Year: 2024

  1. Do this now: Register for IHG’s second Q4 promotion for 3x points at several brands you’ve probably never heard of for stays October through December. (Thanks to FM)
  2. Best Western Hotels has launched two new credit cards issued by Mercury Financial, and in addition to the sign-up bonuses there are spend bonuses too, like a free night certificate after $10,000 spend on the Premium card:

    – Premium Signature Visa: 80,000 points after $5,000 spend in three months, $89 annual fee
    – Rewards Signature Visa: 40,000 points after $1,500 spend in three months, $49 annual fee

    Both of these sign up bonuses say “up to” and that your bonus will appear before you submit your application, so double check that they haven’t tried to #bonvoy you during the sign-up flow. Speaking of Bonvoy, how do Best Western points values compare? Well, two things: (1) They’re worth 10-20% more than Bonvoy points, and (2) you’re staying at a Best Western, so discount as appropriate.
  3. The American Express Hilton cards have increased sign-up bonuses, and they’re available via referral so go that route before using any public link, and yes it’s ok for P1 to refer P2:

    – Business: 175,000 Hilton points after $8,000 spend in six months
    – Aspire: 175,000 Hilton points after $6,000 spend in six months
    – Surpass: 165,000 Hilton points after $3,000 spend in six months
    – Honors: 100,000 Hilton points after $2,000 spend in six months

    Sometimes these offers appear with free-night certificates too but not this time. Also, remember “to get out of PUJ use BBT”.
  4. The Synchrony Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard is now available. The card’s vitals:

    – 40,000 points after $3,000 spend in 90 days
    – Upgrade certificates or other rewards after $15,000 and $30,000 annual spend
    – 2x at dining and grocery, and other less fun categories
    – $99 annual fee

    In the current state of the rewards landscape, Synchrony cards are slightly preferable to many other issuers, which makes this card worthwhile for me even though it’s a personal card.
  5. Giant Foods, Giant (which is the same-ish but different), Martins, and Stop & Shop stores have 10x points on Home Depot gift cards through Thursday of next week, limit $2,000 per rewards account. (Thanks to GCG)
  6. Chase Offers and BankAmeriDeals have 10% back at Sheraton Hotels, W Hotels, and TownPlace Suite hotels on between $100 and $570 in spend with various expiration dates.

For photos that are, you know, mildly interesting

Giant and Giant Foods stores, but as Oreos.

  1. The Kroger family has a 4x fuel points promotion on third party gift cards excluding Amazon, and fixed value Visa and Mastercards purchased in-store through October 1.

    Demand in the fuel points resale market has cooled slightly but there’s still capacity available for sellers. Pepper’s recent changes have stabilized the gift card resale market for BestBuy in particular.
  2. Fun fact: I was banned by Chase in approximately 2001 for non-churning reasons, and then in 2004 Chase bought BankOne, a bank where I had existing credit and deposit accounts. The acquisition got me back with Chase. In related news, the Goldman Sachs Apple credit card portfolio is reportedly close to being acquired by the very same Chase bank.

    Astute readers will note that 2024 is very different than 2004, and in 20 years it turns out there’s been verifiable change in the world even though it still kinda looks like it used to. So will it work that way again? I’d say the chance is small, but you miss all the shots you don’t take, right? (Sportsball taught me that.)
  3. The Alaska Airlines acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines was completed yesterday, and according to the press release you’ll be able to transfer your miles between both programs without fee sometime in September. In yesterday’s recusals post, I said “I wouldn’t transfer Membership Rewards to Hawaiian miles for the conversion yet because there’s no bonus and you won’t win any prizes for transferring early.” But with the finalized acquisition, I’ve changed my tune because:

    – September only has a few weeks left and the waiting time for transfers is minimal
    – We don’t know if the Membership Rewards and Hawaiian contract has an exit clause that could be triggered by the acquisition, which might remove the option all-together a-la Bilt

    Quoting yesterday again because it’s still applicable, “[a]fter this debacle I wouldn’t believe anything you see on this site again personally.”
  4. American Express Offers has an offer for $300 back on $1,200 or more in purchases at Marriott Homes & Villas through December 17.

