Just wanted to give a final reminder for all you procrastinators out there (like me) that the widely targeted promo for 3,500 FlexPerks points with a $50 Neiman Marcus purchase on your US Bank FlexPerks card ends today – May 19th.  You can get the full details of the promo and learn how to check and see if you were targeted in this post.

Remember to use the code MAYFS for free shipping and go through a portal to maximize your points earning.  I went through the British Airways E-Store for 8x Avios per dollar.

Because I am sure you are just dying to know (insert friendly sarcasm), my kiddo picked out a pair of green Tom’s and a pair of sparkle Tom’s shoes in the next size up that will patiently sit on her shelf and wait until her foot gets a little bigger (which at this rate will be next week).

3,500 FlexPerks points are worth up to $70 toward airfare, so it absolutely makes sense for most people to partake in this promo, even if all you do is buy a gift card for now.  Happy shopping!

I love connecting with others in person at fun frequent flyer events, so in case you feel the same, here is some info on various events that are coming up soon!

Star MegaDo 5: I wrote about this event here, but basically it is a chartered Air Canada flight from Toronto to Tuscon to San Francisco.  Along the way there will be plenty of social events, an AMARC inside tour, a Rimowa luggage factory tour, program with Air Canada, a hanger party, and more!  You will earn 2,500 elite qualifying miles for coach, 7,500 for “Tommy Class” (empty middle seat), and 15,000 for first class.  They are finalizing details, but hope to offer both Air Canada Aeroplan miles and United miles.

The dates are October 22nd-25th and tickets go on sale on Monday at Noon Central.  I have no idea how quickly this event will sell out, but given the history of previous MegaDo sales I expect that it will sell out before too long.  I plan to be on this trip as they are always a ton of fun.  The hotel partner will be Marriott.  The costs for the chartered flight start at $1199 for coach.  That includes the flight, ground activities, social events, ground transportation, and more.  It does not include getting yourself to/from the Do or the hotel costs.

If you want to go, I recommend being ready when tickets go on sale Monday!

NordicDo 2: This event is currently sold out, but there is a thread starting in case someone decides they can no longer attend and needs to find a replacement to take their spot.

Tampa Frequent Traveler University: If you prefer to keep your frequent flyer events a little more affordable and a little more focused on learning new tips, then Tampa FTU may be more up your ally.  This event is selling well, but is not yet sold out, so there is still time to book your tickets.  The event is September 27th – 29th at the Grand Hyatt Tampa.  The tickets are $100 which includes all the sessions and lunch both days.  There is also a negotiated group rate at the Grand Hyatt.  I will be presenting at this event and hope to see you there!

Chicago Seminars: The Chicago Seminars are similar to FTU and will be held October 11th – 13th at the Holiday Inn Elk Grove about 20 minutes from O’Hare airport in Chicago.  The cost is $85 which includes all sessions plus lunch both days.  There are very low hotel rates available (though I think the host hotel has sold out).  A couple of days ago I saw there were 149 tickets left for this (I think out of about 500).  I will be presenting and hosting a “spouses” reception at this event.

All four of those events are large, very well organized, have sponsors, etc.  I think that is great, but I also appreciate some of the smaller and less organized events, so I wanted to share a couple of those that are also coming up.

Brooklyn Reality Tour: This one has been going on for 14 years and is put on by DHammer (who posts comments here from time to time).  The dates have never worked out for me to attend, but I hear nothing but good things from those who join him in Brooklyn for a day of eating and eating and eating.  This year it will be held on June 1st and the costs are basically just to cover what you eat and the van.  Head here for more info.  Looks like a really fun group of folks going.

United MiniDo in NYC: Another small but fun event is the United MiniDo that will be in NYC on June 8th.  This one is capped at 30 people and is $100 each (but includes a four course dinner and some drinks).  United reps are likely to attend, and it is a good chance to bond with a smaller group of United flyers.  I attended the last one in Houston and had a lot of fun.

