Chase

Activate Today for Q1 Bonuses and Sign Up for Q2 Bonuses Tomorrow

Posted on March 14, 2015 by 2btravel

2014-12-08 Freedom 2015 BonusToday is the last day to get 5% bonuses by using the Chase Freedom card at Grocery Stores, Movie Theaters and Starbucks or by using one of the Discover Cards at Gas Stations and for Ground Transportation.

2015-03-14 Discover Q2 Bonus Categories
Starting tomorrow you can register for Q2 (April-June) bonuses for the Freedom card which includes bonuses on Restaurants.  Registration for the Discover card is already open and it will give bonuses on Restaurants and Movies.

I loved the Freedom bonus at Grocery Stores and quickly maxed that out. In my area there aren’t many (any?) gas stations that will allow me to purchase gift cards with a credit card so I struggle with that category.

I eat out a lot so restaurants are a great category for me – but I’m really bummed that both cards are offering the bonus in the same quarter. I can’t even remember the last time I went to a movie theater so that doesn’t help me but I was surprised to see that both Netflix and RedBox count in the movie category for the Discover card.

Both of these cards limit the bonus to the first $1500 in purchases in all of the bonus categories. To sign up for these bonuses, log into your account at chase.com or discover.com and you’ll see the link for the promotion.

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

First Friday Reminder

Posted on March 6, 2015 by 2btravel

Today is the first Friday of the month so here’s your monthly reminder to use your Chase Sapphire Preferred card to pay for your meals today since they’ll offer 3 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar instead of the usual 2 points.

CSPUltimate Rewards are one of my favorite currencies since they can be transferred to so many partner airlines and hotels.  Several times I’ve transferred them to Hyatt and then booked rooms that would have cost well over $400 USD per night.  Recently a friend transferred her UR points to Virgin Atlantic and then booked a flight to Australia on Virgin Australia for $28 in taxes.  That same flight costs just over $1000 right now!

The Sapphire Preferred card also earns 2 points per dollar on all travel expenses so that $28 charge for airline taxes will earn my friend 56 Ultimate Rewards points.  Plus, the Sapphire Preferred has no foreign transaction fees and it does have chip + signature technology.  Sign up now and get 45,000 points after spending $4000 in the first three months.  You can get an additional 5000 points for adding an authorized user.  The annual fee is $95 but it’s waived for the first year.

(Note: I have no affiliation with Chase and receive no compensation though using this link will help a fellow blogger maintain his excellent site.)

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

First Friday Bonus Tomorrow

Posted on February 5, 2015 by 2btravel

CSPJust a quick reminder that tomorrow you’ll get 3x Ultimate Rewards points on dining when you use your Chase Sapphire Preferred card at restaurants. Normally the CSP gives two points but once a month gives us this little boost.

Ultimate Rewards points are extremely versatile. They can be transfered to six different airline frequent flyer programs, four different hotel rewards programs and to Amtrak’s program. Or you can use them like cash when buying travel products through the Ultimate Rewards portal. If you choose to redeem this way you’re not limited by award seat/room availability and you’ll earn points on your flight or stay. As an added bonus you’ll get a 20% discount on the number of points required – so a $500 flight would only cost 40,000 points.

If you don’t have an immediate use for Ultimate Rewards points, it’s best to hang on to them and only transfer them when needed. That keeps them flexible, which is one of their greatest assets.

So go out to lunch with your co-workers tomorrow, offer to put the bill on your credit card and have them reimburse you!

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

Activate Chase Freedom Q1 Bonus Categories

Posted on December 31, 2014 by 2btravel

2014-12-31 Freedom Q1 ActivationHere’s a reminder to activate your Chase Freedom card so that you can get 5x points (or 5% cash back) on select categories for the first quarter (January – March) of 2015. Q1 categories are: grocery stores, movie theaters and Starbucks. Note that Wal-Mart, Target and warehouse clubs such as Costco and Sam’s do NOT qualify for the bonus.  You can get the 5x/5% bonus on up to $1500 in purchases.

The Freedom card is a favorite of mine because it has no annual fee and it earns Ultimate Rewards (UR) points. If you only have the Freedom card you can use URs like cash to buy airline tickets, hotel rooms and even merchandise (but please, don’t buy merchandise) at the rate of 1 UR = 1 cent. Or, if you have a premium Ultimate Rewards card like the Sapphire Preferred or one of the Ink cards, you can transfer URs to one of the associate frequent flyer or hotel programs get more than 1 cent per point in value.

Here are the current transfer partners:

Ultimate Rewards Transfer PartnersKorean Air is not currently on the list but is rumored to be returning as a partner in the new year. When they do, that means the three major airline alliances will each have a representative airline. And Virgin Atlantic miles can be used on Virgin America and Virgin Australia too!

