Chase - Weekend Blitz http://weekendblitz.com Thu, 31 Jul 2014 15:48:14 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.5 Ahh! Don’t buy “stuff” with your frequent flyer miles! http://weekendblitz.com/ahh-buy-stuff-frequent-flyer-miles/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ahh-buy-stuff-frequent-flyer-miles http://weekendblitz.com/ahh-buy-stuff-frequent-flyer-miles/#respond Thu, 31 Jul 2014 15:36:16 +0000 http://weekendblitz.com/?p=12000 I get a few emails a week from hotels, airlines and credit card companies pushing me to “buy” things with my hard-earned miles. Like this one from American Express:

Perfect, I’m somewhere between a Dyson Vacuum and a MacBook!

Or this one from Chase:

I won’t be fooled, Chase–100 points for $1 is a horrible trade!

Or this one from United:

I can think of nothing more horrible to own than a Racsal Flatts album or “NOW 50”

Why ordering “stuff” with miles and points is a horrible idea

Trading your miles and points for stuff is almost always a bad deal.

You should be getting at least a 2% return from your credit card miles and points.

Here’s an example of an item that can be purchased with American Express Membership Rewards points–with a 20% discount:

This lets you cash in your AMEX points for 0.625 cents a piece ($100.85/16,136)–this is an abhorrent value! Do not do this!

Here’s another example that yields a slightly better return of 0.833 cents per AMEX point, but still shouldn’t be done:

Ok, enough picking on AMEX–what about Chase?

Chase portal: plenty of gift cards available for 1 cent/point

Compared to the shysters at AMEX, Chase does a better job of keeping their redemptions for “stuff” fixed at 1 cent per point. This matches the typical earning rate of Chase Ultimate Rewards points where $1 of spend = 1 Chase UR point.

Best uses of miles

If you’re getting any less than 2.0 cents per mile/point on credit card spending, you’re doing it all wrong.

Why the 2.0 cents/mile test? Because this is the return you could get on a cash back credit card. One example is the Fidelity Investment Rewards AMEX:

 

I almost exclusively use credit cards that earn miles/points (not cash back cards) because I feel that I can get a better than 2.0 cents/mile return. This works out because we primarily use our points for airline redemptions. The math works out like this:  a typical round-trip economy ticket from the US to Europe on United/Delta/etc is 60,000 miles. Technically, this means that $60,000 in spending will get you 1 ticket, but since most cards have bonus categories such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred 2x points on travel or the AMEX Premier Rewards Gold 3x on airfare, it can be more like $50,000 in spending to earn 60,000 points. If I put that same $50,000 in spending on a cash back card, it would net me $1,000. So, the big question is, do I think that my 60,000 airline miles are worth more or less than $1,000? Do I think that I can buy a round-trip economy ticket from the US to Europe for less than $1,000? Although you may be able to find a round-trip to Europe for around $1,000, I think the 60,000 miles are worth more than $1,000 because we’re able to maximize stopovers and open-jaws on redemptions which can dramatically increase the cost of a ticket. So, yes, my miles are worth more than $1,000 when I use them.

When is it ok to buy [...]

The post Ahh! Don’t buy “stuff” with your frequent flyer miles! first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

]]> I get a few emails a week from hotels, airlines and credit card companies pushing me to “buy” things with my hard-earned miles. Like this one from American Express:

Screen Shot 2014-07-23 at 10.02.57 PM

Perfect, I’m somewhere between a Dyson Vacuum and a MacBook!

Or this one from Chase:

Screen Shot 2014-07-23 at 10.04.11 PM

I won’t be fooled, Chase–100 points for $1 is a horrible trade!

Or this one from United:

Screen Shot 2014-07-23 at 10.13.32 PM

Screen Shot 2014-07-23 at 10.13.55 PM

I can think of nothing more horrible to own than a Racsal Flatts album or “NOW 50”

Why ordering “stuff” with miles and points is a horrible idea

Trading your miles and points for stuff is almost always a bad deal.