    In related news, gamers gonna game. (Thanks to DDG)

Redemption, 2004 style.

  1. Do this now: Register for Avis’s promotion for a free rental day after two rentals of two days or longer through February 28, 2025 up to five times. The free rental date window is October 9 – May 18, 2025.
  2. The DoT approved the merger between Hawaiian and Alaska airlines, provided that routes don’t change and that miles transfer between the programs at a 1:1 ratio until the programs merge. That means, assuming the merger completes:

    – Membership Rewards will be able to be converted to Alaska MilagePlan via HawaiianMiles
    – The Hawaiian co-branded Barclays cards are more valuable than they used to be

    I wouldn’t transfer Membership Rewards to Hawaiian miles for the conversion yet because there’s no bonus and you won’t win any prizes for transferring early.
  3. Apparently the Pepper gift card platform’s merchant categorization is now back to normal, and yesterday’s post was all a giant lie. We’re all free to earn 4x Membership Rewards through our gift card games.

    After this debacle I wouldn’t believe anything you see on this site again personally.
  4. Citi’s Flex Pay option, which creates a no-interest loan based on your card’s credit line, is now supported for travel booked through the Citi Travel portal. Why should you care? If you’ve got paid travel and you earn money for paying off your Citi cards, there’s a play here – just avoid cycling.
  5. The Bank of America AirFrance/KLM FlyingBlue Mastercard has a heightened sign-up bonus after $3,00 spend in 90 days. You’ve got two options:

    – $150 statement credit + 60,000 Miles + 100 XP (via dummy airfare booking)
    – 70,000 Miles + 100 XP

    Both versions give you annual XP bonuses, and the annual XP bonuses stack with one another too.

The official “Membership Rewards → HawaiianMiles” travel hacker shirt.

UPDATE: Apparently Pepper’s coding has reverted to its original Computer Supplies MCC, so move along, nothing to see here kid.

The Pepper gift card buying platform, one of the best vehicles in 2024 for transferring money from venture capitalist bank accounts to resellers wallets, had a change to its merchant account coding on Saturday: Charges are no longer showing as “Merchandise & Supplies – Computer Supplies”, but rather “Merchandise & Supplies – General Retail”.

Reportedly this change was intentional and forced on Pepper, and it won’t be reverted anytime soon. That means:

  • American Express Business Gold cards won’t earn 4x
  • American Express Business Platinum cards won’t earn 1.5x
  • Bank of America Business Advantage cards won’t earn +3x for Computer Services

That doesn’t mean the game is over, but it does mean that the game has shifted to cards which have a high overall payout for general spend, and potentially for cards like the legacy Citi AT&T Access More or the Bank of America Customized Cash personal card. Of course, cards that can earn extra by looping FinTechs might be good replacements too.

Good luck!

Live view of Pepper’s internals.

  1. Do this now: Activate Q4’s quarterly rotating credit card categories:

    – Chase Freedom: PayPal, McDonalds, pet shops, vets, and some charities
    – Discover IT: Amazon and Target
    – Citi Dividend: Currently the page errors out, cause #CitiGonnaCiti, but in theory it’s restaurants and Citi travel
    – US Bank Cash+: I choose utilities and electronics stores

    For gaming these in the absence of organic use: PayPal P2P works well, Amazon and Target both sell gift cards, utilities usually allow overpayments, and electronics stores like BestBuy sell gift cards. Amazon, Target, and electronics stores are also typically good targets for buying group activity.
  2. Do this now: Register for IHG’s Q4 promotion for 3,000 bonus points for every two nights stayed between this Thursday and December 31.
  3. The Citi Shop Your Way Rewards card, run by a team who seems to think that they’re a venture capitalist funding a FinTech that will make money “really soon now”™, sent mid-month offers for online spend. We’ve seen:

