RECENT POSTS
  • Marriot Rewards American Express and Chase logos
    Miles and Points

    Marriott’s Relationship With Amex and Chase Takes Shape

    In the ongoing saga of the recent Marriott and Starwood merger, there has been much speculation regarding the combination of the loyalty programs. Additionally, there was the yet unanswered question. Which bank would win their co-brand credit card battle–American Express or Chase? In the past week, some of those questions have been answered. Since the merger, Marriott has been working to combine the resulting three loyalty programs–Marriott Rewards, Ritz Carlton Rewards, and Starwood Preferred Guest–into one. The first step was to link all three programs. This was done so points could be freely transferred and elite status would be matched. Those initial steps were taken last year. Recent Updates Last week,…

  • Miles and Points

    Targeted Offer: 10k Amex Membership Rewards Points for Platinum Card Members

    If you are a Platinum Card Member, check your inbox for an email from American Express. You might be able to earn 10,000 bonus Membership Rewards points after your next 10 purchases. This promotion is highly targeted and only open to invited Card Members. The Terms and Conditions state that you can enroll by 12/31/17 and earn 10,000 Membership Rewards points after you make 10 or more separate purchases on your Platinum Card starting from the date you complete enrollment until 1/31/18. Points will be credited to your account 8-12 weeks after you make your 10th purchase. Eligible purchases can be made by the Basic Card Member and any Additional Card…

  • Miles and Points

    Amex Membership Rewards to JetBlue Bonus

    From now through November 30, 2017, American Express card members get 25% Bonus JetBlue TrueBlue points when they transfer Membership Rewards points. The transfer ratio is now an even 250 MR points to 250 TrueBlue points. The normal ratio is 250:200.   Depending on the flight, each TrueBlue point can be worth around 1.7-1.8 cents and the points never expire. These transfer bonuses come around occasionally, but certainly not frequently. For regular JetBlue flyers, this can be a good transfer even if you don’t have an immediate need for the points. I took advantage of a similar offer back in May. I proactively transferred some excess Membership Rewards points to…

  • Miles and Points

    Chase Ultimate Rewards Unexpected Error When Combining Points

    Chase has a number of credit cards that earn points in the Ultimate Rewards program. While each of those cards shares the “Ultimate Rewards” name, the points may have a different value depending on which card you redeem them from. The good news is that you can combine them all onto the card with the highest redemption value. The bad news is: It doesn’t always work. The Chase credit cards that earn UR points are: Freedom, Freedom Unlimited, Sapphire, Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, and business cards such as Ink Cash, Ink Plus, Ink Preferred. In an earlier article, I showed you how and why you would want to combine your points onto…

  • Miles and Points

    Extra Points by Using Chase Sapphire Card and Digital Wallet

    From now through November 4, 2017, some Chase credit cards will earn an extra point if you pay using a digital wallet. Just use your Chase Sapphire, Sapphire Preferred, or Sapphire Reserve in Android Pay, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay or Chase Pay. You’ll earn 1 additional Ultimate Rewards point per $1 spent–up to $1,500 during the promotional period. This is a simple way to earn extra points on everyday purchases. By using your Sapphire card and digital wallet, you’ll earn at least 2x UR points on all spending and up to 4x UR points on travel & dining if you have the Sapphire Reserve. It’s completely automatic–there’s nothing you need…

  • Miles and Points

    Chase Announces 4th Quarter Bonus Categories for Freedom Card

    The Chase Freedom credit card earns 5% cash back in bonus categories that change each quarter. The categories for the 4th quarter of 2017 have just been announced. Earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases from October 1 – December 31, 2017 at Walmart and Department Stores. The “Walmart” category does not include merchants operating within or on Walmart premises such as merchants that sell fast food, beauty services, and gas stations that are not Walmart branded. Walmart affiliate businesses such as Sam’s Club are excluded and will not earn bonus rewards. Online purchases at walmart.com are included. The Department Store category does not include supercenters, discount stores or…

  • Miles and Points

    How to Combine SPG Starpoints Between Accounts

    Here’s a lesser-known but generous feature of the Starwood Preferred Guest program: members of the same household can combine SPG Starpoints into one account. If you alone don’t have enough SPG points for a redemption, pool points with a family member for that upcoming vacation. I did exactly that, and I’ll show you how. What are SPG Starpoints? Starwood Preferred Guest is a hotel loyalty program where you earn points for each stay. These SPG Starpoints are a favorite for travelers: they have high value when you redeem at Starwood properties like Sheraton, Westin, and W Hotels, they can be transferred directly to miles in a huge list of frequent flyer programs,…

  • Miles and Points

    Track Your Miles and Points with AwardWallet

    AwardWallet is a tool that helps you manage your reward balances in airline, hotel, car rental, credit card programs, shopping portals and others. I’ve been using the service for a couple months and highly recommend it. It’s great to have all my data in one spot. The online service is particularly useful in that it allows me to track rewards for my entire family. Minding account numbers, passwords, awards balances and expiration dates for multiple people would be far more difficult without it. Here’s a sample screenshot:   AwardWallet has a Free tier and a paid tier called AwardWallet Plus. The chart below details the features of each tier: On February…

  • Miles and Points

    Targeted Offer: SPG Amex 5000 Bonus Starpoints After $5000 Spend

    If you have the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express, check your email for a targeted offer. You may be able eligible for an extra 5,000 Starpoints. American Express is offering 5,000 Bonus Starpoints after spending $5,000 in qualifying purchases on your enrolled SPG card between the time you complete enrollment and April 30, 2017. The enrollment period ends on January 31, 2017. Qualifying purchases can be made by the cardholder and any authorized users and do NOT include fees or interest charges, balance transfers, cash advances, purchases of traveler’s checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, or purchases of any cash equivalents. The bonus points will be credited to your account…