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Get 50% weekend airport rentals at Hertz with this promotional coupon (PC): 104182

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Next time you’re in Las Vegas, you may want to give this a try. It turns out it’s much cheaper to upgrade your room than you might think. When you check in at the front desk, offer the receptionist a $20 tip and then ask them if they could upgrade your room. It’s one of the most tourist-friendly open secrets in town.

In fact, Las Vegas hotel managers all know about the $20 tip. It’s an age-old tradition in this town. They don’t really mind either. In fact, they empower their staff to make such concessions to keep their guests happy. Of course, the happier their guests are, the more likely they are to spend more of their money at the hotel’s casino. Another reason is that they don’t really lose anything by giving away an empty suite. As long as the upgrade is not widely publicized, there is no downside for them at all.

Although the $20 tricks works most of the time, it won’t work on days when the hotel is booked full like on New Year’s Eve. You may also run into trouble if you used Priceline to book your hotel. Hotel managers often warn their employees not to upgrade guests who booked through Priceline. On the other hand, if you didn’t book through Priceline and you’re there when business is kind of slow, you’re almost certain to be granted your upgrade request. Given the state of the economy right now and the increased vacancy rates at most Vegas hotels, the $20 tip is more likely to succeed than ever before.

One thing you want to keep in mind is that the $20 tip works at any hotel in Las Vegas. You can use it at ritzy hotels like the Bellagio and the Venetian as well as more modest ones like the Sahara and the Flamingo. If you’re only staying at a 3-star hotel for a night, you could just as well pay for the upgrade when you make the reservation. However, if you’re going to stay for two or more nights at a four or five-star hotel, then the $20 tip is well worth it.

Just give it a try next time you’re in town. The worst that can happen is that you’ll get your tip returned to you.

Photo Credit: mandj98

Getting free admission to tourist attractions in places like Las Vegas, Hawaii, or Orlando seems to be remarkably easy. All it takes is for you to join a timeshare tour.

The Offer

If you have ever been on vacation to Las Vegas, Hawaii or Orlando, there’s a good chance you might have been approached by somebody offering you deep discounts or even free admission to local attractions or shows. In exchange, all you have to do is attend a tour of a resort for a couple of hours. The savings can amount to hundreds of dollars. It almost sounds too good to be true, especially when the resorts sound fancy and are owned by high-class hotel chains like Hilton or Sheraton.

In fact, the offers are usually legitimate. Not surprisingly, though, the people organizing these giveaways are also hoping to make money off of you. The “tour”, sometimes also called a “presentation”, is all about pitching a timeshare to you. Of course, they will rarely state this in such blunt terms. The profit from selling a single timeshare is usually thousands of dollars. Even if nine out of ten people walk out of the presentation not buying anything, the profit from the one person who does buy a timeshare more than justifies the “marketing expenses” of the tour. If it didn’t, they wouldn’t be doing it.

The Restrictions

The person on the street who is signing you up for the timeshare tour is getting a commission just for referring you. Of course, they can’t just sign up anybody. The timeshare sales agents that they work for don’t want to waste their marketing dollars on people who are not likely to buy anything. In many cases, they require that you be married. This way you’re more likely to have the income to support a timeshare purchase, even if you’re not entirely truthful about your income. The minimum annual household income to qualify is usually a figure between $60,000 and $70,000. Of course, there’s really no way for them to check independently that you meet these qualifications but that is not to say they won’t try. To check you really are married, you look for wedding rings and IDs that show you living at the same residence. Income is harder to check. They might ask you what you do for a living. Students and the unemployed are automatically disqualified. On the other hand, in an apparent concession to stay-at-home moms and dads, it’s usually okay for one of you to be unemployed. However, they are much less likely to give you a break if one of you is a student of any sort. Oddly enough, the sales rep on the street is usually your best friend. It’s not because they like you so much but because they want their commission badly. In some cases, they will even try to coach you to give the right answers to sales agents during the timeshare tour.

