Check Your Credit Cards for Annual Fee Refunds, Retention Offers and New Category Bonuses

The economy is in a definite downturn due to COVID-19, and many people are doing far less traveling and less travel-related spending than normal.

In response, credit card companies are working hard to entice people to keep their credit cards rather than close their accounts.

Many of the big card issuers have proactively issued statement credits or other bonuses, or added temporarily enhanced benefits for all customers of certain cards.

For other card issuers or other credit cards, customers need to call and ask about offers to see what they may be targeted to receive.

Many cards are offering additional bonuses in categories in which those cards historically have not offered bonuses.  This is to encourage customers to use the card more.  For example, Chase is offering 5 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on grocery store purchases for the new few months.  Similarly, American Express is offering 4 Delta Sky Miles per dollar on grocery store purchases with their Delta co-branded cards.

Another benefit is that the travel credit on certain cards can be triggered for spending that is not travel-related.  For example, the Citi Prestige card $250 travel credit can be used at supermarkets and restaurants.

This post is a heads-up, not a comprehensive roundup of all the changes on the major cards.

In light of recent changes, it behooves all of us to check our credit card portfolio and figure out which cards make the most sense for certain types of spending.

Sample articles with more details:

The Points Guy - temporary perks on Amex cards

Marketwatch - annual fee partial rebates on certain cards

Frequent Miler - COVID-related Credit Card Benefit Enhancements - Ultimate Guide 

The Best Cash Back Business Credit Cards

There are lots of credit cards that earn generous amounts of travel rewards.  Likewise, there are lots of cash back-earning credit cards.  And there are lots of business credit cards aimed at small business owners.

What there is NOT a lot of, is cash back business cards.  In the past few days, I researched cash back business credit cards and came up with what I believe are the three best such cards available to American customers.

Reminder:  One need NOT have a business tax ID (aka EIN) to get approved for a business card.  Generally speaking, a history of at least a few years' worth of revenue and expenses of a few thousand dollars annually at minimum, along with a solid (740+ certainly should do the trick) credit score should result in approval of a business credit card application to most of the major U.S. credit card issuers - Amex, Chase, Citi, Capital One, and others.


Reminder:  personal credit cards can be used for 'business spend' just as easily as business cards can.  There are not a lot of practical differences between personal and business credit cards.  One of the big ones is that business credit cards often lack some of the consumer protections that are required by law to be provided on personal credit cards.  Authorized user cards can be ordered for personal cards, just as with business cards.  And hundreds of thousands of dollars of spend can be put on personal cards, just as with business cards -- assuming proper credit line and management of it.

The Best Three Cash Back Business Credit Cards

Of these three options, the Amex one I can refer; the other two I cannot.  All three cards will allow pretty solid accumulation of cash back via spending.  And all three have at least a $500 signup bonus after hitting the minimum spend in first three months.

• Capital One Spark Cash
• Amex Blue Business Cash
• Chase Ink Cash

Capital One Spark Cash

Pros

• 2% cash back on everything, no limit - to my knowledge, the only business card on the market like this
• $500 signup bonus after $5k spend.
• Additional $1,500 signup bonus after $50k total spend in first year.

Cons

• $95 annual fee after first year.
• No category bonuses, just straight 2% on everything.

More Information

• https://frequentmiler.boardingarea.com/C1SCbiz/#Goto

Amex Blue Business Cash

Pros

• No annual fee
• 2% cash back on first $50k purchases per year
• $500 cash back signup bonus ($250 after $5k spend fairst 3 months, another $250 after another $10k spend in first year)

Cons

• Only 1% cash back on purchases beyond $50k in a year

Referral
My referral link (click 'all business cards to find the Blue Business Cash.  I recently got the Blue Business Plus.  http://refer.amex.us/JASONWuBSY?XLINK=MYCP.  

