Tag Archives: American Express

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Which 10 Credit Cards am I Considering for my March App-O-Rama?

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Good morning everyone, happy Thursday.  My last App-O-Rama (where I applied for several new credit cards at the same time) was back in mid December 2016.  I usually wait 3+ months between App-O-Ramas, so the time has come to start my next round of credit card applications.  I am going to list the credit cards I have in mind in the order in which I will probably apply for them.  If you have any feedback on my strategy or think I am missing or applying for the wrong credit cards, please leave a comment below. Without further ado, let’s begin…

1. American Express SPG Business Credit Card – 25,000 SPG points after spending $5,000 in 90 days and an additional 10,000 SPG points after spending $3,000 in 120 days.  No annual fee the first year, then $95 in the second year.

With the impending merger with Marriott, this might be my last opportunity to apply for the SPG business credit card.  I can’t pass up this opportunity. 35,000 SPG points are worth ~$700 in hotel nights and airfare (and possibly much more).

2. Bank of America MERRILL+ Credit Card – 50,000 points after spending $3,000 in 90 days.  No annual fee.

Doctor of Credit reports that you can apply for this credit card over the phone.  50,000 points is worth $500 cash or up to $1,000 toward airfare. Continue reading →

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$100 Statement Credit from Delta AMEX Offer Posts Very Quickly

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Good afternoon everyone.  A few days ago, American Express released a few new AMEX Offers, the best being for Delta Airlines.  Spend $500 or more on Delta airline tickets and get a $100 statement credit.  If you have any travel coming up on Delta, this is an easy offer to complete.  Unfortunately, this offer is somewhat targeted and only showed up on 2 of my 6 cards (Old Blue Cash and Blue Cash Everyday).  In this post, I will show you how quickly the $100 statement credit posts after you purchase your Delta airline tickets online.

Delta AMEX Offer $100 Off $500

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US Bank FlexPerks Travel Rewards Visa Signature & American Express Downgrade / Conversion Options

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Good morning everyone, happy Friday!  I am flying to Phoenix this weekend to watch some Spring Training baseball games, go to a Phoenix Suns basketball game, and maybe catch a Phoenix Coyotes hockey game – lots of sports in my future!

In credit card related news, both my US Bank FlexPerks Travel Rewards Visa Signature Credit Card and US Bank FlexPerks Travel Rewards American Express Credit Card had $49 annual fees that just posted.  I got both credit cards during various Summer / Winter Olympic promos and have since spent down the majority of my FlexPoints.  The only reason to keep the FlexPerks Visa Signature card is for 3x at charity (making Kiva loans) or 2x at gas stations and grocery stores.  You do get 10 Gogo Wifi Passes every cardmember year, but I seem to earn them faster than I can redeem them (plus the American Express Business Platinum Charge Card gave me 10 free Gogo Wifi Passes that I have yet to use either).  As for the FlexPerks American Express card (no longer offered – it has since been replaced by the US Bank FlexPerks Gold American Express Credit Card), I really never use that card either.

Long story short, both credit cards had annual fees that posted and I wanted to downgrade / convert to credit cards with no annual fees.  Here is my journey calling US Bank and figuring out which credit cards you can downgrade / convert to.  The obvious choice is the US Bank FlexPerks Select Plus American Express Credit Card that earns FlexPoints and has no annual fee.

3 Current US Bank FlexPerks Credit Cards

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Easily Track Credit Card Sign Up Bonuses & Bank Account Bonuses with these 2 Spreadsheets

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Hat tip to my friends Bodie and Ramzi for the reminder.

Good afternoon everyone.  2 weekends ago, I was at FTU (Frequent Traveler University) Advanced in Seattle and, naturally, the topic of credit card sign up bonuses and bank account bonuses came up.  Call me old fashioned, but I have a spreadsheet for just about everything – including credit card sign up bonuses and bank account bonuses.  If you are just getting into the credit card or bank account bonus game (I made $2,850 last year from bank account bonuses), it is very important to be detail-oriented and organized.  I have used these 2 spreadsheets since day 1 (I’ve made some modifications along the way), but I think they can definitely keep you organized.  Up first, I have my Credit Card Sign Up Bonus Template.xlsx.  Let me explain this spreadsheet.  Please ask me a question if I miss anything or if anything is unclear:

  • Credit card name, merchant type, credit card number, CVV (3 digit code on the back or 4 digit code on the front of AMEX cards) and expiration date are pretty self explanatory.  I use real data and password protect the spreadsheet, but you can use the last 4 digits of your cards if you feel more comfortable.  I use real data so I can purchase anything online, wherever I am, without having to carry every single card with me.
  • Phone numbers are great for calling customer service without having the card in front of you and come in handy if your card is lost or stolen (most of these numbers are saved into my phone as well).
  • Credit limit is not super useful, but if I need to make a large purchase, I know exactly which cards have big credit limits.  It can also be helpful if you need to make a reconsideration call and move some credit around from existing credit cards.
  • I also track all of my debit cards and authorized user cards so all the info is in one place.

Credit Card Sign Up Bonus Template 1

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Grant is Back from South America: Upcoming Hotel Reviews & Trip Reports

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Good morning everyone, I am back from my week-long trip around South America.  I was going to write about my experience during the trip, but I accidentally left my laptop charger on my flight to Bogota, Colombia, so I had no way to charge my laptop during the trip.  With that said, here is a tentative list of blog posts that I will write about my trip.  Here are my 4 hotel reviews:

  • Aloft Bogota Airport Hotel (3,000 SPG Points / Night)
  • Holiday Inn Buenos Aires Ezeiza Airport Hotel (20,000 IHG Points / Night)
  • Sheraton Iguazú Resort & Spa (Iguazu Falls, Argentina) (12,000 SPG Points / Night)
  • Sheraton Libertador Hotel (Buenos Aires, Argentina) (7,000 SPG Points / Night)

Along with those hotel reviews, I am going to share my experience with these trip reports:

  • How Cheap is Bogota, Colombia?
  • Should you Visit the Argentine or Brazilian Side of Iguazu Falls?
  • Buenos Aires Centurion Lounge (Access with US AMEX Platinum Card)

There are also a few upcoming posts from Shelli about her interview with a full time Uber driver and her next stop on her coffee world tour.  Whitney just got back from her trip to Spain, so she will have several posts about her trip.  I’m not sure what Tonei and Will the Tactical Traveler are working on, but I am sure they have some interesting posts in the pipeline.

If you have any questions about any of my upcoming hotel reviews or trip reports, please leave a comment below.  Have a great day everyone!

P.S. Here is a sneak peak of our trip to Iguazu Falls, full of rainbows and big water falls.