The Platinum Card® from American Express Review: 80,000 MR Points, New $200 Hotel Credits, $240 Streaming Credits, $200 Airline Fee Credits, $200 Uber Cash, $189 CLEAR Credit, and More!

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and Credit-Land for selected credit cards and may receive a commission. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

(Update: Digital entertainment credit will no longer cover Audible as of 10/1, but does cover NY Times and Wall Street Journal subscriptions. You can now add free “Companion Platinum® cards” that don’t have an annual fee and don’t include lounge access, but does include $100 Global Entry credit. Authorizer user annual fee is now $195 per card.)

The Platinum Card® from American Express is the classic premium travel card, with an extended list of luxurious perks along with a hefty annual fee. It’s time for another look as they have improved their welcome offer, added many new perks, and increased their annual fee. The highlights:

  • Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards(R) Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card(R), Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.
  • Earn 5X Membership Rewards(R) Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards(R) Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
  • $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts(R) or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card(R). The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
  • $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card(R) on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, SiriusXM, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
  • $155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card(R). Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Up Benefits are excluded.
  • $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card(R).
  • $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only.
  • $300 Equinox Credit: Get up to $300 back in statement credits per calendar year on an Equinox membership, or an Equinox club membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you pay with your Platinum Card(R). Enrollment required. Visit https://platinum.equinox.com/ to enroll.
  • $189 CLEAR(R) Plus Credit: Breeze through security with CLEAR Plus at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues nationwide and get up to $189 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Platinum Card(R). Learn more.
  • $100 Global Entry Credit: Receive either a $100 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck(R) (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card(R). Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
  • Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card(R). That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $300 SoulCycle At-Home Bike Credit: Get a $300 statement credit for the purchase of a SoulCycle at-home bike with your Platinum Card(R). An Equinox+ subscription is required to purchase a SoulCycle at-home bike and access SoulCycle content. Must charge full price of bike in one transaction. Shipping available in the contiguous U.S. only. Enrollment Required.
  • Expanded Airport Lounge Network. American Express has expanded The Centurion(R) Network to include 40+ Centurion Lounge and Studio locations worldwide. Now there are even more places your Platinum Card(R) can get you complimentary entry and exclusive perks.
  • Terms Apply.
  • $695 annual fee. (See Rates and Fees)

Note the following language:

Welcome offer not available to applicants who have or have had this Card. We may also consider the number of American Express Cards you have opened and closed as well as other factors in making a decision on your welcome offer eligibility.

Not sure about your history? The application will tell you if they detect that you are not eligible for the bonus based on their records. Given that you can only get the welcome offer once time per lifetime, it is best to apply during a limited-time offer.

Membership Rewards points can be converted to the following airline and hotel programs (there are more, this is just a selection):

  • Delta SkyMiles
  • Hawaiian Airlines
  • JetBlue
  • ANA Mileage Club (partner of United Airlines)
  • Air Canada (partner of United Airlines)
  • British Airways (partner of American Airlines)
  • FlyingBlue (Air France/KLM)
  • Singapore Airlines
  • Virgin Atlantic
  • Choice Privileges
  • Hilton Honors
  • Marriott Rewards (Starwood)

They also run limited-time 25% to 40% bonuses on points transfers. You can also transfer to gift cards many retailers at varying rates, but many available at the rate of 10,000 MR points = $100 gift card. My most recent redemption was a $100 Home Depot card for 10,000 points, sometimes less when they run special discount. However, don’t expect the cash-equivalent prepaid credit cards at that rate, it’s usually closer to a 0.6 cent/point ratio.

80,000 Membership Rewards points are worth an estimated $800. Some folks value these points much more highly, but I prefer to stick to a simple and conservative 1 cent per point.

Uber and Uber Eats credits worth up to $200 annually. You get $15 in Uber Cash every month, which can be used for Uber rides or Uber Eats food orders. There is a $20 bonus in December, making it a total of $200 annually. You also get free Uber VIP status, which doesn’t save you any money but gets you higher-rated drivers and nicer vehicles at no extra charge.

Airline fee credit, worth up to $200 annually. You pick an airline, and they will refund you up to $200 in incidential airline fees (baggage, in-flight food and entertainment, ticket fees, etc).

American Express Global Lounge Collection. Some other travel cards give you Priority Pass Select, which is nice but not as inclusive as the Platinum card’s list of 1,400+ airport lounges across 130 countries.

Up to $100 statement credit towards Global Entry (includes TSA PreCheck) every 4 years.

Other benefits:

  • Automatic Starwood Preferred Guest (Marriott) Gold status.
  • Automatic Hilton Honors Gold status.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.

Adding in the $200 hotel credit, $240 digital entertainment credit, $300 Equinox fitness credit, $155 Walmart+ credit, $200 airline fee credit, $200 Uber Cash, and $189 CLEAR(R) airport security membership credits, you can instantly see that the perks can easily add up to much more than the $695 annual fee. The question is whether you can take advantage of those perks and how much value you personally get out of them.

Bottom line. The Platinum Card® from American Express has added an impressively large list of new perks while also adding a generous welcome offer. You’ll have to see if your lifestyle matches up to the perks that this card offers. (See Rates and Fees)

I will be adding this improved offer on my list of Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers.

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and Credit-Land for selected credit cards, and may receive a commission from card issuers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned. MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.

Aeroplan Credit Card Review: 100,000 Bonus Points (Redeem For $1,250 of Travel on ANY Airline) + Elite Status

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and Credit-Land for selected credit cards and may receive a commission. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

Improved 100k offer, added personal experiences. Chase and Air Canada have partnered to create The Aeroplan World Elite Mastercard for US customers. Using the new Pay Yourself Back feature, 100,000 Aeroplan points can be redeemed for $1,250 back toward eligible travel purchases including flights on any airline (details below). Here are the highlights on the sign-up bonus and Air Canada perks:

  • Earn up to 100,000 bonus points – 75,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, 25,000 points after you spend $20,000 on purchases in the first 12 months.
  • 100,000 points is worth $1,250 in travel value (including both international and domestic flights) when redeemed with Pay Yourself Back(R).
  • Free first checked bags on Air Canada flights: one free checked bag for the primary cardmember and up to eight other travelers on the same itinerary.
  • Automatically receive Aeroplan 25K Elite Status for the remainder of the first calendar year, plus the following calendar year, allowing primary cardmembers to enjoy benefits such as priority check-in, early boarding, upgrades and more on Air Canada flights.
  • Each calendar year in which you spend at least $15,000 in purchases you earn Aeroplan 25K Status through the following calendar year.
  • $100 credit toward Global Entry, TSA Precheck or NEXUS every four years (as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card)
  • No foreign transaction fees.
  • $95 annual fee.

