You Can Now Earn Amex Membership Rewards Through Ebates
Ebates is a very well known cashback site here in the US and, alongside TopCashback, forms an integral part of a lot of people's miles & points strategy - you can earn cashback though these sites while still earning miles and points for bookings with major airlines and hotel chains.
As useful as Ebates has always been the site has just become a whole lot more interesting thanks to a linkup with American Express Membership Rewards.
I Called Amex To Cancel My SPG Card – This Is What Happened
I currently hold the legacy Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Credit card on which I have an offer from Chase to upgrade to the Marriott Rewards Premier Plus credit card in exchange for 50,000 bonus points (both these cards will soon be rebranded with Marriott Bonvoy names).
The Marriott Rewards Premier Plus credit card offers pretty much exactly the same benefits as my SPG Amex and, as I don't often get to use the free night certificates that come with both cards, I didn't see the value in keeping both cards open.
Here’s How My Platinum Card Retention Call To Amex Worked Out
I don't believe in paying any more for my credit card collection than I absolutely have to so, every time an annual fee becomes due on one of my cards, I go though a process of evaluating exactly what the card offers me, what I've got out of the card in the past year and what I see myself getting out of the card in the future.
There Are At Least 6 Excellent Amex Offers For Hotel Stays Right Now [Targeted]
One of the principle reasons I hold as many American Express cards as I do is that I often get targeted for some highly lucrative offers via the Amex Offers section of my Amex account page.
Over the past few days American Express has been refreshing the offers I can see in my accounts and there are a few excellent offers available for hotel stays.
The Platinum Card From American Express – To Keep Or Not To Keep?
American Express breathed new life into its Platinum Card when it added airfare purchases as a bonus category earning 5 points/dollar back in November 2016. The 5 points/dollar on airfare was a groundbreaker in the credit card world and suddenly cardmembers like me had a new reason to hold on to the card.
Since then Amex has introduced other new benefits to the Platinum Card (like Uber and Saks credits) but it has also increased the annual fee to $550 and brought in new entry restrictions for its Centurion Lounges.
Before the introduction of the airfare bonus category I was seriously reconsidering the value that the Platinum Card offered me but the ability to earn a lot of miles though airfare spending persuaded me to keep it in my wallet...but now the card needs to prove its worth once more.
Improved Welcome Bonuses For Some Hilton Honors Credit Cards Through Hilton
I'm not going to pretend that I follow the fortunes of the Amex Hilton Honors credit cards all that closely as Hilton isn't one of my main go-to chains when I travel (although that may change) but, as I logged in to the Hilton Honors app earlier, I couldn't help but notice that Hilton is currently offering marginally better welcome bonuses on its co-branded credit cards than Amex is offering on its site.
Changes Coming To Amex Marriott/Starwood Cards – Here’s What You Need To Know
Following last week's announcement that Marriott Rewards/SPG/Ritz Carlton Rewards would all be rebranded as Marriott Bonvoy from February this year it was inevitable that the loyalty program's co-branded credit cards would be getting a make-over too....and now we know what to expect from Amex.
Save Up To 20% At Park Inn And Country Inn & Suites With This...
Yes I know that Park Inn and Country Inn properties are not at the top of a lot of people's "must visit" lists but this Amex offer may actually be useful to anyone looking to make the most of Radisson's 1Q promotion.
Has The Personal American Express Gold Card Been Pulled? (Probably Not)
Last week I wrote a note to remind myself to write a post about why I genuinely don't like the new American Express Gold card and, at the same time, I bookmarked the Gold Card webpage to make sure I had quick access to the card's details should I need them.
I've just attempted to access that bookmarked webpage and all I now see is this error message
How To Make The Most Of The Amex Hilton Transfer Bonus
American Express is currently offering a targeted bonus for cardholders looking to transfer Amex Membership Rewards Points over to Hilton Honors. The bonuses people are being targeted for range from 30% through to 50% and there's definitely value to be had here.
5 Affordable Alternatives To the Business Platinum Card From American Express
As of February 2019 the annual fee for the Business Platinum Card from American Express is increasing from $450 to $595. Amex had added a few extra benefits to the card's offering to attempt to placate cardholders but I suspect most aren't going to be happy when they see what they're paying for.
If you're not happy with the Business Platinum Card from American Express you may soon be looking around for alternatives so, below, is a list of suggestions (in no specific order) that may be helpful.
LifeMiles May Now Be An Amex Transfer Partner But I Really Don’t Care
During the first week of November LifeMiles (Avianca's loyalty program) was rolled out as the latest American Express transfer partner and I've just realised that I never wrote a blog post about it.
