American Express Business Platinum Card 75K Offer

The American Express Business Platinum Card is a card that is rich in benefits and also comes with a lot of value in the form of a very strong welcome bonus. There is now a new offer that is out with a much easier to meet minimum spend requirement and still a lot of points to offer. Here’s a look at the new offer.

The offer below is no longer available

The new offer

The American Express Business Platinum Card comes with a bonus of 75,000 Membership Rewards after you spend an additional $15,000 in three months.

The old offer was for the same amount but the spend requirement had multiple levels to it and was also higher (50,000 points after you spend $10,000 and an extra 25,000 points after you spend an additional $10,000 in three months).

Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!

So it’s now much easier to earn 75,000 points.

The American Express Business Platinum Card will hook you up with a lot of the same benefits that the personal Platinum Card offers. Business Platinum cardholders will get lounge access to Centurion Lounges, Hilton Honors Gold Status, and also get 5X on airfare although the airfare needs to be purchased through AMEX travel.

For purchases of $5,000 or more you will earn 1.5X and you can earn these special bonus points on these purchases up to 1 million points per year.

You can also get a 35% bonus on your points when you redeem them through the American Express travel portal for select airlines. You can get the 35% rebate for either a First or Business class flight on any airline, or for flights with your selected qualifying airline.

This rebate allows your redemptions to come out to 1.54 cents per point which is very good. This means that you can put your points to use without having to worry about blackout dates and award inventory and also still get super-competitive value for your points.

Next is a $200 statement credit for U.S. purchases with Dell ($100 semi-annually). The big difference here is that the personal card gets credits for other things like Uber and Saks.

Overall, if you are looking for an easier way to earn a lot of points with American Express, the Business Platinum Card offers you the perfect opportunity right now.

 

New unexpected 100K offer

Every now and again a new bonus comes in that is completely unexpected. Well, we just saw one of these unexpected bonuses arrive and it’s a big one. 

New 100K offer

The new offer is for the Chase Ink Business Preferred card and it offers 100,000 points after you spend $15,000 in the first three months after account opening.

100,000 Ultimate Rewards is an amazing offer.

People have gone to great lengths to get 100,000 point offers in the past and now this type of offer is publicly available to everybody which is pretty fantastic.

Going with a WalletFlo valuation of 1.73 cents per point for Ultimate Rewards, this comes out to $1,730 worth of points. That is definitely going to be one of the most valuable bonuses that you will come across for any credit card. 

Note: the Chase Ink Business Cash still offers 50K points with the lower spend requirement of only $3,000 in the first three months. 

Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!

Other perks

The Chase Ink Business Preferred has a lot of other things going for it though.

The first major consideration is that this card does not count against your 5/24 status. So if you have not opened up five accounts or more in the past 24 months then you absolutely want to consider this card first.

If you are wondering what your 5/24 status is, then I suggest that you check out the free app WalletFlo. Simply plug in your cards and the app will show you everything you need to know about your credit card eligibility. 

The Chase Ink Business Preferred also has some solid bonus categories. The Chase Ink Preferred earns 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases in the following categories each account anniversary year:

  • Travel
  • Shipping purchases
  • Internet, cable and phone services
  • Advertising purchases with social media sites and search engines

So this can be a great card to earn extra points on bills that you already pay like your phone bills and internet bills. Also, the fact that it earns 3X on travel is great considering that the Sapphire Reserve also earns 3X on travel but it comes with the annual fee of $550. 

The biggest change with this offer is the much higher spend requirement of $15,000 in the first three months. I think one great ways to meet a minimum spend like this is to pay your taxes with your credit card. Now that the tax payment and filing deadline has been pushed out to July, you should have more time to put together a strategy to pay off your taxes with a card.

Overall, if you can meet the spend requirement, this is a great offer and an easy way to catapult your point earnings with a single card. If you can’t meet the minimum spend requirement, then you might want to look at the Chase Ink Business Cash which offers 50K points but has a much more reasonable spend requirement of only $3,000 in the first three months. 

 

United Club Infinite Card 100K Offer [2020]

It seems like the new trend from banks right now is to revamp their premium cards. Over the past couple of years we have seen the Platinum Card get revamped and other cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve get revamped as well.

Typically, with these revamps we see a new bonus category or two, some changed perks, and an increased annual fee. Well, Chase just made some big changes to their United Club Card and now it is the “United Club Infinite Card.” Below, I will give a breakdown of the new card including its new limited time offer.

