Updated with new 5X promo through October 31st. Kudos is a new mobile app and browser extension that aims to enhance your existing credit card rewards when shopping. It does this by tracking all your rewards credit cards and recommending the best one to use, recommending new credit cards (that’s how they make money), and doubling your credit card rewards when shopping through an affiliated Boost merchant (they are also a shopping portal). New members can get a $20 referral bonus, worth $20 in Amazon gift cards, after their first purchase on a Boost merchant site.

In my opinion, Kudos is not super-interesting unless they have a 5X “Flash Boost Sale”. The best scenario is when it combines with a 5X category from a rewards credit card. Right now they one running until October 31st, 2024. Official 5X October Promo details here.

If you just have a 2% flat cash back card, you can get a total of 10% back on any of the listed merchants (8% from Kudos, 2% from your card). But if you have a 5% cash back category, this turns to 25% total cash back (20% from Kudos, 5% from your card.)

Pet stores are a 5% category for the Chase Freedom/Freedom Flex card for 4th Quarter 2024, which means you can get up to 25% total back at PetSmart. In addition, you can stack this with 40% off your first Auto-Ship order (like Subscribe and Save with Amazon). We just got a new puppy and dogs are expensive, so I’ll take all the help I can get.

Another idea for this promo are to use any 3% back on Travel cards from Chase, BofA, Citi, etc. and get an additional 15% back on VRBO, TripAdvisor, or Booking.com. Those percentages are also better than standard cashback portals.

Get ready for a haunting good time with our biggest October Flash Boost sale yet! From October 1 through October 31, 2024, we’re conjuring up some frighteningly fantastic deals. We’re not just offering spine-tingling discounts – we’re multiplying your rewards by 5X at participating merchants. That means you could earn up to 25% in rewards, depending on your card! Here are the top retailers that we’re highlighting with this Flash Boost sale:

Stubhub
Booking.com
Vrbo
Expedia
Petsmart
Fanatics
Journeys
Nike
Tripadvisor
Neiman Marcus
Halloween Costumes
Dell
Backcountry
Stanley
Woot

Step-by-Step Walkthrough

• Visit my Kudos referral link (I used Chrome Browser) and install their extension. Make sure the promo code JONATHAN_KUDOS_209109 is filled in when applicable to get the 2000 point ($20) referral bonus.
• Add at least one rewards credit card and number. I recommend linking any Discover it card since it has 5% cash back cards that you hold.
• After these various things as a new customer, it should be pretty simple to accumulate around 500 Kudos points (worth $5). However, to unlock the $20 referral bonus for myself, I need to make a purchase from a Boost merchant. For this promo, PetSmart would work great.
• Make sure to turn off any potentially conflicting extensions, like the Capital One 360 Shopping plugin.
• Chrome extension installed. Check. Card number saved. Check. Visited Boost Merchant from the Kudos site. Check.
• During the Purchase process, look to the bottom right corner and click on the yellow dog. You should be presented with and click on the “Activate Boost” button. It should say “Boost Activated”.
• During the Checkout process, I let Kudos fill in the card information.
• When finished, the extension should confirm your rewards exactly.

Here’s what you should see:

When Kudos says you’ll get “double your rewards”, that means your existing credit card rewards is 1X, and then will also match 1X. When Kudos says you’ll get 5X rewards, that means your existing credit card is 1X and they’ll add 4X. Like other shopping portals, the points will be pending for 60-120 days because it takes a while for them to get paid from the merchant internally, and also to make sure that you don’t return the item.

Alaska Airlines has closed their acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines, although they will continue with their separate brands for a while at least. Here the pages about the merger on the Hawaiian site and the Alaska site with details about how the programs and perks will work during the transition. I read through all of the coverage and here are my notes and takeaways.

