Thank you for showing us the power of passion.
And thank you for being
AWESOME!
Stay hungry. Stay foolish.
The post #141 Inspiring commencement speeches appeared first on 1000 Awesome Things.
SAN FRANCISCO (CNNMoney) — Verizon is ditching annual contracts. The No. 3 mobile carrier is switching to month-to-month plans starting Thursday.
Current Verizon customers with annual contracts can keep their plans or switch over to one of four new options.
Verizon’s new monthly options are $30 a month for 1GB of data; $45 for 3G; $60 for 6GB; $80 a month for 12G.
The data can be shared between as many as 10 devices, but customers must pay a flat monthly fee for each mobile device connected to the plan. A smartphone is $20 a month, tablets and Jetpack mobile hotspots are $10, and connected devices like smart watches are $5.
One allure of annual contracts was that customers could buy subsidized phones, paying $200 for a new iPhone instead of full cost. Now if they can’t afford to pay for a new phone, customers can use the carrier’s payment plan to pay off a new device in monthly installments over two years.
U.S. carriers have been slowly moving away from the annual contract model.
T-Mobile was the first major carrier to jettison annual contracts in 2013. AT&T announced it was phasing out its 2-year contracts in June.
At at investor conference earlier this year, Verizon’s John Stratton hinted at the move, saying contract-less phones were increasingly popular with customers.
The post Verizon ditches annual cell phone contracts appeared first on East Idaho News.
Fly to Los Angeles or Phoenix starting at ~$149 round-trip from many cities! Or from Los Angeles to the East Coast!
Via The Flight Deal, American Airlines has tickets from the East Coast to Los Angeles and Phoenix on sale for travel from September through early November.
Update: The Flight Deal also reports round-trip coach fares between New York and Chicago for $80!
Take a Fall Trip to Sunny (and Warm!) Los Angeles for Just ~$149 Round-Trip in Coach
You can search for this fare using ITA Matrix or Google Flights, then book it on the American Airlines website.
This deal will go fast so book now!
Link: ITA Matrix
Link: Google Flights
Here’s how to use Google Flights to find sale dates.
I found fares between New York and Los Angeles in September for ~$149 round-trip in coach.
What a Steal! Only ~$149 From New York to Los Angeles Round-Trip!
You can fly to Los Angeles from:
And to Phoenix from Boston and New York!
I was able to find non-stop flights from Boston to Phoenix for $150.
$150 Round-Trip to Phoenix Is an Incredible Price for a Getaway! But Fares Are Selling Fast!
The Flight Deal reports fares from Baltimore are $161 round-trip and $185 round-trip from Washington, DC.
All fares route through either Chicago or Dallas, and American Airlines requires a 7-day advance purchase.
Note: You can hold a reservation on American Airlines for up to 24 hours and get a full refund if you change your mind.
And if you book a ticket with an online travel agency like Orbitz or Expedia, you may be eligible for a refund within a short time of booking your ticket. Check out my post on cancellation policies for airlines and online travel agencies for more details!
Southwest – If you need more Southwest points, Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to Southwest. Plus, if you have the Southwest Companion Pass, a friend can fly with you for (almost) free!
British Airways – If you’re a short flight away from an included city, you can save miles by using British Airways Avios points to book an award flight on American Airlines.
Chase Ultimate Rewards points , American Express Membership Rewards points, and Starwood Preferred Guest points transfer to British Airways.
Remember to use a card that will earn you bonus points:
Remember, folks with the Citi Prestige can use Citi ThankYou points to purchase tickets at a rate of 1.6 cents per point on American Airlines. I checked the Citi Travel Portal and the same fares were available!
And you’ll get the 1st bag checked free for yourself and up to 8 travel companions with the Citi Executive AAdvantage MasterCard or Barclays Aviator card (not available for new sign-ups). You do NOT have to use the card to pay for your ticket!
Link: Hot Deals – Hotel Credit Cards
If you book a cheap flight, remember there are lots of ways to get cheap or free hotel rooms with points from credit card bonuses and spending!