Limited-time offer

The new United Club Infinite Card is launching with a limited-time offer with 100,000 miles after $5,000 in purchases in the first three months from account opening. Getting a bonus of 100,000 United miles is very rare. Consider that the bonus for the old card was 50,000 miles and people would get very excited about targeted 75,000 mile offers.

So this is a golden opportunity for anybody interested in United miles. Keep in mind that this offer does expire on May 18.

Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!

Bonus categories

  • Earn 4X on United purchases
  • Earn 2X on dining
  • Earn 2X on all other travel 
  • 1X on all other purchases

The big change with this card is that it earns 4X on United purchases, which was increased from 2X on United purchases. This is a huge change and makes this card significantly more valuable for frequent United Airlines fliers.

There was a negative change with this card though because it now only earns 1X on all purchases and it used to earn 1.5X on all purchases. 

United Club Membership

The big benefit of this card is that it comes with a United Club Membership. Basically, you will be able to get into United airport lounges if you have this card. 

United benefits

When you fly with United you will get your first and second check bags free and you will also get Premier Access. United Premier Access is a collection of benefits that allows certain customers to have a more convenient airport experience from the time of check-in, through the time of boarding, and even when picking up their luggage. 

Benefits

One of the new benefits is that the card comes with up to $100 in Global Entry or TSA Pre-check credit. Some of the additional benefits include Hertz rental car status, Primary rental car insurance, and 25% off onboard purchases.

Annual fee

The annual fee for the United Club Card is $525, which is a $75 increase.

Eligibility

Here are what the eligibility rules state:

This product is not available to either (i) current Cardmembers of any United Club credit card, or (ii) previous Cardmembers of any United Club credit card who received a new Cardmember bonus for this credit card within the last 24 months. If you are an existing United Club Visa Signature Cardmember and would like this product, please call the number on the back of your card to see if you are eligible for a product change.

So if you currently hold the old United club credit card or if you received a new card number bonus for that card in the last 24 months then you will not be eligible for this card unless you product change. 

Final word

Overall, the United Club Infinite Card is now an extremely attractive card for someone who spends a lot on United. Earning 4X on your primary airline is extremely competitive and you could easily offset that increased annual fee with substantial spend.

Delta SkyMiles Cards Revamped, Now with Limited-Time Offers

American Express just launched their revamped their Delta co-branded credit cards with limited time offers for both their personal and business Delta co-branded credit cards. In this article, I’ll show you what the new changes are and highlight the new limited-time offers are. All offers expire 4/1/2020.

Changes to Delta Cards

Below, I’ll highlight the limited-time offers and then show you the changes that will come into effect later on. 

And one more thing, the business cards below will NOT count towards your 5/24 status but the personal cards will. I wouldn’t focus on getting a Delta personal card until you are over 5/24 since there are options to consider like the United Explorer Card, Chase Sapphire Preferred, etc.

Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!

Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express

The Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express limited time offer ending April 1, 2020: 

  • 60,000 miles you spend $2,000 in your first three months 
  • 10,000 bonus miles after your first anniversary

60,000 miles is a nice stash of Delta miles for a pretty low spend requirement of only $2,000. You can actually do a lot with Delta Sky Miles (they aren’t always Sky Pesos). If you need help learning how to maximize your Delta miles, be sure to read our article on the best ways to redeem Delta Sky Miles. 

Here’s a breakdown of some of the changes:

Positive changes: 

  • 2x on restaurants & U.S. supermarkets (up from 1X)
  • $100 Delta flight credit after $10,000 in spend within a calendar year

Negative changes: 

  • MQD Waiver will be removed
  • Delta Sky Club access for $29/visit will be removed
  • Annual fee increased from $95 to $99

The biggest loss is the MQD Waiver. This is a benefit that waived the MQD requirements for Silver Medallion, Gold Medallion, and Platinum Medallion when you spent at least $25,000 and that benefit will no longer be there.

MQDs are how much you have to spend with the airline to achieve status and they are:

  • $3,000 for Silver Medallion 
  • $6,000 for Gold Medallion 
  • $9,000 for Platinum Medallion  

The loss of the Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American ExpressDelta Sky Club pay-to-play access is a bummer too since sometimes you might find yourself without a way to get into a lounge, and you’ll be willing to pay in order to avoid peasant status. As far as the annual fee increase, that’s a pretty nominal change and nothing I’m worried about. 

