By Sue Murphy
Right now, you’re feeling pretty proud of yourself. You have Baby Dumpling’s Halloween costume safely in his closet, hoping against hope that he does not change his mind and decide that R2D2 is sooo much cooler than Batman. You’ve started nonchalantly throwing Thanksgiving spices into your grocery cart. You’ve even purchased three strands of eco-friendly LED lights for the Christmas tree. Now, ordinarily, I’d say, “Way to plan ahead!” But after further consideration, I’m thinking, “Whoa! Hold up there, bucko.” No, this is not a rant about people rushing the seasons. I just want to be sure that you take a moment to factor in your summer vacation. You heard me right. Unless you are planning a 2018 frolic in your own backyard, you will need to fly or drive somewhere. You’ll be eating in restaurants, staying in hotels. There will be theme park passes and show tickets to buy, and all this costs money – unless you do it with points. I saw a guy on TV who has taken his family all over the world using freebies thrown in with his everyday expenditures. Properly played, it seems you can use airline miles, hotel points, gas station rewards and cash back perks to sail (or fly, or drive) right through your entire vacation. You’ll have to look up all the particulars, but I do know this: You have to start early. You must research and secure the best credit cards, ones that offer cash back or double points or sign up bonuses. The guy had a binder full of them. The next step was to sign up for the most lucrative rewards programs so that everything you do for the rest of the year – every trip to the grocery store, every gas tank fill-up, every unrelated hotel stay – brings you closer to a week at the beach. Think about it. We’re entering prime spending time, people. Even though you already bought a Halloween costume, there will be candy to purchase. You’re going to buy a turkey and yams and stuffing, Christmas decorations and wrapping paper and gifts and gifts and gifts. It could add up to a lot of points, my friend. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy. When you go to the grocery store, you’ll have to ask yourself, “Should I put this on my Disney points Visa or the American Express that gives me airline miles?” You’ll have to eat lunch at the place that offers a multi-trip, punch-card program where the fifth visit is free, whether you want a burrito or not. When you travel to your high school reunion, you’ll bypass the downtown hotel where everyone else is staying and book a room out by the freeway because you’re only one stay away from a bonus night. You won’t be proud of it, but you’ll talk Baby Dumpling into a hot dog/Slurpee combo at the gas station to bump you up to free tank status. When it gets closer to Christmas, a lot of chain restaurants will offer gift card deals: buy $50 worth and you get a $10 card free, a little something for everyone. No harm in that, I suppose, as long as you steel yourself against the temptation to tell yourself that a Hamburger Hamlet gift card will be great for Aunt Alice even though you know full well that she’s a vegetarian. Oh yes, points are serendipitous but they can be a slippery slope. So maybe forget I brought the whole thing up and just have fun this holiday season. That’s the point. ❖
