Tag Archives: American Express

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Hotel Review: Hilton Beijing Capital Airport (Beautiful Hotel Close to PEK)

Good morning everyone.  As part of my 10 Day Asia Trip, I spent my first night at the Hilton Beijing Capital Airport.  This hotel is 5 minutes away from Beijing Capital Airport (PEK) and I took the complimentary airport shuttle to the hotel.  Before I arrived in Beijing, the front desk sent me a helpful email with directions on where to meet the airport shuttle.  When I originally booked this hotel a few months ago, I believe the price was roughly $190 USD, but I opted to use 40,000 Hilton Honors Points instead.  A few days before my trip, I checked the hotel prices and the price was down to around $120 USD or 36,000 Hilton Honors Points.  I ended up cancelling my points reservation and rebooking the paid rate.  Between paying with my American Express Hilton Aspire Credit Card, my Hilton Diamond Elite Status, and various Hilton promos, I ended up earning 9,450 Hilton Honors Points, which is worth $47.25 to me (I value Hilton Honors Points at 0.5 cents per point).

I’ve stayed at a handful of airport hotels, but this hotel was different… it was really nice!  The check in area was beautiful, my room was great, the lounge was refreshing, and the breakfast spread had many options.

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Image source: https://www.hilton.com.cn/file/images/20170908/20170908114846521EcmVbcJ.jpg

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I Completed My 4 Credit Card July App-O-Rama (Sign Up Bonus Posting Details)

Good morning everyone, I hope you had a great weekend.  In mid July, I applied for 5 credit cards and was ultimately approved for 4 credit card in my July App-O-Rama.  Here are the credit cards and their sign up bonus details (listed in the order the sign up bonus posted):

  • American Express Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit Card – spend $3,000 in 3 months and get 70,000 Delta SkyMiles
  • Wells Fargo Propel World Credit Card – spend $3,000 in 3 months and get 40,000 Wells Fargo GoFar Rewards Points
  • Banco Popular Avianca Vuela Credit Card – spend $1,000 in 3 months and get 60,000 Avianca LifeMiles
  • Citi Premier Credit Card – spend $4,000 in 3 months and get 60,000 Citi Thank You Points

I have had all of these credit cards before (with the exception of the American Express Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit Card), so I will share my dates and churning details in this post.  I have also written about some of these sign up bonuses already, so I will link to those posts too.  Without further ado, let’s start with my American Express Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit Card.

American Express Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit Card

This was the quickest sign up bonus to post (with the miles posting 9 days after applying for this credit card).  I wrote more details of the quick sign up bonus here.  As of today, I haven’t used the Delta SkyMiles yet and do not have any immediate plans to use them.

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American Express Card Changes: Claims Resolution, Person to Person Transactions & Plan It Feature

Good morning everyone, I hope you had a great Labor Day Weekend.  My American Express Gold Card statement just closed and I noticed that there were a few “Important Changes” listed at the bottom of my statement.  I will share the details of those changes and provide my thoughts.  There was also a change to the Plan It feature listed on my American Express Everyday Credit Card statement, which I will share at the bottom of the post.  To get started, American Express announced immediate changes to the “Claims Resolution and Claims Resolution for Covered Borrowers” section and upcoming changes regarding “Limits on person-to-person transactions” that will go into effect on November 1, 2019.

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My Disappointing Experience with AMEX Business Platinum 35% Membership Rewards Point Rebate

Good morning everyone, I hope you had a great weekend.  2 months ago, I wrote First Class Flights Cheaper than Economy with AMEX Business Platinum 35% Membership Rewards Points Rebate.  In that post, I showed how I booked an Alaska Airlines first class flight using American Express Membership Rewards Points to trigger the 35% Membership Rewards Points rebate.  That flight was booked on May 30 for travel in mid October and cost 19,666 Membership Rewards Points.  According to the benefit terms, the rebate should appear in 6-10 weeks.  Based on the May 30 booking date, the 10 week mark was August 8.  I kept checking my Membership Rewards account ever few days in August, but no Membership Rewards Points ever posted.  On Friday, I decided to call the American Express Membership Rewards department to investigate the issue.  What ensued was not a very pleasant experience with the rep.

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American Express Delta Platinum Credit Card Sign Up Bonus Posts Fast (70K SkyMiles + 10K MQMs)

Good afternoon everyone.  A few days ago, I wrote Unboxing American Express Delta Platinum SkyMiles Credit Card: Card Art, Welcome Documents & Benefits.  In that post, I mentioned that the sign up bonus for the American Express Delta Platinum Credit Card was 70,000 Delta SkyMiles and 10,000 Medallion Qualifying Miles (MQMs) after spending $3,000 in 3 months.  I am happy to report that the sign up bonus posts really fast after you complete the minimum spending requirement.  After logging into my American Express online account, I found out that the 70,000 Delta SkyMiles posted to my Delta account (I had less than 5,000 Delta SkyMiles a week ago, now I have 74,564 Delta SkyMiles).

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