Los Angeles Times: "The latest predeparture sanctuary that will land at LAX? It’s from a company best known for its bank branches. Chase announced on Thursday it will open a 9,234-square-foot Sapphire Lounge at Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT), near Gate 148. An opening date was not shared."
Shout out to my friend Chris Dong for his first story in the LA Times!
If you're thinking about applying for the Amex Platinum, select cardholders now have a referral link to a 175,000-point welcome offer. The minimum spend required for this offer is $8,000 in 6 months.
I collect referrals from STTP Premium members to share with readers who want to apply. If you're an STTP Premium member, you can submit your referral link via your account dashboard.
If you'd like share your referral link and get business and first class award alerts, join STTP Premium!
Your Mileage May Vary flagged that American Express changed the entry policy for Escape Lounges. You will only be able to access an Escape Lounge within 3 hours of departure.
From Amex's terms and conditions:
"Effective May 9, 2024, to access select Escape Lounge locations, eligible Platinum Card® Members will be required to arrive at the lounge within 3 hours of their departing flight. During a layover the eligible Card Member may use the Escape Lounge in the connecting airport at any time. Additional information on guest fee rates, access policies and lounge terms and conditions can be found at escapelounges.com/us/access/."
There's a targeted Amex Offer for stays at Unbound Collection by Hyatt properties. If you spend $400+, you can receive $100 back as a statement credit. This offer expires September 15, 2024.
Important Terms
Points Wire Note:
Hyatt Privé bookings are direct bookings and offer VIP perks such as daily breakfast for 2, a property credit, one category upgrade (subject to forecasted occupancy), welcome amenity, and early check-in.
Doctor of Credit: "The refer-a-friend bonus on the family of Chase INK cards is slated to change from the current 40,000 points per referral down to the old 20,000 points offer."
You'll now see the following language on your Chase Ink Card referral page: "As of 9/3/2024, you’ll no longer earn 40,000 bonus points for each business. Instead, you’ll earn 20,000 bonus points for each business, up to 10, that gets approved."
You'll still be able to earn up to 200,000 points via referrals per year.
There's a targeted Chase Offer for Alaska Airlines. If you have the offer, you can get 10% back (up to $45 back) on a single Alaska Airlines purchase of at least $50. To max out the offer, you would need to make a purchase of $450.
Doctor of Credit flagged a new promo for those with an Amex Personal Checking account.
If you have the offer, you can earn 4x Membership Rewards points for every $2 spent on your Amex debit card up to $1,500 in spend. The standard earn rate for the Amex debit card is 1x per $2 spent.
While this isn't a particularly impressive earn rate when you consider that the Amex Blue Business Plus and Citi Double Cash are no annual fee credit cards that earn 2x on everything, it's interesting to see an offer like this on a debit card.
American Express is out with a new Amex Offer for stays at Hilton All-Inclusive And Vacation Hotels. You can receive a $200 statement credit if you spend spend $1,000+ at participating properties in the Caribbean and Latin America by September 30, 2024.
Important Terms
MilesTalk: "In October 2022, they overhauled the referral program and stated you could earn up to 2,025,000 points (requiring 450 successful referrals)."
"Apparently, however, they changed the program again in February of 2024 – now limiting each account holder to 50 lifetime referrals maximum. So if you had been referring 20 people a year since they launched, you’re done forever."
With a new round of targeted Amex Offers, you can get cash back on Marriott stays. Personally, I received an offer for 40% back as a statement credit up to $100 cash back. That means I can get 40% back when spending up to $250 at select Marriott properties. Other versions of this Amex Offer include:
Important Terms
Points Wire Note:
These offers will pair nicely with Marriott STARS and Marriott Luminous bookings which offer additional benefits such as daily breakfast for 2, room upgrade if available, welcome amenity, and early check-in/late checkout if available. Marriott STARS includes a $100 property credit as well. Very few Marriott Luminous properties include a $100 property credit.
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