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If you’ve been dabbling in the beauty of Target Circle Week, you’ve probably come across that offer for a free TripAdvisor Plus membership. Wondering what that’s all about?
Well, you’d normally pay $99 a year to get the perks of TripAdvisor Plus, like discounted hotel rates and members-only savings on travel experiences. But with this deal from Target, you can get a full year of these perks for free. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m in the middle of planning a multidestination honeymoon to Hawaii. I’ll take all the travel deals I can get.
I’m always doubtful of memberships like these and how much they’ll really save me in the end. But I’m also not one to pass up “free.” So I decided to take a swing at it, and boy, am I glad I did.
Here’s why the Target Circle deal for a free TripAdvisor Plus membership is worth it — and why you should sign up NOW:
1. TripAdvisor Plus gives you travel discounts, so the free Target Circle offer instantly caught my eye.
To be honest, I didn’t hit up Target Circle Week for travel discounts — I was there for 20% off at Target. But since I’m in the thick of honeymoon planning, the free TripAdvisor Plus membership was a pleasant surprise (to say the least).
TripAdvisor Plus is a paid membership that gives you exclusive savings and perks on travel. Member benefits include discounts on 100,000 hotels worldwide, 10% off all experiences (aka “Things to Do”), special deals from TripAdvisor partners, and expert travel advice via text. Normally, TripAdvisor Plus costs $99 a year to be a member. But if you’re already signed up for a Target Circle account, you get a whole year for free.
This freebie offer is available through Sep. 5, 2023, but if you want in on the perks, there’s no point in waiting. At least, I didn’t think so.
2. All I had to do was tap the Circle offer for TripAdvisor Plus in my Target app.
It’s a no-fuss process, really. I followed these simple steps to sign up for TripAdvisor Plus through Target Circle:
- Tap the TripAdvisor Circle Week offer in the Target app (iOS / Android).
- Tap the “Redeem Now” button.
- Enter your first name, last name, and phone number.
- Enter your payment details (don’t worry, you won’t be charged for anything!).
- Tap the “Confirm Purchase” button.
Just a heads up — you WILL have to enter your credit card information to join TripAdvisor Plus. But you won’t be charged for anything as long as you sign up through Target Circle. The terms and conditions specifically state that your membership won’t auto-renew. So once your free year is up, your membership will automatically cancel, and you won’t have to pay a dime.
TripAdvisor Plus isn’t available in the stand-alone TripAdvisor app right now, so after you sign up for the free membership in the Target app, you’ll have to visit TripAdvisor.com to actually take advantage of the benefits.
3. With a quick search for hotel rates in Hawaii, I got a list of top-rated hotels for up to 40% off.
Once I was in, I immediately searched for hotels in Hawaii during my honeymoon week to see what kind of deals I could get.
I typed in my dates and received a list of special hotel rates courtesy of my TripAdvisor Plus membership. And I’m not talking about cheap hotels that have you questioning the bedspread — I’m talking about highly rated 4- or f5-star resorts that are deeply discounted.
Most hotels in my search were 30% – 40% off the normal nightly rate. Here are some of the member-only deals I saw:
- Waikiki Beach Marriot Resort & Spa: $201 per night (reg. $279 per night)
- Aston Kaanapali Shores: $246 per night (reg. $365 per night)
- Maui Kaanapali Villas: $261 per night (reg. $365 per night)
- Aston at The Whaler on Kaanapali Beach: $285 per night (reg. $474 per night)
- Outrigger Honua Kai Resort & Spa: $475 per night (reg. $682 per night)
Related: Spring Break Trip Ideas
4. Next, I looked for things to do in Hawaii and scored a snorkeling day trip for 10% off the normal rate.
If you’ve used TripAdvisor before, you know it’s a great tool for finding fun activities, expeditions, and tours for your travel destination. As a TripAdvisor Plus member, you get to book all these activities for 10% off.
You won’t see the 10% discount when you search for listings, but it will automatically apply to your purchase when you go to book and check out. I booked a snorkeling adventure for two people and instantly saved $17 on my purchase total. SCORE!
5. On my TripAdvisor Plus membership page, I found exclusive deals from Dollar Flight Club and Hertz Car Rentals.
After seeing super low hotel rates and booking my discounted snorkeling trip, I was on a savings high. So I started to explore other parts of the TripAdvisor Plus membership.
On my membership page, there were two exclusive offers from Dollar Flight Club and Hertz Car Rentals:
- Dollar Flight Club: Save extra on flights and get alerts on the best deals for just $1 a year with Dollar Flight Club Premium
- Hertz: Get upgraded elite status and member-only discounts on Hertz rental rates
The Hertz offer particularly caught my eye. Since there are so many jaw-dropping sights to see in Hawaii, I’d love to rent a car and explore as much land as possible during our honeymoon. So the car rental perk will probably be a huge help.
6. With TripAdvisor Plus, you also get free travel advice from an expert via text (so I decided to try it out).
First, you’ll have to set up TripAdvisor Text, which takes about two seconds. All you have to do is enter your phone number and agree to TripAdvisor’s Text Terms & Conditions. Once I did that, I immediately got a text from TripAdvisor. To get my questions answered by an expert, all I had to do was reply to the text and wait for a response.
I wanted to know the best places for honeymoon stays in Hawaii, so I asked. I got to chat with Jade, who happens to be an Oahu native. She gave me detailed advice on the best spots across the islands and where to go for what. She even threw out a few Hawaiian words in her text back to me. My mind was literally blown.
I will say this: it took her 1 hour and 26 minutes to respond. But let’s be honest — you’re not talking to a “virtual assistant” or a “live chat robot.” You’re talking to a real human travel expert who has a life, too. Heck, the response I got was from someone who actually grew up in the area I was asking about. I’m willing to wait for that, no doubt.
So is it worth redeeming the Target Circle Week offer for a free TripAdvisor Plus membership? 100% YES!
Yeah, you could say I’m a big fan of TripAdvisor Plus now.
First off, some of the nightly hotel rates I found would save me more than $100 per night. So even if I spent the $99 annual fee to be a member, my membership would more than pay for itself in a single night’s stay. So not having to pay for these perks AT ALL with the current Target Circle deal is a game-changer.
If you plan to travel at all this year (even just for one weekend-long getaway), it’s totally worth signing up for the free membership. And remember, you don’t have to worry about getting charged once your free year ends. Your membership won’t auto-renew when your time is up, so it’s totally risk-free!
