Category Archives: Hotels + Points

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YTD How I Earned & Redeemed My Citi ThankYou Points

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Good afternoon everyone, I hope you had a great weekend.  I thought it would be interesting to share how I earn and redeem my Citi ThankYou Points (TYPs), in case any readers were interested in my strategy.  From January 2024 through October 2024, I earned 44,150 TYPs from my Citi credit cards – here is the breakdown:

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Switching Marriott Bonvoy Business Credit Card from Chase to American Express Paid Off with 5 Marriott 50K Free Night Certificates

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Updated at 8:30am on 10/9/24: I updated this post after the sign up bonus posted a few days ago.

Good morning everyone, I hope your week is going well. This post has been a work in progress for several months since March 2024.  Let me explain.  Back in March 2024, American Express had an increased sign up bonus on the American Express Marriott Bonvoy Business Credit Card that offered 3 Marriott 50K Free Night Certificates (FNC) after spending $6,000 in 3 months.  That was a great offer, but due to Marriott’s Eligibility Matrix (see Frequent Miler’s awesome chart), I wasn’t eligible for the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business Credit Card because I currently had the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Premier Plus Business Credit Card. I would need to close my old Chase card, wait 30 days, and then apply for the new AMEX card.

This was a big gamble because there was no guarantee that the AMEX card would have a decent sign up bonus again in the future and because my Chase card was no longer available, so once I closed that card, I could never get it back.  I strongly prefer to hold onto cards that are no longer available, like my Chase Ink Plus and my JPMorgan Chase Ritz Carlton.

The increased sign up bonus on the AMEX card ended on March 20, 2024, and my Marriott 35K FNC from the Chase card would post the following month in April 2024.  As expected, the FNC posted to my Marriott account on April 15, 2024, and now was the time to proceed with my plan.

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5 Buy Miles / Points Promos Ending Soon: IHG (100%), Hyatt (20%), Choice Hotels (50%), Air Canada (75%) & Spirit Airlines (60%)

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Good afternoon everyone, happy Friday! I was working on my Buy Miles & Points Page and found 5 offers that end this 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 the 5 offers that end soon.

Up first, IHG Hotels is offering up to a 100% bonus, depending on the number of IHG One Rewards Points you purchase. This offer expires on October 5.

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Sortable Table of Eligible Properties for $200 Semi Annual Hilton Resort Credit

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Good afternoon everyone, I hope your week is going well.  Yesterday, American Express and Hilton updated their list of properties that are eligible for the $200 semi annual Hilton resort credit on the American Express Hilton Honors Aspire Credit Card.  The current list (found here) contains 256 properties (as of 9/24/24), but they are grouped by Brand Name, not sorted alphabetically by property name or country.  This makes it difficult to find a property or see which properties are available in certain cities or countries around the world.  I decided to take a crack at the list and add the city and country for each property and make the list sortable and searchable.

For some international properties, I was not sure which part of the property address was the city vs province / state / territory, so I need your help.  Please review the list and let me know if the city listed next to a specific property is incorrect and I will update the table.

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Recent Timeshare Vacation Package Offers: Hyatt Lake Tahoe Northstar Lodge for $349, Sheraton Kauai Resort Villas for $699 & Hilton 3 Night Stay for $149

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Good afternoon everyone, happy Friday!  I received a few timeshare vacation package offers lately and I wanted to share them with readers in case you are looking for a discounted vacation to any of these timeshare locations.  Even if you are not targeted for the offer, you might be able to call the phone numbers listed below and see if you are eligible.  As a reminder, you will need to attend a 2 hour timeshare presentation during your stay, but it is easy enough to sit through the presentation, learn a few things, say no a few times, and go back to enjoying your vacation.

The first offer I received was for the Hyatt Vacation Club at Northstar Lodge (north side of Lake Tahoe in Truckee, CA).  This offer is $349 for 3 nights at the Northstar Lodge plus your choice of a $100 Visa Gift Card or 7,500 Hyatt Points (go with the points).

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