Credit Card Promos

Register Now for Chase Freedom Q2 Bonus

The Chase Freedom card is a terrific no-fee credit card. Each quarter it offers 5x Ulitmate Rewards (UR) points in certain bonus categories.
2016-03-17 Freedom 2Q Categories

Those UR points can be redeemed for a penny a point, which is not a bad deal. But if you have one of the other Ultimate Rewards cards like the Sapphire Preferred or one of the Ink business cards, you can combine your UR balance between the cards. That means you can transfer your UR points to airlines (like United) or hotel programs (like Hyatt) and get more value than one penny per point.

Today I received a reminder email from Chase that it was time to register for the second quarter bonuses, which will begin on April 1.

2016-03-17 Freedom 2Q Registration Email

If you received this email you can just click on the link and, voila!, you’re registered.

If you did not receive the email you can go to the registration website and sign up there.

2016-03-17 Freedom 2Q Registration Site

Once you’ve signed up you should get an email from Chase indicating your registration was successful.

2016-03-17 Freedom 2Q Registration Complete

This quarter you can earn bonuses for up to $1500 in purchases at Grocery Stores and Wholesale Clubs. Note that most Wal-Marts and Targets do not qualify as grocery stores for this promotion. Wholesale Clubs like Sam’s and BJs will work too.

This is an easy category to max out as many grocery stores and warehouse clubs sell Visa gift cards. Buy 3 x $500 Visa gift cards and you’re done for the quarter! Or, if you don’t have an easy way to liquidate Visa gift cards, there are restaurant and other store gift cards that can be bought in many grocery stores. And often you can earn at least double fuel points for these gift cards. And remember that a gift card doesn’t have to actually be a “gift”. You can use it for yourself for places where you regularly dine or shop.

So be sure to register today!

Don’t have this card? You can sign up for one here. I make no money from this link but it will help support one of the full-time bloggers who help get the word out about the points & miles game.

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Register for Q1 2016 Bonus Categories

Both the Discover Card and Chase Freedom card have rotating bonus categories each quarter. Registration is now available for both cards for the first quarter of 2016.

2015-12-15 Chase Freedom 2016 Bonus Categories

Chase Freedom will give 5x points (or 5% cash back) on purchases made at gas stations and for local commuter transportation (taxis, subways, local buses, etc. but not parking, tolls or Amtrak). I haven’t heard if this includes Uber purchases or not. To register, enter your information HERE on the Chase website.

2015-12-15 Discover Q1 2016 Bonus Categories
The Discover More and Discover It cards are also offering the 5% bonus at gas stations and on ground transportation. They specifically INCLUDE Uber and Lyft as well as:

  • Charter & Tour Bus Lines
  • Local & Suburban Public Transportation – Buses, Trains
  • Taxis, Limos
  • Bike Share Programs
  • Rental Cars

Note that purchases made via travel agencies will be excluded. Register for this bonus HERE at the Discover website.

 
Both programs are valid on bonuses up to $1500 in purchases.

 
This is one of the quarters where I generally don’t max out the bonus. I have trouble finding gas stations that sell gift cards and of course I don’t spend enough in the other categories to reach the max. But I will register anyway because 5x/5% is better than any other bonus I’ll receive for this category for the rest of the year.

Now on my Christmas wish list: that Freedom and Discover will each do different categories for the rest of the year so they don’t overlap!

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Only Three More First Fridays in 2015

CSPIt’s the first Friday in October and by now you know that means 3x points on dining when you use your Chase Sapphire Preferred card.  Is it a huge bonus, no – unless you can convince the gang at work to pay you cash and you can put everybody’s meals on your card!  Chase will be discontinuing this bonus starting in January 2016, so get those bonus points while you can!

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Free 500 IHG Points

2015-09-24 IHG Promo

If you have the IHG® Rewards Club Credit Card you can get a free 500 points by adding the card to your Rewards Club profile by October 31, 2015.

Rewards Club is the loyalty program of the Intercontinental Hotel Groups, which owns the Holiday Inn, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites, Crowne Plaza and Hotel Indigo brands, among others.

Just by owning the credit card you get Platinum status with IHG, though it’s not worth a whole lot – but can be used for status-matching to competing hotels. Best of all, the credit card gives you one free night per year at any IHG brand hotel, including their top-level Intercontinental hotels, all for a low annual fee of just $49. And the fee is even waived the first year! The card earns 5 points per dollar at IHG hotels and 2 points per dollar at gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants. So the card pays for itself.

IHG Credit CardIHG hotels do have a large world-wide footprint with over 4500 properties. If you want to apply for the card, check out this blog post from The Frequent Miler on how to get an 80K sign-up bonus AND a $50 statement credit.

