There are two types of train trip: The long, slow, and often luxurious train journey that takes you through beautiful scenery that you book specifically to spend time on the rails; and the speedy, no-nonsense, cheap train ride you take to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible. In the first category, you’ll find grand trips like Australia’s The Ghan, South Africa’s Blue Train, and Britain’s Caledonian Sleeper. In the second, there are trips from London to Brussels in just two hours, from Rome to Venice in four hours, and from Miami to Orlando in three hours. And if you’re a train traveler who belongs to the second category and likes getting places fast without flying, there are plenty of trains in this world that do just that at speeds previously unimaginable on land, including the fastest train in the world and its closest competitors.
Earn up to 15% back on hotels and rental cars with TopCashBack
19.09.2024 - 18:37 / thepointsguy.com
Whether you are booking last-minute travel or simply want to try to save money on your next trip — and who doesn't? — make sure you browse the TopCashBack shopping portal first. (If you use our Tell-a-Friend referral link, you can get a $25 bonus.)
Currently, the cash-back shopping portal is offering increased earning rates for many travel brands. In some cases, you can earn up to 15% back on your purchases. You can then redeem cash back you've earned through PayPal or an Automated Clearing House transfer to your bank account. Alternatively, you can choose to redeem your earnings as a gift card and receive up to a 5% bonus on your cash back.
Let's take a closer look at what travel merchants offer increased earnings at TopCashBack.
You can save on major hotel chains with a lower earnings rate, including 15% on IHG Hotels & Resorts bookings. However, keep in mind that TopCashBack specifically states that only select brands, including InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Even, Hotel Indigo, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites and Avid, are eligible for earning. Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants (in North and South America), Mr & Mrs Smith hotels, Six Senses properties, Army Hotels and all hotels in Israel are excluded from earning.
Individual properties under the IHG umbrella are also offering specific cash-back offerings, including 9% cash back at Voco, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, Even and InterContentinal properties.
ALL — Accor Live Limitless is offering up to 6% cash back on some stays, too. Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, Raffles Hotels & Resorts and Swissotel Hotels & Resorts bookings earn 3% cash back, while those for other Accor brands in the U.S. earn 6% cash back.
Additionally, you can earn 6% cash back at Marriott, 9% cash back at Hilton, 5.05% cash back on Best Western bookings and 10.1% cash back on international hotel stays at Radisson Hotel Group properties.
If you already have a hotel booked with one of these groups, see if it makes sense to cancel and rebook your reservation — it's not a bad idea if you can cancel your current stay without penalty and if the rates are similar (or lower, if you're lucky) to your original reservation.
There are also a handful of increased rental car earnings on TopCashBack. Most notably, you can earn 10.1% cash back with Hertz and Sixt, 5.05% cash back on Dollar rentals and 2.02% cash back at most other major U.S. rental car companies, including Enterprise, Avis, Budget and National.
The site is also showing 8.08% cash back on Europcar rentals in the U.K., the U.S., France, Germany, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Spain and Portugal.
Regardless of where you rent, charge your
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