Tag Archives: Frequent Flyer Miles

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My United Airlines Account & MileagePlus X App were Hacked, My Journey to Restore Access

Good afternoon everyone.  A few weeks ago, Laura and I were driving to Lake Tahoe for vacation.  During the drive, I started getting emails from the MileagePlus X app (the app where you can earn United Airlines miles for buying gift cards).  The first confirmation email came in at 12:48pm for a $10 Apple eGC.  Then over the next 5 minutes, I received 4 more confirmation emails for $500 Saks Fifth Avenue eGCs.  Uhh oh, this was bad.  Then I got an email from United Airlines that said:

Your MileagePlus account information has been updated – We wanted to let you know your MileagePlus account information has changed. For your security, we can’t specify exactly what was updated, but it may include your address, phone number, password or other details.

Oh boy, now the hacker had signed into my United Airlines account and changed my email or password.  We exited the freeway and stopped at a gas station.  We changed seats so Laura could drive the car and I could call United Airlines about my hacked account and US Bank to report the credit card fraud.  This was the start of my journey to restore access to my accounts.

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My 2 Retention Offers on Citi Strata Premier Credit Card

Good morning everyone.  A few days ago, the $95 annual fee posted to my Citi Strata Premier Credit Card.  I never use this credit card for purchases (I have other Citi and non Citi credit cards that have better bonus categories and bonus multiples), but I keep this credit card for the ability to transfer my Citi ThankYou Points (TYPs) out to transfer partners.  As part of my routine, whenever a credit card annual fee posts to any of my accounts, I call the credit card company and ask for a retention offer (read my recent post Midyear Review: My Credit Card Retention Offer Thought Process & Results).

Since I haven’t put any purchases on this credit card in several months, I was doubtful that I would receive any retention offers, but I wouldn’t know for sure until I called.  During the call, I told the rep that I was considering closing the account due to the $95 annual fee.  The rep transferred me to the retention offer department.  Surprisingly, the retention offer rep had 2 decent offers available:

1: Receive a $95 statement credit + 1,000 TYPs after spending $1,000 on the credit card each month for 3 consecutive months

2: Receive 10,000 TYPs after spending $3,000 on the credit card in the next 6 months

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3 Buy Miles / Points Promos Ending Soon: United (90%), Virgin Atlantic (60%) & Air France / KLM (40%)

Good afternoon everyone.  I was working on my Buy Miles & Points Page and found 3 offers that end in the next few days.  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 the 3 offers that end soon.

Up first, United Airlines is offering up to a 90% bonus, depending on the number of United Airlines MileagePlus Miles you purchase.  This offer expires today – July 31.

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4 Buy Miles / Points Promos Ending Soon: IHG Hotels (60%), Etihad (30%), Hawaiian Airlines (100%) & Air Canada (100%)

Good afternoon everyone, happy Friday! I was working on my Buy Miles & Points Page and found 4 offers that end this week.  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 the 4 offers that end soon.

Up first, IHG Hotels is offering up to a 60% bonus, depending on the number of IHG One Rewards Points you purchase. This offer expires on July 14.

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Barclays Announces JetBlue Plus Credit Card Referral Offer, Earn up to 50K Points [Referral Points Posted]

Updated 7/8/24 at 7:50am PT: The JetBlue referral points from the recent referral promo posted on my July statement.  If you had any eligible referrals, you should see that on your July statement too.

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Good afternoon everyone, I hope your weekend is going well.  Barclays sent out emails today to cardholders of the Barclays JetBlue Plus Credit Card (referral link) announcing a new referral offer where you can earn 10,000 JetBlue TrueBlue Points per referral, up to 50,000 points per calendar year.  If you have this credit card, check your email for this offer (it may be targeted).  If you didn’t receive the email, you can still log into your Barclays online account and see if you are eligible for this referral offer.  If you want to share your JetBlue Plus Credit Card referral link, please post your referral link in the comments section for other readers to use.

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