More Information

• https://www.doctorofcredit.com/american-express-blue-business-cash-card-500-sign-up-bonus-available-via-incognito/
• https://frequentmiler.boardingarea.com/AmxBBC/#Goto

Chase Ink Cash

Pros

• No annual fee
• $500 signup bonus (usually only $300) after $3k spend
• Great bonus categories:  5X office supplies ⚬ 5X cellular/landline/cable (on up to $25,000 in total purchases in 5x categories annually)
• 2X gas and restaurants (up to $25k annually)
• Besides being able to use as cash back, technically the card earns Ultimate Reward points which can be super handy (e.g. if you have a Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve personal card, and could combine the points and use toward paid travel thru Chase travel portal

Cons

• Only 1% cash back on non-category bonused stuff

More Information

• https://frequentmiler.boardingarea.com/CIC/#Goto
• https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-ink-cash-500-public-online-offer/

Analysis

• Which is best for you?  That depends on your own personal circumstances.  How much will you spend, and how much in various categories.  You will have to decide which is best for your usage.
• Will you spend enough to offset the $95 annual fee on the Spark Cash?
• The category bonuses on the Chase Ink Cash are potentially very lucrative, if you'll have spend in those categories.  Otherwise, it probably isn't the best choice.
• If you are going to spend well beyond $50k a year, Spark could be the best bet - although you won't recover the $95 annual fee until you hit $60k spend, vs. the Amex no annual fee card.
• Blue Business Cash may be the safe bet for starters - unless the category bonuses on Chase Ink Cash can be leveraged.

100,000 Point Signup Bonus for No Annual Fee Hilton Amex Card

The Deal

Earn 100,000 Hilton points after you spend $1,000 on the Hilton Honors American Express card within the first 3 months.  No annual fee.  (Apply via referral link:  http://refer.amex.us/JASONWjy0r?xl=cp15 )

Bottom Line

• This is one of the better sign-up bonuses you will see for a card with no annual fee.  100,000 Hilton points can yield 2-4 nights at nicer Hilton properties, depending on when and where.  It is possible to find lower tier Hilton properties (Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn, DoubleTree, etc) for 20,000 points per night in certain U.S. areas and thereby get as many as 5 free nights from the signup bonus.  Hilton properties in some overseas countries are as cheap as 7k-10k points per night.  Award Mapper is a useful site to view hotel locations by brand, and the points price per night, for properties all over the world.

To get the 100,000 point offer:

The 100,000 point offer is no longer available as a public offer; it is available only via referral link.  Click my Amex referral link to open in a web browser:  
http://refer.amex.us/JASONWjy0r?xl=cp15

then find the offer for the no annual fee Hilton Amex card:

1. Click the View All Cards with a Referral Offer link near the top of the page
2. Click the Looking for a Personal Card? link
3. Click the Continue to Card Details blue button for the Hilton Honors Card (or the Aspire or Ascend care if interested in those other cards)
4. Click Apply Now
5. Complete the application page

(My referral link will show you a Delta Amex credit card first, but you can apply for any Amex card that has a referral offer.  I will get a referral bonus, and you will get the signup bonus listed.)

This post is focused on the no annual fee Hilton Honors credit card as a great 'starter card' for people who are newer to the points and miles hobby.

If you are interested in the other Hilton American Express cards, feel free to apply for one of those instead.  All four Hilton co-branded Amex cards are offering their best-ever signup bonuses (only via referral, as the public offers have been reduced) at this time:

• Hilton Honors American Express Ascend - 150,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after $3,000 spend in first 3 months.  $95 annual fee
• Hilton Honors American Express Aspire - 150,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after $3,000 spend in first 3 months.  $450 annual fee
• Hilton Honors Business card - 125,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after $3,000 spend in first 3 months.  $95 annual fee
• Hilton Honors card - 100,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after $1,000 spend in first 3 months.  No annual fee

Card Benefits

Many of these benefits are fairly common for credit cards, but this is a pretty solid benefit suite for a no annual fee card.