You should be getting at least a 2% return from your credit card miles and points.

Here’s an example of an item that can be purchased with American Express Membership Rewards points–with a 20% discount:

Screen Shot 2014-07-23 at 10.23.58 PM

This lets you cash in your AMEX points for 0.625 cents a piece ($100.85/16,136)–this is an abhorrent value! Do not do this!

Here’s another example that yields a slightly better return of 0.833 cents per AMEX point, but still shouldn’t be done:

Screen Shot 2014-07-23 at 10.29.56 PM

Ok, enough picking on AMEX–what about Chase?

Screen Shot 2014-07-23 at 10.40.59 PM

Chase portal: plenty of gift cards available for 1 cent/point

Compared to the shysters at AMEX, Chase does a better job of keeping their redemptions for “stuff” fixed at 1 cent per point. This matches the typical earning rate of Chase Ultimate Rewards points where $1 of spend = 1 Chase UR point.

Best uses of miles

If you’re getting any less than 2.0 cents per mile/point on credit card spending, you’re doing it all wrong.

Why the 2.0 cents/mile test? Because this is the return you could get on a cash back credit card. One example is the Fidelity Investment Rewards AMEX:

Amex-Rewards-Card

 

I almost exclusively use credit cards that earn miles/points (not cash back cards) because I feel that I can get a better than 2.0 cents/mile return. This works out because we primarily use our points for airline redemptions. The math works out like this:  a typical round-trip economy ticket from the US to Europe on United/Delta/etc is 60,000 miles. Technically, this means that $60,000 in spending will get you 1 ticket, but since most cards have bonus categories such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred 2x points on travel or the AMEX Premier Rewards Gold 3x on airfare, it can be more like $50,000 in spending to earn 60,000 points. If I put that same $50,000 in spending on a cash back card, it would net me $1,000. So, the big question is, do I think that my 60,000 airline miles are worth more or less than $1,000? Do I think that I can buy a round-trip economy ticket from the US to Europe for less than $1,000? Although you may be able to find a round-trip to Europe for around $1,000, I think the 60,000 miles are worth more than $1,000 because we’re able to maximize stopovers and open-jaws on redemptions which can dramatically increase the cost of a ticket. So, yes, my miles are worth more than $1,000 when I use them.

When is it ok to buy “stuff”

I consider it reasonable to redeem miles for merchandise if you have a few thousand orphaned miles in a program that you aren’t using. For example, you might have some Hilton HHonors points that are nearing expiration– you could either pay a fee to purchase more points and keep the account active or you might not stay at many Hilton properties and decide it’s best to cash out your points buy that 80,000 point Ninja blender you’ve always wanted.

Screen Shot 2014-07-30 at 9.14.05 PM Screen Shot 2014-07-30 at 9.14.55 PM

 

Or, maybe you jumped on a Spirit Airlines promotion for free miles, then realized their miles are worth less than dirt. It makes perfect sense to use them to order a magazine subscription–you’ll enjoy that far more than flying Spirit!

BOTTOM LINE: If you’re using miles and points generated from credit card spending to purchase “stuff” from award programs, and are getting less than 2.0 cents per mile/point value, STOP and switch over to a cash back rewards credit card.

The post Ahh! Don’t buy “stuff” with your frequent flyer miles! first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

]]> http://weekendblitz.com/ahh-buy-stuff-frequent-flyer-miles/feed/ 0 How-to Guide: Taking a Trip For Free! http://weekendblitz.com/how-to-guide-taking-trip-free/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-to-guide-taking-trip-free http://weekendblitz.com/how-to-guide-taking-trip-free/#respond Thu, 01 May 2014 15:20:21 +0000 http://weekendblitz.com/?p=8853 For those of you saying, “Enough already! How do you get started?” here’s a quick crash course on racking up the points required for a free trip. This is written from the perspective of someone with no frequent traveler points that is starting from scratch.