    – $30 statement credit after $500 spend
    – $50 statement credit after $750 spend
    – $75 statement credit after $1,000 spend
    – 200,000 Shop Your Way Rewards after $750 spend
    – 250,000 Shop Your Way Rewards after $1,000 spend

    (Thanks to Y, MS Ninja, BrandonV, and Jack)
  4. Citi ThankYou Points has two transfer bonuses running through October 19:

    – Leading Hotels of the World Leaders Club: 25% transfer bonus
    – Avianca LifeMiles: 25% transfer bonus

    Both are solid choices, and if you’ve never looked into Leaders Club redemptions, it’s probably worth your time to do it. (Thanks to yt-nthr-rddtr and Oofzies)
  5. The Chase Avios co-braneded cards have increased sign-up bonuses for 100,000 Avios after $7,500 spend in six months. You can choose between British Airways, Iberia, or Aer Lingus cards, and once you have Avios you can transfer them between programs. The $95 annual fee is not waived the first year. Note that smaller benefits, like economy companion certificates or flight statement credits after lots of spend aren’t the same on all three cards.

    Yes, it’s possible to collect all three, but maybe grab some Inks with a referral instead and transfer into Avios programs if you really need them?
  6. Meijer stores have 50,000 MPerks points for $500 in third party gift card purchases through September 28, limit one per MPerks account.

    We all know that you can only have one MPerks account per email address, and we all know that you can have only one email address, right?
  7. M&T Bank has a $350 bonus for opening a new checking account with promo code TN and direct depositing, or “direct depositing” $500 within 90 days. Some regions like California are excluded because reasons.

Who wouldn’t want $1,500 (times n cards) worth of this?

Warning: Lots of words today, sorry.

  1. Do this now: Register for 2,000 bonus points per two night or longer paid stays at Marriott properties through November 26.
  2. The American Express Delta cards have increased sign-up bonuses:

    – Gold: 80,000 SkyMiles after $3,000 spend in six months, annual fee waived
    – Platinum: 90,000 SkyMiles after $4,000 spend in six months
    – Reserve: 100,000 SkyMiles after $6,000 spend in six month

    – Gold Business: 90,000 SkyMiles after $6,000 spend in six months, annual fee waived
    – Platinum Business: 100,000 SkyMiles after $8,000 spend in six months
    – Platinum Reserve: 110,000 SkyMiles after $12,000 spend in six months

    There’s also a targeted offer for the personal Gold at 50,000 SkyMiles + $500 after $3,000 spend and a single Delta purchase in six months during a flight booking, so consider that too. Also, note that all three versions of the business cards still have offers for adding employee cards and spending, up to 99 times.
  3. The American Express Marriott Business card has a heightened sign up bonus for five 50,000 free night certificates after $8,000 spend in six months. The certificates expire after one year, and can be topped off with points for up to 15,000 additional points per night. I expect this offer will be available via referrals shortly, so maybe wait for a couple of days and get it via referral. This card also has offers for adding employee cards and spending, up to 99 times.

    When evaluating the value of this card, please check the points cost of properties you might be interested in staying at; 50,000 points isn’t exactly top-tier in the Marriott program. Also, remember you’ll still be paying for resort fees and parking when staying on your free night certificates.
  4. The Chase IHG cards have increased sign-up bonuses:

    – Personal IHG Premier: Five free night certificates (60,000 points each) after $4,000 spend in three months
    – Business IHG Premier: 200,000 points after $9,000 in tiered spend in three and six months

    Both of these are likely more valuable than their Marriott counterparts if IHG’s hotel footprint follows your travel patterns. Both will likely be available via referrals in a few days too – so practice patience again.
  5. Giant, Giant Foods, and Martins stores have 2x fuel points on Vanilla Visa gift card purchases through Thursday, limit $1,500 per account.
  6. Stop & Shop, which is part of the same conglomerate as Giant, Giant Foods, and Martins, has a 3x fuel points promotion on Vanilla Visa gift card purchases through Thursday with no limit currently specified. But, historically “no limit specified” doesn’t mean no limit at these stores, so mind the gap I guess.
  7. Staples has fee free $200 Visa gift cards starting Sunday and running through the following Saturday, limit nine per transaction.

