Tag Archives: Chase Bank

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Stacking Carnival Cruise Line Fun Match “Free” Cruise with 2x $35 Off $100 Chase Offer & BankAmeriDeal

Good morning everyone, I hope your week is going well.  A few weeks ago, I followed Nick’s advice from Frequent Miler and got a “free” cruise from Carnival Cruise Line.  Nick also got me a “free” Holland America Cruise, so if I ever see Nick on the High Seas, I will be sure to buy him a refreshing drink (or two).  Technically, these “free” cruises aren’t really free, I still had to pay a few hundred dollars in taxes, fees, port expenses, and gratuities, but I’m excited to go on my first cruise since my 2002 cruise to Alaska (scroll to the bottom to see some old school photos).

With the Carnival Fun Match promo, I received an offer for a “free” room (up to a balcony room), $50 in FunPlay credit, free drinks in the casino, and $100 OnBoard Credit per person. To reduce the cost, I split the $200 deposit and paid with 2 credit cards to trigger 2x $35 statement credits.

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My 2 Unsuccessful Retention Offer Calls for Chase Marriott Bonvoy Premier Plus Business & AMEX Gold

Good morning everyone, I hope your week is going well. Yesterday, I called Chase and American Express about 2 credit cards that had annual fees that just posted. When I called Chase about my Chase Marriott Bonvoy Premier Plus Business Credit Card (no longer available for sign up or product change), I told the rep that the $99 annual fee just posted to my account and that I wasn’t using this credit card very much since I use my JPMorgan Chase Ritz Carlton Credit Card (no longer available for sign up, but can be product changed into) for my Marriott purchases.  I asked the rep if they were able to waive the annual fee. The rep looked for retention offers and said there were no offers available.  For reference, in past years, I have received retention offers of $50 or $100.

Generally, I prefer to keep credit cards that are no longer available, unless there is a very good reason to close or product change them to another credit card, so I decided to keep the card open.  With that said, I can easily get more than $99 of value with the 35K Marriott Free Night Certificate that comes with this credit card each year. In fact, I already redeemed my 35K FNC for a stay later this month that costs more than $200.

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My Search for the Best Credit Card for Peloton Bike Rental Monthly Subscriptions

Good morning everyone.  A few months ago, I decided to get a Peloton Bike Rental and *try* to get in better shape for 2023.  The total monthly cost of the bike rental and all-access membership is $96.56 and this Mashable article explains more about the pros and cons of the rental program along with the cancellation period and buyout options.  If you are considering buying a Peloton bike, you might be better off with the rent to own model.  Anyway, let’s focus on which credit card is best for Peloton bike rental monthly subscriptions.

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PSA: ApplePay **DOES NOT WORK** with Chase IHG Rewards Select, Premier, or Business Credit Cards [Partially Resolved]

Updated at 6:15pm PT on 2/6/23: This evening, I was able to add my Chase IHG Select Credit Card and Chase IHG Premier Credit Card to ApplePay, but I was not able to add my Chase IHG Business Credit Card.  My friend is still not able to add either of the personal IHG credit cards.

Good afternoon everyone, I hope your week is off to a great start.  Earlier today, I noticed a great Chase Offer on several Chase credit cards for $5 off a $10 restaurant purchase.  I added the Chase Offer to all my eligible Chase credit cards, including my Chase IHG Select Credit Card (no longer available) and Chase IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card.  I don’t carry all of my credit cards with me, so I planned on adding those 2 Chase IHG credit cards to my ApplePay Wallet.  Unfortunately, after several attempts and after speaking with a few Chase phone reps, I learned that the personal IHG credit cards and the Chase IHG Rewards Premier Business Credit Card do not work on ApplePay.

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Wild Prediction: Chase Freedom Unlimited will Change to 2X Everywhere

Good afternoon everyone, I hope your week is going well.  As you know, I like to make Wild & Crazy Airline, Hotel & Credit Card Predictions.  Today’s prediction missed the official 2023 deadline, but it just came to me, so I thought it was worth sharing.  As I reminder, I am 100% correct 1% correct on my predictions, so take this with a grain of salt.

As a reminder, the Chase Freedom Unlimited Credit Card currently earns 1.5% cash back everywhere (1.5X Chase Ultimate Rewards per dollar).  That used to be great until the likes of the Citi Double Cash Credit Card (2% cash back everyone / 2x Citi ThankYou Points), American Express Blue Business Plus Credit Card (2X Membership Rewards Points everywhere), Capital One Venture X Credit Card (2X Capital One Miles everywhere), and the handful of other 2% cash back cards came onto the scene.

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