Tag Archives: American Express

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

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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My Experience Using the InKind App at 3 Restaurants in Seattle

Good morning everyone.  A few days ago, I spent a long weekend with my brother and dad in Seattle.  We went to a few Seattle Kraken hockey games, a few Seattle Mariners baseball games, went on a locks cruise to Lake Union, took off in a sea plane from Lake Union, and wandered around Woodland Park Zoo.  With all of those activities, we worked up big appetites.  Luckily, I had some InKind credit to use and there were many excellent restaurants in Seattle that worked with InKind.  If you are unfamiliar with InKind, please read My Experience with the InKind App to Pay Restaurant Bill, $25 Referral Credit, & $50 AMEX Offer.

In today’s post, I will highlight the restaurants I went to, the issue I encountered with splitting an InKind bill with my brother, and the $24 March Madness bonus I unlocked.  Since I tend to eat early and I like good deals, we did happy hour at Bourbon Steak, Tavolata, and The Victor Tavern.  There are many restaurants throughout Seattle that partner with InKind.  To see the whole list, go to the Explore tab, type in the city name, and then click the up arrow at the bottom of the screen.

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My Recent Retention Offers for AMEX Blue Business Plus & US Bank Altitude Reserve

Good morning everyone, I hope your week is going well.  Over the last few weeks, I made retention calls on 2 credit cards and I wanted to share my data points.  I started with the American Express Blue Business Plus Credit Card.  Even though this credit card doesn’t have an annual fee, I had heard others had success getting retention offers, so I decided to call and see if there were any offers.  I started with the AMEX Chat, but the chat rep said I needed to call a specific department to talk about retention offers.  On the phone, I explained to the rep that I have been using my American Express Business Platinum Card and American Express Business Gold Card a lot recently and haven’t been using my AMEX Blue Business Plus very much lately and I was considering closing the card.  The rep checked the offers and said they could offer me a $50 statement credit with no spend.  I asked if there were any other offers, but there were no better offers available, so I gladly accepted the offer.  The $50 statement credit posted to my account a few days later.

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Forgot Card? Access American Express Centurion Lounges & Capital One Lounges with Phone

Good morning everyone.  Yesterday, my friend told me that there is a way to access American Express Centurion Lounges and Capital One Lounges without having your American Express Platinum Card, American Express Business Platinum Card, or Capital One Venture X Credit Card with you at the airport.  You just need to sign into the American Express app or Capital One app and there is a way to display a QR code to access the lounges.  I never knew this feature existed, so I thought it would be worth sharing in case you ever find yourself at a lounge without your card.  Several years ago, I wrote a similar post for Priority Pass: Access Priority Pass Lounges without your Card (Use Priority Pass App & Apple Wallet).

Access to American Express Centurion Lounges

To get started, download the American Express app (iOS or Android).  Then sign into the app, select your personal or business Platinum card, and then click the Membership button on the bottom.

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Hilton Timeshare Vacation Package Deals: $299 for 4 Night Stay + 150,000 HH Points (7 Destinations Available) [Expires January 10]

Good afternoon everyone, I hope your week is going well.  I just received a great timeshare vacation package offer from Hilton Grand Vacations that should be available to everyone.  There are 7 destinations available to choose from and the cost is $299 for a 4 Night / 5 Day stay, plus you will get 150,000 Hilton Honors Points.  150K HH Points is worth $750 to me, so Hilton Grand Vacations is giving you a 4 night stay + $750 in points in exchange for paying $299 and attending a 2 hour timeshare sales presentation.  That is a pretty sweet deal!  I have experience with timeshare sales presentations and they are not too bad.  I will go through the booking process to show you what it is like, what is included, and how much it costs.

Here is the email I received and here is the link to the landing page.  This offer expires on Tuesday, January 10, 2023, so act fast if you are interested.

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