Category: Gift Cards

  1. There’s a unique sign-up bonus for the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card (the $95 annual fee version for those keeping track at home):

    – 50,000 Bonvoy points after $3,000 spend in three months
    – $400 Marriott egift card instantly on approval

    You’ll also get 2x$50 statement credits after spending $500 in airline purchases (1x in the first half and 1x in the second half of the year).
  2. Staples.com has fee-free Visa egift cards, limit five per account, four per transaction.

    These are Pathward / BlackHawk Network gift cards.
  3. American Express Delta Stays gamers are going through a bit of a rough patch, or at least that’s what my robot overlord translators told me in the most broken English they could muster. The action here? Be trickier if you’re going to play tricks.
  4. The Lufthansa Miles & More program has a new status match for ITA Airways, British Airways, and Iberia elites, with status lasting through the end of February 2027. USA based addresses are included in this one too.

    The match is free for ITA elites, or €99 for the others. The match doesn’t include HON Circle, but you can match to Senator which gives Star Alliance Gold for United Club access even when flying domestically. There’s a joke in here about cheese cubes, but I’m going to leave that as an exercise to the reader.

Have a nice Tuesday friends!

My translation robot in action.

Before we dive in, it’s time to Monday morning quarterback with your own personalized recap:

I’m really ____________ (adjective) that the ____________ (sportsball team) made their last minute ____________ (action) which prevented me from doing ____________ (action) today. At least now I’ll be able to churn my ____________ (play) while I ________________ (action). Now if on only ________________ (issuer) hadn’t ________________ (action, past-tense), everything would be perfect!

I’m sure yours is the best one of these, nice work.

  1. The Citi ThankYou Mastercard sent targeted offers for home improvement spend:

    – 8% back up to $100 back monthly for February, March, and April
    – 12% back up to $175 back monthly for February, March, and April

    It’s still not possible to get this card if you don’t already have it as far as I know. (Thanks to David and Mark)
  2. Meijer MPerks has 50,000 points withe the purchase of a third party $500 gift card through Tuesday February 17, limit one per MPerks account.
  3. The Barclays JetBlue Plus Mastercard has a heightened sign-up bonus of 70,000 TrueBlue miles after $1,000 spend in 90 days.
  4. Staples stores have fee-free $200 Visa gift cards through Saturday, limit nine per transaction.

    These are Pathward / BlackHawk Network gift cards.
  5. The Rove portal has 4x points on Visas and Mastercards through Wednesday via giftcards.com, just make sure to use the Visa or Mastercard specific link rather than the generic giftcards.com version.

    Rove remains notable for its unique transfer partners. If you’re not a member, use a friend’s referral and make their day. If you don’t have a churning friend, reach out to me and I’ll share a random churner’s link.
  6. Some Barclay AA cards aren’t being converted to Citi cards but will instead be converted to other Barclay cards. The criteria for who’s not being converted isn’t clear; there are people who were shutdown with Citi that are still being converted, and people with active Citi cards that aren’t.

    I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised that #citigonnaciti, and now by extension #barclaygonnaciti

Happy Monday!

White sharpie not included.

  1. Do this now: Register for 25,000 bonus Bonvoy points at Marriott Homes and Villas for bookings in February and stays through September 1.

    Am I the only one who thinks “bonus Bonvoy” sounds derogatory?
  2. The Chase IHG Premier card has a heightened bonus of 175,000 points after $5,000 spend in three months.

    Use P2’s another churner’s referral for maximum win.
  3. Kroger brands have a digital coupon for 4x fuel points on third party gift cards in store, excluding Amazon and flexible gas cards through Tuesday, February 17.

    The fuel point and gift card resale market are currently strong for a February, make sure you shop around.
  4. Kroger has a digital coupon for a fee-free variable Visa or Mastercard loaded with $150+ through Tuesday.

    These are Pathward / BlackHawk Network gift cards.
  5. The Incomm sites have Valentine’s Day fee-free gift cards:

    – TheGiftCardShop 100% off of purchase fees through February 15 with promo code LOVE26
    – MasterCardGiftCard 100% off of purchase fees through February 14 with promo code VDAY26
    – VanillaGift 100% off of purchase fees through February 14 with promo code VGVDAY26

    VanillaGift chose to use the tagline “For the Love of Gifting”, which I hope makes the floosies laugh.
  6. Delta has an award sale for non-basic economy main cabin travel to and from Europe booked today for 26,000-28,000 miles round-trip.
  7. Spirit has 90% off of base fares booked today with promo code 90PCT for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday travel through March 11.

    In case you’re wondering, which I’m sure you weren’t, I think you’ll get a bigger discount than the odds I’d give that Spirit hasn’t ceased operations by March 11. (Thanks to FM)
  8. Breeze Airlines has 26% off of base fares for weekday round-trip travel booked today for flights through September 15 with promo code WEEKDAY.

