Chase/IHG Is Seriously Devaluing The IHG Rewards Card
There are credit cards you hold for their points earning and then there are the credit cards you hold for the befits they offer and, for me, the current IHG Rewards credit card has always fallen into the latter category.
I book most of my paid hotels stays through Marriott so the bonus points the IHG Rewards card offers for my infrequent stays at IHG properties has never been a major attraction to me.....but the free night I get from the credit card every year is a benefit I love.
Almost Confirmed: Big Changes To The Chase IHG Rewards Card
The IHG Rewards credit card has long been one of the very best deals you can get in the miles & points world. As a card that offers a free night at any IHG hotel in the world in exchange for an annual fee of just $49 it has been selling itself for years. But the card looks to be on its way out and the opportunities to sign up for it as fast disappearing.
10,000 Shell Gas Stations Now Accept Chase Pay
If you're looking for a way to make sure you make the most of your second quarter Chase Freedom bonus categories then Chase may have just helped you out.
The Chase Freedom 2Q bonus categories include grocery store spending, PayPal spending and, for the second quarter running Chase Pay spending. The Chase Pay option is probably the weakest of the three options on offer as it's still not accepted in all that many places.
DEAL: $50 Off Two Or More Hotel Nights With Citi ThankYou (Book By 30...
Citi is currently running a promotion offering ThankYou card holders $50 off a hotel booking of 2 nights or longer. There don't seem to be any major strings attached to this promotion so, if you have a hotel stay you're looking to book, this could be an easy $50 saving.
The Chase/Marriott/United Promotion Most Should Be Avoiding
Chase is running a promotion in conjunction with Marriott and United Airlines which may tempt some people but I'm here to tell you that it's not really a great promotion at all. On the face of things the promotion may seem perfectly ok but when you look closely at the value on offer (and the value most would be giving up if they took part) the promotion really isn't one that most should be participating in.
Chase Unveils Two New Airline Credit Cards….And I Really Don’t Like Either
I'm an unabashed fan of Chase and a large number of the credit cards the bank issues but I'm struggling to see the point of the Chase Iberia Visa credit card or the Chase Aer Lingus credit card announced by the bank towards the end of last week.
Don’t Forget To Register For The Chase Freedom 2Q Bonuses
My Chase Freedom card is one of the few free credit cards that I hold that's guaranteed to get a place in my wallet every quarter. While I'm a big fan of fee-free credit cards most of mine don't offer big enough spending bonuses to warrant being used on a regular basis....but Chase Freedom is different.
New To Miles & Points? These Are The Credit Cards You Should Consider For...
Not everyone new to miles & points is a fresh-faced graduate or teenager looking for their first credit card so this post is aimed at those with a solid credit score (and history) but who haven't really investigated the miles & points world to any great extent.
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.
Which Delta Credit Cards Override Basic Economy Rules?
The introduction of Basic Economy fares by the US legacy carriers has ushered in a new era of fare unbundling and benefit stripping as the airlines attempt to nickel and dime as many passengers as is physically possible.
The degree to which Basic Economy fares strip out passenger benefits varies from airline to airline but they all inconvenience passengers in one way or another. Holding airline status or the right credit card can go a long way to mitigating some of these inconveniences and making the whole Basic Economy experience a little more tolerable.
Which United Airlines Credit Cards Override Basic Economy Hand Baggage & Boarding Rules?
The degree to which Basic Economy fares strip out passenger benefits varies from airline to airline but they all inconvenience passengers in one way or another. Holding airline status or the right credit card can go a long way to mitigating some of these inconveniences and making the whole Basic Economy experience a little more tolerable.
Which American Airlines Credit Cards Override Basic Economy Hand Baggage & Boarding Rules?
The degree to which Basic Economy fares strip out passenger benefits varies from airline to airline but they all inconvenience passengers in one way or another. Holding airline status or the right credit card can go a long way to mitigating some of these inconveniences and making the whole Basic Economy experience a little more tolerable.
