Tag Archives: Marriott Hotels

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Unboxing my JPMorgan Chase Ritz Carlton Visa Infinite Credit Card: Cart Art & Welcome Packet

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Good morning everyone, I hope your weekend is off to a great start.  This post has been in the works for almost a week.  I wanted to document everything that came with the new JPMorgan Chase Ritz Carlton Visa Infinite Credit Card to show everyone exactly what the card looks like and all the items that come inside the welcome packet.  First things first, the top 2 images are of the old JPMorgan Chase Ritz Carlton Visa Signature Credit Card that I received in December 2014, when the sign up bonus was 140,000 Ritz Carlton points (basically Marriott Rewards points) and a few other perks.  The bottom 2 images are of the new JPMorgan Chase Ritz Carlton Visa Infinite Credit Card.  Personally, I like that card art on the old design better because the lion is bigger.  Both cards feel and weigh exactly the same.  If you have the old card and want the new card, just call the number on the back of your card and request a new Visa Infinite credit card be sent to you.

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Travel Predictions for 2016 Part 1: Airlines and Hotels

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Update: Travel Predictions for 2016 Part 2: Credit Cards and MS is now live!

Good morning everyone, happy New Years Eve!  To prove how smart or dumb I am, I wanted to make a few predictions for 2016.  In Part 1, I will share my thoughts and predictions about airlines and hotels.  In Part 2, I will share my thoughts and predictions about credit cards and MS.  If you strongly agree or disagree with any of my thoughts or predictions, please leave a comment below and we will see who is right next year.  Without any further ado, let’s make some guesses!

Airlines

Southwest – Southwest points used to be worth 1.67 CPP, then they were worth 1.43 CPP, now with route variability, I have no idea how much Southwest points are worth.  I wish Southwest points would be worth a fixed amount, maybe 1.5 CPP for all flights.  I hope Southwest continues to announce new routes, especially a few routes from the West Coast to Hawaii.  Lastly, for the last several year, credit card sign up bonus points have counted toward the Southwest Companion Pass.  I think this might change in 2016.

American – after the devaluation goes into effect, I hope award space improves considerably (it can’t get much worse).  I hope American gets rid of the close-in booking fee for booking award flights within 3 weeks of travel.  I also hope that Citi adds the ability to transfer Citi Thank You Points into American Airlines miles.  I hope Citi Prestige Credit Card holders retain the ability to book American and AA codeshare flights for 1.6 CPP.

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Boise, Idaho, here I come (Boise State vs. Wyoming College Football Game)

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Good morning everyone, happy Friday!  I’m going to assume that 99.9% of you don’t care about Boise State Football or have ever been to Boise, Idaho.  For whatever reason, I have been a big fan of Boise State for the last few years, even though I never went to school there and I don’t know anyone who lives in Idaho.  Maybe the bright blue turf football field has something to do with it, I’m not sure.  Either way, I am finally going to a game in Boise Saturday night (I still need to buy tickets for the game).  Watching a Boise State football game is on my “sports bucket list” and I am happy to check it off my list.

Boise State Blue Turf Football Field

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New AMEX Offers: Renaissance Hotels, AMEX Gift Cards, Sam’s Club, and More

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Good morning everyone, I have some new AMEX Offers to share today.  I have AMEX Offers for Renaissance Hotels, American Express Gift Cards, Sam’s Club Membership, Columbia, Gumps, Henri Bendel, Teleflora, Tory Burch, and Undercover Tourist.  The Renaissance Hotels offer is pretty good: $40 statement credit after spending $200.

Renaissance AMEX Offer

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Convert Marriott & Ritz Carlton Points to United Airlines Miles (2.24:1 Ratio)

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Good morning everyone.  A few days ago, I was in an interesting predicament.  I found an awesome United Airlines award, but I did not have enough United Airlines miles to book the award. *gasp* Worse though, I did not have enough Chase Ultimate Reward Points either. *double gasp* I’m not sure if you have been in this situation before, but it is not fun.  Here are some of the options I considered:

  • Converting SPG points to United Airlines miles at the 2:1 transfer ratio
  • Paying to transfer United Airlines miles from my grandparents’ account
  • Buying United Airlines miles directly from United Airlines
  • Begging United Airlines to “help a friend out”

Before I did anything drastic or embarrassing, I remembered that Marriott and United Airlines have a crossover relationship, whereby you can transfer miles into points or points into miles.  Here is the Travel Rewards page on Marriott’s website.  Marriott partners with many other airlines, but they have an exclusive relationship with United Airlines where you can get a “20% discount when you convert Marriott Rewards points to United MileagePlus award miles.”

I crunched the numbers and the transfer ratios range from 4:1 down to 2.24:1 (Marriott Points to United Airlines miles).  Since I needed around 25,000 United Airlines miles, I selected the 4th option (56,000 Marriott Points = 25,000 United Airlines miles).

Convert Marriott Points to United Airlines Miles

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