Random News: OC Meetup Saturday Night, Citi Thank You Points, Chime Staples Offer, Frontier $39 Flights, AMEX Offers for Bed, Bath, & Beyond and Verizon FiOS
Some quick random news stories before I head out to Buffalo Wild Wings…
Just a reminder, I am holding another OC Meetup at the Tustin District In-N-Out this weekend. I believe Travel-Summary will be joining me and maybe some LA bloggers who want to come down to the OC *hint, hint*
I have some very good tips and tricks to share, so good that Marathon Man would not approve if I shared them online. Please let me know if you can/will try to make it to dinner.
- When: 6PM – 8PM on Saturday, August 9
- Where: In-N-Out at the Tustin District: 2895 Park Ave, The District, Tustin, CA 92782 (map)
- Why: Talk miles and points with me and other locals (possibly share some secrets too)
My Citi Forward credit card statement closed this morning and I was trying to figure out what I should use my Citi Thank You Points for when I stumbled onto the Thank You Travel page. I thought this page was only for Citi Premier and Citi Prestige card members. I guess not. You can use Citi Thank You Points for 1.25 cents per point toward airfare.
Here is a sample flight from SNA to SFO in a few weeks:
First off, I only have 3,413 Thank You Points at the moment, so the math is ugly, but just go with me. Instead of paying $66.10, I could pay $24.04 and use my 3,413 Thank You Points. For some reason, the airfare is coming up at $66.71 on Citi’s website and $66.10 on the ITA Matrix. Let’s pretend both sites said the price was $66.71. If I subtract $24.04 from $66.71, I am left with $42.67. I can redeem 3,413 Thank You Points for $42.67 toward airfare, or a value of 1.25 cents per point. Is this a new feature or a feature that has always been around for non-Citi Premier/Prestige cardholders? I would feel dumb if this has been around for a long time and I have never known about it before now.
For the 100th time, if you don’t have a Chime Cash Back Card (introduction post), you are missing out on free cash back and possible MS opportunities. The latest offer from Chime is $5 cash back after you spend $50+. Could be a good way to buy some discounted gift cards I mean school supplies.
For anyone foolish brave enough to fly Frontier Airlines, they have a new promotion to celebrate their 10 new routes (link).
Last but not least, here are some of the newest AMEX Offers that caught my attention. The Bed, Bath, & Beyond offer appeared on 5 of 6 AMEX cards. I think they sell gift cards inside…
If anyone is thinking of switching to Verizon FiOS, they have a decent promo for $25 statement credit after spending $75, which can be repeated 3 times.
If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. Good night everyone.
Hey Grant, which AMEX did the FIOS show up?? I have SPG and Blue Cast Everyday. None of them has the FIOS offer.
It just depends if you were targeted or not. No way to force the offer to show up in your AMEX account.
I don’t have the Citi Premier or Prestige (just a Citi Forward) and I’m not getting the 20% bonus when I search for flights. Looks like this might be a targeted/temporary bonus that just applies to you (hence the banner ad that reads, “Especially for you”). Thanks for sharing though… It’s good to know I should check the travel center occasionally and see if I’m eligible for any discounts.
I don’t remember ever getting an email or letter about the 1.25 cpp. Is anyone else with a Citi Forward getting the same results?
I have a CF card and not seeing anything like that on the TY site
Hmm that is strange. I wonder if Citi has a glitch with my account. Next time I book a cheap flight I will see if it really works.
Hi Grant, I am a new to miles and points. You have a very good blog. I would like to join the OC meetup tomorrow.
Perfect, I’m looking forward to meeting you tomorrow night.
Hey Grant, might try to stop by…again! See you then.
Excellent. Same place and same time as before.
Don’t let MM push you around, although I know you appear to remark in jest. I think the Miles Professor fell victim to an onslaught. She removed a post on MS because of threats that it would affect “their” livelihood, you know, the ones who get their ideas on the public site FT Thought it was probably MM because of his full time job MSing and his manifestos on keeping secrets so bloggers such as yourself don’t make any money. Anyway, have fun at the meetup. Hope to join you and MM someday. From San Diego so not too far.
Thanks KC, I will probably have another miles and points meetup in San Diego. Lots of people in SD who are into the miles and points game.
Hi Grant, my name is Randy, and I’m also new to the Miles game…. I will stop by later this evening. Looking forward to meeting everyone.
Excellent, I’ll be at In-N-Out until 8pm, maybe later. I’m looking forward to meeting you and talking about miles and points. Cya soon!
Hi Grant, I’d like to join in on the meetup. See you then.
Thanks Al, see you soon. I’m sitting outside by the drive thru line. I *think* I’m the only one wearing a TWG shirt.
Thanks for setting up this event and sharing your wisdom with us Grant. It was good to finally put a face to the name, and I look forward to the next one.
Likewise Randy, thank you for coming as well. I can’t believe we talked about miles and points for 5 hours. Wow!
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