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.
British Airways Confirms That It’s Scrapping Credit Card Surcharges
From 13 January 2018 an EU regulation comes in to force which makes it illegal for entities to charge fees for processing payments from Visa or Mastercard credit cards. On top of this, the UK government has brought in extra legislation to ensure that all other forms of payment are covered by the no-fee rule too so that covers Amex cards as well.
Why My Citi Prestige Card Has To Go
I recently wrote a post discussing annual fees and explaining how I go about deciding if I should keep a credit or charge card when the annual fee becomes due and, just recently, it was decision time on the Citi Prestige card.
I’ve been a fan of the Citi Prestige card since it was first launched and, even after the devaluation back in July this year, I still thought the card was worth keeping.
But things change and my recent review of what exactly I’m getting for my $450 annual fee didn’t come out looking too positive.
How Not To Work Out The “Value” You’re Getting From Your Points
Points valuations are a personal thing and will vary from person to person. I value points quite conservatively so you won't see me assign a value of over 2 cents/point to any currency I hold but I know a few people who do just that. There's nothing wrong with this - we all use our points in different ways and that's going to affect our valuations - but sometimes it would appear that people forget (or misunderstand) the meaning of the word "value".
Is A Credit Card Fee Worth It? Work Out Your Break Even Point
If you're a true miles and points enthusiast your wallet is almost certainly crammed full of credit cards that have one purpose or another in your life. You may use most of your credit cards on a daily basis or you may have a core few that you use from day to day with the rest only appearing when a specific need arises, but one thing is for sure - you pay annual fees on a good number of your credit cards.
How You Should Book The Citi Prestige 4th Night Free Benefit
Last week the Park Hyatt offers I wrote about reminded me of one of the major reasons I liked the Citi Prestige card in the first place - the 4th Night Free benefit - and they also reminded me to write a post explaining why one of the two ways you can book the 4th night free benefit is a lot better than the other.
BIG NEWS: Marriott Announces New Credit Card Deal With Chase AND Amex
Marriott's takeover of Starwood threw into question the future of the hotel chain's credit card contract. Marriott has traditionally had its co-branded cards issued by Chase while Starwood has had a long association with Amex and we've been waiting to hear what the outcome of recent negotiations would be.
Now we know.
AAdvantage Aviator Card Holders Can Earn Up To 20 Miles/$ Through Sunday
American Airlines has been sending out emails to AAdvantage Aviator credit card holders offering them up to 20 miles per dollar on spending at the AAdvantage eShopping store. Before you get overly excited you should know that the greatly enhanced earning rates are only available at a few select stores....but this could still be an economical way of racking up some AAdvantage miles while doing your Holiday shopping.
This offer appears to have been running for a few days so I'm not sure why I've only just received the email but, that aside, the offer looks interesting.
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.
Citi Has Added Avianca LifeMiles As A Transfer Partner – Please Be Careful
Citibank will be losing Hilton Honors as a transfer partner in just a few weeks time but, while that will leave the ThankYou Points program without any hotel partners at all, at least Citi is still working on the airline side of things.
Citi ThankYou Program Drops Hilton As A Partner
As of January 2018 Citi will lode the right to issue Hilton co-branded credit cards as the hotel chain gives American Express exclusivity over its credit cards. With that in mind it's not all that big of a surprise that Citi has announced that it will be dropping Hilton as a transfer partner for its ThankYou points program.
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.
Here’s How To Earn More Citi ThankYou 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.
Here’s How To Earn More Chase Ultimate 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.
This Is A Fantastic Credit Card Offer For California Residents
I don't often write about credit card sign-up bonuses because, to be frank, I don't find most of them to be all that fantastic or exceptional (with a few occasional exceptions). But now we have a credit card sign-up bonus from Southwest & Chase that, as long as you're a California resident, is one you shouldn't be passing up.
