Marriott Bonvoy Boundless 100K Offer

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless is one of the best hotel credit cards. This is especially true when you can find it at one of its high welcome bonuses. Well, right now there is a new limited time offer for 100,000 points after you spend at $3,000 in the first three months.

Offer no longer available.

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless has a number of key features including the following:

  • 6X Bonvoy points on Marriott
  • 2X Bonvoy points on all other purchases
  • Annual Free Night Award
  • Automatic Silver Elite Status
  • Get Gold Status when you spend $35,000 on purchases each account year.
  • 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year
  • $95 annual fee

The limited time offer of 100,000 points is really nice. With 100K Marriott points, you could cover a couple of nights at Marriott brands like the Autograph Collection, JW Marriott, Le Meridien, Luxury Collection, and even at some Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, and W hotels.

Here’s a look at the award chart:

CategoryOff PeakStandardPeak
15,0007,50010,000
210,00012,50015,000
315,00017,50020,000
420,00025,00030,000
530,00035,00040,000
640,00050,00060,000
750,00060,00070,000
870,00085,000100,000

Marriott’s award chart.

It’s often possible to get $200 or more in value from the anniversary free night which easily makes it worth paying the $95 annual fee. This free night can be used at any property that cost up to 35,000 points per night. There are some great properties you can find in this range and you should check out our article on the best Marriott Category 5 properties. 

It’s also nice to get elite credits each year they can help you climb up to higher elite levels.

If you are interested in this offer then you can click here to learn more.

Tip: Remember, that the Marriott cards have some of the most strict credit card eligibility rules. So to verify that you are eligible for this card, be sure to check your eligibility with WalletFlo!

If you’re interested in checking out the full review of this card click here.

New anti-churning language on Barclays card

It’s no secret — credit card companies have been actively putting in new measures to combat gaming in credit card rewards over the past few years.

And it looks like Barclays just added a new explicit restriction to earning its welcome bonus on the Frontier card and others like the Aviator Red.

If you look at the application page, it now states:

40,000 bonus miles after spending $500 on purchases and paying the annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days

It looks like the new change is that they are requiring users to pay the annual fee “in full.”

In cases where the annual fee is not waived, it usually hits soon after that first statement closes so the window of earning the bonus and closing your card is very tight.

So I’m wondering if people were paying only part of the annual fee and then canceling after that at some point? I honestly didn’t even know that was a possibility.

Barclays had language regarding paying annual fees in the past but it looks like they are reiterating paying it “in full” on certain cards. I’m wondering if churning was bad on certain cards they felt the need to add it?

It’s not a huge change but I do think that it is indicative of the focus that banks are putting on to prevent churning-like activity.

In this case, you can’t blame the bank since canceling a card right after earning a bonus is about as egregious as you can get when it comes to churning.

New Chase Sapphire bonus categories (temporary)

Chase is offering some new temporary benefits for the Sapphire Preferred and the Sapphire Reserve. These new bonus earning rates will last from: 7/1/2020 through 9/30/2020.

Tip: If you haven’t already, I would suggest that you use WalletFlo to keep track of all of these changing bonus categories that will update automatically for you!

Gas station bonus

  • 5X on the Sapphire Reserve
  • 3X on the Sapphire Preferred

There will be a $1,500 spending limit for the duration of the three month period. So with the Reserve, you can earn up to 7,500 points and with the Preferred you can earn up to 4,500 points.

Gas currently will trigger the $300 travel credit on the Sapphire Reserve as well.

Streaming services

  • 10X on the Sapphire Reserve
  • 5X on the Sapphire Preferred

You can earn these bonus earning rates on the following streaming services:

  • Disney+
  • Hulu
  • ESPN+
  • Netflix
  • Sling
  • Vudu
  • Fubo TV
  • Apple Music
  • SiriusXM
  • Pandora
  • Spotify
  • YouTube TV

There will be a $1,500 spending limit for the duration of the three month period. So with the Reserve you can earn up to 15,000 points and with the Preferred you can earn up to 7,500 points.

