Top 10 shortcuts to earning SPG points
Less than two weeks ago, in the post “Top 7 shortcuts to earning Alaska Mileage Plan miles,” I asserted that Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan miles may be the most valuable airline miles remaining. Then,...
Chasing 395,000 points interim update: Check status online? Did inquiries combine?
Almost four weeks ago, I wrote about my recent batch of Chase credit card applications. My wife and I applied for a number of Chase cards with the hope of securing 395,000 bonus points. ...
Amex allowing more than 4 credit cards (sometimes)
For several years now, Amex wouldn’t allow people to have more than 4 credit cards. Extra charge cards were fine, but if you applied for an Amex credit card and already had 4 open...
SPG vs. Marriott credit card face off. Which is worth keeping?
Last week I compared the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) credit card signup bonus to the Marriott Rewards credit card signup bonus (see: 35K SPG vs. Marriott 87.5K. Surprising results). I was surprised to find...
The Chase authorized user dilemma for 2 adult households
When signing up for a new Chase card, should you add your spouse or other household member as an authorized user? The combination of Chase’s 5/24 rule, Chase’s point transfer rules, and Chase’s signup...
Top 7 shortcuts to earning Alaska Mileage Plan miles
Following many airline program devaluations and rule changes, Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan miles may be the most valuable airline miles remaining. Here are a few reasons that Alaska miles kick butt:
Ability to book flights...
No!!! Citi devalues Forward card.
The surprise isn’t that this happened. The surprise it that it took so long. The no annual fee Citi Forward card has been on top of my wallet for years. Why? 5X Citi ThankYou...
SPG 35K. Is this really the last chance?
Soon you will see many blog headlines telling you to HURRY. “You must apply, and be approved, by March 30th to get in on the BEST EVER SPG 35K offer!” If you’re one of...
Starbird? Will the Starbucks prepaid card be the next big thing?
Starbucks has announced that they will introduce a prepaid card by the end of the year. Will this be the next big thing? For years, American Express prepaid products, Bluebird and Serve, made it...
35K SPG vs. Marriott 87.5K. Surprising results…
There are a number of interesting current events relating to Marriott, Starwood, and their co-branded credit cards…
The big news, of course, is that Marriott is buying Starwood. No they’re not. Yes they are. As...
Bet You Didn’t Know: New(ish) Rules on Hyatt Free Night Certificates
By Julian, author of Devil’s Advocate...
There are two different flavors of Hyatt Free Night certificates associated with the Hyatt Visa credit card. One of them is awesome. The other is not actually even free.
The first...
Pay Federal or State Taxes by MasterCard for 1.75%
The bill payment service, Plastiq, has just announced a promotion in which you can pay your federal or state taxes with a MasterCard credit card with a lower than usual fee of 1.75% (Plasitiq...
Top 5 reasons to pay federal taxes with a credit card or gift card
UPDATE: This post is out of date. .
It’s tax season (“Wabbit season!”) which means that it’s time to answer the age old question: “Should I pay federal taxes with a credit card?” Whether you...
My revised approach to earning miles through credit card bonuses
No more App-O-Ramas for me.
The term “App-O-Rama” (also known as AOR) is a name many people use for the process of applying for a bunch of credit cards in one day, earning huge piles...
