Point/Mileage Check: Nearing the Million Mark
Below is a Point/Mileage Check… American Airlines:64,000 miles Amex Membership Rewards: 50,0000 points Chase Ultimate Rewards: 50,000 points Hilton: 280,000 points Southwest: 65,000 points Starwood: 30,000 points United: 220,000 miles US Airways: 160,000 miles Grand Total: 919,000 points and miles! Since my schedule won’t allow for me to do any trips this year, I should easily hit the Million Mark by year end!
read moreStatus Update-Starwood Amex, Hawiian Cards,Barclay’s, Chase Ink
I finished The Starwood Amex bonus for 30,000 points. After that successful bonus, I applied for both the Bank of Hawaii Visa signature and the Bank of America Hawaiian airlines cards. Both cards gave a bonus of 35,000 miles after $1000 spend in 3/months the annual fee isn’t waived first year for either card. I have little intention of going to Hawaii. My main reason for getting those cards was to transfer over to Hilton at a 1:2 ratio creating 140,000 Hilton Honors points. After those two apps my credit was suffering, it was down to...
read moreAmerican Express Starwood Preferred Card
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted. Once I arrived back from my Peru, Argentina, and Uruguay honeymoon, the excrement hit the proverbial fan. One new roof, two tires and a front end alignment for my truck, Over $1000 sunk into my wife’s car, and one speeding ticket later, here I am, finally typing away. My latest spend requirement is on the American Express Starwood preferred card. Originally I was very hesitant about getting it because the spend requirement is $5,000 in 6 months. Even though the spend requirement is...
read moreFellow Blogger-Q&A
Below is an answer to some questions and concerns left in a comment from my post “What is a Rewards Credit Card?” My answer which I originally intended to be succinct eventually grew, and grew so I just decided to make it a post. Alex of Milk The Pigeon (an excellent blog about finding your passion and fulfilling your dreams) a fellow blogger and an experienced world traveler commented, “I honestly had no idea about ‘credit card churning’ or the benefit of reward cards. Even after traveling 30+ countries by myself I never...
read moreHyatt Card: Best Hotel Bonus?
My wife and I got the Chase Hyatt card a few months ago. We thought it was a sweet deal then. Two free nights worldwide, your first night deposited after first purchase and your next night after $1000 spent in 3 months. Could it get any sweeter? It could and it did. Now with the Chase Hyatt you get your two free nights after first purchase. There is no minimum spend requirement! Now just go to the store by yourself a pack of gum and you’ve got two free nights. So why are the Hyatt two free nights so special? There are other cards that...
read moreStaycation at the Double Tree Paradise Valley Resort-Scottsdale, Arizona
After four years dating, two years of engagement and months of planning the perfect wedding, my beautiful bride Claudia and I are finally married. Because of Claudia’s school aspirations our honey moon to Peru, Argentina, and Uruguay will be delayed until May. Despite that, I still felt that we needed a couple days to ourselves; a mini-moon if you will. After assessing our stash of hotel points, much research and review reading, I chose the Double Tree Resort in Scottsdale. Our arrival was rocky. As we pulled up to the valet counter in my...
read moreWhich side of the fence are you?
I spotted an interesting article on the NPR site. The article is about a study done by economists pointing to the fact that rewards credit card programs may not be rewarding for everyone, someone has to be footing the bill. Despite the age of the article, it’s two years old, I’m sure it still rings true. Essentially the article concludes that based on this study, rewards credit cards are paid for by the poor and that the rich actually get richer from them. The logic behind this is that the rewards credit cards make everything...
read moreWho should use Travel Rewards Cards?
My time in the credit card industry was a learning experience. I spoke with hundreds of customers each week explaining to them their terms and conditions of their contracts while servicing their accounts. By doing this I learned to sift through the credit card jargon and discovered how to use my own cards more effectivley. Not surprising, I learned the traits that successful cardholders have. But more importantly, I learned not everyone should have credit cards, especially travel rewards cards. I believe anyone who wants to use Travel...
read more5 Misconceptions about Credit Cards
1. They're bad! Haven’t we all heard this before from family or friends? Even billionaire Warren Buffet has come out against credit cards (I wouldn’t want a credit card either if I had a billion dollars). However, credit cards like any other product are designed to make money. They happen to be very good at it. Yet, there is nothing inherently evil about credit cards. You just have to learn to use them effectively. Bankrate’s Aviya Kushner agrees stating, “there are times when credit cards are clearly the best...
read moreRewards Travel at its finest: Get 170,000 Hilton Points!
