I love credit cards so much!

[Lain]

I’m gonna investigate this one. DH is diamond at Hilton thru work stays. He doesn’t carry a Hilton cc though. He is using CSR. We get enough Hilton points thru his stays to cover 2 one week long beach resort stays per year in rooms that run about $400/night. I consider that a good value...basically 2 free beach trips a year....what am I missing? Do you mean that it isn’t a good value if you are obtaining them thru spending?

Hilton points aren’t worth much by the point because they’re wildly inflated. This is why I don’t get excited about a 100k Hilton Honors points signup bonus. Sure, there are good redemptions, but it often times seems like it takes 2-3x as many “points” to book a Hilton room through Hilton Honors than using “points” to book a room from a different currency/awards program. At the same time, if you stay at Hilton hotels, it’s quite easy to accrue a lot of points because there are often so many promos running at the same time that can earn you bonus points, and if you make enough stays or stay enough nights to earn higher tier status, or gain automatic status from credit cards like the Amex Platinum or these new Amex Hilton cards, your status gets you another bonus for earning points. I think when looking at Hilton points, you can’t just look at the absolute number of points, because the value of each point is generally so low. With bonus points promotions and multipliers (14x on the high end card!), Hilton Honors is actually interesting. And of course, if you stay at Hilton for work and your stays are covered or reimbursable by your employer, the points you earn on your stays are basically free money, which is always a good value.

 

[Albort]

Hilton points are worth $.006 per point which isnt that high. Marriott is worth almost $.01 per point, SPG is $.027 per point. My CPA is a Hilton user, saw that he has like 400,000 points, but booking a stay at a regular hilton the last time i looked in Japan was 50k... a lot of points...

I still would stick with Marriott/SPG.

 

[Lain]

AMEX Offers $25 off $250 at Best Buy available now.

Got it on my BCP and SPG cards.

What am I missing? Is this a gift card option?

This is an Amex Offer — one of the better ones that comes around every now and then. Amex Offers usually offer a statement credit, Membership Rewards points, or some percentage off to select merchants when you add the offer to your Amex card, use that card at the merchant, meet the spending requirement and any other terms of the offer. Amex Offers are often targeted so you’ll have to check your Amex cards/accounts to see if the offer is attached to your card so that you can add it. Sometimes, you can add the Amex Offer using mobile sync via Twitter. If you have multiple Amex cards under the same online account, and more than one of the cards has the offer, when you add that offer to one card, the offer tends to disappear from the other cards under the same online account. One workaround is to open the offer on each card in different tabs or browsers (I use a browser and the Amex mobile app), then click “Add to Card” about the same time to add the same offer to multiple cards.

Best Buy is one of the better Amex Offers because they sell gift cards to a lot of third-party merchants, including Disney Gift Cards and gas cards; so a $25 statement credit on spending $250 is a 10% discount. If you can’t find something you want to buy with the offer before it expires, you can always buy a $250 Best Buy gift card, which has always qualified for the statement credit in the past, and Best Buy gift cards can be used to buy third-party gift cards in stores, although YMMV if you get a difficult cashier or manager. Because the Best Buy Amex Offer is so popular and useful, it often fills up fast (Amex Offers usually have limited enrollment), so you should add it to your Amex card ASAP or it might disappear later (if it hasn’t already).

DoC has a write up here: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/amex-offers-25-off-250-best-buy/

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Hilton points are worth $.006 per point which isnt that high. Marriott is worth almost $.01 per point, SPG is $.027 per point. My CPA is a Hilton user, saw that he has like 400,000 points, but booking a stay at a regular hilton the last time i looked in Japan was 50k... a lot of points...

I still would stick with Marriott/SPG.

It is interesting, because my inlaws were top tier with Marriott as business travelers for decades. When they saw what good redemptions we were getting at Hilton (as they were meeting us for these free to us trips often) they switched to Hilton. They said rewards at Hilton were easier to use. Said no way they could get them same beachfront resort for a holiday week at Marriott on points that we got at Hilton. I didn’t ever go investigate to compare, but they are experienced, high end, world travelers, so I assumed they knew what they were talking about.

