Author: matt

In manufactured spend, churning, or practically any other walk of life, there’s always someone going bigger or having more success than you.* You can take that information in multiple ways, but the most common reactions I see are some form of:

  • I need to try harder, my volume is tiny
  • I doubt it’s even possible to do that much volume

After those initial reactions though, consider:

  • If you’re earning enough to sustain your travel, spending, DoorDash credits, or streaming habits (I guess), then you’re golden
  • If you earn more points then you spend, the points left behind are worth exactly $0, so earning more doesn’t make even sense without learning liquidation via the churning black arts
  • Churning and manufactured spend is a hobby, but it’s also a form of work – your work-life balance needs aren’t the same as anyone else’s

So run your own race, and have a nice weekend friends!

* Yes yes, mathematically that’s a stupid statement, but as a physicist who believes in the power of the spherical cow, it’s close enough.

Close enough, right?

    1. Kroger stores have 4x fuel points on third party gift cards and on fixed value Visa and Mastercard gift cards tomorrow through Monday, coupon clip required.

      Amazon and gas fuel cards are excluded from 4x earning, but still earn 2x. Gift card resale rates are at a relative maxima, and fuel points prices aren’t bad now either.
    2. RobinHood, which really needs a separate stand alone post that basically says: “literally don’t do anything funding related with them even if it seems fun. Yes I know it seems ok, but it’s really not and they’ll liquidate your positions forcefully”, has two transfer bonuses for Gold members that are uncapped in theory:

      – Regular brokerage: 2% bonus for incoming funds through September 15
      – IRA: 2% (or 3% with margin) bonus for incoming funds through September 15

      Both require that you hold your stocks or funds at RobinHood for 5 years. I did the math guys: If you bring $100 Billion in funds, this is a $2 Billion money maker. (Thanks to DoC)
    3. On Monday, Bilt will have an “up to 100%” transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic miles (you can see what “up to” means for you in the mobile app in the For You section), so you’ve got the weekend to earn Bilt Rewards if care about Virgin Atlantic.

      Should you care? If you think of Virgin Miles as being effectively a buy a coach ticket (award fees) and upgrade to business class with miles proposition (mileage rate) and live in a gateway city, it’s often a great option. For those of you that live in Lubbock or balk at paying more than ~$50 in award fees, it’s probably best to move along to the next thing. Also, coach redemptions are ok I guess.

    Have a nice Thursday!

    Average travel hacker sentiment for Virgin Red, but as a person.

    1. Do this now: Register for Best Western’s Q3 promotions for (1) 2,500 bonus points per paid stay between August 25 and November 30 on up to 10 stays, and (2) double points for paid stays between September 2 and November 30.
    2. The Bank of America Atmos Ascent Visa business has a new inflight sourced sign up bonus of 85,000 Atmos miles after $5,000 spend in three months, which is 5,000 miles more than the current public link. The personal card’s similar bonus is still available:

      – Ascent Personal at https://atmoscard85k.com/
      – Ascent Business at https://atmosbizvisa85k.com/

      Both require a flight attendant code (not to be confused with the flight attendant code), or most any six digit random number that starts with 10. (Thanks to Remster32)
    3. The Bank of America Atmos Summit Visa has a 105,000 Atmos miles bonus by applying by phone at 800-392-2775 with priority code GAATB2. The bonus is 5,000 miles higher than the public link, and the minimum spend is the same at $6,000+ in 90 days.
    4. Alaska has a 15% off of a flight promotional code after signing up for text alerts by texting FLY to 252752 by the end of the day. The code will be delivered tomorrow, and doesn’t work for first class tickets but does work on Hawaiian flights.
    5. JetBlue’s TrueBlue now offers redemptions on German carrier Condor, and the airlines have mileage earning reciprocity too. Pricing for North America to and from Europe:

      – 54,000 – 99,000 points
      – 19,000 – 39,000 points

      The difference in prices seems to be distance related, but we haven’t seen an official award chart or comprehensive data set to confirm that.
    6. Delta’s annual Seattle NFL smash-and-grab fest registration is open at 12status.com. Under the promotion, anyone in Washington, or anyone “in” Washington gets:

      – 1x SkyMiles for every Seattle Seahawks passing yard
      – Zone 5 boarding from Seattle airport

      Delta has learned what GeoIP is so you may need a VPN to explore. (Thanks to notsofedexy).

    Happy Wednesday!

    The flight attendant code, illustrated.

