Category Archives for Credit Cards.
Major tech companies are moving into financial services because they think their ubiquity gives them the ability to succeed in an adjacent space, because they have strong brands, and because their tech focus allows them to appeal to a younger ‘new affluent’ demographic.
For the tech companies and issuers the biggest play is financial data.
I applied for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card because I want to earn a Southwest Airlines Companion Pass, which will allow me to take my wife with me on Southwest flights for just the cost of security taxes. Our daughter is still just one year old and flies free as a lap infant, but with Southwest’s open seating as long as there’s even one open seat on the flight it’s going to wind up next to us since no one wants to sit in a middle seat next to a baby.
But it was seeing those inflight wifi credits post, more than one time per day, that really made me realize the card will pay for itself.
What does the new American Express Centurion Card look like? A reader shared photos unboxing the updated Black Card they received in the mail.
The benefits have been updated and there’s also an updated card design, which our reader says is “thinner and lighter” – not what you’d expect from a card designed to be a statement.
You can fly business class to Europe for 63,000 miles each way or Southeast Asia for 78,000. First class (Lufthansa) is 87,000 miles each way between the US and Europe. And that’s before special deals or cutting the cost with lower-cabin connecting flights.
And right now you can transfer points from Citi with a 25% bonus (or earn a 50% bigger than normal bonus from the LifeMiles credit card).
If you’re new to frequent flyer miles, the single fastest way to rack up miles quickly is with a rewards credit card. Roughly two-thirds of miles are earned with activities other than flying and the number one way is through credit cards.
The best rewards programs are the ones that let you transfer points to your choice of airlines. You pick later where to put the miles.
The biggest return on credit card spending is earning a card’s initial bonus. After that it’s either benefits that may be earned at specific thresholds on a card, or earning more than one mile per dollar on specific categories of spending. For me it’s about earning the elite benefits I care about, and some special perks on top that let me travel with my family more than I otherwise would.
While acknowledging that Sapphire Reserve caught them off guard and needing to respond aggressively, American Express claims to be way ahead of Chase.
Synchrony bank has introduced The Norwegian Reward Card, a co-brand Norwegian Air Mastercard for the U.S. market. This creates a new income stream for the struggling airline that has seemed to turn a corner lately.
According to American Express points are not your asset and points cannot be transferred by the government. Moreover in bankruptcy all points are going to go away.
The Department of Justice, though, prosecuted a woman for redeeming Membership Rewards points despite a government order not to hide or move assets. Who is right?
Already on their sixth transfer bonus of the year, having just launched transferable points, and Capital One has shared in the past that “limited-time offers like this will be another major perk for Venture and Spark Miles account holders to take advantage of.”
This month they’re back with a bonus on transfers to Air France KLM Flying Blue, a great program to pool points in, with reasonable redemption rates and good business class availability.
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 »
