American Express has teamed up with Uber to provide to free rides from select US Airports.  You must be an American Express card holder to take part of this promotion.  This is a great way to get a free $130 worth of rides if you can use it this holiday season from one of the airports below.

Uber.com (w/ American Express Card) is offering 2 Uber Rides (up to $65 each) for Free valid at select Airport Locations w/ your Uber App and select an American Express Card as your payment of ride or when you follow the instructions listed below.
 
Note, must use your Uber App to request a ride and use an American Express Card as your payment of method

Open up your Uber App
iOS
Android

Locate the promotions tab and apply promo code AMEXAIRPORT

Make sure your American Express Card is linked to your Uber Account and selected as your payment of method for the ride


You may take up to a total of 2 rides originating from select airports (listed below) before 12/31/16.
​
Your rides will be free (up to $65 each). Enjoy!

Participating Airports:

LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD)
Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW)
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
McCarran International Airport (LAS)
George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)

Westgate Resorts is a large timeshare developer and has various properties throughout the United States.  I personally have stayed at the Westgate in Park City and have found it to be a very top notch resort. 

I just received an offer specifically for United States Military in honor of Veteran's Day..  Starting tomorrow morning at 9:00 am EST, all service members will be able to receive a 3 day, 2 night vacation for up to 4 people at the Westgate Town Center Resort in Orlando, Florida on May 5-7, 2017.  

After reading the fine print, it appears that the first 1,000 people to sign up will receive this package.  You have to put down a $75 deposit but it will be fully refunded immediately following the day of check-in.  

Better yet, I do not see any requirements to sit through a timeshare presentation. Basically, if you serve in the military, this is a free 2 night vacation.  They will put you in either a studio unit or a 1 bedroom unit, subject to their discretion.

​A look at the reviews below indicate that it is a decent resort that gets mixed reviews but free is free. 

Also, it appears that each reservation includes two, one day tickets to the Shipwreck Island Water Park.

Overall, this appears to be a very generous offer for military  since this appears truly free and without the need to sit through a timeshare presentation.  

If you wanted to stay additional nights, you can do so at the following rates:

Studio: $69 per night
1 Bedroom: $79
2 Bedroom: $139
2 Bedroom Deluxe: $149

This is a solid offer and if you live in the Orlando area and are in the military, this is a great opportunity to get a little free R&R, courtesy of Westgate Resorts. 

Full Details of the offer is here:  Make sure to be ready tomorrow morning at 9:00am EST. 

One of the major problems with timeshares are the exorbitant fees that are accessed for various transactions.  Reservation fees, upgrade fees, exchange fees, cancellation fees, guest certificates, etc. 

While these types of fees are simply part of timeshare ownership, they can add significantly to the overall cost of the vacation.  Despite these fees, timeshare ownership can still make sense and I still believe that you can get tremendous value and awesome vacations with timeshares that simply cannot be matched with hotels. 

Interval International is currently running a promotion where it is offering 50% off exchange fees.  The normal fee is $179 for an online booking so this promotion saves you $89.50.

While it would have been nice if this promotion also counted for the E-Plus fee as well, unfortunately, it does not. 

I have personally never seen this type of offer where Interval International has discounted its exchange fee.  Saving $89.50 is a great deal! 

Even if you may not have a specific trip planned for now, it can actually make sense to exchange your week/points using this offer.  You can opt-in to getting E-Plus which will give you 3 free exchanges.  

Basically, you can exchange your week/points for $89.50 and receive E-Plus for an additional $54.00.  I have discussed the various benefits of E-Plus here, including how to extend your ability to search for inventory 2 years in advance.

 If you book a week using this promotion and use E-Plus and the reserved week is for a week in November 2017 (12 months in advance), you will actually be able to search inventory for weeks through November 2018.

I think this is a solid offer and I would encourage you to take advantage of it while it lasts. You should definitely get E-Plus so you have flexibility to decide on the actual week that you want in the future. 

This promotion will be valid for 9 more days, until November 13, 2016.  ​You will need to sign in to your account to see this offer.  

Timeshare developers continually try to entice potential timeshare owners with lucrative offers to sit through the standard 90 minute presentation.  These offers have ranged from cash, show tickets, events, dinner reservations, free stays, liquor, attractions, etc. 

I have done a lot of these presentations for these types of rewards.  Some are absolutely brutal! I can't lie.  They can be pushy and easily extend the 90 minute presentation for far longer than 90 minutes. 

In contrast, I have also been to extremely laid back presentations where the people were friendly, kind, easy going and we left after 30 minutes with our gift. 

I have been to a number of Hyatt presentations and they are generally very friendly with no high sales pressure.  

​I was recently provided with a very lucrative offer of a 4 days, 3 nights at the Hyatt Wild Oak Ranch in San Antonio, Texas.

This offer is valid for travel through June 30, 2017.  Depending on the time of travel, the one bedroom units usually rent for over $300 per night.  There is no obligation to purchase and even if interested, you need to do your homework before purchasing.  

If you are serious about timeshare ownership, I encourage you to go to as many of these types of presentations as possible to learn about the various programs.  You can then make an educated decision on what program can work best for you. You can also do your research outside of the timeshare presentation to make sure you fully understand the benefits as well as the financial commitment. 

This offer is for 3 nights for $199 total plus 10,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points.  These Hyatt Gold Passport points can get you 2 nights in many Hyatt Place's around the country and is easily worth $200. 

My family loves the Hyatt Wild Oak Ranch.  They have a lazy river, water slides, kids club and various activities.  They also have the fully service Hyatt Hill Country Resort across the street which has more restaurants, golf, activities, tennis, more pools, wave pool, etc. 

There are no shortage of activities. 

As indicated, this may be a targeted offer.   However, you can call the number and give them your information and see what comes up for an offer.  

The number is +1 8‌44.690.2582

There are some eligibility requirements that you need to be aware of:

1. Have an annual income of at least $75,000
2. Be at least 25 years old. 
3. If married, both spouses must attend a timeshare presentation for a minimum of 90 minutes. 

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