Parks With Points

As we head into the holiday I like to get a new card with a sign on bonus for some of the additional spending that always comes at the end of the year. Today I picked the new Chase Business Cash card. Why? Well, no annual fee and $900 bonus cash back (I'll keep as points) spending $6,000 (in 3 months) as we have intentional spending for some medical for my son and Christmas around the corner. Once I get the card I'll post if I chance any of my defaults.

I was fun to put this one together, any feedback let me know

Monthly Credit Card/Points Update What in your points strategy are you changing for next month? I have been holding some bigger ticket business expenses for a PayPal deal like Discover has in July so I'll pull the trigger on a few things ... and gas moved from my Discover to my Chase Card What if anything are you changing for next month? I'm always interested..

Thrill Seekers Podcast - Thrills and Magic In this podcast we get both camera tips and a virtual walk of the Velocicoaster queue

Cheers to a great year 2021 was a great year for us - We had lots of big Park stuff: Texas road trip ending at Holiday World California Parks trip First HHN in Orlando First trip to IAAPA No, we didn't get to all the Six Flags parks in 2021 so that goal will have to get pushed into 2022 So on to the #LogRideApp 2021 Year in Review Stats Traveled 369 miles via coaster Went on 405 Attractions Flipped over on 834 Inversions B&M topped my coasters with 26 adding: 13 Inverted5 Hypers, 1 wing Since 2020 my top 3 ridden: American Thunder 144, Mako 80, The Boss 53 Ended the year with a coaster count of 230

Six Flags Flash Pass Well, Six Flags made it pretty easy to decide for the 2021 year by more than doubling the cost, so I'm not renewing.   Tips and observations: I used it a lot when my kids where young - allows me to drop in quickly on a ride my kids can't go on I can put my daughter on the ride while I'm with my son who isn't tall enough Phone is easiest, just make sure you reserve ahead of time Do you get to skip the lines with a membership? If so, it's not as valuable The first tier worked great, not sure the higher tiers would have been worth the extra money Only works at the Home Park Not sure that helps, but let me know if you disagree. I got to lots of different parks, so I might feel differently if I just went to one park.

Oculus Quest 2 Summary of what we talked about on Thrill Seekers Podcast Q&A Background: I was looking for a deal on an Oculus Quest 2 for Christmas, so here is the Points review of the deal: All stores had is for $50 off so $299 was the price, and it was about looking for the best store to buy it. I went with Game Stop and here is why: GameStop $50 Gift Card GameStop $10 Credit (+11960 Reward Points) Rakuten 10% CashBack [via #PointsStacking] M1 Credit Card 10% Awards [ #CashBack ] Results: About $60 in credit to use for games as part of the gift and about $60 #CashBack that could be used to offset a Park or, if you're following the Six Flags example, one season pass.

Park Overview Starved Rock State Park is open daily at 7:00 am, so we like to add this on the way to the Wisconsin Dells or Chicago. Just a warning -- the waterfalls are only active in the spring or after heavy rains.  Tips and observations: Even if you only have an hour, it's great to park at the Visitor center, as there are quite a few trails under a mile. ( Click here for the trail map ) The Visitor Center is open daily from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Cost: Free If you want to make it a full day, they have 13 miles of trails to explore, and the Illinois River offers fishing, boating, extraordinary views and great places to relax. Parks nearby: Great Wolf Six Flags Great America Wisconsin Dells For more information: https://www.starvedrocklodge.com/starved-rock-state-park/

Although I don't have a full total between CashBack bonuses ( link to the Strategy ) with Discover and Chase we defiantly offset the Six Flags passes for 2021. Not a full list but some of the intentional Christmas present buys and the Strategies: Rakuten (My go to for Stacking) I used it online at: GameStop [Stacked with M1] Michaels (Craft Store) Chewy (Dog Medication) [Stacked with M1] Samsung Reebok Dell GoPro (ok - maybe that wasn't a gift but a "business expense") Office Depot / OfficeMax [Stacked with M1] I'll get some totals for my monthly review - coming in just a few days

With Christmas around the corner it's time to remind everyone to get intentional about your spending. This is the time to spend a few extra minutes to check "stacking" deals and Credit Card deals to make sure you start earning for next years Parks. For example: Chase $15 - 50% off Amazon.com ( More info on Chase ) Rakuten.com - Stacking ( More info on Rakuten to stack Points ) Paypal 5% Discover Bonus

No Risk, it's free if you have a Chase Card If you might be flying out of an Airport and need to park a complimentary Platinum status for 2 years can't hurt. Even if you're not sure you need it low risk signed up. I still would rather pay more to fly out of a close smaller airport.