Amex Increases SPG Referral Bonus To 90,000 Per Year (UK Only)
In what I assume is a play to sign-up as many cardholders as possible before Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest are merged, Amex (UK) has boosted the annual maximum referral bonus from 25,000 to 90,000 Starpoints. This takes the bonus past the 55,000 Starpoints that US cardholders can currently earn every year.
Points, Points, Points! Double Avios For Shopping, Bonus Chase Ultimate Rewards & Double Carlson...
There's a small points bonanza going on at the moment and for those interested in Avios, Chase Ultimate Rewards points and Club Carlson Gold points there are some very good opportunities to earn bonus points without much effort.
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.
Citi ThankYou 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 second of four posts, I'm taking a look at Citi ThankYou Rewards.
Chase Ultimate 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 first (of four) posts I'm taking a look at Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Is Citi About To Change The Citi Prestige Card Again?
When the Citi Prestige card first launched some of the benefits it offered were genuinely new in the miles & points universe and the card caught a lot of people's imaginations (mine included). Benefits like a 4th night free at hotels and the ability to use Citi ThankYou points at an elevated rate for American Airlines bookings were examples of the new things we saw and the inclusion of an Admirals Club membership, a Priority Pass membership and a $250 per year airline credit all made a pretty compelling case for getting the card.
Here’s A US Airline Credit Card That IS Worth Getting Right Now – The...
On Friday I wrote a post explaining why I think the British Airways Visa Card from Chase is redundant and at the end of July I wrote a post on why I hold just one airline credit card in my reasonably large credit card portfolio (I was wrong, I actually have two!).... but today I'm actually going to write about an airline credit card that people should be taking note of right now - the AAdvantage® Aviator™ Red World Elite Mastercard®
Barclaycard USA Pilot Program Allows You To Buy Miles From 1 Cent Each
At the beginning of 2017 Citibank's monopoly on issuing AAdvantage credit cards was broken thanks to a deal American Airlines inked with Barclaycard USA....and this has seen some innovation in the AAdvantage credit card sector.
Citi's offerings had become somewhat stale so, when Barclaycard opened up its AAdvantage Aviator cards to new applications in January, it was a welcome change for a lot of customers.
There’s A New Virgin Atlantic Credit Card Sign Up Bonus….And I Really Don’t Like...
Just the other day I wrote a post about how I think Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles should be getting more useful in the near future.....so you'd think I'd be excited to hear that there's a new 90,000 mile sign up bonus on the Virgin Atlantic Mastercard. But I'm not. In fact I think the offer is so poor that the main reason I'm writing this post is to try to show people why most really shouldn't be signing up.
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.
Beware The Hidden Costs Of Some “Good Deals”
I love the miles & points world because it allows me to take trips that I otherwise wouldn't be able to afford and it allows me to enjoy modern day travel in a level of comfort that most never get to experience - I'm really very lucky. But it's not all plain sailing and, if you're not careful, it can be easy to fall into a few less-than-obvious-traps and it can be easy to think that a deal is a lot better (cheaper) that it really is.
I Hold Just One Airline Credit Card…..And Here’s Why
What credit cards we all hold will vary considerably depending on our individual circumstances but I thought I'd share with you why it is that, despite holding over fifteen credit cards (which isn't that many compared to some), I only actually hold one airline card in my collection. This isn't by chance or by omission this is simply because I don't think I need any more airline credit cards right now.
Dilemma: Should I Keep The Club Carlson Premier Visa Card?
One of the many credit Cards I hold is the Club Carlson Premier Rewards Visa Signature Card (or the Club Carson Visa card as I'm going to refer to it for the rest of this post) and I'm not sure how much relevance it still holds for me.
The card comes with a $75 annual fee but I got it back in the glory days when it came with one of the single best credit card perks of the time - a free award night when you redeem points for two or more award nights (up to 50 bonus nights per year).
