One of the tenets of common sense that transcends travel hacking, miles and points, and churning is “if something seems too good to be true, it probably is“. To an untrained eye, it’s good advice and will probably keep you out of a tight spot.

If however you’re skilled in a particular field, the general advice can fall flat on its face and hold you back. In travel hacking and churning, there are currently and there have been plenty of examples that you’d miss out on if you thought they were too good to be true, like:

– Earning 24% back when buying Visa gift cards at home
– Earning tens of millions of Delta SkyMiles for buying money orders with a real bank debit card
– Getting enough cash to buy a new Subaru for adding employees to your account
– Paying a credit card’s bill with another credit card
– Flying to Europe in business class for 15,000 miles
– Buying airline miles at or below 0.5 cents a piece, in seemingly unlimited quantities
– Getting millions of AA miles with rapid card churning without paying annual fees

So, don’t let the idea of too good to be true prevent you from running a few tests when you’re a subject matter expert, instead, protect yourself and always be probing. Also, try not to visibly wince like I do when someone says “if a deal is too good to be true, it probably is”, it’s bad form.

Frat boy Chad said that Flamin’ Hot Cheeto cheeseburgers were too good to be true, and this, err, exists.

It’s short and sweet today:

  1. Office Depot / OfficeMax stores have $15 off of $300 or more in Visa gift cards this week through Saturday. As usual:

    – Link your cards to Dosh
    – Look for the lower fee variety of Everywhere cards provided you can liquidate them
    – Try for multiple transactions back-to-back
    – Don’t forget about any AmEx Business Gold monthly credits
    – This deal scales differently than it probably should

    These are Pathward gift cards, so have a liquidation plan in place that doesn’t involve melting the plastic into liquid, that doesn’t work. (Thanks to GCG)
  2. American Express Offers has a card linked offer for $200 off of $700 or more in airfare with Delta through March 31. Delta provides ample opportunity to game this one. One of the above board methods includes booking a non-basic economy ticket, waiting 24 hours, and then refunding it to a travel credit for use on future airfare.

    There’s a spectrum of other methods too. As usual, gamers gonna game. (Thanks to SideShowBob233)

Have a nice Monday!

Failed liquidation plan, illustrated.

EDITORS NOTE: In 2024, I’m going to try and have a guest post on Saturdays. Today’s guest post is from Johnathan, who has gone from zero to heavy hitter over the course of a year. He’s humble and soft spoken, but carries a large manufactured spending stick.

My journey into the world of rewards began last March, kicking off what I’d call my ‘hobby/work’. The challenge? Juggling several American Express Platinum cards, each with its own lofty spending threshold to hit for maxing out rewards. It was my mentor’s encouragement that nudged me to take the plunge. At first glance, the spending requirements seemed crazy, almost impossible. But having a mentor by my side was a game-changer in navigating this financial labyrinth.

As a newbie, churning felt like being pushed off a plane in the middle of a Chinese metropolis without any friends, trying to learn how to live. It quickly turned into the most unusual hobby I’ve ever taken on, packed with moments that had me thinking, “This can’t possibly work,” defying all logic.

A year in, I’ve learned that success in churning isn’t just about the number of transactions; it’s the people you meet along the way that make the difference. It’s the conversations, the stories shared, and the personal connections that really matter. And, boy, does it save time! When I was just starting, the thought of buying money orders made me anxious, and I’d be driving all over town. But by bringing a personal touch to each interaction and really getting to know the people I met, I could easily handle 15-20 money orders while engaging in genuine conversations. That changed everything, saving me an invaluable amount of time.

I owe so much to my mentor for their guidance and support. Going it alone on this journey is something I can’t even imagine. Having someone in your corner to discuss all the churning escapades is a godsend. They’re the ones you can call up to vent about every hiccup—the roadblocks, claw backs, sketchy gift cards, dealing with Incomm’s customer service—you name it. And if you’re pushing the limits, you can bet things will go sideways. Like Matt says, “If you haven’t been shut down, you’re not pushing hard enough.” I had my first shutdown this year with the GM card. How on earth does a company that produces Buicks cut you off?

What’s more, having a churning confidant is priceless. Trying to explain this world to anyone else is like an alcoholic attempting to explain to a casual drinker the reasons behind their long-term
drinking. You’re met with confusion and questions like, “I don’t get it, why don’t you just stop?” or “Why put yourself through all this effort?” But it’s the collective experiences and all the comical
mishaps that have happened along the way that make it so enjoyable.