JFK Sky Club Sky Deck

Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card

The Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card limited time offer: 

  • 80,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 in the first three months
  • 20,000 bonus miles after your first anniversary

I like this card at 80,000 miles and think it’s a good choice to go with when trying to rack up Delta miles. Brad and I once used the Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card to help us get enough miles to fly Upper Class on Virgin Atlantic from LAX to LHR with only about $5 in fees.

Positive changes: 

  • 3X on Delta (up from 2X)
  • 3X on hotels (up from 1X)
  • 2X at restaurants (up from 1X)
  • 2x on purchases made at U.S. supermarkets (up from 1x)
  • Global Entry or TSA Pre-Check credit (every four years)

Negative changes: 

  • Delta Sky Club visit fee will increase from $29 to $39
  • Annual fee increased from $195 to $250

The spike from $195 to $250 in the annual fee is pretty noteworthy. With no offsetting credit, that’s a pretty big shift of 22%. 

The 3X on hotels and Delta is nice, especially since not many co-branded airline cards offer 3X on airline purchases. 

I’m not too crazy about 2X on restaurants and US supermarkets but if you put a lot of spend on the Delta SkyMiles Platinum, then this card just got a lot more valuable. Overall, unless you’re a big spender on your Delta cards, these changes are pretty negative.  

It’s worth noting these Delta cards will still retain their benefits like Priority boarding, First checked bag free, 20% off in-flight purchases, and the one time main cabin companion certificate.

The Virgin Atlantic bar on the 787.

Delta Reserve® Credit Card from American Express

Delta Reserve® Credit Card from American Express limited time offer: 

  • 80,000 bonus miles and 20,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $5,000 in your first 3 months.
  • 20,000 bonus miles after your first anniversary

Positive changes: 

  • Centurion Lounge access when you book a Delta flight
  • 3X miles on Delta (up from 2x)
  • Global Entry or TSA Pre-Check Credit
  • Two Delta Sky Club One-Time Guest Passes
  • Complimentary Upgrades
  • Additional 15,000 bonus Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after spending both $90,000 and $120,000 in a calendar year (these are in addition the bonuses for $30,000 in spend and $60,000 in spend). 

Negative changes: 

  • Annual fee increased from $450 to $550
  • Miles Boost replaced with Status Boost
  • Sky Priority Security removed

I was pretty surprised to see Centurion Lounge access added to this card but it does come with some restrictions. For example, you only get it when flying Delta with a ticket purchased on your Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card. As for guest access, you can pay $50 per guest for up to two guests. 

The two one-time guest passes to the Delta Sky Club is interesting. This card comes with Delta Sky Club access but the perk will give you two passes you can use for guests which is a nice way to save and keep your group together when traveling.  

If you meet the $120,000 spend threshold (and earn 60,000 MQMs), you’ll earn Delta Gold Medallion status. That’s a lot of spend but I always find it interesting when you can pick up an airline status with no actual flying. Here’s the Delta elite requirements for your reference. 

Medallion TierMQMs or MQSs requirementMQDs requirement (only for US residents)
Silver25,000 MQMs or 30 MQSs$3,000 MQDs
Gold50,000 MQMs or 60 MQSs$6,000 MQDs
Platinum75,000 MQMs or 100 MQSs$9,000 MQDs
Diamond125,000 MQMs or 140 MQSs$15,000 MQDs

The complimentary upgrades are interesting but I’m wondering what the upgrade odds will be for most cardholders who don’t have Medallion status.

My guess is very low on most routes, but upgrades to Delta Comfort+ might be common? I do think it’s cool that apparently Reserve cardholders will get priority over other members in the event of a “status tie”

Overall, it’s a hard sell at $550 to me given that the The Platinum Card® from American Express offers way better lounge access but big spenders might be attracted to automatic status via spend. 

Hong Kong Centurion Lounge.

Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!

Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express

  • 15,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in your first 3 months.

The no-annual fee Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express Card is also getting 2X on Delta and restaurants worldwide (previously is was U.S. only). It will also lose foreign transaction fees (previously it was 2.7% per transaction).

Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express

Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express

  • 60,000 miles you spend $2,000 in your first three months 
  • 10,000 bonus miles after your first anniversary

Positive changes: 

  • 2x on restaurants & U.S. supermarkets (up from 1X)
  • 2x on U.S. advertising & U.S. shipping (up from 1X)
  • $100 Delta flight credit after $10,000 in spend within a calendar year

Negative changes: 

  • MQD Waiver benefit was removed on December 31st, 2019
  • Delta Sky Club access for $29/visit will be removed
  • Annual fee increased from $95 to $99

The only differences with the business cards are changes related to bonus spend rewards. I’ve bolded them so that they stand out.

Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express

  • 80,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 in the first three months
  • 20,000 bonus miles after your first anniversary

Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express

Positive changes: 

  • 3X on Delta (up from 2X)
  • 3X on hotels (up from 1X)
  • 1.5X on purchases over $5,000 (up to 50,000 miles)
  • Global Entry or TSA Pre-Check credit (every four years)

Negative changes: 

  • Delta Sky Club visit fee increase from $29 to $39
  • Annual fee increased from $195 to $250

Reserve Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express

Reserve Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express

  • 80,000 bonus miles and 20,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $5,000 in your first 3 months.
  • 20,000 bonus miles after your first anniversary

Positive changes: 

  • Centurion Lounge Access 
  • 3x miles on Delta spend (currently 2x)
  • 1.5X on all purchases after $150,000 spending
  • Global Entry or TSA Pre  Fee Credit
  • Addition of 2 Delta Sky Club One-Time Guest Passes
  • Access To Complimentary Upgrades
  • Additional 15,000 bonus Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after spending both $90,000 and $120,000 in a calendar year

Negative changes:

  • Annual fee increased from $450 to $550
  • Miles Boost to be replaced with Status Boost
  • Sky Priority Security will end January 29th, 2019

Final word 

These new changes have both positive and negative sides but I’d wager most view them as negative changes due to the increased AFs and lost benefits. The new bonus categories are cool but only really matter for heavy spenders. 

Amazing New Limited-Time Chase Offers! (United and IHG) [2020]

Chase just announced three very solid offers including one brand-spanking new card. This is exciting because the offers are great and the new card comes with favorable eligibility terms if you have already opened up a United business card before. Check out the three new offers below!

5/24 in effect

Before getting everyone too excited, keep in mind that these cards are subject to the Chase 5/24 rule (and other Chase application rules). If you are not familiar with these rules or simply don’t enjoy keeping tabs on how they affect your eligibility, then be sure to check out WalletFlo which will automate all of these things for you and help you to manage your cards. 

We are only a couple of weeks away from the launch and I think everybody is going to love the price we are shooting for! So be sure to check it out!

Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!

United Business (100K!)

  • 100,000 bonus miles after you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open
  • 2X on United purchases
  • 2X on local transit and commuting – including taxis, mass transit, tolls, and ride share services
  • 2X on gas stations, office supply stores and restaurants
  • 5,000 bonus miles each year when you have the United Business Card and a personal United card
  • $100 annual United travel credit (but only after you have seven United flight purchases of $100 or more)
  • 25% back of United inflight purchases (includes Wi-Fi, food and beverages)
  • Free first checked bag and priority boarding
  • 2 United Club passes each year
  • Annual fee $99
  • Offer expires April 2, 2020

The United Business card is very similar to the United Business Explorer card but there are a couple of key differences. First, the most important thing to be aware of is that these are considered different products. So if you earned a bonus in the last 24 months for the United Business Explorer card, you are still eligible for a bonus with this card. By the way — the answer to this type of eligibility question would be automated for you with the new app WalletFlo.

The new features on this card include the local transit and commuting bonus categories, 5,000 bonus miles for having both a personal and a business card, the $100 annual credit that you can get when you make seven purchases of $100 or more, and the 25% discount. It’s also worth mentioning that the annual fee is increased by four dollars.

I will have a detailed review of the United Business card at a later date but right now I wanted to highlight the welcome bonus of 100,000 bonus miles after spending $10,000. This is a high spend requirement so only proceed if you have a plan to meet $10,000 in three months.

United Explorer (60K w/easy spend requirement)

If you don’t have a plan for meeting the high minimum spend requirement for the United Business, you should know that the personal United Explorer has a new bonus that is very obtainable. Right now, you can earn 60,000 miles after spending only $3,000 in the first three months. And the annual fee is waived the first year! Offer expires April 2, 2020. You can read my full review of the card here.

IHG Rewards Club Premier Card 

IHG credit card offer

The IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card has a new limited time offer that comes with the following features:

  • 140,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening
  • Annual free night certificate at an “eligible hotel”
  • 25X (total w/elite status) on IHG purchases
  • 2X points at gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases
  • Automatic Platinum Elite Status (read more about this status here)
  • 20% discount on purchases of IHG points
  • 4th night free on award stays
  • Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit of up to $100 every 4 years
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • $89 annual fee

140,000 bonus points is a lot and that spend requirement of $3,000 is very doable. With those points, you could cover two to three nights at a very nice property or you could stretch your points and cover a handful of nights at mid-tier property.