The Sign-Up

Once you have decided that you are qualified - the decision is really up to you - you will have to sign up for the tour a day or two in advance. Since the resorts are often away from the major tourist centers, a bus will pick you up and drop you off near your hotel. You will share the ride with other tourists of course. By the way, you need not worry about missing out on the nightlife. Conveniently, many of these tours are scheduled to take place in the morning or around noon because the people organizing timeshare tours have come to realize that a more convenient schedule motivates more people to sign up.

The Presentation

At the timeshare presentation, more than one agent will meet with you and make their pitch. They made an investment in you and they want it to be worthwhile. If you don’t want the timeshare, be sure to tell them you are not interested and that they are wasting their time. There’s no obligation for you to buy anything in order to receive the gift you have been promised. While they cannot force you to buy a timeshare, their tactics can get extremely annoying very fast, especially when they try to play your spouse against you. Rather than becoming angry, simply tell them they are being rude. If you’re feeling playful, you can try turning the tables. Start asking them about their own lives. What do they do for a living? Where do they live? Where did they go to college? Etc. Besides taking the attention off of you, this strategy also kills time. After all, the presentation can only last a couple of hours.

In what seems to be a growing trend, more and more travelers are giving up on hotels and are instead trading homes with others. The savings can be substantial, especially for long-term stays in exclusive destinations. Instead of paying at least a hundred dollars a night to stay at a nice hotel for several weeks, which can add up to thousands of dollars, you get to stay in someone else’s home for free. You don’t even have to own your home. As long as your landlord agrees to the arrangement, you can trade your rental.

How to Sign Up for a Home Swap

You first have to choose a home exchange network to sign up with. When you sign up, you get to create your own listing and send inquiries to members you’d like to trade homes with.

The three most popular home swapping networks include HomeExchange.com, Intervac International, and HomeLink International,.

HomeExchange.com is by the far the largest home swapping network. It has over 26,000 listings in 126 countries. A one-year unlimited membership costs $99.95.

Intervac International has over 20,000 home listings in 50 countries. A $65 annual membership gives you access to all of their U.S. listings. A $95 annual membership gives you access to all of their listings worldwide.

HomLink International has over 13,000 listings in 72 countries. A one-year membership costs $110. A two-year membership is $176.

In addition, there are many networks that cater to particular niche groups. For example, there is Seniors Home Exchange, which serves people older than 50. JewishHomeSwap.com is geared toward Jewish home exchangers.

If you don’t mind giving up a little control over who’s going to get to stay in your home, you can sign up for International Vacation Home Exchange (IVHE). Unlike traditional home swapping networks, you earn credits for letting others stay at your home. You can then use your credits to stay at homes at homes of other network members. Note that you don’t even have to trade homes at the same time. You can actually save your credits for vacations in more expensive destinations. As you might have guessed, this kind of home exchange network is geared to people who have second homes. Instead of letting your second home go unused, you let other network members stay in it. If you are a frequent traveler, it’s better than renting it out because although you don’t pay taxes on the credits you accumulate, you can still use them like cash to purchase stays at destinations worldwide. IVHE charges a one-time set-up fee of $125 and monthly membership fees of $6.17 ($74 per year) to $31.25 ($375 per year) depending on your membership level. The higher your membership level is, the more credits you can use for any single home exchange. In other words, a higher membership level gives you access to more expensive homes.

Finally, if you are the adventurous type and you don’t want to spend your money on membership fees, there is always Craigslist. However, the potential for fraud is much greater. Craigslist is a magnet for impostors because it doesn’t cost them anything to access it. There is no peer review either. You can’t rely on reviews from other home exchangers because there aren’t any reviews. You will also have to take car of all the arrangements yourself since there is no company to support you.

Six Tips for Home Swappers

1. Be flexible. The more flexible you are, the easier it will be to find a swap partner. For example, you might be contacted by people offering to trade their home in a place you hadn’t originally thought of. You should also be prepared to trade down. It’s not always possible to find a home that is as good as yours. Keep in mind that homes in more popular destinations can be just as expensive as your own home even if they’re smaller.

