Showing posts with label Ultimate Rewards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ultimate Rewards. Show all posts

March 4, 2017

Chase Offering 10x on Hotels and Rental Car Spend in March

Chase is offering 10x points on up to $2,500 in rental car or hotel spend booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards.  This offer is available on the Freedom and Freedom Unlimited cards although it sounds like the offer is also available on the Ink Business Cash card.

This has the potential to be very lucrative.  If you have one of the Chase premium Ultimate Rewards cards (Sapphire, Reserve, Ink Preferred) these points are just not good for cash back but available to be transferred to Chase's travel partners such as United, Singapore Airlines, Hyatt, and more.


While the spend has to occur in March, travel can occur anytime.  This means that you could book a hotel stay for $2,500 and earn 25,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points which could be used to transfer to Hyatt to book a night at the Park Hyatt Maldives.

I value Chase Ultimate Rewards around ~2.0 cents so for me, this is 20% back on spend.  I don't have any rental car needs but do need a hotel room later in the year and will take advantage of this to earn a couple thousands bonus points.

January 8, 2017

Earn 5x on Gas and Uber

I've written about the Chase Freedom card a number of times including post about the 5x category (restaurants) last quarter.  Freedom is one of the best "fee free" cards on the market.  While the card is marketed as a cash back card, if you have another Ultimate Rewards earning card (such as an Ink business card or a Chase Sapphire Preferred/Reserve card) you can transfer the cash back points earned to your Ultimate Rewards earning card.  You can then use those points to transfer to a variety of travel partners (British Airways, United Airlines, Hyatt, etc..) which provide far more value then simply redeeming for cash back.



Chase Freedom provides a quarterly bonus where you can earn 5x cash back (and ultimately 5x Ultimate Rewards) on up to $1,500 in spend per quarter.  During Q4 the bonus categories included department stores, warehouse clubs, and drug stores.  While we didn't max out, we certainly picked up some extra UR points for holiday shopping we would have done anyway.   

Registration/activation is open for Q1 which offers 5x at gas stations and local commuter transportation.  We don't spend a ton of money on gas but should be able to get a ton of value out of these categories given our Uber/Lyft/Car2Go spend.  Not sure we'll max the $1500 on either card but this should still generate some extra UR points this quarter.

September 24, 2016

Earn 5x at Department Stores with Chase Freedom

I've written about the Chase Freedom card a number of times including post about the 5x category (restaurants) last quarter.  Freedom is one of the best "fee free" cards on the market.  While the card is marketed as a cash back card, if you have another Ultimate Rewards earning card (such as an Ink business card or a Chase Sapphire Preferred card) you can transfer the cash back points earned to your Ultimate Rewards earning card.  You can then use those points to transfer to a variety of travel partners (British Airways, United Airlines, Hyatt, etc..) which provide far more value then simply redeeming for cash back.


Chase Freedom provides a quarterly bonus where you can earn 5x cash back (and ultimately 5x Ultimate Rewards) on up to $1,500 in spend per quarter.  During Q3 the bonus categories included restaurants and warehouse clubs (i.e. Costco).  While the quarter isn't over, I've already maxed my 5x bonus and Emily is getting pretty close.  

Registration/activation is open for Q4 which offers 5x at department stores, warehouse clubs, and drug stores.  While I was hoping for a 5x (or a 10x) bonus at Amazon, these categories are pretty solid for holiday shopping.  Between warehouse clubs, department stores, and gift cards from drug stores, we should easily be able to do some of our holiday shopping at 5x.  

Why the Chase Sapphire Reserve is the Most Lucrative Credit Card in History

It's been a few weeks since the Chase Sapphire Reserve debuted to an online frenzy unseen in the travel hacking world.  There were articles in mainstream publications from Bloomberg and the New York Times.


Chase ran out of the sleek (and heavy) metal cards everyone is so wild about and had to start issuing plastic cards until they can get some more metal.  Travel bloggers (other bloggers...ones without other full time jobs) dedicated entire weeks to just posting about the CSR...why you should get it, how you can get around the 5/24 rules, what you should do with the 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points, etc...

