Tag Archives: Chase Bank

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I Paid $4,588 in Credit Card Annual Fees in 2019 – Was it Worth it?

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Good morning everyone.  As we approach the end of the year, I decided to take a look at my credit card spreadsheet and see how much my wife and I paid in annual fees this year.  I removed all the no annual fee credit cards and here are the 26 credit cards that have annual fees (sorted alphabetically).  I will break down this list into cards that I am 99% sure that I will cancel, 99% sure that I will keep, and the 50/50 cards that I might keep or cancel.  Read through this post and let me know if you agree or disagree with my thinking.

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Upgraded JPMorgan Chase Ritz Carlton Visa Infinite Credit Card $300 Annual Travel Credit for 2019 Still Available

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Good morning everyone, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and any other holiday in between that I missed.  A few weeks ago, I wrote Why Did I Upgrade my Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Visa Signature to JPMorgan Chase Ritz Carlton Visa Infinite?  In that post, I went through all the card benefits and explained why this card was interesting to me.  One of the key features of this card is the $300 annual travel credit.  Accord to the terms and condition, the $300 Annual Travel Credit can be used for the following purchases, “airline lounge day pass, or towards a yearly lounge membership of your choice; airline seat upgrades; airline baggage fees; in-flight Internet/entertainment; in-flight meals.”

Since I still had a few weeks left in the year, I called JPMorgan Chase and asked if the $300 annual travel credit was available to me since I recently upgraded from the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card.  The rep said yes and listed the same qualifying purchases as above.  I started thinking about my upcoming trips to see if I could pay for airline seat upgrades on any of my flights…

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My 2 Free Spire Elite Status Gifts: 25K IHG Points & Hertz Five Star Status

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Good afternoon everyone.  A few weeks ago, I received an email from IHG stating that I had reached IHG Spire Elite Status which required 75 qualified nights or 75,000 qualifying points.  This was surprising to me since I haven’t spent that many nights at IHG hotels this year (only 16 nights in 2019), but I did have a few expensive hotel stays this year (82,768 qualifying points in 2019).  In the email, it stated 3 key Spire Elite benefits:

  • 100% bonus earning on top of base points (IHG Platinum Elite members get a 50% bonus)
  • Complimentary room upgrades (this is the same as IHG Platinum Elite members)
  • Exclusive annual choice benefit

The last bullet was the one that caught my attention.  I had the option to choose between 25,000 IHG Points or gift someone IHG Platinum Elite Status.  I clicked on the Choose Now button in the email and signed into my IHG account.

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Unboxing my Upgraded JPMorgan Chase Ritz Carlton Visa Infinite Credit Card: Card Art & Welcome Letter

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Good morning everyone, happy Friday!  Last week, I Upgraded my Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Visa Signature to JPMorgan Chase Ritz Carlton Visa Infinite.  A few days later, I received a small UPS Next Day Air package containing my new JPMorgan Chase Ritz Carlton Visa Infinite Credit Card.  I will show you what came in the welcome package.  But first, let’s start with the card art.  This credit card has gone through a few different redesigns and this is the most current version.  I have pictures of the 2 earlier card designs at the bottom of this post that I took from my original JPMorgan Chase Ritz Carlton Visa Infinite Credit Card unboxing in 2016.

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Why Did I Upgrade my Chase Marriott Bonvoy to JPMorgan Chase Ritz Carlton?

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Good morning everyone.  With last week’s news about the demise of the City National Bank CNB Crystal Visa Infinite Credit Card, I needed to find a replacement credit card that offered the $100 Visa Infinite Discount Air Benefit.  With this benefit, you get $100 off roundtrip, domestic flights for 2 or more passengers on select airlines (excludes low cost airlines).  This benefit can be used an unlimited amount of times.  I used to have this benefit when I had the JPMorgan Chase Ritz Carlton Visa Infinite Credit Card, but I downgraded to the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Visa Signature Credit Card a few years ago.  The good news is that the JPMorgan Chase Ritz Carlton Visa Infinite Credit Card is still available, but only as an upgrade option from the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Visa Signature Credit Card.

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$100 off 2 roundtrip domestic tickets with the Visa Infinite Discount Air Benefit

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