It wasn't a conscious decision not to write about the Amex/LifeMiles news at the time so the omission is almost certainly a result of the fact that the announcement wasn't actually something I cared about....and there's a very good reason why I didn't (and still don't) care.
Amex Is Offering Virgin Atlantic Transfer Bonuses…But They’re Targeted (USA)
No sooner has Amex's 40% transfer bonus to British Airways and Iberia ended and we get a new transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic....only this bonus isn't nearly as friendly.
Personally I'm not seeing any kind of bonus in my Membership Rewards account but Doctor of Credit has seen offers of bonuses ranging between 10% and 20% and at least one commenter has claimed he/she is seeing a bonus of 30% in their account.
There’s A Issue With Marriott Free Night Certificates That I Haven’t Seen Mentioned
There have been a lot of changes taking place with Marriott's loyalty program over the past few months (not least the merger of Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest) and, among those changes, we've seen the complete overhaul of the Marriott award chart and the introduction of some new credit cards.
A lot of the important changes have been discussed over and over again so most people are pretty familiar with what to expect going forward....but there's one little issue that I haven't yet seen addressed.
Have You Loaded These Hotel Deals To Your AMEX Cards? (USA Only)
If you hold a credit or charge card issued by American Express then you also have access to one of my favorite benefits - Amex Offers. Amex Offers are a great way of boosting your Membership Rewards balance or saving cold hard cash with selected retailers and I like them as a way of offsetting any annual fees I have to pay.
Check Your Amex Offers – Bonus Points Available On Some SPG Cards (Again)
A little over a week ago American Express published a targeted offer which allowed select holders of SPG co-branded credit cards to earn bonus points when they hit specific spending thresholds on their cards.
I hold the regular (non-premium) version of the Amex SPG co-branded credit card and my account wasn't targeted for the bonus.....but now it has suddenly appeared.
Have You Been Targeted For These AMEX Offers? (USA)
If you hold an American Express card you will have a section within your online Amex account where you can see what offers Amex has targeted you for and this is a section you should be checking on a reasonably frequent basis - there are points to be banked and there's cash to be saved.
HINT: Don’t Apply For Any AMEX Hilton Cards Right Now
American Express issues four Hilton Honors co-branded credit cards and the welcome bonuses on all four will be increasing in a few days time. If you've been planning to apply for the cards you should hold off for a few days to ensure that you gets the best possible deal.
Here’s Why I Don’t Like The Luxury Starwood Card From Amex
American Express will be launching its new “Luxury” Starwood credit card on 23 August and, having given it a lot of thought, I’ve decided not to apply for it. I’m sure there are a lot of people counting down the days to the launch of the Luxury Starwood credit card but there’s too much about the card I simply don’t like.
How To Make The Most Of The 30% Bonus Amex Is Offering For Transfers...
Virgin Atlantic may not be an airline which automatically springs to mind when you’re considering air travel but its Flying Club loyalty program can be very useful if you know what to look for – that’s why transfer bonuses between Amex Membership Rewards and Virgin Flying Club are always worth a closer look.
NEW RULES WARNING: You May Wish To Rethink Upgrading Your Chase Marriott Visa
With the merger of Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest there are some significant changes coming to the credit cards associated with both programs. Historically Amex has offered the SPG credit cards while Chase has been in partnership with Marriott…but that’s all changing.
Amex Platinum Or Chase Sapphire Reserve For Flights?
Earlier in the week I called the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card my favorite credit card and that led to a reader question which I thought was worth sharing.
I Have The SPG Amex & Marriott Visa Cards But Holding Both Is Pointless...
Like a lot of readers I hold both the Starwood Preferred Guest credit card from American Express as well as the Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Credit card and, with SPG and Marriott Rewards becoming one unified program in August, I've been wondering what to do with my credit cards.
I’m Seeing Some Tempting Amex Sign-Up Bonuses
I was browsing my American Express accounts over the weekend (paying bills and checking the latest Amex offers that have been loaded to my accounts) and I noticed that Amex has targeted me for some cheap and easy-to-attain sign-up bonuses.
American Express Launches The Cash Magnet Cash Back Card….But Is It Any Good?
American Express already offers the Blue Cash Everyday Card and the Blue Cash Preferred Card to compete in the cash back arena so I was surprised to see Amex launch the Cash Magnet Card last week. Still, a new card is a new card and as there's no knowing what Amex may have included in its new product I've taken a closer look at it too see what it offers.
