This is a news recap from last week, tailored to regular families. For faster updates, follow Miles For Family on Twitter or check the feed on the right side of the blog.
1) Convert hotel points to Avios between now and March 8th, and get 35% bonus.
Participating hotel partners are:
Carlson Hotels
Hilton Hotels
Hyatt Hotels & Resorts
Intercontinental Hotel Group
Marriott
Shangri-La
Starwood
Obviously, the one that makes the most sense is Starwood since you can convert 20,000 SPG points to 25,000 Avios, and 35% bonus will be on top of that. I wouldn’t do it speculatively, but this promo can certainly make sense for some people. Avios program tends to run this type of deal once or twice per year (last one being in July of 2016), so it should come back at some point, but no guarantees. See my post with analysis of this promo and decide for yourself. (hat tip Onemileatatime)
2) How much are NASA Star Trek Points Worth? by DoC. This is a peculiar credit card offer that could be of interest to some, and now we know more about how the program works. Just be aware that you will probably have to have two separate credit pulls, and cash redemption option may devalue by the time you receive your bonus. But I suppose that’s true for every program.
3) I haven’t been focusing on this offer because the sign-up bonus is quite small. But some may be interested since it’s a business card that won’t show up on your personal credit report. I’m looking at you, 5/24 folks (you know who you are).
Anyway, I’m talking about The Blue for Business from American Express credit card, and here are the details of the offer:
- Limited Time Offer: 10X points at U.S. restaurants for the first six months, on up to $2,000 in purchases. Offer expires 02/22/2017.
- 2X points on all qualifying purchases on the first $50,000 for the first year. That’s an additional 1 point per dollar spent on purchases.
- 10,000 Membership Rewards® points after making your first purchase on the Card within your first 3 months of Card Membership.
- Get a 30% annual points bonus based on the past year’s purchases on your Blue for Business Card.
- 0.0% introductory APR on purchases for 12 months, then a variable rate, currently 11.74%, 15.74% or 19.74%, based on your creditworthiness as determined at the time of account opening.
- No Annual Fee
I think under the right circumstances this can be a very lucrative offer. If you frequently pick up restaurant tab for clients, the points can quickly add up. It doesn’t hurt that you get 2X points on ALL purchases during the first year, plus 30% bonus. So, that’s an equivalent of earning 2.3 MR points on everything.
You also get 0% APR on purchases for 12 months. Like I said, it is a niche offer that is great for some and mediocre for others. It just depends on your spending patterns. The card does pay us commission if you choose to support the blog.
4) If you’ve missed my Tuesday post, scroll to the bottom for information on matching your Platinum Hyatt status to MLife Gold I recommend you do it without delay because the door may be closed soon. You never know with these things.
5) Southwest is having a sale, book by February 16th. (hat tip Dannydealguru)
6) There is a rumor from a credible source that the sign-up bonus on Chase Ink Preferred will soon be raised to 100K points. You may want to hold off applying for now.
7) Get 3X Delta miles on AirBnB stays, details here If you don’t have AirBnB account, you can join via my referral link and get $40 off your first stay.
8) SPG has announced category changes for 2017. You can sort them by country or state. Nothing major in US, several Florida properties will actually get cheaper on points. One hotel that will go from Category 4 to Category 2 is Four Points By Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Airport/ Cruise port Another interesting property is Sheraton Bay Point Resort near Panama City. It will now be a Category 3 hotel (7,000 SPG points per night).
Marriott has announced changes as well. See details here The shift doesn’t appear to be drastic, but it does depend on where you plan on staying in a near future. Changes will take effect on March 7th for both chains. (hat tip Viewfromthewing)
9) Lesser Known Domestic Hotel Chains: Drury, Sonesta, Red Lion and Vantage by PFDigest. If you are the type of family who frequently pays cash rates on hotels and are on the lookout for best value, check out this post. Some chains offer light dinners, which can save a good bit of money if you have a large family. There is also a possibility to do a status match if you are an elite in another hotel chain. Fellow IHG cardholders, I’m looking at you.
10) Dos and Don’ts on your first day at Walt Disney World This was a really fun read! I can totally relate to the chaos of traveling with small kids, though it’s getting a bit better now that they are older.
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.
[…] Blue for Business credit card is set to expire today. I did a brief overview of this sign-up bonus here I don’t consider it a hot deal for most normal folks and I’m fairly certain it will […]