In case you’ve missed them, here are a few “hot” or “sizzling” deals, depending on who you ask:
1) Increased sign-up bonus on Amex Blue Cash ($250) and Amex EveryDay (25K Membership Rewards points). They are baaaack! This is a very good deal for those particular products. No, they do not pay me commission. Read my post on why you may want to consider either deal.
2) Get $15 credit on a purchase of $15 or more via Visa Checkout with your Chase Freedom. Chase Sapphire Preferred had the same type of offer recently (yours truly got it), but this time you actually have to spend at least $15. Details here (hat tip to Dansdeals)
3) Through November 7th, get Outback (and some other) gift cards at Family Dollar store at 20% off. I’m going there today to buy one for Outback because it can also be used at Carabba’s restaurant, my favorite guilty pleasure and budget buster.
4) An interesting promo form IHG called “Priceless Surprises”(see details). Oh my! Beware IHG bearing surprises, just saying… Anyway, it is stackable with “Accelerate” promo which is why it bears mention. Just a reminder, you only have 2 months to complete “Accelerate”, read my post for details. I suggest you at least check what your offer is. My father-in-law got almost 50K points after just 1-night stay.
Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
I’m thinking about making a play for Virgin America elevate points. I was thinking maybe a combo of Amex and Citi points transfers. End goal would be Hawaii. Thoughts?
The link being to the increased offer.
@Cheapblackdad It’s a possibility, sure. I saw this option for Hawaii, and it looks decent. Though, it does depend on where you are flying from. Might be better to go with Delta (via Air France) or United (via Singapore). Both transfer from Citi and MR programs. I’m assuming you are talking about applying for both Amex and Citi cards, right?
If you are solely after sign-up bonuses, it could make sense to get Citi Thank You Premier and Citi Prestige instead. One in yours, and the other in your wife’s name. You can combine points if needed. Of course, I’m assuming you can handle minimum spending requirements. It would be $6K in 3 months instead of $5K if you go for Amex Everyday and one of Citi products. If you get Citi Prestige soon, you could get $250 air credit or buy a gift card. I just wrote about doing that.
If you have decent flexibility, Air France or Singapore should do the job. Air France was recently pricing out Delta flights at only 25K miles roundtrip on certain routes, though, it’s probably a fluke. Normal price is 30K miles, still a very good deal IF you find Delta availability. BTW, it’s not as hopeless as people say. Of course, Virgin America is also an option, but transfer ratio is poor 2:1.
Like I said in my previous comment, Amex Everyday to me mostly makes sense if you plan to upgrade it to Preferred version later on, but not 100% sure. It has no annual fee, and the bonus isn’t bad. But it’s not “hot” either.
I like your plan a lot better. I remember early on learning how much I liked programs that had transfer opportunities from multiple programs (Avios). I’ll have to sketch out a plan.
@Cheapblackdad I recommend you definitely do your own investigation. What airlines primarily serve your home airport? That’s a huge factor in what points you should collect. Another possibility is to get Chase British Airways Visa. I know you got one for you earlier this year, but perhaps you could get it for your wife. Unfortunately, the annual fee is not waived right now. Still, 50K Avios can get you 4 one-way tickets from West coast via Alaska or American. That’s pretty good. Use Southwest points for positioning flights. There are many possibilities, of course.
I’m recommending you at least look into Citi Prestige. Right now, the perks and sign-up bonus are quite good. If you play your cards right, it’s a terrific option. There is a non-affiliate offer you can get in-branch ($350 fee instead of $450), but it requires CitiGold account. I’ve linked to a post on DoC on the 50K points checking promo that’s going on at the moment. Look a few posts back for details.
Do you have any idea how long the increased bonuses will be on the Amex cards? Just signed my husband up yesterday for a Citi card but don’t feel like I could do another application for an Amex today.
@Shoesinks I’m not really sure, to be honest. These seem to come and go. They appeared 2 months ago, so chances are, at some point, this offer will return. Honestly, I don’t believe these are the hottest bonuses or anything like that. They should be mostly of interest to those who are looking to upgrade to EveryDay Preferred and Blue Cash Preferred, respectively. Those are both excellent cards for everyday spending.
In other words, I don’t necessarily feel you should jump on either one, but it’s something to consider. It really depends on your goals, so I recommend you take a look at my referenced post. Blue Cash requires $1,000 in spending in 3 months, and will give you $250 bonus.
Obviously, there are better bonuses on the market at the moment. If most of your spending goes towards meeting minimum spending requirements, perhaps, you may want to pass on these particular cards. Saving your hard pull for a higher bonus might be best. Hopefully, both of these offers will stick around so you have some time to think about it. Feel free to email me with further questions.