Credit Card Promos

Check for bonus categories on your Chase and Citi cards

The Chase Freedom and Freedom Flex, US Bank CashPlus and Discover cards all have quarterly rotating bonus categories in which you can earn 5x points/5% cash back for the specified quarter.  What some folks don’t know is that often your airline or hotel co-branded Chase cards will have bonus spending as well.  To see if you’ve been targeted, go to http://chase.com/mybonus and fill in your name, last four digits of the card and your zip code and you may be pleasantly surprised.  I got the same bonus on four of my Chase co-branded cards: Hyatt, IHG, Marriott and United.  All offer 5x points on gas, groceries and restaurants.  These bonuses are valid April 1 – June 30, 2023 and for up to $1500 in purchases.

In addition, I received a piece of mail from Citi offering bonus points on my Premier card from now through May 31.  My mailpiece gave me a website and an invitation number to register.  You can also register via the phone or with the provided QR code.  The 5x points are for purchases from Consumer Electronic Stores, Department Stores, Home Improvement Stores and Home Furnishing Stores.  You may earn up to 2500 bonus points which works out to bonuses on $500 in purchases.  Remember that, in particular, Home Improvement stores sell gift cards so you can buy gift cards there and essentially earn 5x points at many other places!

In the end

Regardless of whether you actually use one of these cards for any of these categories on a regular basis, go ahead and sign up for the bonus.  You never know when you might use it and there’s no sense leaving points on the table!

Categories: Chase, Citi Premier, Citibank, Credit Card Promos, Credit Cards, IHG Rewards Card, Marriott Rewards Card, United Card, World of Hyatt Card | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Discover Adds to Q4 Retailers

Effective today (25 November) Discover added a new retailer to their 4th quarter bonus categories.  You can now earn 5% cash back on up to $1500 in purchases at Best Buy as well as the previously announced retailers Amazon, Walmart.com and Target.com.

 

Make sure you register before using your Discover card.

HT: Frequent Miler

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Discover Announces 2021 Bonus Categories

Beginning last year Discover decided to release its bonus categories a year in advance. I find this very helpful as it helps me plan which card I’ll use each quarter.

Today Discover released its 2021 calendar:

If you have a Discover card you can go ahead and activate the bonus categories for Q1 now.  I try to activate these as soon as possible so I don’t forget about it later on.

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US Bank Cash+ Promo: Gas, Sporting Goods/Bike Shops, Motorhome/RV Rentals [Targeted]

Edit: a short time after receiving this offer on my Cash+ card, I received the same offer on my Radisson Rewards Visa.

 

US Bank is back with another limited time promo on their Cash+ card. This one is good through September 30, 2020.

The bonuses are limited by category but can total up to $90 as follows:

  • 3% cash back on purchases at Gas Stations (up to $20 statement credit)
  • 3% cash back on purchases at Sporting Goods and Bike shops (up to $20 statement credit)
  • 5% cash back on Motorhome and RV Rentals (up to $50 statement credit)

This is a nice extra for folks who are hitting the road in an RV for a last summer fling or for those who may not otherwise have gas as a bonus category. While 3% is nice at gas stations, it’s not something I’ll be taking advantage of because the Chase Sapphire Preferred is currently offering 5x points at gas stations. Otherwise I’d be using my Citi Premier card that always earns 3x at gas stations and since each point is worth more that a penny, it makes more sense to earn points in this situation.

To register for this promo, look for for an email in your inbox. You must register by August 31st.

One other thing to note is that each quarter you have the option of selecting sporting goods as a 5% category with the Cash+ card. In reading the fine print it would appear the 3% earned here is in addition to the cash back earned otherwise. So if you selected sporting goods for this quarter you could earn a total of 8% cash back. That’s nice if you have a special purchase in mind.

Were you targeted for this promotion? Will you take advantage of it?

