Reward Credit Card Quickies.

Posted by Noob Master on May 22, 2012 in Avios, British Airways, business credit cards, Chase Bank, Credit Cards, Mileage Plus, Miles, Ultimate Rewards, Uncategorized | 0 comments

There are a lot things happening in the rewards card realm right now, so I thought I would drop you a post with some updates.

I’m hoping writing this post will help get me out of this bad mood I’m in. I’m currently stealing wi-fi from my neighbor and I’m curled up in a ball in the corner of the bed because it’s the only place I can get internet. I have had a bad couple of days with Time Warner, to say the least. What does this have to do with traveling the world for pennies or rewards credit? Nothing. I’m just venting, because I can.

Heads Up – The British Airways Visa 100,000 offer (50k on first spend) is going away June 7th.

If this is the right card for you, then you might want to hop on it. The annual fee isn’t waived, so essentially you are paying $95 for 50,000 Avios points. Avios points are best served for short distance flights on a partner airline such as Alaska Airlines or American Airlines. Because Avios has a distance based award chart, there is a hefty fee to fly internationally. But here is some good value in flying to South America and Hawaii from the west coast. Anyway, I have written a few posts about the BA card. Check them out for more info:

1) British Airways Visa Card Introduction 

2) What can 50,000 Avios Miles Do For You?

3) S@#$^ Happens. British Airways Avios to the Rescue. 

4) British Airways Struts with Household Accounts

5) Booking American Airlines flights with Avios points

The United Explorer Targeted 65,000 (really 55,000) Dropping?

My offer for this card is 25,000 on first spend and 5,000 more for adding an authorized user, plus you get 2 free lounge passes and some other nice perks. Not bad. But there is a way where you might be able to opt in for a targeted offer of a 50,000 miles sign-up bonus and 5,000 more for adding an authorized user. Read here to see if you qualify.

Of course I couldn’t get the secret trick to work for me, so I applied for the United Explorer through the public link. Don’t feel too bad for me though, because after I swiped the card once, I sent in a secure message to Chase and was able to get my sign-up bonus bumped to the targeted offer! Yes, sir. I think I’m starting to feel a little  bit better now. Read here on how you can do the same if you can’t get the targeted offer to work for you.

Now this is where things get a little weird. I was sent an email from United MileagePlus with the targeted offer, of course after applied and bumped the bonus. That’s fine, it wasn’t hard to do (weird how these things work). But I noticed in the email that it said to apply by May 31. Now May 31 is coming up very soon and I don’t know if this means the targeted offer is being pulled completely, or if it will change, but if I was on the fence about applying for United Explorer, I would think long and hard about this risk and reward here.

I have talked to my affiliate reps and they told me that the affiliate offer wasn’t changing, but they didn’t know about the targeted offer. I can’t say for sure either; all I have is this email to go off of, but I’m glad I applied and got my bonus bumped before it went away.

The Ink Bold

Yes, I love my Ink Bold. I think everyone knows that. I tell all my friends how I buy gift cards and earn 5x points per $1 and they just stare. It’s ok, I’m rolling deep in the Ultimate Rewards points and the Ink Bold has a lot to do with that.

Last month, I let all you guys know that Jordan and I both had our sign-up bonus bumped up 10,000 points! All we did….wait for it….was send in a secure message. Now there are reports on Flyertalk of Chase still honoring this.

You Don’t Have to Be Incorporated

Approval Help with the Ink Bold

Apply Now: Ink Bold® Business Card

The Chase MileagePlus Club Card- $395 Annual Fee Waived

I gave this card a hard time when it came out (I tend to get my hopes up), but was disappointed by the no sign-up bonus and high annual fee NOT being waived. Other than that, the card has some nice posh perks: free lounge access, 1.5 miles earned per $1, 2 miles earned per $1 on United purchases, and priority check in and boarding. There is value to be had, but the $395 fee made it so unappealing.

However, reports are you can send Chase a secure message and they will waive the annual fee. United club lounges across America have been giving away codes for the annual fee to be waived. But if you aren’t going to the airport anytime soon- just send Chase a secure message before applying for the United Club card and see if they will waive the fee for you.

This card only makes sense for people who travel United a lot and spend money doing so.

Here’s my previous review and the link to apply below.

United MileagePlus® Club Card

There you have it. Now you are up to date on the current rewards card happenings. Yes, it’s a lot of Chase, but it has been for the last year. Come on Citi and Amex, quit letting Chase swallow up all the market share.

Also, there was an underlining theme of “secure messages” in this post. If you aren’t familiar with it- check yourself, you don’t want to miss out on any miles.

I hope this helps as you decide on your next rewards card, and don’t ever hesitate to email me if you want to bounce some ideas off my noob mind.

I do receive a referral for most of the cards listed. Only use my links if you are satisfied with the service I provide.

p.s. the 50,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards link is now officially expired. I’ll be looking for one that still works, but for now it’s dead.

— Noob Master