Here is the rewards structure on credit card spending:

  • 3X points on dining, takeout, and eligible delivery services
  • 3X points at grocery stores
  • 3X points on direct purchases at Air Canada
  • 1 point for each dollar spent on all other purchases
  • 500 bonus points for every $2,000 spent in a calendar month (up to a maximum of 1,500 points per calendar month)

Redeeming Aeroplan points for flights. It is very easy to redeem Aeroplan points on Air Canada, Air Canada Express, or Air Canada Rouge flights because “every Air Canada seat available to buy for cash is also available for points, no restrictions.” You simply run a search like normal on the Air Canada website, and it will tell you upfront the cost in Aeroplan points. It’s quite easy to compare the cash cost side-by-side. In addition, when you have this credit card, you get even better preferred pricing on flights when redeeming points.

Here is an example flight from San Francisco to Vancouver during our March Spring Break period:

At 8,300 miles + CAD$8 for a one-way flight, that means I could get 4 of these SFO-YVR roundtrip flights for 70,000 with some 3,000+ points left over. This means an entire family of four could get their flights covered. The cash cost for the one way was CAD$207 or US$161 at this writing, for a total redemption value of CAD$1,656 or US$1,288.

For a more general idea, here is a link to the Aeroplan rewards chart (PDF). The points required are based on distance.

You can also get excellent value by redeeming your points on a partner airline.

Finally, with this credit card, you get preferred pricing on award flights (less points required):

You, as the primary cardmember will often require fewer Aeroplan points to redeem for flight rewards through the Aeroplan program than Aeroplan Members who do not hold an Aeroplan co-branded Credit Card.

Redeem towards any travel at 1.25 cents per points. Via their Pay Yourself Back(R) feature, Chase allows an alternative option to redeem Aeroplan points at a rate of 1.25 cents per point to cover travel purchases including airline flights, hotels, cruises, car rentals, rideshares, parking lots, and more. This provides a nice minimum floor on the value of an Aeroplan point. You can redeem unlimited points for 2023 as an introductory offer; in the future it will be capped at 50,000 points redeemed per year in this way.

Here’s all of what counts as “Travel”:

Merchants in this category include airlines, hotels, motels, timeshares, car rental agencies, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, campgrounds and operators of passenger trains, buses, taxis, limousines, ferries, toll bridges and highways, and parking lots and garages. Some merchants that provide transportation and travel-related services are not included in this category; for example, real estate agents, educational merchants arranging travel, in-flight goods and services, on-board cruise line goods and services, sightseeing activities, excursions, tourist attractions, RV and boat rentals, merchants within hotels and airports, public campgrounds and merchants that rent vehicles for the purpose of hauling. Purchases from gift card merchants or merchants that sell points or miles will not qualify in the travel category.

Personal experience. I have had this card now for over a year, and here is why I renewed and paid the annual fee for a second year. There are a lot of little things with this card that makes travel better.

  • You get 25K elite status on Air Canada with this card (25K automatically for the remainder of the first calendar year, plus the following calendar year, later years with eligible spending), and that lets you check in using the speedy priority line with helpful humans! The same line as business class ticket holders. This 1 on 1 person can help you make flight changes, fix seats, check bags and just make flying smoother rather than trying to flag down the kiosk person trying to help 30 people at once.
  • 25k status lets you pick better seats for free and gives you a 50% discount on the preferred seats with extra legroom on (non-basic) Flex economy fares.
  • 25k status gets you Zone 2 boarding even on basic economy tickets, which is very early. You know how the line is usually split between “1st class/fancy folks” and “everyone else”? You get to board in the fancy folks line.
  • Free checked bags for you and all travel companions with the card. For me, that means my family can check 5 bags for free. 25k status also gives the person with status 2 free checked bags.

Basically, this card helps me feel closer to a business class passenger when I just buy economy tickets and pay for the extra legroom seats. I get the nice check-in line, no hassles with checked bags, TSA PreCheck for security, and true priority boarding so no stress about carry-on space.

Bottom line. The Chase Aeroplan World Elite Mastercard offers an improved 100,000 point sign-up bonus (redeemable for multiple Air Canada flights or use the Pay Yourself Back feature to offset $1,250 of travel on ANY airline) and Air Canada flight perks (including free first checked bag and elite status).

I will be adding this offer to the Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers.

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and Credit-Land for selected credit cards, and may receive a commission from card issuers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned. MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.

Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card Review: 125,000 Bonus Points (Limited-Time Offer)

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and Credit-Land for selected credit cards and may receive a commission. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

The Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card is the re-branded business credit card of the Marriott Bonvoy program. This card offers unique perks for Marriott customers, along with a generous new customer incentive (especially during a limited-time offer). Here are the highlights:

  • Limited Time Offer: Earn 125,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points after you use your new Card to make $8,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 11/1/23.
  • Receive a 7% discount off standard rates for reservations of standard guest rooms at hotels that participate in the Marriott Bonvoy program when you book directly through Marriott. Terms and Conditions Apply.
  • 6x Marriott Bonvoy points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy(R) program.
  • 4x points for purchases made at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping.
  • 2X points on all other eligible purchases
  • Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Plus, earn an additional Free Night Award after you spend $60K in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Awards can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy(R) points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy(R). Certain hotels have resort fees.
  • Enjoy Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status with your Card.
  • Each calendar year you can receive credit for 15 nights towards the next level of Marriott Bonvoy Elite status.
  • Annual fee is $125. (See Rates and Fees)
  • Terms Apply.

Keep in mind the following terms and conditions:

Welcome offer not available to applicants who (i) have or have had the Marriott Bonvoy™ Premier Plus Business Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Business Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Business™ Credit Card from Chase, or the Marriott Rewards® Business Credit Card from Chase in the last 30 days, (ii) have acquired the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold™ Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy™ Premier Credit Card from Chase or the Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card from Chase in the last 90 days, or (iii) received a new Card Member bonus offer in the last 24 months on the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy Bold™ Credit Card from Chase, the Marriott Bonvoy™ Premier Plus Credit Card from Chase or the Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card from Chase.

This is more specific than before, note the different 30-day, 90-day, and 24-month waiting periods that may now include consumer cards. American Express usually gives you a pop-up warning during the application process if you are ineligible based on their records. This is why you should be looking to get the best possible bonus (like a limited-time offer) when you do apply.

