Credit Cards

Register for Q2 Bonus Categories

Posted on March 15, 2017 by 2btravel

Today is the 15th of the third month of the quarter and that means it’s time to register your Discover Card and Chase Freedom card for the next quarter’s bonus categories.  You can earn 5% back (Discover) or 5x points (Freedom) on purchases of up to $1500 on each card.  And if you haven’t already registered for your US Bank Cash+ card, here’s a reminder to do that now.

Discover Cards

Discover’s bonus categories this quarter are Home Improvement stores and Wholesale Clubs.  Home improvement stores often sell retail gift cards and perhaps in your area they sell Visa or MasterCard gift cards as well.  While you can’t use Discover at Costco, I know it’s accepted at Sam’s Club and they often sell Visa/MC gift cards too.  That would make it very easy to max out this quarter’s promo.  To register, click on the link in the email you receive – it is tied to your account which makes it super easy – or go to the registration page and log into your account.

Note: You must register for this promo BEFORE any purchases will receive the bonus.  So register now, before the quarter even starts.

 

Chase Freedom

For the Freedom card, this is one of my favorite quarters.  It’s so easy to max out this promo at grocery stores and drug stores as they both sell Visa gift cards as well as other useful items. (Hey, ya gotta eat!)  You must register for this promo by June 14th.

 

US Bank Cash+

US Bank opens up their registration much earlier that Discover or Freedom.  Selection for Q2 bonus categories has been available since mid-February.  As I mentioned in this post in February, the Charity category has gone away which was a great disappointment to me.  These are the US Bank Cash+ categories for Q2:

To register just click on this link and log into your US Bank account and make your selections.

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

Increased SPG Card Sign-Up Bonus!

Posted on February 17, 2017 by 2btravel

Starwood Preferred Group (SPG) Starpoints are among the most flexible currencies on the market, which is why both Ben of One Mile At A Time and Brian, The Points Guy, value them at over 2 cents apiece.  About once a year they offer an increased sign-up bonus and that time is now!

In addition to using these points at SPG hotels, they can be transferred to over two dozen airlines at a 1:1 ratio – and if you transfer 20K points at a time they’ll tack on a bonus 5K points!  Other airlines are available at less favorable ratios.

SPG points can also be transferred to Marriott at a 1:3 ratio (1 SPG = 3 Marriott) and used either for stays at Marriott hotels or transfer them to other airlines.

Here are the airlines where you can transfer points at a 1:1 ratio:
spg-1-to-1-partners
Here are the other airlines:
spg-other-partners
The Air New Zealand transfer rate is a horrific 65 SPG points = 1 Air New Zealand Airpoint so you want to make that a transfer of last resort. GOL Smiles and United MileagePlus both transfer at a rate of 2 SPG points = 1 frequent flyer mile.  Might do in a pinch but again, you’d try to avoid it.  Since LATAM uses kilometers for their currency the transfer rate is 1 SPG point = 1.5 LATAM Pass mile.

If you choose to transfer your points to Marriott, they are best used at Marriott properties but they can be transferred to airlines as well.  However the airline transfers are usually at a terrible transfer rate so I do not recommend this method.

The normal sign-up bonus for this card is 25K points but if you are approved by April 5th and meet the minimum spend, here’s what you can earn:

25,000 bonus Starpoints after using the new Card to make $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months and an extra 10,000 bonus Starpoints after making an additional $2,000 in purchases within the first 6 months.

That’s a maximum of 35K Starpoints which is the biggest bonus ever for this card.  Note that those “first 3 months” and “first 6 months” are dated from the date of approval, NOT the day you activate the card.

The card has no foreign transaction fees and the annual fee of $95 is waived for the first year.

There are business and personal versions of this card though I can only refer you for the personal card.  If you allow me to refer you and are approved, I will receive a 5,000 point bonus for doing so.  Just drop me an email at 2btraveling@gmail.com.  All I need is your first name and an email address!

