The Bulkhead Seat: "The Confidante Miami Beach is part of Hyatt’s Unbound Collection, but it might be most famous for being the setting of Dua Lipa’s “New Rules” video. I stayed at the hotel last year and found the experience a mixed bag. It’s perfectly located for enjoying the beach, but service and elite benefits were spotty at best. I’m happy that it’s getting a huge renovation and reopening as an Andaz at the end of 2024."
Points Wire Note:
I booked several clients at The Confidante via Hyatt Privé a few years ago. Many of my clients had similarly mixed feelings about the property. Hopefully, the rebranding as an Andaz will mean a nicer and more consistent experience when the property reopens later this year.
Barclays has launched a new 100,000-point welcome offer for the Wyndham Earner Plus Card. The minimum spend is only $2,000 in 6 months. The card comes with automatic Wyndham Platinum status.
Long-term, the Wyndham Earner Business Card is probably a better bet, but this offer is your easiest path to 100,000 Wyhdnam points. However, I wouldn't prioritize either card over those that earn transferable points.
Barclays has launched a new 100,000-point welcome offer for the Wyndham Earner Business Card. The minimum spend requirement is steep at $15,000, but you have 12 months to meet the spend.
The card comes with automatic Wyndham Diamond status.
Long-term, this is probably the best card if you're a fan of Wyndham. That being said, I still wouldn't prioritize it over cards that earn transferable points.
Etihad Guest might not have great award rates (and awful award cancellation fees), but they're running an impressive transfer bonus promo.
You can receive a bonus of up to 40% when you transfer points from select banks. Of the options, the only US bank option is Capital One. Please note that this transfer bonus is handled on the Etihad side and won't be reflected on Capital One's site.
Transfer Bonus Tiers
Important Terms
Points Wire Note:
I would not recommend transferring Capital One Miles to Etihad Guest speculatively. The program has niche uses, the bonus miles might not post for a while, and the cancellation fees make it to risky.
One scenario in which a transfer could make sense is if you want to book Etihad first class (or The Apartments) or business class more than 30 days from departure. Etihad has restricted partner access to award space to within 30 days so, currently, Etihad Guest is your only option.
American Express has released another Amex Offer for Amazon purchases. You can earn 5 bonus Membership Rewards points per dollar on Amazon purchases through April 30, 2024. You can earn up to 2,000 bonus points with this offer. That means you'll earn +5 points on up to $400 spent at Amazon. Unfortunately, this is a targeted offer so only some accounts will have it.
Terms & Conditions
There's an increased offer for the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card available if you apply in-branch with a bank rep.
While the standard offer for the Sapphire Preferred is 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points, you can get an extra 10,000 points for a total of 70,000 points. The minimum spend requirement remains the same at $4,000 in 3 months.
This isn't the highest sign-up bonus offer we've seen on this card, but we haven't seen higher since early 2023. In fact, we saw an 80,000-point sign-up bonus in early 2022 and early 2023. We last saw a 100,000-point offer in 2021.
Nice flag on Reddit MrHeatherroth
Should You Apply In-Branch?
Maybe.
If you live near a branch, it could be worth it. Make sure the bank rep selects the correct card and enters your info correctly. I would recommend looking at their computer screen while they complete each step.
If you don't live near a branch, consider the value of your time. If you'll use the points in the Chase Travel portal, they're worth $125. If you book an international business class ticket and get 4 cents per point, the 10,000 points are worth $400. Is it worth driving an hour or two then spending 30 minutes with a bank rep? That's up to you!
If you have a Player 2 (spouse, family member, etc.) with a Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve, the referral bonus is 15,000 points which means you and your Player 2 will get 75,000 points between the two of you. That's a slightly better deal and you don't have to leave the house.
If you don't want to drive to a branch and don't have a P2 and want to apply, here's a link with more info. It's an easy way to support Points Wire!
One Mile At A Time: "Lufthansa sells Miles & More miles. The airline isn’t flat out selling miles like most programs do, but rather is selling mileage bundles. These bundles are branded as Bundle&Go, and you can purchase a small, medium, large, or special bundle."
"Miles & More is offering a 30% bonus on its Bundle&Go product for purchases between March 1 and March 31, 2024."
How Many Miles Can You Buy With Each Bundle?
The only option I would consider is the Large Bundle as the total cost comes to ~1.51 cents per mile.
Benefits Of Lufthansa Miles & More
While Lufthansa Miles & More does pass on carrier-imposed surcharges to you when booking award tickets, it's the only program that can book Lufthansa first class award tickets early. Partner programs can get access to Lufthansa first class award space about two weeks from departure, but Miles & More can book any date in which they're selling flights.
A one-way first class ticket between the US and Europe is 91,000 miles (First Flex award). Please keep in mind that surcharges are cheaper starting in Europe than in the US. Personally, I think you're better off flying from Europe anyway as its a daytime flight which means you can be awake to enjoy the experience.
Finally, you can also book a First Flex Plus award to reduce the surcharges in either direction. First Flex Plus will require 115,000 miles one-way, but you'll remove the surcharges. This is actually a great way to book if you don't want to book within two weeks of departure.
Amex Membership Rewards is out with a new transfer bonus to Etihad Guest. You can transfer Amex points and get a 20% bonus through April 4, 2024. That means every 1,000 points you transfers, you'll get 1,200 Etihad Guest miles. The number of miles you'll receive will be reflected on Amex's site.
For context, Etihad Guest's reward chart for award flights on partner airlines is not great. You might find that it'll be the best option in niche cases with this transfer bonus, but that's about it. Plus, you have to consider the fact that Etihad Guest will pass on carrier-imposed surcharges to you which can mean steep taxes and fees.
For award flights on Etihad itself, you'll have access to business and first class award space earlier than if you were to book with a partner program. While the rates will still be steep, the 20% bonus certainly helps.
Frequent Miler: "An astute reader pointed out the fact that Amex has added some new restrictive language to the offer terms on the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card. According to the new terms, many readers may find themselves ineligible to earn a welcome bonus on the Bevy card based on other cards they have had within the past 30 days."
"Previously, there was no language restricting those who have the old Chase Marriott Bonvoy Premier card or the even older $45 annual fee Chase Marriott Bonvoy / Chase Marriott Bonvoy Business cards. This new update excludes more cardholders than before from qualifying for the welcome bonus on the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card."
Loyalty Lobby: "This offer allows you to earn 4,000 bonus ALL points, worth 80 euros if you stay at Sofitel hotels twice during the offer period. There is no minimum stay requirement, so two stays for one night qualify."
You must complete your two stays by May 12, 2024.
Points Wire Note:
Accor doesn't get a ton of chatter in the US points community, but they have several nice brands including Fairmont, Raffles, and Sofitel. All three of these brands participate in Accor's STEP program which offers VIP benefits such as daily breakfast, a room upgrade, and a $100 property credit.
STEP bookings should be eligible for this promo since they're direct bookings. That means you can get the VIP benefits and earn 4,000 bonus points worth $85.
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