    These are Pathward gift cards.

Have a nice weekend!

Note: Adding 99 employee cards to your new accounts does have side effects.
(Thanks to Malia for this unfortunately very real image)

Let’s focus on news from a few banks today:

  1. Bank of America’s Preferred Rewards status was removed from many business accounts on September 6, and it seems related to early enrollment during new account setup. If you’re affected, there are two action items:

    – Consider whether you want to pause spending on Bank of America cards until it’s fixed
    – Consider contacting Bank of America and opening a case

    Generally speaking, calling a bank as a manufactured spender about missing rewards isn’t the best idea, it’s kind of up there with betting in Vegas on John McCain winning the 2024 Presidential Election; but in this case I think the team you’ll be working with (Preferred Rewards) is sufficiently distant from the rest of banking that the risk is low and reward is potentially high. You’re all adults, so make your own judgement call.
  2. If you’ve given full, non-Bank of America card numbers to Bank of America representatives recently, consider locking or replacing those cards; there are multiple correlated reports of fraudulent charges that surfaced yesterday stemming from Bank of America.
  3. Bloomberg reports that Barclays is nearing completion of a deal to purchase the Marcus GM portfolio of credit cards in a few months. If you’re banned from Barlcays, getting a GM card now could be a way back in. UPDATE: This didn’t work for people banned by Barclays when they acquired the Banana Republic card, so adjust your calculus as necessary.

Have a nice Thursday!

Bank of America’s vault mirrors the rest of their technology stack.

Background

Loops in churning are powerful because you can stack earnings as a dollar flows from a credit card, to a FinTech, to another, to yet another, and eventually (hopefully) back to your bank account to pay off your credit card. Instead of earning 3x on a single purchase, a loop might push the net earnings on that purchase well above 3x.

But if it’s good once, isn’t it better multiple times? Yes, but as you scale those loops across multiple cards, multiple players, and multiple charges in flight, tracking becomes a non-trivial load. Imagine keeping track of the following every day, knowing that any step in the chain might have a failure that needs manual intervention:

  • Buy a $499.51 sportsbook gift card
  • Load the sportsbook gift card into a FinTech account intermediary
  • Load the FinTech account’s funds into a sportsbook
  • Play through at least $499.51 in funds
  • Withdraw the $499.51±(profit/loss) into a FinTech’s rewards account
  • Use the FinTech’s platform to pay your credit card

Great! Now do that again 10 times per player, for 15 players, each with different initial gift card amounts for tracking, every day. Also, don’t forget to run your other plays that aren’t sportsbook related for the day too. Finally make sure you haven’t lost something along the way; I hope you’re good at Excel, Beancount, SQL, or something else to track it.

The Brick Wall

Some of the best churners I’ve met eventually take a few months or more off because tracking takes time, dealing with sludge when something goes wrong takes time, frozen accounts take time, and in net the mental load can push them to hit a brick wall and burnout.

Once you’ve burned out and stop manufactured spend, you earn exactly $0 per day, $0 per week, and since America Loves Math™, $0 per month too.

The Lesson

A loop can turn 3x earning into 6x, but too much looping and tracking can eventually turn into burnout which earns 0x. So, don’t forget simplicity and don’t be afraid to skip most of the steps in a loop to keep yourself sane when the world comes running at you.

Happy Wednesday!

Counterpoint: Sometimes brick walls are fake.