Category Archives for Credit Cards.
Right now, a few Chase cards have sign-up bonuses with 50,000 Chase Ultimate Ultimate Rewards points or more. These are by far my favorite kind of points. And the ones I focus on collecting above all others.
I’ve used Chase points to spend time in Austin via British Airways, Hyatt, and Southwest
Here’s more about each card, as they all have different fees and earning rates. And ideas for how to spend those bonus points!
I wanna type out loud for a sec to assess which card offers I can still earn. Before I begin, I know there aren’t many.After all, I currently have about 30 cards and have rotated through many others since I started the points & miles game in 2012 (and heavily in 2013).
My first award trip was to Hawaii in 2013, with Delta miles and Hilton points
So what’s left for me? I know it’s not much.
Let’s take a deep dive.
Update: The Starwood small business Amex 35,000 point offer expired as of 3/28/18. It is NO LONGER available.
Amex is bringing it with their small business cards. There are notable welcome offer increases on a few of them right now.
And they are definitely NOT created equal.
#spgamex is gonna go the way of the #dodo
Here’s what to consider about each one.
I get it. Not everyone spends their Friday nights taking epsom salt baths and pondering the workings of various points programs.
Lots of peeps directly asked about the Capital One Venture Rewards card: is it worth getting?
My answer’s always been: yeah, if you don’t want to deal with points programs.
I drew that bull
But the ease of redemption and earning might be worth it if you like the Capital One ecosystem.
To start, the Blue Business Plus Amex is a small business card. But Amex is known to be generous with small business card approvals, so long as you have a for-profit venture, or are aiming to make a profit.
This card got instant “workhorse” classification. And it’s been a stalwart companion in my wallet since the day I got it.
MVP status, this one
When it launched in Summer 2017, there was a brief welcome offer for 20,000 Amex Membership Rewards points. But when that faded, it went to nothing.
Now a welcome offer of 10,000 Amex Membership Rewards points is available. But I think this card is good enough to get even without a bonus!
Also see:
Thanks to readers Frank, Amar, and Ken for sharing experiences with their Citi AT&T Access More cards only earning 1X points for mortgage payments via Plastiq this month.
My statement just closed, too. And I can confirm: I only got 1X for last month’s mortgage payment. 😿
Boo hiss! What’ll we do about you, Citi?
As of now, you can only use MasterCard cards to make mortgage payments through Plastiq. But you can still use any credit card to make rent or HOA payments.
So are there any good options left for paying mortgages through Plastiq? Or is it just… dead?
How much do you have to spend each year for a Chase Sapphire annual fee to be worth it? The answer depends on:
It depends on your spending habits, but let’s take a looky-loo
I’ll break down spending in 3 scenarios:
Boom!
I’ve been meaning to write about this year’s edition of $100 in free Mercedes-Benz stuff (last year’s haul is here). I still have my glasses and water bottle, but lost the coffee cup to the TSA gods at LaGuardia. :/ (I now use a HydroFlask to transport coffee to the airport.)
I dusted off my certificate and headed to my local Mercedes-Benz dealership.
Thanks for the free jacket, water bottle, and keychain, Amex!
I ended up getting a nice fleece-lined windbreaker worth $89, a water bottle, and a keychain. Total cost: $0!
You get one of these $100 certificates every year with the Amex Platinum Mercedes-Benz card. But, as I just found out from Nick at Frequent Miler, it’s going away in January 2019. If you’ve never had it, get it while you can!
New Mexico is pure magic. It’s one of my favorite places on earth.
Every time I’m there, I feel deep soul-healing. Those high desert landscapes are what my soul looks like, I think. I’m so completely at peace with the mountains and wind and all of it.
So I was definitely looking forward to staying at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya, nestled 25 minutes north of Albuquerque and 45 minutes south of Santa Fe in northern New Mexico.
This little sign is where the magic began
Two friends and I drove here non-stop from Dallas – a solid 10-hour drive. We left at 4am, stopping only in Amarillo for an early lunch. A few hours later, we drove through the cute town of Bernalillo and into the 550 acres of the resort, technically located in Santa Ana Pueblo.
This is a wonderful, special resort. I highly recommend staying here if you ever get the opportunity. Here’s my experience and how I stayed for completely free!
I wrote about Trim and Paribus to track price changes and get a refund from merchants. Now there’s Earny, which tracks price changes and uses price protection from many bank Visa and MasterCard credit cards – and files the claims for you automatically. In return, they take 25% of the bounty.
Earny automates price protection with several bank Visas and MasterCards
I shop online a lot with my Citi AT&T Access More card (no longer available although you can still product change to it). All Citi personal cards come with Citi Price Rewind, which puts the onus on you to file a claim if you find a lower price. But now Earny automates the work. After you link your cards, nothing else is required to file a claim when Earny finds a lower price.
If you shop online a lot, this could save you big bucks!
Getting a new credit card is a big step for lots of peeps. It’s a new account, new financial history, and something else to track.
Did you know your new credit card came with a checklist? It does. Sorry
Some of you might be like “Ugh,” but I’m like “Yay!” Even though I have 33 credit cards right now (yep!).
Here are the steps I take with each new card. And you should, too. It’ll help maximize your benefits, earn more rewards, and keep track of what’s what!
Say what you will about Chase, but their hotel cards that come with a free anniversary night are worth every penny.
I wrote how I got $500 in value from the IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card earlier this year. And I’ve used my World of Hyatt Credit Card free night certificate at the Hyatt Centric in New Orleans and the Hyatt at the Bellevue in Philadelphia. I also wrote about 5 worthwhile Category 4 hotels where you can get a lot of bang for your Hyatt free night cert.
A view of Texas hill country – paid for with my Hyatt free night certificate
And this past weekend, I got a stay worth ~$284 at the Hyatt Place Austin Downtown (full review soon!) in exchange for my $75 annual fee.
With values like this, a card with a valuable free night each cardmember year is a no-brainer to keep year after year. Especially when you can get outsized value in popular areas like downtown Austin.
Hello and welcome to Out and Out! My name is Harlan – I’m a points and miles enthusiast who loves to travel. I am interested in personal finance, the power of positive thinking, and the extraordinary journeys that make life worth living.