise and we are in some rocky waters heading north from St Maarten towards Fort Lauderdale.

The Solarium has turned into an adult playground as brave guests enjoy the new impromptu wave pool!  Enjoy this likely final video from our trip.  Going to spend the last precious day relaxing!

Check out some of the other articles on this blog to find out more ways to stretch your travel dollars, secure elite status perk, and save money on every day purchases.  And if you want to take your next vacation sooner, one quick action you can take is to join Ebates, the free cash back site.  Don't keep missing out on free money for every day purchases online and in stores like Gap, J Crew, Bloomingdale's, Sephora, Macy's Walmart, Walgreen's, etc.  I've enjoyed as much as 20% cash back and earned $700+ deposited right into my PayPal account.  Join for free and start getting free cash back on top of any coupons, discounts or credit card points.

New Hyatt Globalist Program: Still a Gateway to Elite Status for MGM Resorts, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Celebrity Cruises

As Hyatt today launched the rebranded and redesigned loyalty program, World of Hyatt, there's been plenty of buzz about the changes in benefits and qualification. I'm going to focus on a different aspect of the program: the elite status the Hyatt program entitles you to in other partner programs, and vice versa.

MGM mLife Status

If you achieve Hyatt Explorist (mid-tier) or Globalist (top tier) status, you'll receive MGM mLife Gold status (mid-tier status).  That status entitles you to discounts at MGM managed properties such as Bellagio, Aria, Vdara, etc.  I believe that prior to the changes with the World of Hyatt program, Hyatt Diamond status matched to mLife Platinum status, but that is no longer the case.

Royal Carribean & Celebrity Cruises Perks

Hyatt doesn't have a direct partnership with Royal Caribbean.  However, once you get your MGM mLife status locked in based on our Hyatt elite status, you can then unlock benefits that MGM mLife delivers when sailing on Royal Caribbean or Celebrity Cruises.

mLife benefits onboard Royal Caribbean or Celebrity

mLife Gold (which you get from Hyatt Explorist or Globalist) entitles you to onboard benefits when you sail on Royal Caribbean or Celebrity Cruises, primarily one free specialty restaurant dinner for two and 5 free drinks in the casino.  It's not much.  However, you also get to charge money to your onboard account in the casino without any convenience fee.  So, that essentially allows you manufacture credit card spend onboard, but I imagine that the casino will keep an eye on whether or not you are putting the money back into the machines.


Reversing the Benefits: Using Cruise Line Status to Get Hyatt Explorist Status

mLife & Hyatt Tier Matches

If you're a loyal cruiser, you might be able to secure Hyatt Explorist status with a two step process. Your Royal Caribbean Diamond status matches to mLife Gold.  Then, your mLife Gold matches to Hyatt Explorist (previously Hyatt Platinum), provided that direction of the partnership is still in effect with the new World of Hyatt Program (my research online hasn't been able to confirm or deny it yet).

Royal Caribbean Crown & Anchor matches to mLife

MGM mLife Stay: Amex Offer

If you're an Amex card holder, check your latest Amex Offers available to be added to your card after logging into your account on the Amex site.  There is an offer for $60 statement credit after a $300+ transaction on your Amex card by June 30, 2017.

Have you had success using Hyatt status to open doors with mLife or Royal Caribbean?  Or vice versa?

Live at Sea: Celebrity Silhouette Day 3 Summary & Oceanview Stateroom Tour (#7101)

Welcome back to Live at Sea. For more timely updates and photos, follow @travstrat on Twitter.  You can also check out the full set of photos, videos, and menus from onboard in my Dropbox folder.

Live at Sea: Celebrity Silhouette Day 3 Summary & Oceanview Stateroom Tour

Today we arrived a bit later than scheduled in San Juan.  After yesterday’s lesson about morning gym crowds, I went back to my normal afternoon workout.  It was shortly thereafter than we watched the sail into San Juan from our stateroom.  So, I’ll spend a bit more time in today’s post covering our stateroom and views.

Oceanview Stateroom - Your Tiny Home ay Sea

Our stateroom, number 7101, is a forward facing oceanview (category 7 for the experts).  That essentially means it’s at the front of the ship and has a window, but no balcony, that looks out over the very front of the ship.  That’s also where the ship’s helipad is located, which means when guests are on the helipad they are in full view (and so are you).  Guests tend to only be on the helipad when VIPs (e.g. top tier cruisers, special groups, etc) are offered to watch the sail into or out of port from the helipad.

This type of oceanview room has some differences vs. traditional oceanview rooms.  First, the window is on a diagonal angle.  It’s like a cross between a window and a skylight, but at eye level. As a result, there is a portion of floor space/ square footage that isn’t fully usable since the window area doesn’t offer full vertical height.  The second difference is that the room lacks the small loveseat area and instead offers two arm chairs situated in the window nook area.

The bathroom, desk, dressers, bed, etc are all standard.  No differences there.  We also have two thin robes for use.

Being at the very front of the ship, we’ve noticed our wifi signal isn’t as strong as we’re accustomed to.  We tend to have the most luck with wifi strength in the solarium.

On port days, there is a lot of noise during the 90 minutes leading up to the time the ship docks.  It isn't a quiet cabin.  You'll hear hydraulics and what sounds like metal doors opening and closing.  We're used to the normal vibrations when the pods are shifting the vessel from side to side.  This was different and happened much earlier in the arrival process.  It did wake us up each morning we were going to be in a port.

