RECENT POSTS
  • Credit Cards

    New Citi Prestige Applicants Losing AA Lounge Benefit Soon

    Last month, news broke that Citi Prestige cardholders would be losing access to American Airlines Admirals Clubs. A few days later, Citi confirmed that, and many other negative changes to the card. The only good news was that Citi was giving one year notice of the changes, which are due to take effect July 23, 2017. However, there is one change that will affect new applicants much sooner. According to various reports, new Citi Prestige applicants must be approved by August 31, 2016 to have Admirals Club access through July 23, 2017. If you become a cardholder on September 1 or later, you will not have the AA lounge club benefit…

  • Credit Cards

    Results of my Chase Sapphire Reserve Application…

    Yesterday I wrote about the new premium Chase Sapphire Reserve card and all its benefits. I also wrote about how this card, like many other Chase credit cards, is subject to the Chase 5/24 approval rule. Regardless, I decided to apply today and my results are inconclusive, but doubtful. I’ve opened more than 5 new credit cards in the last 24 months, so I knew applying online via the Chase website would be just about futile. After reading countless data points of approvals and denials over the last 2 days, I knew my best hope of circumventing the rule was going into a branch to see if I happened to be pre-approved.…

  • Miles and Points

    50% British Airways Transfer Bonus from Amex Membership Rewards

    For a limited time, you can get 50% more British Airways Avios when you transfer from your American Express Membership Rewards account.  For every 250 MR point you transfer, you’ll get 300 Avios instead of the usual 200. This offer is good through 11:59 p.m. CT on October 10, 2016. If your travel plans include British Airways or its partners in the near future, now would be a great time to transfer some of your Membership Rewards points. In October, 2015, American Express reduced the regular Avios transfer ratio. For each 250 Membership Rewards points you normally receive 200 Avios. Prior to that devaluation, the exchange ratio was 1:1 (250:250). Ultimately,…

  • Offers

    $5 Free Starbucks from Visa Checkout

    Update: This offer has been extended to August 29, 2016. To me, one of the only things better than Startucks coffee is FREE Starbucks coffee. That’s why I’m excited about the current promotion from Visa Checkout. Be one of the first 200,000 to buy an eGift Card (min. $10) on Starbucks.com and pay using Visa Checkout between 8/4/16 – 8/18/16 and get a Bonus Load of $5. This offer isn’t quite as lucrative as the last Starbucks/Visa Checkout promotion back in May. That one gave you a $10 Bonus Load for purchasing a $10 eGift card. It’s important to note, this doesn’t mean you simply checkout by paying with a Visa card. You…

  • Amex Offers
    Credit Cards,  Offers

    Rundown of all the New Amex Offers

    Many new Amex Offers have been released over the last few days. If you have travel plans, the Sheraton Hotels and Ritz-Carlton deals are particularly lucrative and might influence your hotel choice. In addition, the 10% back on gas and tolls offers can provide you with a savings on money you’re probably spending anyway. For newcomers to these deals, check out my primer: Amex Offers = Too Good To Miss Out!. I wrote about how to connect your American Express card to your social media account and how to add offers to your card via Twitter, Facebook, or your americanexpress.com account. Twitter is the easiest method, but some offers are targeted, so you should be logging on to your…