Tag Archives: American Express Membership Rewards Points

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Which Credit & Debit Cards are in my Wallet, ApplePay Wallet, and Travel Wallet? (August 2023)

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Good morning everyone.  We all know the classic Capital One line, “What’s in your wallet?” (spoiler alert: no Capital One Credit Cards are currently in my real wallet), but I thought it would be fun to do this type of post monthly or every other month, depending on which credit cards I am currently using.  At last count, I currently have 40+ personal and business credit cards, but I don’t carry or use every credit card every month.  I treat my credit cards like tools in a tool box, each credit card has a specific use and no credit card is perfect for every situation.  I also have 3 “wallets” for my credit cards: the physical cards that I carry with me in my iPhone case, the credit and debit cards in my ApplePay Wallet, and the credit cards in my travel wallet (aka backpack) that I use when I travel.  I will go through my 3 “wallets”, but the cards in my ApplePay Wallet and travel wallet (aka backpack) don’t change very often.

Credit Cards in my iPhone Case / Wallet

Last week, I was approved for the Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card that currently offers a sign up bonus of 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points after spending $8,000 in 3 months.  I am meeting the minimum spend on this credit card by paying for a few home improvement projections, car insurance, and any other large purchase that will get me closer to my $8,000 minimum spending requirement.  I don’t have immediate plans for these 100K Chase Ultimate Rewards Points, but I can always use more Chase Ultimate Rewards Points.

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Confusing Changes to Dell Rewards Program: New Point System & Conversion Rate to Dell Dollars, but 3% Rebate on Dell Purchases Remain

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Good afternoon everyone, I hope your weekend is going well.  Yesterday, I received this email from Dell about changes to the Dell Rewards program.  I am not an expert on the Dell Rewards program since I only shop at Dell a few times a year to take advantage of my $200 semi annual Dell credit on my American Express Business Platinum Card, but I have earned and redeemed Dell Rewards Dollars a few times this year.

Here is my current $200 Dell credit strategy: Wait for Dell to have a high cash back rate on an online shopping portal; buy stuff that is a little more expensive than $200; during the checkout process, redeem my Dell Rewards Dollars to bring the total cost down to $200; pay the remaining $200 balance with my AMEX Biz Plat; and wait for the $200 Dell statement credit to post to my account.

Let’s dig a little deeper into the new changes…

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Some KLM Business Class Awards (Booked with Virgin Atlantic) are Cheaper than Economy Awards for Flights Within Europe

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Good afternoon everyone. 2 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). When I searched for flights from Copenhagen to Amsterdam (CPH-AMS), I found 2 morning flights on KLM that would work perfectly for our schedule. Unfortunately, the prices ($243-$285) were a little higher than we wanted to pay for the 1.5 hour flight. I used Point.me to search for these flights to see if they were bookable with miles. Strangely, the award prices were lower in business class than in economy. Let me show you what I found and how I booked the award ticket.

a screenshot of a flight schedule

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How to Redeem Bank of America Unlimited Cash Rewards Credit Card $200 Bonus for Statement Credit

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Good morning everyone, happy Friday!  A few weeks ago, I wrote Targeted: $200 Bonus for Bank of America Better Balance Rewards Credit Cards Converting to Unlimited Cash Rewards.  In that post, I talked about the targeted $200 bonus for the Bank of America Unlimited Cash Rewards Credit Card.  In this post, I will show you how to redeem the $200 bonus as a statement credit.  But first, here is the front and back of the credit card.  It is very simple and clean with various shades of gray.  This credit cards earns unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases and has no annual fee.

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My 2 Unsuccessful Retention Offer Calls for Chase Marriott Bonvoy Premier Plus Business & AMEX Gold

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Good morning everyone, I hope your week is going well. Yesterday, I called Chase and American Express about 2 credit cards that had annual fees that just posted. When I called Chase about my Chase Marriott Bonvoy Premier Plus Business Credit Card (no longer available for sign up or product change), I told the rep that the $99 annual fee just posted to my account and that I wasn’t using this credit card very much since I use my JPMorgan Chase Ritz Carlton Credit Card (no longer available for sign up, but can be product changed into) for my Marriott purchases.  I asked the rep if they were able to waive the annual fee. The rep looked for retention offers and said there were no offers available.  For reference, in past years, I have received retention offers of $50 or $100.

Generally, I prefer to keep credit cards that are no longer available, unless there is a very good reason to close or product change them to another credit card, so I decided to keep the card open.  With that said, I can easily get more than $99 of value with the 35K Marriott Free Night Certificate that comes with this credit card each year. In fact, I already redeemed my 35K FNC for a stay later this month that costs more than $200.

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