Tag Archives: American Express

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Mini July App-O-Rama: AMEX Hilton Business & Chase IHG Premier

Updated 8/2/18 at 2pm PT: The current highest Chase IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card offer is 100,000 IHG points after spending $3,000 in 3 months + $50 statement credit after first purchase.  Read this post for more info.


Good morning everyone, I hope you had a great weekend.  I wanted to give a special thank you to the members of the Front Range Travel Hackers meetup group in Denver.  I had a great time speaking with you guys on Saturday afternoon.  I have a few other posts about Denver, but today, I wanted to talk about my mini July App-O-Rama.  Last Wednesday, I applied for 2 new credit cards: the American Express Hilton Honors Business Credit Card and the Chase IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card.  Let’s talk about the first card now.

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I love Hilton properties and love being a Hilton Diamond Elite Member, thanks to my recent American Express Hilton Honors Aspire Credit Card.  Right now, you can get the American Express Hilton Honors Business Credit Card with 100,000 Hilton Points, a $50 statement credit and no annual fee when you do a dummy Hilton hotel booking (thanks DOC).  You get the $50 statement credit after your first purchase and the 100,000 Hilton Points after you spend $3,000 within 3 months.  When you get to the payment page, look for the credit card ad on the page (if you do not see it, you may need to disable ad blocker on the site), and click the ad.

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Don’t Make Me Opt Out, American Express!

Seems to me credit card companies are getting something backwards. Their “protecting our privacy” policies have it all wrong, and I was reminded of this when I took a look at this notice American Express sent me. Starting September 1, 2018, unless I ASK THEM not to share the information associated with my credit card, they’ll share it with their business partners.

Of course American Express is trying to convince me that sharing my information with their business partners will bring me wonderful offers for products and services. But no matter how great these offers might be, the fact that I have to log into my account or call American Express to OPT OUT still seems backwards and frankly, irks me.

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Don’t Leave These SPG Bonus Points on the Table–Register Now!

What’s the best kind of bonus point? The ones that are free, of course. Free bonus points for what we’ll do or what we’d spend, anyway, are the best kind. Don’t forget to register for this SPG bonus Starpoints offer! It runs through July 20, and two of my favorite Sheraton properties are included. The Sheraton in Krakow is a beautiful property in a great location. And you all know how I feel about the Sheraton Lisboa after my fun trip to Portugal last year. So register for this promotion because generally speaking, if Starpoints are out there, it’s good to make sure they end up in our accounts!

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When Does the AMEX Hilton Aspire Free Weekend Night Certificate Post to Your Account?

Good morning everyone.  A few months ago, I was approved for the American Express Hilton Aspire Credit Card (referral link).  As part of sign up bonus, you get 100,000 Hilton Honors Points after spending $4,000 in 3 months, you get Hilton Diamond Elite Status as long as you have the credit card, $250 airline fee credit every calendar year, and a Free Weekend Night Certificate every cardmember anniversary (good for a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday night stay at qualifying Hilton properties).

A few days ago, I received the following email from Hilton with the subject line of “Your Rewards has arrived!” with details of my Free Weekend Night Certificate.  In today’s post, I will share how long it takes to get the Free Weekend Night Certificate and where you can see the code.

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Does the $450 Annual Fee Count Toward AMEX Hilton Aspire Minimum Spend? Maybe Yes

Good morning everyone.  On May 15, I received my 100,000 Hilton Honors Points from my new American Express Hilton Aspire Credit Card (referral link).  This credit card requires $4,000 in minimum spending within 3 months to get the 100,000 Hilton Honors Points.  The strange thing is, I think I got the 100,000 Hilton Honors Points before I completed the full $4,000 in minimum spend.  I believe I was a few hundred dollars short by May 15, but it looks like the $450 annual fee counted toward the $4,000 minimum spend.  My friend recently got his 100,000 Hilton Honors Points and noticed the same thing.  Let me see if I can dig a little deeper and see what is going on.

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