Author Archives: Grant

About Grant

Grant is an expert in frequent flyer miles, hotel loyalty points, credit card rewards, and cash back deals. He also has a pretty cool travel blog. Find him on Twitter @travelwithgrant.

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PSA: Set Up Text & Email Alerts to Catch Fraud Right Away

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Good morning everyone.  A few days ago, I received 2 texts from Discover regarding a Fox Rent A Car charge on my Discover It Credit Card.  Unfortunately, I was nowhere near a Fox Rent A Car location and have never rented a car from Fox Rent A Car.  I quickly logged into my Discover app and looked at the transaction details.  It appears there was a charge for $301.92 and then a refund of $301.92.  The other weird thing is the “THUMB*IT” description name.  I immediately called Discover and told them my credit card was stolen and reported the transactions as unauthorized.  The Discover rep assured me that I would not be responsible for these transactions and would send out a replacement credit card right away.  If it weren’t for the text alerts, I may not have noticed that my Discover It Credit Card was stolen, since my balance would not have increased since the transactions cancelled each other out.  This is a great reminder of having text alerts set up for your credit cards.

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Buy Miles/Points Promos: United 70% Bonus, IHG 100% Bonus, American 42.5K Bonus & Choice Hotels 40% Bonus

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Good afternoon everyone.  I was working on my Buy Miles & Points Page and found a few new offers.  Always check the math to make sure that buying miles & points makes sense for you.  Do not buy miles & points speculatively unless you have a use in mind.  With that said, I have 4 promos to share with you.  First up, United Airlines has a tiered bonus where you can get up to a 70% bonus on United Airlines miles.  This offer expires on October 16.

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Missing American Express Credit Card Statements Online? Check AMEX App

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Good morning everyone.  Last week, I got an email from American Express that my October 2018 AMEX Old Blue Cash Credit Card statement was ready to view.  As soon as my credit card statement is available, I usually log into my American Express online account, download and view the credit card statement, and then pay the full balance due.  I have done this hundreds of times in the past, but never run into a problem, until now…

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Bank of America Core Checking Account $150 Bonus, But I Only Received $100 [Resolved]

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Good afternoon everyone, I hope you had a great Columbus Day Weekend, I had a great time in Santa Cruz with my girlfriend.  A few months ago, Doctor of Credit wrote a post about a $150 bonus on a Bank of America Core Checking Account.  The $150 bonus was only available if you were referred to the offer.  Thankful, a helpful Doctor of Credit reader sent me a referral email.  I received the referral email on July 20 and signed up for the checking account the same day.  The bonus requirements were pretty simple: receive 2 $500 direct deposits within 90 days.  Done.  Now all I had to do was wait for the $150 bonus to post to my account.  All was going well until I only received a $100 bonus…

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Westin Desert Willow Villas Palm Desert Vacation Package ($389 for 5 Days / 4 Nights + $75 AMEX GC)

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Good afternoon everyone – happy Friday!  I must be the king of getting timeshare vacation package offers, since I just got another offer.  The Westin Desert Villas in Palm Desert, CA has a timeshare vacation package for $389 that includes 5 days / 4 nights in a one bedroom villa plus a $75 American Express Gift Card.  This offer is supposed to be only for recipients of the invitation letter, but you can try calling 800-326-2481 or emailing westinexclusive@westinvacations.com to see if you are eligible.  Just tell them your friend got this offer and you are interested in the offer too.  Here are some photos from the property:

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