Cell phone discount? Not for me Some times you need to get good at checking the fine print. For example, at a quick glance this AmEx Hilton 5% is a good deal BUT "you must spend a minimum of $100 in one or more eligible US transactions by the last day of each calendar month to be considered eligible for a one-time statement credit" SO, unless you have a $100 cell phone bill you only get the standard card promotions and in my case a better promotion on a different card

Since that AmEp deal from 2 months ago is expired today I'm reloading from Discover. Wasn't able to point stack but did get a Bonus - $20 value for $18

The big chains all now have the deal doing If you have been following I grabbed the Cedar Fair Platinum deal when it came out. Part of my OffYear strategy. Quickly Six Flags added the same deal (HOME PARK ONLY - full show with details here) and finally it looks like SeaWorld added it after Halloween. Plus: Limited-Time Offer: Save 20% online so a better deal than I got it last year.  Yes, if it's not clear if you are getting a pass it's VERY worth it. 

So, guess you can look forward to a #MoneyMonday soon as I fit it into my Park Point Process

Sandal Update - Perfect So, last week I posted that my go to park sandals died and how important what's on your feet So, the Zero's are keepers for sure, once I got used to getting them on (ie slide your feet all the way in FIRST like most minimalism shoes) they worked out great: Super Light Hiking Approved Comfortable at the Park Didn't slip off on the rides Laugh if you want but wet shoes can make or break your day at the park. Although I didn't test on a water ride (all closed) I can tell they are going to be fine Strategies used: PayPal Discover Bonus (5% CashBack) Links: The shoes I reviewed:  https://xeroshoes.com/shop/shoes/colorado-men/ Got them at:  https://gear.com/ to get free shipping (FYI, they came drop shipped from Zero anyway)

Trip Outline: I'm thinking... quick weekend trip to King's Island with a possible stop at the Indianapolis Zoo From Central IL < 3h 15m > Indianapolis Zoo < 2h 5m > King's Island (Time Zone Change) Park Overviews: Hotels Nearby: Lots of options Nature Park(s)/Camping Nearby: King's Island has a campsite

This one is a no brainer, who doesn't use Amazon? Some time #PointsStacking deals just fall in your lap. I'm sure you have something worth $30 you would buy anyway so why not pay with a Discover and get an extra $10? Don't forget to activate the deal  before you buy (The promotion will end on the earlier of (a) 11:59 PT on 10/31/2021)

Shoes matter IF they get wet! Crazy I know but wet socks or shoes are the worst and I have talked about sleeping in my car so shoe can't be off limits. I used to have Keen's and I loved them BUT they don't make my version any more so I'm trying something new more like my Earth Runners  but with close toes. I like them but I just ordered the Xero Colorado 's so I have covered toe's - important for some Parks. Oh, and yes I did some stacking More to come - Do you have some favorite park shoes?

Hilton AmEx Deal Stacking This Money Monday we are highlighting Google Storage plans . Right now the Hilton American Express can be stacked with the Google One deal so you get 20% cash back, 10% credit for Google products, and you earn points for a free Hilton stay. If you have been looking for a family cloud storage plan, VPN on your Android devices, access to Google experts, and some other extras, now is the time. Personally, we use this service to back up all our pictures and devices, and use the google drive to act as share drives on the PC. Strategies Used: Cash Offset - help pay for parks Points Stacking - Earn more leveraging more deals

Trip Report Coming We just got back and we had a few snags but overall did the plan we posted in the Let's Plan   Summary: Red Rock Canyon Death Valley National Park - Didn't get as far as we would have likes Sequoia National Park - was mostly cut off due to the fires King's Canyon National Park - was mostly cut off due to the fires California's Great America (Cedar Fair) Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk - learned that ticket sales and line entry stop an hour before close currently Discovery Kingdom (Six Flags) Yosemite National Park Magic Mountain (Six Flags) Knott's Berry Farm (Cedar Fair) Buffalo Bill's - I know Desperado was closed but I still wanted to see it

I never turn on auto refill - look for a reload option when your low There will almost always be a reload deal This one is for AmExp (Hilton Card) and expires 10/4/21 If you don't have an AmExp you could also do PayPal Discover deal for the same cash back minus the Points (no Points Stacking) I know, save your money from coffee but I use Starbuck more on the road for a road trip office I know I cut this one close