Tag Archives: Chase Ultimate Rewards Points

a close-up of a logo

My IHG Hotel Strategy: Points, Free Night Certificates & Multiple Rebookings

Posted on by . 8 Replies

Good afternoon everyone.  Last week, Laura and I were in New York City for her Spring Break.  I had 2 IHG Free Night Certificates (40K capped FNC from my old Chase IHG Select Credit Card and a 40K uncapped FNC from my Chase IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card) that were expiring soon that I wanted to use.  We were staying for 4 nights, so I could have used the IHG 4th Night Free Benefit, but I wanted to use up those 2 IHG FNCs instead.  We decided to stay at the Crowne Plaza Times Square because the hotel is 1-2 blocks away from Times Square, surrounded by many musical theaters, very close to many subway lines (including the subway that goes from Manhattan to JFK (via the Jamaica Station), and walking distance to Central Park / Cruise Terminal / Rockefeller Center, etc.

I didn’t take screenshots during the booking process, but here is the booking strategy I used which I will explain below.  To get started, I searched for 4 nights to ensure that there was availability every night using points.  I clicked the Select Hotel button to view more details.

a screenshot of a hotel

Continue reading →

a woman with blonde hair and a green shirt

I Paid $4,807 in Credit Card Annual Fees in 2023 – Was it Worth it?

Posted on by . 15 Replies

Good evening everyone, I hope your holiday season is going well.  With the end of the year right around the corner, I decided to publish my 2023 version of credit card annual fees I paid this year.  For comparison, here are my previous credit card annual fee posts:

For this year’s post, I decided to break up the list of credit cards into 5 sections:

  • New credit cards with sign up bonuses
  • Credit cards with retention offers
  • Credit cards that have been upgraded / downgraded / product changed
  • Annual fees saved on closed credit cards
  • All other credit cards

Continue reading →

a woman with blonde hair and a green shirt

My 6 Credit Card App-O-Rama: Results & Reconsideration Calls

Posted on by . 8 Replies

Good afternoon everyone, happy Friday!  A few weeks ago, I applied for 6 new credit cards in my most recent App-O-Rama (which doesn’t work as well as it used to work, back in the good ol’ days), but I wanted to share my results and reconsideration calls.  Warning: I don’t recommend applying for multiple cards in the same day (“do as I say, not as I do”).  With that said, I started with the American Express Blue Business Plus Credit Card that has a 75,000 American Express Membership Rewards Points signup bonus after spending $15,000 in 12 months.  Check out this Doctor of Credit post for more info.

a blue card with text and a picture on it

Continue reading →

a woman with blonde hair and a green shirt

Which Credit & Debit Cards are in my Wallet, ApplePay Wallet, and Travel Wallet? (August 2023)

Posted on by . 2 Replies

Good morning everyone.  We all know the classic Capital One line, “What’s in your wallet?” (spoiler alert: no Capital One Credit Cards are currently in my real wallet), but I thought it would be fun to do this type of post monthly or every other month, depending on which credit cards I am currently using.  At last count, I currently have 40+ personal and business credit cards, but I don’t carry or use every credit card every month.  I treat my credit cards like tools in a tool box, each credit card has a specific use and no credit card is perfect for every situation.  I also have 3 “wallets” for my credit cards: the physical cards that I carry with me in my iPhone case, the credit and debit cards in my ApplePay Wallet, and the credit cards in my travel wallet (aka backpack) that I use when I travel.  I will go through my 3 “wallets”, but the cards in my ApplePay Wallet and travel wallet (aka backpack) don’t change very often.

Credit Cards in my iPhone Case / Wallet

Last week, I was approved for the Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card that currently offers a sign up bonus of 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points after spending $8,000 in 3 months.  I am meeting the minimum spend on this credit card by paying for a few home improvement projections, car insurance, and any other large purchase that will get me closer to my $8,000 minimum spending requirement.  I don’t have immediate plans for these 100K Chase Ultimate Rewards Points, but I can always use more Chase Ultimate Rewards Points.

a blue credit card with silver text

Continue reading →

a blue and white sign with white letters

Uline Purchases Do No Code as 5x Office Supply Stores with Chase Ink Plus (Codes as Shipping Supplies / Catalog Merchant)

Posted on by . 4 Replies

Good morning everyone, I hope your weekend is off to a great start.  This post is probably only relevant to the 0.01% of people who shop at Uline (the huge shipping and office supply company that provides materials for home offices, small businesses, large warehouses, and events).  Many years ago when I was an eBay PowerSeller, I used to buy lots of boxes, padded envelopes, and other shipping supplies from Uline since they had the best prices and great customer service.  Fast forward to last week, I ordered 3 industrial storage cabinets from Uline and paid with my Chase Ink Plus Credit Card since I assumed the charge would code as a 5x office supply store, like Staples, Office Depot, and Quill, but unfortunately, the charge only coded as a 1x transaction (Uline Shipping Supplies – Catalog Merchant).

a close-up of a receipt

Continue reading →