Tag Archives: Free Stuff

Keep, Cancel or Convert? US Bank Altitude Reserve Credit Card ($400 Annual Fee)

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Good morning everyone.  As part of my “Keep, Cancel or Convert?” series, I like to evaluate and reevaluate credit (and charge) cards to make sure they still deserve a spot in my wallet.  Last week, I reviewed my American Express Business Platinum Charge Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card.  In today’s post, I will review my US Bank Altitude Reserve Credit Card, which could be my favorite credit card that I never carry (it is my default credit card in my ApplePay wallet though).

Even though the $400 annual fee for this credit card won’t post until March, I have been mentally thinking over my premium credit cards and seeing if there are ways to save some money on annual fees (read I Paid $4,588 in Credit Card Annual Fees in 2019 & Was it Worth it?).  My December credit card statement closed a few weeks ago and I wondered if I get enough value out of this credit card to justify the annual fee.  In 2019, I earned 66,492 FlexPoints (50,000 FlexPoints came from the sign up bonus) and I only spent $8,229 ($4,500 were required to complete the minimum spending requirement).  I will review the credit card benefits and tell you why I think this credit card is a keeper.

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Keep, Cancel or Convert? American Express Business Platinum Charge Card ($595 Annual Fee)

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Good afternoon everyone.  As part of my “Keep, Cancel or Convert?” series, I like to evaluate and reevaluate credit (and charge) cards to make sure they still deserve a spot in my wallet.  Last month, the $595 annual fee posted on my American Express Business Platinum Charge Card.  I have read a few recent blog posts about whether to keep or cancel the AMEX Platinum Card (from Frequent Miler and Your Mileage May Vary), so I wanted to share my view on this card.

First things first, I added my brother as an authorized user so he could access the Centurion Lounges, Escape Lounges, and Priority Pass Lounges (no more restaurants).  He used the card a few times, but he decided that the $300 annual fee was not worth it to him.  My statement closed on December 2, I called AMEX on December 2 or 3, and said I would like to downgrade my brother’s AMEX Business Platinum to a no annual fee AMEX Business Green (which comes with no perks, other than the $100 Global Entry credit).  AMEX processed the downgrade request right away, but did not provide a full refund (I was charged $1.64 for those 2 days).  Seems kind of petty to me, but let’s see if I decided to keep, cancel, or convert my AMEX Business Platinum.

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American Express Business Platinum Airline Credit Used for 2 $99 JetBlue Seat Assignments

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Good morning everyone, I hope your week is going well.  As part of My 5 New Year’s Travel Resolutions for 2020, I said that I would “Use American Express Airline Fee Credits (Without Buying Airline GCs / eGCs).”  So far in 2020, I am following through on my resolution.  Last month, I used my JetBlue True Blue Points to book flights for Laura and I to fly from SFO to BOS.  It is a 5.5 hour red eye flight, so I looked at how much the Even More Space seats cost and found out the seats I wanted were $99 each.  Instead of purchasing those seats with cash in 2019, I decided to use the $200 airline fee credit that comes with my American Express Business Platinum Charge Card to cover the charges.  I selected JetBlue as my airline for 2020 and paid for the 2 seats with my AMEX Business Platinum.  The pending charge looked like a single $198 JetBlue purchase…

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4 Buy Miles / Points Promos Ending Soon: American (26%), Spirit (30%), Wyndham (40%) & Air France / KLM (75%)

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Good afternoon everyone.  I was working on my Buy Miles & Points Page and found a few offers ending soon.  Always check the math to make sure that buying miles & points makes sense for you.  Do not buy miles & points speculatively unless you have a use in mind.  With that said, here are 4 offers that end in the next week.  Up first, American Airlines is offering up to a 26% discount, depending on the number of American Airlines AAdvantage Miles you purchase.  This offer expires on January 12.

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New Chase Offers: Kimpton Hotels (20%), Audible (10%) & Kindle (20%)

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Good morning everyone.  I just checked my Chase app and spotted a few new Chase Offers.  Check your Chase account to see if you had these offers or other new Chase Offers.  I found all these offers on my Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card (this is the Chase credit card that I use the most, so I tend to get the most offers on this credit card).

  • Kimpton Hotels: 20% cash back (minimum $100, max out with $600 purchase)
  • Audible: 10% cash back (max out with $20 purchase)
  • Kindle: 20% cash back (max out with $10 purchase) – same offer as Bank of America’s BankAmeriDeal

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