ETA: so maybe DH should switch to Marriott for his business stays? He earns points so well as diamond that we never considered switching over. I did look into having him do hyatt but there aren’t any in his territory.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

This is an Amex Offer — one of the better ones that comes around every now and then. Amex Offers usually offer a statement credit, Membership Rewards points, or some percentage off to select merchants when you add the offer to your Amex card, use that card at the merchant, meet the spending requirement and any other terms of the offer. Amex Offers are often targeted so you’ll have to check your Amex cards/accounts to see if the offer is attached to your card so that you can add it. Sometimes, you can add the Amex Offer using mobile sync via Twitter. If you have multiple Amex cards under the same online account, and more than one of the cards has the offer, when you add that offer to one card, the offer tends to disappear from the other cards under the same online account. One workaround is to open the offer on each card in different tabs or browsers (I use a browser and the Amex mobile app), then click “Add to Card” about the same time to add the same offer to multiple cards.

Best Buy is one of the better Amex Offers because they sell gift cards to a lot of third-party merchants, including Disney Gift Cards and gas cards; so a $25 statement credit on spending $250 is a 10% discount. If you can’t find something you want to buy with the offer before it expires, you can always buy a $250 Best Buy gift card, which has always qualified for the statement credit in the past, and Best Buy gift cards can be used to buy third-party gift cards in stores, although YMMV if you get a difficult cashier or manager. Because the Best Buy Amex Offer is so popular and useful, it often fills up fast (Amex Offers usually have limited enrollment), so you should add it to your Amex card ASAP or it might disappear later (if it hasn’t already).

DoC has a write up here: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/amex-offers-25-off-250-best-buy/

Gotcha! I use Amex offers often, but didn’t know why the Best Buy one is so exciting as I never shop there. Makes sense to use it to buy a GC and then disney card. Thx!

 

[Lain]

Gotcha! I use Amex offers often, but didn’t know why the Best Buy one is so exciting as I never shop there. Makes sense to use it to buy a GC and then disney card. Thx!

Or you could buy just a Disney Gift Card and skip the Best Buy gift card altogether. Online, Best Buy sells $25 and $50 denomination Disney GCs, but there’s a limit of only 3 cards per denomination, so you’re limited to $225. In stores, Best Buy sells variable load Disney GCs that let you choose any value from $25-500 on one card, so you can knock out the $250 spend in one transaction. Don’t forget to use Shopkick when shopping at Best Buy. You’ll get kicks that can add up towards free gift cards (including Target, Walmart, and Best Buy), even though it looks like Best Buy’s kicks/$ rate dropped significantly from a few months ago.

 

[kmc8826]

Or you could buy just a Disney Gift Card and skip the Best Buy gift card altogether. Online, Best Buy sells $25 and $50 denomination Disney GCs, but there’s a limit of only 3 cards per denomination, so you’re limited to $225. In stores, Best Buy sells variable load Disney GCs that let you choose any value from $25-500 on one card, so you can knock out the $250 spend in one transaction. Don’t forget to use Shopkick when shopping at Best Buy. You’ll get kicks that can add up towards free gift cards (including Target, Walmart, and Best Buy), even though it looks like Best Buy’s kicks/$ rate dropped significantly from a few months ago.

Last time the Best Buy deal was offered I just went right in and got two variable Disney gift cards for the required amounts (I think this summer it was $300). Super easy and BB did not care at all. It was kind of a day to day...seeing the BB Amex offer on two of my cards pretty much has been the highlight of my day. Sad but true.

I consider myself a Delta hostage because no matter where I want to go Delta is always the best option. Other airlines might be an option in theory but as a hub city Delta always has the most flights in and out and the non stop flights. I want to fly Southwest in theory but inevitably when I run the numbers SW is usually at least $100 more than a non stop Delta flight. Even on flights where I fly another airline I end up flying Delta for one of the legs. I.e. SLC to DEN on Delta and then Denver to Reykjavik on Icelandair.

 

[Lain]

if you shop amazon, you can now stake Marriott More on top of it and earn more Marriott points. makes me wonder if you can stake jetblue as well... although gift cards dont work with Marriott points.

edit: earn 1000 points bonus on first transaction!

Just bought a $25 Amazon physical gift card as my first purchase on Marriott Rewards MORE and earned 1050 points! Points posted to my account immediately.

 

[havaneselover]

Just bought a $25 Amazon physical gift card as my first purchase on Marriott Rewards MORE and earned 1050 points! Points posted to my account immediately.

I'm doing this tomorrow. Dd wants marvel Tshirts from Amazon for Christmas and I need Marriott points!

 

[Lain]

I'm doing this tomorrow. Dd wants marvel Tshirts from Amazon for Christmas and I need Marriott points!

I’ve read DPs that say eGift cards don’t work, but physical gift cards do. Amazon gift cards are about as good as cash for me so money from one wallet to another.

