Great Deal Alert: $5 For $10 Tango Card Via Groupon (Can Exchange for Cash!)

[Edit] 2/7/12 3:00 PM EST: Looks like this deal has already sold out.


Now here's a great deal:  You spend $5 on Groupon and you get a $10 Tango Card. You take that Tango Card, and you can exchange it for a $10 gift card at premier retailers such as Amazon, Gap, Pottery Barn, SpaFinder, Target, Groupon and many more. OR, get this, you can exchange it for cash. So, spend $5 on Groupon, and get $10 in cash. Sounds good to me.

Before you think this is a cash machine, there is a limit to how many you can buy. There's a limit of 2 per person, and 2 to give as gifts. However, for those of you who are whizzes at creating new accounts, Groupon does have safeguards in place, and will be backing out orders that appear to be from the same individual - so let's not abuse this one, k?

This deal is live right now, and will run through next Monday, February 13. But, I bet anything it'll sell out before the weekend. Have fun!

53754 Miles Later, I've Taken British Airways Avios By Storm

When two of my favorite drugs come hand in hand (miles and shopping), it's really hard to say no to temptation, especially when Valentine's Day is right around the corner and I have some bargaining leeway with Kevin (just kidding- I'm self-sufficient, I swear).

Last Friday, The Points Guy posted an insane offer - Triple Points at Nordstrom through British Airways e-store using promo code NORDX3 (P.S. - reader Joseph just told me that now you might have to manually type out the promo code letter by letter if code doesn't work via copy & paste). Since the normal earnings-rate was 12 points/$1. Multiply that by 3 and you have a lucrative 36 points per/$1 spent at Nordstrom! You can sense my excitement about this offer by seeing the text message conversation I had with Kevin in my previous post.

With that said, it was time to go shopping! I decided to go through with purchasing a designer bag I've been eyeing for a year or so. When I think about the price, I feel an anxiety attack coming on, so I'll pretend it didn't cost $1,395. I'll have to keep thinking about the free flights that come along with it, and frankly, that makes me more excited than the bag.

The purse I chose was the Chloe Ethel satchel.

Seeing this many pending miles makes my heart flutter <3.

When British Airways changed their miles program last year, the program received a lot of harsh criticism because there was a significant and obvious devaluation of the miles when redeeming for some major International routes (thank God we booked our upcoming first-class Hong Kong trip literally days before the program changed).

However, there is an obvious ribbon of hope when it comes to using Avios with short-haul domestic flights, which I decided would be great for some last minute getaways (I love those), or if I should need to travel on the spur of the moment for an audition or work.

For example, traveling from JFK to Toronto only "costs" 4,500 Avios each way plus minor taxes. A flight to Miami or Chicago from JFK is 7,500 Avios one way, and getting to Cancun from JFK is only 10,000 Avios each way. You get where I'm going with this.

Just when you though you've had the best, another easy offer of 3,000 Avios comes through. Thanks again to The Points Guy, you can now earn 3,000 additional Avios just by signing up with a free trial of RealtyTrac and canceling before 7 days (they will bill you after your trial is over).

Since 5.3 million other travel blogs have already covered the breakdown of the deal, I won't go into specs. I'll leave it to Brian, The Points Guy to explain.

[EDIT] Feb 9 11:42 AM EST: As of last night, we found out that the RealtyTrac BA offer was actually unauthorized by RealtyTrac. Take a look at TPG's very recent post about this matter here.

For now, I'm crossing my fingers that I book this Samsung Galaxy commercial that I've been put on first refusal for (acting lingo defined: client's strong consideration). I mean I do have to pay for the purse somehow...

Quickies: Virgin Atlantic Unveils Its Redesigned Clubhouse March 5 + Enter to Win

In celebration of Virgin Atlantic's newly-renovated Clubhouse lounge in JFK airport, they're having a "design a drink" contest where you and a guest can win a trip to NYC and attend the launch party on March 5.

Complete contest details and to enter, go here - Hurry, contest ends February 9.

EDIT: My tired self last night overlooked an important addition to the T&C - this contest is only open to residents of the UK. A big thank you to the reader who pointed that out! :)

Quickies: Best Western's "Stay Three, Sleep Free" Promotion is Now Live

Registration is now open for Best Western's "Sleep For Free After Three" spring promotion. After completing three separate stays between February 6, 2012 and April 8, 2012, you'll receive a free night voucher valid across any of their three hotel brands (Best Western, Best Western Plus, Best Western Premier).

