Credit Card Deals

Three Ways to Offset the Amex SPG Annual Fee

images77If you don’t study your online credit card statement carefully, you could be missing out on some juicy promos.

Several months ago, I wrote about the dilemma I was facing over whether to close my Amex Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) credit card when the $65 annual fee came due.  Ultimately, I decided to keep the card open, and accepted Amex’s retention offer of 1,000 SPG points.  

There were several factors that played into my decision:

  1. I had two other Amex accounts that I planned to close when the annual fees posted.
  2. I I wanted to retain my full credit line with Amex, by transferring the credit from the closed credit cards to an open account.
  3. I hoped to accumulate more SPG points over the course of the year, that I could transfer to various airlines to top off my frequent flyer accounts.
  4. I was close to reaching the 20,000 point threshold, when transfers to airlines earn a 5,000 point bonus.

Amex currently has targeted deals offering statement credits for over a dozen promos.  If you click on the “Offers for You” tab, you will be directed to up to a dozen targeted offers for savings off various purchases.

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How to Spin One Gift Card into a Four Night Holiday

Radisson Gift CardThe Radisson gift card that I was lucky enough to win in an online contest arrived in the mail last week.  150 Euros to spend at any Radisson hotel in Europe or the Middle East.

Maybe you can win one of these gift cards too, as Radisson is running an ongoing contest.

With hundreds of hotels to choose from my imagination went wild.

I don’t have any trips to Europe in the works, and I have two years to use the gift card, but what if . . . ?

Of course you’d have to be half crazy to fly to Europe just to get a free night at a hotel.  But what if you were looking at not one night, but three or four free nights?  

I just happen to hold the Club Carlson credit card and one of the benefits it confers is “Gold Elite” status with Club Carlson hotels.  Club Carlson includes some upscale chains such as Radisson Blu, Carlson Rezidor and Park Inn, and more pedestrian chains such as Radisson and Country Inn & Suites.

Hotel Missoni Edinburgh
Hotel Missoni Edinburgh

The chain also includes Hotel Missoni, with interior design by Rosita Missoni.  Their hotel in Edinburgh looks like a blast.

Thanks to The Deal Mommy, I learned about one of the biggest deals in hotel loyalty programs.

Members of Club Carlson’s Gold Elite program are eligible for a “Weekend Extend” offer at hotels in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

There are two promo codes available:

  • Stay 1 night, get 1 night free
  • Stay 2 nights get 2 nights free

Fabulous.

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Planning a Trip to Vermont on Points and Miles

Vermont Academy, Saxton's River, Vermont
Vermont Academy, Saxton’s River, VT
Image by M. McCardle

We are headed up to southern Vermont this weekend for a family get together.

The leaves should be at their peak, and we are looking forward to visiting rural New England.

This is an costly trip for us, so we will try to use points and miles to mitigate the expense.

We are using a Southwest Visa credit card for most of our expenses because we are participating in a holiday promotion to earn bonus points.

The major elements of the trip are:  

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We Took the Bait: Chase Bank Dangles $150 or 15,000 Miles

Dangling dollar If you have a reluctant spouse, maybe you can sympathize with this story.  My husband’s Chase United Explorer Card was coming up on its first anniversary.  On this month’s statement, he was hit with the $95 annual fee.

The last time he faced a similar situation, he told the Chase customer service rep that he wanted to cancel his Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card because he no longer flies Southwest.  No, no no!  He should have said that he loves to fly Southwest but was concerned about the $69 annual fee.  Chase was happy to cancel his Southwest credit card.

The fact of the matter is that we do fly Southwest.  When my Rapid Rewards credit card came due for the annual fee, I asked to speak to the retention specialist and was offered an extra 3,000 miles (6,000 total miles) for the $69 annual fee.

So this time, I offered to make the call for my husband.  

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Best Western Credit Card Boosts Sign-Up Bonus to 64K Points

Best Western Zion Park Inn, Springdale, Utah
Best Western Zion Park Inn, Springdale, Utah

If you are planning a trip to the “Golden Triangle” of national parks and monuments in the Southwestern U.S., you are bound to come across some Best Western Hotels in scenic locations.

Would four free nights at a Best Western enhance your travels, whether to the Southwest, or elsewhere?
If so, the latest offering from Barclaycard may be of interest, because it boosts the sign-up bonus for the Best Western credit card from 16,000 points to a whopping 64,000 points — enough for four free nights at mid-range Best Western hotels.
This is a no annual fee credit card; the full complement of points are awarded after spending $1000 within 90 days.
Best Western’s are not just located in the American West — 4,000 independently owned hotels all over the world operate under the Best Western banner.  You might be surprised how many Best Western’s there are in Paris!

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Part 2: Stack Savings on Chase Ink MasterCards — Automatically!

Screen Shot 2013-08-25 at 12.11.10 AMIf you have a small business credit card such as one of the Chase Ink cards, there’s an easy way to earn an extra 1-10 percent savings on certain purchases.

I  stumbled upon several seldom-publicized travel savings opportunities which I discuss in a three-part series of articles.

