Tag Archives: Chase Bank

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Transfer Times to JetBlue from AMEX Membership Rewards, Citi Thank You Points & Chase Ultimate Rewards

Good morning everyone.  A few days ago, Frequent Miler wrote a post that Citi Thank You Points Transfers to JetBlue were getting better (1,000 : 1,000 transfers), so I wanted to check out transfer times from all the major credit card programs.  I wrote a similar post about Transfer Times to KLM / Air France and Transfer Times to Singapore Airlines.  I tested transfers from American Express Membership Rewards Points, Citi Thank You Points, and Chase Ultimate Rewards Points.  I was going to try a transfer from Marriott Rewards to JetBlue, but the conversion was so bad, I couldn’t do it (see the screenshots below).  JetBlue TrueBlue Points do not have a fixed value and they can range in value from 1 cent up to 2.5 cents, if you find the right redemption.  In some cases, you are better off paying for JetBlue travel than redeeming JetBlue TrueBlue Points.

But with that said, sometimes it makes sense to transfer points into your JetBlue account.  I started with a transfer from American Express Membership Rewards Points since you can transfer in 250 point increments.  Unfortunately, since JetBlue is an American airline, American Express charges a fee for the transfer, either 30 Membership Rewards Points or 15 cents.  The amount of the fee varies depending on the number of points you transfer.

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Chase IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card 100,000 Points Sign Up Bonus Posted (Matched via Secure Message)

Good morning everyone.  As part of my Mini July App-O-Rama, I was approved for the Chase IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card.  The sign up bonus was for 80,000 IHG Points after spending $2,000 in 3 months + $50 statement credit after your first purchase.  A few days before my new credit card arrived, Chase increased the sign up bonus to 100,000 IHG Points after spending $3,000 in 3 months, so I sent Chase a Secure Message (SM) to get matched to that offer.  A few days later, I shared my welcome letter & card art; and a few days after that, I shared details of the $50 statement credit.

Chase responded to my Secure Message stating that after I spend $3,000 in 3 months on my new Chase IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card, I should respond to the Secure Message and let them know when the $3,000 spending was complete.  Chase would then manually add 20,000 IHG Points to my account.  I am happy to share the details of Chase’s Secure Message response.  The Chase rep verified that I spent more than $3,000 on my new credit card and stated that the 20,000 IHG Points would post to my IHG account on my next credit card statement.  Luckily, I didn’t have to wait long…

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Track Credit Card Sign Up Bonuses, Annual Fees & 5/24 Score with TravelFreely

Good morning everyone, I hope you had a great weekend.  A few weeks ago, I was in Denver and went to the Front Range Travel Hackers Meetup Group.  At the meetup, I met Zac, the founder of TravelFreely, a website he created to track credit card sign up bonuses (deadlines to complete the minimum spending requirements), track credit card annual fees, calculate your 5/24 Score, and make it easy for you to track your credit cards along with your spouse / companion’s credit cards.  And by the way, the service is completely free and you can set up your account in a few minutes (unless you have 30+ credit cards like me, in which case, it could take a little longer).  Without further ado, here is how TravelFreely works.  To get started, sign up for your free TravelFreely account here.  Enter your name, email address, and click the Get Started button.

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How to Combine SPG & Marriott Accounts (Points, Lifetime Status & Free Night Certificates)

Good morning everyone, happy Friday!  I’m not a huge fan of SPG or Marriott and didn’t give too much thought to choosing a reward package, so I’m far from an expert when it comes to the SPG / Marriott merger.  But I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night…  But I did just combine my old SPG / new Marriott account with my existing Marriott account, so I wanted to show you the steps and share some of the interesting things about the combination process.  First thing first, I signed into my new Marriott account (old SPG account) and it shows that I have 3,495 Marriott Rewards Points, which sounds right, since I did have 1,165 SPG Points in my account.  It also shows 2 “Standard Redemption Rate” awards – I’m not sure what those are, but I think they are related to my 2 SPG award stays booked on July 11.

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Which Credit Cards Offer Free (or Almost Free) Companion Tickets?

There are many choices when it comes to increasing our miles and points so we can travel more for less. Recently, however, when using my companion passes and free tickets from credit cards, my friend Carrie asked how that worked and which credit cards came with that perk. Good question!  There are many credit cards that come with free bags or priority boarding. Along with those benefits, these three credit cards also provide a free (or almost free) companion ticket benefit.

Bank of America Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Credit Card

The Alaska Airlines credit card is one I’ve had for many years and I never miss using the Companion Fare. Essentially, this annual benefit is a free buy-one-get-one ticket in economy class. The primary traveler must pay the fare, but the companion pays just $99 plus taxes and fees. I always get more than the annual fee of $75 in value per year using this fare. I’ve used it for trips across the US and most recently to Seattle. The certificate is easy to apply to your fare and more than worth the annual fee.

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