Many people aren’t aware of the fact that they can apply for business credit cards, even if they are not a corporation or LLC. The business type is called a sole proprietorship, and these days many people are full-time or part-time consultants, freelancers, eBay/Amazon/Etsy sellers, Uber/Lyft drivers, or other one-person business owners. This is the simplest business entity, but it is fully legit and recognized by the IRS. On a business credit card application, you should use your own legal name as the business name, and your Social Security Number as the Tax ID.

NEW: Certificates can be combined with up to 15,000 points for nicer hotels. Marriott now allows you to supplement your free night certificates with up to 15,000 points of your own. In other words, if your certificate is worth 35,000 points, the maximum hotel value you can redeem for is 50,000 points after adding 15,000 points of your own. if your certificate is worth 50,000 points, the maximum hotel value you can redeem for is 65,000 points after adding 15,000 points of your own.

50k Free Night Award (Welcome Offer). Based on a few quick searches (log in and try to book with points), the following premium hotels can potentially be booked for 65,000 points or less.

  • The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort, Big Island, Hawaii
  • The Royal Hawaiian in Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii
  • The Ritz-Carlton, Bali
  • Le Meridien Maldives Resort & Spa
  • JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa

35k Free Night Award (Anniversary). At your card anniversary, you will receive a Free Night Award that is good for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at a participating hotel. This excludes the very top properties, but for regular travelers it will be very easy to get your $95 or even $125 value. Many W Hotels, Westin, and even some Ritz-Carltons worldwide are included. Here are some sample hotels that may qualify under the 35,000 point limit (* Marriott no longer publishes a fixed point award chart):

  • Sheraton Kona Resort (Big Island, Hawaii)
  • Courtyard Waikiki Beach (Honolulu, Oahu)
  • Sheraton Kauai Resort (Kauai, Hawaii)
  • W Atlanta
  • New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge
  • Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile
  • W Chicago
  • The Ritz-Carlton, Beijing, China
  • The S. Regis Bangkok, Thailand

Bottom line. The Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card is the co-branded business card between Marriott hotels and American Express. You also get a Free Night Award at card anniversary, which can be worth much more than the annual fee.

Also see: Top 10 Best Small Business Card Bonus Offers.

(See Rates and Fees)

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and Credit-Land for selected credit cards, and may receive a commission from card issuers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned. MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.

JetBlue Plus Card Review: 75,000 Bonus Points

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and Credit-Land for selected credit cards and may receive a commission. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

The JetBlue Plus Mastercard is a rewards credit card that earns TrueBlue points for purchases and includes special perks for JetBlue customers. Right now, there is a special 75,000 point link (extra 5k points) that is given out in-flight. It asks for a five-digit code, but all reports indicate that any 5-digit code will work. (I would just say you mistyped the number if they give you any hassle, but I doubt they will. The code is just to credit the referrer.) Here are the highlights:

  • Earn 70,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases and paying the $99 annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days. Plus, earn an additional 5,000 bonus points if you apply using the special ink above.
  • First checked bag is free for the primary cardmember and up to 3 companions when you use your JetBlue Plus Card on JetBlue-operated flights.
  • 6X points on JetBlue purchases, 2 points per $1 at restaurants and grocery stores and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases.
  • No blackout dates on JetBlue-operated flights & redeem for any seat, any time on JetBlue flights. Points required for an Award Flight will vary based on the published base fare at the time of booking.
  • Annual $100 statement credit after you purchase a JetBlue Vacations package of $100 or more.
  • Points awarded in your TrueBlue account don’t expire.
  • Earn and share points together with Family Pooling.
  • 50% savings on eligible inflight purchases including cocktails, food and movies.
  • Points Payback option allows you to redeem points for a statement credit – up to $1,000 per year.
  • Get 10% of your points back every time you redeem to use toward your next redemption.
  • 5,000 TrueBlue bonus points annually after your account anniversary.
  • $99 annual fee.

First checked bags on JetBlue usually cost $35 each-way, per person. The free checked bag perk applies to you and up to 3 travel companions on the same reservation when (1) the ticket is purchased with your JetBlue Plus card, (2) the primary cardmember’s TrueBlue member number must be entered at the time of booking. That works out great for a family traveling together. If you buy higher fare classes, a certain number of complimentary bags may already be included.

How does redeeming TrueBlue points work? TrueBlue works on a revenue-based system, where the points required depends on the current cash cost of the flight (with no blackout dates). If they sell it for cash, you can book it with points. This is different than traditional chart-based systems that charge a fixed point balance but imposes blackout dates and limited seat availability.

TrueBlue points are best redeemed for JetBlue flights. There are some other options like newspaper or magazine subscriptions, but I won’t cover them here.

TrueBlue points can be estimated at 1 points = 1.3 cents. Ex. 30,000 points would cover roughly $390 in JetBlue airfare. The exact value may vary, but 1.3 cents is a conservative average of what I found across Blue, Blue Plus, and Blue Flex fares. You can test it out yourself by pricing out the same flight on JetBlue.com using points or cash (you don’t need to sign-in or have an account). Here is an example of a randomly-chosen Blue flight from New York City (JFK) to Orlando (MCO). The roundtrip flight costs $250.20 cash total:

Or the exact same roundtrip flight costs 15,800 TrueBlue points + $11.20 in taxes/fees:

That means the 15,800 points offset $239 in cash, or a value of 1.51 cents per TrueBlue point. But again, 1.3 is a conservative average estimate.

This means 2X points back on restaurants and groceries can be estimated as 2.6% back in the form of TrueBlue airfare. The 3X points back on Jetlue-operated flights can be 3.9% back in the form of TrueBlue airfare. The 6X points back with the Plus card on JetBlue-operated flights can be 7.8% back in the form of TrueBlue airfare.

Upon the renewal of your $99 annual fee, you get another 5,000 TrueBlue points ($65 of airfare value at 1.3 cents/point). If you can take advantage of the free checked bag perk, there is definitely ongoing value for regular JetBlue fliers. I haven’t investigated the $100 off a JetBlue Vacations package, but it could be worth a look.

As a minimum baseline value, you can redeem up to 100,000 TrueBlue points per year at 1 cent a point for a flat statement credit. So 30,000 points = $300, and so on. You always get more value redeeming for a JetBlue flight, but I know some people may just want to cash out.

Bottom line. The JetBlue Plus card from Barclaycard offers several perks for regular JetBlue customers such as a free first checked bag for you and up to 3 companions. Right now, there is also a new cardholder offer of up to 75,000 TrueBlue points when you satisfy the spending requirements and pay the $99 annual fee.

Also see: Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers.

