No More Miles for ShareBuilder Account

I received an email from Capital One ShareBuilder informing me that I can't earn miles on my account anymore.

As I wrote here, you could earn miles by opening an account and keeping certain balances in the account. However, after December 9th, you will not earn miles on any activity on any airline.

Here is the email:

Here is what the email say:

      "We are making two changes related to your Capital One ShareBuilder account because
       we've decided to discontinue all of our airline partnerships, not just US Airways.

       First, starting today, you must access your account through sharebuilder.com You can 
       no longer reach your account through ShareBuilder's exclusive site for US Airways 
       Dividend Miles Member

       Second, starting December 9th, 2013, you will no longer receive miles for your 
       activities with ShareBuilder.

       What's NOT changing?

        Your ShareBuilder account number, username, password and any investments plan 

        you're using now. Also, you keep all miles you've earned in the past, and any you 

        earn before December 9, 2013

        Questions?

        Ask away, chat with us online, or call 800-747-2538. We're available Monday- Friday, 

        8 AM- 9PM ET. 

        Thank you for investing with Sharebuilder. We're constantly working to give you more 

        straight forward, affordable investment services.

        Happy Investing!

Sad to see another miles earning option ending, but it was coming. After Capital One acquired ING/SharBuilder, it was only a matter of time before they axed this benefit. Capital One doesn't seem to want to get into the miles/points game. 

Has anyone else got this email for another airline other than US Airways?

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My Favorite Monument In Washington, DC

Washington, DC is filled with monuments. It seems like every corner is packed with history.

This past August, I have been living in Washington, DC for 10 years. I would love to say that I have visited every monument in the city. However, I am still coming across new monuments. Just this past weekend, I came across the Simon Bolivar Monument:

And the Jose Artigas Memorial:

A few weeks ago, a friend asked me, "What is your favorite monument in Washington, DC?" The question blindsided me. I didn't have an answer.  After thinking about it for weeks, I finally made the decision:

Do you know which monument this is? No? Don't worry...its the most neglected monument on the National Mall. Yes, its on the National Mall! You have never seen it? Its been on the Mall since 1930s.

Let me introduce you to the DC War Memorial.

The DC War Memorial is dedicated to the citizens of the District of Columbia who fought in World War I. Yes, this memorial is a DC specific memorial.

For those who don't know, there is no National World War I memorial. There is a WWII memorial, but no WWI memorial. There have been efforts to turn this DC Memorial into the National World War I Memorial to no avail.

Unfortunately, the best source of information for the memorial is wikepedia:

"Designed by Washington architect Frederick H. Brooke, with Horace W. Peaslee and Nathan C. Wyeth as associate architects, the District of Columbia War Memorial is in the form of a 47 foot (14.3 m) tall circular, domed, peristyle Doric temple. Resting on concrete foundations, the 4 foot (1.2 m) high marble base defines a platform, 43 feet 5 inches (13.2 m) in diameter, intended for use as a bandstand. Preserved in the cornerstone of the District of Columbia World War Memorial is a list of 26,000 Washingtonians who served in the Great War. Inscribed on the base are the names of the 499 District of Columbia citizens who lost their lives in the war, together with medallions representing the branches of the armed forces. Twelve 22 foot (6.7 m) tall fluted Doric marble columns support the entablature and dome."

The monument is super simple. Tall domed temple with marble columns:

Around the top of the monument, below the dome, is the following phrase etched into the stone: 

"A Memorial To The Armed Forces For The District of Columbia Who Served The World War"

On the base of the monument are the names of the 499 DC Residents who died in the War:

Between the base and dome is simplicity. A few steps take you into what appears emptiness:

Look up into the dome, you encounter a piece of artwork. The intricate details is memorizing. I frequently forget that I am looking up.

Look down in the dead center of the monument, you encounter a metal coat of arms. The eagle in striking and majestic.

The reason why I this is my favorite memorial is that it so simple. If you look at the other monuments on the Mall, they are complicated. All the other monuments have to many frills. Lots of embellishments. This monument is simple, but striking.