Earn Up To $50 Lyft Credit With Blue Delta SkyMiles Amex Credit Card
The Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express has just added an extra incentive for those looking to apply for the card in the next few months - Lyft credits.
Marriott & Starwood New Combined Loyalty Program – New Credit Cards Coming
Following on from my earlier post (which just covered the facts surrounding the new combined loyalty program) I'm now going to take a look at what we've been told we can expect from the new Marriott/SPG credit cards that will be coming out later this year and what changes are coming to the credit cards that are already available.
Earn Bonus Amex Membership Points With Amex Checkout
It's interesting to watch as various credit card issuers work harder and harder to get us, the consumers, to use digital payment technology. In the first quarter of this year the Chase Freedom credit card offered 5 points/dollar for all spending through all the popular digital payment platforms and in the second quarter its offering 5 points/dollar for payments made through Chase Pay.
Hilton Amex Offers: 20% Cashback In Hawaii & 15% Cashback in Australia
In the last few days American Express has opened up two particularly good cashback offers on Hilton bookings and there are a couple of older offers still floating around (at MGM resorts and the James in New York) that will boost your Membership Rewards balance.
Welcome Bonuses For The New American Express Hilton Credit Cards Announced
We've known for a while what the new Amex Hilton credit card line up will look like and what the benefits of each card will be but, until now, we haven't had any insight into what the welcome bonuses would be like (and let's face it...that's what people care about most!) - now we know.
BIG NEWS: Marriott Announces New Credit Card Deal With Chase AND Amex
Marriott's takeover of Starwood threw into question the future of the hotel chain's credit card contract. Marriott has traditionally had its co-branded cards issued by Chase while Starwood has had a long association with Amex and we've been waiting to hear what the outcome of recent negotiations would be.
Now we know.
Forget The $450 Hilton AMEX Card – The Free Card Is The One For...
From next year Hilton is moving from having two credit card providers (Citi & Amex) to just the one provider (Amex) and that has sparked some changes in the Hilton credit cards you can apply for and that you may already have.
Amex has announced that, in January 2018, it will be adding two new Hilton co-branded cards to its stable as well as "refreshing" its two existing Hilton cards and this has got a few people quite excited.
Here’s How To Earn More Amex Membership Rewards Points
Last week I took at look the transfer partners of the four major transferable loyalty currencies - Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou, American Express Membership Rewards and Starwood's Starpoints. All are currencies I value highly and all a currencies I prefer to individual airline miles or hotel points.
As a follow up to those articles I'm taking a look at the best ways to earn the four transferable loyalty currencies and hopefully giving you some idea of what you can do to earn more points and to boost your balances quickly and/or frequently.
14 Amex Travel Offers Available Right Now [Targeted]
If you hold a credit or charge card issues by American Express then you also have access to one of my favorite benefits - Amex Offers. Amex Offers are a great way of boosting your Membership Rewards balance or saving cold hard cash with selected retailers and I like them as a way of offsetting any annual fees I have to pay.
Amex Membership Rewards Transfer Partners – Which Programs Are Included?
This week I'm taking a look at the four major transferable rewards currencies individually and listing out the airline and, where relevant, hotel rewards programs those currencies can be transferred into. In this, the third of four posts, I'm taking a look at Amex Membership Rewards.
Friend’s Question: ” Should I Get The Amex Business Platinum Card With A 100,000...
A friend got in touch with me recently and asked if I thought he should take up an offer American Express has sent him for the Platinum Business card. The friend, let's call him Mike, isn't into miles and points in the way most people reading this blog probably are so the answer to the question isn't as obvious as you may think.
New Amex Offers Are Out – Some Will Earn You A LOT Of Bonus...
One of the principle reasons I hold as many American Express cards as I do is that I often get targeted for some highly lucrative offers via the Amex Offers section of my Amex account page. Recently these offers haven't been so much about saving me money as about boosting my Membership Rewards balance very nicely indeed. Now the latest set of offers is out and there are some more great ones to choose from.
GOOD DEAL: Buy 1,000 Amex Membership Rewards Points For $10 [Targeted USA]
I love Amex offers and I'm addicted to checking what (if any) new offers have appeared on my cards on a near daily basis. What can I say? I love the money the offers save me and I love the fact that the offers help me offset the cost of holding my Amex cards in the first place (I love the offers on my fee-free cards even more because that's just free cash!)
