Category: Quick Hits

  1. Do this now: Register for Wyndham’s promotion for 7,500 bonus points on two night or longer stays through January 20, 2026, max 30,000 bonus points.
  2. Meijer stores have $10 off of $150+ in Visa gift cards through Tuesday, digital coupon clip required. These are usually re-clippable after each transaction.

    These are Pathward / BlackHawk Network gift cards.
  3. The AmaZing Business Visa card issued by California Bank & Trust, Vectra Bank of Colorado, Zions bank of Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming, and Nevada State Bank has an increased sign-up bonus of $1,000 of 100,000 points after $5,000 spend. A few things to know:

    – The points aren’t special, they’re effectively penny points
    – The approval and application for these cards is extremely manual
    – There’s been (limited) success in the past for getting both cards

    None of these cards have annual fees and none of them report to your personal credit report, so they’re 5/24 friendly. Also, random side note, doesn’t “Zing” mean gotcha?

  4. The Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card, known for it’s boundless ability to leave you #bonvoyed, has a heightened sign-up bonus for:

    – 125,000 Bonvoy points
    – 50,000 point free night certificate
    – Free drinking fountain access at participating Marriott hotels

    The bonus requires $3,000 spend in three months, and if you wait a couple of days will probably be available via referrals too. (Thanks to DDG)
  5. American Express offers has offers for:

    – $60 off of $300+ at Alaska Airlines through December 30
    – $200 off of $1,000+ at Waldorf Astoria, LXR, Nomad & Signia through December 31
    – $150 off $750+ at AKA Hotels through March 15, 2026

    Gamers gonna game.

The (Ama)ZingBot 4000 application approval “robot”.

  1. The US Bank Triple Cash Rewards and Leverage business cards have heightened sign-up bonuses:

    – Triple Cash Rewards: $750 after $6,000 spend in 180 days, $0 annual fee (Thanks to Jason for the 180 day correction)
    – Leverage: $750 after $7,500 spend in 120 days, $95 annual fee

    Mini FAQ: Churnable? Yes. Both? Yes. Multiple? Yes. ASL? Ok boomer.
  2. There are now multiple confirmed private and public data points that the American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts credit refresh on September 18 is a new $300 second half of the year credit whether or not the earlier $200 annual credit was redeemed. So, either way you’ve got a fresh $300 in Fine Hotels and Resorts coupons credits.
  3. Citi ThankYou Points has two transfer bonuses:

    – Avianca Lifemiles: 25% through October 18
    – Virgin Atlantic: 30% through October 18
    – Turkish Miles&Smiles: 50% through October 18

    Make sure with both Lifemiles and Miles&Smiles that space is actually available before booking, both have issues with phantom award space or missing partner award space.
  4. American Express has a somewhat widely targeted bonus for 70,000 Membership Rewards or $700 credit. Requirements:

    – Deposit $15,000 in 30 days
    – Keep an average balance ≥ $15,000 for the next 60 days
    – Make five transactions (five $1 ACHs will do fine)

    Links: 70,000 Membership Rewards, alternate 70,000 Membership Rewards, $700 credit. (Thanks to DDG for the most recent link)

Happy Tuesday!

The secret code to booking Miles&Smiles phantom space: B, R.5, Z

  1. Today is the last day to pay Q3 2025 estimated taxes, a manufactured spend level 102 move. A quick reminder about fees:

    – Pay 1040: 1.75% most credit cards, $2.15 most debit cards
    – ACI Payments: 1.85% personal cards, 2.95% business cards, $2.10 personal debit card

    Wrapping a card with higher fees in something like PayPal will often lower them.
  2. The American Express Business Platinum card has increased targeting on at its public upgrade link 120,000 Membership Rewards after $10,000 spend in three months for existing Business Gold or Green cardholders.
  3. You’ve got until Thursday to:

    – Apply for new American Express Platinum or Business Platinum cards before the annual fee jumps by $200
    – Book any remaining Fine Hotels and Resorts bookings to capture the annual $200 credit before the credit changes to $300 semi-annually and (presumably) resets
    – Use the above upgrade link before the annual fee jumps
    – Finalize preparations for National Cheeseburger Day

    I’d suggest you take 10 minutes and knock these out now so you don’t forget, but you do you.
  4. Staples stores have fee free $200 Visa cards through Saturday, limit nine per transaction.

