Tag Archives: Free Stuff

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Up to 50% Bonus on Alaska Airlines Miles (Expires October 4)

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Good afternoon everyone.  Yesterday, I received an email from Alaska Airlines stating that they have a mystery buy miles promotion with up to a 50% bonus.  I was curious if I was targeted for the 50% bonus offer, and it looks like I was.  I know a lot of people chose Alaska Airlines when they purchased their Marriott Rewards Travel Packages, but if you still need more Alaska Airlines miles, now is the time to buy more.  A 50% bonus is very generation from Alaska Airlines, so check to see if you were targeted for the 50% bonus.  Always remember to check your math before purchasing miles and points and make sure you have a redemption in mind.

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

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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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Chase IHG Premier Credit Card $50 Statement Credit Posted (1 Week After First Purchase)

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Good afternoon everyone, I have a quick update to my recent post: Get Matched to the New Chase IHG Rewards Premier 100,000 Point Sign Up Bonus.  In that post, I sent Chase a Secure Message (SM) and got matched from the 80,000 IHG Points sign up bonus to the 100,000 IHG Points sign up bonus.  In the comments section of that post, readers wanted to know if I would still get the $50 statement credit after my first purchase if I accepted the higher sign up bonus offer.  I’m happy to report that the $50 statement credit posted a few days ago.  My first purchase posted on August 7 and the $50 statement credit posted on August 13, roughly 1 week later.  My $89 annual fee posted on August 1, which is roughly 2 weeks before the $50 statement credit posted.

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Get to the Oakland International Airport (OAK) Escape Lounge Like a Pro

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Disclosure: I have TSA PreCheck, a Clipper Card, and travel with carry-on bags.  If you do not have TSA PreCheck, your security screening will take longer.  If you do not have a Clipper Card, you will need to buy a one-way BART ticket prior to riding BART.  If you need to check your bags, you will need to drop off your bags before going through security.  With that said, here is how to get to the Oakland International Airport Escape Lounge like a pro.

Good morning everyone.  Last week, I wrote Get to the SFO Centurion Lounge Like a Pro.  I wanted to show the East Bay some love too, so I will show you how to get to the Oakland International Airport Escape Lounge like a pro.  This lounge is part of the Escape Lounge collection and is accessible for free if you have an American Express Platinum Charge Card (you can bring in 2 guests for free).  The lounge is located in Terminal 1, between gates 8 and 8A.  The lounge opens at 5am and closes at 9pm, unless the airport is quiet and the lounge will close early.  I’ve been to the Escape Lounge a few times and I recommend reading Points with a Crew’s review of the Escape Lounge.

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Image source: https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2016/11/11/norwegian-partners-escape-lounge-oakland-san-francisco/

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Calculate Discover It Q3 Restaurant Spend ($75 Cash Back Max)

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Good morning everyone. August 15 marks the midway point of Q3 (July 1 to September 30), so I wanted to do a quick check to see how I was doing in regards to my Q3 restaurant spending on my Discover It Credit Card. This quarter, the Discover It Credit Card is paying 5% cash back on all restaurant purchases, up to $1,500 in spend. If you max out Q3, you will earn $75 cash back ($1,500 x 5% = $75).

After you complete the $1,500 restaurant spend this quarter, all future restaurant spend only earns 1% cash back this quarter. I don’t want to do that, since I would rather put the extra restaurant spend on my Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card and earn 3x Chase Ultimate Rewards Points per dollar at restaurants. Some people value Chase Ultimate Rewards Points at more than 1.5 cents per point, but I tend to redeem them for airfare at 1.5 cents per point, so 3x Chase Ultimate Rewards = 4.5% cash back vs. Discover It’s 5% cash back (plus, I tend to redeem my Discover cash back for discounted gift cards through the Discover Deals portal). Anyway, let’s get back on track and talk about calculating Q3 restaurant spend on the Discover It Credit Card.

After logging into your Discover online account, click the Activity & Payments drop down menu and click the Search Transactions link.

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