Tag Archives: Free Stuff

a blue sign with white text

American Express Changes: $25 Account Reopening Fee, Forfeiting Points on Late Payments & Old Blue Cash Redemptions

Posted on by . 8 Replies

Good afternoon everyone.  I was reviewing my recent American Express credit card statements and spotted a few changes that I wanted you to be aware of.  The first 2 changes were shown on my American Express Blue Business Plus Credit Card and the last change was specific to my AMEX Old Blue Cash Credit Card (no longer available).  The first 2 changes affect small business credit and charge cards that earn American Express Membership Rewards Points.  With that said, let’s go through the first change.

Effectively immediately, if your American Express card is closed (presumably by you), then you change your mind and want to reopen the card, you will now have to pay a $25 reopening fee.  Before you close your card, call American Express to see if you can get a retention offer, see if you can convert that card to another card, and redeem any points tied to that card.  If you do those steps, you should not need to reopen an account and incur the $25 reopening fee.

a close-up of a card

Continue reading →

a blue text on a white background

Redeem Wyndham Rewards Points Part 2: Transfer Times To/From Caesars Rewards & Extend Expiration Date

Posted on by . 13 Replies

Good morning everyone, I hope you enjoyed reading yesterday’s post: Redeem Wyndham Rewards Points Part 1: Transfer Points to Airline Miles & Timeshare Fees.  For today’s post, I will cover transferring points from Wyndham Rewards to Caesars Rewards (and vice versa), calculate the transfer times for each direction, and share a tip on how to extend your Wyndham Rewards Points expiration date.  To get started, sign into your Wyndham Rewards account and then go to the Caesars Rewards page.

a screen shot of a card

Continue reading →

a blue text on a white background

Redeem Wyndham Rewards Points Part 1: Transfer Points to Airline Miles & Timeshare Fees

Posted on by . 11 Replies

Good morning everyone, I hope you had a great weekend.  A few weeks ago, I noticed that some of my Wyndham Rewards Points were set to expire later this year, so I went down the rabbit hole and looked at various redemption options available for Wyndham Rewards Points.  For part 1, I am going to cover transferring Wyndham Rewards Points to airline miles (which airlines are available, what are the transfer ratios, and what are the transfer times) and cover some of the timeshare fees (brief overview).  Check out part 2 where I cover transferring Wyndham Rewards Points to Caesars Rewards Points (and transfers back) and a way to extend the expiration date of your Wyndham Rewards Points.

To get started, I signed into my Wyndham Rewards account and went to the More Ways to Redeem page.  From there, I clicked on Points Transfer Partners.

a screenshot of a donation box

Continue reading →

a blue text on a white background

My Real Time Rewards Redemptions on US Bank Business Leverage Credit Card (Observations & Theories)

Posted on by . 7 Replies

Good morning everyone, I hope your weekend is off to a great start.  A few months ago, I applied for the US Bank Business Leverage Visa Credit Card.  The credit card offers $750 cash back after spending $7,500 in 4 months.  I had a large bill to pay via Plastiq and used this credit card to meet the minimum spending requirement.  (FYI, there is also a US Bank Business Cash Rewards Mastercard Credit Card that offers $500 cash back after spending $3,000 in 3 months – I will probably get this business credit card next.)

The sign up bonus posted on my first credit card statement and posted as US Bank Rewards Points (kind of like Altitude Reserve Points on the US Bank Altitude Reserve Credit Card, but these points are worth 1 cent each for all rewards).  Instead of redeeming my points for cash back, I enrolled my new credit card in US Bank Real Time Rewards (RTR) and made 2 purchases to redeem the bulk of my US Bank Rewards Points.  Here is what I learned about my new credit card and the RTR process.

a screenshot of a credit card

Continue reading →

a horse drawn carriage with horses

Wells Fargo Discontinues Temporary Debit Cards & ATM Access Code Feature (Effective April 1)

Posted on by . 54 Replies

Good afternoon everyone, I hope you had a great weekend.  A few months ago, I wrote Wells Fargo Discontinues Instant Issue Debit Cards Effective November 30.  In that post, I said:

After November 30, if you need a replacement debit card (if your current debit card was lost or stolen), you can no longer get a temporary debit card at a Wells Fargo branch – you will need to use the Wells Fargo app or call Wells Fargo (1-800-869-3557) to request a replacement debit card. Once your request is submitted, your replacement debit card will arrive via mail in 5-7 days.

November 30 came and went and there weren’t any more updates, until my recent Wells Fargo checking account statement closed a few days ago.  I will go into my details below, but long story short, Wells Fargo will no longer issue temporary debit cards and is discontinuing the ATM Access Code feature, both changes are effective on April 1, 2021.  Read on to learn more.

a screen shot of a credit card

Continue reading →