Just a side note: Best western also has an on-going promotion called, "Status Match, No Catch" where they will match any status from another hotel brand. You may email, mail, or fax proof of your elite status with another hotel brand and they will upgrade your account. Here is a direct link to the form you would use. I sent them an email containing a screen shot of my Accor A|Club Platinum status, and I was matched to Diamond status with Best Western.

I'm Clearly Ruining Valentine's Day... I Wear the "Points" in This Relationship

Apparently I've reached a point of no return when it comes to collecting points and miles. Take a look at the actual conversation I just had with Kevin via text message:

For those of you who are "iPhone-impaired" - the text in green is me, and the text in gray is him :)

Please make me feel more normal, has this happened in your relationship at all?

P.S. Yes, the lovely pet name Kevin chose for me is "babies", and yes, my phone is in dire need of a charge.

Lastly, I hope your Friday night is more exciting than mine... LOL

Quickies: Free United Upgrades Via Twitter

Follow @United on Twitter for Free Economy Plus Upgrades on Select International Flights: Self explanatory - refer to screenshot below:

Happy Weekend!

And The Winner of My 9,000 Club Carlson Points Is...

First off, off I'd like to thank everyone who entered to win 9,000 of my Club Carlson points; I really enjoyed reading all of your best points-redemption stories!

Thanks to all who liked the Facebook fan page, tweeted at me, and subscribed - I'm grateful for all of your support.

Without further delay, let's get straight to the winner, shall we?

Using random.org, the lucky number that was generated was 3, making commenter Hans Mast the winner! Congratulations!

Hans, please send me a private email with your full name and Club Carlson number no later than Monday, February 6, 2012. As soon as I receive your account information, I'll go ahead and transfer your prize to you.

Thanks again to everyone who entered! Be sure to check back for more some more upcoming contests soon, as I plan on doing at least one reader contest per month. :)

Hotel Review: Country Inn & Suites Knoxville Cedar Bluff

En route back to NJ and after driving 15 hours straight with minimal stops from Houston, we finally arrived in Knoxville, TN at around 8:00 PM. We were utterly exhausted from driving, cranky, and felt like we were still moving even after getting out of the car. Ever feel like that? Anyway, you can bet that it felt incredible to finally arrive at the hotel.

As you see from the planning in progress page, we were originally set to stay at the Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Knoxville Airport, TN, a category 1 Club Carlson hotel. However, Club Carlson generously upgraded us and comped us into their brand-new Country Inn & Suites Knoxville Cedar Bluff property - very generous of them to do so, and we were excited to check it out (most importantly, sleep!).

Up on arrival, we were impressed with how new the hotel was, and it actually still smelled new. We later found out that it was only built a couple of years ago - no wonder why everything looked pristine in the lobby/common areas.

Check in was a breeze and Michael and Rachel at the front desk were courteous and entertaining to talk to. Rachel suggested a bunch of near-by restaurants for us to get a quick bite to eat (we were starving), and even offered to print out directions for us, which was very sweet of her.

Here's a shot of the hotel's lobby - very cozy and welcoming!

Another shot of the lobby/fireplace.

Michael and Rachel at the front desk were helpful and very fun to speak with (believe it or not, we talked about Jersey Shore, LOL please don't unsubscribe now!).

The hotel had a great heated indoor pool and jacuzzi, and I would have loved to relax in either one of these... too bad we had to hit the road again in less than 8 hours after check in :(

The fitness center was loaded with brand new equipment and weights - tempting, and such a tease... I was too tired to do anything but sleep!

After exploring the hotel a bit and grabbing a bite to eat at nearby Puelo's, it was time to go to our room and get settled in for the night. When we opened the door to our room on the 2nd floor, we were happy to see that we were upgraded into a gorgeous suite. It was so refreshing that the suite smelled like entering a brand new home, and the hardwood floors looked untouched and gorgeous.

On the counter I noticed a nice little goodie-bag welcome gift and card from the hotel's GM, Renie Carroll, that was a nice touch because it was filled with snacks that we could munch on during our drive back home to NJ the next day.

