Category Archives: Promotions + Deals

a logo for a university

Buy a $49 Frequent Traveler University (FTU) Online Annual Membership & Attend First Virtual Seminar December 12

Posted on by . 6 Replies

Good morning everyone, I hope you had a great weekend.  I just received an email from Frequent Traveler University (FTU) about their new online annual membership.  I have attended many FTU events in previous years and “attended” the virtual Chicago Seminars organized by Stefan at Rapid Travel Chai a few weeks ago and had a great time.  The cost for the FTU online annual membership is only $49 and comes with a variety of benefits and a private Facebook community.  Read on to see everything that is included in the membership.

a screen shot of a computer

Continue reading →

a blue credit card with a city silhouette

Barclays Wyndham Rewards Earner Business Credit Card Application & Reconsideration Process

Posted on by . 14 Replies

Good morning everyone.  Earlier today I wrote Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card Application Process & Reconsideration Phone Call.  In today’s post, I will write about the Barclays Wyndham Rewards Earner Business Credit Card, my application process, and the hoops I had to jump through to get approved via the reconsideration process.  First off, the Barclays Wyndham Earner Business is a relatively new credit card from Barclays but the credit card has some great features.  The sign up bonus is 45,000 Wyndham Rewards Points after spending $1,000 in 3 months.  You also get Wyndham Diamond Elite Status (great for matching to Caesar’s Diamond Elite Status), 10% rebate on redeemed points toward free nights, and 15,000 points every anniversary you keep your credit card, all for a $95 annual fee.  I was hoping for an instant approval on my credit card application, but Barclays had other plans for me.

a woman giving a credit card to a man

Continue reading →

a close-up of a credit card

Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card Application Process & Reconsideration Phone Call

Posted on by . 2 Replies

Good morning everyone, I hope your weekend is going well.  A few days ago, I wrote My October 2020 Credit Card App-O-Rama Results.  In that post, I wrote about my experience applying and getting approved for 2 business credit cards: Bank of America Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card and American Express Delta SkyMiles Gold Business Credit Card.  In today’s post, I will talk about my wife’s application and approval process for the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card.  When Laura applied 2 weeks ago, the sign up bonus was for 5 free night certificates (up to 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points per night) after spending $5,000 in 3 months.  Unfortunately, that offer ended on October 28.

According to my calculations, Laura had a Chase score of 3/24, so I assumed she would be instantly approved for this credit card.  Unfortunately, that was not the case.  Here is what I learned about the approval process and how she was able to get approved for the new credit card.

a close up of a card

Continue reading →

a woman with blonde hair and a green shirt

My October 2020 Credit Card App-O-Rama Results

Posted on by . 4 Replies

Good morning everyone, happy Veteran’s Day!  At the end of October, my wife and I decided to do a credit card app-o-rama.  We have a few large bills to pay over the next few months (property tax, home insurance, holiday shopping, etc.) so we decided to apply for a few new credit cards to earn some miles and points.  Laura applied for 1 personal credit card (Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card) and I applied for 3 business credit cards (Bank of America Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card, American Express Delta SkyMiles Gold Business Credit Card, and Barclays Wyndham Rewards Earner Business Credit Card).  In today’s post, I will cover the Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card and the Delta Gold Business Credit Card application process.

I made sure to temporarily unfreeze our credit reports for a few days during the application process and we applied for all of these credit cards on October 25, so some of the offers may have expired or changed since then.  The Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card sign up bonus was for 40,000 Alaska Airlines Miles, a $200 statement credit, and the annual companion fare.  We need to spend $2,000 in 3 months and pay the $75 annual fee.

a screenshot of a credit card

Continue reading →

a close-up of a logo

Anatomy & Timeline of Cancelling an Avianca LifeMiles Award Ticket

Posted on by . 8 Replies

Good morning everyone, I hope you all had a great weekend.  Long story short, I planned an awesome award trip to Africa (Victoria Falls, South Africa, and Madagascar) for August 2020, but due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, we decided to cancel the trip and try again next year.  I planned / booked this trip in October 2019 and part of the award booking process involved booking an Avianca LifeMiles award ticket to fly in business class on Ethiopian Airlines from Toronto, Canada (YYZ) through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (ADD) to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe (VFA).  In this post, I will document the timeline of cancelling my award ticket, when my Avianca LifeMiles were redeposited and when my taxes/fees were refunded.  Similarly, you can read about my experience with Air Canada is my post Anatomy & Timeline of 2 Cancelled Air Canada Aeroplan Award Tickets.

a screenshot of a computer

Continue reading →