• You can now transfer miles in either direction on a 1:1 ratio here (50 miles minimum, may take 72 hours). Most people seem to feel that Alaska miles are worth more than Hawaiian miles due their long list of partner airlines including American, British Airways, and Cathay Pacific, but it’s possible that you have a specific use for Hawaiian miles.
• You can currently still transfer Membership Rewards points to Hawaiian Airlines (and then Alaska). This may not last once the dust settles.
• You can currently still transfer Bilt Rewards points to Alaska Airlines (and then Hawaiian). This may not last once the dust settles.
• Marriott Bonvoy points convert to both Alaska and Hawaiian at a 3:1 ratio, so nothing really new, but it offers another pathway if you’re going for a big redemption. If you transfer exactly 60,000 Bonvoy points, you get a 5,000 mile bonus for a total of 25,000 Alaska/Hawaiian miles.
• If you have a Hawaiian Airlines credit or debit card, you can use their Share Miles feature to transfer an unlimited number of Hawaiian miles from anyone else into your account (friends and family) with no fees. I just swept all of my kids’ miles into my account, which I can then convert to Alaska if needed.
• This also indirectly means you can pool Alaska miles for free now from various people, and avoid those huge “gifting” fees. For example, transfer Kid #1 Alaska miles to Kid #1 Hawaiian miles account. Then use Share Miles to combine with your target primary Hawaiian account, and then transfer to target primary Alaska account..
• You may want to consider getting a Hawaiian Airlines credit card from Barclays (or business version), in case they make a future change to the issuer or program. You also get that Share Miles feature. For now, it doesn’t appear you can use the discounted companion ticket from the Hawaiian card on Alaska flights.
• You may want to consider getting an Alaska Airlines credit card from Bank of America (or business version), in case they make a future change to the issuer or program. For now, it doesn’t appear you can use the discounted companion ticket from the Alaska card on Hawaiian flights.

In the past year or so, I’ve gotten both the Hawaiian and Alaska cards and have been taking advantage of the perks, including the free checked bags, companion fares, Share Miles, and other discounts. I’m not a heavy flier, but hopefully the merging of all these accumulated miles can offer some useful award redemptions for the family.

Update for Rent Day 10/1. For Rent Day on Tuesday 10/1, Bilt Rewards is offering the following additional perks. Nice to see a more useful freebie again.

• Hilton Gold Elite Status Match. All Bilt members can activate Hilton Gold status until December 31, 2024. This is their mid-tier status, between Hilton Silver and Platinum. If you stay 8 nights in that period, you can extend your Hilton Gold status through March 2026. If you stay 14 nights in that period (10 if Bilt Platinum(, you can get Hilton Platinum status through March 2026.
• Virgin Voyages “Buy One Get 2nd Person For Free” offer. Last month. For those interested in an adults-only cruise (usually couples anyway). You also get a $100 bar tab credit and other added perks.

Hilton Gold status perks (must activate 10/1 only). If you have even a single Hilton stay coming up the rest of the year, it’s worth signing up.

• Complimentary space available room upgrades
• Late check-out
• Daily Food and Beverage Credit or Continental Breakfast (varies by brand and region)
• 5th night free on reward stays
• 80% Points earning Bonus on Stays

I don’t bother with their “Rent Free” trivia game anymore (odds of winning too low). However, I did find it amusing they got Paris Hilton to be their celebrity guest.

Rent Day always means their 2X double points promo where you can get 6X on dining, 4X on travel, and 2X on other purchases (except rent). As of October 2024, there is now a cap of 1,000 bonus points, so it’s not as exciting as before. Really, I just try to remember to put any dining on the card on that day for some extra Hyatt points.

You can still earn lots of Bilt points just for paying monthly rent to any landlord with no transaction fees, which is their most important feature. I don’t know the status of all the other smaller bonuses listed below for new customers.

Just joined recently? Look for these free Bilt Points opportunities (any day). Bilt lets you earn bonus points for a variety of different small activities, which can add up to 1,000+ easy points. I don’t know if these are officially listed anywhere, but I got them.

• After I first got approved for the Bilt card, they offered me 5X Bilt points on all purchases (except rent) for a limited period of time (reader Eileen reports 5 days). This is a good opportunity to earn 5X points for everyday larger purchases like insurance, tax payment, charitable giving, or utility bills. Max 50,000 points.
• 100 points for linking each transfer partner. Link Hyatt? 100 points. Link Air Canada Aeroplan? 100 points. Link them all! 10+ partners = 1,000+ points.
• 500 points for Amazon Shop with Points. Link your Amazon account and you can buy stuff with Bilt points at the usual mediocre 0.7 cents per points value. Linking gets you 250 points, and using the program (spend at least 1 Bilt point) and get another 250 Bilt points.
• 100 points for each credit card linked to Bilt Dining (up to 300 points). Bilt Dining lets you earn 5X points per dollar when you pay at an eligible restaurant using a linked credit card. Link three different credit cards, get 300 Bilt points.

Important reminder: You must use your card to make 5 purchases (of any amount) each statement period to earn points.