There is also a JetBlue Business card that currently offers up to 60,000 bonus points. Also see: Top 10 Best Business Card Offers.

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and Credit-Land for selected credit cards, and may receive a commission from card issuers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned. MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.

Wyndham Rewards Earner Cards: 45,000 to 75,000 Bonus Points (Up to 10 Free Hotel Nights)

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and Credit-Land for selected credit cards and may receive a commission. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

The Wyndham Rewards Earner credit cards all have limited-time bonuses of 45,000 to 75,000 points. These aren’t the highest ever, but they are higher than the standard offers.

Wyndham hotels have a relatively simple system that runs 7,500, 15,000, or 30,000 points for a “Go Free” award hotel night with no blackout dates (as long as a standard room is available for cash, you can book it with points). That means 60,000 points could be redeemed for 2 free nights at their most expensive tier of hotels, or 8 free nights at their lowest tier. 75,000 points could be redeemed up to 10 free nights at their lowest tier. You can also redeem toward a discounted “Go Fast” cash and points rate. Resort fees may apply and cannot be paid with points.

Wyndham Rewards Earner Card highlights:

  • 45,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days.
  • 5X points per $1 spent on Hotels by Wyndham and qualifying gas purchases.
  • 2X points per $1 spent on dining and grocery store purchases (excluding Target® and Walmart®).
  • 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases (excluding Wyndham Timeshare resort down payments).
  • Automatic upgrade to Wyndham Rewards Gold status.
  • 10% fewer Wyndham Rewards points required for go free® awards.
  • 7,500 bonus points each anniversary year if you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases.
  • No annual fee.

Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card highlights:

  • 75,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days.
  • 6X points per $1 spent on Hotels by Wyndham and gas purchasess.
  • 4X points per $1 spent on dining and grocery store purchases (excluding Target and Walmart).
  • 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases (excluding Wyndham Timeshare resort down payments).
  • Automatic upgrade to Wyndham Rewards Platinum status.
  • 10% fewer Wyndham Rewards points required for go free® awards.
  • 7,500 bonus points each anniversary year after annual fee renewal.
  • $75 annual fee.

Wyndham Rewards Earner Business Card highlights:

  • Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in the first 90 days, and earn 25,000 bonus points after spending $10,000 within the first 12 months.
  • 8X points per $1 spent on Hotels by Wyndham and gas purchasess.
  • 5X points per $1 spent on eligible marketing, advertising, and utilities purchases.
  • 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases (excluding Wyndham Timeshare resort down payments).
  • Automatic upgrade to Wyndham Rewards Diamond status.
  • 10% fewer Wyndham Rewards points required for go free® awards.
  • 15,000 bonus points each anniversary year after annual fee renewal.
  • $95 annual fee.

Wyndham points expiration – Important!

  • Wyndham Rewards points will expire if you have no activity on your account for a period of 18 months.
  • In addition, all Wyndham Rewards points expire 4 years after being earned — regardless of account activity.

From the official Terms & Conditions:

Except as may otherwise be required under applicable law, Wyndham Rewards points expire four (4) years after the checkout date of the stay for which the applicable points are posted to the Member’s account (the “Four Year Rule”), unless the points are forfeited or cancelled earlier due to membership inactivity (as more particularly described below), or otherwise in accordance with these Terms and Conditions. All accrued points in a Member’s Wyndham Rewards account may be cancelled or forfeited if the Member has no Account Activity (as defined below) for a period of approximately, but never less than, eighteen (18) consecutive months. For purposes of these Terms and Conditions, “Account Activity” means any (i) point earning, (ii) stay posted to a Member’s Wyndham Rewards account, regardless of whether or not such stay earns Wyndham Rewards points, and (iii) redemption or transfer activity involving a change in the Member’s Wyndham Rewards point balance, in each case, conducted in accordance with these Terms and Conditions.

For example, earning points via this credit card will only reset the 18-month inactivity clock. You should get the exact date in your online account page. You should make sure that there are good opportunities for you to redeem this points in the near future.

Wyndham Rewards includes over 9,000 hotels worldwide – from Days Inn motels to Wyndham Grand hotels. You can use this link to filter locations easily by country, state, and/or point level. Participating hotel chains include:

  • AmericInn by Wyndham®
  • Dolce Hotels and Resorts® by Wyndham
  • Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham®
  • Howard Johnson by Wyndham®
  • La Quinta by Wyndham®
  • Ramada by Wyndham®
  • Days Inn by Wyndham®
  • Super 8 by Wyndham®
  • Travelodge by Wyndham®
  • Wingate by Wyndham®
  • Wyndham Grand®
  • Wyndham Hotels and Resorts®
  • Wyndham Garden®

Depending on the hotel, you might get over 1 cent per point value (i.e. $300 cash hotel night for 30,000 points), but you might also get closer to 0.5 cent per point value (i.e. a $75 hotel night might require 15,000 points).

Bottom line. The Wyndham Rewards Earner credit cards all have limited-time bonuses. Used at the lowest tier, you could get 10 free nights for 75,000 points. However, know that you must redeem the points within 4 years at the longest, even with regular account activity. You should look up the hotels you intend to redeem at upfront. I like to imagine a long road trip funded by several free nights at random hotels along the highway.

Also see: Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers and Top 10 Best Business Card Offers.

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and Credit-Land for selected credit cards, and may receive a commission from card issuers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned. MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.

$6,500 IRA Contribution Bonus Challenge: $3,804+ in Bonuses (July 2023)

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and Credit-Land for selected credit cards and may receive a commission. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

Updated progress on July 2023. Each year, I challenge myself to earn the equivalent of the maximum annual IRA contribution limit (up to $6,500 for 2023) using the profits from various finance promotions alone. In 2021, I reached $5,592 in bonuses. In 2022, I reached $6,259 in bonuses. I just went back and tallied up the totals so far for 2023.

I consider it a profitable hobby with serious potential if you add in some disciplined investing. If you had put $6,000 into your IRA every year for the recent 10 year period (2013-2022) and invested in a simple Target Date retirement fund, you would have turned small, weekly deals into a $104,000+ nest egg. You didn’t need to be a genius. Another example of Focus + Long attention span = Surprising results.

That’s worth repeating: An extra 100 grand has been the real-world result of playing this game and investing $500 a month in proceeds for the last 10 years! Not to mention, a couple could double these numbers.

Ground rules: Real-world results for one real person only. Following with My Money Blog tradition, this will track my personal, real-world results. It would be quite easy to list a bunch of promotions that add up to $6,000, but these will be promotions that I personally sign up for and complete the requirements (even though I’ve already opened 100+ bank accounts, credit cards, and brokerage accounts over the years). I will track my individual results only, although my partner does also participate on a more selective basis. Nearly all of them have been documented in real-time in the Deals and Offers category, Top 10 credit cards list, and brokerage bonus list.

