Background

I couldn’t find an affiliate blog that wasn’t talking about Richard Kerr’s / Bilt’s Blit’s new Cardless issued credit card lineup yesterday. Of course being the subject that affiliates talk about for a day doesn’t necessarily mean the Bilt lineup is bad, but it does mean you should be even more skeptical than normal and look at the content as though it were written by a marketing agency, because it was. But I’m getting ahead of myself, let’s MEAB style distill the news without 2,000 word articles:

  • Bilt commemorated the launch with a stupid banana trophy to make fun of manufactured spenders
  • There are three flavors cards, each with a different annual fee, multiplier, and set of coupon credits:
    • $0 annual fee, 1x everywhere
    • $95 annual fee, 3x on dining or grocery (max $25,000), 2x travel, 1x everywhere
    • $495 annual fee, 2x everywhere
  • Bilt invented a new currency that’s earned at 4x, Itchy and Scratchy Money Bilt Cash
  • Bilt Cash’s only use is to allow you to earn points for paying your rent or mortgage with a Bilt card
  • For the only churner on the planet without a Priority Pass, $495 will get you one
  • There are more hotel credits that aren’t really worth much
  • There are small sign-up bonuses

There are other largely meaningless card features too, but I promise they almost certainly don’t matter to an average churner.

Talking Points that Affiliates Can’t Say

Affiliate relationships tightly control the content of news articles, so let’s mention a few things that they can’t:

  • Cardless doesn’t like manufactured spenders
  • A shutdown from Cardless is a lifetime Cardless ban
  • There’s a good chance that a Cardless shutdown means forfeited points for the most recent statement cycle
  • Bilt’s best transfer partner is Hyatt – you can spend $495 for 2x Hyatt everywhere with Bilt and it might last a while without cycling, but you can earn 1.5x Hyatt everywhere with a Chase Ink Unlimited which is much more tolerant and has a much bigger sign-up bonus
  • Many of the card’s advertised benefits come by virtue of being a Mastercard and you’ve probably got those same benefits on other cards
  • If you use an affiliate blogger’s link, they’re earning several hundreds of dollars in Bilt kickback; their sign-up bonus is probably bigger than yours (by all means, support affiliate bloggers if you like them, just make it a conscious choice and not a default one)

Finally, let’s talk about converting existing Wells Fargo Bilt cards:

  • You’re going to have yet another new personal card on your credit report
  • You may not be approved even if you have the Wells Fargo card
  • You’ve got to decide to convert by January 30 to avoid another hard pull
  • You won’t get a sign-up bonus as part of the conversion

For those keeping track at home, this is the third new credit card on personal credit reports for early Bilt adopters.

The MEAB Wrap

The affiliate hype machine is great at getting the word out and great at getting you excited, but it’s also good at glossing over the negatives. When a media blitz hits, be extra careful. There’s value in Bilt 2.0, but there’s plenty of downside too and a looming threat of a shutdown.

What’s my takeaway? Well, personally I just want the banana trophy or a replica as a peace offering from Richard Kerr.

Happy Thursday!

Look, sometimes misspellings are intentional, just ask Dell about its Caps Lcok key.

  1. Do this now: Register for Hilton’s new promotion for 2,000 bonus points for every stay through April 30.
  2. The Bank of America Business Advantage Unlimited card has $500 sign-up bonus after $5,000 spend in 90 days. The card in its default state is 1.5% cash back everywhere, but in its boosted state, it’s 2.625% cash back everywhere. (See the next item)
  3. Bank of America has a tiered sign-up bonus for new business checking accounts when you apply through a small business banker:

    – $1,000 bonus with $20,000 in new funds
    – $1,500 bonus with $50,000 in new funds

    If you bring $100,000 in new funds, you’ll earn Platinum Honors status which boosts earning on cash-back Bank of America cards tied to the same business. Note that new accounts can fast-track the status to avoid parking funds for a year, and note that you can churn these bank accounts and thus the fast-tracked status. There are rumors that the program is changing in May though, so #bonvoyed either way I guess.
  4. Capital One has a 15% transfer bonus to Avianca LifeMiles through February 11.
  5. Spirit 90% off of base fares for travel on sale with promo code 90PCT for flights that depart on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays Between January 21 March 4 booked by tonight. A mini FAQ:

    – Will Spirit still be around by March 4? Maybe, it’s iffy
    – Will you get your money back if they’re not? Maybe, it’s iffy
    – Will you find MEAB flying Spirit? That one’s not iffy

    In case you’re wondering how many Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays this sale covers: I counted, there are 17. But don’t worry, Spirit threw three blackout dates in there too, so, on-brand.

