Chase Sapphire Preferred’s Bundle of Premium Protections – Some Benefits You Didn’t Know You Had

by Gary Leff

Jul 16 2015

Premium credit cards offer a dizzying array of benefits you probably didn’t even realize you had — or if you knew at one point, you probably forget when there’s an opportunity to use them.

Break a new electronic device, smash your rental car, run into a merchant who won’t take a return… or the price of something you recently bought drops after you already bought and started using it… there’s something that your credit card company can often do and you get started with a simple phone call.

Was your flight delayed by weather, you didn’t make your connection, and you were stuck paying for a hotel and meals out? Let your credit card company pay you back!

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January 2016 Will Have Only 30 Days.

by Gary Leff

Jul 16 2015

For the past couple of years, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card — which offers double points on travel and dining, everyday — has offered triple points on dining the first Friday of each month.

That made the first Friday of each month not just a great day to eat out but a great day to buy restaurant gift certificates, too. However, I’ve learned that Chase will be discontinuing this benefit at the end of the year.

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Here’s Context for Hyatt’s 40% Bonus on Purchased Points

by Gary Leff

Jul 16 2015

Hyatt Gold Passport is offering up to a 40% bonus on purchased points through July. It’s targeted for elites.

In some ways that seems a strange limitation. Elites already have the most points They’re most likely to use points to greatest savvy effect, why discount for them?

One interesting truism is that people who earn the most points are also the ones who value them the most and tend to buy. Your points buyers are the people most engaged in the program.

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US Airline Markets are Super Cheap and Hyper-Competitive

by Gary Leff

Jul 15 2015

Scott Mayerowitz and David Koenig have a piece out on airline industry consolidation titled “Airlines carve US into markets dominated by 1 or 2 carriers.” The point is to suggest that airline mergers are driving up prices and reducing choice. I’m not sure that gives a fair read to the situation. At least to some extent though it seems like the conclusions flow from the way the piece is framed rather than clearly from the data.

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