2023 bonuses and promotions list. The 💵 symbol means I have received and/or cashed out the bonus successfully. The ⌛ symbol means that the promo is still in progress.

If I assume that all bonuses for which I have completed the required activity will eventually post, the total tally so far is $3,804, which is 58% of the $6,500 annual IRA contribution limit for 2023. This puts me a tiny bit ahead of the right pace required to reach my goal.

This is a personal challenge/game that I like to play, and I’ve been doing it for a long time. I enjoy trying out new apps and services. This is an enjoyable and profitable hobby for me, but I don’t like to waste my time either. I look for a solid return based on the time commitment required. I tend to avoid speculative bets, bonuses that are hard to convert to real cash-equivalent value, and anything that requires driving to stores where things may or may not be in stock. The deals that I post usually last at least a few days, but it’s a bit like value investing where you have to be ready to get off your butt and take decisive action when an opportunity shows up, because they won’t last forever.

Many things I have to skip simply because I’ve already done them. For those new to this hobby, I would first grab the low-hanging fruit like the Chase Sapphire Preferred or the Chase Sapphire Reserve and build up a nice stash of flexible Ultimate Rewards points. After that, I would recommend looking at the Citi Premier (ThankYou points), Capital Venture X (Capital One Miles), and American Express Gold (AmEX Membership Rewards points) to jumpstart your points stashes.

Exclusions. Importantly, this list ignores the additional interest earned from otherwise optimizing my existing cash balances, as well as everyday credit card rewards like 2% to 2.6% cash back on all purchases and 5% cash back on specific categories or 1% or better cash back on rent.

I am also excluding small-business deals like big Chase Ink Business Cash card bonuses, big business checking bonuses, and so on.

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and Credit-Land for selected credit cards, and may receive a commission from card issuers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned. MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.

Southwest Airlines Credit Cards: Up to 80,000 Bonus Points + Companion Pass Details

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and Credit-Land for selected credit cards and may receive a commission. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

Southwest Airlines lets you use points to book basically any seat that they sell for cash. A very reasonable approximation from my experience is 1.3 cents in Wanna Get Away airfare in per point. That works out to roughly $780+ in Wanna Get Away airfare for 60,000 Rapid Rewards points. Plus, they still offer two free checked bags on all flights.

Their Companion Pass lets you pick one person to fly with free when you book both paid AND award flights (including to Hawaii!) on Southwest. Once you qualify by earning 135,000 points in a calendar year, you earn the Companion Pass for both the rest of the year in which you earn it AND all of the next year (ex. rest of 2023 + all of 2024). Importantly, all points earned from credit cards count toward the requirement, and each card also offers a 10,000 point boost toward the Companion Pass requirement. Many times if you get both a personal and a business card in the same year, you can meet this requirement with the new cardmember bonuses alone.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus credit card

  • Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
  • Receive 3,000 anniversary points each year.
  • 10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points boost each year.
  • 2X points on Southwest(R) purchases.
  • 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
  • 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services, and select streaming.
  • 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
  • 2 EarlyBird Check-In(R) each year
  • 25% back on inflight purchases
  • All points earned count towards Companion Pass(R).
  • $69 annual fee.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier card

  • Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
  • Receive 6,000 anniversary points each year.
  • 10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points boost each year.
  • 3X points on Southwest(R) purchases.
  • 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
  • 2X points on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming.
  • 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
  • 2 EarlyBird Check-In(R) each year
  • 25% back on inflight purchases
  • All points earned count towards Companion Pass(R).
  • $99 annual fee.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority card

  • Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
  • Receive 7,500 anniversary points and a $75 Southwest® travel credit each year.
  • 10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points boost each year.
  • 3X points on Southwest purchases.
  • 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
  • 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services, and select streaming.
  • 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
  • 2 EarlyBird Check-In(R) each year
  • 25% back on inflight purchases
  • 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points towards A-List Status for every $10,000 in spend
  • 4 Upgraded Boardings per year when available.
  • $75 Southwest annual travel credit.
  • $149 annual fee.

The following are business credit cards:

Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business card

  • Earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
  • 9,000 bonus points after each Cardmember anniversary.
  • NEW: 4X points on Southwest(R) purchases.
  • 3X points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners.
  • NEW: 2X points on rideshare.
  • 2X points on social media and search engine advertising, Internet, cable and phone services and 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
  • 4 Upgraded Boardings per year when available.
  • Inflight WiFi Credits (up to 365 x $8 credits per year).
  • Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® Fee Credit in the form of a statement credit of up to $100 every four years.
  • $199 annual fee.

Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business card

  • Earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
  • 6,000 bonus points after each Cardmember anniversary.
  • 3X points on Southwest(R) purchases.
  • 2X points and Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners.
  • 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
  • 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
  • 2 EarlyBird Check-In(R) each year
  • $99 annual fee.

With this business credit card promotion for new cardholders, you could qualify for a Companion Pass with a single card. By spending the $3,000 in the first 3 months from account opening and also $15,000 in purchases well before the end of 2023, you would earn at least 15,000 points for the purchases themselves (more if in a bonus category), and then you could add the 120,000 bonus points, putting you across the 135,000 point threshold.

Value of Rapid Rewards points. Redeeming Southwest points for flights varies in a narrow range, but a very reasonable approximation from my experience is 1.3 cents in Wanna Get Away airfare in per point. That works out to $650+ in Wanna Get Away airfare for every 50,000 points or $1,300+ in Wanna Get Away airfare from 100,000 points (you are still liable for taxes and fees from $5.60 one-way). Importantly, Southwest does NOT have blackout dates or seat restrictions when you redeem with points. This means that Southwest points are much easier to use than a “saver award” on traditional airlines.

Now, if you manage to qualify for the the Companion Pass on every trip that you book with those points, that doubles the potential value of each award redemption. In other words, 125,000 Rapid Rewards, would usually get you $1,850 in Wanna Get Away airfare, but with the Companion Pass you’d get an extra companion ticket for every flight booked.

There may be other options like gift cards, but the redemption value is less than half the value you could get from redeeming for flights.

Southwest points expiration policy, per Southwest.com:

Do the points I earn expire?

No, your Rapid Rewards points do not expire. However, if you choose to close your account, the points in your account will be terminated.

Southwest still includes two free checked bags per person. The fees on the other airlines have crept up to $30 per bag, each-way. That adds up.