In addition, I like that it is unknown. Sit at this monument and you will notice hundreds of people walk right past it. Its in a great location. The monument is located between the World War II and Lincoln Memorials and across the street from the Martin Luther King Memorial. You have to walk past this memorial to get to the other major memorials. The problem isn't location. Its that this memorial is so simple.

Up until recently, the DC War Memorial was in terrible shape. It was falling apart:

http://farraguter.com

Yes, this is the same monument. Thanks to recent appropriations that monument has been cleaned up and taken off the Most Endangered Places list.

One other fun fact of the DC War Memorial. Its one of 3 Memorials that you can married at. The other two are the Jefferson and the George Mason. The day I visited, there was a couple taking their wedding photos at the monument.

Next time you in DC, please take a visit to my favorite DC Memorial: DC War Memorial!

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Free ShopRunner for American Express Cardholders for Life

American Express and Shoprunner have paired up to offer free 2-Day Shipping at select stores.

I love Shoprunner.com. It is a great service which I have used a few times. Shipping can be expensive especially if you are only ordering 1 item. That's where ShopRunner comes in handy. It offers free 2 day shipping and free returns from a variety of different online stores.

Typically, ShopRunner cost $79 annually.

I would never pay $79 for this service. I don't use it enough to justify the $79. In the past, American Express has offered a 1 year trial of ShopRunner. This time the offer is for as long as you own your American Express Card.  Not to shabby!

How To Sign-Up For ShopRunner


To sign-up for the free ShopRunner offer, go here.

Click the "Enroll Now" button:

You will need the provide an American Express card to verify eligibility:

The card is only used for enrollment eligibility:

After your eligibility is confirmed, you will be asked to create a ShopRunner profile. Then its time to shop!

Why sign-up for ShopRunner? I respond by asking Why Not? A free service that gives you free shipping at some of the top online stores is something one should grab in seconds.

Here is a list of some of the 80+ stores that participate with ShopRunner:

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Lonely Planet's Top Destinations for 2014

Lonely Planet's is out with their top destinations for 2014. The list is created based upon "scores for topicality, excitement and the special x-factor", as determined by the in-house experts and outside writers.

The Top 10 Countries to Visit:

      1. Brazil

       2. Antarctica

     3.  Scotland

      4.  Sweden 

  

       5.  Malawi 

     

        6.  Mexico

      7.  Seychelles

        

     

      8.  Belgium

     9. Macedonia

     10. Malaysia

If that's not enough, here is the list of the Lonely Planet's Top 10 Cities to Visit in 2014:

Top 10 cities for 2014 

1. Paris 
2. Trinidad 
3. Cape Town 
4. Riga 
5. Zurich 
6. Shanghai 
7. Vancouver 
8. Chicago 
9. Adelaide 
10. Auckland

Which places make your top 10 list for 2014?

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I'm Guilty of Being Disorganized

This past weekend, I realized that I do a terrible job managing this points game. To be truly successful in this game, you need to be very very organized.

http://eppsnet.com

In my "other" life, I am super organized. Every client has a file, note sheet detailing interactions, important dates in my calender etc. I know exactly where every file is within the process, very few things fall between the cracks like it should.

http://www.valeriea.com

On the other hand, I am terribly unorganized in my points life. I have no system to remind me to cancel credit cards, track which promotions I am registered for or the progress of those promotions. I rely way to heavily on my memory to hand it all. The result has been costly.

For instance, I wrote here about a Spring promotion from Chase Hyatt that would earn me 5,000 Gold Passport points for spending $3,000 in 3 months. For a few months, I was waiting for the points to post. After a while, I called Chase to learn the status of the points and learned that I had only spent $2,800 in the required 3 months. DUH!

Similarly, I wrote in this post, that I planned to cancel my Chase United credit card. Well, I didn't cancel the card immediately. When I did call to cancel, I learned that I was past the 60 day period to get my annual fee refunded. DUH! The card is still active and I will keep it for another year. My justification is that United offers bonuses for those with their credit card through their partners every once in the while ( ie 21 miles per $1 @ Shoes.com).