Final word

All three of these offers are very solid and so if you are in the market for a new airline card or hotel card you should seriously consider these offers.

New Southwest Airlines 75K Offers Available! [2020]

Southwest just rolled out with some amazing new offers for their credit cards that are offering some of the highest bonuses we’ve ever seen for these cards. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen publicly available offers like these that don’t require substantially more spend. If you were ever waiting to jump on one of the best Southwest offers, now would definitely be the time!

Offers are now expired.

Southwest personal credit card offers

The new offers are for up to 75,000 miles! And the great thing about these offers is that the spend requirement is not super high like we have seen in the past with offers requiring up to $12,000 worth of spend.

Here is what the offers look like.

You earn 40,000 miles after spending $1,000 in the first three months after account opening and an additional 35,000 miles after spending $5,000 in the first six months. $5,000 in spend for a total of 75,000 miles is a great offer.

If you can combine one of these offers with a business card offer below, you could be looking at earning way more than the minimum needed for the Companion Pass (more on that below). 

Below are the three different types of Southwest personal credit cards and their offers. Personally, I would go for the Priority as it offers the most benefits for someone who flies Southwest on a semi-regular basis. However, each of them is offering the same lucrative welcome bonus. 

Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!

Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card

  • 40,000 miles after spending $1000 in the first three months after account opening and an additional 35,000 miles after spending $5,000 in the first six months.

You’ll also get:

  • 2 points per $1 spent on Southwest purchases and Rapid Rewards Hotel and Car Rental Partner purchases
  • 3,000 anniversary points

Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card

  • 40,000 miles after spending $1000 in the first three months after account opening and an additional 35,000 miles after spending $5,000 in the first six months.

You’ll also get:

  • 2 points per $1 spent on Southwest purchases and Rapid Rewards Hotel and Car Rental Partner purchases
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • 6,000 anniversary points
  • Earn 1,500 Tier-Qualifying Points for every $10,000 in purchases, up to 15,000 Tier-Qualifying Points each calendar year

Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card

  • 40,000 miles after spending $1000 in the first three months after account opening and an additional 35,000 miles after spending $5,000 in the first six months.

You’ll also get:

  • Bonus spending:
    • 2X Rapid Rewards on Southwest purchases
    • 2X Rapid Rewards on hotel and car rental partner purchases.
    • 1X Rapid Rewards on all other purchases
  • $75 Southwest annual travel credit
  • 7,500 anniversary points each year
  • Four Upgraded Boardings per year when available.
  • 20% back on in-flight drinks, WiFi, messaging, and movies
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Earn tier qualifying points towards A-list Status
  • $149 annual fee applied to your first billing statement

Southwest Companion Pass

The Southwest Companion Pass is arguably one of the most valuable travel perks that you can earn via credit card rewards.

With the Southwest Companion Pass, a companion can fly with you for free for up to two calendar years on both award flights and cash fares. This pass can be worth more than $3,000 depending on how you utilize it, so it’s a tremendously valuable perk (read more about the pass here).

The Southwest Companion Pass works on a calendar-year basis and that’s why it makes sense to pick it up at the beginning of the year, as early as possible so you can use it for as close to 24 months as possible.

Earning the 125,000 Rapid Rewards needed for the Companion Pass isn’t easy because it requires a lot of flying but it’s very doable when you rely on credit cards to get you there.

In order to get to 125,000 Rapid Rewards via credit cards, you need time your applications so that you’re going for the highest sign-up bonuses. And you want to do this at the end of a year or at the very beginning of a year to maximize the time that you’ll have the pass.

It’s not always possible to time your apps this way but right now it’s possible to do this and that’s why it’s a perfect time to go for the pass.

Southwest cards policy

Chase not too long ago changed its policy for approving Chase Southwest credit cards. Now you can no longer pick up two personal Southwest cards. This was a major bummer but it wasn’t a complete loss because it’s still possible to get a personal and a business card, which can get you the Companion Pass.

Two things to note: 

  • I would put at least 30 days between applying for the business and the personal card
  • All cards are subject to the Chase 5/24 rule.

