Recap: New Offer on Chase Freedom Unlimited, Marriott Award Chart, IHG PointBreaks and More

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1) As I’ve briefly  mentioned yesterday, there is a new offer on Chase Freedom Unlimited card that will give you 3 points per dollar on all purchases during your first year:

 

Direct application link (pays no commission)

And here is the affiliate/personal referral version of the offer:

Even though the bonus is marketed as cash back, you are actually getting 15,000 points. So, which offer is better? It really depends on your spending patterns. If you can easily put more than $10,000 on the card during your first year (the breakeven point), then the first offer is definitely better.

I write for normal folks who presumably do very little manufactured spending, so IMO the offer that gives 15,000 points is superior. You get your bonus right away, so if there is a great sign-up bonus from another bank down the road, you won’t have the dilemma on whether to try to maximize “3 points/per dollar” deal instead.

But honestly, neither is all that compelling unless you focus on accumulating Ultimate Rewards points that transfer to airline and hotel partners. If you do, then you should absolutely consider adding Chase Freedom Unlimited to the mix.

(hat tip Doctorofcredit)

2) If you’ve missed out on Daily Getaways deal on purchase of Hilton points, you are in luck.

Through June 7th, you can get 100% bonus on purchase of Hilton points. The price works out to be 0.5 cents per point, which is too high if you are buying speculatively. If you have an immediate redemption in mind, it could certainly make sense to go this route. Read my post Five tips on squeezing the most value out of Hilton program

3) Here are the details on the next week of Daily Getaways:

 

Few offers you may want to consider:

1. Three nights in Circus Circus resort (plus other perks) for $150. There are only 8 packages, so good luck with that!
2. A $1,000 promo code from Orbitz for $650  Lots of restrictions, and the voucher has to be used up in one transaction, but a potentially hot deal for some. Though again, there are only 60 packages for sale.

3. Marriott e-gift cards at 20% off.   I have taken advantage of this promo in the past. My in-laws will be staying in a Marriott resort in Fiji for one night, so I’m debating if we should buy some gift cards for dining and other incidentals. I am a bit nervous on whether these gift cards will work internationally, so may sit that one out.

The “T and C” says they are valid in participating properties, which isn’t usually an issue in United States. If anyone had an experience using Marriott gift cards  internationally,  please chime in.

4) Marriott has shared a preview of new/unified award chart that will go into effect on August 1st.

See full details on TPG  The list consists of only 100 hotels, but I found it quite interesting. It looks like several decent properties in New York, Paris, as well as Caribbean will cost 35,000 points, which will make them eligible for renewal certificate on Amex SPG cards.

5) Get up to 40% discount on purchase of Hyatt points through May 23rd.

Link to Hyatt, or go through Topcashback  (my referral  link) and search for Points.com to get 2.5% cash back. The promo may be worth it if you need to top off an account for a specific redemption. Otherwise, nope. (hat tip Frequent Flyer Bonuses)

6) IHG has released a sneak peek of new PointBreaks list.

See details on LoyaltyLobby  If they release the full list today, I’ll try to put together a post.

Have a good weekend!

Click here to view various credit cards and available sign-up bonuses