A peak inside the welcome gift that was left for us on the counter of our suite.

Inside the welcome goodie bag was a nice hand-written card from the hotel's GM.

Here's a portion of the living room area of the suite.

I loved the hardwood floors, new furniture, and brand new flat screen TV.

The corner nook had a coffee machine, a fridge, and a microwave.

The bathroom was beautiful, clean, and I loved the brand-new granite countertops. Amenities included Pantene shampoo and conditioner, Jergens bar soap, and Vaseline body lotion.

The shower was fantastic (partially due to the fact that I may or may not have been in dire need of one), clean, and refreshing.

Our bedroom area had a separate door for added privacy within the suite. We had two queen beds, and they were without a doubt, the most comfortable beds we've slept in out of all of the hotels so far on the trip. It was extremely hard for me to get out of bed the next morning.

Tiffany watched her non-sense reality TV shows on this TV (I believe we were "graced" with Teen Mom... ugh).

In conclusion, Tiffany and I can both agree that this was one of our favorite stays during our trip because it was brand new, felt homey, and the beds were heavenly. Too bad we only used Knoxville as a short layover as we made our way back home. I'd love to come back one day and explore the city a bit. Until next time. :)

Planning In Progress: 2 Nights in Chicago for Under $100 - RT Flight and Hotel Included

Goodbye January, Hello February. I'm still mad at the groundhog for seeing his shadow this morning. You see, I'm a spring and summer kind of gal, and I'm just about ready to say goodbye to winter. On a positive note, luckily it's been extremely mild here in the northeast, unlike last winter when we literally had a blizzard every week for several consecutive weeks - yuck!

Well now that the month of February has entered the picture, you can sure bet that I am still sticking to my 2012 resolution which is to include spurts of [monthly] spontaneous travel. Last month I took an impulsive Texas Road Trip, and this month I'll be headed to Chicago with a girlfriend[s].

Last month, I was lucky to be able take advantage of Public Chicago's $1 Sale and score 2 back-to-back reservations for $1.16 per night including taxes. If you missed out on the sale this time, round two is just around the corner, and they will be releasing 270 more rooms for $1 soon. To be notified of the sale, you just have to register your email and act fast when it's open (it sold out in less than 10 minutes when I booked my room).

Being the bargainista that I am, I waited to find the perfect flight deal, and today just happened to be the day!  I booked a round trip flight from LGA to ORD for $96.59 all inclusive of taxes and fees on Spirit Airlines via Orbitz.

If you're in the NYC vicinity planning to visit Chicago anytime soon, I totally recommend taking a look at some of the the fares posted today - it's definitely a steal. My only worry is that I have yet to fly with Spirit airlines, and have heard mixed reviews all around, so it'll be an interesting experience. However, I'm rarely picky to begin with, and my total trip is costing $96.59 for the flight + $2.32 for two nights at Public Chicago, bringing me to a grand total of $98.91!

Does anyone have any experience with Spirit Airlines or can recommend some fun things to see and do in Chicago?

Contest: I'm Giving Away 9,000 of My Club Carlson Points - Enough For a Free Night!

It's contest time! Yay for free points!

If you've been actively following the blog, you sure know that I have been blogging frequently about my Texas Road Trip made entirely possible by redeeming Club Carlson points (hopefully I'm not boring you to tears!).

What's a more appropriate prize than giving away 9,000 of my very own Club Carlson points to a lucky reader? Just so you know, 9,000 points are enough to redeem for a free night in a Category 1 Club Carlson hotel.

So how do you enter?

Entering is easy, and there are 3 ways to do so. All you have to do is one of the following (brownie points and a smile if you do all 3!)

• "Like" Just Another Points Traveler on Facebook 
• Follow me on Twitter & tweet at me saying Hi!
• Subscribe to the blog via email (you only get 1 email a day).

After you've done one (or 2, or all) of the above, then post a comment below sharing your best points-redemption story. I will randomly choose a winner using random.org from the comments on Friday, February 3, 2012 at 9:00 AM EST.

Winner will be notified by email and must be able to provide me with their Club Carlson Gold Points account number so I could transfer the points in. If you don't have an account, you may register for one at http://www.clubcarlson.com.

Good luck!