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Primer on Chase Sapphire Reserve $300 Travel Credit
Update: Due to the lack of travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, Chase has extended the ability to apply the travel credit to purchases at grocery stores and gas stations through June 30, 2021. The annual $300 Travel Credit is easily the most lucrative benefit of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card. Questions about what it covers and when it resets have been plentiful. It’s important to understand the benefit to know if and/or when you should apply. Fully monetizing the credit each year will effectively reduce the annual fee of the Sapphire Reserve from $550 to a net $250. You can receive this benefit twice in the first year of holding…
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Marriott and SPG Credit Card Eligiblity Confusion
Marriott’s new combined rewards program has been named Marriott Bonvoy and will go live in February. This consolidates the Marriott Rewards, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards and SPG programs under one unified brand. What’s still confusing are the credit card and bonus eligibility requirements of each card. Can you get the Amex SPG Luxury card if you have the Chase Marriott Premier Plus card? The answer isn’t always apparent. And if you read the Offer Terms, you’re left even more confused. I’ve written a questionnaire to cut through the eligibility legalese in each card’s offer terms. Simply choose the card you intend to apply for, answer the ensuing questions, and I’ll tell you if…
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New Lineup of Marriott Bonvoy branded Credit Cards
Marriott’s new combined rewards program has been named Marriott Bonvoy and will go live in February. This consolidates the Marriott Rewards, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards and SPG programs under one unified brand. This new branding will be reflected across Marriott’s entire line of credit cards offered by American Express and Chase. Points earning rates and benefits will remain largely unchanged, with the exception of a few new ones. Here’s a rundown of all of the new Marriott cards. American Express Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card The SPG Amex card will become the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card and will close to new applicants on February 12. The card’s benefits and annual fee will…
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Revamped Chase United Explorer Card Benefits
Chase has added some new features and benefits to its MileagePlus Explorer Card while removing some others. The card also has a new name: the Chase United Explorer Card. Read on for a review of all the changes. Chase United Explorer Card 40,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. 5,000 bonus miles after you add the first authorized user in the first 3 months $100 statement credit after your first purchase $0 intro annual fee for the first year, after that $95 New Benefits 2x Miles at restaurants and hotels $100 Global Entry or $85 TSA Pre✓ Application Fee Credit…
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60,000 Bonus Point Offer for Chase Sapphire Preferred
Chase has upped the signup bonus on its Sapphire Preferred credit card to 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. With this increased bonus, the annual fee of $95 is not waived for the first year. The normal bonus is 50,000 points after spending $4,000 in 3 months with no annual fee the first year. Application Link Effectively, this new offer is like spending $95 for 10,000 Ultimate Rewards points. That’s a good deal even if you plan to redeem UR points for cash. At the same time, there are those who, in principle, refuse to sign up for a card that carries an…
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New Exclude Basic Economy Feature in Chase Travel Portal
Booking flights via the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal just got more convenient. You can now exclude restrictive Basic Economy fares from your search. This is welcome feature to the site. A great feature of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card is the ability to pay for airfare using points worth 1.5 cents per point. A $300 flight would only cost 20,000 Ultimate Rewards points. The downside was occasionally having no choice other than Basic Economy. Why is that such a downside? Basic Economy Basic Economy is a fare class offered by Delta, American and United in what they claim is their effort to compete with low cost carriers like Spirit…
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Chase Freedom 1st Quarter 2018 Bonus Categories
The Chase Freedom credit card earns 5% cash back in bonus categories that change each quarter. The categories for the 1st quarter of 2018 have just been announced. Earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases from January 1 – March 31, 2018 at: Gas Stations Internet/Cable/Phone Services Chase Pay, Android Pay, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay Gas Stations are a welcome bonus category. The Internet/Cable/Phone Services bonus clashes with holders of Chase’s Ink Plus or Ink Cash business credit cards. Those Chase card holders already get 5x Ultimate Rewards points in that category. Chase has recently been offering bonuses for using digital wallets. It looks like this trend will continue…
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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,…
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Earn 10x Chase UR at Best Buy When You Use Chase Pay
Check out using Chase Pay in any Best Buy store, and you’ll automatically earn a total of 10 Ultimate Rewards points (or 10% cash back) per $1 spent on up to $400 in purchases. This offer is valid from November 20 through December 24, 2017 when you use your Chase Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, Freedom, or Freedom Unlimited card. Use the Chase Pay mobile app to pay at the register in any Best Buy store. To pay at the store, sign in to the Chase Pay app with your chase.com username and password. Tap the “Pay” button and show the cashier your QR code. Fine Print During the promotional period of November 20, 2017…
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Priority Pass Digital Cards Now Available for Chase Members
Update: Priority Pass Digital Cards are not yet available for Chase Ritz Carlton cardholders. Good news for Chase Sapphire Reserve and Ritz JP Morgan Reserve card holders who have Priority Pass memberships. You can now create a digital card and use the mobile app for access to some lounges. Use the following link to register your card. Note: You must create a new login account after entering your card number. Create your Priority Pass digital membership card for Sapphire Reserve here Create your Priority Pass digital membership card for JP Morgan Reserve here One of the drawbacks with the Priority Pass benefit for Chase credit card holders has been that it…
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