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.

Review: Etihad Airways A380 First Class Apartment London to Abu Dhabi

Introduction
Planning & Booking
Planning & Booking II
Washington Dulles (IAD) Lounge Hopping
United Airlines 777-200 Global First Washington to London
United Arrivals Lounge London
Andaz London Liverpool Street
Etihad Airways First & Business Class Lounge London
Etihad Airways A380 First Class Apartment London to Abu Dhabi
Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi
Etihad Airways Premium Lounge Abu Dhabi
Etihad Airways A380 First Class Apartment Abu Dhabi to New York
American Express Centurion Lounge LGA

Let me get this out of the way before I start the review.  We've had the pleasure of flying international first class on some of the best carriers in the world.  We've flown north of 20 segments in long haul international first class over the past few years.  

We've had some amazing flights on Singapore, Cathay Pacific, Lufthansa, and Emirates.  But honestly, all of those flights pale in comparison to what Etihad offers in their First Class Apartment.  The biggest commodity on a commercial aircraft is space.  And with this product, Etihad delivers - plane and simple.

Etihad Airways A380

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.

Outstanding Business Class Availability on Turkish Airlines

Via VFTW, there is outstanding award availability for the entire family on Turkish Airlines from the US to Istanbul and beyond.  We flew Turkish several times in late 2013 from Istanbul to Dubai and back home through Houston.

Turkish IST lounge putting green

We greatly enjoyed the entire experience from the lounge in Istanbul to food and service on board.

Turkish Istanbul IST lounge pool table

With fully flat seats (unfortunately in a 2-3-2 layout on the 777) you'll arrived rested and ready to explore Turkey, Europe, or wherever your final destination takes you.

Turkish 777-300ER

A quick search using the United.com search engine (where a one-way ticket will cost 70,000 miles with no fuel surcharges) yields availability virtually everyday through the summer months and beyond.

Denver to Istanbul this summer for 2

There is business class availability everyday you see blue or green.  Sample routing (from Denver) routes through Atlanta where the long haul segment is operated by Turkish's 777-300ER.

280,000 miles for two roundtrips is easily obtainable since United is a Chase Ultimate Rewards partner.

60,000 Mile Bonus (Targeted) for Gold Delta SkyMiles Amex

We are really on an airline credit card roll over the last few months.

First, American and Citi sent both of us a direct mail piece with a 60,000 mile offer.  Then, Emily was able to pickup the Chase United MileagePlus Explorer Card with a 55,000 mile bonus.

And just last week, I received another direct mail piece but this time from Delta.  The offer provide 60,000 Delta miles for spending $1,000 on the Gold Delta SkyMiles Amex.  

Annual fee waived for the first year and a $50 statement credit after making a Delta purchase (I'll see if it will trigger via a gift card and report back).  

I've only flown Delta a handful of times over the past 5 years but figured picking up 60,000 miles (standard bonus is 30,000) would get me a jumpstart on my Delta mileage balance.  And if we do fly Delta, there are a handful of "elite status light" benefits that come with the card.

Plus with the Alaska Emirates devaluation, it's a great time to diversify!

I was instantly approved for the card and it arrived in my mailbox two days later.  The minimum spend threshold is pretty low so I'll be on to the next card in no time.  All in, that is 235,000 in airline miles from four targeted bonuses over the last four months.

Did you receive a targeted offer from AA, United, or Delta?

Alaska Devalues Emirates Award Chart

This has certainly been a week for big travel news.  First, Anbang withdraws their bid for Starwood.

And now this.

Without notice, Alaska Airlines massively devalued their award chart for redemptions on Emirates.  They did so without notice.  After significant backlash, they put out a blog post essentially blaming the travel blogging/hacking community for exploiting the rules.  They are the ones that make the rules and they can change them at their prerogative if that was truly the issue.  That's like saying one would be "exploiting" the law by smoking pot in our great state of Colorado.  The rules were changed...it's legal...I don't think that's exploitation.

Perhaps what they meant is "we see way too many people redeeming for first and business class awards and we need to change that."  Or perhaps Emirates told them exactly that.  Either way, they could have been WAY more transparent about the change and perhaps given some time for the changes to kick in  As Points MD notes, maybe there is a silver lining to this change?

I don't fly Alaska and don't have any loyalty for (or against) them.  I'm not even that upset as I will still be able to collect Alaska miles through a variety of means and hope to fly Emirates First Class again in the future.

Caviar setup in Emirates First Class

But blaming our community for "exploitation" seems like a bit of hyperbole.  The internet is a treasure trove of information.  There are lots of deals out there in the world.  Put the two together and it's natural that someone is going to write about a better way of doing something, obtaining a service, or purchasing a product for a lower price.

It will now cost 600,000 miles for a roundtrip first class award (for 2) to the Middle East/India.  I was able to snag that award for the equivalent (we only flew one way) 360,000 miles just 5 months ago.  That is hyper inflation!

Airlines/hotels are going to devalue - that is just part of this game.  They should do it respectfully and with notice.  Hopefully Alaska will learn from their mistake and won't repeat this in the future.

On to the next deal!