It’s nice that you can earn extra bonus points on streaming but remember you can get a streaming credit with the Platinum Card up to $20 per month. See the other benefits going on.

Instacart

  • 5X on the Sapphire Reserve
  • 3X on the Sapphire Preferred

The limit for this category is $3,000 but you can also get a $50 statement credit for an Instacart express membership.

Instacart allows you to get groceries delivered to your residence but you can also pick them up from the store.

Instacart Express will offer you free delivery (on orders over $35), order savings, and reduced service fees. It has a $99 annual membership fee so this is a pretty nice discount.

If you are paying for it on a monthly basis, you will get a $9.99 credit for up to $50 total.

You do not have to do anything to trigger the bonus category earnings or to trigger the credit.

New Citi Prestige and Premier spending benefits live

Citibank is now offering better perks for two of its most popular credit cards. Some of the perks, such as those for the Citi Prestige are only temporary. But the benefits getting added to the Citi Premier are permanent and are actually just being expedited since these changes were already going to happen in August.

By the way, I’ve updated the database in WalletFlo so you don’t have to worry about keeping up with these changes and they should reflect in your profile.

Citi Prestige

  • Citi Prestige cardholders can now enjoy 5 ThankYou Points per $1 spent on all online purchases up to 7,500 points, through August 31, 2020. 
    • Retailer website orders
    • Online grocery orders
    • Online drugstore orders

This means that you can spend up to $1,500 on these categories which should be pretty easy for people to do over the summer and effectively turns the Prestige into a card like the Chase Freedom that allows 5X on up to $1,500 worth of spend. Not bad. 

And remember, you can use your $250 travel credit on expenses like dining until the end of the year. Again this is also notated in WalletFlo. 

Citi Premier

  • 3 ThankYou Points per $1 spent on supermarket purchases (instead of 1 point per $1 spent)
  • 3 ThankYou Points per $1 spent on restaurant purchases, including takeout and curbside pickup (instead of 2 points per $1 spent)

The new changes have already been in effect since June 2 so you should have been earning the increased rates over the past couple of days if you have this card.

Personally, I think these are great bonus categories for a card with an annual fee of $95. 3X on supermarkets and dining is very respectable. At a valuation of 1.7 cents per point, you’ll be earning just over 5% back on those categories which is very solid. 

I also think that it’s pretty cool that Citi is expediting this change. Technologically speaking, Citibank doesn’t always impress so it was nice to see them implement this change pretty quickly.

American Express pulling back on credit card approvals

One of the harsh realities of the ongoing economic challenges we face today is that it is becoming harder to get access to credit for some people.

And now we know that American Express is slowing down credit card approvals because they are worried about potential economic downturns coming in the future.

At a virtual investor conference on Wednesday, American Express Chief Financial Officer Jeff Campbell, questioned where the economy will go over the next 6 to 12 months since many businesses (including Amex) have chosen to not lay off employees.

American Express is not sure what consumers’ financial health and employment trends will look like in the future and until then, it may be much more difficult to get approved for American Express cards than in recent memory.

So in the next couple of months, if you are a borderline candidate meaning that you have a questionable credit profile and perhaps income on the lower side then I would avoid applying for American Express credit cards.

You could still probably have luck with other credit card issuers but just be aware that things may be tougher when it comes to approvals right now.

You would probably be better off trying to repair your credit score and build it up.

Consider credit cards that are easier to get like secured credit cards or those specifically designed for those with lower credit.

H/T Bloomberg

American Express adding new valuable benefits to cards

Offers contained within this article maybe expired.

American Express just launched new benefits for several of their products that kick in today and last until the end of the year.

These are new benefits that will save you money on every day purchases and bills including things like phone bills and also dining. This should help a lot of people hold onto their credit cards and not cancel them because there is so much value being offered. Here are the details you need to know about.

Platinum Card

  • Receive up to $320 in statement credits on select streaming and wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers (up to $20 per month on each, from May through December 2020).