1. Understand your credit score

This is imperative to getting in on the free miles game. Start by reading our Credit Score Crash Course post here. This will give you an idea of what is behind your credit score.

2. Look up your credit score

Before going any further, figure out what you’re working with. Please don’t go to just any website for a credit report– there’s a reason that the FreeCreditReport.com guys can afford all of those TV ads and catchy jingles:  they’re making a ton of money off of the uninformed consumer. Here are 3 great sites that are reputable, legitimate and free (none of the sites will ask for a credit card!):

AnnualCreditReport.com – This is THE site for free credit reports. In fact, “Under federal law you are entitled to a copy of your credit report annually from all three credit reporting agencies – Experian®, Equifax® and TransUnion® – once every 12 months” and this is the site that provides it. Note: it provides credit reports, not credit scores.
CreditKarma.com – Provides an approximation of your FICO score based upon data from TransUnion.
Credit Sesame – Provides an approximation of your FICO score based upon data from Experian.

Your FICO score is typically what most lenders will use to judge your credit worthiness — but unfortunately isn’t free. You can order a report from the official FICO agency on their website, myFICO.com, but it will cost you and probably isn’t worth it–the 3 sites above should give you ample data to make an informed decision.

Once you’ve reviewed your credit and feel that you’re in good enough financial health to open a credit card (or 2), you can start shopping the current bonus offers.

3. Shop for big-bonus credit cards

Credit cards want your business. They stand to make a lot of money off of you by collecting the 2-3% service fee they charge to vendors, and even more if you end up carrying a balance. This means large sign-up bonuses for credit card products from different banks and card issuers.

How do I find the deals? Good question, we regularly post about credit cards being offered with an attractive sign-up bonus. Alternatively, you can reference NerdWallet.com: Reward Cards for a list of all the cards being offered. We’ll get your started with the best credit cards on the market today:

Lufthansa Premier Miles & More Mastercard = 50k miles – more info here

This card will give you enough miles to for a free round-trip flight in economy from the U.S to Europe.

Chase Cards

Chase Sapphire Preferred = 45k points – more info here
Ink Bold Business Card = 50k points – more info here
Ink Plus Business Card = 50k points – more info here
All of the above Chase cards let you earn Ultimate Rewards points, which transfer directly to United & British Airways (and a host of others, but your best option in the USA [...]

The post How-to Guide: Taking a Trip For Free! first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

]]> For those of you saying, “Enough already! How do you get started?” here’s a quick crash course on racking up the points required for a free trip. This is written from the perspective of someone with no frequent traveler points that is starting from scratch.

1. Understand your credit score

This is imperative to getting in on the free miles game. Start by reading our Credit Score Crash Course post here. This will give you an idea of what is behind your credit score.

2. Look up your credit score

Before going any further, figure out what you’re working with. Please don’t go to just any website for a credit report– there’s a reason that the FreeCreditReport.com guys can afford all of those TV ads and catchy jingles:  they’re making a ton of money off of the uninformed consumer. Here are 3 great sites that are reputable, legitimate and free (none of the sites will ask for a credit card!):

  • AnnualCreditReport.com – This is THE site for free credit reports. In fact, “Under federal law you are entitled to a copy of your credit report annually from all three credit reporting agencies – Experian®, Equifax® and TransUnion® – once every 12 months” and this is the site that provides it. Note: it provides credit reports, not credit scores.
  • CreditKarma.com – Provides an approximation of your FICO score based upon data from TransUnion.
  • Credit Sesame – Provides an approximation of your FICO score based upon data from Experian.

Your FICO score is typically what most lenders will use to judge your credit worthiness — but unfortunately isn’t free. You can order a report from the official FICO agency on their website, myFICO.com, but it will cost you and probably isn’t worth it–the 3 sites above should give you ample data to make an informed decision.

Once you’ve reviewed your credit and feel that you’re in good enough financial health to open a credit card (or 2), you can start shopping the current bonus offers.