• No Annual Fee and No Annual Fee for Additional Cards
• Earn 7 Hilton Honors bonus points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton Portfolio.‡
• Earn 5 Hilton Honors bonus points per dollar spent at restaurants, supermarkets, and gas stations in the USA
• Earn 3 Hilton Honors bonus points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases
• No Foreign Transaction Fee - Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad
• Complimentary Silver Status - Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status with your Card.  Earn Gold status thru the end of the next calendar year after $20,000 spend on the card in a calendar year.  Silver status isn't worth much, but it's better than nothing.  Gold status is fairly useful (e.g. free continental breakfast for 2 people per room.)
• Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance - Use the card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver at the rental car counter to be covered if the car is damaged or stolen. (Coverage not available for vehicles rented in Australia, Italy, and New Zealand. Coverage is secondary, not primary, and does not include liability coverage.)
• Extended Manufacturer Warranty Coverage - Items purchased with the card may get up to two extra years added to original manufacturer's warranty.  (Applies to warranties of 5 years or less. Coverage varies depending on cardholder's location.)
• Phone Damage and Theft Coverage - On eligible purchases, theft and accidental damage to cell phone can be covered by Purchase Protection up to 120 days and $1,000 per occurrence, $50,000 per calendar year.
• 90-day Return Protection - Return Protection coverage may provide a refund within 90 days of eligible item purchase, even if the merchant will not accept the item for return. (Limited to $300 per item and $1,000 per calendar year. Purchases must be made in the U.S. and its territories.)
• Shoprunner - Free 2-day shipping on eligible items at 140+ online stores with free ShopRunner enrollment. (Minimum purchase may be required.)
• Travel Accident Insurance - This can provide coverage for accidental death and dismemberment while traveling on a Common Carrier (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus) when entire fare was charged to the card
• Global Assist Hotline - 24/7 access to medical, legal, financial or other select emergency coordination and assistance services, including medical and legal referrals, assistance with cash wires, passport replacement, missing luggage and more. Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers
• Entertainment Access - Get exclusive access to ticket presales and Card Member-only events in nearby cities.  Broadway shows and concert tours, family and sporting events, and more
• Pay It Plan It - Two different options to pay down balance. Pay It option - pay small purchase amounts or Plan It - split up large purchases with a fixed fee
• Additional Cards - additional cards are free for anyone age 13+.  Points earnings at same rate and accrue to the primary cardmember's Hilton Honors account.  Adding a child as an authorized user can be a great way to start building positive credit history for a child.
• Fraud Protection - No liability for fraudulent charges made with your American Express Card.  No deductible
• Year-End Summary - Year-End Summary of charges for reviewing annual spending

Public Offer is Not as Good

The current public offer for the Hilton Honors American Express card is 75,000 point signup bonus after $1,000 spend in first 3 months.  LINK.  Use my referral link at top of this post to get the better 100k offer.

How Can I Travel For Free?

In response to a recent question on a blog post about a credit card offer, I decided to take a stab at writing up a very high-level introduction of how airline miles, hotel points, and bank points work as a way to fly, stay, or otherwise travel for free or almost free.

This post is essentially a stream-of-consciousness output, which I will try to refine and improve periodically.

About Credit Cards and Signup Bonuses

• The fastest way to earn large quantities of airline miles, hotel points, or points in other points programs administered by various banks (Citi, Chase, Amex, etc) is by signing up for a credit card and spending the minimum amount required by the bank to earn a signup bonus for that particular card.
• Hundreds of credit cards are available to U.S.-based customers, from several different issuers such as Amex, Citi, and Chase.
• Many credit cards offer signup bonuses in the form of points or miles that are very lucrative -- often $500-600 and sometimes even $1,000 or more.  However, many cards offer mediocre (hello, $20 gift card or free turkey!) or even no signup bonus at all; buyer beware!
• Some credit cards are marketed as personal credit cards and some are marketed as business credit cards.  Regular individuals qualify to apply for and use business credit cards; a business tax ID number is NOT required.  Personal cards are not better or worse than business cards; the existence of both types of cards simply provides more choices for people who are looking to earn more miles and points.  One characteristic of most business credit cards is that most do NOT show up on the person's personal credit report.  This means credit score is not impacted temporarily, as it would be for a personal credit card application.  It also means that other banks do not see the card account on the customer's personal credit report, which may allow the customer to sign up for more cards -- because certain banks restrict card approval based on how many cards a customer has opened recently from ANY card issuer.
• Most credit card signup bonuses require somewhere from $1,000 to $5,000 in purchases during the first 3 or 4 months owning the card.  Some cards require just one purchase.  This varies by card and by offer (example:  one offer for the same card may require $5k spend, while another offer for the same card may require only $3k spend).
• Different signup bonus offers may be available for the same credit card at any one time.  Also, signup bonuses vary over time for the same card.  For example, the Delta Reserve for Business Amex card has a 70,000 mile signup bonus as of a couple weeks ago.  For a few months prior, the signup bonus was 40,000 miles.  Earlier this year, the signup bonus was only 10,000 miles.  When signing up for a new credit card, make sure you are getting a historically good signup bonus!  If you aren't sure, please ask me and I can help!