Our family policy is to not try out a new credit card unless it offers us $500 in total value. Just the free award flights from the points are enough to satisfy that rule, and then you can add on the potential value of the companion tickets.

Card restrictions. All of these Southwest credit cards are subject to “5/24” restrictions, which means that your application will be automatically denied if you have opened 5 or more credit cards in the last 24 months (check your credit reports). Our household strategy is to have one person only apply for Chase 5/24 cards, and the other person applies for everything else. There is also this language on the consumer card:

The product is not available to either (i) current Cardmembers of any Southwest Rapid Rewards® Credit Card, or (ii) previous Cardmembers of any Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card who received a new Cardmember bonus within the last 24 months. This does not apply to Cardmembers of the Southwest Rapid Rewards Business Card and Employee Credit Card products.

Basically, you can get one sign-up bonus from a Southwest consumer card once every 24 months. You can also get one sign-up bonus from a Southwest business card once every 24 months.

Stack your Companion Pass with Chase Ultimate Rewards points. If you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve, you can transfer Ultimate Rewards points to Southwest points on a 1:1 basis. If you book an award flight with those Southwest points while you have the Companion Pass, you can double the value of your Ultimate Rewards points as well.

Bottom line. Southwest credit cards offer new cardholders the opportunity to earn hundreds of dollars worth of Wanna Get Away airfare, but if you time things right and maybe combine a personal and business card, you can also grab the Southwest Companion pass, which provides a free companion ticket on every flight bought with cash or points booked both during the rest of the year in which you earned it, AND the full next calendar year. Finally, Southwest still includes two free checked bags per person on every flight.

Also see: Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers and the Top 10 Best Business Card Offers.

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and Credit-Land for selected credit cards, and may receive a commission from card issuers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned. MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.

Chase MyBonus: Check For Targeted 5%/5X Back Offers on Gas/Grocery/Restaurants

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and Credit-Land for selected credit cards and may receive a commission. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

New quarter, new offers. A quick 2023 Q3 reminder that you can discover targeted offers for your Chase credit card at Chase.com/mybonus. This includes both their in-house cards like Sapphire or Freedom Flex and their co-branded cards like United, IHG, Hyatt, Southwest, Amazon, etc. For some reason, these are often offers that they don’t tell you about otherwise by email or snail mail.

For 2023 Q3, I got a 5X offer on my IHG card on Gas/Grocery/Restaurants:

You’ll earn 5X total points for every $1 you spend on up to $1,500 in combined purchases at gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants with your IHG One Rewards Credit Card from July 1 through September 30, 2023.*

…as well as 2X offer on my Amazon card:

Your double rewards are active
You’re now earning double on everyday purchases made between May 1 and July 31. That’s 4% at gas stations, restaurants, and on local transit and commuting (including rideshare), plus 2% back on all other purchases (on up to $1,000 spent).1 You will continue to earn unlimited 5% back at Amazon.com, Whole Foods Market, and on Chase Travel purchases with an eligible Prime membership.2

You may also simply get a message that your card can’t be found or that you weren’t targeted:

In some cases, you may be able to stack on top of your existing rewards, for example the current 5% cash back categories of the Chase Freedom and Freedom Flex.

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and Credit-Land for selected credit cards, and may receive a commission from card issuers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned. MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express Review: 6% Cash Back at US Supermarkets ($6,000/Year), Welcome Offer, New Disney Streaming and Equinox Benefits

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and Credit-Land for selected credit cards and may receive a commission. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

Added details about new Equinox+ membership benefit. Disney streaming bundle credit worth $7 a month ($84 annually). Must enroll for both. See full details below.

The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express has been in heavy rotation recently: 6% cash back at US stand-alone supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases. The welcome offer is also currently very generous. If you spend $100 a week at supermarkets, that alone will earn you over $300 a year in rewards. The highlights:

  • Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.
  • Low Intro APR: 0% on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months from the date of account opening. After that, your APR will be a variable APR of 19.24% to 29.99%. Variable APRs will not exceed 29.99%.
  • 6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%).
  • 6% Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions.
  • 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations.
  • 3% Cash Back on transit including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more.
  • 1% Cash Back on other purchases.
  • Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit.
  • Disney Streaming Bundle benefit. Thinking about getting the Disney Bundle which can include Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+? Your decision made easy with $7/month back in the form of a statement credit after you spend $9.99 or more each month on an eligible subscription (subject to auto renewal) with your Blue Cash Preferred® Card. Enrollment required.
  • Equinox+ membership benefit. Get up to $120 in statement credits annually when you pay for an auto-renewing subscription to Equinox+ at equinoxplus.com with your Blue Cash Preferred® Card. That’s $10 in statement credits each month. Enrollment required.
  • $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95. (See Rates and Fees)
  • Terms Apply.

Max out your benefit by buying gift cards at US supermarkets. I use this card to buy gift cards at a standalone US supermarket to use up the annual limit and get 6% back. My local Safeway has an entire wall of options, but I usually go with Amazon, Apple, or Starbucks (gifts). You can easily confirm that your purchase still gets 6% cash back on your account online:

Supermarkets details. “US stand-alone supermarkets” means that superstores, convenience stores and warehouse clubs are not considered supermarkets. This means no Super Wal-Mart, no Super Target, no Costco. Examples of merchants that do count (and this is not a complete list!) are Safeway, Whole Foods, Meijer, Vons, Winn-Dixie, Gristedes, Shoprite, Stop and Shop, and online supermarkets such as FreshDirect.

Gasoline details. “US stand-alone gas stations” means that superstores, supermarkets, and warehouse clubs that sell gasoline are not considered gas stations. This means no Target, no Costco, no Sam’s Club. Examples of merchants that count (again not a complete list!) are Exxon, Mobil, Hess, Shell, Gulf, Murphy USA, Murphy Express.

US Streaming Subscriptions details. These are all included at 6% cash back:

• Amazon Music
• Apple Music
• Audible
• CBS All Access
• Direct TV Now
• ESPN+
• Fubo TV
• HBO Now
• Hulu
• iHeartRadio
• Kindle Unlimited
• MLB.TV
• NBA League Pass
• Netflix
• NHL.TV
• Pandora
• Prime Video Unlimited
• Showtime
• Sling TV
• SiriusXM Streaming and Satellite
• Spotify
• YouTube Music Premium
• YouTube Premium
• YouTube TV

Disney Bundle credit details. Get a $7 monthly statement credit after using your enrolled Blue Cash Preferred Card to spend $9.99 or more each month on a subscription to the Disney Bundle. Valid only at DisneyPlus.com, Hulu.com, or Plus.espn.com in the U.S. Subscription subject to auto-renewal.

