We bring you the new US Bank Altitude Card, go off with IHG Pointbreaks mania, an Air Koryo flight review, learn all about Delta Partner awards, learn how to use 100k Avios best, all the 10k Hilton Honors properties in one page, learn about credit scores and much more!
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Yeah, this offer has been around for ever for 100,000 British Airways Avios with the Chase Visa credit card. The blog post linked to is pretty comprehensive. 50k is a layup in our circles and doing the additional spend for another 25k (with the additional time given) is fine. Not sure about doing the crazy spend for the final 25k. BA Avios works great for business class tickets within Asia and short distance flights on American Airlines in the US IF you find availability that is. We have a relative visiting in June for 15k Avios from NYC to Detroit flying AA. Needless to say, she is a student on break with plenty of time on her hands and willing to wake up very early to get to La Guardia! When this RT award was just 9k Avios we had booked numerous flights #RIP9k.
The IHG Pointbreaks actual list (April 24 to July 31, 2017) is HERE. Just 5,000 IHG Rewards Club points per night. Book ’em fast!
We have more info coming out on the new Altitude Reserve premium card from US Bank. I am surprised this bank is jumping into this dance, no doubt it is good for us! But, again, we are talking about US Bank here. If you thought Barclay Bank was weird…you haven’t seen anything yet! It’s like all talk about tax changes…you just never know what will end up becoming law. So, relax and see when it comes out, okay? Wait, more info is trickling in!
Here come all the Hilton properties that are just 10,000 points per night. Love that Doubletree in Kuala Lumpur!
I still have not booked anything at all using the Chase travel portal. I just transfer out to United or Hyatt almost every time. And then after reading about this experience…I ‘ll just keep it that way!
There will be changes on how your credit score is calculated. Pisses me off we were penalized for paying off our mortgage and now are debt free…so unfair. But we would not have it any other way. There is a certain attitude that comes with knowing you own your house free and clear, buzz off bankers!
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Yesterday was April 20. As in 420 day. And of course we have the first drive-through marijuana store to open in the US!
How do you measure up to other taxpayers? Your personal finance fix of the day.
We have a recent Air Koryo flight review, JS222 Beijing – Pyongyang!
This is pretty cool, ranking of all 50 US States by average credit score of its citizens. I had no idea both Dakotas ranked near the top! (HT:Brenton?)
This section is for advanced level hobbyists and veteran blog readers & personal rants & stuff
Here is a comprehensive guide to Delta’s new partner awards. We like to bitch and moan…but none of us is going away #addicts
Heads up! I am flying to Fort Lauderdale and staying two nights. I would love to do a TBB reader meetup on Saturday April 29 but I need help on locations and a fair idea how many will show up. As of right now, I am staying at the Westin Beach Resort on, cough, SPG points. I looked into the cash rates as this is going to be a business deduction but I just.can’t.do.it! And of course no Cash & Points rates are available. I would rather spend the cash on my readers buying them lunch instead! This may change as another loyal reader was looking into burning some of his points on the Hilton Beach Resort as payback for never clicking on my links but always reading my blog but I believe the Hilton people are being a little difficult. Anyways, the two locations are very close so anyone familiar with the area to suggest a proper location? Or at either of the hotels? I am open, I want some beach time to work on my tan, time to get out of Dodge! I will not rent a car, Uber time. Or Lyft.
I never believed that any of these companies that promised that you can carry just one credit card will ever make it. And I used to freak out when some “expert” bloggers used to give them money up front (and encourage readers to do so too!) for the company’s promise that one day it will ship them the product lol. So, another one named Plastc went down, gone just like that, all money is gone. If you sent them money, well, hope it is a lesson for you. These “experts” are in the business of selling credit cards, wake up!
Maybe I do this as a feature? Add the table with the most pumping plastic posts of the previous day. And then pick the top one or two or three to comment on? I got an email recently from a reader who found me when somehow my blog came up in a search after looking for some credit card info on The Points Guy site #winning.
You know how much I can not stand the Points Miles and Martinis site. They had the audacity to blog stupid tips to reduce credit card debt and ask readers to help the site by clicking on…credit cards on the top of the post, WTF! Look, if you have credit card debt, this hobby is NOT FOR YOU, leave immediately! I am NOT going to sell you crack here!
There has not been a blogger who sold the Citi Prestige card harder than One Mile at a Time. Nobody else comes close, NONE! Numerous posts selling this card, wow!
I better stop now, I am getting a little angry!
And I leave you with this…The team (of one) here at TBB exceeds expectations lol.
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Friday slackers!
Up early to catch a flight to EWR
Interesting observation on the credit score chart. The bottom 12 are dominated by red states… 10 to be exact. So about that ‘fiscal responsibility’ stance…
I saw some rationale behind the chart that said, “when you look at average wage, unemployment, and cost of living for each state…” it makes perfect sense who the top/bottom ten states are.
Re: Plastc, I had gotten in early for a Swyp card when I was doing a lot more MS and before Android or Samsung pay were options. But nearly two years of delay ended with me requesting a refund, which came through pretty quickly.
Congrats on the medals winners!
I think you got your money back…and many didn’t with Plastc.
IHG is no longer paying affiliate commission on PB bookings so pumping may be lower!
InterContinental Maracaibo (VE) looks interesting. If sh!t really, really hits the fan, Colombia is only a 3h drive away.
