Chase

Chase Restricts Transfers of Ultimate Rewards Points

Posted on November 16, 2015 by 2btravel

Starting today Chase is changing where they’ll allow you to transfer your Ultimate Rewards (UR) points, which are earned from their Sapphire Preferred, Freedom and Ink series of cards.

In the past, you could transfer URs to a family member who lived at the same address. Now you can only transfer the points to a household member who is listed as an authorized user on your credit card. For business cards, you can only transfer points to yourself or an owner of the company who is listed as an authorized user on your card account.

Note that this does not change the ability of families to pool URs within the Chase system, only the ability to transfer those points to a frequent flyer or hotel program.

I expect this will make things more difficult for families who in the past could use URs to top off a child’s frequent flyer account. As a single person this doesn’t really affect me.

Categories: Chase, Freedom, Ink, Sapphire Preferred | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Need A Credit Card?

Posted on November 14, 2015 by 2btravel

I earn far more miles from credit cards than I do from flying or from hotel stays. Credit card sign-up bonuses can give a big boost to anyone’s account! While I’m not one of the big bloggers who gets a cash comission from the credit card issuers, the credit card companies will allow regular members to receive a referral fee (of points/miles) if they refer someone to the card.

Delta Gold CardI’m a little late putting this one out there, but from now through this Tuesday, November 17, 2015, if you’ll allow me to refer to to the Gold Delta Amex card, I’ll earn bonus miles if you’re approved. You’ll get 50,000 bonus miles after using the card to make $2000 in purchases within the first three months after the approval date (not the date you receive the card). If you make a Delta purchase with the first three months you’ll also get a $50 statement credit. To refer you, just send me your first name and your email address to 2btraveling@gmail.com.

NOTE: You may be able to get an offer for 60K miles + $50 statement credit. You can find instructions here. Also, it is not open to those who currently have this card or have had it in the past. I believe the $95 annual fee is waived for the first year but cannot guarantee that.

Marriott Credit Card
If you don’t need Delta SkyMiles, what about hotel points? I’m also allowed to refer folks for the Chase Marriott Visa. I value this card if only for the reason that it offers a free night stay each year that you renew the card. The free night is good at any category 1-5 Marriott, so that pays for the annual fee right there. This card does not have foreign transaction fees, making it a good one for international travel.

In addition, this card earns 2x points for purchases from airlines, car rental companies and restaurants and 5x points for Marriott purchases. Plus for every $3000 in purchases, you get one credit toward elite status – that’s in addition to the 15-night credit you get each year at your account anniversary!

You’ll get 50,000 bonus points if you spend $2000 in the first three months after account approval. The annual fee is waived the first year and is only $85 after that.

If you think you’d be interested in this card, just send me an email at the address above and I’ll send you the phone number and the codes you need to get this offer.

Note that there is an alternate version offering 80K after $3K spend, but the $85 annual fee is not waived. Application Link. I won’t get bonus miles for this but it is a better offer so I wanted to be sure it was out there. Neither of these offers is available to those who currently have the card or have received the new cardmember bonus in the last 24 months.

Categories: American Express, Chase, Delta, Delta Amex, Marriott, Marriott Rewards Card | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Only Three More First Fridays in 2015

Posted on October 2, 2015 by 2btravel

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!

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

Activate 4th Quarter Bonuses Now

Posted on September 21, 2015 by 2btravel

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.

Categories: Chase, Credit Card Promos, Discover, Freedom | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

First Friday Means 3x Ultimate Rewards Points for Dining

Posted on September 4, 2015 by 2btravel

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?

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

Sapphire Preferred to Lose First Friday Dining Bonus

Posted on July 21, 2015 by 2btravel

CSPOne thing I’ve mentioned quite often on this blog is that on the first Friday of each month, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card earns an extra Ultimate Reward (UR) point per dollar spent on dining; that’s 3 points per dollar instead of the usual two.  When this feature was introduced in 2014, I thought it was a great boost – and then I realized that an extra 10-20 points per month wasn’t all that big a deal.  Especially since during three months of the year the Chase Freedom card I earned 5 URs per dollar on EVERY dining purchase.  Still, it was nice when Chase extended the program into 2015, noting on their website that this was a limited time offer.

Now comes word via both The Points Guy and One Mile At A Time that the program will not be continued into 2016.  While it’s never great to lose a card benefit, as far as these things go this is a pretty mild one in my book.  But if you want to stock up on your URs, you can always buy gift cards at a restaurant on the first Fridays for the rest of the year and use them on other days.  What was that I said yesterday about things changing?  Yep, here we go again.

Categories: Chase, Sapphire Preferred | Tags: | Leave a comment

Activate Q3 Bonus Categories for Chase Freedom

Posted on June 16, 2015 by 2btravel

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

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

First Friday = 3x Points or More on Dining

Posted on June 5, 2015 by 2btravel

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!

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

First Friday Is Here Again

Posted on April 30, 2015 by 2btravel

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

3x Points on Dining Today With Chase Sapphire Preferred – But That’s Not The Best Option

Posted on April 3, 2015 by 2btravel

CSPQuick reminder that today you’ll get 3x Ultimate Rewards points on purchases at restaurants today if you use your Chase Sapphire Preferred card. But that’s not the card I’ll be using today.

The no-fee Chase Freedom card is offering 5x Ultimate Rewards points at Restaurants throughout April, May and June so that’s a better rate than the CSP. The Ultimate Rewards points earned with the Freedom card can be combined with those of the Sapphire Preferred so that you’ll have a single pool of points.

Chase FreedomIf you don’t have a Freedom card but do have a Sapphire Preferred, why not sign up for one now? There’s no annual fee and even though the sign-up bonus isn’t great (10K points after spending $500 in 3 months) you can also get a 2500-point bonus for adding an authorized user and then you’ll have access to the quarterly rotating bonus categories.
Note: I do not have any affiliation with Chase and do not receive any compensation for any credit cards opened via these links. It will benefit another deserving blogger, however.

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

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