So your job is sending you somewhere on business. Some of you may see it as a pain in the butt, but others get dollar signs in their eyes and start figuring out how many miles/points they will be racking up! Hopefully, your employer gives you the option to handle all of this yourself. My company has a travel department but I have the option to make all arrangements myself, pay with my own credit cards, and get reimbursed in a few short weeks.
Business travel consists of a few core expenses:.
- Airfare
- Lodging
- Dining
- Transportation
Airfare
This one is pretty easy. Fly with your preferred airline whenever possible! If you have a co-branded credit card (Chase OnePass, Delta Amex, Citi AA Visa, etc.), book through the airlines site and use its respective card. If you have a Chase Sapphire Preferred card, sign into Ultimate Rewards Travel and book your flight there for triple bonus points. If you have an American Express Premier Rewards Gold card, you can just book on any airlines site and receive triple bonus points (my preferred method). The key to the hustle is getting multiple bonuses per purchase.
If you hold elite status with an airline, you should definitely try to book a higher fare class (within monetary reason) to get higher priority on the upgrade list. Nothing like a free upgrade to First class on a free flight!
Lodging
Finding a hotel should be pretty easy. Often times a company will have agreements with certain hotel chains, and you will receive a discounted rate. If you are lucky, you can book the hotel with your own credit card (hopefully one with a bonus) and get reimbursed afterwards. If your company insists that the travel department reserve the room, you can still supply your membership number when checking in and receive credit for the stay. You just wont get those credit card points. Regardless, you should be signing up for the loyalty program of any and every hotel you are staying at. The decision that you have to make is whether to credit your money spent to that loyalty program or not.
There is also the option of crediting your stay to partners. e.g. Every dollar spent at the Marriott can be credited to your Delta SkyMiles account as 2 miles. If you are working towards a hotel award (free night), you may want to credit your stay to the hotel program. If you do not travel often and would prefer miles, most airlines partner with hotels so you can get mileage credit for your stay. Here is a list of each major hotel chain and their conversion rates from dollars to miles:
Marriott
Hyatt
InterContinental / Priority Club
Starwood
Another great tip is if you need any services like Wi-Fi, room service, or anything in the hotel, charge it to your room! All that spend on your final folio is going to earn your points or miles. And if you pay with a co-branded credit card or one with a hotel bonus, youll get a hefty double dip. Remember, its all about bonuses on top of bonuses!
Car Rental
First and foremost, sign up for the loyalty program for any car rental agency you use. Then, figure out if you rent enough to earn points/credits in that program or if youd be better off just earning miles via car rentals. For the most part, I stick to earning miles because I rent a car once a year, if that.
Always keep things simple with rental cars. Go to rental agencys site, enter your dates, and select the full size car. Buy the full insurance. Remember, youre not paying for this out of your pocket essentially so you need not search for the best deal around. "The essential to budget travel is to approach in advance. When it occurs to family trips, globetrotting, well-deserved trips and/or going to see new destinations we have never been before, the actuality of cost and budgeting is always in the back of our thoughts. Organizing and consuming our travel budget properly is a main concern for most families. Lowering spending and expenses, while still savoring your vacation to its fullest, is the key to assured achievements and fiscal responsibility. Your pocketbook and family will thank you! The thinking behind protecting money while traveling is simple: Even if your personal budget is extremely tight, you can still take a break and enjoy life! Simply put, life is just too short to never step out of the door or leaving the homestead! Also recalling that while traveling, whether on a resources or not, even the smallest of things can all add op to a big vacation or travel charge!..". Normally, Id suggest Priceline or Autoslash to snag the best rates. Again, pay with your Chase Sapphire Preferred card. You will get a double points bonus on travel, which car rentals included.
And always check back here or follow me on Twitter for the latest promos. e.g. Hertz Gold Plus Rewards free 500 points and Nationals free rental day after 2 rentals. What stinks is well be using National to rent our cars in Hawaii for the wedding and honeymoon (over 15 days), but the promo ends a month before that!
Dining
It may be a no-brainer but its always worth mentioning.
Your primary option should be to eat at the in-hotel restaurant and charge it to the room. That way you can definitely get points bonus on Travel spend if you have a card like the Sapphire Preferred.
Your secondary option should be dining at a restaurant that participates in Rewards Network (RN). If you dont already know, RN is a site that partners with airline programs and local restaurants. By signing up and registering your card (just the number, not exp. date or CCV), you can earn 3 miles per dollar spent at participating restaurants. These points are deposited monthly to whichever RN program you choose to be a part of. There are also sign-up bonuses that you should take advantage of if you are not currently part of a program.
If you still havent found a place to eat after those two avenues, just hit up Yelp and pick the establishment that suits your tastes. Hopefully you have a credit card that gives you bonus points for Dining (cough Sapphire Preferred).
And dont forget to always keep your receipts!
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