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I Paid $4,043 in Credit Card Annual Fees in 2022 – Was it Worth it?

Good evening everyone, I hope your week is going well.  With the end of the year right around the corner, I decided to publish my 2022 version of credit card annual fees I paid this year.  For comparison, here are my previous credit card annual fee posts:

For this year’s post, I decided to break up the list of credit cards into 5 sections:

  • Annual fees paid on new credit cards with sign up bonuses
  • Annual fees paid on credit cards that received retention offers
  • Annual fees on credit cards that have been upgraded / downgraded / product changed
  • Annual fees on credit cards that I closed
  • All other credit cards

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8 Buy Miles / Points Promos Ending Soon: Choice Hotels (25%), British Airways (50%), Marriott (25%), Air France / KLM (120%), United (80%), Southwest (50%), Etihad (45%) & Alaska (50%)

Good afternoon everyone, happy Friday!  I was working on my Buy Miles & Points Page and found 8 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 8 offers that end soon.

Up first, Choice Hotels is offering up to a 25% discount, depending on the number of Choice Hotels Privileges Points you purchase.  This offer expires tomorrow – December 17.

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PSA: Southwest Airlines EarlyBird Check-In is **NOT THE SAME** as Upgraded Boarding to Trigger Priority Credit Card Benefit

Good afternoon everyone, I hope your week is going well.  If you have the Chase Southwest Airlines Priority Credit Card, please read this post so you do not make the same mistake as me.  Aside from the sign up bonus, this credit card has some pretty cool benefits: $75 Southwest Airlines travel credit (can be used with Southwest Airlines egift cards), 4 Upgraded Boardings, and 7,500 Southwest Airlines points every year you pay the $149 annual fee.  Because the $75 Southwest Airlines travel credit and 7,500 Southwest Airlines points is worth at least $150 to me, I keep the credit card open each year, even though I only flew Southwest Airlines twice this year.  In this post, I will show you everything you need to know about the Upgraded Boardings and share my mistake in purchasing EarlyBird Check-In.

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Last Call for FTU Virtual Seminar on Saturday, December 3 ($25) or Free with Online Annual Membership

Good afternoon everyone, happy Friday!  If you are not busy tomorrow (Saturday, December 3), I highly recommend attending the FTU Virtual Seminar (tickets available for $25) or free if you have the FTU Online Annual Membership.  The seminar starts on Saturday, December 3, at 8am PT / 11am ET.  I have attended all of the FTU Virtual Seminars over the last 2 years and they are always well done, educational, and entertaining – and I am sure this seminar will be no exception!  I will be presenting about Vacasa Vacation Rentals and here is the rest of the schedule.

If you register for the seminar, but are unable to watch the live stream, you can access the recording of the seminar and watch later on.  This is also a great way to re-watch your favorite presentations and catch any details that you originally missed.

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3 Buy Miles / Points Promos Ending Soon: Avianca (160%), Spirit (30%) & Choice Hotels (40%)

Good afternoon everyone, happy Friday!  I was working on my Buy Miles & Points Page and found 3 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 3 offers that end soon.

Up first, Avianca Airlines is offering up to a 160% bonus, depending on the number of Avianca Airlines LifeMiles you purchase.  This offer expires today – December 2.

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