To find hotels that can be booked with points, I like using Hotel Hustle (which even shows you if rooms are actually available!) or AwardMapper.
Remember, you can transfer flexible points like Chase Ultimate Rewards or American Express Membership Rewards to different hotel programs.
Don’t Forget You Can Transfer Points From Bank and Airline Programs to Hotels Like Hilton
Check out my posts on all the ways to earn Hilton and Hyatt points!
Note: Folks who want to book paid stays could check out discount sites like Orbitz, Expedia, or TravelPony for deals. But remember you won’t get stay credits or points (and might not have your elite status recognized).
And if you’re feeling adventurous or prefer a neighborhood feel, Airbnb is a great way to save money on accommodations, especially for longer stays.
Read my tips on how to negotiate a better price on Airbnb!
~$149 for a trip to Los Angeles or Phoenix from Boston is a terrific deal.
Folks in other cities including Baltimore, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC, can fly to Los Angeles for well under $200.
If you’re looking for a quick getaway from September through early November, this a great opportunity. Fares will sell out fast!
Let me know if you book a ticket!
* If you liked this post, why don’t you join the 20,000+ readers who have signed-up to receive free blog posts via email (only 1 email per day!) or in an RSS reader …because then you’ll never miss another update!
IDAHO FALLS — Construction at 25th East and 49th South will begin its final stages on July 29, and will be completed by the first week of August, according to a city of Idaho Falls news release.
Construction activities will include chip sealing, applying a fog coat and final pavement markings.
City officials advise that motorists should expect lane reductions, occasional evening construction and short delays, according to the news release.
The post Construction in Idaho Falls Nearing Completion appeared first on East Idaho News.
Some rewards cards such as the American Express Everyday Preferred (which has a great bonus at US supermarkets) require you to make a minimum number of purchases each month to earn the full benefits.
Keeping track of this can get time-consuming and frustrating.
Via Doctor of Credit, Amazon Allowance can make it easy!
Use Amazon Allowance to Schedule Automatic 1-Time, Weekly, or Monthly Amazon Gift Purchases
Let’s take a look at how Amazon Allowance works and how it can help you earn more points!
Link: Amazon Allowance
You can use Amazon Allowance to send 1-time, weekly, or monthly Amazon gift cards to friends, family, or even yourself! And it’s free!
You can add to your high school student’s Amazon balance for doing chores, Grandma can help her grandchild pay for college books and supplies, or you can give friends and family Amazon credits as a birthday gift.
Sending Amazon allowance is easy:
Go to the Amazon Allowance site and click the “Give Allowance” button. If you aren’t already logged into your Amazon account, you’ll be prompted to sign-in.
Select “Give an Allowance” to Get Started
Enter the details for your gift card allowance including:
Then choose your payment method.
Finally, click the “Create Allowance” button. You’ll receive an email confirming that your allowance has been created.
Click “Create Allowance” Once You’re Ready to Start Your Schedule
The person you’ve sent an allowance to, will receive an email confirming the funds were added to their account.
This tool can help you earn more points and keep a good credit score!
Here’s how:
I have cards that I never plan on canceling, such as my oldest cards and cards with no annual fees. I put them in my sock drawer because I don’t use them for my everyday spending.
Instead, I keep them because they help me establish a history with the bank and a longer credit history, which accounts for 15% of your FICO score.
But you can’t just let cards sit in your drawer forever. That’s because many banks will close your account if there’s no activity for 6 to 12 months. With Amazon Allowance, you can schedule a transaction every ~5 months to ensure your account stays in good standing.
Best of all, Amazon Allowance can help you keep up with minimum transaction requirements to earn more points.
For example:
This is a new tool, so the limitations of the system are still unknown. So don’t overdo it!
Too many charges could set off red flags with the bank or Amazon and get you shut down. For instance, making repeated 50 cent Amazon transactions to your AMEX Everyday Preferred card may raise suspicion
With Amazon Allowance, you can schedule recurring Amazon purchases with your credit card.