Why is everyone going so nuts? 

Because this is seriously the most lucrative card people have ever seen.  The 100,000 point sign-up bonus alone is worth a minimum of $1,500 in free travel.  Used wisely, you can get a lot more value out of it than that.  But the annual fee is $450?  Is it really?  Let's break it down:

  • 100,000 point sign-up bonus and a $450 annual fee
  • $300 annual travel credit is essentially as good as cash
  • Priority pass with complimentary guests
  • Global Entry $100 credit (once every four years)
  • 3x Ultimate Rewards earnings on travel and dining
If you value the travel credit as cash then the annual fee is down to $150 a year.  Assuming you value Global Entry and TSA preCheck, then you've got another $20 a year (renewals on Global Entry every 5 years) off the annual fee.  Now you're at $130.  If you use the Priority Pass benefits just once per year for you and a spouse/friend, you're down ($27 each) to $76.  That's cheaper than the Sapphire Preferred Card ($95) and you're earning 3x on travel and dining vs. 2x.  That is an INSANE deal.


To close it out, I think the buzz is justified.  This isn't a product just for credit card junkies but really for the mass of people that eat out, like to travel, and our savvy enough to take control of their financial life.  I think that is a large segment of the market and many of them are young.

No way Chase keeps the benefits as they stand today forever.  But for now, everyone that has enjoyed the Sapphire Preferred benefits should go out and get this card with the monster signup bonus and attached benefits.  Even if you don't value the benefits beyond the travel credit, the extra 50% bonus on travel and dining should be enough for most everyone to get more value out of this card than the CSP.  If you spend $500 a month on travel and dining, that's an extra $6,000 in spend per year and an extra 6,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards.  They're worth a minimum of 1.5 cents in travel so that's $90 in incremental value over the CST.

Kudos to Chase for one-upping Amex and Citi (and everyone else) with an outstanding new product.  Even with a $450 annual fee, I plan on keeping my Reserve card going forward.  

September 5, 2016

Updates on the Chase Sapphire Reserve

The Chase Sapphire Reserve launched a couple weeks ago after several months of frenzied speculation.  There's been so much written about the card (which launched during our trip) and it's been hard to keep track of all of the developments.


I'm catching up this weekend and here's the high level overview:

  • $450 annual fee
  • $300 travel credit per calendar year
  • 3x Ultimate Rewards points earned on travel and dining
  • Same point transfer partners as Chase Sapphire and Ink
  • Priority pass with guest privaleges
  • $100 PreCheck/Global Entry credit
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees
The card's been in such high demand, that Chase ran out of metal cards.  We also found out that JP Morgan is offering the JP Morgan Reserve card which seems to be an identical card offering specifically for JP Morgan Private Bank (and potentially others) customers.  


Some have even been successful in getting approved for both products.

June 19, 2016

Earn 5x at Restaurants with Chase Freedom

I've written about the Chase Freedom card a number of times but you can read the most recent posts here and here.  Freedom is one of the best "fee free" cards on the market.  While the card is marketed as a cash back card, if you have another Ultimate Rewards earning card (such as an Ink business card or a Chase Sapphire Preferred card) you can transfer the cash back points earned to your Ultimate Rewards earning card.  You can then use those points to transfer to a variety of travel partners (British Airways, United Airlines, Hyatt, etc..) which provide far more value then simply redeeming for cash back.


Chase Freedom provides a quarterly bonus where you can earn 5x cash back (and ultimately 5x Ultimate Rewards) on up to $1,500 in spend per quarter.  During Q2, the bonus categories were warehouse clubs (i.e. Costco) and grocery stores.  While the quarter isn't over, it's looking like we'll max at least one of our Freedom cards to earn the full 7,500 Ultimate Rewards points.


Registration/activation is open for Q3 which offers 5x at restaurants.  We had the same category in Q2 of 2015 and had no trouble maxing one of our cards during the quarter.  Chase has also kept warehouse clubs on for Q3 likely due to the Costco migration away from American Express.