3. Shop for big-bonus credit cards

Credit cards want your business. They stand to make a lot of money off of you by collecting the 2-3% service fee they charge to vendors, and even more if you end up carrying a balance. This means large sign-up bonuses for credit card products from different banks and card issuers.

How do I find the deals? Good question, we regularly post about credit cards being offered with an attractive sign-up bonus. Alternatively, you can reference NerdWallet.com: Reward Cards for a list of all the cards being offered. We’ll get your started with the best credit cards on the market today:

  • Lufthansa Premier Miles & More Mastercard = 50k miles – more info hereScreen Shot 2014-04-30 at 9.01.39 PM
    • This card will give you enough miles to for a free round-trip flight in economy from the U.S to Europe.
  • Chase Cards
    • Chase Sapphire Preferred = 45k points – more info here
    • Ink Bold Business Card = 50k points – more info here
    • Ink Plus Business Card = 50k points – more info here
    • All of the above Chase cards let you earn Ultimate Rewards points, which transfer directly to United & British Airways (and a host of others, but your best option in the USA will be United):
      Screen Shot 2014-04-30 at 9.10.58 PM
    • Points needed for a flight:  the 50k bonus you receive will put you very close to a round-trip flight to anywhere in the world. Here’s what it costs in points to different areas of the world:
      • 35k to Central America/Caribbean
      • 40k to Northern South America
      • 60k to Europe and Southern South America
      • 70k to North Asia, Japan and Oceania
  • United MileagePlus Explorer Card = 50k miles – more info here
    • See above for how far United can take you; it might be a good idea to apply for both the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the United MileagePlus card so that you’ll have 100k miles to work with. If you’re headed to Oceania for 70k miles, you could then use the remaining 30k Ultimate Rewards points to book a few nights at a Hyatt hotel while on your trip.
      Screen Shot 2014-04-30 at 9.30.54 PM
  • United MileagePlus Explorer Business Card = 50k miles – more info here

    Screen Shot 2014-04-30 at 9.50.25 PM
  • US Airways MasterCard = 40k miles – more info here
    • The 40k won’t get you as far as the other offers, but if you have a trip envisioned in a few months, if might be a good idea to apply for both the this US Airways MasterCard and the AAdvantage card below. When US Airways and American Airlines continue their merger later this year, you’ll be able to transfer points seamlessly between the 2 programs, yielding a total of 90k miles.
    • If you’re willing to travel at “off-peak” times, you can squeeze a good bit of value from the 40k US Airways miles. For example, the U.S. to Europe or South America from Jan 15 – Feb 28, 2015 is only 35k miles.Screen Shot 2014-04-30 at 9.49.19 PM
  • Citi Platinum Select / AAdvantage World MasterCard = 50k miles – more info here
    • At the “MileSAAver” rate, you can travel from the U.S. to Japan/Korean for just 50k miles!citi-gold-aadvantage-visa-signature-card
  • British Airways Visa Signature Card = 50k miles – more info hereScreen Shot 2014-04-30 at 9.53.14 PM

Disclaimer: I’m an idiot and haven’t signed up for the referral to make any money off any of the above credit card offers. This is this genuine advice as I see things. I have most of the cards listed above and will be applying for the rest in the next few weeks. However, take my advice with caution:  I’m far from an expert on financial/credit matters, but happy to help where I can.

4. Dream big and book your travel

Plan ahead! All of the above credit card offers can take anywhere from 2 to 10 weeks from signup to having the points hit your account so make sure you have plenty of lead time.

The programs that you’ll be confined to booking through will all depend on the currency of points you plan to acquire in step 3. My tip is to keep your options as wide open as possible and start with a currency that is transferable to many programs. An example would be any card (Chase Sapphire Preferred, Ink Bold, Ink Plus) that earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points. This will give you flexibility to use your points for either hotels (Hyatt, Marriott) or flights (United, British Airways, Southwest….) and is a good start for beginners. Keep in mind that any points not put toward your flight can be transfered to hotel points.

