Tag Archives: Hotel Loyalty Points

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Why Do We Keep 16 No Annual Fee Credit Cards?

Good afternoon everyone, I hope your weekend is off to a great start.  A few days ago, I wrote a post titled I Paid $4,588 in Credit Card Annual Fees in 2019 – Was it Worth it?  In that post, I shared the 21 credit cards that I plan on keeping and how I justify paying the annual fees on those credit cards.  I felt bad for the 16 no annual fee cards that Laura and I have and decided to write a post about them too.  Roughly half of the no annual fee credit cards were downgraded / converted from a credit card with an annual fee.  Besides the rewards that some of the no annual fee credit cards provide, keeping no annual fee credit cards open long term is good for your credit score.  It improves the length of credit history (average age of accounts), which represents 15% of your total credit score.  It also helps with the amounts owed (your credit utilization ratio), which represents 30% of your total credit score.  Lastly, it helps with payment history (paying your credit card bills on time), which represents 35% of your total credit score.  For more info, check out this Doctor of Credit page.

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Image source: https://www.kiplinger.com/article/credit/T017-C000-S002-how-your-credit-score-is-calculated.html

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I Paid $4,588 in Credit Card Annual Fees in 2019 – Was it Worth it?

Good morning everyone.  As we approach the end of the year, I decided to take a look at my credit card spreadsheet and see how much my wife and I paid in annual fees this year.  I removed all the no annual fee credit cards and here are the 26 credit cards that have annual fees (sorted alphabetically).  I will break down this list into cards that I am 99% sure that I will cancel, 99% sure that I will keep, and the 50/50 cards that I might keep or cancel.  Read through this post and let me know if you agree or disagree with my thinking.

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6 Buy Miles / Points Promos Ending Soon: Avianca (145%), Radisson (100%), American (80%), Choice (40%), Frontier (50%) & United (85%)

Updated 11:45am PT on 12/9: United Airlines has a buy miles promo that ends on December 11.  More details added below.


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 6 offers that end this week.  Up first, Avianca Airlines is offering up to a 145% bonus, depending on the number of Avianca Airlines LifeMiles you purchase.  This offer expires today –  December 3.  Extended until December 5.

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6 Buy Miles/Points Promos Ending in November: Southwest (35%), British Airways (50%), Hilton (100%), JetBlue (30%), American (100K) & Spirit (60%)

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 6 offers that end in November.  Up first, Southwest Airlines is offering a 35% discount, when you purchase at least 5,000 Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Points.  This offer expires tomorrow – November 19. 

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My 2 Free Spire Elite Status Gifts: 25K IHG Points & Hertz Five Star Status

Good afternoon everyone.  A few weeks ago, I received an email from IHG stating that I had reached IHG Spire Elite Status which required 75 qualified nights or 75,000 qualifying points.  This was surprising to me since I haven’t spent that many nights at IHG hotels this year (only 16 nights in 2019), but I did have a few expensive hotel stays this year (82,768 qualifying points in 2019).  In the email, it stated 3 key Spire Elite benefits:

  • 100% bonus earning on top of base points (IHG Platinum Elite members get a 50% bonus)
  • Complimentary room upgrades (this is the same as IHG Platinum Elite members)
  • Exclusive annual choice benefit

The last bullet was the one that caught my attention.  I had the option to choose between 25,000 IHG Points or gift someone IHG Platinum Elite Status.  I clicked on the Choose Now button in the email and signed into my IHG account.

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