2. Make your home attractive. You don’t need to live in a mansion, but the curb appeal of your home does make a difference. You’re going to post pictures and maybe even videos of your home. Better-looking homes get better exchange offers.

3. Screen potential partners. In addition to reading member reviews on the home swapping website, ask potential home swappers for references.

4. Communicate. Ask as many questions as possible. Don’t make any assumptions or you may be in for a disappointment. Finding the right person to swap a home with is almost like online dating. Talk to them as much as possible, not just by email but also on the phone, which can give you a good sense of the type of person you’re dealing with.

5. Take precautions. Store away all your personal information and valuables. You can put them in a safe at home or better yet, in a safe deposit box at your local bank. If you haven’t already done so, switch from paper statements to electronic statements for your bank accounts, credit cards, and utility bills, at least for the period that you’re away. You can always switch back to paper statements when you’re back home again. Take pictures of your home before you leave. Also, ask your neighbors to keep an eye on your home while you’re away. Check your homeowner’s insurance to make sure you are covered in case of a loss. If not, you should consider asking the home exchanger for a deposit.

6. Get everything in writing. Just to be sure there are no misunderstandings, be sure to sign a contract with the other home swapper. It’s easier than you think. Many home swapping networks offer sample contracts that you can download.

7. Be a good guest. Take care of the other person’s home. After all, you expect the same of them. You should leave the home in the same condition as you found it. The major home exchange networks have message boards and member ratings. If you are a bad guest, you’ll likely get negative feedback, which in turn can affect your prospects for a future home exchange.

Photo Credit: Jesse Wagstaff

Singapore Airlines has an amazing sale going on right now.

Fly to Tokyo, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Seoul, Moscow for just $579 roundtrip.

Fly to Singapore and Southeast Asia for just $679.

Fly to India and Australia for just $879.

All taxes and surcharges are included in these prices.

And of course, Singapore Airlines is not some budget airline. Quality is comparable to major European national carriers and better than many major American airlines.

Link to Offer

Offer valid through June 28, 2009.

Valid for travel from July 1 - November 30, 2009.

This summer Hilton is offering to take off an additional 25% on their Best Available Rate when you book your hotel online.

In order to take advantage of the promotion, you need to have a Visa Signature credit card. It’s very easy to tell if you have one. Your credit card will have a line through it that says Visa Signature. If you’re still confused, you can also check your eligibility on the Hilton website. There’s a small chance, you may still qualify.

The promotion is supposed to be valid not only at Hilton hotels but also other hotels affiliated with the Hilton chain, such as DoubleTree, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton and Embassy Suites.

Link to Offer

Alamo is running a special promo just for Costco members.

Get a weekend car rental from as low as $10 per day.

You can get the weekend rate as early as 9am Thursday.

To qualify for the promotion, you must keep your car overnight on a Saturday.

There’s a 4-day maximum on the car rental.

You will also need to return your car by Monday or higher rates will apply.

Offer expires 6/27/09 and may not be available on Memorial Day weekend.

Link to Offer

American Airlines is offering unbelievably low fares for travel from the U.S. to Europe.

U.S. departure cities include Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco. European destinations include Barcelona, Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt, London, Manchester, Milan, Paris, and Zurich.

Link to Offer

Here are just some of the deals:

Los Angeles, CA to Frankfurt, Germany - $179
Los Angeles, CA to London, UK - $188
Los Angeles, CA to Paris, France - $222
Chicago, IL to Dublin, Ireland - $165
Miami, FL to Milan, Italy - $222
San Francisco to Madrid, Spain - $225

All fares are one way and based on a round-trip purchase.

“Visit Europe For Less!
Escape to Europe! American Airlines is offering exclusive low sale fares to many European cities just for you. Now is a great time to visit the Parisian museums, tour the Vatican or take a train ride into the Swiss Mountains from Zurich. Don’t miss this opportunity; Purchase your ticket by January 31, 2009, for outbound travel through March 31, 2009, and return by May 30, 2009.”

** Deal Over **

Southwest Airlines is offering half off all flights to Vegas.