You can send as little as 50 cents at a time and there are NO fees.
This is an excellent way to keep your cards active and meet monthly transaction requirements so you can earn more points!
* If you liked this post, why don’t you join the 20,000+ readers who have signed-up to receive free blog posts via email (only 1 email per day!) or in an RSS reader …because then you’ll never miss another update!
Nature advance online publication 13 May 2015. doi:10.1038/nature14466
Authors: Christopher R. Sibley, Warren Emmett, Lorea Blazquez, Ana Faro, Nejc Haberman, Michael Briese, Daniah Trabzuni, Mina Ryten, Michael E. Weale, John Hardy, Miha Modic, Tomaž Curk, Stephen W. Wilson, Vincent Plagnol & Jernej Ule
It is generally believed that splicing removes introns as single units from precursor messenger RNA transcripts. However, some long Drosophila melanogaster introns contain a cryptic site, known as a recursive splice site (RS-site), that enables a multi-step process of intron removal termed recursive splicing. The extent to which recursive splicing occurs in other species and its mechanistic basis have not been examined. Here we identify highly conserved RS-sites in genes expressed in the mammalian brain that encode proteins functioning in neuronal development. Moreover, the RS-sites are found in some of the longest introns across vertebrates. We find that vertebrate recursive splicing requires initial definition of an ‘RS-exon’ that follows the RS-site. The RS-exon is then excluded from the dominant mRNA isoform owing to competition with a reconstituted 5′ splice site formed at the RS-site after the first splicing step. Conversely, the RS-exon is included when preceded by cryptic promoters or exons that fail to reconstitute an efficient 5′ splice site. Most RS-exons contain a premature stop codon such that their inclusion can decrease mRNA stability. Thus, by establishing a binary splicing switch, RS-sites demarcate different mRNA isoforms emerging from long genes by coupling cryptic elements with inclusion of RS-exons.
Last year, I wrote about the best ways to save money on car rentals. At the time, 1 of the best tools to use was AutoSlash. But they stopped working (properly) after a while.
But now, folks report that AutoSlash is back. AutoSlash will track your car rental reservations for price drops, and re-book you at the lower rate if your rental becomes cheaper.
They’ll watch reservations made with most major car rental agencies. And if you booked your car through AutoSlash, they’ll monitor your reservation automatically.
AutoSlash Says They’ll Monitor Your Car Rental Reservations and Rebook You If the Price Drops
I decided to experiment again (not like this) to see if AutoSlash could save you money.
Link: AutoSlash
AutoSlash is a free service which tracks your car rental reservations for price drops. They’ll re-book you at the lower price if they find one!
You can track existing reservations made with major car rental companies, or book your car through AutoSlash (and they’ll monitor the reservation automatically).
AutoSlash Does the Work of Checking Back for Cheaper Rates
I did some searches on AutoSlash to compare their prices. And I made some dummy bookings with car rental companies for them to track.
You can search for car rentals on AutoSlash and they’ll try to find you the best current, published prices.
You Can Use AutoSlash to Search for Cheap Car Rentals
Some searches give you immediate results. For example, I searched for a compact car in Seattle next May, and they returned rates from Sixt and Payless rental car agencies.
AutoSlash Returned Results From 2 Car Rental Companies
If you book through AutoSlash, they’ll automatically track your reservation for price drops and will re-book you with the same rental company if it does.
I made a (refundable) booking with Sixt (through AutoSlash). The total price for the rental was ~$222.
A 5-Day Rental in Seattle, Booked Through Autoslash, Costs ~$222
This didn’t strike me as the best possible deal, but we’ll see if Autoslash finds lower rates as the rental date approaches!
Just to compare, I checked the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal for Seattle rental cars on the same dates. The cheapest deal was for $260 with Alamo (also a refundable rate).
Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal Didn’t Find as Cheap a Rate as Autoslash
Note: If you pay with Chase Ultimate Rewards points, they’re worth 1.25 cents each. So this could be a better deal for some folks.
I also checked Hotwire. You don’t find out the name of the rental company until after you book and pay, and the rate is non-refundable. But they found the same type of car on the same dates for ~$187.
Hotwire Had the Cheapest Rate, but It’s Non-Refundable
Within an hour of making the Sixt booking with AutoSlash, they sent me an email:
AutoSlash Found a Cheaper Rate Within an Hour of Booking Through Their Site
I responded yes, and they’re re-booking me at the lower rate!
AutoSlash Is Certainly Quick at Replying!
We’ll wait and see if AutoSlash can find anything cheaper!
Note: Remember to use a credit card that offers primary car rental insurance (CDW), like the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase United MileagePlus Explorer.
Even if you book your car through AutoSlash, the purchase is from an actual car rental agency, so you’ll get the credit card insurance coverage.
I wanted to see if AutoSlash would truly monitor reservations, find lower rates, and re-book you. So I made refundable bookings with different rental agencies in various cities, between 2 weeks and 8 months ahead of time.
I booked a 1-day rental in Washington, DC, with Budget car rental.
A 1-Day Rental in Washington, DC, Costs ~$82
After the reservation was confirmed, I entered the confirmation number and booking details on AutoSlash. That included my name, email, rental dates, car rental company, reservation number, and total price.
AutoSlash Now Has the Booking Details for This Rental
I got a confirmation email shortly afterwards, saying that AutoSlash is now tracking this reservation. They also offer to search for cheaper rates at other rental companies for you, if you wish.
AutoSlash Is Now Tracking the Reservation and Will Search for Cheaper Deals at Other Companies If You Want
I booked this reservation ~2 weeks prior to see how AutoSlash performs with short notice!
I made a week-long booking with Thrifty in Austin. It’s during a busy travel time, so the rate is expensive.
A Week-Long Booking With Thrifty Over the Holidays Costs ~$332
Again, I submitted the reservation details to AutoSlash.
A compact car in Kauai this April, booked with Hertz, costs ~$239 for 5 days.
A 5-Day Rental in Kauai With Hertz Costs ~$239
I submitted this reservation to AutoSlash, too.
I wanted to see if AutoSlash had different luck with reservations in other countries, so I booked a car in Toronto, Canada, next summer for 2 days with Avis. It costs ~228 Canadian dollars (~$202).
Renting a Car in Toronto Next July for 2 Days Costs ~$202
AutoSlash is now tracking this reservation, too.
I got an email from AutoSlash 3 days before my booking. They found a rate ~$26 lower than my original reservation.
That’s not bad savings for a 1 day rental!
AutoSlash Would Save Me ~$26 on This Booking
AutoSlash emailed ~2 weeks prior to my reservation with a lower rate. First, they saved me ~$167!
AutoSlash Let Me Know When the Rate Dropped on My Reservation
They emailed again about a week later, and found an even better discount.
Closer to My Reservation Date, AutoSlash Found an Even Better Deal, Saving Me ~$206
A savings of $~206 is substantial!
Because my last 2 bookings are months away, I’ll write an update post to let you know how much money AutoSlash saved me!
AutoSlash is a free service which tracks your car rental reservations for price drops, and re-books you if the price goes down.
You can also book rentals directly through AutoSlash, and they’ll track them automatically.
And it actually works! AutoSlash found significantly lower rates on my 1st 2 reservations, for a total savings of ~$232.
I’ll write an update post when I have information on my last 2 reservations. So far, I’m definitely impressed!
Have you used AutoSlash? What do you think?
* If you liked this post, why don’t you join the 16,000+ readers who have signed-up to receive free blog posts via email (only 1 email per day!) or in an RSS reader …because then you’ll never miss another update!
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Disclosure: We get a commission for links on the blog. You don’t have to use our links, but we’re very grateful when you do. American Express is a Million Mile Secrets advertising partner. Here’s our Advertiser Disclosure.