If you already have this card, you activate this offer here.

Equinox+ credit details. Use your Blue Cash Preferred Card when you pay for an auto-renewing subscription to Equinox+ and receive $10 in monthly statement credits (up to $120 total per calendar year) . Enrollment required first. Importantly, you won’t get the statement credit if you pay for your membership through the Equinox+ app or another third party. You must pay through the EquinoxPlus.com website only. If you pay through the Equinox+ app currently, you must switch to an online account, details in the fine print below. Only applies to the stand-alone monthly membership.

Selected fine print:

To receive this benefit for an existing Equinox+ membership, Card Members (or their parent or legal guardian, as applicable) must enroll in this benefit in their American Express Card Account and pay their monthly membership fees with their eligible Blue Cash Preferred® Card online through www.equinoxplus.com. Card Members who currently pay their monthly membership fees through the Equinox+ app will not receive the benefit unless they change their Equinox+ membership to an online account, which can be done by contacting Equinox Member Experience at https://eqx.force.com/memberexperience/s/contactsupport.

To receive this benefit for a new Equinox+ membership, Card Members (or their parent or legal guardian, as applicable) must enroll in this benefit in their American Express Card Account and then access the Equinox+ website through the link provided in the benefits section of their American Express online account or mobile app, or at m.equinoxplus.com/e/amexjoin, to purchase an Equinox+ membership at www.equinoxplus.com with their eligible Blue Cash Preferred® Card and agree to the Equinox+ Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Annual fee. There is a $95 annual fee, so you’ll want to utilize that 6% cash back on groceries to maximize your value. If you spend the max cap of $500 a month at supermarkets, at 6% back that would net you $360 cash back in a year vs. $60 at 1% cash back. Note that simply spending $31 per week at supermarkets at 6% cash back will result in over $95 Reward Dollars per year to cover the annual fee.

If you spend the max cap of $500 a month at supermarkets, at 6% back that would net you $360 cash back in a year. Minus the $95 annual fee, and you’ll still earn $265 net cash back on $6,000 of spending, for an net overall cash back rate of 4.4%. That’s still a good year-round cash back rate for groceries, and I’m completely ignoring the US streaming subscriptions category.

Alternatively, the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express offers 3% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%) and other perks but with no annual fee. See application for current welcome bonus. Terms apply. (See Rates and Fees)

Cash back is officially given in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit, gift cards, and merchandise. I always just stick with statements credit to directly pay down my monthly bill.

Bottom line. The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express has the key feature of 6% cash back at US supermarkets (on up to $6,000 per year). You can now also get 6% cash back on Netflix/Spotify/HBO Now as well as 3% cash back at US gas stations and transit (Uber/Lyft/train). This has been a “keeper” card for me for many years now. I treat it like one of my 5% cash back cards, except there are no rotating categories or activations to worry about. They also just added a Disney streaming bundle credit worth up to $7/month ($84 annually), which I also utilize.

(See Rates and Fees)

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and Credit-Land for selected credit cards, and may receive a commission from card issuers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned. MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.

Amazon Shop With Points Promos (Targeted): Use 1 Point, Save up to 40%

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and Credit-Land for selected credit cards and may receive a commission. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

Amazon lets you “Shop with Points” using many different loyalty programs including Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou, and Discover. They also offer targeted promotions from time to time, and they seem to come back periodically even if you’ve used them before. I recommend quickly clicking on each of the links below to see if you are targeted at the moment and activate for an additional discount for redeeming a single penny’s worth of points. If you’re not targeted (I wasn’t this round), then just wait until next time.

(Note: If you are reading this in an email/RSS reader, unfortunately I am not allowed to include any Amazon affiliate links in e-mails, so they have been removed. Just click here to view the links.)

“Shop with Points” promo links

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and Credit-Land for selected credit cards, and may receive a commission from card issuers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned. MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.

Chase Freedom Unlimited Review – 1.5% Flat Cash Back + New Cardholder Extra 1.5% Cash Back Bonus (Up to $300)

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and Credit-Land for selected credit cards and may receive a commission. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

The Chase Freedom Unlimited Card is a no-annual-fee rewards card which earns a flat 1.5% cash back on all non-bonus purchases (or a possibly more valuable 1.5 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent). This is a different card from the new Chase Freedom Flex, which has 5% cash back on rotating categories, on up to $1,500 in purchases each quarter. Here are the highlights:

For new cardholders:

  • INTRO OFFER: Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) – worth up to $300 cash back.
  • Enjoy 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards(R), our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year).
  • 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 20.49% – 29.24%.

Ongoing benefits:

  • 5X points (5% cash back) on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards(R).
  • 3X points (5% cash back) on dining out, take-out, and eligible delivery services.
  • 3X points (3% cash back) on drugstore purchases.
  • Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases. Redeem for cash – any amount, anytime.
  • Cash back does not expire as long as your card is open.
  • No annual fee.

1.5% cash back on all purchases is better than the 1% cash back you see from a lot of cards, but there are competitors with higher effective cash back rates.

But wait, you actually get Ultimate Rewards Points! The lesser-known perk of this card is that you actually earn Ultimate Rewards points, which are in turn redeemable for cash back at a rate of 100 points = $1 in cash back, or 1 cent per point. But you don’t have to do that. Ultimate Rewards points are worth collecting because of their flexibility. (I hope Chase doesn’t forget this fact.) This is important because there are many ways in which Ultimate Rewards points can be worth much more than 1 cent per point.

If you have also have the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, or Ink Business Preferred Card, then you can pool all of your Ultimate Rewards points together (even with your spouse/partner as an authorized user) and thus utilize all of the same transfer partners with the following results:

  • Earn 1.5 United Mileageplus miles per dollar spent on ALL purchases.
  • Earn 1.5 Hyatt points per dollar spent on ALL purchases.
  • Earn 1.5 British Airways Avios per dollar spent on ALL purchases.
  • Earn 1.5 Southwest Rapid Rewards points per dollar spent on ALL purchases.

Notice that you are earning more miles and points on ALL purchases than even the specific co-branded cards from United or Hyatt themselves! Most of them just offer 1 point/mile per dollar spent on all purchases.

If you placed a perceived value of 1.5 cents on each United Airlines mile or Hyatt hotel point, then you’d receive 2.25 cents of perceived value per dollar spent with this card. Your actual numbers will depend on your own specific redemption choices, but you can see that you can definitely exceed 2% cash back value on an ongoing basis with the Sapphire Preferred/Freedom Unlimited combo.