Categories: Cash Plus, Credit Card Promos, Credit Cards, US Bank | Tags: , , | 1 Comment

US Bank Cash+ offer for $10 cash back on insurance payments

One thing I like about the US Bank Cash+ card is that it offers you your choice of categories each quarter where you can earn increased rewards. You can select two 5x categories and 1 2x category, which is really nice for a card with no annual fee. While a number of these categories are ones seen on other cards, grocery, gas, clothing, etc. they also include categories I don’t see with other cards. I especially love that home utilities is a 5x choice. My home utility bill includes not only electricity, gas and water but also sewer charges, fire protection (I’m not in the city limits so I don’t pay taxes for that) and mosquito control. They also offer gym memberships and sporting goods as categories and I’ve been able to take advantage of getting 5% cash back on those fees too.

Now they’re adding a 1-time statement credit of $10 for insurance payments. Just this week I received my auto insurance bill so it’s perfect timing for me. There’s a limit of one $10 bonus and this offer expires October 31, 2020. So even if you don’t have this card yet, it’s not to late to apply and use it for this purpose.

Will you take advantage of this offer?

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Bonuses Galore

Chase, American Express and Citibank have each unleashed a slew of new bonuses for those who carry their travel-related cards. Since folks aren’t spending money on travel, they’ve increased the bonus points earned at groceries on cards you might not otherwise be using there. Amex and Citibank are also giving you different ways to spend the travel credit that come with some of their premium cards.

All of these changes are temporary as we deal with this virus. While it’s great to have these options, let’s hope they don’t have to come up with more creative ways to incentivize us to use their cards once these offers run out. That will mean we are or will soon be traveling again. Continue reading

Categories: Chase, Citi Prestige, Citibank, Credit Card Promos, Credit Cards, Delta Amex, Hilton Aspire, Hilton Surpass, IHG Rewards Card, Marriott Rewards Card, Membership Rewards, Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Discover 5% Categories Calendar for 2020 is Released

As they’ve done for the past couple of years, Discover Card has released its full cash-back calendar for the upcoming year. I really like that they do this and wish Chase would do this for their Freedom categories as well.

For Q1 the categories are Grocery Stores, Walgreens and CVS. Is it significant that other drug stores are excluded? I’m not sure. For me this is the easiest category to max out as I can buy Visa gift cards and load them to my Bluebird account.

Q2 categories are Gas Stations, Uber/Lyft and Wholesale Clubs. I no longer have any wholesale club memberships so that category doesn’t help me. In the past I’ve struggled with the gas station category as I usually only have to fill my car up 2-3 times per month and gas stations typically don’t sell $500 gift cards. But now that I have a Bluebird card again, I may see if I can find some gas stations that sell $100 or $200 cards and allow me to pay with a credit card. Time will tell.

For the third quarter, the categories are Restaurants and PayPal. I don’t use PayPal but usually have no problem maxing out the Restaurant category.

The last quarter’s categories are aimed at online holiday shoppers: Amazon, Walmart.com and Target.com. I won’t get close to maxing out but maybe I can make a dent in those categories.

You can activate the first quarter categories now. As always, the 5% cash back is good for up to $1500 in purchases each quarter.

Which quarter will be easiest for you to max out?

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New Hilton Promo – Earn Up To 7500 Bonus Points in Two Stays

Hilton has a new promotion that will give you 7500 points after two stays. While Hilton points are usually valued somewhere in the .4 cents range, every little bit certainly counts. And don’t forget that you can pool Hilton points with up to ten friends and family members which help them stretch even farther.

The Scoop

After you register, earn 2500 bonus points after your first stay. After your second stay you’ll earn 5000 bonus points.

Your stays must be completed between the time you register and January 31, 2020. Note that this excludes stays that are otherwise ineligible to accrue Hilton points. That includes some third-party bookings, like many online travel agencies including Priceline, Travelocity, Orbitz, etc. Corporate travel agency bookings are allowed.

Since these are bonus points they won’t count toward your qualification for elite status. But with Hilton, the best way to achieve status is by owning their credit card. Hilton offers three card through American Express and right now all three have great signup offers.