UPDATE: Amex Offers Are Still Working On Multiple Cards
A little over a week ago I noticed something strange with the offers I loaded on to my Amex cards - for the first time ever I had an offer disappear from my card before I had a chance to use it and I have been trying to find out what's going on. Is this a glitch or is this is Amex finally clamping down on those of us who know how to load the same offer on to more than one Amex card?
SPG Amex Now Offering An Improved Referral Bonus
I like the Starwood American Express card....in fact I like it so much I have one in each country I'm allowed to hold one. Starpoints are one of the harder currencies to collect but, as they convert pretty generously to most major airlines loyalty programs (we've seen some great offers in the recent past), they're a currency I consider to be worth collecting.
Has Amex Killed A Very Useful Workaround?
Earlier today I posted a piece highlighting a great offer Amex is currently running where targeted cardholders can earn bonus membership points for shopping at Amazon.com. Both of my Membership Rewards cards were targeted for the promotion (good news for me) and I registered both of the cards as soon as I saw the promotion in my account. But now I've just noticed something very strange.
Great New Amex Offer (USA) – 2,000 Membership Rewards Points For Amazon Spend
Of of the main reasons I like having a good number of American Express cards is that, quite often, I get targeted for some very useful offers via the Amex Offers section of my account page. Not only can these offers save me quite a bit of money but they also effectively lower the cost of holding my Amex cards in the first place.
Why Latest Amex Platinum Changes Make The Card A Lot Less Attractive
American Express has announced a series of changes to the Amex Platinum Charge Card which, while masquerading as improvements, are almost certainly going to be a net loss for most cardholders. After showing quite a bit of promise in late 2016 the Amex Platinum Card just took a big step back.
The New Amex Platinum Bonus Category Is Even Better Than I Thought!
My personal American Express Platinum card had been living in my wallet on borrowed time but, thanks to Citi removing a benefit from the its Prestige card, the Amex Platinum card became a bit more valuable to me a few months ago. Up to that point this was almost certainly going to be the last year I would hold the Amex Platinum card but Citi earned it a stay of execution.
Triple Amex Rewards At Amazon.com & 20% – 25% Off Amazon Prime (US &...
Two good deals have been announced for those who like to do their shopping at Amazon. Amex is offering 3x Membership Rewards points for purchases at Amazon.com (targeted) and Amazon is offering 20% off a US Amazon Prime annual membership and 25% off a UK Prime membership - the Amazon Prime deal is valid for one day only!
GREAT OFFER: Amex Offering Double Base MR Points For a Week [Targeted]
Amex has been making moves recently to stem the number of card holders it has almost certainly been haemorrhaging since the likes of Citi and, more recently, Chase introduced premium credit cards to compete with the Amex Platinum Card.
Did Amex Just Kill A Chase Credit Card?
From 6 October the Amex Platinum personal card offers 5 Membership Rewards points for every dollar spent directly with airlines or for air travel booked through Amex. Although this move was clearly aimed at helping Amex compete with the CSR it may have had the effect of making another of Chase’s credit cards irrelevant for a lot of people.
Should You Use Your SPG Amex At Marriott Properties? Possibly Not.
Marriott & Starwood have announced that, with immediate effect, SPG Amex cardholders will earn bonus Starpoints at Marriott properties and Chase Marriott Visa card holders will earn bonus points at Starwood properties worldwide. While having more options is always good news I'm not sure I agree with a lot of commentators who seem to think that using your SPG Amex at Marriott properties is now the way to go.
Earn Double Points/Miles Through Amex Small Business Promotion (USA)
American Express is running a "shop small business" offer in which US cardholders can earn double points or miles when using most American Express credit and charge cards at small business between now and the end of the year. Unusually this promotion isn't limited to Membership Rewards cards - you'll earn double points when using cards like the Starwood American Express credit card, double miles when using Delta co-branded Amex cards, double Hilton HHonors points when using a Hilton co-branded Amex card etc....
An Easy 75,000 Bonus Points With Amex Platinum Business [Targeted]
The American Express Platinum cards have been getting a lot of attention recently following a few benefit improvements on both the personal and business versions of the card. Through no coincidence Amex has also released a publicly available 100,000 Membership Reward bonus offer for anyone approved for the card before 25 January 2017.....but for a lot of people that's not a particularly good offer.
50% Bonus On Amex Transfers To British Airways (USA) – But Should You Bother?
American Express Membership Rewards are one of the three major transferable currencies that all miles & points collectors should have and, every now and again, the program offers a bonus for Membership Points transfers to one of its partners. Right now it's the turn of British Airways.
