United has released a new round of Mile Play offers. Hopefully, you'll get a great offer that fits your travel needs. To earn the bonus, you must book and take your flight(s) by September 13, 2024. Please note that not all United MileagePlus members are targeted for this promo.
I received the following offer:
Book and take one trip and earn 3,000 bonus United miles. The fine print notes that the ticket must be at least $100 to qualify.
Points Wire Note:
It's rarely worth going out of your way to fly United for one of these promos. They're just nice bonuses if a United flight fits your needs.
Update: Doctor of Credit flagged a link to the offer.
A Redditor (u/dgdg1976) shared that there's a targeted Amex Business Platinum welcome offer for 200,000 Membership Rewards points showing up the mobile app. The minimum spend requirement is the usual $15,000 in 3 months. This is the best offer I can remember seeing on this card.
A couple of years ago there was an offer fro 250,000 Membership Rewards points, but the minimum spend required was $30,000.
If you're thinking about applying, you have this targeted offer, and you can hit the minimum spend, this is a great time to get the card.
Update: This transfer bonus is now live!
Citi is launching a transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. Between February 18 and March 16, 2024, you'll be able to transfers Citi ThankYou Points to Virgin and get a 30% bonus.
While award flights on Virgin Atlantic have steep carrier-imposed surcharges which leave you on the hook for sky high taxes/fees, you can get some great value out of Virgin points by booking award tickets on partner airlines.
Air France, KLM, and ITA Airways to Europe standout. Delta can be a great option to Europe as well, just not to/from the UK. All Nippon Airways (ANA) is always a fan favorite for those visiting Japan - though award space is tough. Air New Zealand is also a great option.
Hyatt's Bonus Journeys promo is now live!
More Points With A Hyatt Credit Card
If you have a World of Hyatt Business Credit Card or a World of Hyatt Credit Card, you earn an additional 1,000 bonus points per three nights you stay. If you were to max out this promo by staying 21 nights, could earn 28,000 bonus points as a cardholder.
According to a FlyerTalker, only Hyatt properties in the following countries will be eligible for the cardholder bonus:
Australia, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mainland China, Macau, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and Vietnam.
Stack With Etihad Guest Promo
If you have stays in March, you'll be able to earn bonus Hyatt points as well as Etihad Guest miles.
Details on Hyatt x Etihad promo
Points Wire Note:
Oddly enough, I have 12 nights coming up in an eligible country. I'll happily take 16,000 bonus points!
This could also pair nicely with a Hyatt Privé booking - extra perks on your stay + extra points.
Disclosure: I serve on an Bilt advisory board and may earn a commission if you use the links below.
In December, Bilt revamped how you earn status and announced that Milestone Rewards were coming in 2024. We now have the details on these rewards.
While you can earn Bilt status with eligible spending, Milestone Rewards are achieved when you earn a certain number of qualifying points. You will earn a Milestone Reward when you reach each of these qualifying point tiers:
At each tier, you can select one of the Milestone Rewards options. Please note that Milestone Rewards do not stack. You can only use one at a time. Additionally, Milestone Rewards do not stack with other promos such as double points on Rent Day.
Milestone Rewards must be be claimed in the calendar year in which they are earned.
Milestone Rewards - 25,000 Points
Milestone Rewards - 75,000 Points
Milestone Rewards - 100,000 Points
Milestone Rewards - 150,000 Points
Milestone Rewards - 225,000 Points
Milestone Rewards - 250,000 Points
If you're interested in applying for the Bilt Card, you can learn more here.
Points Wire Note:
I certainly won't turn down opportunities to easily earn bonus points. I already use the Bilt Card for dining, auto-payments, and on Rent Day to earn double points. However, these Milestone Rewards aren't enough to make me chase them.
Don't get me wrong, I like earning Bilt points to take advantage great transfer partners, transfer bonuses, and other promos. This new perk just won't change my strategy.
Chase issues three co-branded IHG One Rewards credit cards - two personal cards and one business card. The bonuses for both personal cards have been increased.
Please note that IHG One Rewards just recently devalued their award rates.
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
Additional benefits include: A free might certificate (worth up to 40,000 IHG points) on your account anniversary, 4th night free when you book a 4-night award stay, Platinum Elite status and a Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck application fee credit.
IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card
Additional benefits include: 4th night free when you book a 4-night award stay, Gold Elite status.
Points Wire Note:
If you ask me, the Premier Card's $99 annual fee is worth the additional 65,000 IHG points alone. The anniversary free night certificate helps as well.
If you simply want the 4th night free benefit so you can take advantage of it when you buy IHG points during a 100% bonus promo, the Traveler Card might be a better choice.
Danny the Deal Guru: "BWH Hotels has launched a new promotion, offering Best Western Rewards members the chance to earn a free night after two stays. Your stays must be completed by May 5th, and you can then use your free night during the summer."
Points Wire Note:
It's probably not worth going out of your way to stay at a Best Western, but if you need a couple of stays, you might as well earn a free night from them!
If you have a Delta Amex card, check your Amex Offers. Some cardholders have an Amex Offer for $75 back after spending $200+ with Delta. Others have an offer to earn 7,500 bonus SkyMiles after spending $200+ with Delta. As is often the case with airline Amex Offers, flights must originate in the U.S. and be purchased in USD.
The offers expire August 15, 2018.
Update: Select referrals are showing a welcome bonus of 200,000 points. This is the best offer we've seen on the card.
Welcome Bonus
The welcome bonus typically sits between 70,000 and 150,000 Membership Rewards points. However, we just saw a 200,000-point offer for the first time.
Bonus Categories
You can earn 4x on your two most used categories per billing cycle up to $150,000 per calendar year.
You can earn 3x on flights and prepaid hotels booked via Amex Travel.
Statement Credits
Cell Phone Coverage
If you pay for your cell phone bill with the Amex Business Gold, you can get reimbursed for damage or theft up to $800 per claim up to 2 claims per rolling 12 months. There's a $50 deductible.
Annual Fee
$375
Points Wire Note:
STTP Premium members can submit referrals to the 200,000-point offer.
Disclosure: I am not an accountant. This is not financial advice. Please talk to your accountant regarding taxes.
Last night, I received a message from a reader about the 1099-MISC they received from a bank.
Since it's tax season, I thought I'd share a quick reminder that banks will often send you a 1099-MISC when you've referred a friend to a credit card and received a referral bonus.
Yes, your referral bonuses get treated as income. This is different than points you've earned via sign-up/welcome bonuses or day-to-day spend which are considered rebates.
If you have multiple cards from a bank and refer people from each of them, expect to get one 1099-MISC form for each of your cards. So, if you have an Amex Gold, Amex Platinum, and Amex Blue Business Plus and you referred people from each card, you'll likely get three 1099-MISC forms.
Make sure you provide these forms to your accountant.
Points Wire Note:
I know it's tedious and it means using points to travel isn't free - of course, the "free" travel hype is tedious as well. Still, you can get way more value out of the points than you'll pay in taxes. Think of it as the cost of doing business.
Sign up for free flight alerts or upgrade to Straight To The Points Premium.
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To make choosing your next card a bit easier, we've ranked the best credit card offers to help find the best bonuses.
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In August 2018, I started the Straight To The Points flight alerts newsletter with the goal of making it easier to book business and first class flights with points & miles and fare deals.
I started Points Wire to make it easier for you to keep up with the news you need to know without all of the fluff.