    Let’s call out the square for the next round of Breeze Route Bingo: Brownsville (BRO) to Orlando (MCO)! Today only, you get a bonus middle square if you already knew where BRO was – I sure didn’t.

Have a nice Thursday!

BRO airport (probably)

  1. Barclay AA cards will become Citi AA cards on April 26. What to know:

    – Your balance will transfer to Citi
    – Barclay cards will work after the transition until you activate your Citi card
    – Citi card will have a new account number
    – The Barlcay variants will be converted to the Citi lineup, sorry Silver card holders*
    – Authorized user cards will be reissued too

    If you’re Citi shut, will this transition get you back in? We’ll see, but #citigonnaciti.
  2. Capital One has a 30% transfer bonus to JAL MileageBank through February 28, bringing the transfer ratio to 1,000:975.
  3. Chase has a 50% transfer bonus to Marriott Bonvoy through February 28 which makes the transfer ratio 1,000:1,500.

    Let’s ask a rhetorical or philosophical question, whichever you prefer: What do you get when you turn an awful transfer ratio into a really bad transfer ratio?
  4. The Fairwinds Business Visa 1.5x everywhere cards have a heightened, tiered sign-up bonus:

    – $500 after $5,000 spend in 90 days
    – $1,500 after $50,000 spend in 180 days

    The cards carry no annual fee. If you haven’t figured out how to join banks or credit unions in another state, it’s probably time to experiment. (Thanks to DoC)
  5. Staples stores have fee-free $200 Mastercards through Saturday, limit nine per transaction.

    These are Pathward / BlackHawk Network gift cards.

Happy Monday!

*I guess sorry Silver holders of all types (too soon?)

  1. The American Express Delta cards have heightened sign-up bonuses, all of which are available via referrals too so go that route instead of using a blog link, P2 will thank you:

    – Business Gold: 90,000 SkyMiles after $6,000 spend in six months, annual fee waived
    – Business Platinum: 100,000 SkyMiles after $8,000 spend in six months
    – Business Reserve: 125,000 SkyMiles after $15,000 spend in six months
    – Personal Gold: 90,000 SkyMiles after $5,000 spend in six months, annual fee waived
    – Personal Platinum: 100,000 SkyMiles after $6,000 spend in six months
    – Personal Reserve: 125,000 SkyMiles after $9,000 spend in six months

    There’s also a Personal Gold link for 60,000 SkyMiles and a $500 statement credit after $3,000 spend in six months with a waived first year annual fee during the ticket booking workflow, you don’t have to actually buy the ticket to get it.
  2. Four of the Chase United family of cards also has increased sign-up bonuses, and these are available for referrals too, so it’s either your best churning buddy or P2’s time to shine!

    – Personal Explorer: 70,000 miles after $3,000 spend in three months, annual fee waived
    – Personal Quest: 80,000 miles after $4,000 spend in three months
    – Business MileagePlus: 100,000 miles after $5,000 spend in three months
    – Business Club: 100,000 miles after $5,000 spend in three months

    What’s the difference between the last two? A few things, but also an extra $495 for unlimited cheese cubes at any United Club location. I hope you like cheese!
  3. Kroger stores have a digital coupon for 4x fuel points on third party gift cards excluding fuel points cards and Amazon, and on fixed value Visas and Mastercards between Friday and Sunday.
  4. The Rove Miles Shopping Portal that also has a travel booking engine has several promotions including: 4x on Visas and Mastercards at GiftCards.com, 10x at Viator, and 2x when purchasing Alaska Atmos or AirCanada Aeroplan miles. Increased bonuses run through Sunday.

    Obviously you should sign up for Rove with either P2 or a churner buddy’s referral.
  5. Stop & Shop, Giant, and Martins  have 10x points on Home Depot cards through Thursday, and Giant Food earns 6x during the same period. You’re limited to $2,000 or $1,500 per loyalty account depending on the brand.
  6. If you want to go all in on Accor ALL, there’s an interesting Accor ALL Signature+ subscription now available world-wide. The important parts:

    – Pay 1,149 Euros for a one year subscription
    – Earn 1,500 Euros worth of Accor ALL points (75,000 annually / 6,250 monthly)
    – Earn 12,000 status points (1,000 monthly)

    Gold status requires 7,000 points and Platinum requires 14,000, so earning Platinum becomes almost trivial. Effectively, if you were going to spend 2,000 Euros on Accor hotels in 2026 you’ll come out ahead by about 350 Euros and have Platinum status when you’re done. (Thanks to LL)

Have a nice weekend friends!

Gearing up for Player 2 referral shenanigans.
(Thanks to smirley)

  1. Capital One Shopping has a widely targeted offer for $250 off of $250+, log in to your dashboard to see it. Note that some properties only earn $200 off of $250; I couldn’t discern a pattern on which was which.