Chase has announced that the Q4 category will be "holiday shopping" which likely means Amazon.  Last year, Chase offered 10x at Amazon instead of the normal 5x throughout the holidays.  I'm hoping they do the same this year as that is a phenomenal opportunity to earn 10x while shopping for holiday gifts!

May 8, 2016

Getting Started With Credit Card Signup Bonuses

This is an update to a post I wrote back in 2014.  While the specifics have changed a bit, the strategy remains the same.

The last few years of traveling have been unreal.  We've taken trips to Hong Kong, Maldives, Dubai, London, Singapore, Amsterdam, Paris and Bangkok!

Hong Kong!
Many of you have asked us how we afford to go on all these trips.  The answer is pretty simple…we pay less per trip than the price of an economy ticket from the US to Europe.

Etihad First Class Apartments

April 24, 2016

How to Book Singapore Airlines Award Tickets

Last week I posted on how to book Cathay Pacific First Class award tickets.  Today we're going to focus on booking award tickets on another of my favorite Asian carries.

As I eluded to this morning, I'm going to Asia later in the year.  While I had a couple of days to play with, my schedule isn't that flexible.  I generally want to fly home on Saturday or Sunday and for my specific dates, that left with only a couple of options.

Singapore Airlines offers non-stop service from Tokyo to Los Angeles as a continuation of their flight from Singapore.  This would give me another opportunity to fly the flagship Suites Class on the A380.  You can read more about previous Suites Class flights here and here.

Singapore Airlines Lobster Thermidor
The best place to search and book Singapore Airlines awards is on their own website.  For purposes of this post, I'm going to assume you have a Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer account.  If you don't already have an account, sign-up for one here.

April 9, 2016

What's in My Wallet April 2016

Here's an overview of what cards are currently in my wallet as of April 2016.



1) Chase Freedom

The Chase Freedom card offers "rotating" 5x spend categories by quarter.  For this quarter (ending 4/30/16) Freedom is offering 5x at grocery stores and warehouse clubs.  It seems the bonus will work at Costco.com so I'll be working towards earning my 7,500 bonus points via some online shopping.

2) Chase Sapphire Preferred

All of my extra (not contributing to sign-up bonuses) travel and dining spend goes on the CSP.  I've had the card for almost 4 years and gladly pay the $95 annual fee given my credit history, limit, and the earning power of the card.  

3) Amex Platinum

I actually don't put spend on the card at all (other than to earn the sign-up bonus) but have kept it in my wallet strictly for the benefits.  I recently used the card for Centurion lounge visits in Las Vegas and New York as well as an American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts booking.

4) Barclays Arrival Plus

This is actually the third time I've had this card from Barclays which will rebate $420 worth of travel expenses in the form of cash.  I've already used both of our Citi Prestige airline credits in 2016 so this card will provide additional cash back against future (hotel, airfare) out of pocket travel expenses.

5)  Starwood American Express

Any spend that isn't going towards reaching a signup bonus or isn't a category bonus goes on this card.  Despite the upcoming merger with Marriott, I am still valuing Starwood points at north of two cents.  So even at 1 point per dollar, I still feel like I'm getting a great return on spend.

How to Earn 5x This Quarter at Costco

Chase has offered some phenomenal deals on their no annual fee Freedom card over the last 6 months.  In Q4, the 5x bonus category was Amazon which provided for some great pre holiday shopping opportunities.  Even better, they provided 10x points for a 6 week period at Amazon.  That is a 20% return (10x the 2 cent value for Chase Ultimate Rewards points) assuming you carry the Freedom and Chase Sapphire Preferred Cards.  That was an easy 15,000 (10x $1,500) bonus Ultimate Rewards points which could then be transferred to United, BA, or Hyatt (among others).



On the surface, the 5x quarterly bonus at grocery stores, BJ's, and Sam's Club isn't that exciting.  Yes, you can buy gift cards at grocery stores and liquidate them, but that's a lot of work.  Sure, you'll get 5x points on your grocery spend but our quarterly grocery bill for two isn't going to hit the $1,500 quarterly max.