 

[amalone1013]

Just bought a $25 Amazon physical gift card as my first purchase on Marriott Rewards MORE and earned 1050 points! Points posted to my account immediately.

This is perfect because I was going to use my SPG Biz to renew our prime membership this month. Sweetens the deal a little!

 

[Lain]

This is perfect because I was going to use my SPG Biz to renew our prime membership this month. Sweetens the deal a little!

Did you get the Amex Offer for 5,000 Membership Rewards points when spending $99+ on buying or renewing an Amazon Prime membership?

 

[Tikitoi]

Discover 2018 Categories are out!

Q1 Gas Stations & Wholesale Clubs
Q2 Grocery Stores
Q3 Restaurants
Q4 Amazon & Wholesale Clubs

I had seen this and thought it would be nice if CF did this...

 

[AmyAnne]

Ooh. Time to get a new Discover It Card.

Discover 2018 Categories are out!

Q1 Gas Stations & Wholesale Clubs
Q2 Grocery Stores
Q3 Restaurants
Q4 Amazon & Wholesale Clubs

I agree it looks like Q1 will be a good time to get a Discover card. Does anyone know if Sams Club (the physical store, not online) accepts Discover?

 

[Albort]

I agree it looks like Q1 will be a good time to get a Discover card. Does anyone know if Sams Club (the physical store, not online) accepts Discover?

they take everything now. Amex, Visa, Master Discover.
also, i think the double cash for new cardholders still work, so i think it makes it 10x at Sams Club...

edit: am i the only Californian here? lookin to team up with Californian for the SW promo...

 

[mom2elal]

Have you guys seen the SW contest for CA residents? Does anybody have a team going?
https://swacaliforniamillions.com/

 

[eeyoresmom]

Freedoms do earn UR points. You can try out the whole UR point transfer on Chase's website to see if you can transfer your CSP UR to his CSR UR (are either of you an AU of those cards? I don't know if that makes a difference).

With DH's CSP, I pc'd to no AF Sapphire first for about a week, then pc to Freedom Unlimited (bc he already has the Freedom). [Chase was so fast, they sent me physical regular Sapphire cards before I pc'd to FU.] I did this in the 11th month of him having the CSP.

Went to pc my CSP to a no fee Sapphire and apparently they don't exist anymore. Now I'm assuming I have to wait until my 1 year anniversary of opening the CSP to pc it to the Freedom. How is the AF reimbursed in this case?

 

[Happy_2_B]

so maybe DH should switch to Marriott for his business stays?

If he is staying enough to be diamond at Hilton why change? The point valuations are averages across the board. You can find good redemption value for any chain. I have been top tier elite at almost every major US based hotel chain (and top/mid tier in 2 Europe based chains) at different times throughout my life. If you travel a lot and figure in daily spends and sign up bonuses- the valuations simply do not matter- as you will have more than enough points to go where you want when you want with very little out of pocket spending. In the past 4-5 years my wife and I have accumulated over 4 million points/miles- we have burned around half of those on travel- and are still sitting on 2 million points/miles in UR, MR, AA, United, Club Carlson, Hilton, etc,etc, etc and continue to accumulate them.

Now that I know what you are doing with your points, obtaining URs isn't a bad way to go. I would say that once he hits diamond at one chain, if he is travelling enough then switch to another chain to get status there. We still accumulate mostly UR and SPG points on daily spend- but it varies depending on sign up bonuses, limited time incentives for cards we arlready have, and our end game. We live in FL now so will use most of our points for off site stays for trips to WDW, UO, Sea World, Busch Gardens, etc for the near future. We have 'set aside' enough points and miles for first class plane tickets for a Norway cruise next year, as well as 'set aside' for plane tickets to do an Amazon cruise and a trip to Easter Island immediately following next fall.

The reason I bring these trips up is because the smartest way to 'travel hack' is to have a goal in mind. Know where you are going, when you want to go, then target the correct point programs to make it happen. Opinions on 'the best' points are a dime a dozen. I follow a lot of the travel blogs- and there isn't a 'best point' to collect or everyone would be gaming to get just those points. Your travel goals should dictate the type of points/miles you collect- regardless of redemption value. My 2 cents.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Just bought a $25 Amazon physical gift card as my first purchase on Marriott Rewards MORE and earned 1050 points! Points posted to my account immediately.

Gift to SIL every year is a $50 Sephora GC. Used MORE app & got 1218 Marriott points! Done with SIL Christmas shopping. Win win!

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Does MouseSavers have a special link for better prices at UT?