Here are a few of the guides we’ve written about using points– should be helpful for getting a gauge of where you can go most easily/for the least amount of points:

And, please comment below if you have any questions about where to go/how far your miles can take you–we’re happy to help!

Other travel-related necessities to help you plan:

The post How-to Guide: Taking a Trip For Free! first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

]]> http://weekendblitz.com/how-to-guide-taking-trip-free/feed/ 0 Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas (While Earning Up To 35x miles/points!) http://weekendblitz.com/valentines-day-gift-idea-while-earning-35x-milespoints/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=valentines-day-gift-idea-while-earning-35x-milespoints http://weekendblitz.com/valentines-day-gift-idea-while-earning-35x-milespoints/#respond Mon, 10 Feb 2014 15:49:39 +0000 http://weekendblitz.com/?p=5605 Valentine’s Day is on Friday and it’s the season where just about every hotel chain, airline and credit card shopping portal teams up with the various flower companies for some pretty huge points earning potential. Always keep in mind that they can afford to pay out the large bonus miles/points because their markup is usually huge. For example, a dozen roses from one of the following companies will cost you around $39-$49 + tax + delivery fees whereas you can usually get the same dozen roses from a local florist or even just Costco for $10-$20 + tax! But, here are some ideas on how to make sure that you’re earning a ton of points while getting a gift for that special someone! Most of the deals below are for flowers but there are also a few promos at Godiva and Shari’s Berries if you’d prefer to go the chocolate route.

Top Valentines Day 2014 Gift Ideas:

Southwest: Earn 1,750 Rapid Rewards Points at 1-800-Flowers.com
“Member must provide the promotion code RR42 and Rapid Rewards account number to be eligible for offer. Member will receive 1,750 points on each eligible order of $29.99 or more.” Click here to order.
United: Earn 30x MileagePlus Award Miles for every $1 spent at FTD.com
A dozen roses will cost you $39.99 + tax, fees etc… and net you 1,200 miles. Click here to order.

Chase Ultimate Rewards: Offers a variety of shopping partners via their portal:

ProFlowers.com: 15x points + 20% off (min order of $39.99). A dozens roses will cost $42.48 and net you 637 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
Shari’s Berries: 15x points + 20% off chocolate dipped strawberries
Teleflora.com: 12x points + $15 off Valentine’s Day Flowers
ProPlants.com: 10x points
FTD.com: 10x points + 20% off
1-800-BASKETS.COM: 8x points
Head to the Chase Ultimate Rewards shopping portal to order. You can use this post as a guide (it uses Hotels.com as the vendor but it’s the same steps for any of the above vendors.

Delta: Earn 35x SkyMiles per $1 spent + 500 bonus SkyMiles with FTD.com! Click here to order. A dozen roses will run you $49.99 and net 1,750 Delta SkyMiles.
American Airlines:

1-800-Flowers.com: 30x miles/dollar. Click here to order.
FTD.com: 30x bonus AAMiles per dollar spent. Click here to order.

US Airways: head here to book

FTD.com: 25x miles/dollar
1-800-Flowers.com: 25x miles/dollar
Teleflora.com: 25x miles/dollar

JetBlue: 20x TrueBlue points/dollar spent at FTD.com. Click here to order.
Marriott Rewards: Click here to order.

fromyouflowers.com: 17x bonus Marriott Rewards points per $ spent
FTD.com: 15x points
ProFlowers.com: 14x points
Silkflowers.com: 9x points

Hilton HHonors: 4x points at 1-800-Baskets.com and 5x + 15% off at Govida. Click here to order.

BOTTOM LINE: There’s generally a pretty steep premium on ordering via online flower delivery service vs buying from a local store, but, for those far from home on Valentine’s Day, this might be your only choice. I’d personally do the 30x points at United or 35x points with Delta.

