- Do this now: Register for bonus British Airways Executive Club tier points for paid flights booked by February 14 for travel any time after March.
British Airways Gold status traditionally was somewhat easy to game and had great value, but after March, the games are largely gone. - United has a status match to Silver, Gold, or Platinum, and an accompanying challenge running through June 30. The match is good for 120 days once it’s activated; but to activate it you have to take a United flight within 90 days of the match approval. You can retain status through the program year (through January 2027) with some Premier Qualifying Flights (PQF) and Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) earning.
Status is most useful for free checked bags, economy plus seating, and lounge access on international itineraries. In theory you can only match every five years, but also in theory: (1) communism works, and (2) the colors of gummy bears are evenly distributed. (Thanks to FM) - The Chase Marriott cards have increased sign up bonuses:
– Boundless: $150 statement credit + 100,000 Bonvoy points after $3,000 spend in three months, $99 annual fee
– Bold: A free night certificate for up to 50,000 points plus 60,000 Bonvoy points after $2,000 spend in three months, no annual fee
They’ve also introduced Pay Yourself Back on the cards at a rate of 0.8 cents per point, which is more than the market value of a Bonvoy point so actually pretty good. The bad news though? You’re limited to $750 in total redemptions annually. But at $750 + $150, you could turn the Boundless into a $900 sign-up bonus and convert it to a Ritz Carlton card after a year (a move we call the reverse Bonvoy). - Yesterday we talked about a Chase IHG Premier sign-up bonus with five free night certificates, but David let me know that there’s a different version of the sign-up bonus:
– Premier: 170,000 points after $4,000 spend in three months, $99 annual fee
– Rewards: 100,000 points after $2,000 spend in three months, no annual fee
I prefer points offers to capped free-night certificates approximately 122% of the time, but not everyone thinks like I do.
Theory doesn’t always predict the real world.