Reader Question Answered: Best Uses of Alaska Airlines Miles

Posted on September 6, 2018 by Shelli. 9 Replies

Is finding award seat availability a challenge for you? It’s no secret that families find it both challenging and frustrating. The easier part is accruing miles and points, because after all we put our spend on credit cards offering us bonuses, accrue miles from flying, and can even buy miles when we need to. We have big smiles on our faces when we see our airline point balances, but often those smiles turn to frowns when we try to put them to good use booking award flight tickets. Reality is not always an easy cup of espresso to swallow!

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Chase IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card 100,000 Points Sign Up Bonus Posted (Matched via Secure Message)

Posted on September 6, 2018 by Grant. 15 Replies

Good morning everyone. As part of my Mini July App-O-Rama, I was approved for the Chase IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card. The sign up bonus was for 80,000 IHG Points after spending $2,000 in 3 months + $50 statement credit after your first purchase. A few days before my new credit card arrived, Chase increased the sign up bonus to 100,000 IHG Points after spending $3,000 in 3 months, so I sent Chase a Secure Message (SM) to get matched to that offer. A few days later, I shared my welcome letter & card art; and a few days after that, I shared details of the $50 statement credit.

Chase responded to my Secure Message stating that after I spend $3,000 in 3 months on my new Chase IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card, I should respond to the Secure Message and let them know when the $3,000 spending was complete. Chase would then manually add 20,000 IHG Points to my account. I am happy to share the details of Chase’s Secure Message response. The Chase rep verified that I spent more than $3,000 on my new credit card and stated that the 20,000 IHG Points would post to my IHG account on my next credit card statement. Luckily, I didn’t have to wait long…

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What’s Your Favorite Time of Year in Paris?

Posted on September 5, 2018 by Shelli. 2 Replies

I love the emails I get this time of year from friends and family who live in Europe. With great joy and in great detail they tell me all about their summer holidays. And for the French, in particular, vacation is seen not as a perk but as a necessity of life that everyone has the right to. There are even French organizations that help economically disadvantaged families go on holidays. This article brought back fond memories of visiting Paris when all the Parisians have gone elsewhere. Whether you prefer Paris when it’s quiet or when it’s full of French hustle and bustle, this article is a quick fun read.

Share Location with US Bank App to “Reduce Card Declines and Prevent Fraud”

Posted on September 5, 2018 by Grant. 2 Replies

Good morning everyone. A few days ago, I was checking my US Bank credit cards via the US Bank iPhone app and saw this popup: Share your location to help keep your account secure. According to the popup, by sharing my location with the US Bank app, this will help reduce credit card declines and prevent fraud. Theoretically, it makes sense. If you (and your phone) are in California, but there is an in-store purchase made with your credit card in New York City, US Bank would block the charge. Likewise, if you are driving through Oregon and decide to visit a Nike store and stock up on tax-free sports gear (fun fact: Oregon is one of four states with no sales tax, the other states are Delaware, Montana, and New Hampshire), US Bank will know that you are in Oregon and allow the purchase. Makes perfect sense to me.

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Warning: Don’t Try to Beat PFS Buyers Club’s Price

Posted on September 4, 2018 by Grant. 12 Replies

Good afternoon everyone. PFS Buyers Club has a new deal from the US Mint where you can make $50 profit and get $1,400 in credit card spending. You can read more on Frequent Miler and Doctor of Credit. Before you start thinking about making more than $50 by buying and reselling the US Mint coin on your own, please read my post How I did on that US Mint American Eagle Platinum Coin. I got greedy on a previous PFS Buyers Club deal and thought I could sell the US Mint coin for more than what PFS Buyers Club was going to pay. Long story short, I ended up selling the coin on eBay for a $236.16 loss.

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