Our stateroom attendant, Joaquim, provides twice daily service.  When we head out for morning breakfast and lattes, he cleans, makes the bed, and replaces our towels.  In the evening, when we head out to drinks and dinner, Joaquim provides turndown service including a replenish of towels and remaking the bed as needed.

For more stateroom photos, check out this Dropbox folder.

Dinner: Murano

Tonight we dined in the french style bistro, Murano.  This is considered the finest dining onboard and the most intimate of the specialty restaurants.  It requires a $50 cover charge ($5 more than most others).  With the 7-night dining package we booked, dinners at Murano offer the most value for the money given the higher standard cover charge.

Our waiter, Putu, alerted us to a chef’s special that was not otherwise on the menu and we both ordered it.  The special was surf and turf, including a petite filet mignon and a small lobster tail.  It wasn’t our best meal in Murano, and I think the “special” may have been a result of what was otherwise being offered in the main dining room?  That said, it was still tasty and the service was great.  We were happy.

Showtime: Tenors of Rock

Tonight’s entertainment, in addition to the Mardi Gras festivities (beads were given out, but it was otherwise low key - which we appreciated), the Tenors of Rock were the headliners in the theater.  They’re a group of four British guys who sing various rock classics and ballads.  We enjoyed the energy and the music.  They’ve previously appeared on America’s Got Talent and were resident performers at Harrah’s in Vegas.  I’d recommend their show if you catch them on another sailing.

Live at Sea: Day 2 Onboard Celebrity Silhouette

Day 2 onboard Celebrity Silhouette was a leisurely day at sea.  See below for some highlights. You can also access the full vault of photos including menus here.


Pro-Tip: Early Rising Secures a Peaceful Breakfast

Oceanview Cafe: Breakfast Buffet

We made our way to the Oceanview Cafe for the breakfast buffet at 7:30am. While we generally avoid the buffets, I do have a weakness for the mini belgian waffles at the buffet.  Other alternatives for breakfast include the main dining room (you're generally seated at a big table with strangers) and Aqua Spa Cafe (more relaxed, small buffet of healthy options with limited variety).

We were pleased to find that the buffet was quite serene.  It had only opened 30 minutes prior at 7am.  In addition to prepared options, there is a made to order egg station. Later in the morning, you may wait 5-10 minutes, but at 7:30am I was able to walk right up to order a veggie omelette.


Learned Something New: Cruise Passengers Prefer Morning Workouts

Well, after commenting previously that the fitness center at sea never seems to have large crowds, I realized that my workout schedule has generally been different than most.  I arrived at the gym around 10:30am and it was packed.  All the treadmills were occupied.  However, I only had to wait a few minutes for one to become available.

I skipped any free weights because the area was crowded and I find "working in" with someone else on a bench is a bit too much to deal with (or maybe I just didn't really have the motivation to lift weights).

One surprising touch was the fitness center's attentive staff.  One of the fitness trainers onboard came around to each treadmill with a silver platter of rolled up chilled towels, offering one to each guest during the workout.  That was a first and I loved the gesture.

But, lesson learned.  If you want to workout and enjoy a bit more personal space, plan to workout in the afternoon.

Solarium

After working out, I relaxed in the Solarium to cool down a bit.  It's my favorite place on the ship and where I spend the most time.  The Solarium is the adults only indoor pool.  Most guests tend not to use the pool, but just relax like I do on one of the padded lounge chairs.  The room is climate controlled and the glass blocks the UV rays, so no need to lather up with sun screen.  Most guests and reading books, napping, or enjoying some conversation.


Loyalty Perk: Free Laundry

We took advantage of one of the several Captain's Club Elite status perks before heading to dinner. We filled a laundry bag and left it for the room attendant.  In less than two days, it will be back fully washed and folded.  Each Elite tier member gets one bag of up to 30 items laundered per cruise, but you need to send the laundry out before the last 3 nights of the cruise to allow enough time to get them back.

I've included here the Captain's Club Elite welcome letter with the full list of perks.


Al-Fresco Dinner at Lawn Club Grill

Tonight we dined on deck 15 at Lawn Club Grill.  It's a fully covered space, but the walls are somewhat open to the outdoors.  It's adjacent to a fair large lawn of real grass (one of Celebrity Solstice-Class ships' signature amenities).  Normally you pay $45 per person to dine here, but pre-purchased the 7-night specialty dining package so our cover charge was reduced.

The concept is essentially an upscale backyard grill with comfort foods like flatbread pizzas, steaks, chicken kabobs, etc. You have the option of making your own flatbread pizza, tossing the dough and all.  Most parties opt to have the professionals handle it, as was the case tonight.

The signature dessert is a warm chocolate chip cookie with vanilla ice cream.  We went with the carrot cake, which was not a signature dessert as confirmed by the dryness.  Service was great.


A Craft Night Cap at "World Class Bar"

We ended our evening with some craft cocktails at the mixology bar onboard.  A trained mixologist prepares a selection of 8-12 craft cocktails that offer a twist on some classics and some altogether unfamiliar drinks.  Generally, you can order only from the drinks on the bar's special mixology menu.  However, I learned that during off-peak hours you may get lucky and have your special higher end drink made to order provided the bar's limited stock offers the necessary ingredients.

I may or may not have also stopped down at the cafe for a couple fresh cookies... and then called it a night.

Have questions you'd like answered?  Comment below or tweet me @travstrat.