About Frequent Flyer Miles and Other Travel Points Programs

• Each airline runs its own frequent flyer program.  Instead of paying for a flight with dollars (by booking direct with the airline, or booking thru Expedia or other travel websites), people can 'pay for' flights using airline miles.
• In the same manner, people can pay for hotel room stays using hotel points rather than dollars.  Each hotel chain (Hyatt, Marriott/Starwood, etc) runs its own points program
• Bank points - such as Membership Rewards points from American Express, Ultimate Rewards from Chase, and ThankYou Points from Citi - also can be used to book travel using points instead of using dollars.
• Bank points can be used by logging into the customer's account with the travel portal website that the bank operates.  There, the customer can search for flights, hotels, rental cars, etc - and can book a flight using the points instead of paying with dollars.  Bank points are generally worth 1.25 to 1.5 cents per point - so a $300 flight could be booked by using 20,000 to 24,000 points instead of $300.
• Each airline's frequent flyer program (Delta SkyMiles, American AAdvantage, United Mileage Plus, etc) - and therefore its particular miles 'currency' - is separate.
• Customers cannot transfer miles from one airline program to another.
• Nor can they use miles from one program to book flights on another airline - unless the two airlines have a business arrangement to allow this.  These partnerships and/or alliances are common, but the domestic U.S. airlines do NOT have partnerships with one another.  So you cannot book a flight on an American Airlines plane and pay for it with Delta SkyMiles, for example.
• All points and miles are NOT created equal.  One Delta mile is not worth the same as one Southwest mile.  Likewise, one Hilton point is not worth the same as one Marriott point.  Each company sets up its own pricing structure for how many points or miles it costs to book free flights or free hotel stays.  And there's also an element of personal preference as well; one person may value Delta miles much more highly than another person, if the person has elite status with Delta and lives near an airport where Delta is the most prominent carrier.

Slightly Advanced Topics

• Bank points have another use, which can be confusing to newbies:  they can be converted into miles or hotel points in specific programs.  For example, Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be converted into United Airlines miles.  Chase UR points also can be converted into Hyatt hotel points.  By doing this, the customer then can book free flights with United Airlines, or free rooms with Hyatt hotels, directly with those companies.  This is different than customers using the same bank points to book travel through the bank's travel website.  Having two entirely different ways of using these types of bank points makes these points some of the most flexible and valuable forms of travel currency in the market.
• Reimbursable travel credit cards - Some credit cards that are 'travel rewards cards' work differently.  Examples of these cards are Capital One Venture card and Barclay Arrival Plus card.  The "points" that are earned by spending on these cards are NOT used to book free flights or stays up front; the points are used for reimbursement after the fact for travel that was booked using the credit card.  These cards provide reimbursable travel against travel-related charges (rental cars, flights, hotels, etc) made with the card.  Most cards like this earn "points" or "miles" that provide 2% value on charges.  Signup bonuses are frequently in the range of $500-750 worth of free, reimbursable travel.
• Regarding airline alliances and booking flights with one airline using miles from a different airline's frequent flyer program:  Customers can book a flight operated by one airline using miles in another airline's program.  For example: book a flight on a Lufthansa plane and pay for it with United Airlines miles - because United, Lufthansa, and other airlines such as Air Canada and Singapore Air are part of an alliance - in this case, Star Alliance - that allows customers of one airline to use miles to book flights on flights flown by the other airlines' planes.  These types of alliances exist because it extends the reach of each airline in the alliance and makes the frequent flyer miles of each customer more useful and flexible, regardless of which airline the customer's miles are with.
• Each airline sets its own price - expressed as the number of miles - for an award flight from point A to B.  Most airlines publish an award chart, so customers can get an idea of how many miles it will cost - depending on time of year, availability, and other factors - to fly from A to B, and whether the price they see is a good deal.  So the Lufthansa flight from New York to Munich might be bookable using Lufthansa miles for 30,000 miles each way, but United (a partner of Lufthansa's by virtue of both airlines' membership in Star Alliance) may be charging 40,000 miles each way for booking the same seat on the same Lufthansa flight.
• Customers are free to accumulate and use airline miles in programs that are operated by non-U.S. based airlines.  For example, a customer who flies regularly on United planes in the U.S. may want to accumulate Singapore Air miles.  Singapore Air is a Star Alliance member, along with United, Lufthansa, and others.  Singapore Air miles can be used to book flights on United, Lufthansa, and other planes operated by airlines that are members of the Star Alliance.  And Singapore Air charges fewer miles on many routes than United charges for the same flights - whether on United planes or Lufthansa planes or others.
• A great way to accumulate airline miles in non-U.S. based airline programs is by transferring bank points to the specific airline program.  For example, the Singapore Air  frequent flyer program accepts transfers of points from Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou, and American Express Membership Rewards at a 1:1 ratio (sometimes, transfer bonuses are offered too!).  This means that it is very easy for someone who never flies on Singapore Air to earn many miles in that program by transferring bank points.