    1. Southwest has a promotional companion pass valid for travel between January 6, 2026 and March 6, 2026. To earn it:

      – Register at this link, or at the bottom of your ‘My Account’ page
      – Book a two one-ways or one round-trip by Thursday, non basic economy
      – Fly by November 15

      Existing bookings don’t count. Both paid and award tickets are eligible.
    2. Hy-Vee stores have $10 off of $150 in Visa and Mastercard gift cards through Monday. Hy-Vee $10 off coupons typically work in multiples, always be probing.

      These are Pathward / BlackHawk Network gift cards.
    3. More Citi cards can transfer to AA Advantage miles:

      – The Strata, Preferred, Double Cash, and Custom Cash transfer at 1:0.7
      – The Strata Premier, Strata Elite, and Prestige cards transfer at 1:1

      (Thanks to DoC)
    4. Citi ThankYou Points has a 25% transfer bonus to Wyndham Rewards through September 20. In semi-related news, Wyndham Vacasa booking windows have dropped to six months.
    5. American Express offers has a targeted offer for $180 back on $1,200+ at Eva Air for flights originating in the US. It may be possible to turn this into discount Southwest Airlines travel through their interline agreement announced yesterday if you want to make life hard and ticket changes even more frustrating.
    6. Capital One Shopping has targeted referral bonuses that offer $40 to both the referrer and referred.

      Capital One Shopping has gotten better about recognizing self-referrals, but good hygiene continues to pay dividends.
    7. Singapore Airlines changed award redemption rates. Most rates are going up 5%-10%, though Asia and South Pacific redemptions drop 5% in price. Flights to Africa and the Middle East are getting 10-20% increases, and there’s new, variable pricing for non-saver awards.

      PSA to travel bloggers: It’s possible to summarize this sort of thing in less than 1,250 words, I promise.

    Happy Tuesday!

    Another helpful PSA.

    1. Meijer MPerks has a digital coupon for $10 off $150+ in Visa gift cards through Saturday, and it appears to be the type of coupon that you can re-clip after use. With the right liquidation path this could easily be worth a trip to Meijerland, but don’t mistake that for Michigan.

      Meijer sells both Sunrise and Pathward / BlackHawk Network gift cards.
    2. Synchrony quietly launched the Walmart OnePay CashRewards Mastercard. The vitals:

      – $0 annual fee
      – $35 sign-up bonus after $75+ spend in 30 days
      – 5% for Walmart+ members or 3% back at Walmart otherwise
      – 1.5% cash back elsewhere

      This card is compelling for scaling buyer’s group activities, at least to the extent that Walmart lets you get away with it and the credit line allows, and also to the extent that Synchrony lets you cycle (they don’t).
    3. Office Depot / OfficeMax stores have $15 off of $300+ in Mastercard gift cards through Saturday. For best results:

      – Buy in even multiples of $300
      – Try for multiple transactions back-to-back
      – Look for the lower fee “Everywhere” cards, which despite the name, don’t work everywhere
      – Cry about Dosh being gone

      These are Pathward / BlackHawk Network cards.
    4. Alaska MileagePlan Atmos has free points for residents that live within 75 miles of several cities:

      – San Diego [SDFC registration] [Wave FC registration]
      – Los Angeles
      – Portland
      – Seattle

      You earn 100 miles per goal scored by your local soccer team for the season, and San Diegans have chances with two teams, probably because one of those teams sucks? Idk, I just work here.
    5. Some Capital One cards have a heightened card-linked offer for 60,000 miles with a $299 purchase at the Motley Fool, effectively buying points at 0.5 cents each.

      Just: (1) set a reminder in your phone to cancel the automatic renewal of the subscription after the bonus pays out, and (2) be ready for the frustration of figuring out how to take address off of their email spam list. It sounds easy, but it’s really not. (Thanks to DDG)

    Happy Monday!

    Motley Fool email preferences page.

    1. Alaska MileagePlan Atmos has a promotion for a fast track to elite status for paid flights to and from San Diego, CA, for travel between October 1 and March 31, 2026:

      – 5 segments: Atmos Silver (also oneworld Ruby)
      – 10 segments: Atmos Gold (also oneworld Sapphire)

      There are really cheap Alaska flights from San Diego, but oneworld Sapphire from Alaska probably isn’t worth the run that it would be if it were a foreign carrier. (Thanks to Parts_Unknown-)
    2. Alaska also has a 2x points promotion for flights between San Diego and many other cities, registration required for travel through March 20, 2026.
    3. The Chase Sapphire Reserve Visa personal card’s sign-up bonus is now 125,000 Ultimate Rewards after $6,000 spend in three months, which is [up/down] (choose one) from its prior 100,000 point + $500 travel credit bonus.

