This is a news recap from last week, tailored to an average family. For faster updates, follow me on Twitter or check my feed on the right side of the blog.
1) Before August 15th, you can get a bonus on transfers to Air Canada Aeroplan from various hotel programs, including SPG. See full details here Basically, if you transfer 20K SPG points, you’ll end up with 29K Aeroplan miles. Transfer 40K SPG points, and you will get 60K miles. The second one probably makes the most sense, especially if you plan on redeeming Air Canada miles for flights on United to certain cities in Europe.
You can get 2 one-way tickets on United if you plan on flying to various popular destinations, including Amsterdam, Paris and London. See my post for details on this redemption option.
If you plan on flying United within Continental US including Alaska (also Canada), it will cost you 12,500 miles one-way as long as low-level redemption is available via United.com Be aware, the transfer can take a week or longer to go through.
2) Book with the Wyndham Rewards mobile app and earn 5,000 bonus points after you complete your qualified hotel stay. Book by July 31, 2016 and complete your stay by Aug 1, 2016. Could be a good deal on a one-night stopover. Remember, you can get decent discounts on Wyndham hotels in exchange for using only 3,000 points per night. Full details of the promo here
3) A very interesting development with American Airlines and its co-branded partners. Apparently, starting in January of 2017, Barclaycard will once again be able to issue AA credit cards. How about that? According to statement: “The agreements will also allow Barclaycard US, the payments business of Barclays in the United States, to offer its cards to new customers in airports and exclusively during flights beginning in January 2017.”
Citi will still offer AA co-branded cards online and via mail. Expect higher offers as both banks will be battling each other for your business. Hmm, what will happen to (already poor) domestic award space with this fresh influx of AA miles? Ahh, who cares! I plan on burning my miles from sign-up bonuses on hotels at a penny each.
4) Get $125 sign-up bonus on US Bank Cash Plus card if you have an existing relationship with US Bank (credit cards should qualify). This is one of the best “keeper” cards for a middle-class family. Details and direct link here
5) Get 10% rebate on Hyatt redemptions through October 31st if you have a Hyatt credit card. Details here Could be a good time to consider applying for it. I’m not sure I would get it solely due to rebate promo, but if you are planning on transferring a ton of Ultimate Rewards points for a specific redemption, it’s something to think about. Of course, make sure you have a solid plan to use two award nights that come with a Hyatt credit card.
6) If you live near Chase branch, there is a way to pick up an easy $500 after opening a Business Checking account. I might actually do this one myself, even though we live about an hour away. This deal is hot! Details here
7) Last reminder on Citi Prestige and the fact that new changes (whatever they are) are set to take place on Tuesday. If you were hoping to get this card in a near future, now is probably a good time to consider pulling the trigger.
8) Just wanted to share something my daughter told me recently. Apparently, she wants to start her own blog and call it Awesomeness.com I asked her what type of content she was planning on sharing with readers. Her response: Insert videos of cats. Oh brother… 🙂
Click here to view various credit cards and available sign-up bonuses
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.
When did you apply for the Wyndham card? I saw that u got a bonus for renewal and paying the annual few. I think I applied in October of 2015.
Rich, I applied for it in May of 2015, as soon as the new offer came out. In the beginning, the card came with 15,000 annual renewal bonus points. However, later on it changed to 6,000 points (not worth it IMO). You might want to call or send a secure message to Barclays and ask them if you are not sure which offer you’ve signed up for. I do think paying $69 for 15,000 points is a pretty good deal for most people. If you signed up under the old terms, you should get them deposited around November of this year.