Category Bonuses

Category bonuses refers to the concept that different credit cards award more than the standard amount of cash back, miles, or points for a variety of reasons including:

• Shopping in certain categories
• Shopping at certain types of merchants
• Shopping at specific merchants
• Shopping during certain times of the year at certain merchants or merchant categories - aka rotating category bonuses.

Many credit cards earn just 1 mile or point per dollar on spending at grocery stores, while another card offers up to 4.5 points per dollar on the same grocery store spending.  It doesn't take a genius to realize one can accumulate points WAY faster by earning 4.5 points per dollar instead of 1 point per dollar.

Build a Credit Card Portfolio

There is no single credit card that is best for ALL types of spending.  See the Category Bonuses section above for more information.

The best way to get the most earnings from one's total credit card spend is by having a credit card portfolio to earn the most value out of each and every transaction.

An effective credit card portfolio can be as few as 2 cards.  For some folks, it might be 5-6 cards.

Here is an article from the Award Wallet Blog that does a good job of explaining this topic.  LINK.  NOTE:  The article uses the example of a specific points program - Chase Ultimate Rewards - and having people gear all of their credit card spend earnings toward a single program.  It makes a lot of sense to consolidate reward earnings in one or a small number of programs, as it can be easier to redeem the points.  However, this is NOT required and is not necessary.  Many miles and points aficionados earn in dozens of different programs; in fact, it makes sense to have accounts in all major programs so that one can earn rewards in those programs whenever a stay, flight, or other activity pops up for that program.

Other Ways to Earn More Miles and Points

There are many, many ways to earn miles and points.  This section warrants a separate future post, but for now here's some basic information.

If one is willing to put in a little effort, it is possible to earn several thousand additional points or miles per year by leveraging things such as:

• Dining rewards - earn additional miles by enrolling a credit card with an airline's dining rewards program
• Shopping portals - earn miles or points, or substantial cash back, by starting your shopping session at a portal rather than going directly to the merchant's own website.
• Promotions - hotel chains, rental car companies, airlines and other organizations run all sorts of promotions - either separately or in conjunction with other travel partner companies - to incentivize people to use their company's service.  Keeping tabs on, and registering for, these programs on a regular basis is an easy way to earn far more than the average Joe on flights, hotels, and rental car activities.

70k SkyMiles + 1 year Delta Sky Club access + 10k MQMs for $450

[This offer was previously 40,000 miles, and in the past has been as low as 10,000 miles, but is offered now at 70,000 miles which is by far the best offer ever on this card.]

