Featured- Biltmore

Save $50 or More on Biltmore Estate Annual Pass

Biltmore

The Biltmore Estate is the largest private residence ever constructed on U.S. soil by the famous Vanderbilt family.

I have long wanted to visit the Biltmore Estate located in Ashville, North Carolina. However, on the several trips we have traveled through the area, I have never been able to piece together enough time to make it viable and worth the substantial admission price.

Daily admission to the Biltmore Estate costs $59 per adult, cheaper if you purchase in advance. So taking a young family is really not worth the substantial investment. Our family visits museums and historical places quite often, and typically our boys are so energetic, it is difficult to enjoy the surroundings while corralling their little bodies from touching the antiquities.

However, if we lived closer to the Biltmore, we would visit more often, and possibly even become members to make the value of the cost of admission.

The Deal Details

There are two offers right now that can save someone a bunch of money off the cost of an annual pass to the Biltmore Estate.

1) For annual passes purchased between 10/16/2013 and 10/29/2013, if you mention “Pass Email Offer” when you call 800-408-4405 or visit the Reception & Ticketing Sales Center, you will save $50. Regular season passes are $149, bringing the cost down to only $99.

2) The better offer appears to be the Biltmore Friends and Family deal. Purchase your season pass between September 7 and October 31, 2013, and mention code “BILTMORE FRIEND” when you call 800-408-4405 or call the Passholder Priority Line at 800-413-9787, or visit the Reception & Ticketing Sales Center, you will save $50. Regular season passes are $149, bringing the cost down to only $99.

There is a chance you may have to “know someone” who already has a pass for the Biltmore to take advantage of the friends and family rate.

In Conclusion

One of the awesome benefits to having an annual pass to the Biltmore is that kids 16 and under get in free. This alone can save a family a lot of money, if your kids can handle such a repeat adventure.

This looks to be an excellent time of year to purchase a pass to the Biltmore Estate if your family can take advantage of visiting at least 2-3 times per year to warrant the extra cost.

If you are able to take advantage of this deal, we would love to hear about it in the comments.

Save Money, Travel More!

Source: FatWallet/InACents

**If you enjoyed this article, please consider joining your fellow readers who have signed-up to receive free blog posts via email (only 1 email per day!), Facebook, or Twitter so you will stay up-to-date on the latest travel and finance news!**

Mandalay Bay Hanuted Reef

Free Admission to Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay with Blood Donation

Mandalay Bay Hanuted Reef

On October 25, 2013 from 10:00 AM until 6:00 PM in Las Vegas, Nevada, guests can donate blood, and in return will receive free admission (save $18.00) to the Mandalay Bay Shark Reef Aquarium. This date also corresponds with the beginning of the Haunted Reef experience.

Costumed children 12 and under will receive free entry (save $12.00) and can decorate their own trick-or-treat bag to collect candy throughout the aquarium.

If both parents donate blood, and assuming a family of four, this could help save a family $60, as well as helping to potentially save a life with your blood donation!

Guests must register for the blood drive in advance by calling the United Blood Services at 1-702-638-7400 or by registering online.

Blood donations will be accepted at the following location:
United Blood Services Booth
3950 S Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89119
(702) 632-4555

Save Money, Travel More!

Source: Big Boy Michigan at FW

Groupon Avis Deal

$40 Avis Car Rental Voucher for $20 on Groupon

Groupon Avis Deal

Groupon is currently offering a $40 Avis rental car voucher for only $20 (affiliate link). The deal is only for a very limited supply of people, but currently states it last for 9+ days.

The deal is valid at participating locations in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands, excluding Alaska; however, there is also a list of participating locations that will not accept the voucher.

AVIS Non-Participating Locations

U.S.

Alabama: Montgomery Airport

Georgia: Glynco Jetport, Jekyll Island, Mckinon Airport

Massachusetts: Martha’s Vineyard

Maine: Presque Isle Airport

Michigan: Ford Airport, Chippewa Airport, Alpena, Menominee

Montana: Glendive, Sidney

North Dakota: Jamestown Municipal Airport, Bismarck

Nebraska: Mccook

New Hampshire: Concord, Keene, Salem, Hampton, Nashua, Merrimack, Laconia

Pennsylvania: Monroeville, New Kensington

South Dakota: Pierre

Vermont: Brattleboro

Wisconsin: Sturgeon Bay, Marshfield, La Crosse, Middleton

Canada

Ontario: Red Lake, Barrie, Sioux Lookout

Saskatchewan: Prince Albert, Moosejaw

Quebec: Magog

The Avis deal is also not valid on one (1) day rentals.

Note: This deal is also considered an Expedia Getaways offer, and therefore, does not comply with cashback portals. Typically, when using your Discover card, you could get 15% back; however, Getaways are excluded.

In Conclusion

I have never rented a car through Avis because I have never found that they offer me the most competitive deal. Personally, I have always gone through National rental car.

The good news is that you have until December 31, 2014 to redeem the offer. The possibly bad news is that reservations must be booked through www.avis.com/groupon. Anytime a company has an exclusive link to make a reservation, I get nervous of artificially inflated prices to cover the cost of the deal. I have seen plenty of times in the past where a merchant decides to charge more by using a “special” link than available on their public site to cover the cost of the associated reward or discount you earn by making the purchase.

The greatest example of this was when Discover card had teamed up with CheapTickets.com. We investigated and found out that CheapTickets.com had increased the price of their tickets when using the special access link. Shortly thereafter, Discover card terminated their relationship with CheapTickets, since it was against the terms of the deals to artificially increase the prices. It was one of those times it made me proud to be an avid Discover card holder, knowing they were looking out for their customers best interests.

The real way to look at this promotion is you are buying a $20 coupon off the cost of a 2-day or longer rental. Personally, I am not convinced it is necessarily the best deal, as there may be other coupons and rate codes that offer a better discount. You will need to play around with your reservations to see if it warrants buying a discount.

To purchase this offer, visit the Groupon Avis deal (affiliate link) landing page.

Save Money, Travel More!

Source: Groupon

We do receive a commission should you elect to make a purchase via Groupon.