Full review:

The updated Bilt Mastercard is a unique credit card that earns rewards on rent payments to any landlord. Bilt is a rent payment platform and they will send your landlord a check or ACH bank transfer so that your landlord will not have to do anything. The credit card itself is issued by Wells Fargo. Bilt has bonus categories and a variety of points redemption options like many other rewards credit cards. Here are the highlights:

• Up to 1X points spent on rent payments without the transaction fee, up to 100,000 points each calendar year.
• 3X points on dining.
• 2X points on travel including hotels, rental cars, and cruises when booked directly with airlines, hotels, and car rental agencies.
• 1X points on other purchases.
• Earn points when you make 5 transactions that post each statement period.
• When renting at a Bilt Alliance property, you can choose to have your rent payments automatically reported by Bilt to the three major credit bureaus each month; Experian(TM), TransUnion(TM), and Equifax(TM).
• No annual fee.
• World Elite Mastercard perks like cell phone insurance and purchase protection.

That means your rent can be up to $100,000 per year ($8,333 per month) and you would still be able to take full advantage of the 1X points per dollar spent on rent payments. They do require you to make at least 5 transactions per month (rent can be one), otherwise too many people might just put their rent on the card and not use the card otherwise.

Bilt has partnered with the owners of over 2,000,000 apartment units to create the Bilt Rewards Alliance. The easiest way is find out if you live in a qualifying property is to simply type in your address into the Bilt app.

Bilt also offers Double Points on “Rent Day”, aka the 1st of every month. This means that on the 1st day of every month, you can get 6X on dining, 4X on travel, and 2X on other purchases(except rent). They also offer other promos on this day.

Bilt Rewards Points redemption options

Travel partners. Bilt Rewards points transfer on a 1:1 basis to the following hotel and airline partners. You can also get 100 bonus points for every loyalty program you link to Bilt.

• Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan (NEW)
• Air Canada Aeroplan
• United Airlines
• Hawaiian Airlines
• FlyingBlue (Air France/KLM)
• Miles & Smiles (Turkish Airlines)
• Emirates Skywards
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
• British Airways Executive Club
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
• Aer Lingus Aer Club
• Turkish Miles & Smiles
• Iberia Plus
• World of Hyatt
• IHG One

Hyatt hotel points, Alaska, United, and Hawaiian miles are likely the most useful points for the average US traveler. I am conservative when valuing points and miles due to their redemption hassles and steady threat of devaluation, so I would place the value here a 1 cent a point even though I definitely plan to exceed that. You may wish to use a different value.

Home Downpayment? Bilt says that your points can be redeemed at 1.5 cents per point when used towards a home downpayment. This seems like it might be rather complicated to actually redeem, so I would keep it mind but wouldn’t count on it. If you racked up 100,000 points over time, it would be nice to have $1,500 via this method.

Shop with Points at Amazon. You can link your Bilt Rewards points to Amazon and pay for your purchases at rate of 0.70 cents per point.

Rent. Bilt will let you convert points towards your next rent payment at 0.55 cents per point. This is not a good redemption rate when compared to the miles/Hyatt option. It’s too bad there is no easy, decent cash-out option.

Statement credit. Bilt will also let you convert points towards a statement credit on your credit card statement at 0.55 cents per point.

Other options include fitness classes or physical items like “limited-edition” home decor or art in the “Bilt Collection” catalog. Personally, I like being able to add to my Hyatt and Canada Aeroplan stash.

Possibly help your credit score? When renting at a Bilt Alliance property, your on-time payment activity can be automatically reported to the three major credit bureaus. In addition, with the optional “BiltProtect” feature, your rent payments will be immediately withdrawn from a linked bank account so your credit limit is not decreased (and ideally your rent won’t contribute to your credit card debt).

How do I pay my landlord or property manager? They don’t take credit cards due to the transaction fees. Bilt will provide you with a bank ACH routing number and account number that you can use to perform an ACH transfer, or they will simply send a paper check on your behalf. You don’t actually pay with the credit card, nor do you or your landlord have to pay any credit card transaction fees.

Free cell phone protection. Pay your monthly cell phone bill with your Bilt Mastercard and get up to $800 of protection (subject to $25 deductible) against covered damage or theft. For complete coverage details, visit wellsfargo.com/biltbenefits. To file a claim, call 1-800-316-8051 or visit mycardbenefits.assurant.com.

Bottom line. The Bilt Mastercard offers a unique rewards structure targeted specifically at all renters with any landlord. At $2,000 a month in rent, the 1X rewards would add up to 24,000 points per year in rewards = 24,000 Alaska/United/Hawaiian miles or 24,000 Hyatt points with no additional transaction fees and no credit card annual fee. You may even do better if you wait for a “Rent Day” promo on the first of the month. Something to consider if you already have to pay rent anyway.