Korean Air changed its partner award chart this week. And because of that you can now transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Korean Air (and then fly on Delta) to Hawaii for just 25,000 miles in coach and 45,000 miles in Business Class from the US!
To get to Hawaii, other airlines charge anywhere from 35,000 to 45,000 miles in coach and up to 80,000 miles for Business Class!
Aloha! You Can Now Use Korean Air Miles to Fly to Hawaii on Delta for Only 25,000 Miles Round-Trip in Coach, or 45,000 Miles in Business Class!
This is an amazing deal, because most other airlines charge many more miles for award tickets to Hawaii!
And I’ll explain why this makes Chase Ultimate Rewards points the BEST for getting to Hawaii.
However, note that a supervisor wasn’t able to actually book the flights at the lower level because their systems have not yet updated. But the supervisor acknowledged the new award chart which requires fewer miles.
Until recently, Hawaii was considered a separate region with different award ticket pricing, but it’s now included in “North America” (which also includes the rest of the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and the US Virgin Islands).
With the exception of using British Airways Avios points to book American Airlines or Alaska Airlines coach class tickets to Hawaii from the West Coast only (also 25,000 miles round-trip), this is now the fewest number of miles needed for an award ticket to Hawaii!
Link: Korean Air SkyTeam North America Award Chart (NEW)
Link: Korean Air SkyTeam US / Canada Award Chart (OLD)
On September 21, 2014, Korean Air updated its website and award charts. They’ve made some changes to routing and stopover rules on award tickets, but the biggest change is in how they’ve defined their travel regions for SkyTeam alliance partner tickets.
Note: You can NOT book 1-way flights using Korean Air miles on SkyTeam partner airlines, only round-trip.
Have a look at their old SkyTeam award chart. Round-trip flights to Hawaii and Mexico cost 35,000 miles in coach class, and 75,000 miles in Business Class.
Under the Old System, Round-Trip Flights From the US and Canada to Hawaii and Mexico Cost 35,000 Miles in Coach and 75,000 Miles in Business Class
Here’s the new SkyTeam award chart, which was released earlier this week.
NEW: Round-Trip Flights Within North America Are 25,000 Miles in Coach and 45,000 Miles in Business Class!
It almost sounds too good to be true, but according to how they now define regions, North America includes:
Mexico, United States (including Hawaii), US Virgin Islands, Canada, Puerto Rico
Hawaii and Mexico Are Now the Same Region as the Rest of North America!
This means that you can book a round-trip ticket to Hawaii from anywhere Delta flies in the US, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, or US Virgin Islands using Korean Air miles for only 25,000 miles in coach or 45,000 miles in Business Class.
As long as you can find available low-level Delta award seats! This is important, because Delta doesn’t make it easy to find low-level award seats.
45,000 Miles Round-Trip for a Delta Business Class Flight to Hawaii Is an Amazing Deal!
I called Korean Air to check if this pricing was correct and they confirmed that as long as award seats are available, it’s 25,000 miles round-trip in coach class and 45,000 miles in Business Class.
The agent was NOT able to confirm the taxes and fees, but she said on other Delta flights within the US, it’s usually ~$6 per segment. I’m waiting for a call back from the Korean Air SkyPass folks to confirm this!
Note: These award tickets can NOT be booked online. You’ll have to call Korean Air at 800-438-5000 or 213-484-1900 to make the booking.
So do NOT transfer your Ultimate Rewards points to Korean Air, UNLESS there are award seats available. You won’t be able to transfer your points back to Ultimate Rewards from Korean Air!
Using Korean Air miles for award tickets on Delta is now the BEST deal for travel to Hawaii.
Even using Delta’s own miles, you’d pay 45,000 miles in coach class and 80,000 miles in Business Class for their lowest-level round-trip award tickets.
