Priority Club "Win it in a Minute" Trivia Contest

Priority Club launched a new promotion today – Win it in a Minute. Each weekday for the next 12 weeks offers Priority Club members the chance to answer 5 questions for points. This is a timed trivia contest providing 12 seconds to answer each question. The quicker you answer correctly, the more points you win for the correct answer.

See a full explanation of the contest at Loyalty Traveler.

There are both daily and weekly points awarded so take a few minutes each day to try your hand at trivia and possibly win a few extra Priority Club Reward Points.

Choosing a Primary Hotel Program

Choosing the right hotel reward program requires a little more thought than picking an airline partner.  While some of the basic principles apply to both airlines and hotels (such as “pick a major” and “register for promotions”), there is much more variability in the value of a single hotel point than there is an airline mile.

When choosing a hotel program, consider the following.

Pick a Major Regardless of whether you are choosing an airline, hotel or rental car program, this is a consistent and key component.  Choose a major hotel chain, with many properties under management, to ensure that you are going to get the best choice of options when you want to use the free nights you have earned.  The following are some of the largest hotel chains in the world: 

• Choice Hotels International
• Hyatt Hotels and Resorts
• Intercontinental Hotel Group
• Marriott International
• Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
• Wyndham Hotel Group

Preferred Destinations and Class of Hotels If you like higher end tropical resorts in Mexico or the Caribbean, you may want to consider Marriott (Ritz Carlton) or Starwood (Westin, Luxury Collection and St. Regis).  If you prefer to travel to major international cities you may consider Intercontinental.  Or if you love a particular hotel, like the Park Hyatt Tokyo, you may want to consider Hyatt.  The key is to think about where you want to go, what type of hotels you prefer and then investigate the hotel chains that will provide you with what you want.

Managing Your Points & Miles

Managing your miles and points can become a chore if you allow it to. Monitoring your individual account as well as the accounts of multiple family members can lead to aggravation and, if you are not diligent, expiration of miles.


There are an estimated 10 trillion unused frequent-flyer miles currently in circulation, worth some $165 billion. Industry experts estimate that 20% of these miles will never be redeemed. That is a significant number of unredeemed miles.


So how can you keep track of your multiple miles and points accounts? There are several websites available that will simpify the process for you. The prices range from free to $15 per year to whatever you want to pay.


The FGT Staff utilizes Award Wallet to track miles and points. This site isn't perfect, but it offers most of the key features you will need. You can enter accounts for multiple people. The main page neatly shows all your accounts, with miles for each. But Award Wallet will show expiration dates for only three accounts unless you upgrade to a paid membership. How much is a paid membership? Whatever you want to pay.


No matter which service you pick, prepare yourself for some data-entry work at the outset. You'll need your account numbers and passwords. If you haven't already set up online access to your frequent-flier accounts, you'll have to do that first. Still, this definitely falls into the spend-time-to-save-time category. Once you've got your information entered, you can kick back and let the service do the work.


Now, rather than worrying about how many frequent-flier miles and hotel points we have, we can start thinking about where we will be going on our next Frugal Golf Adventure.

How did we get started? Day 2

Day 2 - Farmlinks 
After the disappointing cardboard breakfast the day before and the upcoming golf marathon we had planned on day 2, we ate at one of Dink's favorite joints - the Waffle House.  To keep our energy up for another 28+ holes of golf a good breakfast was important.  Smothered, covered, chunked and dunked was deemed good enough.  Farmlinks Golf Course is off the beaten path.  How far?  Have you ever heard of Sylacauga Alabama?  OK you and Google Maps are the only two.  


So why play a course that is so far off the path you have to have ask for directions when the GPS cannot find it.  Just like any other course, it's there.  Admittedly the draw to Farmlink's is the deal.  For one price, $125, you get unlimited golf and a sit down lunch.  Break that down.  Sit down lunch would be about $15, snacks would be about $10, so if you just play two rounds that is only $50 each.  Even Putts can do that math.  ;)  You are looking for Sylacauga on Google maps right now aren't you?  

The story behind Farmlinks is they were a farm.  They took a chance on growing grass, legal grass, different types of grass.  Bermuda, tiff eagle, bent, diamond cut, blue, green, etc.  Their goal is testing herbicides, fertilizers, irrigation, etc.  They even get sponsors such as John Deere and Toro.  My understanding is most if not all of their equipment is donated.  Companies come in a test the products with their staff and the on site researchers to find out how to make the grass grow under all different types of conditions.  The Parcell family that owns the farm are not golf people.  But do not take that the wrong way.  The Parcell family are farmers.  Why is that important? Farmers are the definition of family.  You are on their land.  You are visitor at their place.  Put it all together it spells h-o-s-p-i-t-a-l-i-t-y.  First class southern hospitality.  

The FGT Staff’s Favorite Airline Frequent Flyer Program

American Airlines is perhaps unique among the airlines in offering lifetime elite status to its members based on the number of lifetime miles earned from any source. Please note that this is an undocumented benefit, and could be changed without notice. Unlike the yearly status qualification where only miles or segments actually flown qualify you, for lifetime status all miles count - including credit cards, EQM, bonus miles, exchange transfers in from other programs, etc. all count, and regardless of whether or not they have been used.

1 million miles - Lifetime AAdvantage Gold status

2 million miles - Lifetime AAdvantage Platinum status

Over the years, acquiring miles through credit card sign up bonuses and churning of credit cards has produced many miles for many travelers although there has recently been a restriction on the number of credit card sign up bonuses an individual can receive.

Availability of award travel at the lowest redemption level is plentiful compared to other domestic airlines in our experience.

So join the AAdvantage program today if you have not already. As soon as you join, head on over to visit the Frugal Travel Guy and apply for one or multiple Citi AAdvantage credit cards and take advantage of the current bonus miles promotions.  Scroll down the page to Rick’s Top Eight Travel Deals and check out #2.

3 Surveys from Priority Club

This post on View from the Wing references a post on Flyertalk notes 3 quick Priority Club surveys which offer free points:

100 points: http://usa-survey.priorityclub.com/unfvmw
Answers are : C,D,B

100 points: http://usa-survey.priorityclub.com/fhaidt
Answers are: D,A,C

300 points: http://usa-survey.priorityclub.com/mwpvwj
Answers are: D, D, D, D, C

I had already taken the second and third surveys, it wouldn’t let me take them again. But it did let me take the first one. All three surveys worked for my wife. All three surveys said my son had already taken the quizzes. 

Give it a try for a potential easy 500 Priority Club points.

Choosing a Primary Frequent Flyer Program

Selecting your primary frequent flyer program is very straightforward – you want to pick the airline that will allow you to maximize the miles you earn, without having to change your travel and spending patterns.  The majority of airline miles you earn will come from one of two places; air travel and/or credit card usage.  Since most major airlines offer mileage credit cards, your first focus should be on the air travel component.

STEP 1:

Find out what airline has the most flights from your local airport. This should be your Primary Frequent Flyer Program. Go to that airlines web site and join their frequent flyer program. Print out the temporary membership card, write down your password and put this in your TRAVEL folder. In a few weeks, you will receive a nice envelope from the airline with a permanent membership card and various other marketing materials.

Look around the web site for Free Miles for email signup, referrals, downloading a search bar or scheduling program. The airlines want to turn you into a loyal customer and will often reward you with miles for various activities.

Now repeat this process for every member of your family, including the baby.

STEP 2:

Repeat STEP 1 for every airline that flies from your home airport.  Remember to sign up EVERY FAMILY MEMBER. You will see the benefits of this in later blog posts