The post Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas (While Earning Up To 35x miles/points!) first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

]]> Valentine’s Day is on Friday and it’s the season where just about every hotel chain, airline and credit card shopping portal teams up with the various flower companies for some pretty huge points earning potential. Always keep in mind that they can afford to pay out the large bonus miles/points because their markup is usually huge. For example, a dozen roses from one of the following companies will cost you around $39-$49 + tax + delivery fees whereas you can usually get the same dozen roses from a local florist or even just Costco for $10-$20 + tax! But, here are some ideas on how to make sure that you’re earning a ton of points while getting a gift for that special someone! Most of the deals below are for flowers but there are also a few promos at Godiva and Shari’s Berries if you’d prefer to go the chocolate route.

Top Valentines Day 2014 Gift Ideas:

  • Southwest: Earn 1,750 Rapid Rewards Points at 1-800-Flowers.com
    “Member must provide the promotion code RR42 and Rapid Rewards account number to be eligible for offer. Member will receive 1,750 points on each eligible order of $29.99 or more.” Click here to order.Screen Shot 2014-02-09 at 8.46.38 PM
  • United: Earn 30x MileagePlus Award Miles for every $1 spent at FTD.com
    A dozen roses will cost you $39.99 + tax, fees etc… and net you 1,200 miles. Click here to order.

Screen Shot 2014-02-09 at 8.49.45 PM

  • Chase Ultimate Rewards: Offers a variety of shopping partners via their portal:
  • Delta: Earn 35x SkyMiles per $1 spent + 500 bonus SkyMiles with FTD.com! Click here to order. A dozen roses will run you $49.99 and net 1,750 Delta SkyMiles.Screen Shot 2014-02-09 at 9.56.21 PM
  • American Airlines:
  • US Airways: head here to book
    • FTD.com: 25x miles/dollar
    • 1-800-Flowers.com: 25x miles/dollar
    • Teleflora.com: 25x miles/dollarScreen Shot 2014-02-09 at 9.20.23 PM
  • JetBlue: 20x TrueBlue points/dollar spent at FTD.com. Click here to order.
  • Marriott Rewards: Click here to order.
    • fromyouflowers.com: 17x bonus Marriott Rewards points per $ spent
    • FTD.com: 15x points
    • ProFlowers.com: 14x points
    • Silkflowers.com: 9x pointsScreen Shot 2014-02-09 at 9.46.29 PM
  • Hilton HHonors: 4x points at 1-800-Baskets.com and 5x + 15% off at Govida. Click here to order.

BOTTOM LINE: There’s generally a pretty steep premium on ordering via online flower delivery service vs buying from a local store, but, for those far from home on Valentine’s Day, this might be your only choice. I’d personally do the 30x points at United or 35x points with Delta.

The post Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas (While Earning Up To 35x miles/points!) first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

]]> http://weekendblitz.com/valentines-day-gift-idea-while-earning-35x-milespoints/feed/ 0 Deal Blitz: Hotels.com now a partner in Chase Ultimate Rewards Mall http://weekendblitz.com/deal-blitz-hotels-com-now-a-partner-in-chase-ultimate-rewards-mall/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=deal-blitz-hotels-com-now-a-partner-in-chase-ultimate-rewards-mall http://weekendblitz.com/deal-blitz-hotels-com-now-a-partner-in-chase-ultimate-rewards-mall/#respond Tue, 16 Jul 2013 13:04:49 +0000 http://www.weekendblitz.com/?p=3908

The Deal

There’s nothing better than double (or even triple!) dipping when it comes to earning miles and points — and credit card shopping portals can help out a ton when it comes to finding good opportunities.

Now, I’m not sure if this is news or not, but it’s definitely news to me: Hotels.com is now a partner in the Chase Ultimate Rewards Mall at a current rate of 3x! This means that if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred (like McCown and I), you’re getting the following for every $ of Hotels.com spent through the portal:

2.14x normal (2x on travel + 7% annual dividend standard with Chase Sapphire Preferred)
+ 3x Chase UR shopping portal bonus
+ 10% towards Hotels.com rewards (Hotels.com’s reward program gives you a Buy 10, Get 1 Free on room or an implied 10% off)
= 5.14x Chase UR points + 10% of value towards Hotels.com credit

A triple dip!