And with Korean Air’s non-SkyTeam partners, Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, you’ll still pay more miles. On both of these airlines, it costs 30,000 Korean Air miles for a round-trip award ticket in coach class, and 60,000 miles in First Class (Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines don’t have Business Class).
Here’s what some popular airlines charge for low-level, round-trip award tickets between the continental US and Hawaii.
Airline Miles |
Coach Class |
Business Class |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | 40,000 | 80,000 (First Class) |
| American Airlines | 35,000 (Off-Peak Only) | 75,000 |
| British Airways Avios (on American Airlines or Alaska Airlines) | 25,000 (From West Coast)
|
75,000 (From West Coast)
|
| Delta | 45,000 | 80,000 |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 40,000 | 80,000 (First Class) |
| Korean Air | 25,000 | 45,000 |
| Singapore Airlines (on United Airlines) | 35,000 | 60,000 |
| United Airlines | 45,000 | 80,000 |
| US Airways | 40,000 | 80,000 |
So the only case where you’d pay the same number of miles is using British Airways Avios to fly American Airlines or Alaska Airlines from the US West Coast only. That’s because their award chart is distance-based. And their Business Class award tickets are more expensive.
Link: Chase Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partners
Link: Chase Sapphire Preferred
Link: Chase Ink Bold
Link: Chase Ink Plus
Link: Chase Freedom
Korean Air is a Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partner. You can transfer points earned from the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Ink Bold, and Chase Ink Plus cards directly to Korean Air at a 1:1 ratio. And if you have 1 of these 3 cards, you can also transfer points from the Chase Freedom!
Chase Ultimate Rewards Points Transfer 1:1 to Korean Air
So for example, you could use the 40,000 point sign-up bonus from the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, plus another 5,000 points from adding an authorized user and meeting minimum spending requirements, and have enough for a round-trip, Business Class ticket to Hawaii on Delta!
Link: US Bank Korean Air SkyPass Visa
You could get 15,000 Korean Air miles after your 1st purchase with the US Bank Korean Air SkyPass card. You’ll also get:
In the past, the sign-up bonus on this card has been increased to 30,000 miles. So this isn’t a very good deal.
And US Bank is usually very strict about approving folks who’ve recently applied for a lot of cards.
Not only can you transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards points into the Korean Air miles program, but you can transfer them to Singapore Airlines and British Airways! If you look again at the chart above, you’ll see these are the 3 cheapest ways to fly to Hawaii!
Folks on the West Coast have the option to fly on Delta to Hawaii using Korean Air miles OR on American Airlines & Alaska Airlines using British Airways Avios points OR on United Airlines using Singapore miles.
Other US travelers could consider flying on Delta to Hawaii using Korean Air miles or on United Airlines using Singapore Airlines miles.
For instance, people in the New York City area can now use their Chase Ultimate Rewards points to get great deals to the Aloha state from all 3 major airports. You fly from Newark to Hawaii on United Airlines or from New York City’s JFK or LaGuardia airports to Hawaii on Delta!
With Chase Ultimate Rewards points you have the flexibility to check for available award seats on Delta, United Airlines, or American Airlines and Alaska Airlines (using your British Airways Avios points to fly).
Korean Air has changed their SkyTeam partner award chart, and you can now get a round-trip flight from North America to Hawaii on Delta in coach class for 25,000 miles, and Business Class for 45,000 miles!
Other airlines charge as much as 40,000 miles in coach and 80,000 miles in Business Class for low-level round-trip tickets to Hawaii, so this is an excellent deal!
You can get Korean Air miles by transferring points from Chase Ultimate Rewards, or from the US Bank Korean Air SkyPass Visa card.
I’ll post an update on how to use Korean Air miles to book Delta flights soon!
But remember NOT to transfer your points unless you are 100% sure that there are award seats on the flight!
* If you liked this post, why don’t you join the 16,000+ readers who have signed-up to receive free blog posts via email (only 1 email per day!) or in an RSS reader …because then you’ll never miss another update!