These mistakes aren't cheap. The United card comes with a $95 annual fee. The lose of 5,000 Hyatt points is a little more difficult to calculate. However, upgrades to better rooms can be had a 6,000 points. Therefore, I left a few upgrade on the table by forgetting to spend an additional $200.

My points' life isn't a complete mess. I do use AwardWallet and Points.com to keep track of my frequent flyer account numbers and balances. In addition, AwardWallet helps me keep track of my future travel itineraries ensuring I never miss a flight or hotel stay.

I need something like AwardWallet for promotions. For instance, I am working on the following promotions:

1) Spend $3,000 on Chase Southwest card; earn 3,000 Rapid Reward points

2) Spend $6,000 on Chase Hyatt card; earn 6,000 Gold Passport Points

3) Make 5 $50+ purchases on US Airways; earn 2,500 miles

4) Spend $500 on US Airways at Gas Stations, Restaurants or Department Stores; earn 2,500 miles

Here is my progress so far on them:

1) Southwest: Spent $2,800, Left $200

2) Hyatt: Spent $1,700, Left $4,300

3) US Airways: Made 3 $50+ purchases: Need 2 More

4) US Airways: Spent $270, Left $230

My fear is that I am going to forget one of these promotions, leaving points on the table. To avoid this from occurring, I have added reminders to my Google calender.

Hopefully, these reminders will help me ensure that I complete the promotions. Otherwise, I wasted my daily credit card spend on nothing.

How do you keep track of things?



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What About The Power?

The FAA's decision to allow certain devices to be used throughout entire airlines flights is long over due. The reasons against tablets, eReaders and music players being used below 10,000 feet were antiquated and down-righted stupid. Unfortunately, the roll-out of this new rule will not be uniform, but rather require approval airline by airline.

New York Times

The New York Times' In-Transit Blog asked an interesting question: "where's the power outlet?"

By allowing devices throughout entire flights, the FAA has now put pressure on airlines to add power outlets on more flights. "The F.A.A.’s determination on portable devices makes the need for both Wi-Fi and the power to access it even more important. With more fliers than ever using tablets and smartphones in place of laptops, that could come out to more than an hour of extra connected time for passengers." 

Allowing passengers to use devices during take-off and landing will add an additional hour of entertainment.
However, you better charge your device on the ground. Currently, "only about 1,200 of an average 22,000 domestic economy flights taking off in the United States Friday will offer A/C or USB outlets, Routehappy, the flight data Web site and search engine, said on Thursday. That’s little more than 5 percent of flights spanning only six airlines: American, Delta, Hawaiian, United, US Airways and Virgin America, according to recent data analyzed by the company."

Only 5% of domestic flights have power outlets is sad. Compare that to Amtrak and bus companies like Bolt and Megabus which offer outlets at most seats. If trains and buses can add power outlets, shouldn't airplanes have them. The need for power outlets has long time coming. Passengers have been using electronic devices on airplanes for years. The lack of outlets on airplanes is the result of years of miscues by airline executives.

Adding outlets to the airplanes may cost money, but will go a long way to improve the customer experience. Improved customer experience = happier customers= repeat customers = increased profits. Sometimes, its the little things that matter!
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Harvest Bonus Miles Posts

In October, I wrote that you should check your email for a possible bonus offer from United dining rewards. Known as harvest Bonus, the email could have been easily overlooked as another junk communication from the dining rewards network.

In reality, the offer was simple. Participate in one dine through the network and earn bonus miles. "In my instance, I could earn 2,000 miles after one dine. This was a must participate offer.

How simple was this offer. This $6 smoothie

Earned me 2,018 United miles:

Not to shabby for something I was going to do anyway.

The lesson here? Always look at promotional emails. The ones that look junk maybe the diamond in the rough.


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 Follow us on Twitter @doit4thepoints! Have a question for me? E-mail me at jd@doitforthepoints.com