Amex Offers: $200 Delta Credit, $100 Off At Ritz-Carlton & More
One of the major benefits of holding American Express Cards is that the card issuer regularly has some pretty good offers for cardholders prepared to used their card(s) at select merchants. The merchants that offer these discounts cover a broad spectrum of the market so you'll see offers from everyday retailers (like GAP, Macy's & Bloomingdale's), offers from more specialist vendors (like Adobe, Dropbox, Mont Blanc & Este Lauder) and, as well as a few restaurants that appear here and there, you also get offers from various travel providers. This is where things can get interesting.
SPG Amex 10,000 Starpoint Referral Bonus (USA – Targeted)
The American Express SPG credit card has long been a favorite amongst miles & points collectors thanks to the value you can get out of the Starpoints that you earn from spend on the card. The card's lustre had dulled slightly over recent years as other credit card providers made efforts to be more innovative but Amex breathed life into the card last year when it finally improved the card's offerings (notably with the removal of foreign transaction fees).
$300 Cash Back On Free American Express Blue Cash Everyday Card
American Express has launched a new promotion on its Blue Cash Everyday Card which entitles new card members to earn up to $300 in cash back on their spending.
20% Discount On Qantas & $20 From Staples When You Buy Gift Cards
One of the things I like the most about American Express in the US is the fact that, every now and again, my credit...
Is American Express About To Seriously Limit The Number Of Credit Cards You Can...
A tweet from Doctor of Credit caught my eye this morning as it linked to a Reddit thread in which an American Express card holder relayed a conversation he/she had with a customer services representative. The poster describes how the conversation developed with the CSR explaining the rule that, at the moment you can only hold four American Express credit cards at one time (note: this is a well known rule and nothing new) but then went on to add that this rule was changing soon....and not for the better.
Get 35,000 Starpoints With The SPG AMEX & SPG AMEX Business Cards
Starwood and American Express are now offering an increased signup bonus of 35,000 Starpoints on both the personal and business versions of the SPG Amex Credit Card after you use your new card to make $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of card membership. This appears to be the highest Starpoints offer ever seen on this card.
American Express SimplyCash® Plus Business Credit Card
Amex is revamping one of its business credit cards and the changes are definitely for the better. The American Express SimplyCash Business Credit Card has been around for a while and it's quite a compelling proposition for small businesses. Rather than earning points the cardholder earns between 1% and 5% cashback on purchases made using the card.
Amex Offers – 25% Discount On Delta, 20% Off Hampton & More
American Express has a few good travel offers out there right now from discounts on rental cars and hotels to a great discount for anyone traveling on Delta in the next couple of months. Not all the offers appear on all my Amex Cards so, the more Amex Cards you hold the more chance you have of these offers being available to you.
20% Off Renaissance Stays With Amex (USA)
American Express (USA) has added another good travel offer to some of their credit/charge cards. This time the offer gives a rebate at Renaissance Hotels in the US and in US Territories.
Current Amex (USA) Travel Offers
There are a few travel offers currently available for holders of US issued American Express cards so I thought I'd round up some of the...
Up To 20% Off W Hotels & Up To 25% Off Rocketmiles Bookings
American Express (USA) has loaded some new offers for card holders and there are a couple that stand out as useful for anyone booking travel.
W...
Should You Convert Starpoints To AAdvantage Miles?
The annual bonus offer from Starwood/American Airlines has been doing the rounds for a few days now and it's very tempting to take it up.
"Now...
Review: Amex Centurion Lounge (Dallas)
The American Express Centurion Lounges in Dallas, Las Vegas, New York (La Guardia), Miami and San Francisco are an oasis in an otherwise pretty drab...
American Express Opens Centurion Lounge In Miami
Continuing what seems to have been a day of Amex retailed posts (sorry!).....
American Express has announced the opening of their newest Centurion Lounge, this...
Amex Lowering British Airways Transfer Rates (USA Only?)
It's definitely an Amex news day today!
It appears that Amex is reducing the number of Avios you can earn by transferring Membership Rewards (MR). A...
AMEX SPG (USA) Credit Card Gets An Overhaul – Should You Care?
The Amex Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card (Amex SPG) has been a favourite in the US for quite some time - but its lustre...
Collecting Airline Miles & Points – The Basics
Most vacationers that I speak to tell me that the biggest problem they face when thinking about award travel is that they never seem to...
Keeping Airline Miles From Expiring (Without Flying)
One of the more regular complaints I hear from vacationers new to the miles and points game is that their airline miles expire before they get a...
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