NOTE:

Not eligible on purchases made with coupon or discount codes that are not found on this site. Not eligible until reservations have been fulfilled. Not eligible on the purchase of travel packages, flights, or cars. Eligible on lodging only. Cancelation voids eligibility, even if non-refundable packages or flights. Again, Cancelation voids eligibility, even if non-refundable.

How to Book

1. Have an eligible Chase card

2. Login into Chase –> Head to the Ultimate Rewards Portal

3. Click “Earn Faster” –> “Earn Bonus Points at the UR Mall”

4. Hotels.com pops right up as a “Top Merchant”

Or navigate to “Travel” –> “Hotels & Accommodations”

Full lineup of choices. Hotels.com leads the pack, tied with Holiday Inn and Intercontinetal

5. Click the Hotels.com link, wait for this popup:

Read the T&Cs! “Not eligible until reservations have been fulfilled.”

6. Book as normal. Make sure to remind yourself to check your Chase UR account after you complete your stay to confirm that the points posted as normal.

BOTTOM LINE: If you have credit cards like Chase, AMEX, Capital One or Citi, make sure to check their online shopping portals before making a purchase–you might be able to double or triple dip!

The post Deal Blitz: Hotels.com now a partner in Chase Ultimate Rewards Mall first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

]]> bb95875e-e4b5-463c-8071-90823c304807wallpaper

The Deal

There’s nothing better than double (or even triple!) dipping when it comes to earning miles and points — and credit card shopping portals can help out a ton when it comes to finding good opportunities.

Now, I’m not sure if this is news or not, but it’s definitely news to me: Hotels.com is now a partner in the Chase Ultimate Rewards Mall at a current rate of 3x! This means that if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred (like McCown and I), you’re getting the following for every $ of Hotels.com spent through the portal:

2.14x normal (2x on travel + 7% annual dividend standard with Chase Sapphire Preferred)
+ 3x Chase UR shopping portal bonus
+ 10% towards Hotels.com rewards (Hotels.com’s reward program gives you a Buy 10, Get 1 Free on room or an implied 10% off)
= 5.14x Chase UR points + 10% of value towards Hotels.com credit

A triple dip!

NOTE:

Not eligible on purchases made with coupon or discount codes that are not found on this site. Not eligible until reservations have been fulfilled. Not eligible on the purchase of travel packages, flights, or cars. Eligible on lodging only. Cancelation voids eligibility, even if non-refundable packages or flights. Again, Cancelation voids eligibility, even if non-refundable.

How to Book

1. Have an eligible Chase card

2. Login into Chase –> Head to the Ultimate Rewards Portal

Screen Shot 2013-07-15 at 11.10.16 PM.png

3. Click “Earn Faster” –> “Earn Bonus Points at the UR Mall”

Screen Shot 2013-07-15 at 11.12.51 PM.png

4. Hotels.com pops right up as a “Top Merchant”

Screen Shot 2013-07-15 at 10.48.53 PM.png

Or navigate to “Travel” –> “Hotels & Accommodations”

Full lineup of choices

Full lineup of choices. Hotels.com leads the pack, tied with Holiday Inn and Intercontinetal

5. Click the Hotels.com link, wait for this popup:

Screen Shot 2013-07-15 at 11.22.51 PM

Read the T&Cs! “Not eligible until reservations have been fulfilled.”

6. Book as normal. Make sure to remind yourself to check your Chase UR account after you complete your stay to confirm that the points posted as normal.

BOTTOM LINE: If you have credit cards like Chase, AMEX, Capital One or Citi, make sure to check their online shopping portals before making a purchase–you might be able to double or triple dip!