Reminder: Be Careful Which Currency You’re Paying In When Abroad
One of the biggest benefits I get from a number of my credit cards is that they waive foreign transaction fees when I'm traveling abroad and spending in a foreign currency. Considering how much I travel, the savings I make by using credit cards that don't charge me foreign transaction fees save me hundreds of dollars every year.
But just using a credit card that doesn't charge foreign transaction fees is often not enough to make sure you're not paying more than you should be when making purchases abroad - I'm referring specifically to the practice of "dynamic currency conversion"
Here’s Why You Should Check Your Credit Card Statement For More Than Just Fraud
I suspect that most people reading this blog are savvy enough to know that you should never just assume that the charges on your credit card are correct - banks have become very good at detecting fraud but things still slip through the net all the time and you never know when you're scheduled to be someone's victim. Sadly fraud is a fact of life but we know about it so we can look out for it when our statements come in....and most people do just that. But most people also do only that. They don't check anything else.
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?
REMINDER: Citi Prestige Devaluation Approaching – Time To Use Those Points?
When the Citi Prestige card came to market it brought with it some fantastic benefits and bonuses that helped change the landscape of the miles & points credit card world - yes, I think the card has been that important.
Up to the point at which Citi unleashed the Prestige card on the world the best known "high fee" card was probably the Platinum Card from Amex.....and that was a card on a slippery slope to irrelevance.
The Citi Prestige may come with a $450 annual fee (the same as the Platinum Card up until recently) but it was also introduced with benefits, perks and bonuses that more than made up for this outlay
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.
The Mistake That Cost Me A Credit Card & May Affect My Credit Score
I have a lot of credit cards - not as many as some but a lot more than most - and I'm normally pretty good at keeping track of them. I have spreadsheets that keep track of my spending on each card, I have all my cards set up for autopay to make sure that I never miss a payment (and I never have) and I have alerts set up for everything from payments due to charges over a certain limit..... so I like to think that I keep my credit well organised. Well, it turns out I'm not as organised as I thought I was.
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.
Don’t Just Blindly Accept Your Credit Card Annual Fee
With airlines becoming ever more stingy in the way they hand out miles/points it's never been more important to make sure you're maximising your earnings from elsewhere...and there's no better way to earn miles and points than with credit card spend. The problem is that the credit cards that will earn you the most points or that have the better benefits tend not to be free and the cost of holding these cards is therefore part of the cost of earning the miles and points.
Why Now Could Be A Good Time To Get A Credit Card
I'm considerably more conservative than a lot of miles and points enthusiasts when it comes to how many credit cards I open and how often I churn my portfolio....but I still take a great deal of interest when there's a nice sign-up bonus on offer.
Just recently I signed up for the new Chase Sapphire Reserve card to get the 100,000 point sign-up bonus that the card is currently offering and also because I know I can really maximise the bonus categories that come as part of the benefits of the card.
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!
Chase Marriott Visa Offering 2x Points At Costco
Earlier today I posted about Chase emailing out promotions on some of their co-branded credit cards that offer bonus points for spending over $1,000 in a single transaction and I took a look at just how good (or bad) those offer are. It turns out that Chase has another offer out there and this time it's for its Marriott Rewards Visa card - double points on spend at wholesale clubs.
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.
Two Chase Credit Card Bonus Promotions – But Are They Any Good?
I hold a number of Chase co-branded credit cards and, towards the end of last week, I received two very similar promotions from Chase both of which offer me an opportunity to earn bonus points. Both of the promotions are clearly designed to entice me to put more spend on my co-branded Chase credit cards and, as I'm sure quite a few readers would have received very similar emails, I thought I'd take a look at just how good these promotions are and if they're worth considering.
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.
Citi Still Sending $50 Amazon Gift Cards As A “Thank You”
The Citi Prestige Mastercard has taken a bit of a beating recently following the news that a number of its better benefits are either being scaled back or removed completely. The card's cause hasn't been helped by the recent introduction of the Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit card which has got a lot of people all whipped up in a frenzy. But, as I pointed out in my review, the Prestige card still has some merits and I've just been a recipient of an unexpected one.