– Jonathan

  1. The Chase Hyatt cards have new signup bonuses through March 6. Both bonuses are tiered. The personal card:

    – 35,000 points after $3,000 spend in 90 days
    – 30,000 additional points after another $12,000 spend in six months

    The business card is similar, with:

    – 60,000 points after $5,000 spend in 90 days
    – 15,000 additional points after another $7,000 spend in six months

    You can get both back-to-back with a modified double dip. For those of you manufacturing globalist, getting both and hitting the minimum spend will earn you 16 status nights and two category 1-4 free night certificates.
  2. Do this now: Register for Delta’s 10%-20% bonus MQD promotion for flights to and from the Pacific Northwest between February 2 and March 15.

    In case you were wondering how airlines in general are doing, or how Delta’s new elite program in particular is doing, the fact that this promotion exists should tell you everything you need to know.
  3. If you have upcoming travel on Spirit Airlines, especially if it’s more than a couple of months away, I’d suggest booking refundable backup flights on another carrier because Spirit is exploring bankruptcy and may file as soon as next week.

    Spirit’s in a very tenuous position after a judge blocked its planned merger with JetBlue airlines on anti-trust grounds, and let’s just say it’s not currently well positioned for long term success after it followed Breeze Airways down the “shovel money into the fire” path.
  4. Safeway, Albertsons, and other Just4U stores have a promotion for 10x points on $50 or more in certain gift cards running through either Tuesday or Friday depending on your region. The good options for our purposes are Choose Your Card gift cards which can be converted to other high resale value cards.

    Note specifically that Choose Your Card gift cards have a Visa BIN, an expiration date, and a CVV. Does this mean anything? I honestly don’t know currently, but always be probing because in the past it’s meant something. (Thanks to GCG)

Have a nice weekend friends!

The currently display on Spirit Airlines’s in-air aircraft alerting system.

  1. The Alaska MileagePlan Personal Visa card said “hey guys, I’m cool too” after yesterday brought an increased MileagePlan Business card sign up bonus. Yes, you can get both under a single hard pull if you apply on the same day:

    – Personal Visa: 70,000 miles after $3,000 spend in 90 days
    – Business Visa: 75,000 miles after $4,000 spend in 90 days

    Advanced churners don’t stop at just these two cards though. Don’t worry too much about bonus language with Bank of America cards either, if you’re approved and hit the spend, you’ll get the bonus.
  2. American Express has new bonuses for adding authorized users and meeting minimum spend on a few personal cards:

    – Personal Platinum: 10,000 Membership Rewards with $2,000 spend for a new authorized user card, limit one
    – Hilton Surpass: 5,000 Hilton points with $1,000 spend for a new authorized user card, limit four

    Remember that if American Express can correlate an authorized user card with a real person’s identity, it’ll show up on their credit report. (Thanks to SideShowBob233 and Agile.Travel)
  3. There’s an American Express Business Gold link that’s been lurking around private forums for about a week, and now it’s found its way into several public forums too, including reddit. The bonus is 130,000 Membership Rewards after $10,000 spend in three months, and it’s relatively immune to pop-up jail.
  4. Alaska’s MileagePlan shopping portal has a bonus of 1,200 miles for $300 or more in spend through the portal by January 26. Giftcards.com is an obvious way to knock this one out.

Happy Thursday!

Alaska lounges, famous for their pancake machines, introduce a special machine just for the “I’m cool too” Personal Alaska Visa card.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Surely you noticed that yesterday autocorrect got surly and took it out on me. It’s corrected though, and rest assured that I’ve given myself the requisite face-palms. Oh, and don’t call me Shirley.

  1. Do this now: Check for targeted Chase offers for 5x-7x on up to $1,500 spend at groceries, gas, and restaurants on co-branded cards. If you get an error, open an incognito window and try again.

