Expiring Airline Voucher -- How to Remember It When I Need It Where to Put It?

C

chasm

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Hello All:
First post here. I am new to GTD, but finding good results from an empty In Box and a mind unburdened. :D

I've searched the forum and found a few references to expiring coupons, but nothing specific to this issue of a year-long window to use a valuable airline voucher. (I think of it as a currency that expires.)

Details: I have a Frontier Airlines voucher that was issued to me because a flight was canceled. The voucher is worth $150, so I want to be sure to use it next time I fly. I have a year to spend the voucher, so it's not actionable right away, and I don't have any immediate (nor specific) plans to fly.

So, my question: where can I keep the voucher so that when I'm ready to book travel:
1. it comes to mind? (i.e. it's "in front of the door" for me next time I need to fly and am shopping for airfare online)
2. it's someplace I can actually find it?

Thanks for any tips and insight.
 
hmm...I do this type of thing pretty well (or I did)

Having let one expire, I figured out how to do it the second time. When I had my Palm I entered this in calendar as repeating monthly in first week until about 6 months before it would expire then I put it to repeat weekly. I also added it to my @lists "business travel" and "vacation planning". I put the thing itself in a folder labeled air travel. I also made a copy the number of the voucher and put it in my contacts in notes with the airlines number. I no longer have the Palm, nor any kind of smart phone. I am totally paper, which is driving me nuts, and I guess if I had a voucher I might start a word file with a list for each month of the year, print that out and stick it in my planner with the aim of reading it and updating at weekly review. Be careful on counting on using it, the black out dates seem to multiple every time you contact the airline and seats for vouchers are few.
You could also put the voucher in a tickler for the month ahead and just move it forward every month or week until you use it.

I know a coupon maven who lists any coupon worth more than $5 by date of expiration and store location.
She refers to list all the time because she is always adding stuff to it.

I have tried to treat cultural events that I might attend and their reservation dates in a similar fashion by putting their dates on my Palm calendar with a ???? and the lead times for the reservation on the calendar too. This did not work, due to too many events, way too much entering and cluttering up the calendar with maybes but at least I could spot conflicts and see what I was missing. I intend to pencil these into my paper calendar for the ones I am really keen on and maybe collect the flyers and reviews in a folder near my computer and review them at some reasonable interval. I really want to do more fun things so this is important to me.
 
I have lots like this (especially when I traveled 2+ weeks a month for seminars). What works for me, sounds a bit dorky, but I have a waiting for category called "Gift certs to use." In the note details, I capture:

All airline credits to use (including date it expires, amount and ticket number it's attached to)
Gift cards and gift certificates (store + amount)

I scan this list when I do my Weekly Reviews.

You could also do Calendar triggers before it's going to expire as a reminder to use them.
 
Hi Im pretty new to GTD but having read the book recently it seems to me that the logical place to put this would be in your tickler file, potentially at the start of the month.

You see it in there and ask yourself can i make use of this yet? am I going anywhere this month? Yes... ok Add it to the appropriate list to book tickets with, No... Move it forward to the next month or even to the middle of the current month so you will review it at that stage.

I would not put it on a calendar, as the calendar should be used (if I understand the book correctly) to track things that you have to do on that day/time. The example of your airline ticket is something you would like to use and not forget about and putting it on your calendar would be blurring the edges a little.

Just my thoughts, hope it helps
 
A tickler file is the perfect place for things like this. I use it for vouchers, gift cards and coupons all the time. Depending on how close the expiration date is, I cycle the items through monthly, weekly or even sometimes daily until I either use it, toss it, or it expires.

I don't always put the actual item in the tickler file. If it's a coupon or gift card that I want keep in my wallet just in case I'm unexpectedly in a position to use it I put a note in my tickler file about the gift card and where I've put it.
 
I personally put such items in a general reference folders (and appropriate Travel sub-folder). Then I create a calendar event with one or two reminders with some info about what I am being reminded of and location of the item.
 
add a note by your airline account number + rerence files+ tickler file note

Hi Chasm and everyone else!

This is how I do it:

1. In the referencefiles on your computer where you keep your Frontier Airlines account number (which you bring out each time you buy a trip - just add a note saying "150$ voucher available"

2. Put the actual voucher in your physical reference system under "Vouchers" or maybe "Travel" or "Airline"

3. Add a item in your tickler file that is called "last day for 150$ voucher" on the actual date that the voucher expires, which you then will see at least one week before in your weekly review. (I have an "open" tickler file in my computer calendar which i can "see" when i check my calendar..

any comments on this?

/swedish guy
 
ianselbyuk;87472 said:
Hi Im pretty new to GTD but having read the book recently it seems to me that the logical place to put this would be in your tickler file, potentially at the start of the month.

You see it in there and ask yourself can i make use of this yet? am I going anywhere this month? Yes... ok Add it to the appropriate list to book tickets with, No... Move it forward to the next month or even to the middle of the current month so you will review it at that stage.

I would not put it on a calendar, as the calendar should be used (if I understand the book correctly) to track things that you have to do on that day/time. The example of your airline ticket is something you would like to use and not forget about and putting it on your calendar would be blurring the edges a little.

Just my thoughts, hope it helps
Click to expand...

I thought that as well but I was looking through the book recently and DA does say quite specifically that the Calendar is a good place to put reminders.
 
kelstarrising;87458 said:
I have lots like this (especially when I traveled 2+ weeks a month for seminars). What works for me, sounds a bit dorky, but I have a waiting for category called "Gift certs to use." In the note details, I capture:

All airline credits to use (including date it expires, amount and ticket number it's attached to)
Gift cards and gift certificates (store + amount)

I scan this list when I do my Weekly Reviews.

You could also do Calendar triggers before it's going to expire as a reminder to use them.
Click to expand...

Kelly, it doesn´t sound dorky to me.. You see, I´m the type of guy who often forgot my gift cards etc.

thanks for the tip. :)
 
Popeye;87538 said:
Kelly, it doesn´t sound dorky to me.. You see, I´m the type of guy who often forgot my gift cards etc.

thanks for the tip. :)
Click to expand...

Yep, same here. I often forget my gift cards and store credits (issued as gift cards for returns without a receipt) even when the silly card is in my wallet. Just this week I used my business credit card for a purchase at Office Depot, and then remembered 20 minutes later that I had the gift card in my wallet...doh!

Anyway, thanks all for the tips and ideas. Much appreciated!
 
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