We’re not yet at the return of the traditional app-o-rama yet–but today I want to introduce the idea of using your float to earn additional money. This post is risky business–mostly because the effect on your credit score, the possibility of messing up and owing interest on your credit cards, and the chance of malfunction […]
Shop Talk: Cashing out Ultimate Rewards
Welcome to another edition of Shop Talk where we discuss what’s going on in our personal points & miles space and highlight what we think is interesting in the broader space as well. This is the kind of “Shop Talk” many of you are engaged in on a daily basis, so feel free to discuss […]
New Chase 48 Month Sapphire Rule: What to do now and going forward
Welcome to another edition of Shop Talk where we discuss what’s going on in our personal points & miles space and highlight what we think is interesting in the broader space as well. This is the kind of “Shop Talk” many of you are engaged in on a daily basis, so feel free to discuss […]
This Week in Bank Points: Chase Ultimate Rewards + Expedia = Goodness?
Chase recently announced they’re partnering with Expedia as the online travel agent for Ultimate Rewards redemptions. This change occurred with the Chase Freedom card on August 12th and they’re planning to roll it out to other Chase cards in coming months. You’ll know you’re seeing the Expedia version of the portal when you see “Powered […]
This Week in Bank Points: Booking AA Flights on Short Notice
We decided a week ago to take a short-notice trip from Boston to Washington DC this weekend. Since AA and JetBlue serve the BOS-DCA direct route, the conventional wisdom is that this would be a great use of British Airways Avios. Well, AA award availability being what it is I’ve rarely found Avios useful for […]
Keep these things in mind when booking a Marriott Hotel with Bank Points
Update: Marriott no longer honors elite status benefits when booking through on OTA, including bank points. See: No Notice: Marriott Stops Giving Elite Benefits For Online Travel Agency Reservations We’re just back from a stay at the Marriott Munich. This is the second trip in a row we’ve stayed at a Marriott proper in Europe […]
Confirming and Tracking Wells Fargo Signup Bonuses
Quick Summary: Wells Fargo has added a tracker that makes it easy to confirm signup bonuses are attached to your account, your progress toward the minimum spending requirement, and when the bonus is scheduled to be paid. We beat up on Wells Fargo quite a bit when discussing Good, Bad and Ugly banks recently, and […]
This Week in Bank Points: Stacking AmEx Insider Fares, 35% Rebate, 4x and more for Flights
Quick Summary: Flexible bank points (Chase Ultimate Rewards, AmEx Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Points) are often a better way to pay for flights than traditional airline miles. With bank points you don’t have to contend with award availability and you earn miles since they are considered paid tickets. In this post I’ll stack AmEx Insider […]
This Week in Bank Points: Stacking Citi Prestige 4th Night Free with Four Seasons Offers
Quick Summary: It’s possible to stack the Citi Prestige 4th night free benefit with free night offers at hotels like the Four Seasons. You can pay with Citi ThankYou points for additional uplift if you have the Citi Premier card. If the hotel makes their best rates and promos available to bank portals it can […]
This Week in Bank Points: [Not] Booking that Park Hyatt St. Kitts Deal with Points
Welcome to another edition of This Week in Bank Points where we examine the pros and cons of booking various forms of travel with flexible bank points like Chase Ultimate Rewards and Citi ThankYou Points. This week I’ll examine using bank points for a 4-night stay at the Park Hyatt St. Kitts as part of […]