I only had one night booked in the past two years or so
The best BA card deal was the original 100K version from 2009/2010 – 100K all with one initial spend (of $5K I think?). And that was back before Avios and the whole distance-based shenanigans. I remember getting 3 roundtrip Y tickets US to Japan for 25K each. Ah the good old days.
I’ve stayed away from trying US Bank so far due to all the weirdness with getting approved.
So this new credit score stuff…it says it’s only the VantageScore model that’s changing but the article indicates most credit card approvals use Vantage. However, for those banks that include info in the approval letter as to what they calculated my score and how, it seems like they’ve usually been FICO not Vantage…but I’d say most don’t even mention anything about it so I don’t really know. Is there any way to know in advance which bank uses what?
If the two models will now have opposite desired behaviors in some ways, particularly whether or not to have nigher cumulative available credit, that’s going to really jack us up when it comes to churning.
I was in for two back then, loved that 100k BA offer!
Not sure how this Vantage score will work out. I am still pissed off that paying off the mortgage cost us about 30 points each but it has been working back up over 800 very slowly since then…very slowly.
Yep wife and I each got one…in fact they were our first real foray into getting serious about P&M earning. I think I had discovered FT just a month or two prior to the BA offer hitting in 2009ish. Before that the only thing we had was an old, old MileagePlus Visa that I think I applied for from an in-flight brochure…like 25K bonus maybe?! Yikes!
That is messed up how the mortgage payoff docks you points.
Hmm, now i know why my score dropped 30 points. My reward for paying off mortgage early. That’s completely opposite to what I used to think.
The whole system is just perverse!
Did the Scott Bot get hired away by Points, Inc. to provide likes?
Can I coin “Points, Inc.” as that site’s new slang name?
Even if I post this as Anonymous?
Yes, you can post whatever you like here.
And like whoever you want 😉
Yes you can post whatever you want here if you use one of Raffles user names. Hateful or racist is fine in that case. But if you criticize George you’re called a troll. Got it?
Ramsey not Raffles.
Thanks for the support.
Buzz, What is the purpo$e of Randy Peterson’s pumping US Bank’s new card? How does he benefit?
Actually I have the Inside Flyer interview bookmarked.
I think it is newsworthy (meaning it should attract clicks) to have a bank we never expected to do this to actually go ahead and do it. But people do not realize how SCREWY this bank is in approving you. I remember I wasted a lot of time with repeated calls to get approved for the Club Carlson Business Visa…it was totally ridiculous!
I am going to wait to see what happens with the rollout. I think the 3x moible payments benefit does not survive more than a few months 🙂
#developing
I think I had to call reconsideration 3 times before they finally approved me for my first flex perks card… And then The next two auto approved
USbank and I have been best friends since the NWA WorldPerks days. Never had any issues getting additional cards. I do my best maxing out the flexperk card every year. US to Barbados for X-mas, 40k flexperks/pp, 160k AA or 140k DL in coach. That’s a hard one…….
I think they marked me or something when I did not convert my beloved NW Visa to Flexperks card then 🙂
Buzz-
Did you mean to say it attracts ‘clicks’ or ‘chicks’.
Just askin’.
Both!
🙂
I guess RP trying to stay relevant by hitching his wagon to the latest buzzy thing? Lord knows Inside Flyer needs something besides the tumbleweed blowing around there.
I had prepaid my subscription and had several issues still left when they folded the magazine. Never got a refund. At least an apology for folding the printed edition would have been nice. I got Plastc’ed lol.
Plastic’d! Haha that will be the new catch word!
If this is paradise, I’d hate to see Hell…
Visuals on my Twitter account.
And the beat goes on…
#TBBon
If you are not going to keep your FLL $$$ Hilton res, CANCEL IT!
Staying at the Westin next to it, burning some SPG points from son’s account, he ‘ll never know.
That raises an interesting question… Does anyone in your family still read your blog?
Wife is a subscriber…but don’t think she ever gets to read them.
I sent son the link to the Bay Area help me move blog post, he did read all the comments.
They are just not hobbyists, they just take with pleasure from me 🙂
Can’t wait to transfer son’s 40k plus SPG points to my account any.day.now 🙂
No-one in my family reads mine 🙂
Both of your blogs also suck but that can’t have anything to do with it right?
Minnesota #1! The cold is a gating requirement.
That may explain the Dakotas then too 🙂
Thanks to the reader who just got the Barclaycard.
Love taking the apps away from TPG who now is showing off “I got me me the Black card” in order to push more plastic #wow
New IHG Pointbreaks hotel list is out, go!
https://blog.ihg.com/ihg-rewards-club-pointbreaks-preview?
probably the weakest one ever?
Has Crowne Plaza Vilinius ever not been on the list?
I have yet to ever be able to take advantage of any PointsBreak.
I did to a nearby city for a date with wife. Only to see it in one of those hotels that were hacked that was revealed this week, phuuuck!
Before that one it has been at least a few years since I managed the last PB hit.
If I’m at 5/24 and will be at 4/24 on May 16th. when should I apply for my favorite chase CC ? June 1st or May 17th?
Both!
Ok, got carried away there for a second…That “both” belonged in a previous comment lol.
I would do June 1st to be safe. why risk it. Still not sure they go by the exact date of the month….in my case it was the MONTH!
View From The Wing: 5 things I love about the Hyatt Visa
Lol.
Just five? He is slipping, I tell you, he is slipping!
If it’s not 16+, he’s really just phoning it in…
To all:
Saturday and Sunday blog posts are now scheduled!
#mindblown