Use promo code LASVEGAS when making your reservation online.

Flights from Southern California are as low as $35 one way (or $70 round trip).

This special deal is only good December 30 and December 31, 2008 and is valid for travel between January 13 and March 11, 2009.

Link to Offer

“For 2 Days Only, All Bets Are Off!

No bluffing. No poker face. All flights to Vegas are 50% off! With fares this low, you’ll have plenty of cash left to hit the casinos. Fly roundtrip on a Wanna Get Away fare from any Southwest Airlines city to Las Vegas between January 13 and March 11, 2009. Sale fares available for purchase December 30 and 31, 2008 only.

Don’t gamble with a deal this sweet. Book your half-price Vegas getaway today!

Book on this page or enter promotion code LASVEGAS on southwest.com.”

** Deal Over **

Get 3 nights in Las Vegas for under $11. This is an amazing deal.

Stay at the Four Queens, a 3-star hotel, for three nights and pay just $10.96 for your entire stay. Again, this is not a nightly rate. It’s for the entire three nights.

Just go to the Expedia Offer Page, search for hotels in Las Vegas from January 4 - January 7, 2009, and select the Four Queens hotel. The total will come out to just $66.96. Then apply coupon code “Fan50″ to get $50 off. That gets you down to just $10.96.

NOTE: The coupon code works for any three-night stay. You can use it for other hotels too.

** Deal Over **

Hertz is offering a free car rental. JOffer is good for any weekend day from now through March 31, 2009. Just make your reservation online using code PC#127595. The promotion works for economy through full-size cars.

Link to Offer

Offer:
” Here’s a holiday present you can enjoy all winter, with no minimum rental days required. Now through March 31, 2009, you can enjoy one free weekend day, when PC#127595 is included in your reservation of Economy through Full-size class cars. Only one redemption per month is permitted.”

Terms and Conditions:
“Terms and Conditions: Advance reservations required. Blackouts may apply. Subject to availability, this offer is redeemable at participating Hertz locations in the U.S. (excluding , NY Metro area, Florida and Hawaii). This offer applies to minimum one day weekend rental (weekend defined as pick-up noon Thursday through Noon Sunday), has no cash value, may not be used with Tour Rates or Insurance Replacement Rates and cannot be combined with any other certificate, voucher, offer or promotion. The Free Day value applies to weekend rental time and mileage charges of economy through full-size class vehicles. Hertz age, driver, credit and weekend rate qualifications for the renting location apply and the car must be returned to that location. Taxes, tax reimbursement, age differential charges, upsell charges, fees and optional service charges, such as refueling, are not included. Discounts apply to time and mileage charges only. One redemption per customer per month. Offer valid for vehicle pickup through 3-31-09.”

** Deal Over **

Reserve an economy through premium car for just $10/day from Alamo Rent A Car.

Offer is valid 1/8/09 - 5/31/09.

Link to Offer

Terms and Conditions
“Valid at participating US locations from 1/8/09 through 5/31/09 for rentals of an economy through premium size cars. 24-hour advance reservation required. Minimum one day/maximum four day rental required. Non-participating locations include, but are not limited to Denver, Aspen and the New York Metro area. Cannot be combined with any other discounts or promotional rates. Availability is limited and blackout dates may apply. Weekend rate available 9:00 AM Thursday; vehicle must be returned by pick up time on Monday or higher daily rates apply. Rental must include a Saturday overnight stay. Taxes, other governmentally-authorized or imposed surcharges, vehicle license recoupment fees, airport and airport facility fees (of up to US $4.50 per day or US $15 per rental), fuel, additional driver fee, one-way rental charge and optional items (such as CDW Waiver Savers® up to $29.99 per day) are extra. Check your insurance policy and/or credit card for rental vehicle coverage. Concession recoupment fees of up to 12% may be added to the rental rate at some on-airport locations. Up to 11.11% may be added to the rental rate if you rent at an off-airport location and exit on our shuttle bus. Other surcharges and recoupment fees may apply. Renter must meet standard age, drive and credit requirements. Rates may be higher for drivers under age 25.”