Southwest business credit cards

Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card

If you’re able to go for a Southwest business card, I’d go for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card, which offers a whopping 70,000 Rapid Rewards after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

That puts you in great position to earn the Companion Pass and it’s honestly one of the best welcome bonuses we’ve ever seen. 

You’ll also get: 

  • 9,000 bonus points after your Cardmember anniversary.
  • 3 points per $1 spent on Southwest Airlines purchases.
  • 2 points per $1 spent on social media and search engine advertising, Internet, cable and phone services and 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
  • 4 Upgraded Boardings per year when available
  • Inflight WiFi Credits
  • A-List credits 
  • Global Entry or TSA Pre-Check Fee Credit
  • Employee cards added at no additional cost
  • $199 Annual Fee

Southwest Premier Business Card

The Southwest Premier Business Card is offering 60,000 Rapid Rewards after spending $3,000 in the first three months after account opening.

You’ll also get:

  • No foreign transaction fees
  • 6,000 anniversary points
  • Earn 1,500 Tier-Qualifying Points for every $10,000 in purchases, up to 15,000 Tier-Qualifying Points each calendar year

Final word

Now is a great time to go for the Companion Pass due to the time of the year and the credit card bonuses. With just two offers you can easily hit 125,000+ Rapid Rewards.

Major Sapphire Reserve Changes About to Happen

We have known for months that the Chase Sapphire Reserve was expecting some significant changes and it looks like they are now arriving. Depending on your spending habits, you might see these changes as positive or negative but below I will lay out what we know so far. You should note that if you are thinking about getting this card, you might want to apply ASAP to avoid a more expensive annual fee.

 Chase Sapphire Reserve changes

  • Annual fee increasing from $450 to $550 for new applicants (on January 12th, 2020)
  • Annual fee increasing to $550 as of April 2020 for current cardholders
  • 10X on Lyft/Lyft pink membership
  • $60 annual DoorDash credit

At this stage it looks like the annual fee increase is pretty much verified but the other benefits are still a little bit of speculation, though I would not doubt that they are true.

Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!

Annual fee changes

A $100 increase in the annual fee is obviously a negative change. Now, the Reserve is on par with the American Express Platinum Card in terms of its annual fee. The affiliate links on my website for the Chase Sapphire Reserve still show the annual fee at $450 so I believe you could still apply and get that lower fee but there are reports of cardmember agreements already changing to $550 so this change is coming in quick.

If you are a current cardmember then it looks like if your annual fee hits in April or after April 2020, then you will be subject to the increased annual fee of $550.

It also is reportedly not possible to product change up to the Reserve right now to avoid the new increased annual fee.

10X on Lyft/Lyft pink membership

10X on Lyft is pretty impressive but only if you actually use Lyft. That could amount to something close to a 20% return on your spend for that rideshare service but again if you don’t use rideshare services then this doesn’t do you much good.

Lyft Pink is $19.99 per month and gives you the following benefits

  • “15% off unlimited car rides

    Save on every car ride you take — any time, anywhere. 

  • Priority airport pickups 

    Get picked up faster at the airport when it’s busy.

  • Relaxed cancellations 

    We’ll cover three cancel fees per month if you rebook within 15 minutes.

  • Surprise offers

    Get seasonal discounts and exclusive savings.

  • Waived lost and found fees

    We’ll take care of the return fee every time. 

  • Bikes and scooters

    Enjoy 3 free 30-min. bike or scooter rides per month (in select markets).”

Again, this could save rideshare users a lot over the span of a year but it doesn’t do much for others who don’t utilize rideshare apps. In case you are wondering, a 15% discount on $266 worth of Lyft purchases would net you $40 in discounts which would offset the $100 annual fee increase when factoring in the $60 credit below.

Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!

$60 annual DoorDash credit

DoorDash is a food delivery service just like Uber Eats. I think we are still waiting confirmation on whether or not this will be a $60 credit or more. If it is $60, it’s possible that the credit could be a $5/month credit which is not all that exciting to me considering all of the fees that go along with utilizing a service like this. But we’ll see.

It’s worth noting that the Reserve is also offering cardmembers two years of DoorDash DashPass for free (gets you free deliveries although other fees apply).

Once again, this is yet another card that will likely be issuing monthly or yearly credits that you will need to keep track of. And that is going to be one of the many helpful features of WalletFlo.

Final word

In 2020, it’s very easy to utilize food delivery services for a lot of people so I put a lot of value in those credits. But in this case, if the food delivery service credit is only $60 then that leaves a $40 increase in the annual fee that needs to be offset by rideshare services benefits. 