    Because no-one asked: P2 saw an offer for $50 off of $100+ at Birkenstock right below the hotel deal and was more excited by that.
  2. Bank of America has an increased offer of 100,000 Atmos miles and a Global 25,000 point companion award on its premium Atmos Summit card after $6,000 spend in 90 days.
  3. The American Express Business Gold has a targeted no-lifetime language (NLL) link for 125,000 Membership Rewards after $15,000 spend in three months. If you’ve got a mailer you can probably do even better. (Thanks to Matthewtheswift)
  4. Office Depot/OfficeMax stores have $15 off of $300+ in Visa gift cards through Saturday. Remember:

    – Even multiples get bigger discounts because math
    – There are “everywhere” cards with lower fees but different liquidation methods

    These are Pathward / BlackHawk Network gift cards.
  5. Safeway, Albertsons, Vons, and other Just4U rewards stores have 10x points earning on Instacart gift cards through Saturday. Also on Saturday, you’ll probably earn 12x because 10x+4x = 12x.

    The airline games stopped working for almost everyone else too by the way, not just you.
  6. Raley’s, Nob Hill, and Bel Air stars have 15x points on Choice gift cards, some of which convert to Home Depot, through January 27.
  7. Qantas announced:

    – No Emirates First redemptions without status starting February 18
    – Emirates Business and First prices are increasing by 10%-30%

    If there’s a good way to earn Qantas Status without flying on the airline or one of its partners, I don’t know it.
  8. AAdvantage award redemptions on Aer Lingus metal is now working. Redemption rates using AA miles beat most of their other partners.

Happy Monday!

There’s also a gift card sale for $800 off of a $200 gift card, but it’s less exciting than you might think.
(Thanks to noahg)

  1. Do this now: Register for Choice’s promotion for triple points on stays through March 31.
  2. Capital One acquired Brex. The action items:

    – Get a Brex account if you qualify and you’re banned by Capital One
    – Finish off those Brex plays, they’re likely short for the world

    Brex likes venture funded technology companies apropos of nothing.
  3. The Chase IHG Premier card has an increased bonus of 175,000 points after $5,000 spend in three months, and an extra 10,000 points and $100 statement credit after $20,000 spend in the first year.

    This card will likely be available via referrals on Monday, so probably wait until then to make a friend’s day or get an even bigger bonus in two-player mode. If you don’t have a churning friend yet, George at TBB makes a good one.
  4. The American Express Marriott Bonvoy Business card has a sign-up bonus of three 50,000 point night certificates after $6,000 spend in six months. The sign-up bonus isn’t great, but American Express cobranded business cards have a special place in a churners wallet because reasons.

    This one is available via referrals, so use one.
  5. Kroger has a 4x fuel points sale on third party gift cards excluding gas cards and Amazon for today only. Sometimes Friday only coupons stack in unexpected ways, always be probing.

Have a nice weekend friends!

Hot tip: Today is a great day to spot a Marcus / Kroger churner in the wild.
(Thanks to Fish for the photo)

  1. Do this now: Register for Hyatt’s new promotion for 5,000 bonus points per 5+ night stays at Hyatt House and Hyatt Studios through 2026, up 50,000 total bonus points.

    If you’re like me you’re not planning on staying at those properties, but if your house floods and you need to be somewhere for a couple of weeks while it’s getting fixed, well, Hyatt House might be where you end up.
  2. The Bank of America AirFrance/KLM FlyingBlue Mastercard has an increased sign-up bonus of 70,000 miles and 100XP after $3,000 spend in 90 days. The card will soon be a Visa.

    The 100XP earns FlyingBlue Silver and SkyTeam Silver status, but doesn’t fully stack if you’ve got more than one card.
  3. H-E-B stores have a promotion for a $20 H-E-B gift card with the purchase of a $100+ Visa, Mastercard, or American Express gift card through Tuesday. You’re limited to one of each per loyalty account.

    Last I checked in 1989, technology hadn’t progressed far enough for us to easily have multiple email addresses with multiple loyalty accounts. Presumably nothing’s changed. (Thanks to GCA)
  4. Kroger stores have a coupon for fee-free $150+ Visa and Mastercard variable load gift cards through Tuesday, and this one is also limited to one per loyalty account.
  5. The Capital One Venture Rewards Visa has a sign-up bonus of 75,000 miles and $250 in Capital One Travel credit after $4,000 spend in three months.
  6. The Bilt 2.0 2.0v2 2.0v3 debacle gets funnier (worse) every single day, though it does fit the company’s slogan:

    “Simplify everything by adding complexity and owning the basement dwelling Redditors!”

    Yesterday, they announced that Bilt Cash would have alternative cash-outs that include options like $10 monthly GrubHub or Lyft credit and $5 monthly off of parking at “Bilt Neighborhood Parking” lots. There are also Blacklane and Blade credits, but it’s unclear yet how much Bilt Cash things will cost, I think it’s not safe to assume that it’ll be 1:1. Don’t worry though, at least you can count on it being neither easy, nor obvious, nor straight-forward.

Happy Thursday!

Real world simulation of the disappointment in a Bilt press release.