Tag Archives: points

My Kids are Frequent Fliers…

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My kids are frequent fliers…literally! Well, maybe I should rephrase that to my “kid” is a frequent flier and I mean that in the “true” sense of the word. Raef is 2 now, so that means he gets his own seat on the plane. It means instead of having to cover the cost of 2 adult tickets – when we fly as a family, we have to pay for 3. It means that he is now an official card carrying member of his own frequent flier accounts.

It’s probably not a huge concern for most parents, and the idea of making a child a “frequent flier,” might even sound a little odd to some, but the truth is, I am all about stretching every dollar and always getting the most for my bucks! You may say we don’t fly enough or it’s too much of a hassle… Well, I’ll tell you this, if you’re not accumulating points for yourself (or  your child), when you fly, you’re potentially missing out.

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One of the best things about many of these frequent flier programs these days is that points/miles no longer expire. Some of them still do require account activity once a year, or you lose em, but for the most part…they’ll stay intact. As I look into the new year, I have no idea how many flights we’ll take, or if I’ll be using the same airline every time, but you know what…I’d rather collect the credits and not use them, than not get them and wish I had. Another great thing I want to point out is that a few of the frequent flier programs now also have like “family” sharing options. I know JetBlue does this…

So, if you’re jet-setting with your tot, it might just be something to think about. I’m gonna milk it with my remaining “lap child” until he turns 2 next summer…then he’ll be getting his own frequent flier accounts too!

Pampers Gifts To Grow Rewards

I’ll admit it, I’m a point collector. That goes for airline miles, hotels, Toys R Us Rewards and my latest obsession is Pampers “Gifts to Grow!” My other half sometimes laughs at my determination and focus on making sure I get all my credits, but I think he’s accepted that it makes me happy. In my pre-mommy days, I was a frequent traveler, so I tried to always fly with certain airlines to accumulate miles, stay at my preferred hotel chains to earn more miles and the same went for associated car rentals and promotions. I actually would do pretty good considering I wasn’t do all I could to maximize my mileage earnings, but I’d average at least 2 free round trips a year with the frequent flyer plans. Screen shot 2014-03-23 at 2.48.51 PMSo, as my pre-mommy days turned to endless diaper changes and wipes consumption, I realized I needed to join the Pampers “Gifts to Grow” rewards program. I started collecting and entering the codes when my first born was a couple months old, I wasn’t aiming to get any one “prize” in particular, it was just sort of fun to watch my point total grow and it became part of my routine to record all the codes with every new box of diapers and package of wipes. Then when my second baby came along, there were even more points to be had…exciting times, I know! LOL!!

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Well, my rewards points count recently crossed the 5000 mark, so I figured it was time to cash them in – yes, I’m still collecting, and we now have a Little Tikes Cozy Coupe! It couldn’t have come at a better time. My toddler is 20 months and he’s been eyeballing the push cars of other children when we go to the playground and now he has his own ride! I’d say it’s such a GREAT value. I mean, it retails for about $50-$60 and we essentially “earned” this cool car by buying diapers and wipes we are using anyway! Not to mention along the way Pampers has also offered me other great items as “rewards,” (like photo books and toys),  for being such a dedicated program member….and those gifts did not require the use of any of my points. BONUS!!!

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Now, the only battle will be between my toddler and his “53 week” younger baby brother, who will undoubtedly want to use the Cozy Coupe too…ah well, until our next 5000 points! 😉 BTW…by following Pampers on Facebook and Twitter, you can pick up even more points when they give out special codes for holidays and stuff! I’m just saying… 😉