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Activate 4th Quarter Bonuses Now

We’re over halfway through September and that means it’s time to register/activate the bonus categories for the 4th quarter of 2015.

2015-09-21 Discover Q4 Bonus

Discover Card

Discover offers 5% cash back in the following categories:

  • Amazon.com
  • Department Stores
  • Clothing Stores

Those are great categories for holiday shopping. Some department stores also carry gift cards, which means that 5% can last much longer than just the three month period!

You can earn the bonus cash back for up to $1500 in spend throughout the quarter.

Sign up for the Discover cash back bonus HERE. If you don’t sign up, you will NOT get the bonus.

2015-09-21 Freedom Q4 Bonus
Chase Freedom

Chase’s Freedom card also offers 5% back for Q4. There’s an overlap with Discover:

  • Amazon.com
  • Zappos.com
  • Audible.com
  • Diapers.com

The Freedom card actually earns Ultimate Rewards points and you’ll earn 5 points per dollar spent at one of these retailers. If you want to cash those points in, they’re worth a penny apiece. But if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred or one of the Chase Ink business cards, you can transfer these points to several airlines and hotel programs where you may very well get a value of 2-3 cents per point.

To register for the Freedom Q4 bonus, look for the email sent by Chase (I received mine on 18 SEP) or log into your account on Chase.com and look for the activation link.

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First Friday Means 3x Ultimate Rewards Points for Dining

CSPIt’s your monthly reminder that today you’ll get 3 points per dollar when using your Chase Sapphire Preferred card at restaurants.  No, it’s not a big bonus but this will only be around through the end of this year so why not take advantage of it while you can?

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Activate Q3 Bonus Categories for Chase Freedom

While we’re still wrapping up spending for Q2 categories that include restaurants, you can now register your Chase Freedom card for Q3 bonus categories which include gas stations and Kohl’s department store. When using your Freedom card in bonus categories you’ll receive 5 Ultimate Reward points per dollar spent on up to $1500 in combined purchases. Ulitmate Reward points can be redeemed for 1 cent each or used like cash to redeem for travel through the Ultimate Rewards shopping portal.2015-06-16 Freedom Q3 Bonus Categories

But if you also have a Sapphire Preferred personal card or one of the Ink business cards, all of which carry an annual fee, you can transfer your Ultimate Rewards point to one of several frequent flyer or hotel programs. When Ultimate Rewards are used in this way, it’s possible to get a lot more value than just 1 cent per point.

Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partners

Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partners

To activate your bonus, look for the email from Chase. Just click on the link and you should see this activation screen. You must activate your account by September 14 to qualify for bonuses for Q3.2015-06-16 Freedom Activation Complete

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First Friday = 3x Points or More on Dining

CSPOnce again it’s the first Friday of the month and that means 3x points on dining when you use your Chase Sapphire Preferred to pay.  But really, if you don’t have the Chase Freedom card that’s been earning 5x points on dining since April 1st, what are you waiting for?  The Freedom is a no-annual-fee card that’s a terrific complement to the Sapphire Preferred.  And if you don’t have either of these, the Discover cards are offering a 5% bonus on dining for the April-June time frame so that’s a better choice.Chase Freedom

Rewards-earning cards are great…but only if you take advantage of them!

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Discover Card Q3 Registration Now Open

2015-06-01 Discover Q3 RegistrationRegistration is now open for 5% bonus categories for Q3 2015 (July-September) when using your Discover card.

Bonus categories for Q3 are Home Improvement Stores, Department Stores and Amazon.com. You’ll earn a 5% cash bonus for up to $1500 in purchases in this time frame.

Many home improvment and department stores sell gift cards, so here’s a great way to stock up for future purchases. The discount even applies to Amazon e-gift cards!

Log into your Discover account and register today.

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First Friday Is Here Again

CSPTomorrow is the first Friday of the month so by now you know that means 3x points on dining with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.  But like I mentioned last month, it’s not the best option this quarter if you want to earn Ultimate Rewards points as the Chase Freedom card will get you 5x points this quarter – provided you’ve registered for the promotion.  And for those who prefer cash back, the Discover cards are earning 5% back on dining from April through June.Chase Freedom

If you only have the Sapphire Preferred, it only makes sense to apply for the Freedom card too.  There’s no annual fee so it’s one you can keep forever and as long as you have the Sapphire Preferred or one of the Ink business cards you can pool the Ultimate Rewards points and transfer them to your favorite frequent flyer or hotel program.

Categories: Chase, Credit Card Promos, Credit Cards, Freedom, Sapphire Preferred | Tags: , | Leave a comment

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