Part 1: Visa SavingsEdge

Part 2:  MasterCard Easy Savings

Part 3:  Check Inn – CLC Lodging

These three savings programs for small businesses are among the best kept secrets in the travel blogosphere. The programs have all been around for years and they are a cinch to use.

The MasterCard Easy Savings program may be even a better deal than the Visa SavingsEdge.  I say that because you can earn statement credits for every day expenses like gasoline, and even car repairs at  20,000 brand name gas stations.   

If you register your small business credit card with the MasterCard Easy Savings program, you will automatically receive a cash rebate on your statement for certain everyday business purchases.

No coupons. No codes. Savings are automatic. What’s even better is that you can stack these rebates on to other points earning opportunities.

The MasterCard Easy Savings program offers savings on everything from office equipment to shipping, from hotels to rental cars. Every time you use your enrolled MasterCard small business credit card at a participating merchant, you get an automatic cash rebate on your monthly statement.

So which MasterCards are eligible?  For starters, the Chase Ink business MasterCards participate in the Easy Savings program.

For frequent travelers, it is notable that you get 1% back at many gas stations (through the Fuelman network), 5% back for car rentals at Budget and Avis, 5% back for Frontier Airlines purchases, 5% back at Wyndham hotels, and 4% back from any hotel in the MasterCard hotel network.  I checked my local area and found that the hotel list is quite broad and includes both Hilton and Marriott hotels among many others.  Most every local gas station is a member of the Fuelman network.

Merchants participating in the Easy Savings discount program include:

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Part 1: Travel Savings Bonanza for Visa Small Business Card Users

I just stumbled upon the motherlode of travel savings opportunities which I will address in a three-part series of articles.

Part 1: Visa SavingsEdge

Part 2:  Mastercard Easy Savings

Part 3:  Check Inn – CLC Lodging

These three programs for small businesses are the best kept secret in the travel blogosphere. The programs have all been around for years and they are a cinch to use.

The first program, Visa SavingsEdge, discussed in today’s post, is good;  the second program, Mastercard Easy Savings, is even better;  and the third program is great.  Please signup for email notifications of these future articles.  

Visa SavingsEdge

If you are a small business owner and have a Visa business credit card, you may be interested in the Visa SavingsEdge program.

Visa EasySavings Travel Discounts
Visa EasySavings Travel Discounts

With a single registration, you can receive automatic discounts from dozens of vendors.  The savings show up as credits on your monthly statement.  No fuss, no muss.  This is the lazy person’s savings program.

The program is for holders of Visa small business credit cards.  All you have to do is register your card once and the discounts are automatic.

You can check whether your card is eligible on the Visa website.  My Chase United Mileage Plus business card and my Chase Southwest business card are both eligible, and I have heard that the Club Carson Business Card is also eligible.

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The Best Airline Rewards Credit Card You Never Heard Of

Pentagon Federal Credit UnionIf you been at the miles and points game for a while, you may already have picked up many of the big bonus credit card offers.

If that’s the case, you may be interested in an oft overlooked airline rewards credit card that pays five times points for all air travel.

This is a better rate by far than other rewards credit cards — which pay two to three points for air travel spend.

Pentagon Federal Credit Union (PFCU) offers the PenFed Premium Travel Rewards American Express® Card to its members.

PFCU does not run an affiliate program for bloggers, which may be why you haven’t read about this card elsewhere.  

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Why I Buy all my Paper Goods from Staples

Five Reams of Staples Copy Paper
Five Reams of Staples Copy Paper

Do you find that Staples is overpriced for many office supplies and technology products?  I do.  I can generally do better shopping online at Amazon or NewEgg.  Target is great for school supplies.

If you keep an eye out for weekly specials, however, you can find some good deals at Staples.

There is a compelling reason to stalk Staples sales.  If you have one of the Chase Ink business credit cards, purchases at Staples and other office supply stores earn 5 times points.

I have a home office for my consulting business.  When I need to stock up on supplies for my business, like reams of copy paper, Staples is my go to store.  That is because they frequently run promotions that allow you to get a ream of paper, or sometimes a case, for “free after rebate.”

These purchases are not really free, because the rebate comes in the form of store credit which must be spent at Staples within a two to three month period.  If you are in the market for printer paper though, it’s fair to say that you are getting these supplies at half price.

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Delta Amex Credit Card 45K Mile Sign-up Bonus

Every once in a while, a terrific offer pops up on CreditCards.com — such as the amazing one-day offer earlier this year for 100K Amex Membership Reward Points.  I did not get in on that offer, because, frankly, a $450 annual fee is way out of my league.

Now there is a new, special offer available from CreditCards.com for the Gold Delta SkyMiles Amex credit card with a 45,000 mile signup bonus.  This is a better offer than the publicly  available offers on the American Express or the Delta websites.  Hat tip to View from the Wing.

The offer is available exclusively via CreditCards.com’s “Offers Matched for You” option (found at the top of the left sidebar on their website.)  To access the offer, you need to enter your name and address in the form on the CardMatch page.  The form asks for a social security number, but you can leave that field blank.  This offer is likely targeted at people with excellent credit.  Filling out the inquiry form constitutes a soft pull which is not recorded on your credit report.

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