Category: Credit Cards

  1. Multiple reports including this one confirm that Chase is matching last week’s increased Ink Preferred sign-up bonus of 120,000 Ultimate Rewards on referred cards, which means in two player mode the effective bonus is 160,000 Ultimate Rewards:

    – 40,000 points for the referrer
    – 100,000 points for the sign-up bonus after $8,000 spend in three months
    – 20,000 points for a matched sign-up bonus via Chase Secure Message

    Of course if you’re in two player mode, each player can refer the other and based on a weird academic discipline called “math”, 2 * 160,000 = 320,000 Ultimate Rewards points.
  2. British Airways devalued short-haul flight redemptions on AA and Alaska metal. A couple of notes:

    – Alaska’s MileagePlan award prices were already cheaper for short haul
    – Etihad awards are cheaper for short haul on AA
    – Other Avios currencies like Qatar and Finnair have lower prices
    – You can freely transfer Avois between programs

    So yes, this kinda sucks, but there are plenty of workarounds. Never blindly accept award pricing in oneWorld. Can’t we just get back to fake travel blogger rage until the next British Airways Visa card heightened bonus comes out and move on?
  3. There are two brokerage bonuses that may be worth your time:

    – TastyTrade: up to $5,000 but only for new customers
    – Schwab: up to $6,000 for new and existing customers

    Brokerage bonuses are typically easy if you have retirement (or non-retirement) assets in the stock market, because you can ACATS transfer your existing portfolio to meet the requirements without a taxable event (but of course, I’m not a tax advisor and no one should ever take my advice about anything, literally ever, instead consult with an accountant from a weird academic discipline called “finance”).
  4. Meijer has a couple of promotions running through Saturday:

    – A clippable digital coupon $10 off of $150+ in Mastercard gift cards
    – An automatic 10,000 MPerks points with $100 or more in Choice gift cards

    Often the clippable coupons can be reloaded after each purchase on the same MPerks account, but I don’t know if that’ll work this time. In case it doesn’t, based on a weird academic discipline called “Information Technology”, it’s possible to have multiple email addresses and thus multiple MPerks accounts. (Thanks to GCG)

A credit card offer from a weird, non-academic discipline called churning.

  1. A Chase Ink Preferred 120,000 Ultimate Rewards after $8,000 in purchases in three months link surfaced yesterday. This link is a business banker link, which means it’s got a good shot of bypassing 5/24 up to 8/24.

    I like to get one of these cards every three months when I’m below 5/24, or 8/24 as the case may be. (Thanks to here)
  2. Do this now (if you hold a Chase Aeroplan card): Register for 40% bonus points on up to $40,000 in spend between July 14 and July 17. Bonus multipliers will boost on this promotion too, which should tell you a lot about how Chase’s current interchange gross revenue looks. (Thanks to Miles)
  3. American Express Offers has a few new Hilton offers, all expiring September 30:

    – $50 off $200 or more
    – $60 off $200 or more
    – $180 off of $750 or more at specific properties in the US, Mexico, Anguilla, or French Polynesia
    – $250 off of $1,250 or more at specific properties in the US, Mexico, Anguilla, or French Polynesia
    – 5 bonus points per dollar at Hilton on up to $5,000 spend

    They’ve added new language to subvert gaming, but it’s really just a roadmap for how to game.
  4. American Express Offers also has a targeted offer for $100 off of $500 or more at Wyndham properties through the end of October. Interestingly, this one lacks a gaming roadmap.
  5. Chase Private Client has a $3,000 bonus for opening a new account through July 24 and bringing $500,000 in new funds. Normally it’s a terrible, horrible, very bad idea to have a Chase deposit account unless you’re just starting out, but US Credit Card Guide notes that a full service brokerage account with JP Morgan still qualifies for the bonus.

    Thanks to the Volcker Rule and Dodd-Frank, there’s good separation between JP Morgan investing accounts and Chase Consumer and Small Business cards, so the normal risk associated with deposit accounts doesn’t apply, and you can happily ACATS transfer assets into a full service brokerage for the bonus without actually selling any investments.

Have a nice weekend friends!

The weeds leading to being ok with collecting a $3,000 bonus from Chase.

  1. The US Bank Triple Cash Rewards card has a $750 sign-up bonus after $6,000 spend in 180 days. The card has no-annual fee, or a negative annual fee if you’re a gamer. A few US Bank notes:

    – Hard pulls with US Bank will be combined in the same day
    – Different businesses can get the same card on the same day
    – The Leverage card pairs well with this one, and also has a $750 bonus

    For more about US Bank gaming, see this article.
  2. The American Express Schwab 1.1 cents per Membership Rewards point cash-out will be limited to the first million points per year starting October 1. Afterward, points will be cashed out at 0.8 cents each.

