Monthly Archives: May 2014

Citi Credit Card Features from Benefit Builder – Photocard, Chip and Signature, and Virtual Account Numbers

Citi Credit Card Features from Benefit Builder

If you have a Citibank Credit Card, you have access to Citi’s Benefit Builder website (link). This website has visual representations of all the perks of each Citi Credit Card you currently have open. You can also add new features to certain Citi Credit Cards, like creating a Citi Photocard, Chip and Signature, or creating virtual credit card numbers for online shopping (so futuristic). From the home page, click the Sign On button and use your normal Citi online account log in information.

To read the entire post, please click here.

Earn Cash Back Buying Groceries with Checkout51

This is an updated post, with more information and detailed instructions.

Earn Cash Back Buying Groceries with Checkout51

Checkout51 is a digital alternative to clipping coupons and bringing them to your local grocery store. This service is perfect for people who are:

Too lazy to cut out coupons.
Forget to bring their coupons.
Too embarrassed to use coupons.
All of the above.

Here is how Checkout51 works:

Browse your offers and buy products at any store – yes, any store in the US or Canada.
Upload your receipt using Checkout51 – online or with their smartphone app.
We’ll confirm your purchase and credit your account – usually in 1-2 hours, or sooner.
When your account reaches $20, you can cash out and we’ll mail you a check.

It really is that simple. They publish new offers every Thursday morning and all the coupons are good for a week until Wednesday night at midnight PST/PDT. You can take a look at the list of coupons whenever you want and see if there is anything you want to buy.

Here are this week’s offers (offers might have changed if you are reading this after May 28):

To read the entire post, please click here.

Benefit Builder for Citi Credit Cards

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Grant. 2 Replies

Citi Credit Card Features from Benefit Builder

Once you are logged in, you will be able to see all of your open Citi Credit Cards. Click on a card to see all the benefits available.

Some credit cards will allow you to add EMV Chip Technology (fancy term for Chip and Signature) or create a Citi Photocard. Click on the link below each benefit to learn more about the feature.

Here are some of the features of creating a Photocard (not sure if it adds that much security to your credit card, but it looks cool). Citi is very old school, so you can only request the Photocard via the mail. Download the PDF form here.

Here is the front of the form:

Here is the back of the form:

Another feature you can use is Virtual Account Numbers. You have to download a program to your computer that creates a unique credit card number that can only be used online once. This feature supposedly was created to reduce online fraud, but it sounds like more of a hassle to set up than anything else.

Another really cool features is the EMV Chip Card Technology (known as Chip and Signature). You can view more information and request a Chip and Signature credit card here.

Select which Citi Credit Card you want to add Chip and Signature to and click the Submit button.

Your new Chip and Signature-enabled credit card is on its way.

Each Citi Credit Card has its own unique benefits, so some benefits may not be accessible for each Citi Credit Card that you have. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.

How to Use a Marriott Free Night Certificate to Make a Free One Night Reservation

If you have a Chase Marriott Rewards Credit Card, you get a free night certificate every year you pay the annual fee. There are two things I dislike about the free night certificates. Firstly, the free night certificate is only valid for 6 months (can be extended by calling Chase/Marriott during the last month of validity). Secondly, you can only use the free night certificate at a category 1-5 hotel (Marriott has 8 hotel categories). To use your free night certificate, log into your Marriott account (link) and click the link titled “You Have 1 Unused Certificate”. Clicking that link will take you directly to your activity page (link).

To read the entire post, please click here.

Redeem Marriott Free Night Certificate for a One Night Reservation

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Grant. 58 Replies

On the activity page, you can view all recent account activity and see details of your free night certificate (including expiration dates). My free night certificate is valid through July 30, 2014.

Next up, search for a hotel. In my case, I am searching for a hotel in San Diego next weekend.

My search produces 24 hotels with various Marriott categories. Unfortunately, the best hotels (categories 6-8) are not bookable with my free night certificate.

Scroll down until you see these search options on the right hand side. Expand the hotel category box and select category 5. Double check categories 1-4 in case there are some good hotels listed. In my example, the category 3 hotel is in Tijuana, Mexico, so that isn’t going to work, and the category 4 hotels are too far from San Diego. So I will look at only category 5 hotels.

The search results will update with only category 5 hotels, sorted by distance from the center of San Diego. By looking at the map, I can see that the Courtyard San Diego Central is near where I want to be, so I click the View Rates button.

Select the room/bed type you want and click the Continue button. Ignore any warnings about not having enough Marriott Points in your account, you don’t need any Marriott Points to make this reservation.

Fill in your personal information and scroll down the page.

This is the most important step of the booking process. You have to select the first option of redeeming your free night certificate. Do not select the other options. Enter your credit card information for your hotel incidentals and click the Continue button.

Review all the information is correct and make sure that you are redeeming your free night certificate.

Depending on which hotel you are redeeming your free night certificate at, you may or may not have to pay any local taxes. If you do, it should only be a few dollars. The cancellation policy is very generous, I can cancel my reservation and have the free night certificate redeposited into my Marriott account if I cancel my reservation before 6PM on the day of arrival. Click the Continue button to confirm your reservation.

Here are the details of your reservation and your confirmation number.

If you go back to your account activity page (link), you should see that your unused free night certificate is gone.

By clicking the reservation tab (link), you can see your free night reservation. If you need to change or cancel your reservation, click the Actions drop down menu and make any changes to your reservation.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.

Travel with Grant

Transforming your Frequent Flyer Miles into Free Trips around the World

Monthly Archives: May 2014

Citi Credit Card Features from Benefit Builder – Photocard, Chip and Signature, and Virtual Account Numbers

Citi Credit Card Features from Benefit Builder

Earn Cash Back Buying Groceries with Checkout51

Earn Cash Back Buying Groceries with Checkout51

Benefit Builder for Citi Credit Cards

Citi Credit Card Features from Benefit Builder

How to Use a Marriott Free Night Certificate to Make a Free One Night Reservation

How to Use a Marriott Free Night Certificate to Make a Free One Night Reservation

Redeem Marriott Free Night Certificate for a One Night Reservation

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