American Express is offering a signup bonus of 70,000 Delta SkyMiles plus 10,000 MQMs on the Amex Delta Reserve business credit card.  Signup bonus requires $5,000 spend within first 3 months.

Below is my referral URL for the Business version of the Amex Delta Reserve Card.

http://refer.amex.us/JASONWXtbm?XLINK=MYCP

If you apply, I'd appreciate you using my referral link as I'll earn some free SkyMiles.  The offer via referral is the same as the publicly available offer, so you don't lose anything by using the link.  Referral offer on business version of the card ends on 11/07/2018.

Card also provides free Delta Sky Club access for cardholder when traveling on same-day Delta flight.

This is the first time so many SkyMiles  are included in the sign-up bonus for the Reserve card.  (The *personal* Reserve card signup bonus is still 40,000 SkyMiles.)  in the past, the bonus has fluctuated between 10k and 40k SkyMiles, plus the 10k Medallion Qualifying Miles (MQMs, aka Delta elite status qualifying miles).

The business version of the card is great because most business credit cards do NOT hit your personal credit report or affect your credit inquiries or credit score.  Anyone can apply for a business credit card; you do NOT need an incorporated business or a company Tax ID number to be approved for a business credit card.  All you need is a legitimate small business or side business with a history of decent amount of revenue and a good amount of expected expenses.

Annual fee on this card is $450, which is steep, but still cheaper than buying a Sky Club membership separately.  Delta Diamond members can choose free individual Sky Club membership (costs one of the member's three Choice Benefits) or an executive Sky Club membership (costs two Choice Benefits).  Diamond elites who have complimentary Sky Club access via credit card such as the Reserve personal or business card, also can choose a Delta Sky Club Guest Pass.  This costs one Choice Benefit and allows two guests to join the member in the Sky Club free.  This is a smarter way to go; get individual SkyClub access by paying $450 annual fee for the Reserve card, and in exchange you free up an additional Choice Benefit instead of using TWO Choice Benefits for the Executive Membership.

Personally, I'd rather choose the 4 global or 8 regional upgrade certificates, or gift Gold status to another person (or use all 3 Choice benefits to gift Gold status to 3 people), and pay for the Sky Club via the Reserve card annual fee instead rather than waste a Diamond Choice Benefit on Sky Club membership.

Basics

• Earn 70,000 Delta SkyMiles and 10,000 MQMs after $5,000 spend within first 3 months of card membership
• Must apply via referral link by November 7, 2018, to be eligible for sign-up bonus
• Earn 1 SkyMile per dollar on all purchases.  Earn 2x per dollar on Delta spending (in-flight purchases, airfare, etc)
• Welcome bonus offer not available to applicants who have or have had this product before
• $450 annual fee

How Good is This Deal?

• Outstanding...for $450, signing up for this card is an absolute no-brainer.
• 70k SkyMiles can be used for:
• Award flights (get $800-1,500 value depending on what/when you book); OR
• Revenue flights - cardholders receive the ability to use miles at 1 cent per mile toward paid/revenue flights - Delta calls this feature "Pay With Miles."  The 70k bonus miles are worth $700 toward paid Delta travel - this easily offsets the $450 annual fee in first year
• SkyClub individual membership alone is well worth the annual fee for the card.  Also provides a discounted rate for up to 2 guests per visit
• 10k Medallion Qualifying Miles (MQMs) after meeting the minimum initial spend
• Earn up to 30k additional MQMs and 30k additional SkyMiles per year - Earn 15,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) and 15,000 bonus SkyMiles after $30,000 spend on the card in a calendar year. Earn an additional 15,000 MQMs and an additional 15,000 bonus SkyMiles after $60,000 spend on the card in a calendar year.  So it is possible to earn 40k MQMs in the first year holding this card.
• If you spend right around $30k or $60k per year on the card, you will earn right around 1.5 SkyMiles per dollar
• MQMs with Delta are valuable particularly because any earned beyond a status level MQMs roll over to the following year
• This year, Delta offered a third MQM bonus spend threshold - another 15k MQMs after $90k annual spend
• Companion Certificate - main cabin or first class companion certificate each year on card renewal
• Upgrade tiebreaker - Cardmembership is one of the factors in determining the upgrade list on each flight, so holding this card slightly improves one's chances of first class upgrade on domestic flights.  Specifically, the Reserve card is the upgrade tiebreaker when two passengers have the same Medallion status and booked in same fare class.

