Category Archives for Credit Cards.
I don’t see any points bonuses without being logged into my American Express Membership Rewards account. But as soon as I log in, it’s a bonanza. Through September 30 American Express is offering simultaneous points transfer bonuses, including with programs where we rarely see Amex offering a bonus to all of 12 different programs.
There have been several rumors about a new Hyatt card finally launching. We don’t know what that card would look like. The Points Guy just dropped a piece on why Chase needs a Hyatt small business card which I took as one hint, though Danny Deal Guru reports on a rumor from Chase customer service about a new Hyatt premium card (think $400+ annual fee).
Chase created Chase Dining with Tock offering special restaurant reservations at top places set aside for cardmembers. This was part of a continued assault on American Express as the category leader in travel and entertainment. Amex, by the way, didn’t stand still. They traditionally offered a special reservations program but double down by acquiring reservations platform Resy. The American Express Gold is my favorite card for dining spend, earning 4 Membership Rewards points per dollar. Chase’s premium Chase Sapphire Reserve® has offered 3 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar since card launch. Recently Chase revamped its Sapphire cards and made them even more rewarding on dining. The $95 annual fee Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card improved its earning to 3 points per dollar on restaurant spend, and added a getting a 10% anniversary bonus on spend during…
Capital One made a $170 million investment in Hopper, the online booking service which uses machine learning to guide customers on when it’s the best time to buy a plane ticket. And they’re partnered with Hopper to roll out their new online travel tool which will layer Hopper’s prediction analytics with guarantees for the traveler. They’re offering the most guarantees of any places customers might book online – all while letting them use their points to pay for travel if they wish.
General Michael Flynn posted a letter to his social media account showing accounts being closed by Chase next month due to ‘reputational risk’. There was one thing odd about the letter – the first name it was addressed to had been blacked out. It turns out Flynn’s credit cards weren’t cancelled. It was his wife’s accounts being closed. And, amidst a backlash, Chase is re-opening them.
The new United QuestSM Card has launched with a temporary offer of up to 100,000 bonus miles. And it’s intriguing for its annual United Airlines statement credit and award redemption rebates.
Back in December I broke the news that American Express was looking at making substantial changes to their premium Marriott co-brand card. There was talk of a $650 fee (or more) to go along with better points-earning, waived resort fees, and even confirmed suite upgrades.
American Express is now surveying a more specific product, that appears to be taking shape.
New rewards credit card company Cardless has some strong new products, including one of the best no annual fee cards in the market. And now may be the best time to get two of their cards, because of a new offer that lets you earn up to 100,000 bonus points in your first year – indeed this amounts to earning up to 10% back on your spending for a year.
Credit cards no longer have to have raised numbers on them. Starting in 2024 Mastercards will no longer have to have magnetic stripes, either, and no new Mastercards will have them after 2029.
Capital One is discontinuing the highly popular Spark Cash card for new business cardmembers, and instead segmenting their market into two different products. They seem to want to reward high spenders more, while getting out of the financing game for those businesses, and seeking more revolve from lower-spend businesses.
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 »