Get A Free Night At Waldorf Astoria, Conrad And Curio Hotels
Travelers who hold a Visa Signature or Visa Infinite Credit card can take advantage of a nice offer from Visa Signature's Luxury Hotel Collection which gives you a free night at one of 50 participating Waldorf Astoria, Conrad and Curio properties when you book a stay of 2 nights or more.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card: Why This Is Going To End Badly!
If you're at all interested in miles & points you couldn't have missed all the noise and excitement surrounding the launch of Chase's new high-cost/high-value credit card (Chase Sapphire Reserve) a couple of weeks ago. To a degree the excitement has been completely justified as the card comes with a great 100,000 point sign-up bonus (after $4,000 spend in the first 3 months) and offers a few tempting benefits too....but I'm not sure everyone is seeing the full picture.
The Citi Prestige Credit Card – An Unbiased Opinion
I got the Citi Prestige at the end of last year when I decided that my Citi AAdvantage Executive card wasn't worth the $450/year annual fee and when I could see a real benefit to holding the Citi Prestige credit card instead (which, coincidentally, also costs $450/year).
The New Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card – It’s Official
If you follow the miles & points world with any regularity you will have to have been somewhere very remote and internet-free over the past two weeks not to have heard the rumors about a new high-end Chase credit card that's supposedly coming to market soon. Either that or you forgot to pay your internet bill.
Well, the rumours were correct and Chase has confirmed that the card will exist and that it will be launching "next week".
Citi Introduces New Rule To Limit Sign-Up Bonuses
Travelers who enjoy churning credit cards for their sign-up bonuses have taken a series of hits in the past 18 months and things have just taken another turn for the worse.
The first to put a spanner in the churners' works was American Express when it announced that customers could only earn one sign-up bonus per credit card. Period. Then Citi introduced an 18 month and then 24 month limit on sign-up bonuses for the same credit card. Chase went one further than Citi with its rule that, for the most part, meant it would reject applications from individuals who had applied for more than 5 credit cards, from any bank, in the preceding 24 months.
But now Citi has upped the stakes again with another change to its sign-up bonus rules.
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.
Boost Your Miles & Points Balances – Think Before You Spend
It's not a secret that one of the key elements to building up large miles and points balances is credit card spend, but simply using your credit cards when you go shopping isn't where things end. If you put a bit of thought into what you're doing before you hand over your credit card for a purchase it's possible to earn significantly more miles & points than you may realise.
American Airlines Announces New Credit Card Deal With Citi AND Barclaycard
We've known for a while that American Airlines' credit card deal with Citi was being renegotiated as the current deal draws to an end and we've been waiting to hear what any new deal has in store for customers. Today we should start to find out as American Airlines announced a new deal with Citi and, somewhat surprisingly, a new deal with Barclaycard US.
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.
Free Travel In London With MasterCard Tomorrow (Monday 29 Feb)
Just a quick reminder that tomorrow, Monday 29 February, is the first of three Mondays where UK MasterCard holders can enjoy free travel on the whole Transport For London Network just by using their UK MasterCard with Apple Pay.
Citi ThankYou Points Coming To Amazon “Shop With Points”
Citi is sending out emails to holders of its ThankYou points-earning credit cards (Citi Prestige, Citi ThankYou etc...) to let them know that they will soon be able to use ThankYou points to make purchases at Amazon.com.
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.
The Credit Card Reshuffle Begins
Earlier this month I wrote a series of posts going though which travel related credit cards I hold and why (Which Credit Cards I Hold & Why?). The posts were as much for me as anyone else because they made me think about the credit cards I hold and made me justify their place in my wallet. At the time I noted that a few cards were reaching the end of their useful life and, when a annual fee became due on one of them, I decided to pull the plug.
New & Better AAdvantage Aviator Red Promotion
There were reports, last week, of AAdvantage Aviator Red credit card holders receiving a promotion in the mail that offered them 30,000 AAdvantage miles if they spend $2,500/month on their card for the next 6 months. I can’t say I was particularly impressed.