    You’ll still, as of this writing, have uncapped cash-out with the Morgan Stanley Platinum card at 1.0 cents, and American Express’s Business Checking cash-out is also at 1.0 cents each. Of course, brokers gonna broke and bypass the whole system. Mini #rant brewing for the near future. (Thanks to DDG and jnjustice)
  3. Do this now (if you hold a United credit card): Check for a targeted spend bonus for spend through July 30. Offers include TravelBank credit, PQPs, and miles.
  4. Do this now (if you hold United or Marriott status): Register for Marriott and United’s reciprocal earning promotion for stays or premium cabin flights:

    – Marriott registration link (For Ambassador, Titanium, or Unobtainium status)
    – United registration link (For Gold, Platinum, 1K, Global Services, or Moon Walkers)

    If you haven’t linked your United status to Marriott, you can link here, and vice-versa here. (Thanks to FM)
  5. The AirFrance / KLM FlyingBlue program has promo awards from the US to Europe in the following cities through the end of July: Atlanta, Denver, Dallas, and Raleigh Durham. There’s wide economy availability for the promotion, and spotty 50,000 point business class availability too.
  6. The Citi Shop Your Way Rewards Mastercard, the Larry Bird of credit cards, sent a few targeted offers:

    – 10% statement credit on up to $1,000 in travel and entertainment, monthly in 2024
    – $150 statement credit with $1,000-$1,999 in spend or $250 with $2,000+ at gas, grocery, and restaurants, monthly in 2024

    These offers stack together and with other ongoing offers from the card. If you maximized just these two, you’ve got [launches massively parallel calculation on a supercomputer] $2,100 in statement credits on a no-annual fee card. If your favorite credit card blogger never talks bout this card, ask yourself “why not?” (Thanks to Tyler, Jay, and Fish)
  7. Virgin Atlantic devalued its transatlantic business class Delta partner awards in two ways, first with approximately $1,000 in new surcharges and second, an increase of up to 55% mileage redemption cost with the introduction of a new variable award chart.
  8. The Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles Visa card has been unveiled in the US:

    – 40,000 bonus miles after $3,000 spend in 90 days
    – 2x on dining, groceries, entertainment, and hotels
    – $99 annual fee, not waived the first year.

    I think the card is only interesting because it is issued by First Electronic Bank. When a bank you’ve never heard of issues a card, it’s usually a green light for shenanigans because (1) their systems are different than big bank systems, (2) smaller banks usually have interesting payment methods, and (3), if you’re shutdown by First Electronic Bank, literally who cares?

Warning sign posted at First Electric Bank’s headquarters isn’t the least bit creepy, why would you say that?

  1. Do this now: Check for targeted Q3 spending offers at chase.com/mybonus. Most offers are a variation of:

    – 5x or 7x at gas, grocery stores, or restaurants up to $1,000 spend
    – A bonus 1x or 2x on up to $6,000 or $9,000 in spend
    – Stupid HBO Max offer

    Checking each card in a new incognito tab avoids errors and false negatives. Or, you could develop a bot to check all of your chase cards for you #itsbeendone.
  2. Today is Bilt’s 25-100% transfer bonus to Alaska Airlines MileagePlan, on up to 50,000 transferred miles.
  3. Chase’s Q2 Pay Yourself Back categories have been extended through the end of Q3. Wholesale clubs continues to work well in bulk with golden items, and with Visa and Mastercard gift cards.
  4. Office Depot/OfficeMax has $15 off of $300 or more in Mastercard gift cards through Saturday. For best results, buy even multiples of $300, try for multiple transactions back-to-back, and look for the cashier with dead eyes. (Thanks to GCG)

Sample dead-eyes Office Depot worker.

  1. The Chase Southwest Business cards have increased sign-up bonuses of 120,000 points, split into 80,000 points after $5,000 spend in three months and another 40,000 points after $15,000 spend in nine months. The offers expire September 16.

    – Business Performance, $99 annual fee
    – Business Premier, $199 annual fee

    If you apply on September 15, call and move your statement date as far out as possible, and hit spend between January 1 and January 14, you’ll earn a companion pass for 2025 and 2026 with a single card. Ok, ok, technically you’ve got another six months past January 16 for the second part of the spend, but just check that box and get it over with. (Thanks to DDG)
  2. The Chase IHG One Premier Credit Card has a new bonus of five free nights, each for up to 60,000 points a night, after $4,000 spend in three months. The $99 annual fee is not waived. The offer code indicates that it’s from an in-branch offer, so 5/24 will be more ymmv than normal.

    This is a great offer for hotels in most cities, though 60,000 points doesn’t go very far in the most expensive places like New York, London, or Tokyo. It is, however plenty sufficient for no-one’s favorite Lubbock, TX and similar cities.
  3. Last week, we talked about a no-lifetime language (NLL) link for the American Express Business Gold card with 150,000 Membership Rewards after $10,000 spend in three months. I know of two cases where the targeted link didn’t work last week but does this week, so it might be worth another shot.
  4. The generic American Express Business Platinum upgrade link has a targeted increased bonus of 120,000 Membership Rewards after $10,000 spend in three months. If you’re really quick, you can still get the first half of 2024 $200 Dell credit or at least a Dell cancelation email before the credit evaporates. (Thanks to FM)
  5. Wyndham has points on sale for 0.96 cents per point, with a maximum of 100,000 points. Why should you care? Vacasa, that’s why.