Some people have been asking me to host another event in Houston as I did last year.  Sadly my schedule and family responsibilities don’t permit me to host too many local events, but I do plan to host at least one thing this summer.  It will likely be another pretty informal gathering at a local (family friendly) restaurant, and I’ll be sure to give plenty of notice.  I hope many of you will be able to attend!

Pretty much all of these events listed benefit charities as well as provide a great platform for frequent flyers to get together.  Whether you like large organized events on chartered planes or small tours through Brooklyn that involve delicious food, there is something for everyone.  I hope some of you do take the time to attend an event at some point as there are great folks in the miles and points community.

I love shopping.  I don’t care if it is for myself, my kid, my husband, or for my cousin’s friend’s new baby.  I love deal hunting, and shopping is a great forum for that…while staying within a budget, of course.  As a result, earning points while shopping is almost second nature to me, but that was something that developed over time.  This week one of the questions I received via email was about this very topic, so I want to address it here in the hopes it will help some of you newer to this concept.  Grant asked:

Quick question…my wife has to do some spring/summer clothes shopping for our little girls. She shops mostly at places like Old Navy, Kohl’s, Target, etc.

I’ve read some about discounted gift cards, stacking deals, online shopping portals, store rebates etc, but am trying to figure out for in-store purchases, how to get the most bang for the buck.

Many of us are cleaning the winter items out of our kid’s closets and making way for some new summer items.  Like it or not, young kids outgrow stuff pretty much every year, so it has to be replaced somehow.  Grant hinted at many different ways to earn points while shopping, but it seems he is most interested in ways to do that in the store, as opposed to online.  You can make this process as complicated or as simple as you want, but I’m going to stick to the simpler ways to do this.

1. Buy retailer gift cards in retail stores.  Currently the easiest solution for earning some points at stores like Old Navy, Kohl’s etc. is to take your handy dandy Chase Freedom Visa card to Lowe’s Home Improvement stores and visit their gift card rack.  Lowe’s is one of the 5x bonus categories for this quarter via the Freedom card, so just purchase the gift cards you think you need and earn 5x Ultimate Reward points on the purchase – up to $1,500 max this quarter.  Then go spend those gift cards at stores like Gap Kids and Old Navy.  If you don’t have the Freedom, you can do the same with other cards that give bonus points at certain retailers.  For example, the Ink Bold® Business Card or Ink Plus® Business Card come to mind for their 5x potential via office supply stores.  Many cards also give bonuses at grocery stores, which usually have a decent selection of retail gift cards.

1. Buy a gift card online via online shopping portal.  Another option is to buy the gift card you want online via a shopping portal.  You can then use the card to shop in an actual store (or “double dip” place the order online back through the shopping portal).  Here is a post on the “ins and outs” of my favorite online shopping portal.  In some cases you will get up to around 10x points per dollar when going through a shopping portal like the Ultimate Rewards portal for purchasing the gift card.  However, there are some nuances to this, and while it will work with some retailers, it won’t work with all.  Who it works with also changes over time.  Sometimes it only works with physical gift cards, but not e-gift cards.  In other words, this is not an exact science.  That said, you can check out The Frequent Miler’s Lab to see recent reports with various retailers on whether or not this approach will work.
2. Register your credit cards to earn points in-store.  This one isn’t near as useful as the first two suggestions, but it does have some use so I will include it.  Certain online shopping portals, like United MileagePlus Shopping, will allow you to link your credit cards to your profile so you can earn bonus miles when shopping in participating retail stores.  This sounds great, but there are a very limited number of stores that actually participate – none of which are on your list.
3. Buy gift cards at a discount via a site like GiftCardGranny.com.  This won’t actually help you earn points, but it will help you save money.  You can buy gift cards to popular retailers such as the ones mentioned via online sites like GiftCardGranny.  I personally don’t use this service, but I know some others do.  I would rather buy the gift card myself and earn points than trust someone else’s re-sold gift card, but that is just me.

Grant, I hope some of these tips are useful.  I know we have tons of other shoppers in our mix, so please feel free to chime in with additional tips!

Disclosure: I do receive a commission if you are approved for a credit card via my affiliate links.  As always, thanks for your support!