Deal stacking: What TPG staffers are really buying on Cyber Monday
Whether you are shopping to save on new luggage, a flight, a hotel stay, new Apple products or whatever else is on your wish list, now is the time to save on purchases. It's been a few days of fast, furious and sometimes very solid deal shopping. While we expect the deals to begin winding down soon, it's not too late to get in on some of the best prices of the year for some travel-related offers and products.
If you don't know where to start, here are some Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers that TPG staffers have been purchasing — and how staffers are maximizing those purchases.
Related: These are the best Cyber Monday travel deals
Discounted Apple AirPods Pro
Purchase for $200 (originally $249).
The popular Apple AirPods Pro normally cost about $250 but are on sale for Cyber Monday for about $200 on Amazon.
That's already a good discount, but I was able to make it better by stacking a targeted discount of 40% off (up to the maximum $60 off) by using 1 Amex Membership Rewards point. This means I ordered the new AirPods for just $140.
On top of that, thanks to another Amex Offer, I earned 5 Membership Rewards points per dollar on the purchase; at a valuation of 2 cents each, this is another $14 in rewards earned on the purchase.
Review: Apple AirPods Pro (second generation)
25% off Fairmont hotel stays
Fairmont hotel stays are discounted by 25% using a Cyber Monday offer. While it isn't as exciting as our summer Fairmont stays at Banff and Lake Louise in Canada, I booked the overnight we needed at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport at a discount.
Best of all, it's cancelable if our plans change, so it was a risk-free discounted booking that I could even use some Accor points toward.
25% off Air Canada flights
Air Canada has an interesting Cyber Monday offer that started at 30% off flights but has now dropped to 25% off; it will decrease to 20% off once the public makes a certain number of bookings. Even at 25% off, this dropped the price of the flights we needed to Vancouver, British Columbia, to the lowest price I'd seen, so we locked those in for next summer, too.
You will need to use the discount code for the relevant discounted amount to get the reduced price.
Discounted Nordstrom gift card
My kryptonite is unquestionably Nordstrom — that store almost always has what I want and more. Paying less for Nordstrom splurges is always a goal of mine. So, my husband bought a $100 Nordstrom gift card at Amazon while it offered an included $15 Amazon credit. This is still available on Amazon using the code NORDSTROM.
The deal became even better because we could stack savings by using 1 Amex Membership Rewards point to drop the cost by $60 — plus the $15 Amazon credit.
Purchase a Nordstrom gift card with a bonus Amazon credit.
New Apple laptop and free $250 gift card
TPG's senior aviation reporter David Slotnick has been eyeing a new Apple laptop for some time; although Apple laptops are on sale at a number of retailers, the one he wanted was available directly from Apple. He had a 6% cash-back offer from Capital One on Apple purchases that he stacked with the Apple Cyber Weekend offer of a free $250 Apple gift card with purchase.
TPG's managing editor Clint Henderson was also shopping for an Apple laptop and he went for a 2020 MacBook Air on Amazon for $799 ($200 off retail); he then saved another $10 using 1 Amex point, and he earned 5 Membership Rewards points on the purchase using an Amex Offer (up to 2,500 bonus points).
Purchase a discounted MacBook Air for $799 (down from $999).
Discounted Adidas with lots of points on the side
TPG's marketing director Caroline English stocked up on discounted Adidas gear for her family.
Thanks to the Cyber Weekend sales, she was able to get about $600 worth of Adidas gear for $250 and thanks to an Amex Offer, she earned 4 points per dollar on the purchase. Adidas is also in the Rakuten cash-back portal for 20% cash back (or 20 Amex points per dollar), so you can really stack the savings if an Adidas purchase is in your immediate future.
Purchase discounted Adidas products.
Bonus points on an IHG stay
IHG is having a Cyber Monday sale that provides 10,000 bonus points after every two nights, so TPG editor Christine Gallipeau rebooked a stay she had already planned at the same cash rate. Christine was able to double dip and should get an extra 3,000 IHG One Rewards points for the booking since she had previously registered for a promotion to book a stay to celebrate her birthday.
Register and book now for an extra 10,000 points.
Discounted AirTags
This has been the year of the Apple AirTag. I'm not sure if Apple purposely created the product for travelers to track their checked bags, but that is absolutely what is happening. TPG's senior aviation reporter Zach Griff stocked up on another four-pack of AirTags while they were discounted to $79 over the weekend on Amazon. That price seems to have returned to $95, but if you have any of the targeted offers to use some points from Chase or Amex to drop the price, that could still be a good deal.
Additionally, if you need just one AirTag, that price is down to $24 from a retail price of $29. Apple AirTag accessories are also still discounted for Cyber Monday.
Top offers from our partners
How we chose these cards
TPG featured card
Rewards
10X | Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
5X | 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel. |
2X | 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X card is one of the best all-round travel credit cards ever launched. Not only is it offering a tremendous welcome bonus, but cardholders can earn tons of miles on everyday spending and receive a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus to boot. Its annual fee is $395, but cardholders can count on up to $300 in statement credits toward travel booked through Capital One Travel each year and other valuable benefits like access to Priority Pass lounges and Capital One’s own growing family of airport lounges.Pros
- Excellent welcome offer worth 75,000 miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months.
- Up to $300 in annual travel statement credits toward bookings make through Capital One Travel.
- 10,000 bonus miles (worth $100 toward travel) each account anniversary.
Cons
- The $395 annual fee might be expensive for some, but this card’s benefits provide much more value than that.
- If you don’t travel frequently, this might not be the best card for you.
- Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Receive up to $300 back annually as statement credits for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of options
- Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
- Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
- Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
- Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Named editors' choice for "Best New Credit Card of 2021" by The Points Guy
- Earn 10 miles per dollar when you book on Turo, the world's largest car sharing marketplace, through May 16, 2023
Rewards Rate
10X | Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
5X | 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel. |
2X | 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day |
Intro Offer
Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel75,000 bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended 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.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X card is one of the best all-round travel credit cards ever launched. Not only is it offering a tremendous welcome bonus, but cardholders can earn tons of miles on everyday spending and receive a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus to boot. Its annual fee is $395, but cardholders can count on up to $300 in statement credits toward travel booked through Capital One Travel each year and other valuable benefits like access to Priority Pass lounges and Capital One’s own growing family of airport lounges.Pros
- Excellent welcome offer worth 75,000 miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months.
- Up to $300 in annual travel statement credits toward bookings make through Capital One Travel.
- 10,000 bonus miles (worth $100 toward travel) each account anniversary.
Cons
- The $395 annual fee might be expensive for some, but this card’s benefits provide much more value than that.
- If you don’t travel frequently, this might not be the best card for you.
- Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Receive up to $300 back annually as statement credits for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of options
- Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
- Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
- Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
- Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Named editors' choice for "Best New Credit Card of 2021" by The Points Guy
- Earn 10 miles per dollar when you book on Turo, the world's largest car sharing marketplace, through May 16, 2023