Have a nice weekend friends!

Obligatory IHG Holiday Inn Express & Suites Lubbock Southwest review.

  1. Kroger has a 4x fuel points promotion on third party gift cards other than Amazon and fixed value Visas and Mastercards running through July 9, which given the frequency of these promotions over summer can only be the result of bad spreadsheet analysis.

    Fuel points resale rates have dropped by about 1/3rd in June, thanks largely in part to having the promotions run with more days than Tuscon had daily high temperatures below 100 degrees. Bulk gift card resale prices are still low thanks to Pepper’s conveyer belt that directly connects venture funds to chuners’ wallets. (Thanks to GCG)
  2. You’ve got until Sunday to cash out any quarterly, monthly, or semi-annual credits. A few notable reminders:

    – American Express: $200 Dell, $50 Saks Fifth Avenue, $50 Hilton, $20 office supply, $10 wireless credits
    – Chase: Freedom and Freedom Flex 5x
    – Discover: DiscoverIT 5x

    With online orders the shipping date is typically the charge posting date, which is used for determining when the statement credit should apply. So order quickly I guess.
  3. The Chase Ink Preferred card has a 120,000 Ultimate Rewards sign-up bonus after $8,000 spend in six months, but the offer is available only in-branch through July 3. I’d initially expected this would also be available online and via referrals, but given that July 3 is less than a week away I no longer think that’s the case.

    The best play for churners with two players is still 100,000 Ultimate Rewards for the referred and 40,000 Ultimate Rewards for the referrer, but the referrer will get a 1099 for the value of the referral bonus.

Kroger’s promotional analytics spreadsheet shows its college student demographics.

  1. AirFrance and KLM’s FlyingBlue program has a paid status match for Silver status at $99 or for Gold status at $299 available to US and Mexico residents. Both will get you free checked bags on SkyTeam flights including Delta and the ability to choose Comfort+ seats close to departure. Gold will also get you into SkyTeam lounges, but only when flying on international itineraries.

    Two notes: (1) You may already get Silver or Gold status through Bilt for free, and (2) the main SkyTeam lounge that most of us use is the Delta SkyClub, which is easily accessible with American Express Platinum or Delta Reserve cards even on domestic itineraries.
  2. Meijer stores have 50,000 bonus points with the purchase of $500 in most third party gift cards, limit one per mPerks account.

    Like its big brother Kroger, Meijer excluded Amazon from its points promotion. Also like its big brother Kroger, you can have more than one loyalty account assuming you can invent a way to have multiple email addresses.
  3. More cards have been targeted for offers like Friday’s American Express Business Gold spend bonuses of 15,000 Membership Rewards per employee after $4,000 spend on no-fee expense cards, up to 99 times. We’ve now seen the offer on:

    – Business Gold cards
    – Blue Business Plus cards

    It’s probably out there on Blue Business Cash and Green cards too, always be probing.

Happy Monday!

Kroger and Meijer hang at a family reunion.

  1. American Express increased its phone-in offers for adding employee cards to its Business Gold accounts, though it’s rather targeted. Current versions of the offer:

    – Spend $4,000, get 5,000 Membership Rewards for new $0 fee Expense employee cards
    – Spend $4,000, get 7,000 Membership Rewards for new $0 fee Expense cards
    – Spend $4,000, get 15,000 Membership Rewards for new $0 fee Expense cards
    – Spend $4,000, get 15,000 Membership Rewards for new $95 fee Gold cards

    Each of these work for up to 99 employee cards per main account, and so far we’ve only seen the 15,000 Membership Rewards with $0 fee cards on the Business Gold. Note that accounts can only have 99 employee cards through the life of the account, unless the employee cards are cancelled, the main account expires, and a new card is issued.
  2. Staples has fee-free $200 Mastercard Visa gift cards starting Sunday and running through the following Saturday, limit eight per transaction. You can pair this with the above deal if you’ve got a friendly store.

    These are Pathward gift cards.
  3. Either Sunday or Monday is the final day for Bilt Rewards transfers to AA’s AAdvantage miles, depending what expiration means to Bilt’s technical team. I’d suggest transferring anything you’d like now and let programers argue about “<” vs “≤” elsewhere. (Thanks to e1tm)
  4. A link surfaced for an American Express Business Gold no-lifetime language (NLL) with 150,000 Membership Rewards after $10,000 spend in three months, and a bonus 5,000 Membership Rewards after adding an employee card and having them spend $1,000 too.

    After 60-90 days, you’ll likely see yourself targeted for phone-in offers like those above too. (Thanks to DDG)

Have a nice weekend!

Exclusive photo of Bilt Rewards design tiger-team meeting.