Categories: American Express, Credit Cards, SPG Amex | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

US Bank Cash+ Q2 Category Selections and Reminder

Posted on February 17, 2017 by 2btravel

The US Bank Cash+ card has rotating bonus categories each quarter.  You can choose two categories from a large list to earn 5% cash back and from a list of three categories to earn 2% cash back.  All other purchases will earn 1% cash back.  The nice part about it is that you get to select the categories that will help you most!  You may now make your selections for the second quarter of 2017 by visiting the selection site.  Here are the categories for the second quarter of 2017:

2017-02-17-us-bank-q2-categories

As a reminder, effective today, February 17, 2017, you can no longer earn 5% cash back for charity contributions if that was one of the categories you selected for the first quarter.  As I mentioned last month, this is the main reason I got this card and I’m really disappointed US Bank is dropping this category.  I’ll keep the card because it’s free and because I can get 5% back for my gym membership but otherwise I’d let it go.  Hopefully they’ll change their mind at some point in the future.

Categories: Cash Plus, Credit Cards, US Bank | Tags: | Leave a comment

US Bank Cash+ Category Changes

Posted on January 15, 2017 by 2btravel

US Bank has a couple of credit cards that I’ve found useful.  I’d had their Club Carlson Visa and I got good value from Club Carlson points in Turkey a couple of years ago but since then the card had sat idle in my drawer.  Last year I changed to the Cash+ card.

us-bank-cash-plus
Each quarter the US Bank Cash+ Card allows you to select the cash-back categories that best fit your needs.  There are three categories that are 2% cash back each quarter and you can select which categories you’d like for 5% cash back from a list.  While the 2%/5% categories max out at $1500 in purchases each quarter, you can get unlimited cash back at 1% for all purchases after the $1500 or for any unbonused categories.

When I recently downloaded my latest statement I noted this wording under the Important Messages heading:

Effective February 15, 2017 a new 5% Cash+ Category will be available: Ground Transportation featuring merchants such as Uber and Amtrak®.  Also effective February 15, 2017, the 5% Charity Category will no longer be available.

While that’s great for folks who use Uber and Amtrak, it defeats the main purpose I had for getting the card, namely charitable donations.  I’ve been blessed with a good income and like to give back and this was a real incentive to do so.

It’s a shame that US Bank is removing this category so I’ll be sure to bump up my giving for this quarter so it is completed before February 17.  I find the timing of this odd as it’s smack in the middle of the quarter, instead of waiting until quarter-end. We’ll have to see how they handle the selection of a new 5% category for those of us who’ll be losing this one

Does this category change negatively impact you?

Categories: Cash Plus, Credit Cards, US Bank | Tags: | Leave a comment

Register now for Freedom Q1 Bonus Categories

Posted on December 17, 2016 by 2btravel

Each quarter the Chase Freedom card offers 5x points in certain rotating categories.  Registration is now open for the first quarter of 2017.  The bonus categories are gas stations and local commuter transportation.  Note that this does not include parking, tolls or Amtrak purchases.  It also does not include merchants that do not specialize in selling automotive gasoline; for example, truck stops, boat marinas, oil and propane distributors, and home heating companies.  I assume this would include charges like Uber, however.

2016-12-17-freedom-1q-bonus

It frustrates me that these categories overlap with Discover this quarter.  I wish they’d switch off so that it would be easier to max out each card.

I do not recall getting an email from Chase reminding me to register so go ahead and do it now before you forget about it!

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

Register now for Q1 Bonus Categories

Posted on November 17, 2016 by 2btravel

Three credit cards have quarterly bonus categories where you can earn bonus points or cash back for purchases in those categories.  Registration for Q1 bonuses for US Bank Cash+ and Discover is now open.  Registration for the Chase Freedom card should open on December 1.

US Bank Cash+

The US Bank Cash+ card allows you to choose one category where you’ll earn unlimited 2% back and 2 categories that will earn 5% back for up to $2000 in purchases.  To activate those categories, see the email you should have received from US Bank.

These are the bonus category selections for the first quarter of 2017:
us-bank-q1-2017-bonus-categories

Discover Card

Discover Card bonus categories for Q1 2017 are Gas Stations, Ground Transportation and Wholesale Clubs.  Click on this link to be taken to the activation page.
discover-q1-2017-bonus-categories

As a reminder, Q4 bonus categories may still be activated if you haven’t done so already and any purchases in the bonus categories will be retroactively applied.  Bonus categories for Q4 2016 are Amazon.com, Department Stores and Sam’s Club.  So don’t forget to activate your bonus categories today!

