Category Archives for Credit Cards.
Chase Sapphire Reserve’s 150,000-point initial bonus ends June 15, with strong travel and dining earning, Sapphire Lounge access, and credits that can outweigh the fee.
Chase Sapphire Preferred is getting a meaningful June 15 refresh: better earning on gas, EV charging and vacation rentals, a $100 hotel credit, Global Entry/PreCheck/Nexus reimbursement, and stronger travel protections. But the card’s most valuable transfer partner takes a real hit, with Hyatt transfers dropping from 1:1 to 4:3 for Sapphire Preferred and Ink Business Preferred customers.
The best travel rewards setup usually pairs one card for bonus categories with another for everyday spending, instead of chasing a single perfect card.
The IHG Premier Card has a limited-time offer worth up to 185,000 points, which is more than I’ve seen before on this $99 hotel card. The upfront bonus is the reason to get it now, but the annual free night, fourth-night-free award benefit, Platinum status, and 4th night free on redemptions are why it can make sense to keep.
The best $95 travel rewards cards can still earn valuable transferable points, with strong bonuses for travel, dining, groceries, rent, and business spending. You don’t have to spend $395, $795 or $895 to earn valuable rewards.
Airlines love handing out tiny “courtesy” vouchers when your bag goes missing, but that is not the end of what they may owe. If your luggage is delayed, lost, or damaged, you can claim reasonable documented expenses, get checked bag fees refunded when delivery is significantly late, and on U.S. domestic flights pursue claims for lost bags up to the $4,700 liability cap — as long as you know which kind of compensation you are actually asking for.
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card has a new limited-time offer that is unusually strong for a $95 hotel card: up to 125,000 points, a free night worth up to 50,000 points, and up to $100 back on airline purchases. It is a card worth getting for the bonus—and, because of the annual free night and elite night credits, one many travelers should keep.
Most points advice assumes you’re saving for long haul business class awards. But if your travel is mostly domestic, the best credit card strategy looks very different: earn the most flexible points you can, carry airline cards for benefits rather than spending, and choose lounge access based on the airports you actually use.
Delta disclosed that it has 9 million American Express cardmembers. They also shared how many members participate in their Starbucks and Uber partnerships – and we can infer just how much spending is happening on their cards, and the balances that cardmembers are revolving.
The Bilt Palladium Card has been my primary spending card, but two rollout problems made that harder than it should have been: a lower-than-expected credit limit and slow payment holds. Now my limit has jumped to $50,000 and payments appear to be freeing up available credit much faster.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