With the Sapphire Reserve, you can also redeem for travel through the Ultimate Rewards portal at 1.5 cents per point value, which means 20,000 Ultimate Rewards points = $300 towards airfare, hotel, car rentals booked through Ultimate Rewards. 5% cash back on groceries turns into 7.5% potential value back, and so on.

If you would like the opportunity to earn 5% cash back on rotating bonus categories each quarter, compare with the Chase Freedom Flex card. You can have both a Freedom and a Freedom Unlimited card, but you’ll have to apply for each card separately. I think this is actually a great combo if you plan to keep a Sapphire Preferred/Sapphire Reserve/Ink Preferred cards as well.

Restrictions. This card is subject to “5/24” restrictions, which means that your application will be automatically denied if you have opened 5 or more credit cards in the last 24 months (check your credit reports). Our household strategy is to have one person only apply for Chase 5/24 cards, and the other person applies for everything else. There is also this language on the consumer card:

This product is not available to either (i) current cardmembers of this credit card, or (ii) previous cardmembers of this credit card who received a new cardmember bonus for this credit card within the last 24 months.

Bottom line. The Chase Freedom Unlimited is a unique card that works best in combination with either the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, or Ink Preferred Business cards. The combination of earning 1.5 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on all purchases plus the unique redemption options from those other cards can create a value exceeding that of 2% cash back. You also get a bonus category of 3X points on dining out and drugstore purchases. Right now, there is a new cardholder promotion worth up to $300.

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and Credit-Land for selected credit cards, and may receive a commission from card issuers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned. MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.

Bank of America Premium Rewards Card Review – 60,000 Point Offer, Best with Preferred Rewards

My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and Credit-Land for selected credit cards and may receive a commission. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

Improved 60k offer. The Bank of America Premium Rewards Credit Card is the mid-tier premium card in the line-up, with added perks in exchange for an $95 annual fee. (Comparable with the Chase Sapphire Preferred and American Express Green cards.) This card also participates in the Preferred Rewards program, which gives you better rewards if you let BofA hold of your assets. Here are the highlights:

  • Earn 60,000 bonus points ($600 value) after making $4,000 in purchases in first 90 days of account opening.
  • Earn 2 points per dollar spent on travel and dining purchases.
  • Earn 1.5 points for each dollar spent on all other purchases.
  • 10% customer bonus when you have an active Bank of America checking or savings account.
  • If you’re a Preferred Rewards client, you can increase that bonus to 25% – 75%. See details below.
  • Up to $100 annual airline incidental statement credit for qualifying travel purchases such as seat upgrades, baggage fees, in-flight services and airport lounge fees.
  • Up to $100 airport security statement credit towards TSA Precheck or Global Entry Application fee, every four years.
  • No foreign transaction fees.
  • $95 annual fee.
  • No limit to earning points, and points don’t expire.

Preferred Rewards bonus. The Preferred Rewards program is designed to rewards clients with multiple account and higher assets located at Bank of America banking, Merrill Edge online brokerage, and Merrill Lynch investment accounts. Here is a partial table taken from their comparison chart (click to enlarge):

bofa_pref1

Let’s consider the options. Bank of America’s interest rates on cash accounts tend to be lower than highest-available outside banks, so moving cash over to qualify may result in earning less interest on your cash deposits. Merrill Lynch advisory accounts also usually come with management fees. The sweet spot is if you have brokerage assets like stocks, mutual funds, and ETFs.

In the past, moving over to Merrill Edge at the Platinum and Platinum Plus levels also led to 30 to 100 free online stock trades every month. Fast forward to now, and nearly all major online brokers offer commission-free trades anyway.

Personally, I moved over $100k of brokerage assets to Merrill Edge to qualify for Platinum Honors. This can include your existing ETFs and mutual funds held elsewhere (Vanguard, Fidelity, Schwab, etc). I realize not everyone will have this level of assets to move around, but if you do then it is worth considering. Keep in mind that it will take a while for your “3-month average combined balance” to actually reach the $100k level and officially qualify for Platinum Honors. You might become Gold first, then Platinum, and so on. After that, the 25%-75% rewards bonus on credit card rewards kick in.

Once you reach a certain tier, BofA guarantees that you will stay there for a year no matter what, even if your balance fluctuates. Note that the terms state “The Preferred Rewards bonus will replace the customer bonus”, which means that you will lose the 10% customer bonus when you qualify for the 25% to 50% bonus.

Here’s are the cash back rates after the Preferred Rewards bonuses:

  • Platinum Honors (75% bonus): 3.5% cash back on travel and dining, 2.625% cash back on all other purchases.
  • Platinum (50% bonus): 3% cash back on travel and dining, 2.25% cash back on all other purchases.
  • Gold (25% bonus): 2.5% cash back on travel and dining, 1.875% cash back on all other purchases.

Rewards comparison. This card has a more flexible rewards structure than their BankAmericard Travel Rewards card in that the points don’t have to offset a travel purchase. You can redeem at a flat 1 point = 1 cent value towards a statement credit or deposit into eligible Bank of America or Merrill Lynch® accounts (including deposit, investment or 529 accounts).

Getting a flat 2.625% (Platinum Honors) or 2.25% cash back (Platinum) on all purchases is a very solid base earning level. In terms of the competition, there are now multiple cash back cards in the 2% cash back range such as the Citi Double Cash Card with no annual fee. That means I wouldn’t bother with this card for everyday purchases if I wasn’t Platinum or Platinum Honors.

Also note that you can also earn similar levels of everything rewards (minus the travel/dining bonus category) but restricted to offsetting a travel-related purchase with the BankAmericard Travel Rewards card – except with no annual fee. The question then reverts back to if you can offset that $95 annual fee with the $100 annual incidental airline credit good towards seat upgrades, baggage fees, in-flight services and airport lounge fees. (Sadly, everything seems to be an added fee these days.) If you can get max value out of that airline incidental credit every year, then that removes the major disadvantage when compared to the BofA Travel Rewards card. You can then enjoy the added perks like the $500 value sign-up bonus, $100 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit once every 4 years, and the higher rewards on travel/dining bonus.

Bottom line. The Bank of America Premium Rewards Credit Card is rather average in basic form, but is elevated into an excellent card if you can qualify for the Platinum or Platinum Honors tiers of their Preferred Rewards program for up to 3.5% cash back on travel and dining and 2.625% cash back on all other purchases. Note the the $95 annual fee is not waived for the first year. Consider your ability to use up the $100 annual incidental airline credit.

Also see: Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers.

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