    These are Pathward / BlackHawkNetwork cards.

Happy Monday!

Flying Spirit on National Cheeseburger Day? There’s a burger for that.

  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. Do this now: Register for IHG’s promotion for 10,000 bonus points for two night (plus) stays through September 30, maximum of 30,000 bonus points.

    If you really want to hack this and don’t value your life, Motel 6 continues to be an IHG brand.
  2. The Wells Fargo Choice Privileges Mastercard has a targeted sign-up bonus of 70,000 points after $1,000+ in three months, and carries no annual fee.

    Note: This offer was emailed to certain members, but I was able to extract the link and strip away the member specific identifying parts of the URL. I don’t think the link is risky, but always know a link’s provenance.
  3. Citi ThankYou has a 25% transfer bonus for Leading Hotels of the World’s Leaders Club through August 23. If you haven’t looked into Leading Hotels of the World, this is probably a good opportunity.
  4. Chase Offers has a widely targeted offer for 10% back on up to $400+ at Southwest.com through September 12.
  5. American Express Offers has a targeted offer for $200 back after $1,000+ at Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, or LXR properties through December 31.

Happy Wednesday!

Motel 6s (pictured) don’t catch on fire too often, statistically speaking.

  1. AirCanada has a targeted offer for Chase Sapphire Reserve card holders for a 5,000 point Aeroplan Rewards Certificate, which reduces the cost of a flight award by 5,000 points. You’ve got until August 18 to register, and the certificate is good for a year.

    This works on both business and personal Sapphire Reserves, but not everyone is targeted. (Thanks to IronDukey)
  2. The Barclays JetBlue Business Mastercard has an increased sign-up bonus of 80,000 TrueBlue points after $2,000 spend and paying the $99 annual fee within 90 days.

    Side note: How many people paid everything but the $99 fee and let the bill default, causing this rule?
  3. Citi Shop Day offers 20x rewards when shopping through the Citi Shop browser extension to several online retailers, including buyer’s club favorites like BestBuy and Kohls. Watch for exclusions though, they’re real and they’re not spectacular.
  4. US Bank is sending bonuses for spend in August and September, registration required. Check for email from [email protected]:

    – $50 statement credit after 10 transactions
    – $100 statement credit after 20 transactions
    – $150 statement credit after 30 transactions

    To qualify, each transaction must be $75+, making this a bonus 6.67% cash back in addition to regular rewards for maximizers. (Thanks to Jonathan)
  5. Alaska is adding flights ton London, England and Reykjavik, Iceland from Seattle in Spring 2026 on 787-900 and a 737-MAX8 aircraft respectively, and these will likely be easy awards for the first couple of weeks that they’re bookable.

    I wouldn’t want to fly the Iceland route for eight hours on a domestically configured narrow body aircraft, but you do you, dear traveler.
  6. Safeway, Albertsons, Vons, and other Just4U stores have a coupon 10x points on Zift Zillions through Saturday, as reported a couple of days ago. Starting today, there’s an additional $10 grocery certificate with $50+ purchased on various gift cards, including Zift Zillions cards, limit one per transaction.

    Obviously if you thought 10x was good on its own, 10x + $10 in a slightly annoying to use grocery certificate is slightly better. (Thanks to SideShowBob233)
  7. Southwest has a paid and award sale for 40% off of base fares booked by tomorrow night with promo code LUVFALL, a promo code obviously created to celebrate their fall from grace.

    The concept of “base fares” didn’t used to matter much with Southwest, but now that we’re in the “Southwest-is-basically-Ryanair” era of travel, I’d like to share a reminder that anything not included in the fare itself won’t be discounted, like seat selection fees and checked bag fees. Sometimes booking a bundle that’s 40% off that includes seats and checked bags in the fare is cheaper than booking basic and paying for add-ons, but only sometimes.

Happy Wednesday!

LUV’s fall from grace, illustrated.