As part of a recent Hackers On Planet Earth (HOPE/X) conference presentation, forensic scientist and iPhone jailbreak expert Jonathan Zdziarski detailed several backdoor security mechanisms that are secretly included in iOS by Apple. These mechanisms make covert data collection easier for Apple and governmental authorities, reports Zdziarski via ZDNet. I am not suggesting some grand conspiracy; there are, however, some services running in iOS that shouldn’t be there, that were intentionally added by Apple as part of the firmware, and that bypass backup encryption while copying more of your personal data than ever should come off the phone for the average consumer. I think at the very least, this warrants an explanation and disclosure to the some 600 million customers out there running iOS devices. At the same time, this is NOT a zero day and NOT some widespread security emergency. My paranoia level is tweaked, but not going crazy. My hope is that Apple will correct the problem. Nothing less, nothing more. I want these services off my phone. They don’t belong there.Zdziarski also notes that he isn't the only one aware of these backdoors. Several existing forensic software companies, such as Cellebrite and Elcomsoft, are already exploiting them as part of the forensic services they provide to law enforcement.
We have designed iOS so that its diagnostic functions do not compromise user privacy and security, but still provides needed information to enterprise IT departments, developers, and Apple for troubleshooting technical issues. A user must have unlocked their device and agreed to trust another computer before that computer is able to access this limited diagnostic data. The user must agree to share this information, and data is never transferred without their consent.Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
As we have said before, Apple has never worked with any government agency from any country to create a backdoor in any of our products or services.
Disclosure: Emily & I get a commission for links on the blog. You don’t have to use our links, but we’re very grateful when you do.
Million Mile Secrets reader DJ comments:
Can Chase book tickets on Southwest using the 25,000 points for up to $335 value ticket?
DJ is referring to the Chase Freedom airline ticket booking trick, which lets you use 25,000 Chase Freedom points to book a paid, round-trip ticket worth up to $335.
You Can Use 25,000 Chase Freedom Points for a Flight Worth up to $335…but Can You Book on Southwest?
Link: Chase Freedom
Link: Chase Freedom Airline Ticket Booking Trick
Normally, Chase Freedom points are worth 1 cent each when used for travel. But according to the card’s terms and conditions:
In addition, credit card customers may redeem 25,000 points for one round-trip scheduled airline ticket valued at up to $335 through our toll-free number, where permitted by law. Redemptions for this specific item have the service fee waived.
If booked online, a $335 ticket would usually cost 33,500 Chase Freedom points ($335 cost of ticket x 1 cent per point). So this is a good deal! Remember, you have to call Chase at 866-951-6592 to redeem points this way.
And if the airline ticket is more than $335, you can pay the rest with points (at 1 cent per point) or with a Chase Ultimate Rewards credit card such as your Chase Freedom.
But DJ wants to know if you can use this trick to book flights on Southwest. That’s because you generally can NOT book Southwest flights through any 3rd party website (including the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal). And they don’t even show up on search engines like Google Flights.
Southwest Prefers You Book Their Flights Directly Through Them, NOT 3rd Party Websites
I double checked the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal and indeed, Southwest is NOT included in search results.
I called the number for booking travel using Chase Freedom points (866-951-6592). In fact, I called twice just to make sure. And both times, the agent confirmed that you CAN redeem 25,000 Chase Freedom points for an up to $335 round-trip ticket on Southwest.
Yes! You CAN Use 25,000 Chase Freedom Points for up to $335 in Airfare From Southwest!
One agent reminded me this could not be done online. But booking this way over the phone, they’re able to buy the tickets for you directly from Southwest, then apply a credit using your 25,000 Chase Freedom points.
I learned something new today!
Well, that depends.
If the Chase Freedom is your (AND your partner’s) ONLY Chase Ultimate Rewards point-earning card, then yes. Because you’d normally only get a value of 1 cent per point for travel redemptions through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal.
With this deal, your points are worth at most ~1.34 cents each (assuming a $335 ticket / 25,000 points).