Other Card Benefits

• 24/7 Concierge
• 20% off in-flight Delta purchases paid with the card
• First checked bag free on every flight
• Priority boarding (Zone 1) on Delta flights
• Purchase protection, baggage protection, Global Assist hotline, premium roadside assistance, car rental loss and damage insurance, extended warranty - typical benefit suite for many higher-end credit cards

Delta Amex Platinum Business Card - 70,000 SkyMiles Sign-up Bonus

Great offer for anyone interested in earning Delta SkyMiles or Delta elite status.  Public offer has expired; sign-up bonus is available only via referral.

Apply for the Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card with this referral link:

http://refer.amex.us/MARYAW58fK?xl=cp01

Offer Details

• Must apply by Jan 31, 2018, using the link above or via a referral email
• 70,000 Delta SkyMiles when meeting minimum spend
• 10,000 Delta Medallion Qualifying Miles (MQMs) 
• Earn the sign-up bonus by spending $4,000 or more within the first 3 months
• $100 statement credit after Delta purchase on the card in first 3 months
• $195 annual fee (NOT waived the first year)

FYI:  This is the BUSINESS version of the card.  This means a couple of things:

• It is a separate product from the PERSONAL Delta Amex Platinum card.  You can get approved for, and earn the bonus on, the business version even if you hold or previously held the personal version.
• As a business card, this card does not hit one's personal credit report and therefore does not worsen one's situation with regard to Chase's 5/24 rule.

Good background article on HOW (and why) to apply for a business credit card:

http://millionmilesecrets.com/2015/09/13/how-to-qualify-for-a-small-business-credit-card-and-why-you-should-get-one/

Card Benefits / Details

• Earn an additional 10,000 SkyMiles AND 10,000 MQMs by spending $25,000 on the card in a calendar year.  Spend $50,000 and earn an additional 10,000 MQMs (20k MQMs in one calendar year with $50k spend)
• Priority Boarding (Zone 1) on Delta flights for cardmember and others on same reservation
• Card benefits - first checked bag free on every Delta flight.
• Earn 1 SkyMile per dollar spent.  Earn 2 SkyMiles per dollar on Delta purchases
• 20% off eligible in-flight purchases via statement credit (meals, food, alcoholic beverages, headsets; in-flight wi-fi and charitable donations excluded)
• Spend $25,000 or more on the card in a calendar year to waive Delta's revenue requirement component of elite status qualification.

Bottom Line
Great card, top-notch sign-up bonus.  Highly recommended.

• This offer usually pops up once or twice a year.  Last time, it required $5k spend; this time only $4k.
• The usual bonus on this card is about half this good - typically 35k SkyMiles and 5k MQMs.
• This card is a business card and will not show up on your personal credit report.  Nor will it count toward your Chase 5/24 limit.
• American Express has both Gold and Platinum Delta co-branded credit cards, each in a business and personal version (four cards total).

Amex Surpass - 125,000 Hilton HHonors Points Sign-up Bonus

American Express is offering a 125,000 point bonus for the Amex Surpass personal credit card.  Requires $4,000 spend ($3k within first 3 months, $1k within first 6 months).  This is the highest public bonus offer ever offered on this card and matches the highest bonus offer ever (same 125k bonus was offered previously thru a targeted link).

Link to Offer (may need to sign in to your current Amex account before filling out the application) 

Basics

• Earn 100,000 bonus points after $3,000 spend within first 3 months of card membership
• Earn 25,000 additional bonus points after additional $1,000 spend within first 6 months
• Offer ends Jan 17, 2018
• $95 annual fee ($75 if application received before Jan 18, 2018)
• Welcome bonus offer not available to applicants who have or have had this product before
• Earn 3x points for all eligible purchases, 6x at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations; 12x points at participating Hilton properties
• Complimentary Hilton Gold status as long as you are a cardholder.
• Diamond status thru the end of the next calendar after $40,000 spend in a calendar year
• 10 free Priority Pass lounge passes (lounges available at certain domestic and international airports)  (Doctor of Credit article mentions this benefit, but not stated on Amex application page)

How Good is This Deal?