Categories: Cash Plus, Credit Card Promos, Discover | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Bonus Starpoints for SPG Amex Cardholders

Posted on October 5, 2016 by 2btravel

Today I received an interesting email from Starwood.  By enrolling in their latest promotion I can earn 5,000 bonus Starpoints if I spend $5000 on my SPG American Express between now and the end of the year.  This is a no-brainer for me.  I make sure I put enough spend on my SPG card each year to maintain Gold status with them so I should easily reach this goal by the end of the year, even with time off for vacation and holidays.

Here is the email I received:
2016-10-05-starwood-email

Continue reading →

Categories: American Express, Credit Cards, SPG Amex, Starwood | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Register now for Discover Q4 bonuses

Posted on October 2, 2016 by 2btravel

Yesterday was the first day of the last quarter of 2016.  With it comes a new opportunity to earn 5% back when using your Discover card.  This quarter’s bonus categories are Amazon.com, Department Stores and Sam’s Club – all places that can be useful for holiday shopping.  You may earn 5% cash back in these categories for the first $1500 in purchases through the end of the year.

Some Sam’s Club locations also sell Visa and/or MasterCard gift cards so that’s an easy way to max out your bonuses.

Registering for the bonus

I received an email from Discover that looks like this:

2016-10-02-discover-q4-bonus-registration
Or you can log into your account at Discover.com to register for the bonus.  Either way, it’s a very simple process.

And if you haven’t already registered for the Freedom 5% bonus categories, now’s the time to do that too!

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

Freedom Q4 Bonus Activation Now Live!

Posted on September 17, 2016 by 2btravel

2016-09-17-freedom-q4-registration

The Chase Freedom card normally offers 1 Ultimate Reward point per dollar spent.  But each quarter the card offers bonus categories which will earn 5 UR points per dollar for up to $1500 in purchases during the specified quarter.  To get the 5 UR points per dollar bonus you must activate it for your Freedom card.

The activation page is now live for the fourth quarter of 2016.  The categories for this quarter are:

  • Department Stores
  • Wholesale Clubs
  • Drug Stores

These are a terrific set of categories and make it easy to max out the bonus.  With the holidays approaching, many people will shop at department stores and wholesale clubs for gifts.

And if you find you’re going to fall short of maxing out the deal you can buy gift cards to complete the spend.  These can be department store cards for yourself or as gifts and both wholesale clubs and drug stores sell a number of merchant gift cards for restaurants, other stores and gas stations.  You can also buy Visa or MasterCard gift cards and use those for everyday spend at places where you would not normally earn 5 UR points per dollar.

To activate the card, simply go to the activation page on the Chase website, enter your information and you’re all set!  You should then see a web page indicating your activation is complete.
2016-09-17-freedom-q4-activation

You have until December 14 to activate the bonus categories but why wait?  Do it now and you’ll be all set when October 1 rolls around.

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

Get Bonus Miles When Transferring Membership Rewards to Avios

Posted on September 16, 2016 by 2btravel

British Airways logo

Avios are the currency of the British Airways Executive Club that can be useful in different ways. Since Avios pricing is distance-based, they’re super-useful on non-stop shorthaul flights as the shortest flights cost only 7500 Avios.  Since each leg of a flight is priced separately, the more connections required, the more Avios required.  For this reason, and the fact that on international flights BA passes along the fuel surcharges, they’re not as useful for international flights.  There are exceptions to this general rule however: BA’s booking window opens up a couple of weeks before American’s does, giving those with Avios first crack at award seats on certain carriers.  For example, I was able to use Avios to book a first class seat on a Qantas flight to Australia before it was available to AA members.  I had to pay the fuel surcharges but since premium cabin seats are so scarce on Qantas, I thought it was worth the cash required to obtain that seat.

Normally you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards (MR) points to Avios at the rate of 250 MRs to 200 Avios.  But from now through October 10, 2016 you’ll earn a 50% bonus when transferring MRs to Avios. So transfer 250 MRs and get 300 Avios.  To make the transfer, log into your Amex account and indicate the number of MR points you want to transfer.  The website will show you how many Avios you’ll receive.

All transfers are final so if you’re transferring for a specific flight, be sure there is award space available.  If you’re planning to use the Avios on a BA partner flight you’ll need to be sure the available award space is at the saver (cheapest) level.

Categories: American Express, British Airways, Membership Rewards | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

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