However, if you (or your partner) have the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Ink Bold, or Chase Ink Plus cards, you can transfer your Chase Freedom points to 1 of those accounts and then transfer them to Southwest at a 1:1 ratio. And because Southwest points are worth ~1.43 cents each (sometimes more), you’re getting a better value.
You CAN use the Chase Freedom 25,000 point booking trick for a ticket worth up to $335 on scheduled airlines, including Southwest!
Normally, Southwest flights are excluded from the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal, and other 3rd-party online booking sites. But you can book them if you call Chase at 866-951-6592.
Thanks for a great question, DJ!
* If you liked this post, why don’t you join the 16,000+ readers who have signed-up to receive free blog posts via email (only 1 email per day!) or in an RSS reader …because then you’ll never miss another update!
A coiled cable can be easier to manage than a long cord that gets tangled up. If that's what you want with your USB cable, then Instructables user pizzidave has a quick way to do that with just a pencil, tape and a blow dryer.
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Nature advance online publication 28 August 2013. doi:10.1038/nature12534
Authors: Yu Kosaka & Shang-Ping Xie
Despite the continued increase in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations, the annual-mean global temperature has not risen in the twenty-first century, challenging the prevailing view that anthropogenic forcing causes climate warming. Various mechanisms have been proposed for this hiatus in global warming, but their relative importance has not been quantified, hampering observational estimates of climate sensitivity. Here we show that accounting for recent cooling in the eastern equatorial Pacific reconciles climate simulations and observations. We present a novel method of uncovering mechanisms for global temperature change by prescribing, in addition to radiative forcing, the observed history of sea surface temperature over the central to eastern tropical Pacific in a climate model. Although the surface temperature prescription is limited to only 8.2% of the global surface, our model reproduces the annual-mean global temperature remarkably well with correlation coefficient r = 0.97 for 1970–2012 (which includes the current hiatus and a period of accelerated global warming). Moreover, our simulation captures major seasonal and regional characteristics of the hiatus, including the intensified Walker circulation, the winter cooling in northwestern North America and the prolonged drought in the southern USA. Our results show that the current hiatus is part of natural climate variability, tied specifically to a La-Niña-like decadal cooling. Although similar decadal hiatus events may occur in the future, the multi-decadal warming trend is very likely to continue with greenhouse gas increase.
ChaseAwesome
I fart, you fart, he farts, she farts.
Let’s not deny it, people. Farting is a regular, healthy, and hilarious part of life. Squeezing out big plumes of noxious gas doesn’t always smell good, but it generally feels mighty fine.
Now think back for a second to the last time you saw a tiny baby pop out a stinky heater. I’m betting after they filled the air they just stared at you with a blank expression that seemed to say “Yeah, it was me. So what?”
And maybe that’s a good thing.
Maybe when your boyfriend’s snuggling with you under the blanket and there’s a few chirps from the back of his pants, that’s good. Maybe when Grandpa leans back on his rocker and lets one rip during Sunday dinner, that’s good. Maybe when your wife nonchalantly blasts one while barbecuing on the balcony, that’s good.
And maybe it’s especially good when everyone laughs afterwards.
Because hey, it just means we’re comfortable being ourselves and relaxed enough to know farting is a natural and normal part of life. Nobody chooses farting as a hobby but it’s part of what makes us human. Tuba scales, silent stink bombs, machine gun blasts, whatever you’re putting out there that’s fine, that’s fine, that’s perfectly fine.
Now, we’re not advocating a world of no limits. There’s nothing wrong with keeping some personal space, either. After all, maybe you do your nose-picking in the car, shower behind a curtain at the gym, or burp quietly into a fancy cloth hankie. If so, that’s cool too.
All we’re saying is that if you get to the point where you’re comfortable farting around each other, it means you’re family, you’re friends, or you’re completely in love.
So just relax and let it out.
AWESOME!
Illustration from: here
ChaseAwesome. This is one guy that could make something like this happen.