• Good but not great...assuming some spend on restaurants/supermarkets/gas stations and none at Hilton properties, you'll have at least 140,000 points after making the $4k minimum spend and earning the sign-up bonus.  140k points are worth around $560 of hotel stays, but it is possible to get much more value than that.  One could get 5-7 free nights if booking properties at 20-30k points per night.
• Gold status provides free breakfast for two people per room, which is a great benefit.  Diamond status can provide frequent upgrades on top of the Gold benefits

Two days left to get $2,100+ in travel for a single $450 annual fee credit card

The Chase Sapphire Reserve sign-up bonus is being reduced from 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to 50,000 points after January 11, 2017.

If you:

• have gotten fewer than 5 new credit cards from ANY credit card issuer in the past 24 months (business credit cards from most banks are not counted in this limit)
• have a solid credit score (mid 700s for sure, although low 700s may work)
• are interested in traveling for free

Then it's a no-brainer, for you and your significant other if applicable, to apply for the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card from Chase in the next couple days.

More background information about this deal is in my post from 9/22/2016:

Chase Sapphire Reserve article Sept 2016

Depending on your comfort level signing up for multiple new cards, you also may want to apply for the Chase Ink Preferred card first, then apply for the Sapphire Reserve after being approved for the Ink Preferred.

The Ink Preferred offers 80,000 point sign-up bonus.  Application link:  CLICK HERE

(The reason to apply first for the Ink Preferred card is that Chase does not count its own business credit cards toward the 5/24 card limit it uses to restrict people from being approved who have gotten 5+ new cards in the past 2 years.)

My blog does not have affiliate credit card links.  If you would like to apply, Google Chase Sapphire Reserve or Chase Ink Preferred.  Or you may consider visiting one of my favorite blogs, Ann Arbor-based Frequent Miler.  The Chase section of this page has a Chase Sapphire Reserve application link:  Frequent Miler best current credit card offers 

National Car Rental - free rental day after two 2-day rentals

National Car Rental's One Two Free promotion is a promotion offered regularly by National.

• Free rental day for every two paid rentals of two days or more.
• Promotion valid for rentals rentals between August 25, 2016, and January 31, 2017
• Registration required - LINK HERE
• The promotion is points-based:  Each two-day rental earns 300 points.  Free rental day is earned for every 600 points earned.
• Points can be earned in several other ways, including:
• Add Sirius XM to rental - 300 points
• Refer a friend - 300 points
• Latin America or Caribbean rental - 300 points
• Europe rental - 300 points
• Mobile app rental - 75 points
• Survey completion - 50 points
• Mobile app download - 25 points
• Emerald Reserve Service - 25 points

About National Emerald Club

• Most National airport locations offer Emerald Aisle, whereby you can pick any car in the Emerald Aisle as long as you've booked a Midsize or higher vehicle class
• Speed up the rental process by bypassing the counter and choosing your own car - go directly to the vehicle you want and drive it to the exit.  No standing in line at the rental counter.  This can be a huge time-saver!
• Speed up returns with e-receipt - receive an immediate emailed receipt within a couple minutes of leaving your vehicle in the drop-off lane
• Emerald Executive has a separate Executive Aisle with higher-end vehicles.
• Emerald Executive status can be earned via various methods, including:
• Rental frequency
• Status match from other car rental programs (LINK)
• Registration for people who hold certain credit cards such as American Express Platinum (Info Link) or MasterCard World Elite cards including Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard, Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite MasterCard, Citi Prestige Card, and Virgin Atlantic World Elite MasterCard

Bottom Line

• This is a great way to accumulate several free rental days.
• These free rental days can be extremely valuable, as they can be used for one-way rentals which are typically quite expensive.
• Book cheap rentals and save the free rental days for use on expensive rentals
• Coupons may still be applied and members will still receive credit toward free rental days

Hat Tip:  One Mile At a Time