I’ve got a feeling that if these changes are all true that Chase will be losing some customers who fall outside of the rideshare services target market. Factoring in the $300 travel credit and a $60 food delivery credit the new effective annual fee would be $190.

If you spent $3,700 on travel/dining purchases, that would earn you $190 worth of Ultimate Rewards based on a valuation of 1.7 cents per point.

So that is what your break even point might be looking like if you were curious. (The break even point it does not factor in things like the Priority Pass membership, hotel perks, etc..)

Remember that while the AMEX Gold Card has better rewards for dining, the Reserve still has amazing travel protections so putting all of your travel expenses on the Reserve could make sense for many people. So if you spend around $3,700 a year on travel alone, you can still easily come out on top.

If I did not meet the break even point, I personally would not cancel my card but would just downgrade to the Sapphire Preferred or to a no annual fee Chase Freedom.

Hat tip DOC

New Way to Get Around Chase 5/24 Rule (Explorer)

The Chase 5/24 rule is one of the most restrictive credit card application rules out there. This rule prohibits you from getting approved for Chase credit cards if you have opened five or more credit cards in the past 24 months.

Luckily, there are some exceptions to this rule and now there is a new exception that you might be able to take advantage of. Keep reading below for details!

The new Chase 5/24 exception

Some users are getting targeted for a special offer for the United Explorer Card when using the United mobile app. I believe the offer is the same 65,000 mile offer that is also available to the public right now. Here’s how it is broken down:

  • Earn 40,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
  • Plus earn an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you spend $10,000 total on purchases in the first 6 months

Here is what you need to know

When you are in your United app, you should see a purple-ish banner for a pre-qualified offer. Make sure that it says “pre-qualified” because that is the key language. Not “pre-approved.” The ad will probably look something like this.

Next, you need to view the terms to make sure that there is a fixed interest rate. If the offer terms state that you have an interest rate from something like 17% to 21%, that is a variable rate and is likely NOT a pre-qualified offer that will circumvent the 5/24 Rule. You need it to say something like “17.99%.”

If you have the offer sent to you and receive a fixed interest rate, then you can apply for the Explorer Card and you might get approved even if you have opened many more than five cards in the last 24 months.

Are these offers safe?

We have seen banks clamp down on people utilizing certain targeted offers, but I don’t think this offer would fall into that same category of risky apps.

That is because these are offers being sent directly to you via United and you are not exploiting any link hacking or anything along those lines. There could still be some degree of risk here but I would say it is pretty minimal since this is not “gaming.”

Why is this a big deal?

First, it is a big deal because the Chase 5/24 rule is a huge buzz kill and anytime you can get around this rule it is noteworthy news.

This is also a big deal because this is one of the best travel credit cards in my opinion. I would rank it as the number one airline co-branded credit card, and I outlined a lot of those reasons in my review of the card.

While this is a targeted offer, this is the type of offer up that I think would be great to show up on the WalletFlo main dashboard. I think there could be a section for targeted offers and you could always see the list of the latest targeted offers to test out. 

That feature won’t be in the first edition but a lot of you readers have expressed interest in getting special offers and targeted offers incorporated into the app somehow, and I think that’s one way to do it. 

Final word

This is a fantastic offer if you are targeted. Like I said, this is one of the most valuable travel cards and getting around the 5/24 rule for this specific card is definitely a big deal.

Hat tip to: FM/DOC

New Chase Sapphire Reserve Changes Coming? [2020]

If there has been one pattern over the past couple of years, it has been changes to credit cards related to dining. We have seen new dining perks get rolled out left and right and also new bonus categories come into the picture. And now, there are rumors that some big changes are coming to the Chase Sapphire Reserve in the dining (and annual fee) department!

Dining credits

It is rumored that the Reserve will get some sort of dining credits similar to some other competitor cards.

For example, the American Express Gold Card has a monthly $10 dining credit that can be used on food delivery services like GrubHub and Seamless. And then of course the Platinum Card has a monthly Uber credit that amounts to $200 worth of credits.

If the Chase Sapphire Reserve were to get some sort of credit it would likely be a $10-$15 monthly credit and my guess would be that it could be used on something like food delivery services.

Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!

Increased annual fee

There is also a rumor that the annual fee might be increased to $550 — the same amount as the Platinum Card. This would not surprise me at all because the Chase Sapphire Reserve already has such a generous $300 travel credit. Adding new benefits in the form of dining credits seems like it would necessitate an increased annual fee.

