Good morning everyone, here is part 1 of my Random News (part 2 will be out shortly with lots of news on credit card rewards, statement credits, retention bonuses, etc.). For now, here are 6 new AMEX offers that came out yesterday:
Good evening everyone, here are some random news stories from today. This morning, I helped my parents with their retention calls. The only call worth listening to is the first one since my dad was able to get a $95 statement credit and a spending challenge on his Citi American Airlines Platinum MasterCard. My dad used this card a fair amount during the last 12 months so I wasn’t that surprised with the generous retention offer. Download Link
The only reason I told him to keep the credit card open is the 10% rebate on the redeemed miles. For example, 2 one way business class flights to Europe cost 100,000 AA miles, shortly after booking the award flight, 10,000 AA miles are rebated and credit back to his AA account. In essence, you are paying $95 for 10,000 AA miles each year if you max out this credit card benefit.
This morning, I made two short calls to American Express and Chase to close two credit cards. I tried asking for retention bonuses or to waive the annual fees last month (read Retention Bonus Results for a Chase United, AMEX Delta, and Citi American Airlines Credit Card), but wanted to see if I would have better luck calling again. I didn’t expect much in terms of retention offers, I probably spend less than $1,000 total on both of these cards over the last 12 months, so I was prepared to close the cards if I didn’t get a good offer. If you are curious, you can listen to the 9 minutes call below, or download it here: AMEX Delta and Chase United Recon Calls.m4a
After striking out getting a retention offer on my American Express Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card, I asked if it was possible to convert the card to an AMEX Everyday (or Preferred) credit card. The agent said it was not possible at this time, so I instead asked for the $5,000 credit line be moved to my American Express Blue Cash Preferred Credit Card. Instead of moving the entire amount, the agent was only able to move $4,500 over, keeping $500 with the Delta credit card. I have to wait a few days for the request to be processed and wait for a letter in the mail from American Express. After the credit line has been moved, I will call back and officially close my Delta credit card. I wish American Express was instant like Chase… Continue reading
Good morning, here are my results from my recent three card retention bonus challenge (read the intro here). If you want to listen to all three reconsideration calls (24 minutes long), please click the play button below. Download link (3-Card-Reconsideration-Calls.m4a).
Here are my results and plans going forward…
Card #1: Chase United MileagePlus Credit Card
Sign up for Uber and get a $10 Uber credit on your first ride (link)
During my weekend in Seattle for FTU Seattle, I had the pleasure to try Uber 4 different times (within 24 hours). For those unfamiliar with Uber, it is an on-demand taxi service, meaning you can request a taxi ride whenever and wherever (Uber is supported). You need a smartphone and the Uber app needs to be installed. Once you load the Uber app, it finds your current location and shows you all drivers nearby. When you are ready to be picked up, just set your pick up location and the nearest available Uber driver will come pick you up. The Uber app shows you where the car is and who the driver is along with the make of the car and their license plate.
You can read the whole article about why Uber is awesome here. Continue reading