How to Detect Bed Bugs for About $11
I don’t write very frequently about my various travel related fears largely because I don’t usually let those fears stop me from just using common sense and pressing forward, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t have them. Not only do I get nervous on planes from time to time, but I occasionally worry about inadvertently bringing home bed bugs from hotels we visit along the way. I am extremely sensitive to bug bites of all shapes and sizes, so the last thing I would want is to bring home the beginnings of a bed bug infestation to our home.
Thanks to using hotel points and jumping on travel deals, we typically stay at nicer hotels that have the resources to hopefully have a solid bed bug mitigation plan in place, but no hotel is totally immune from dealing with a bed bug problem. In fact, if you go to some of the online bed bug registries such as BedBugs.net and the Bedbug Registry, you can find complaints even on hotels that I have personally stayed at and written about here more than once. An online bed bug complaint doesn’t have to mean that the hotel actually had bed bugs, or still has bed bugs, but sometimes where there is smoke there is fire…or in this case, blood sucking bugs.
Again, I don’t obsess over this, but it is sometimes in the back of my head when I stay somewhere, especially if I am staying a big, busy city with high density hotels such as Las Vegas or New York City. Those are the sort of high density, high turnover, big hotel populations that are more prone to bed bug problems than others.
We recently had a family trip to a very big city, New York City, and so it was perfect timing that Ortho reached out to me about their new product, the Ortho Home Defense Bed Bug Trap a couple weeks before our trip. At first I was a bit taken aback at the idea of writing about anything related to bed bugs since it is a little outside my normal scope. However, once I thought about it, I realized a relatively inexpensive product that can detect bed bugs is actually something that those who travel a ton really may want to know about. I know I hadn’t heard of it before they reached out to me.
We received the Ortho Bed Bug Trap just before our NYC trip, and I was happy that it was small enough to stash anywhere in our bag, as the two-pack had two traps that were each about the size of a deck of playing cards.
To put the trap into use to see if your hotel room or home has bed bugs, you peel the glue card and place it on the back of the trap. Next, you press the top circular button until it clicks to release the pheromone that lures the bed bugs.
You can then place the trap under your bed and in less than an hour it will detect bed bugs, if present. You can also leave it under your bed for two weeks, occasionally taking a peek through the viewing window as shown below and cross your fingers that you don’t see any bed bugs hanging out. Bed bugs are flat, oval, reddish-brown, and about a ¼ inch long. If you do unfortunately spot a bed bug, you can shut the trap to show it to the hotel or just safely throw it away.
We were in two different hotels on our trip to New York, so we used one trap from the pack at each hotel. I didn’t expect to run into bed bugs either time, and thankfully we didn’t. That said, my husband did get a random bite or two on the second day of the trip. When he started working himself up thinking he might have encountered bed bugs, I reminded him the trap didn’t detect anything. Knowing it didn’t lure any bed bugs helped us feel more at ease about a random bite or two that was likely just a run of the mill bug from Central Park, rather than proof of a full blown bed bug problem.
Obviously a great complement to the Ortho Home Defense Bed Bug Trap is simply using your own eyes and pulling back the sheets to examine the hotel’s mattress and box springs for bed bugs, but I’ll be honest and say that while that is a good suggestion, I just don’t always want to do that. In fact, I pretty much never do that.
If you are potentially interested in having a bed bug trap at the ready to help put your mind at ease or provide proof that there is indeed a problem, the pack of two traps costs $11.99 from major retailers or it is currently available for a bit more on Amazon
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In the unfortunate event you ever do have a bed bug problem, Ortho also has a line of bed bug treatment products… which I very much hope I never have to use myself. If you ever need it, you can learn more about their products and other bed bug treatment tips such as how to property wash, vacuum, and clean impacted areas on their website.
If you are even remotely like me, bed bugs are the sort of thing you probably don’t want to think about, much less ever have to deal with. However, just in case you ever do find yourself in need of such things, now you know one place to find them.
At the risk of getting a serious case of the creeps, have bed bugs ever been an issue on your travels? If so, how did you handle it?
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Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
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- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
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- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.
Rewards Rate
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro Offer
You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
$325Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.Excellent to Good
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.