So be sure to activate your Freedom Q1 bonuses by March 14, 2015 to ensure you’re maxing out all the points you can.

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

Discover and Freedom Bonus Categories for 2015

Posted on December 9, 2014 by 2btravel

Both the Discover card and the Chase Freedom card offer rotating quarterly bonus categories where you can earn 5% cash back (Discover) or 5x points (Freedom).  The categories for 2015 have been released.

Discover

Discover’s categories for the first quarter of 2015 are Gas and Ground Transportation.  That’s great for those who have to fill up often!  Also included are rental cars, public transportation like buses and trains, charter and tour buses and limos.  You can go ahead and sign up HERE and you’ll be all set come January.

2014-12-08 Discover 2015 Bonus

Chase Freedom

The Freedom categories are Grocery Stores, Movie Theaters and Starbucks.  Note that the Grocery Store category does not include Wal-Mart or Target.  The 5x bonus is limited to $1500 per quarter.  Sign up will be available on December 15th.

2014-12-08 Freedom 2015 Bonus

 

Categories: Credit Cards, Discover, Freedom | Tags: | Leave a comment

First Friday Bonus

Posted on November 6, 2014 by 2btravel

Remember that tomorrow is the first Friday of the month and instead of the normal 2 points per dollar spent at restaurants, you can get 3 points per dollar with your Chase Sapphire Preferred card.  Chase is keeping this offer through the end of the year but we don’t know if they’ll continue it into 2015 or not so take advantage of this offer while you can!  Remember you can buy restaurant gift cards in the store itself and effectively enjoy the 3x points for many more visits!

 

CSP

Categories: Sapphire Preferred | Leave a comment

First Friday Bonus Point on Dining with Chase Sapphire Preferred

Posted on August 1, 2014 by 2btravel

I eat out a lot and that’s one of the reasons the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is so valuable to me.  It earns 2 Ultimate Reward points per dollar spent on dining.  But on the first Friday of each month it earns 3 points per dollar.  And guess what today is!

CSP

Ultimate Rewards have a variety of airline and hotel partners, making them one of the most valuable and versatile points currencies.  So volunteer to pick up the check at lunch today and have everyone else reimburse you!

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

Chase Sapphire Preferred changes

Posted on July 21, 2014 by 2btravel

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is one of my favorites. It earns Ultimate Rewards points that can be transferred to a number of frequent flyer and hotel programs. The points can also be used as cash to reimburse flights or hotel rooms at certain locations. It earns double points on travel-related items (airfare, hotels, taxis, parking, tolls, etc.) and dining (which is where I really rack up the points).

CSP

One of the great benefits of the card has been that each February you receive a bonus of 7% of the points you earned the previous calendar year, even if you’ve spent some of them. So for non-bonus spends you actually earn 1.07 points and for bonus categories it’s actually 2.14 points per dollar. Sadly, this benefit is going away. That’s a shame and I hate to see it go.

But the card is getting a new benefit – one that’s actually worth something and not just a new spin on an old benefit. When renting cars with the CSP the card now offers PRIMARY rental insurance. This is a great addition! It’s especially helpful overseas where it could be much harder to fight an insurance claim, simply due to distance.

At least Chase has given us plenty of notice for this change. While new cardholders will not get the 7% bonus, those who already have the card will get the bonuses in February 2015 and 2016 before it goes away.

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

Register Now for Third Quarter Bonuses

Posted on July 4, 2014 by 2btravel

It’s the start of a new quarter and the start of new quarterly bonuses with your Discover (or DiscoverIt) card and your Chase Freedom Visa card.

Discover 3rd Quarter Bonus Registration

Discover 3rd Quarter Bonus Registration

For the Discover card, you can get 5% cash back (up to $1500) when you use your card at gas stations.  Register HERE for the Discover quarterly bonus.

Freedom 3rd Quarter Bonus Registration

Freedom 3rd Quarter Bonus Registration

For the Chase Freedom Visa, you earn 5x Ultimate Rewards (UR) points on purchases at Kohl’s and at gas stations.  UR points can be used in two ways: redeem them for a penny a point on travel or, if you have a Chase Sapphire or Ink card you can transfer these points to airline or hotel points, where it’s possible to get more than a penny a point.  I prefer to wait until I need the points in a specific airline/hotel program before transferring them.  Of course when using points this way you’re at the mercy of the airline/hotel to have award seats/rooms available.  When using URs to “buy” airfare/hotel rooms the airline/hotel sees the purchase as one made with cash, so you’re actually earning points in that airline/hotel’s program during your stay.  Register HERE for the Chase Freedom quarterly bonus.

Got questions about quarterly bonuses? Just leave a comment and I’ll be happy to help.

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

Blog at WordPress.com.