a blue sign with white text

Changes to American Express Credit Card Terms (Bye Ameriprise, Third Party Purchases, Foreign Currency & Cash Advances)

Good evening everyone.  Earlier this week, I reviewed my Wells Fargo credit card statements and spotted some changes to the terms.  I wrote about those changes here: Changes to Wells Fargo Credit Card Go Far Rewards Terms (eGC, Forfeiture at Death, Misuse / Gaming & ATM Limits).  For today’s post, I reviewed my recent American Express statements and compiled all the changes I saw on my cards.  Nothing super interesting stood out to me, but I did see mentions of Ameriprise, third party purchases, paying in foreign currency, cash advances, and a few other things.  Here is my attempt to provide some insight about these changes.  Just a heads up that American Express likes to repeat the same information in different places.  This first section covers Ameriprise cards, earning points with third party purchases, and the arbitration process.

a close up of a card

Continue reading

a red and orange logo

Changes to Wells Fargo Credit Card Go Far Rewards Terms (eGC, Forfeiture at Death, Misuse / Gaming & ATM Limits)

Good afternoon everyone.  I was reviewing my recent Wells Fargo Propel World Elite Credit Card statement and noticed a few changes regarding Go Far Rewards.  There are 4 changes that affect electronic gift cards, forfeiture of points at death, misuse / gaming, and daily limits on cash redemptions.  I’m not very familiar with the Go Far Rewards program, but I will attempt to provide some insight about these changes.  The first change is positive.  You can now use points from a Rewards Pool (similar to a family share account) to redeem for an electronic gift card (eGC).  I must really be out of the loop since I did not know you could pool Go Far Rewards or redeem points for eGCs.

a screenshot of a gift card

Continue reading

a close-up of a credit card

Hyatt Credit Card 25% Awards Rebate: Points Posted 8 Days After Completing Stay

Good morning everyone, I hope your week is going well.  Last week, I wrote My 1 Year Wedding Anniversary Trip to Carmel, Monterey, and Big Sur and I mentioned 2 Hyatt promos that stacked:

For the first 2 nights, we stayed at the Hyatt Regency Monterey using a free night certificate from Laura’s Chase World of Hyatt Credit Card and 15,000 World of Hyatt Points (category 4 Hyatt).  Thanks to 2 current Hyatt promos, Laura received 2,500 World of Hyatt Points from the Elite Member Bonus and she should receive another 3,750 World of Hyatt Points as part of the 25% rebate on award stays (15,000 x 25% = 3,750).  

At the time, I was still waiting for the 25% rebate on award stays to post to Laura’s Hyatt account.  After ~8 days, the rebated points posted to her Hyatt account.  The points came in 2 increments:

  • 15% x 15,000 = 2,250 (standard 15% bonus that all Hyatt members get)
  • 10% x 15,000 = 1,500 (extra 10% bonus that Hyatt credit card members get)

a screenshot of a computer

Continue reading

a black letter on a white background

3 New Chase Offers: Alaska Airlines (10%), IHG Hotels (10%) & Gaylord Hotels (15%)

Good morning everyone, I hope your weekend is off to a great start.  I was checking my Chase account this morning and spotted 3 new Chase Offers.  I looked at my Chase account yesterday (July 31), but they were not there, so I’m guessing these offers started for everyone today (August 1).  Lucky for me, these 3 travel offers all showed up on my Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card, but this is also my most used Chase credit card.  Your mileage may vary, but I had 3 great travel offers:

  • Alaska Airlines: 10% cash back (minimum purchase of $50, maximum cash back of $31)
  • IHG Hotels: 10% cash back (minimum purchase of $100, maximum cash back of $31)
  • Gaylord Hotels: 15% cash back (minimum purchase of $100, maximum cash back of $63)

Continue reading

a bunch of red roses

My 1 Year Wedding Anniversary Trip to Carmel, Monterey, and Big Sur

Good afternoon everyone, I hope your week is going well.  Yesterday (July 27) was my 1 year wedding anniversary – what a crazy year it has been!  If you are unfamiliar with our love story, please read Quick Update Regarding the Old 150x British Airways Avios & Match.com Promo.  Long story short, I joined Match.com because British Airways was running a huge promo and offering thousands of British Airways Avios.  In the end, I didn’t get the Avios, but I did get the girl and we got married in Sonoma, CA on July 27, 2019.  Last weekend, we drove down to Carmel / Monterey / Big Sur for our anniversary.  Here is where we stayed and ate during our trip…

a man and woman in wedding attire standing in front of a trolley

Grant & Laura’s Wedding Day – July 27, 2019

Continue reading