Well, via OMAAT, it seems that Costco.com will count towards the 5x bonus!  While Costco physical locations do not take credit cards other than American Express, Costco.com will accept Visa.  This means you can purchase all sorts of items (similar to the Amazon promo) and you'll receive 5x points.  We are in the market for some outdoor furniture and Costco.com actually has a pretty great selection.  5x points is essentially a 10% rebate on what is already a discounted price.

I haven't tested this personally but plan to make a Costco.com purchase this weekend.  I'll report back on my own results once the transaction settles.

April 3, 2016

How Shopping Online Can Put Money Back in Your Pocket

Shopping online can yield tens of thousands of bonus miles and points per year.  An extra minute or two tacked onto each purchase isn't much when you think about the value that time can generate.

This isn't the first time I've written about a great mileage earning deal at Sephora or a successful triple/quadruple dip.  These are great anecdotes to share because they illustrate the point (get it) that with a small amount of extra time, you can generate an outsized return on your online shopping spend.  Especially if you redeem the miles and points earned for premium travel.

eBay is pretty consistently selling gift cards at a discount.  A few weeks ago they were selling $110 Sephora gift cards for $100.  Emily is always good for a Sephora purchase and I can usually find some things on the "need this" list as well.

February 6, 2016

How Many Ultimate Rewards Points Have You Redeemed?

I had to transfer some Chase Ultimate Rewards points to my United MileagePlus account this morning to book my flight home from Tokyo.  I noticed something new (or I've just missed it during previous visits to the activity page) which shows my total points redeemed since late 2011.  .That's about the time I got into this game and started applying for credit cards in earnest.

To see your total, click on Activity (top right of the screen) and scroll down to the bottom of the page.

Lifetime UR Redeemed

Thanks to 10 Chase Ultimate Rewards sign-up bonuses and amazing spend bonuses (Sapphire 7% dividend and Freedom quarterly bonuses) we've been able to earn and burn nearly 900,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards over the past 4 years.  I actually thought the number might be higher given the insane amount of points we've transferred to Singapore KrisFlyer, United, and Hyatt over the years.

Thanks to Chase for making this available - it was cool to see and something I'll check out again the next time I'm redeeming Ultimate Rewards points.

November 18, 2015

Chase Freedom Offering 10x at Amazon!

Chase is out with another great offer for Chase Freedom card holders.  The Freedom card rotates 5x earning categories (quarterly) on up to $1,500 in spend.  For Q4 the bonus is available at Amazon and Zappos.

10x at Amazon and Zappos

Chase recently announced that Freedom card holders would be able to earn 10x on an extra $1,500 in spend between 11/23 and 12/31.  This is above and beyond the 5x earnings from 10/1 through 11/22.

So hypothetically you could earn 22,500 Chase Ultimate Rewards (if you paired a Chase Sapphire or Ink Business Card with your Freedom) on $3,000 in Amazon/Zappos spend.

Not sure I'll be able to get to $3K in spend but I will definitely be waiting to make some key holiday purchases until 11/23.  Earning 10x cashback that can then be converted to United, British Airways, Hyatt, etc... points is like earning more than 20% back on your holiday (or everyday) spend.  This is a pretty phenomenal deal.  Kudos to Chase for stepping up their game at the end of 2015!!

October 31, 2015

What's in My Wallet November 2015

Here's an update on what's in my wallet (and why) as we go into November.


1) Chase Freedom

The Chase Freedom card offers "rotating" 5x spend categories by quarter.  For this quarter (ending 12/31/15) Freedom is offering 5x at Amazon and Zappos.com on $1,500 worth of spend during the quarter.  Given the holidays and everyday spend, I'll probably get pretty close to maxing the $1,500 earning me 7,500 Chase Ultimate Rewards points!

2) Chase Sapphire Preferred

All of my extra (not contributing to sign-up bonuses) travel and dining spend goes on the CSP.  I've had the card for over 3 years and gladly pay the $95 annual fee given my credit history, limit, and the earning power of the card.  Don't forget to leverage the CSP for 3x points on dining on the first Friday of each month.

3) Amex Platinum

I actually don't put spend on the card at all (other than to earn the sign-up bonus) but have kept it in my wallet strictly for the benefits.  Specifically Centurion lounge access in cities where I have upcoming travel (New York, San Francisco, and Dallas).