Happy Wednesday!

From the future: The remnants of Spirit airlines in December, 2026.

We talked way back in 2021 about loosey goosey language in Citi’s Terms and Conditions that let you double dip sign-up bonuses on some cards. A lot of things have changed since 2021 (duh), and Citi games have changed slightly too. Let’s pick a particular card, like the stupidly named Citi AAdvantage Globe Mastercard, and dive into its Terms and Conditions:

  • “bonus miles are not available if you have received a new account bonus from a [Citi AA Globe card] in the past 48 months”
  • “bonus miles are not available … if you converted another Citi credit card account on which you earned a bonus in the last 48 months into a [Citi AA Globe card]”

So, you can’t get a bonus if you had one in the past four years from the same card, effectively. With that in mind, let’s go over a couple of Citi’s application rules:

  • Must wait eight days between applications
  • No more than two cards every 65 days.
  • Bonus eligibility is attached at the time of application

With a card like the Globe, you’ve got four months to hit the spend bonus, which gives you time for apply for four cards within the first card’s bonus window. Specifically, you could apply on day 0, day 8, day 65, and day 74, and you’d still meet Citi’s application rules and have another 56 days before the bonus period on the first card is up. Once you’ve been approved for all the cards, which frankly is unlikely in-and-of-itself, you can hit the bonus spend on all four, and get the bonus four times. Wowza.

Now let’s talk about reality. Should you do this? Almost certainly not, because:

  • AA bans users with too many bonuses in a year, and this will probably trigger it
  • You’d have four new Citi accounts on your credit report in a couple of months
  • Citi fraud analysts won’t like what they see if they look
  • Other banks won’t like what they see if they look
  • A single Globe card is generally a bad option, four of them is four times as many bad options

Ok, so the concept is cool in theory and bad in practice, why talk about it? Citi isn’t the only bank out there, and you may find that your local LardLand Credit Union in Lubbock, TX has credit card bonuses that work the same way, but don’t necessarily report to the credit bureaus. Now you’re in business.

Happy Tuesday!

More bad ideas in scale.

  1. Do this now: Check for targeted spend bonuses on Chase co-brand cards. Offers are 6,000-10,000 bonus points for $6,000-$10,000 spend by March 31.
  2. Do this now: Register for your targeted United MileagePlay bonus. I got 32,000 bonus miles after taking two premium cabin flights of at least $650 each booked and flown by March 9, which is a solid “meh”.
  3. Reportedly the Chase Freedom Unlimited card has an in-branch only offer for $300 after $500 spend in three months and 5x on gas and groceries for the first year through Thursday.

    I’m sure you can think of a way or two to make 5x at gas and grocery profitable, and remember, not all the ways rhyme with shmift shard. (Thanks to DoC).
  4. United launched its 2026 status match opportunity, and for the first time in a decade, you can match to 1K. Status is valid for four months and includes reduced tiers to maintain status.

    Generally Star Alliance Gold is a valuable status to hold especially for lounge access, but less so on United. (Thanks to FM)
  5. Staples stores have fee-free $200 Visa gift cards through Saturday, limit nine per transaction. If you can’t find cards at your store, someone probably hid them behind another gift card because people can be monsters.

    These are Pathward / BlackHawk Network gift cards.

Happy Monday friends!

What a human Monster might look like.

  1. Hyatt’s 2026 corporate status match, which instantly awards Explorist status through February 2028 and offers a fast track to Globalist with 20 nights in 90 days, is now available.

    You’ve got to have a big company email address to make this work, or you’ve got to be creative. Or, ¿por qué no los dos?
  2. The Chase Ink Business Preferred card has an increased sign-up bonus of 100,000 Ultimate Rewards after $8,000 spend in three months, and the $95 annual fee is not waived in the first year.

    This offer is also available via referrals, but only for new Chase Business customers.
  3. The Rakuten American Express card has a heightened sign-up bonus of $100 after $1,000 spend in 90 days, and the card carries no annual fee. The ability to earn unlimited 2x Membership Rewards (or temporarily Bilt Rewards) at grocery makes this card an Unsung Hero candidate.
  4. The Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Visa has an increased sign-up bonus of five free-night certificates after $3,000 spend in three months, and the $95 annual fee is not waived the first year. Each certificate is worth up to 50,000 points. Remember with Marriott you’ll still pay resort fees and for parking on award stays, and 50,000 points probably doesn’t get you the kind of hotel you think it should.