Credit Card Pitfalls – Overestimating Benefits Part 2
In part 1 in this series of 2 posts (Credit Card Pitfalls - Overestimating The Benefits Part 1) I wrote about how it's easy to be dazzled by the array of benefits a travel rewards credit card offers and to forget to check just how much value you're actually deriving from those benefits. In today's second and final part, I'll take a look at how it's easy to miss the bigger picture when presented with some of the points earning benefits of a travel rewards credit 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.
Credit Card Pitfalls – Overestimating The Benefits Part 1
Yesterday I wrote a post which addressed who I think should be considering a travel rewards credit card and why (Travel Rewards Credit Cards - What? Who? Why?) as well as discussing who should be steering well clear of them. This post is about one the many pitfalls I've seen people fall into when it comes to selecting and keeping their travel rewards credit cards.
Travel Rewards Credit Cards – What? Who? Why?
I know some extremely intelligent people who, for one reason or another, don't seem to be able to grasp just what they're passing up when they don't participate in at least some of the numerous loyalty programs out there. The most common excuse I hear is that it takes too much effort to collect miles and points, but that's just nonsense.
What Credit Cards I Hold & Why – Final Part
The final part in a series looking at what credit cards cards I hold and why. This blog looks at the last two travel rewards cards that I hold, the AAdvantage Aviator Red credit card and the Club Carlson Premier Rewards Visa - what benefits do they give me and are they worth their annual fees?
What Credit Cards I Hold & Why: Part 3 – Citibank
A look at the Citi Credit cards I hold and why I've been holding them....together with a few reasons why they may soon be making way in my wallet.
What Credit Cards I Hold & Why: Part 2 – Chase
I get quite a few messages from readers and Twitter followers asking what credit cards I like to hold and which ones I recommend so I thought a walk-through of the cards I hold (and why I hold them) could be helpful in this post I look at my credit cards from Chase.
Serve® Now Reloadable At Rite Aid & Dollar General
Serve is a brand of pre-paid card from American Express and, while targeted at the large "underbanked" demographic in the US, it has proven...
HSBC UK Reward Points Program Devalued by 50%
HSBC UK has been sending out letters to holders of the HSBC Premier Credit Card informing them of an upcoming devaluation in their rewards system.
HSBC is citing the recent changes in EU legislation as the reason why it is halving the redemption value of rewards point earned on purchases.
40,000 Avios From Amex Platinum (UK) – Limited Time Deal
For the next three days (until 18 November) the UK version of the American Express Platinum Charge Card is offering an increased signup bonus of 40,000 American Express Membership Rewards points after you spend £2,000 in the first 90 days of having the card.
Make Life Easier In Europe – Use US Credit Cards Via Apple Pay
How using Apple Pay when traveling in Europe can make your life easier if you're using a Credit Card without chip-and-pin technology. It can save time in various shops, stores, restaurants, gas stations and stops you having to explain that you have a credit card that still requires a signature.
Chase Double Stay, Double Go Promotion
Chase have brought out an interesting promotion for holders of some of their co-branded credit cards.
Throughout November holders of any of the Chase Marriott Rewards Card will earn double points on purchases with United Airlines while holders of co-branded United cards (personal and business) will earn double miles at Marriott properties around the world.
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...
Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Bonus Miles (Targeted)
Barclays has been sending out emails to some of its customers with AAdvantage Aviator Cards (formerly US Airways cards) offering bonus points on spending...
Chip-And-Pin Credit Cards Slowly Coming To The USA
The US banking system as a whole is incredibly backward. Certain things that are taken for granted in a lot of European countries (fee-free...
Think Hard About The Chase BA Visa 100,000 Avios Bonus – It’s Not As...
A lot of the miles & points blogs have been getting overly exited in the last few days because Chase has brought back a...
Credit Card News & Offers
