Some new second and third tier credit cards have recently bounced, and often these are where the fun and real profit in the churning space lies. (Especially because payment services often work better with non-major cards.)
- The Bank of America Sonesta World Mastercard has a heightened sign-up bonus. This one’s vitals:
– $0 annual fee for the first year, $75 annual fee afterward
– 150,000 point sign-up bonus after $7,500 spend (tiered)
– 2x earn on dining and other noise
I’m guessing most of you aren’t familiar with Sonesta Hotels or their points program. They’ve got some rather nice properties, but they’ve also got a few infamous properties like Red Lion and America’s Best Value Inn. Their points are generally worth 1-2 cents each depending on the redemption, and redemptions vary between 10,000 points and 60,000 points with the vast majority of properties at or below 30,000 points. - The Credit One Bank Wander American Express card launched. Its vitals:
– $95 annual fee
– No sign-up bonus
– 5x on dining, gas, and other noise
Points are worth a fixed 1.0 cents each, and can be redeemed in batches of 1,000. - The Synchrony Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard waitlist opened yesterday. There’s no listed special bonus for signing up for the waitlist, but I don’t see how it could hurt to join (famous last words). The card’s vitals:
– $99 annual fee
– 40,000 point sign-up bonus with $3,000 spend in 90 days
– 3x earn on Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Hotels, and Virgin Voyages
– 2x on gas, grocery, EV charging, and other noise
– $15,000 and $30,000 annual spend rewards (companion certificate, hotel night, and other noise)
It earns Virgin Red points which can be freely transferred to Virgin Atlantic miles. You can also earn up to 50 Virgin Tier Points monthly allows you to reach Silver status on spend alone. (Thanks to DDG) - In May, Wells Fargo launched the Signify Business Mastercard and I missed writing about it, but it’s a nice base hit with Wells Fargo becoming more relevant nearly every day. This one’s stats:
– $0 annual fee
– $500 sign-up bonus after $5,000 spend in three months
– 2% cash back earning everywhere
Now, what’s Visa up to lately? There’s probably a lot at your local mid-sized credit union!
You’re supposed to have a portrait of someone who definitely knows what they’re talking about when you link to credit cards in a blog, right? MEAB FTW.