    This offer should be available for referrals on Monday.
  5. There’s a targeted offer for $50 back on $250+ in airfare for existing Marriott Bonvoy Boundless cardholders, and its usable once between now and the end of June, and then once more between July and December.
  6. PSA: There’s a link floating around major blogs for the Bank of America Atomos Ascent Visa with a sign-up bonus of 80,000 miles after $4,000 spend in 120 days. This link isn’t generic, it’s someone’s referral link.

    If you’re interested in the card, use a friend or another player’s referral link instead for the same offer, and they’ll get 10,000 miles too. 👏 Always know the provenance of links you’re using.👏
  7. Stop & Shop and Giant stores have 2x points on Mastercard gift cards through Thursday.

    These are Pathward / BlackHawk Network gift cards.

Have a nice weekend friends!

Paid parking on award stays? Non-issue at the Courtyard Anaheim because at 74,000 points/night, your certificate won’t even work. #bonvoyed

  1. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Marcus Apple Card portfolio will be moving to Chase with a deal inked yesterday. There’s a chance that current Apple Card holders banned by Chase may find their way back as part of the acquisition based on prior deals, but it’s definitely not a guarantee. (Thanks to mforch)
  2. The Nilson report for credit card purchase volume in 2024 by issuer was leaked on reddit yesterday. I believe the data to be dubiously accurate.

    Two questions: (1) Do you have a card from every issuer on the list? And (2), why not? If banned from Chase, see the previous item.
  3. Kroger has a 4x fuel points promotion on third party gift cards and fixed value Visa and Mastercards through Tuesday, January 20. As usual, Amazon and third party fuel gift cards are excluded from the promotion.

    In a Pepper-free, lame-Newegg world, market rates are surprisingly good for a January.
  4. Southwest has a fare sale for travel between January 26 and May 13 booked by tonight using promo code DREAMBIG. Yes, someone at Southwest dreamt of blackout dates, and yes they made that dream real.

Happy Thursday!

The Marcus-Chase card deal contract, with banana for scale.

There are lots of relatively obvious ways to scale your churning, like:

  • Multiple players
  • Multiple accounts
  • Multiple phone numbers

Let’s say that the fictitious FinTech, auspiciously named FinTechX, earns you $22 every time you move $1,000 through the platform. Let’s further assume that moving $1,000 takes you a couple of minutes each time, and that you’re limited to $1,000 per rolling 24 hours.

Great, you’ve found cheap money! But, watch out for things that will inevitably slow your earn, like:

  • Forgetting to load right when you can, pushing your next 24 hour window later and later
  • Fumbling through different profiles, possibly missing one in the process
  • Not spinning up even more accounts because it’s more hassle every day
  • Missing days altogether because you’re too busy

Automation fixes effectively all of those issues, and frees you up to do other things. Don’t ignore it! Quick, no-context options for (relatively) easy automation:

Happy Wednesday, and if you got booted from the ‘Kate Spade Portal Sadness’ Telegram group, please rejoin – it was a Telegram bug.

Another automation option, but it’s not cheap or easy.

  1. Expired free night certificates used to be worth 10,000 points for a category 1-4 certificate, or 20,000 points for a category 1-7 certificate if you called Hyatt right after expiration and asked, as long as those certificates were from the Hyatt program and not a partner like AA or Chase. That was nerfed, with the new values:

    – Category 1-4 expired certificate: 2,500 points
    – Category 1-7 expired certificate, 5,000 points

    It beats the devaluation points for Club Upgrade Award certificates for Globalists I guess.
  2. Chase Pay Yourself Back on the Sapphire Reserve Business card removed all bonus categories except for “Select Charities”, and the boost on that category dropped from 50% to 25%. #bonvoyed

    The personal Sapphire Reserve is unaffected. (Thanks to Chris)
  3. Staples stores have fee-free $200 Mastercard gift cards through Saturday, limit nine per transaction.

    These are Pathward / BlackHawk Network cards.
  4. Stop & Shop, Giant, and Martins  have 10x points on Lowes gift cards through Thursday. Of course their little brother Giant Food is only 4x. Why? Because reasons.
  5. JetBlue has 26% off of base fares booked by tomorrow for travel between January 13 and February 28 using code GO26. Of course there are blackouts, and also all Fridays and Saturdays are #NOGO26. You can stack this with a Citi Merchant offer for $50 off of $200+ too.

    Did I hear you want discounted Mint or transatlantic, or worse, discounted Mint+transatlantic? JetBlue was quoted as saying “That’s a nah from me dawg. Just ask Giant Food.”

Have a nice Tuesday!

It’s not all sadness at Giant Food though, their seasonal section carries this beauty.