4) Citi Hilton HHonors Visa

I'm working on the minimum spend for this card ($2,000 in 90 days) which I picked up for the increased 75,000 point sign-up bonus.  I had depleted my stash of HHonors points over the last year and 75,000 will go a long way in boosting my balance.  This card is "churnable" in that you can get it over and over - with no annual fee it's great to take advantage when the bonus is increased.

April 5, 2015

Earn 10% Off at Restaurants with Chase Freedom

Chase Freedom is one of the best "fee free" cards on the market.  While the card is marketed as a cash back card, if you have another Ultimate Rewards earning card (such as an Ink business card or a Chase Sapphire Preferred card) you can transfer the cash back points earned to your Ultimate Rewards earning card.  You can then use those points to transfer to a variety of travel partners (British Airways, United Airlines, Hyatt, etc..) which provide far more value then simply redeeming for cash back.

Chase Freedom also provides a quarterly bonus where you can earn 5x cash back (and ultimately 5x Ultimate Rewards) on up to $1,500 in spend per quarter.  Q2 2015 happens to be restaurants.  So you can spend $1,500 on restaurants throughout the quarter and earn 7,500 Ultimate Rewards points.  I value UR points at $.02 each so ultimately you're earning 10% off your restaurant spend during the quarter.

Earn 5x Ultimate Rewards this quarter

This quarter, the bonus also includes spend at Bed Bath & Beyond, H&M, and Overstock.com.  You do have to activate your cad each quarter but it takes all of 10 seconds to do.  Chase will even send you several reminders throughout the quarter to ensure you don't forget.

Because the card does not carry an annual fee, there's no reason to cancel...ever.  And because the rotating categories provide so much value, Freedom will always have a place in my wallet.

March 20, 2015

What's in My Wallet - March 2015 Edition

It's been awhile since I've posted about what's in my wallet.  I'm going to try and keep this up quarterly.  You can check out other posts here:

What's in My Wallet?  October 2014

What's in My Wallet?  April 2014

Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below.

1)  Amex Simply Cash Business Credit Card

I usually prefer to earn points and miles vs. cash back, but this offer is pretty hard to pass up given the strong bonus ($250 on $5,000 in spend so 5x cash back all with no annual fee) and bonus categories (5x on office supplies and cell/cable bills, 3x on a category of your choice - in my case restaurants).  This card is a keeper given the lack of an annual fee although I probably won't put a ton of spend on the card once receiving the signup bonus.

2)  Barclays US Airways Dividend Miles MasterCard

Given the merger with American and the fact that this card is going away (likely in April) as the merger progresses, I figured I'd pick up this card again (I've had it before a couple years back).  The sign-up bonus is really strong - 50,000 USAir miles after first purchase for an $89 annual fee.  These miles will become AA miles in April so you should definitely get this card before it goes away.  The card is still in my wallet due to a promotion Barclays is running offering 1.5x miles for the next few months.  After that, I'll stick it in a drawer.

3)  Chase Sapphire Preferred

All of my travel spend goes on the CSP.  Once I've hit the sign-up bonus on my Simply Cash Business card, I'll move back to the CSP for restaurant spend.

4)  Amex Starwood Preferred Guest

This card is perpetually in my wallet.  In fact, I just paid my taxes with the card.  Even though there is a ~2% fee to pay taxes with a credit card, it's a no brainer for me.  I would buy Starwood points all day long at 2%.  I am staying at The Phoenician Resort in May for 12,000 points a night.  The cash rate is >$500 per night.  If I was to "buy points" at $.02 that would be $240 per night...a huge discount versus the $500 cash rate.

February 16, 2015

50% Off at Neiman Marcus with Visa Checkout

Neiman Marcus is offering $50 off a purchase of $100 (regular priced merchandise only) when you pay with Visa Checkout.  If you don't already have Visa Checkout, it takes all of 3 minutes to signup. The deal expires tomorrow, 2/17.  To get the deal, select "pay with Visa Checkout" and you'll automatically receive $50 off your order.