Business Platinum Card

  • Receive up to $320 in statement credits on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and U.S. purchases for shipping (up to $20 per month on each, from May through December 2020).
  • Will receive up to $200 in additional statement credits for U.S. purchases with Dell Technologies, for a total of up to $400 in statement credits in 2020 ($100 in additional statement credits from May 1 through June 30, 2020 and up to $100 in additional statement credits between July 1 and December 31, 2020).

Green Card

  • Receive up to $80 in statement credits when you pay for wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers (up to $10 per month, from May through December 2020).

Note that you can often split up your wireless phone bills so if you have the Green and Platinum card I see no reason why you could not stack these for even more savings.

Delta SkyMiles Reserve, Platinum, Gold and Blue

  • Will now earn 4X miles at U.S. supermarkets (May through July 2020).

Marriott Bonvoy and Brilliant

  • Will now earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $7,500 in eligible purchases (May through July 2020).

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant 

  • Eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants, including takeout and delivery, will now qualify toward the $300 Marriott Bonvoy Statement Credit benefit (June through August 2020).

Hilton Surpass and Aspire

  • Will now earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points at U.S. supermarkets (May through July 2020)

Hilton Aspire

  • Eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants, including takeout and delivery, will now qualify toward the $250 Hilton resort credit benefit (June through August 2020).

All Amex Hilton cards

  • Bonus Points earned through eligible purchases on all Hilton American Express Cards,that post to the Card Member’s Hilton Honors account between May 1 through December 31, 2020 will be considered Base Points and will count towards Elite tier qualification and Lifetime Diamond Status.

H/T

Big changes coming to Citi Premier

The Citi Premier is a fantastic travel credit card, largely for three reasons.

First, it comes with a great welcome bonus sometimes as high as 60,000 points. These points can be transferred to some quality transfer partners for great value.

Second, it earns 3X on travel which includes a broad array of purchases that extend beyond airfare and hotels. For a card with a $95 annual fee, 3X on travel is very competitive.

Third, it offers a 25% rebate when redeeming your points towards travel which allows you to redeem your points at a pretty solid rate of 1.25 cents per point. It’s not the best travel portal rate but it is pretty decent nonetheless. 

But in August 2020, there are going to be some new changes to the Citi Premier that will make this card less attractive to some people but also more attractive to others.

The Citi Premier will no longer earn 3X on travel and instead will only earn 1X. It is also going to lose its 2X on entertainment.

While it is going to lose those categories, the Premier is going to earn 3X at supermarkets and restaurants. 

I always consider this a strong travel card for bonus earning potential so the loss of 3X on travel is weird and now makes this more of a dining and supermarket card for bonus points. 3X on dining and supermarkets is a pretty solid combination.

Although I would still take the 4X earned on groceries with the Amex Gold Card, the Gold Card comes with a cap and a much higher annual fee of $250. 

(If you are an existing card member, you will retain the old bonus categories until April 10, 2021.)

An additional perk will be getting a $100 credit on a $500 plus hotel stay once per calendar year when booked through thankyou.com. In many cases, you will get more value from your elite benefits by booking directly with a hotel so this new $100 credit is not very enticing to me, since you have to book through the Citibank travel portal.

So if you are trying to rack up grocery and dining spend with a low annual fee, this card will be a pretty competitive option. But if you relied on this card to earn points on travel purchases and liked using your points at the 1.25 cents per point right, these changes will likely be pretty disappointing.

Amex automatically extending bonus requirements for spend

Offers contained within this article maybe expired.

Amid all the chaos going on right now, we are seeing some banks make some very consumer friendly decisions related to credit cards. We recently saw Chase provide some card members with a $100 statement credit to help offset the annual fee and there have been other reported instances of similar types of gestures.

Well, American Express is now reportedly allowing customers extra time to meet their minimum spend requirements for bonuses.

According to a data point and screenshot found on Reddit, some card members who are approved for an Amex card from December 1, 2019 all the way to May 1, 2020 will be allowed three extra months to meet their minimum spend requirement for their welcome bonus.