    These can usually be knocked out on a single trip to the right gas station or grocery store.
  2. The Alaska MileagePlan Business card has a new, 75,000 mile sign-up bonus after $4,000 in spend in 90 days. Don’t forget that there’s much more than meets the eye with Bank of America credit card applications and limits aren’t always limits. (Thanks to DoC)
  3. American Express Offers has new travel related card-linked offers for:

    – $225 statement credit on $1,250 or more in airfare purchased directly with Air New Zealand through March 16 for flights originating in the US
    – $150 statement credit on $750 or more at Omni Hotels through May 15

    Yes, one can game these offers, but also yes, both are nice products for non-gamers.
  4. The Motley Fool has a storied past with churners, and I typically avoid writing about their promotions as a result. However there’s a confluence of deals and multiple positive reports show that they work together on this round, so here we are. The promotions:

    – American Express Offers has $50 back on $99 or more at Motley Fool through May 5
    – AA’s eShopping Portal has 6,200 miles for a new subscription

    The Motley Fool Stock advisor happens to cost $99, so with the two offers together you’re buying 6,200 AA miles and Loyalty Points at 0.79 cents per point, which is a great deal if you’ll use them. Just set a reminder to end your subscription at least 61 days after subscribing. (Thanks to Paul and Ryan)

Happy Wednesday!

Taking ‘knocked out in a single trip to the right gas station’ literally.

Introduction

There are legion cards with airline incidental credits, which are obviously different than airline travel credits (a keen observer will note that they’re obviously different because one is “incidental” and the other is “travel”, duh). Examples:

  • American Express Platinum and Business Platinum
  • Bank of America Premium Rewards
  • PenFed Pathfinder
  • American Express Hilton Aspire
  • UnionBank Rewards
  • CNB National Crystal

The intended way to cash these out is for ancillary fees like checked bag charges, pet charges, in-flight purchases, and similar. But, turning them into airfare credits for future travel is usually mosre interesting and now that we’ve flown right past Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we’ve got sufficient datapoints to know what works for getting airfare instead.

If you’re too busy to care about reading further, the easiest option is the United TravelBank, which works for all card issuers. Flights booked with TravelBank funds also qualify for regular paid United benefits like a small snack and a surly flight attendant.

Methods for Airfare

Still with me? I don’t blame you, I like AA’s surly flight attendants 1.6% better than United’s surly flight attendants. Here’s what works in 2024:

  • United: Buy TravelBank credit directly. It expires in five years and can be used to pay for United flights; if you get an error during checkout at TravelBank, add your card to your United profile as a saved payment then try again. If you’re using another player’s card for your own account, use the gifting functionality at the same site instead [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 $250 in the remainder payment with American Express cards though). Alternatively if you have a co-branded American Express Delta card, pay partially with miles and the remainder will be credited [more info]
  • Alaska: Buy a flight that costs less than $100, then refund to your wallet after 24 hours [more info]
  • Southwest: Buy a flight less than $100, or book an international flight with taxes under $100 per ticket, then refund to a travel credit [more info]
  • Hawaiian: Buy airfare of $50 or less [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]
  • JetBlue: Buy a flight less than $137 then cancel the flight after 24 hours and refund to your JetBlue wallet [more info]

Other Options

There are other non-airfare options that are probably unintended to be reimbursed but still are for most airlines (see each individual [more info] link), or you can stick to what AmEx HQ wants you to do like pay for in-cabin pets [more info, but corporate double-speak laiden].

Yes, in-flight dim-sum food purchases work too. Yes, they are hazardous to your survival.

First, a general PSA: Today is typically a good day for flash sales at airlines and hotel chains, so consider setting some time aside to price or reprice upcoming travel.

  1. Office Depot/OfficeMax stores have $15 off of $300 or more in Mastercard gift cards through Saturday. Tips:

    – Link your cards to Dosh, then activate the Office Depot offer
    – Chase has a 🤏 card linked offer for up to $11 back
    – Sometimes promotions like this scale differently than you’d expect

    These are Metabank Pathward gift cards, so have a liquidation plan in place.
  2. Dell is currently 10x or 15x at rakuten.com depending on category, which makes it a good time to convert each of your American Express Business Platinum $200 credits into 3,000 Membership Rewards and some junk that you don’t want.

    I expect Saks will jump up to at least 10x for today too, but as of this writing it’s only 2x.
  3. Chase Offers has 10% back on Southwest airfare purchases of $50 or more on up to $400 in spend. These aren’t hard to game, but there are varying levels of difficulty and sketchiness for each method.
  4. Do this now: Register for Accor Hotels’ Q1 promotion for double Accor points at hotels in Europe and North Africa for 2+ night stays through March 14.

Happy Monday!

A preview of Spirit Airline’s upcoming President’s Day sale.