This higher annual fee means that the Chase Sapphire Preferred will likely be more attractive to beginners. Many beginners are understandably turned off by the Reserve’s $450 annual fee so now that it might be increased to $550, I imagine that even more people will be turned off.

So I think it will continue to be a good strategy to first jump on the Chase Sapphire Preferred for the high welcome bonus of 60,000 points and then consider your upgrade options after one year when you are more familiar with your spending habits and needs for credits and travel perks.

But if you already know you will use all of the credits for the Sapphire Reserve, then you probably want to apply for the Sapphire Reserve before the annual fee increases since you will likely be able to take advantage of the new credits. Some links are apparently already testing the higher annual fee so I would recommend to act quickly.

Future trends

I think we are going to continue to see credits issued along with increased annual fees across different cards. I don’t know the data for these issuers but I would venture to guess that a sizable group of people do not take full advantage of these credits (breakage). This allows the issuers to profit more via annual fees each year.

This is yet another reason why I am interested in creating WalletFlo. I think that we will be seeing more credits come out over the next couple of years and it will become increasingly cumbersome to keep track of all of the differences and intricacies of these credits.

For example, if you have three or four cards issuing a monthly dining credit, it can be easy to forget to use one or two of those cards to maximize your credits. It is also difficult to keep track of all of the different types of restaurants and food delivery services that the credit works with.

But with an app like WalletFlo you will have a breakdown of all of your credits that not only shows you how to utilize those credits but also gives you the full picture when it comes to your “effective annual fees.”

Effective annual fees are essentially your total annual fees paid minus all of the credits that you use. Once you start opening up multiple cards with multiple credits it can get easy to lose track of how much you are actually paying in annual fees each year. But if you have a breakdown of all of your annual fees along with your credits then things get a lot easier and you can clearly see which annual fees are justified.

Final Word

Right now, the $300 travel credit offsets the $450 annual fee to an effective annual fee of $150. Unless these new credits bring the effective annual fee below $150 for the Chase Sapphire Reserve, I’m not excited about the changes. But with $10 monthly credits, the effective annual fee should drop below $150 assuming a $100 increase in the annual fee.

I do think this is part of a larger trend of increased annual fees though, and hopefully apps like WalletFlo will help people continue to maximize these credits while making smart decisions about annual fees.

Hat tip: doctor of credit

 

New Wave of Shutdowns by American Express

I have been saying for a couple of years now that playing games with American Express is just not worth it. Amex can be very nice to you if you play by their rules. But as soon as you start to venture into gaming territory, that is when things will not go well for you at some point.

New shutdowns by American Express

There appears to be another round of shutdowns by American Express going on.

We don’t know exactly why these shutdowns are occurring but there seem to be some common trends.

One of the biggest trends is people doing self referrals. This means that they were generating a referral link from one of their own cards and then applying for a new card using that referral link.

We have known that this is a risky tactic for a little while and I have been warning people to proceed with caution from the very beginning. As of now, I would avoid this method at all costs unless you want to take a major risk of losing your points. 

Other potential risks for getting shut down involved buying gift cards to hit your minimum spend requirements. For example, if you have purchased Visa gift cards to get your minimum spend, you could be at risk for a shutdown.

Banks are clamping down

I have heard rumors that some issuers are now going to greater things to systematically identify gamers. Things are not like they were in 2015, when it truly was still the wild west out there for the rewards. 

Nowadays, many of the tricks that people are relying on come with huge risks of getting shutdown and are easily discovered by banks. 

My advice is to just acquire credit cards at reasonable pace.

A reasonable pace to me just means leaving a few months (3+) between credit card applications.

You should also avoid things like purchasing gift cards to hit minimum spend requirements, applying for cards with suspicious links (links that don’t look like they were intended to be used by the public), self referrals, and canceling cards within one year of use.

Basically, if you encounter a way to make a quick come up by doing things like jumping on multiple promotions/offers, buying gift cards when the terms exclude them, etc., that could potentially be grounds for a shutdown in the future.

Going into 2020 and beyond, you do not want to mess with American Express!

And honestly now that we have a better bonus categories with cards like the Gold card, Platinum, and even now the Green Card, there are more ways to earn points organically.

Sure things won’t be quite as lucrative but I would rather have fewer points but no risk of getting shutdown. You can read about the shutdowns in this thread.

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