Looking to do a mattress run? There may be no need if you follow this strategy and get 170,000 Hilton Points! *Warning this strategy may result in 3 hard pulls. So if you decide to do this your credit should be pristine. 1. Apply for the AMEX Hilton Surpass (60,000 points), Citi Bank Hilton Visa Signature (40,000 points) and Bank of America Hawaiian airlines card (35,000 miles) at the same time. 2. Meet the spending requirements. The spending requirement for the Amex Surpass card is $3,000 in 3 months and has an annual fee of $75,...
read more5 Best things to do with your rewards card
Have a lot of points on your cards? Not sure what to do with them? Ever wonder what the best way to use your points would be? Well it varies from card to card but in general some ways are better than others. Read on to get 5 great ideas on how you can utilize your rewards points most effectively. 1. Free Flights One of the best things to do with your credit card is to take a rewards flight. Why? Because, flying is one of the most needlessly expensive travel expenses in your life. It’s almost impossible to eliminate...
read moreWhat is a Rewards Credit Card?
Bustling through crowded malls, fighting holiday traffic, lugging large bags around that feel like they have a ton of concrete in them, ever been shopping and felt like you were at your second job? Even a trip to the grocery store can be tedious at times. Ever thought it might be cool to be getting something in exchange for all this hard work? Guess what! There actually are people that will “pay” you for buying stuff. And I’m not talking about becoming a secret shopper either. Enter, the rewards credit card. What is...
read more10,000 Free Flights to Japan Canceled!
In October, the Japan National Tourism Organization broke news of their plan to offer 10,000 free flights to tourists in order to salvage the reeling tourism market. What followed was a media blitz and a big swell of suspense when the JNTO announced the plan was actually pending approval. Well travel geeks, put your tongues back in. It looks like all the people eagerly preparing to write an awe inspiring appeal to the JNTO for a free flight will be out of luck. According to a recent press release on the JNTO website, ”The...
read moreBuy U.S. Airways Dividend Miles and Get a 100% Bonus!
EXPIRED! For the whole month of December, U.S. Airways is running a 100% mileage match on all purchased miles, up to 40,000 miles. Usually, I don’t condone buying miles as they are almost always over priced. This would be an exception. If you can squeeze your schedule into the sad U.S. Airways off peak times you could really make out like a bandit. If you’re starting from scratch you could buy 30,000 miles for $1050, get your 30,000 mile bonus, totaling 60,000 miles. Enough to get you on a business class flight to LHR. $1050...
read moreHow will the American Airlines Bankruptcy impact your Frequent Flyer Miles?
As you may have heard American Airlines has finally initiated a long overdue Ch. 11 bankruptcy. With $4 billion in cash and around $30 billion in debt most experts think they were overdue for reorganization through bankruptcy proceedings. Unlike the majority of the other large U.S. legacy airlines American was the only one, besides Southwest, who had not gone through bankruptcy. So, how will the American Airlines Bankruptcy affect your miles? Well, luckily, not much. American wants to make sure it retains its customers through the fat...
read more15,000 bonus miles offer from U.S. Airways Mastercard!
I just got a selected offer from U.S. Airways. Spend over $1,250 on my Mastercard in December, January, and February and receive 15,000 bonus miles. First off if you don’t have the U.S. Airways dividend miles mastercard this offer doesn’t apply to you. If you do have one, I’m not sure how much of a selected offer this is. I called U.S. Airways and the representative said she thinks the offer should be available to anyone who currently has a U.S. airways dividend miles card. However, before you invest in this offer...
read more10,000 free flights to Japan?
As an effort to boost Japan’s struggling tourism sector, The Japan National Tourism Organization announced recently their plans to offer 10,000 free tickets to visitors next April. This came in respone to an extreme decline in tourism after the diastarous earthquake and tsunami that resulted in the Fukushima nuclear plant explosion. The estimated tourism decline this past summer has been over 30% and seems like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. However, according to the JNTO website the budget for the ticket give away...
read moreSpend Your British Airways Miles NOW!
Avios points will be upon us in just a few days now, November 16th. If you haven’t already used your British Airway’s miles you still have time before the transition. You can book online until November 14th and over the phone until November 15th. Do you have to use your BA miles before then? No. Your BA miles will transition to Avios points 1:1, but due the imminent extinction of the current BA partner rewards chart and the secrecy of their new unified partner rewards chart it might be worth liquidating your assets so to say. In...
read more