Tag Archives: Marriott Hotels

Chase Ritz-Carlton 140,000 Point Sign Up Bonus and Reconsideration Call Details

Chase Ritz-Carlton Credit Card

Chase Ritz-Carlton 140,000 Point Sign Up Bonus and Reconsideration Call Details

(Hat Tip to Doctor of Credit)

This morning, Chase increased the sign up bonus on the Chase Ritz-Carlton Credit Card (direct credit card link).  I just applied for the Chase Ritz-Carlton Credit Card this afternoon and wanted to share some information if you were thinking of applying as well.

  • Sign Up Bonus: 140,000 Ritz-Carlton points after spending $3,000 in 3 months.  Ritz-Carlton points can be redeemed at Ritz-Carlton and Marriott properties (more info below).
  • Annual Fee: $395, not waived (high price, but worth it, see perks below)
  • Perks:
    • 3 upgrade certificates on paid Ritz-Carlton stays
    • 10% bonus on points earned with the Chase Ritz-Carlton Credit Card
    • $100 hotel credit for paid stays
    • $300 annual travel credit
    • Priority Pass membership (free access for cardholder and one guest)
    • Gold Elite Status (first year) and every year you spend $10,000 with the credit card
    • Platinum Elite Status every year you spend $75,000 with the credit card

Chase Ritz-Carlton Credit Card Offer Details

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Transfer Chase Ultimate Reward Points from the Chase App

Chase-Ultimate-Rewards

Transfer Chase Ultimate Reward Points from the Chase App

Chase recently updated their smartphone app for iOS and Android with the ability to transfer Chase Ultimate Reward Points to their travel partners.  I will show you how I recently transferred Chase Ultimate Reward Points to Southwest Airlines on my iPhone.  The process should work the same on an Android phone.  You can follow these steps to transfer Chase Ultimate Reward Points to any of their travel partners.  Without further ado, download the Chase app to your smartphone and log into your Chase account.

Log Into Chase App

Navigate to the Chase account that has Chase Ultimate Reward Points – either a Chase Sapphire Preferred (personal account) or a Chase Ink Bold/Plus (business account).

Select Chase Account

To read the entire post, please click here.  Have a great Thanksgiving holiday everyone!

a close-up of a logo

New Citi American Airlines Executive Card with Admirals Club Logo

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Good Thursday morning everyone, here are some random news articles for you.  Recently, I wrote about the newly redesigned Citi American Airlines Executive Credit Card (link) and commented on the fast that the new design did not have an Admirals Club logo on the card.  Over the weekend, I visited the Admirals Club in SFO and the front desk agent told me that Citi forgot to include the Admirals Club logo on some of their new Executive Cards.  I called Citi and they sent me a new card via FedEx Overnight.  Here is what the back of the card looks like with the Admirals Club logo in the upper right corner.  If you have the old-new Executive Card, you can call Citi and request a new-new Executive Card.

New AA Exec Back Admirals Club Logo

American Express is on a roll with their AMEX Offers.  I wrote about the new offers this week (post 1 and post 2) but apparently AMEX is still rolling out new offers.  The latest offer to grab my attention is the Marriott Hotels offer, spend $200+ and receive a $50 statement credit.

Marriott Hotels AMEX Offer

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Southwest Airlines Companion Pass – Part 2: Hyatt and Chase Ultimate Reward Points Game Plan

Southwest Airlines Companion Pass Logo

Southwest Airlines Companion Pass – Part 2: Hyatt and Chase Ultimate Reward Points Game Plan

Before reading Part 2, please read Part 1.  As a refresher, to get a Southwest Airlines Companion Pass, you need to earn 110,000 Southwest Airlines miles in a calendar year.  Southwest Airlines has a handy page to track your current Companion Pass status (link).  As of today (October 23, 2014), I need to earn 41,522 more Southwest Airlines miles to obtain a Southwest Airlines Companion Pass good through the rest of 2014 and all of 2015.

Grant Thomas Current Companion Pass Status

Last year, I converted 50,000 Hyatt points into 30,000 Southwest Airlines miles.  I plan to do the same thing this year (image is from last year).

New Hyatt Account Balance

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Southwest Airlines Companion Pass – Part 1: Obtaining the Companion Pass the Hard Way

Southwest Airlines Companion Pass Logo

Southwest Airlines Companion Pass – Part 1: Obtaining the Companion Pass the Hard Way

Every travel blog out there will tell you how awesome the Southwest Airlines Companion Pass is and how easy it is to get.  Here is the Cliff Notes / Spark Notes version:

  • Apply for 2 Chase Southwest Airlines Credit Cards between October 1 and December 31.
  • Don’t spend a penny on the cards during any statements periods that close in 2014.
  • Spend $2,000+ during the statement periods that close in 2015.
  • Collect 52,000 Southwest Airlines miles x 2 = 104,000 miles.
  • Get the remaining 6,000 miles from Hyatt, Marriott, or other points transfers.
  • Travel for “free” with a companion for all of 2015 and all of 2016.

If that sounds like something you want to do, please consider signing up for a Chase Southwest Airlines Credit Card through one of my credit card referral links.

However, this post is not about the easy way to get the Southwest Airlines Companion Pass.  This post is about the hard way to achieve the Southwest Airlines Companion Pass.  Let’s say your name is Grant and you find yourself somewhere between no Companion Pass and a Companion Pass for 2015.

Let’s assume you got the Chase Southwest Airlines Premier Credit Card last year and the Chase Southwest Airlines Plus Credit Card earlier this year.  Let’s also assume you cannot get a Chase Southwest Airlines Business Credit Card since you just got a Chase Ink Plus Business Credit.  Lastly, let’s assume you are 41,522 Southwest Airlines miles away from qualifying for the Companion Pass next year.  What do you do?  To view your current Southwest Airlines Companion Pass status, please log into your Southwest Airlines account first and then click this link (you may want to bookmark this link as well).

Grant Thomas Current Companion Pass Status

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