Hilton Honors American Express Card

This no-fee card currently has a signup bonus of 90,000 Hilton points once you spend $2000 on the card within the first three months after approval. This signup bonus ends August 28, 2019. You’ll earn 7x points at hotels in the Hilton portfolio, 5x points at US restaurants, US supermarkets and US gas stations and 3x points everywhere else. This card is one of the few no-fee cards that does not have foreign transaction fees. You’ll get Silver status just for holding the card and you’ll be upgraded to Gold status each year you spend $20,000 on the card.

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card

With a $95 annual fee, this is one of the best deals in travel. Not only does this card have a great signup bonus of 130,000 points after spending $4000 within the first four months after approval, you automatically earn Gold status just for owning the card. Gold status is enough to get you free breakfast and premium internet and is generally considered to be the best mid-level hotel status out there. Last year I scored an upgrade to a 2-room suite in Germany because the hotel was at capacity and having Gold status earned me the bump up. Spend $40,000 on the card and get upgraded to Diamond status through the end of the following calendar year. The signup bonus ends August 28, 2019. With the Surpass card you’ll earn 12x points at Hilton properties, 6x points at US restaurants, US supermarkets and US gas stations and 3x points everywhere else.

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

This is a premium card with a $450 annual fee and a signup bonus of 150,000 points after spending $4000 in the first three months after approval. It also gives the cardholder Diamond status, Hilton’s top level. Enjoy one weekend night reward each year after renewal and an additional night for each $60,000 in spend. You also get a $250 statement credit each year of card membership good for eligible purchases at participating Hilton Resorts. With the Aspire card you’ll earn 14x points at Hilton properties, 7x points on purchases made directly with airlines or hotels and US restaurants and 3x points everywhere else.

If one of these cards looks right for you I’ll be happy to refer you. Just drop me a line at 2BTraveling@gmail.com.

Categories: American Express, Credit Card Promos, Credit Cards, Hilton Amex, Hilton Aspire, Hilton Surpass | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

New Year, New Quarter, New Bonus Categories

Happy 2019!  Here’s a quick reminder that there are new bonus categories on some of your favorite cards for the first quarter of 2019:

The Chase Freedom card offers bonuses on purchases at Gas Stations, Drug Stores and on Tolls.  If you haven’t already activated your card you can do that HERE.

 

The Discover Card is offering 5% cash back on purchases at Grocery Stores.  You must register before you will receive the bonus cash back.  You can do that HERE.

And finally the US Bank Cash+ card offers choices of a number of different categories for you to decide what works best for you.  You can pick 3 categories that will earn 5% back and one category for 2%. All other categories will earn 1% cash back.  You can make those choices HERE by logging into your account on the US Bank website.

 

Categories: Cash Plus, Chase, Credit Card Promos, Credit Cards, Discover, Freedom, US Bank | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Activate 2019 Q1 Quarterly Bonus Categories!

We’re just a couple of weeks away from the end of the year, so it’s time to register for the category bonuses for the first quarter of the new year.

Discover Card

Once again Discover has released their bonus categories for the whole year. The first quarter’s category is Grocery Stores, which should be pretty easy to max out. To register, just log into your Discover account online or visit this link to log in. Note that to receive the 5% cash back you must register first before making your purchase. You can earn 5% back on up to $1500 in purchases.

US Bank Cash+

US Bank is offering the same categories as for Q4 2018 though you can choose the ones that work best for you. Select 1 of the 2% categories and 2 of the 5% categories, based on your needs. For the 5% category you can earn the 5% on up to $2000 in purchases. To select your categories, visit the US Bank Cash+ website.

 

Chase Freedom

For the fourth quarter the Chase Freedom card will earn 5x points at Gas Stations, Drug Stores and on Tolls. As in previous quarters this offer is good on up to $1500 in combined purchases for the quarter. I’m hopeful I can max out this card at Drug Stores but we’ll have to see. But be sure to register ASAP so you’ll earn your bonus points!  To get your card activated, follow the link to this page that shows the categoriesWhen you click on the green button you’ll be taken to a screen where you enter some minimal card information

And then you’re ready to go!

Categories: Cash Plus, Chase, Credit Card Promos, Credit Cards, Discover, Freedom, US Bank | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

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