Yes, Neiman Marcus is insanely overpriced and most of the stuff they sell is more than $100.  That said, they do have a lot of great travel stuff including Tumi accessories.  You could pick up a travel kit for $95 and add some socks to clear the $100 threshold.

I was able to get a Tumi Alpha Bravo travel kit (last one so no longer available) which retailed for $115 but I scored it for $65.  I also used my ShopRunner account to get free 2-day shipping and went through the Shop with Chase Ultimate Rewards Mall and earned 5x points on the purchase.

This is a pretty good deal if you were already in the market for something that NM sells.

October 12, 2014

Earning 5x Ultimate Rewards Points from Chase Ink Cards

It must be the morning of 5x.  The Chase Ink Business Cards (Bold and Plus) provide an excellent opportunity to earn a ton of valuable Ultimate Rewards points.  I've had an Ink Bold card for a couple of years now and while I don't keep the card in my wallet, I will grab it out of my CC stack for a couple of key use cases:

1)  I leverage my Ink card for all of our cable, internet, and cell phone monthly bills.  That amounts to roughly $350/month and is all recurring billing so I don't even have to remember to use the card.  That earns an easy 1,750 Ultimate Rewards points.

2)  If I'm going to an office supply store (i.e. Staples or Office Depot) I will bring my Ink Card.  If I'm buying something online from these stores, I will use my Ink Card through a shopping portal.  I spend around $200/month on gift cards to maximize my earning on everyday spend.  That is another 1,000 Ultimate Rewards points each month.




Leveraging these techniques, I'm earning over 33,000 Ultimate Rewards points per year.  I value those points at around $660 so more than paying for the $95 annual fee.  This is a card that I will keep (vs. get rid of)  year after year.

July 27, 2014

Chase Sapphire Preferred Eliminates 7% Dividend

As many of you know, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is my favorite card.  The majority of my spend is dining and travel so earning 2x Ultimate Rewards in those categories equates to a "return" of about 4% on spend.

One of the perks of the card is an annual 7% dividend where all the points earned in the previous calendar year (including the signup bonus) earn an additional 7% UR bonus deposited in February.  So if you earned 45,000 miles from the signup bonus (the current bonus) and spent an average of $1,000 a month on travel/dining and $1,000 a month on other stuff, you would have earned a total of 81,000 Ultimate Rewards points.

You would then receive a dividend of 5,670 Ultimate Rewards points.  The value of those points more than offsets the $95 annual fee making this a really great card to keep forever.

Unfortunately, Chase has changed the card offering for new card members and eliminated the dividend.  Lame.  It sounds like current card members will be able to receive the dividend for the next two years (2014 and 2015) and then it will be eliminated as well.  I am sure this will be communicated via email/letter but figured I'd write about it since this is my everyday card.

Chase has replaced the dividend with increased rental car coverage which is great for the 1-2x per year that I rent a car but I would definitely prefer the dividend to stay forever.

This is still a phenomenal card and will continue to stay in my wallet despite losing 7% of my points after 2015.

June 15, 2014

Is Earning 2 Membership Rewards Points/Dollar on Uber Rides a Good Deal?

Last week, American Express and Uber rolled out a new partnership that essentially gives Amex card members (with a MR earning card product) the ability to earn 2x points on Uber rides.  They also launched the ability to redeem Membership Rewards points for Uber rides which is definitely NOT a good deal.

Earn 2x Amex points for Uber Rides

Membership Rewards points are pretty valuable thanks to great partners (i.e. Singapore Airlines, British Airways, etc...) and easy to rack up thanks to monster (i.e. 100,000) sign-up bonuses and a variety of consumer and business card products.  I value you them on par with Chase Ultimate Rewards points (about 2 cents each).

I personally have my Uber account linked to my Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.  Because Uber is coded as "travel" I will earn 2x points per dollar spent and also earn a 7% annual divided on that spend.  The dividend effectively makes my earnings 2.14x so while the new partnership with Uber is really cool, I will stick to my current setup!

If you don't have the CSP card, definitely link your Uber account to a Membership Rewards earning Amex card.