Year: 2026

We’ve had enough time in January to learn what works for the annual-fee-endowed American Express Platinum and Business Platinum card $200 calendar year airline incidental credits. So, how do we make those incidental credits worth something? The best quasi-cashout options seem to be:

  • United: Buy TravelBank credit directly. It expires in five years and can be used to pay for United flights. You can usually sell this for 88%+, and with a little trickery you can turn them into flexible credits good for other people and on other airlines  [more info]
  • Delta: Buy airfare and pay partially with a gift card or travel credit, pay for the remainder with your card (don’t go over $200 though). Alternatively if you have a co-branded American Express Delta card and are eligible for Pay with Miles with, pay partially with miles and the remainder will be credited provided it’s less than $200 [more info]
  • Alaska: Buy a seat upgrade after booking and chat your “seat selection fee” doesn’t post, buy a flight paid partially with Alaska wallet funds and partially with your AmEx (less than $100), then refund to your wallet after 24 hours, or change a ticket to a higher fare as long as its less than $200 in additional cost [more info]
  • American: Buy cheap airfare, then change it to a flight that you really want that costs more and pay with your credit card (don’t go over the credit amount though). If you want to gamble, you’ve got roughly even odds that award taxes and fees will count [more info]
  • Southwest: Buy a flight less than $109, or book an international flight with taxes under $109 per ticket, then refund to a travel credit. Combine with the Choice Extra fare bucket to get around name-locking  [more info]
  • JetBlue: There aren’t new 2026 datapoints yet, but likely 2025’s version still works: Buy a flight less than $137 then cancel the flight after 24 hours and refund to your JetBlue wallet [more info]
  • Spirit: Gutsy choice friend! I’ll be surprised if Spirit is still around by April, so make it quick. A Big Front Seat upgrade works, and airfare below approximately $60 also works [more info]

For bonus points, you’ve still got time to cash out your travel credits using last year’s selected airline, get reimbursed, and then change to a new airline online by January 31.

Have a nice Wednesday friends!

Haven’t had enough of 2026 style yet? Here’s 2026 fashion, apparently.

Over the weekend, an enterprising churner posted a quick demonstration about how under Bilt 2.0v2, you can earn more points with less spend. I don’t know why the post was deleted, but my theory is that after Bilt’s marketing team shifted into turbo-overdrive on bad press starting on Friday (to wit, they got the New York Times article about their launch debacle to dial-back its rhetoric and lean more Bilt friendly, removing “The most complicated rewards system we’ve seen” from the article’s title amongst other things), they shifted their sites to Reddit mods and worked hard on this Reddit /r/CreditCards article. Of course, maybe it’s for an entirely different reason, who knows?

The point of this article isn’t really about Bilt’s somewhat successful censorship though. Instead, my goal is to rehash how their 2.0v2 program can be beneficial for card holders, especially so for cardholders that have flexible leases with, for example, their P2 landlord. Earning under 2.0v2 “Option 1” for rent payments has four tiers, two of which are useful for us:

  • 1x points earned when your card spend is 75%+ of your monthly rent
  • 1.25x points earned when your card spend is 100%+ of your monthly rent

Cool I guess. But let’s say that you spend $5,000 monthly on your Bilt credit card before switching to other cards for the rest of your spend. Let’s also say you’re an expert negotiator with your P2 landlord. Under 2.0v2 Option 1, you can earn more points than with a higher rent. Let’s compare a negotiated rent of $5,000 and a negotiated rent of $5,500. Your $5,000 in monthly Bilt card spend would earn:

  • $5,000 * 1.25 = 6,250 points
  • $5,500 * 1.00 = 5,500 points

The punchline: You can earn more with a smaller rent. In fact, to optimize this completely, your monthly rent should be exactly your monthly spend / 1.25.

Good luck deleting this one, Mr. Kerr.

Happy Tuesday!

Next up: The Bilt 2.0v3 Rewards program.

  1. Airline shopping portals have new winter bonuses:

    – AA: 1,000 bonus miles with $500+ through January 22
    – Alaska: 1,200 bonus miles with $300+ through January 23
    – United: 1,000 bonus miles with $300+ through January 26

    Watch for Southwest to show up to the party late, much like their flights and premium travel focus.
  2. Safeway, Albertsons, Vons, and other Just4U stores have 10x points on Zillions gift cards through Saturday, and on Saturday we’ll get Safeway math where 10x+4x = 12x too.

    Some of these cards convert to Amazon and Home Depot cards, but converting them is, shall we say, sometimes extremely painful in much the same way that the J4U Alaska back door has been painful.
  3. Office Depot / OfficeMax stores have $15 off of $300+ in Mastercard gift cards through Saturday. These stack too, so buying $600 or $1,200 is better than buying $300 or $900.

    These are Pathward gift cards.
  4. The Bank of America AirFrance / KLM FlyingBlue card is making changes:

    – Adding 3x dining
    – Switching from Mastercard to Visa
    – Adding an additional 140 XP with $25,000 spend annually

    You can hold multiples of this card which is even more interesting than it used to be.
  5. In a move that affects me and only approximately three other churners, the US Bank FlexPerks American Express card is being “upgraded” to an Altitude Go card in February. This sucks because:

    – Points won’t be worth 1.5 cents each for travel with the Altitude Go
    – The Altitude Go isn’t a third party American Express

    FlexPerks was the best program that no one ever talked about, but it’s from another era and effectively a thing of the past, much like Southwest.
  6. Bilt Rewards heard you loud and clear, and released a Friday message with plenty of additional drama to help ease the concerns of its fans. The summary:

    They’re making the program “simpler” by adding another option with its own complexity, in addition to the existing complexity. Now, just wait until they react to learning that you can earn more by spending less with the new program. (Thanks to Chris and TeddyH)

Happy Monday, may it be unlike Bilt’s!

Pictured: The Bilt 2.1 fix to the Bilt 2.0 rollout.

  1. The Chase Hyatt Visa card has a tiered sign-up bonus:

    – Three category 1-4 free-night certificates after $5,000 spend in three months
    – Two more category 1-4 free-night certificates after $15,000 in six months

    Personally I’d rather have the points, but I’m not you. Also, I’d wait until Monday when it’s likely also available via referrals, but I’m still not you.
  2. The Chase Avios family of cards have increased bonuses of 90,000 points after $5,000 spend in three months.

    Monday will probably bring a referral bonus on these cards too. Before you get too excited though, consider that the typical high bonus on these is 100,000 Avios and they’ve been as high as 125,000 Avios.
  3. The Citi ThankYou Mastercard sent mid-month spending offers for spend through February 14. We’ve seen:

    – $75 back on $1,000 in online spend
    – $50 back on $750 in online spend
    – 11,500 ThankYou Points for $1,000 in online spend

    No, this card still isn’t available if you don’t already have it. (Thanks to Adam and Charlie)
  4. Stop & Shop, Giant, and Martins  have 8x points on Zift Zillions cards through Thursday. Some of these cards are convertible to high value brands like Amazon and Home Depot.

    I’m sure you know the punchline by now, but Giant Food stores, part of the same corporate umbrella, only earns 2x during the same period.
  5. Wyndham has a tiered promotion for US and Canada paid stays booked by February 16 for nights through May 31. Discounts are 10% for one night stays, 15% for two night stays, or 20% for longer.

Pictured: The corporate umbrellas choose favorites.

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.