Category Archives: Promotions + Deals

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Upcoming AMEX Changes to Employee Cards, Premium Private Jet Program, Departures Magazine & Upgrade with Points

Good morning everyone, I hope you had a great Labor Day Weekend!  I just returned from my “free” Holland America Line cruise from Boston to Quebec and had a great time.  Yesterday, when I was reviewing my recent American Express credit card statements, I noticed a few upcoming changes that I wanted to share.  These notices came on my American Express Business Platinum Card, but should apply to most Platinum Cards and some Membership Rewards earning cards.  None of these changes are huge, but they might affect some cardmembers.

American Express is changing the name from “Additional Business Green Rewards Card” to “Additional Business Expense Card” effective August 17, 2023.  Replacement cards will have the new name going forward.  Effective November 2, 2023, that name change will be updated in the Cardmember Agreement.  No changes to the card benefits are mentioned.

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7 Buy Miles / Points Promos Ending Soon: Alaska (60%), Southwest (50%), United (90%), Choice Hotels (25%), Avianca (140%), JetBlue (80%) & IHG (80%)

Good afternoon everyone, happy Friday!  I was working on my Buy Miles & Points Page and found 7 offers that end in the next 2 weeks.  As we approach Labor Day Weekend, the airline and hotel programs have lots of buy miles and points promos.  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, here are 7 offers that end soon.

Up first, Alaska Airlines is offering up to a 60% bonus, depending on the number of Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Miles you purchase.  This offer expires on August 20.

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The Sites, Smells & Tastes from 3 Days in Prague, Czech Republic

Good evening everyone.  A few weeks ago, my wife and I decided to book a last minute trip to Europe this summer with stops in Prague (PRG), Copenhagen (CPH), and Amsterdam (AMS).  We both had a fantastic time in Prague and I highly recommend visiting for a few days the next time you are in Europe.  Here are some of the highlights from our 3 days in Prague.

To get started, we used 65,000 KLM / Air France Flying Blue Miles + $242 in taxes/fees per person to fly Air France Business Class from San Francisco (SFO) to Paris (CDG) to Prague (PRG).  We then took a $22 Uber from the airport to MGallery Century Old Town Prague Hotel (part of Accor).  I booked 3 nights through the Citi ThankYou Travel Portal and used the $100 Hotel Credit from my Citi Premier Credit Card.  The hotel was a short walk from the Old Town Square and had beautiful charm and an awesome breakfast spread.  The total cost with the $100 Hotel Credit was $476, or $159 / night.  Here are more photos from the hotel website.  During our stay, I realized that MGallery was a brand under the Accor family of hotels and they have 120+ boutique hotels around the world, with the majority spread out around Europe.

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2 Buy Hotels Points Promos Ending Soon: Wyndham (35%) & Hyatt (25%)

Good afternoon everyone.  I was working on my Buy Miles & Points Page and found 2 offers that end in the next week.  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, here are 2 offers that end soon.

Up first, Wyndham Hotels is offering up to a 35% bonus, depending on the number of Wyndham Rewards Points you purchase. This offer expires today – August 8.

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New Targeted Capital One Travel Discounts (Ex: $30 Off Flights to Montana on Any Airline)

Good afternoon everyone, I hope you had a great weekend.  Last month, I wrote PSA: Check for Targeted Capital One Travel Discounts (Ex: $75 Off Flights to Montana & $30 Off Flights to New Mexico).  In that post, I showed how to search your Capital One Travel portal to see if you had any targeted travel offers (usually discounts on hotels and flights to select states).  I took advantage of both offers ($75 off flights to Montana & $30 off flights to New Mexico) and continued to check daily to see if new offers would appear.

Thankfully, my persistence paid off and I found new offers in my Capital One Travel portal.  I only had 1 flight deal ($30 off flights to Montana), but I decided to take advantage of the offer and booked another flight to Montana.  As you can see, the $30 discount is applied to the total and you can pay the remaining balance with your Capital One Venture X Credit Card or Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card to earn 5x points on flights booked through the travel portal or pay with your existing Capital One points.

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