These extensions are being applied to both personal and business cards. And keep in mind it applies to approval dates and not minimum spend requirement dates.

I would definitely try to follow up via Amex Chat to verify that you have been given an extension and don’t assume that it will automatically be applied (although that does appear to be the case).

Currently, this does not apply to upgraded cards and only applies to newly opened accounts.

So this could be an ideal time to jump on an American Express card if you were in doubts about meeting the minimum spend requirements and could use some extra time.

Chase offering $100 statement credit to Reserve cardmembers

Chase is making a nice gesture towards its Sapphire Reserve cardmembers.

If you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve and your $550 annual fee is due between April 1 and July 1, they are offering a $100 credit to offset your annual fee (essentially back to the $450 fee that it used to be).

Your annual fee will hit as a $550 charge but then you will receive a $100 statement credit.

This is being done presumably because that increase of $100 could add an additional financial strain on many people who are already being hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

Also, perks like Priority Pass are now virtually impossible to use so there is a lot of lost value with this card that could make a lot of people think about canceling their card.

Here is the message that card members are receiving in their secured messages:

We recognize this is a difficult time for everyone. As a way to help, we’re providing you a one-time $100 statement credit toward the 2020 $550 annual fee on your Reserve credit card. On an upcoming billing statement (based on your renewal date), you’ll see a $550 charge for the annual fee, followed by a $100 statement credit. We will continue to bill the $550 annual fee in 2021. Because this credit only applies to open Reserve accounts, if you’ve closed your Reserve account or traded to another credit card before your renewal, you will not receive the $100 statement credit. We know COVID-19 has affected people in many different ways. Please check chase.com/StayConnected for updates and helpful ways to stay connected to your accounts.

Italy’s death rate declining slightly, New York next?

Italy has had the most difficult experience with the coronavirus out of any other country in the world. They have suffered over 10,000 deaths as of March 28 which is crazy considering that on March 7 the death toll was only 233.

Despite having a healthcare system ranked as one of the best in the world, other factors have contributed to the country having one of the highest fatality rates for coronavirus infections.

Italy is now seeing the rate of spread decline and the number of deaths declining each day.

Below you can see that the rate of new coronavirus cases in Italy has been declining and also that the rate of death has also been declining.

It’s still a lot of people who are getting sick and a lot of deaths happening in the country but you can see that it looks like the peak of the growth rate was around March 20, so they are about 10 days removed from the peak of growth. 

Also, according to CNN, the total number of deaths is declining slightly each day. There were 756 new deaths related to the coronavirus in the last 24 hours in Italy, a drop from 889 new deaths on Saturday and 969 on Friday.

So it looks like the total number of deaths happening each day may have just peaked about 2 months after the first case but it might still be too early to tell. These numbers can really fluctuate from day to day.

It will be interesting to see how things continue to play out in Italy over the next couple of days, as we will be able to see if they truly have reached the apex. I would expect things to really begin to slow down.

It could also be a very telling experience for New York.

Italy had its first known coronavirus infection at the end of January and so they may have peaked a little under two months after their first case. Italy also initiated its locked down on March 9, so about five weeks after the first case.

New York had its first coronavirus case known on March 1 and went on lockdown on March 22. So social distancing went into effect after only three weeks which I think will help flatten the curve for New York a lot.

New York is already reporting a slow down of cases, which means they may be way ahead of Italy since it took New York less than one month to see growth rates declining versus Italy where it took almost two months.

Because New York has such a dense population, I think you could argue that other cities will likely have an easier time containing the contagion. 

Now, obviously a lot of factors go into that like the state of healthcare, socioeconomic levels, lock-downs, etc. 

But other cities might be looking at close to a month to reach their peaks of growth, depending on how social distancing was followed. Then, it is just a matter of waiting for the Apex in the total number of cases per day.

This is all my speculation based on the facts and there are a lot of variables that determine things like the spread rates, death rates, etc. Every state will have its own curve.

But I think that we will know a lot more about the rates for containing this virus in the next 7 to 14 days and likely be able to predict how other states will deal with their own curves.

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