The post Deal Blitz: Hotels.com now a partner in Chase Ultimate Rewards Mall first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

]]> http://weekendblitz.com/deal-blitz-hotels-com-now-a-partner-in-chase-ultimate-rewards-mall/feed/ 0 Getting Chase credit card bonuses matched retroactively http://weekendblitz.com/getting-chase-credit-card-bonuses-matched-retroactively/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=getting-chase-credit-card-bonuses-matched-retroactively http://weekendblitz.com/getting-chase-credit-card-bonuses-matched-retroactively/#comments Thu, 20 Jun 2013 15:31:04 +0000 http://www.weekendblitz.com/?p=3605 Credit card signup bonuses are a big part of travelling for free using miles and points — probably the biggest part. 

So, what do you do when you pull the trigger and register for that awesome signup bonus just to find that next week (or month) an even better bonus is offered? Luckily, you can often get the credit card issuer to match your offer.

Here’s how I got Chase to give me an extra 20k Ultimate Rewards Points.

The signup bonus for Chase’s Ink Bold and Ink Plus cards have been 50k each for the past few months, however, they made an announcement that for this week only the signup bonus would be increased to 60k each. Feeling like I missed out just for being ahead of the game, I checked Flyertalk to find that others had success in getting Chase to match. It’s important to note that I applied on April 1 and had already hit the minimum spend on each card — and then asked to be matched on June 19. Here’s how:

1. Login to Chase and click “Secure Message Center”

 

2. Click “Send new message.”

 

3. You’ll be prompted to select your inquiry type from a drop down. Choose “Rewards Inquiry.”

 

4. Next, select the account you’re writing about. If you’re like me and have 2 accounts, just choose one at a time and repeat the process. Then, set your topic as “Ultimate Rewards Program Inquiry”

5. Write them a simple message — you can use this as a guide.

6. Submit your message and wait. I submitted mine at 7:38am and already had this reply from Chase at 11:05am, less than 4 hours!

BOTTOM LINE: It never hurts to ask! Chase has great customer service and will almost always match your offer if you’ve applied for the card recently. 2.5 months late in my case!

The post Getting Chase credit card bonuses matched retroactively first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

]]> Credit card signup bonuses are a big part of travelling for free using miles and points — probably the biggest part. 

So, what do you do when you pull the trigger and register for that awesome signup bonus just to find that next week (or month) an even better bonus is offered? Luckily, you can often get the credit card issuer to match your offer.

Here’s how I got Chase to give me an extra 20k Ultimate Rewards Points.

The signup bonus for Chase’s Ink Bold and Ink Plus cards have been 50k each for the past few months, however, they made an announcement that for this week only the signup bonus would be increased to 60k each. Feeling like I missed out just for being ahead of the game, I checked Flyertalk to find that others had success in getting Chase to match. It’s important to note that I applied on April 1 and had already hit the minimum spend on each card — and then asked to be matched on June 19. Here’s how:

1. Login to Chase and click “Secure Message Center”

Screen Shot 2013-06-19 at 6.15.57 PM.png

 


2. Click “Send new message.”

Screen Shot 2013-06-19 at 6.16.09 PM.png

 


3. You’ll be prompted to select your inquiry type from a drop down. Choose “Rewards Inquiry.”

Screen Shot 2013-06-19 at 6.16.26 PM.png

 

4. Next, select the account you’re writing about. If you’re like me and have 2 accounts, just choose one at a time and repeat the process. Then, set your topic as “Ultimate Rewards Program Inquiry”

Screen Shot 2013-06-19 at 6.16.38 PM.png

5. Write them a simple message — you can use this as a guide.

Screen Shot 2013-06-19 at 6.17.13 PM

6. Submit your message and wait. I submitted mine at 7:38am and already had this reply from Chase at 11:05am, less than 4 hours!

Screen Shot 2013-06-19 at 6.18.45 PM Screen Shot 2013-06-19 at 6.18.23 PM

BOTTOM LINE: It never hurts to ask! Chase has great customer service and will almost always match your offer if you’ve applied for the card recently. 2.5 months late in my case!

The post Getting Chase credit card bonuses matched retroactively first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

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