Edit: Deal Over

AirAsia, a regional carrier, is offering 100,000 free tickets to Thailand.

“Tickets can only be purchased online at AirAsia’s Web site over the next three days from Wednesday for travel between Jan. 6 and March 31.”

Link to News Story

Link to AirAsia

Edit: Deal Over

Southwest Airlines is offering $25 off any future flight when you purchase a $100 Southwest Airlines gift card from them. The discount code will be emailed to you.
If you’re a frequent Southwest Airlines traveler, this is an easy to save an extra $25. You can use both the $100 gift card and the $25 fare discount for yourself.

Unfortunately, you’re not going to be able to use the fare discount right away. Yep, they thought of that.  The discount is good for travel between August 18 and November 19, 2008. However, the round-trip flight purchase must be made between July 1 and August 30, 2008. And the gift card purchase must be made before July 1, 2008. That means, at the very least, you will have to buy the gift card 49 days before you travel (i.e. purchase on June 31 and flight on August 18, 2008).

From Southwest Airlines Website:

“Next time you want to give them something special, give them the southwestgiftcard. Because the gift of destination is something every Dad or Grad can appreciate.

From June 1 – June 30, 2008, purchase a $100 or more southwestgiftcard on southwest.com with your Visa^® card and receive $25 off a future Southwest Airlines roundtrip flight*.

With Visa, giving the gift of a destination this Dads and Grads season makes gift-giving double the FUN!”

“The fare discount is good for a roundtrip flight purchase made between
July 1, 2008 and August 30, 2008 for travel August 18, 2008 through November 19, 2008. “

Get this. Spirit Airlines is offering free fares.

What’s the catch? Read the fine print at the bottom of the page. You still have to pay for taxes and fees as well as for checked baggage (one carry-on bag is free). So it’s not totally free but still a good deal, especially if have no baggage to check.

Link to Spirit Airlines Free Fare Offer

Some Airlines are Reducing Flights
We’re Reducing Fares - up to 100% Off*!

11% off fares must be booked on www.spiritair.com between 9:00 PM ET on June 4, 2008 and 11:59 PM ET on June 5, 2008 and are valid for travel between June 11, 2008 and November 15, 2008. 50% off fares must be booked on www.spiritair.com between 9:00 PM ET on June 4, 2008 and 11:59 PM ET on June 5, 2008 and are valid for travel on Tuesdays and Wednesdays only between September 3, 2008 and October 29, 2008. Zero dollar fares must be booked on spiritair.com between 9:00 PM ET on June 4, 2008 and 11:59 PM ET on June 5, 2008 for travel on the dates specified by market and by market direction. Please see the terms and conditions for complete restrictions and details.

“Fares do not include (a) a segment tax of $3.50 per U.S. domestic flight segment (a flight segment is defined as one takeoff and landing) of a passenger’s itinerary; (b) up to $18 per round trip in local airport charges; or (c) a September 11th Security Fee of $2.50 per enplanement originating at a U.S. airport; or d) a Passenger Usage Fee of $4.90 per segment. International itineraries do not include governmental taxes and fees (including U.S. government excise tax) of up to $125 per round trip. Additionally, if sold in, or travel originates in a country outside of the U.S., additional taxes may apply (up to 22% of the fare value per country).”

“All customers are allowed one free carry-on bag. For purchases made between May 27 and June 9, 2008 there is a fee assessed of $10 each way for each of the first two checked bags if purchased in advance online at www.spiritair.com, and a fee of $20 each way for each of the first two checked bags if purchased at the airport of origin. Bags 3 through 5 are $100 per item each way. Effective June 10, 2008, fees for bags paid in advance online at www.spiritair.com are $10.00 each way for the first bag only. The fee for Bag 2 is $20.00 each way, and items 3 thru 5 are $100.00 per item each way. When paying at the airport, fees for the first and second bags are $20.00 per bag each way. (Customers will receive a 50% discount for the first bag when purchased online). “