      Use a referral link from P2 or a churning friend rather than applying head on.
    4. American Express offers has new offers for:

      – $200 credit with $1,000+ at Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, LXR, NoMad, and Signia Hilton properties through December 31
      – $150 credit with $750+ at WorldHotels through December 31
      – $100 credit with $300+ at Minor Hotels through November 30
      – $60 credit with $300+ at Loews Hotels through November 1
      – $100 credit with $500+ at Wyndham through October 31

      Hilton’s omission of Curio properties is curio(us).
    5. Virgin Australia has 2x Velocity Points earning for travel through June 30, 2026. Registration required, only available in the mobile app. (Thanks to FFB)

    Have a nice weekend!

    Alaska marketing’s apparent fever dream.

    1. The Barclays AA Red Mastercard has a sign-up bonus of 70,000 AAdvantage miles after a single purchase and after paying the annual fee. There’s also Tuesday’s offer of 50,000 AAdvantage miles after a single purchase and a waived annual fee, though I’d pay $99 for 20,000 AA miles any day personally.

      This card will likely be dead for new applications on September 30.
    2. The Alaska MileagePlan Atmos Visa credit card line-up has been released, and note that you may get an email invitation with 5,000 miles higher than the public bonus so check there first:

      – Ascent: 80,000 miles after $4,000 spend in 120 days, $95 annual fee, $3/status point
      – Ascent: 85,000 miles after after $4,000 spend in 120 days, same as above but you need a flight attendant code (or to be good at google)
      – Summit: 100,000 miles after $6,000 spend in 90 days, $395 annual fee, $2/status point
      – Atmos Business: 80,000 miles after $5,000 spend in 90 days, $95 annual fee, $3/status point

      The Ascent cards are basically the same as the old Alaska cards including the companion certificate. The Summit includes a 25,000 point companion award and a 100,000 point companion award after $60,000 spend annually, which is compelling for big spenders. There are also relatively lame lounge passes and premium drink coupons with Summit.

      In 2026 the status points earned from spend is uncapped on all cards, and may be uncapped on Summit now.
    3. The Barclays Hawaiian Airlines Mastercard has an increased bonus of 80,000 miles after $2,500 spend in 90 days. You’ll earn Hawaiian miles until October 1 at which point you’ll earn Alaska MileagePlan Atmos miles, and of course you can transfer miles between the two programs before then. You can use promo code 002387, or pretty much any other number starting with 00.
    4. The Barlcays Hawaiian Business Mastercard has an increased tiered sign-up bonus too:

      – 50,000 miles after $4,000 spend and paying the $99 annual fee in 90 days
      – 20,000 miles after $50,000 spend in the first year
      – 20,000 miles after $100,000 spend in the first year

      The card earns 2x on gas, dining, and office supplies. Each 20,000 bonus mile boost is a 0.4x addition to existing earn (oof). (Thanks to 9kuss)
    5. Kroger stores have 4x fuel points on third party gift cards excluding Amazon and fuel cards, and on fixed value Visas and Mastercards running Friday through Sunday.

      Sometimes weekend 4x promotions are more liberal about what gift cards are eligible, always be probing.
    6. Raleys, Nob Hill, and Bel Air stores have 20x points on One4All Ultimate gift cards through Tuesday. Home Depot rates are still 93%+, so I hope you need lots of cheap groceries. (Thanks to GCA)

    Happy Thursday!

    Grocery stores see the credit card stair truck.

    EDITOR’S NOTE: Yep! We finally got another alliteration wisdom post.

    Some credit card issuers really don’t like charge amounts that look like an integer multiple of a gift card purchase, like $1,000, $1,013.90, or $2,027.80, especially if they see lots of them. If your account has too many of those, they’ll either claw-back rewards, shut you down, file a SAR, or in the worst cases, call the local police department.

    The typical work-around to avoid exact charges is to also buy a banana, tabasco, or a serrano pepper with each purchase. Those are great options until you forget them in your trunk, then come back days later to a candidate for /r/MoldlyInteresting hiding in your car.

    There’s another way to avoid the exact multiples though: Bring some coins and dollar bills with you and stick those in the self checkout register before you swipe your cards.

    Good luck, and happy spending!

    Yes yes, some banana mold patterns are pretty cool, I get it.