The Two Rewards Credit Cards I Like the Most

by Gary Leff

Jul 15 2016

My single favorite card for earning valuable rewards points is the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and it currently has its best-ever public offer that lets you earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

But Citi Prestige earns even more points — triple, not double — than Sapphire Preferred on air and hotels. It doesn’t just earn double points on dining like Sapphire Preferred, but also ‘entertainment’ which is a broad category.

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United Airlines Enters Non-Prosecution Agreement in the Smisek-Port Authority Scandal

by Gary Leff

Jul 14 2016

United and the US Attorneys Office for New Jersey have brought an end to the airline’s role in the corruption investigation of the Port Authority of New York-New Jersey which oversees the airline’s Newark hub and public transportation options surrounding it with a Non-Prosecution Agreement.

Here’s what the agreement says, and what it means.

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Over 20,000 TSA Employees Have Been Accused of Misconduct, and Half of Those Multiple Times

by Gary Leff

Jul 14 2016

According to a new House Homeland Security Committee report, however, almost 27,000 of TSA’s 55,000 employees have received misconduct reports in the last 3 years. Only 6% of complaints result in disciplinary action. Unsurprisingly then — with disciplinary procedures not a real deterrent — complaints are up nearly 30% since 2013.

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4th Night Free on Hotel Stays — And $50 Amazon Gift Cards — From Citi Prestige?

by Gary Leff

Jul 14 2016

You’d think it’d be enough that there would be such a great signup bonus (apparently changing on Tuesday — so get the card now), triple points on air and hotel spend, lounge access, and a free golf benefit. Add on an airfare credit, global entry credit, strong travel protections, and fourth night free on hotel bookings and you’ve got a pretty unbeatable package. But the Citi Prestige Card seems to be in a surprise and delight mood. As TedG relayed in the comments, Citi sent him a $50 Amazon gift card as a thank you for using the 4th night free hotel benefit. Wait… they are thanking him for taking a full rebate on the 4th night of a hotel stay? And Ted reports this is the second time he’s gotten a $50 Amazon gift…

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Flash Sale: Buy Up to 144,000 Hilton Points at Just $0.0056 Apiece

by Gary Leff

Jul 14 2016

For four days only — through July 18 — is offering a bonus of 80% on purchased points.

Hilton will let you buy up to 80,000 points per year, plus bonuses. The pricing here amounts to $0.0055555 per point. I value Hilton points at $0.004, since I can pretty much always get half a cent in value at least from Hilton points and I have a preference for holding cash.

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American Finally Lets You See How Many Qualifying Miles You Earn for Each Flight

by Gary Leff

Jul 14 2016

One of the more annoying things about American AAdvantage for elite frequent flyers has been that they show you an elite qualifying miles total for the year but have not shown you any kind of breakdown at all.

When you took a flight and it posted to your account you would see the redeemable miles earned for that flight, but not the elite qualifying miles. So you had no idea if they were posting correctly or not. In fact, for a time earlier this year they weren’t.

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