Small Cap Stocks Roar Back, Olympics Visual Guide, Thailand Visa Changes, Another 400k Points Coming

MILES & POINTS NEWS/PROMOS/MY ACTION

I only pick worthy links to share with you. As there is so much crap out there! I think what stands out this week is how the so called “low cost” airlines are throwing out their business model and becoming just like the legacy airlines. Amazing how things have turned in the airline space, what a tough business it is.

GENERAL NEWS/PROMOS/NEWBIES/ETC.

The shocking development from Southwest Airlines to finally do away with the cattle call boarding process and move to assigned seating after 50 years was, well, seismic. But can they pull it off? They have a chance to do things differently again, we shall see what happens. How Southwest’s Extra Legroom and Assigned Seating Might Work.

Spirit Airlines is fighting to stay alive. And making huge changes: Spirit Airlines Changes Business Model with Bundled and Business Fares. Will it be enough? We shall find out soon. The industry is ripe for more consolidation. Current regulatory environment is definitely not blowing that way. But what is the alternative?

United just improved Basic Economy again allowing passengers to check in online. As time has passed, legacy airlines just erased the business model of these lower cost airlines. And we all know what happened to costs across the board. Meanwhile, JetBlue’s latest quarterly results look promising for a turnaround and we will know in the next two weeks if the Alaska Airlines merger with Hawaiian Airlines will go through.

I received this email from United and I wish I was near these locations and the timing worked. I am a sucker for events like this: Uniquely United. I am also a sucker for airline swag lol. They go fast, by the time you see this I am sure they are all sold out. I wish more airlines do events like this.

I always thought these “experiences” that are offered by banks and other companies that you have to bid on were kind of, well, unrealistic trying to bid to win one package that some crazy guy bids a ridiculous amount of points to win it in the end. And I just almost never bothered. Including Hilton’s experiences. But after this post by Stephen Pepper (no relation to Pepper Rewards) over at Frequent Miler I changed my tune and have bookmarked the site. Hilton Experiences might be a better deal than you thought. I see a beachfront romantic candle-lit dinner in a private tent at the Hua Hin Hilton Resort and Spa in Thailand for only 25,000 Hilton Honor points. We will be there for one night and it is almost on our wedding anniversary. Let’s keep it a secret and see if she reads my blog lol. Now, logistics wise, I hope it is not painful as it is cashing the Hilton gift cards we get using our Amex Hilton Honors Surpass cards, anyone did this?

CREDIT CARD CORNER

Please help the small independent blogs like mine continue to exist by supporting them with your CREDIT CARD clicks, thank you!

I will indicate with NEW every new section as the rest is the same from the previous blog post and will finally roll off those parts as offers expire, thank you.

NEW: Interesting. We will find out how smooth these guys are in handling claims: Chase Moving Insurance Providers, Increased Coverage.

NEW: Here is How to Apply For Chase Ink Cards.

NEW: One of these days I should do this DoorDash thing from my favorite bank lol. Chase Partners With DoorDash: Offers DashPass & Monthly Credits To Sapphire Reserve, Preferred, Freedom, Slate Cards.

NEW: There are several bank transfer bonuses presently but none you should choose to do so I am not even mentioning them. Or do you want me to list them and/or link to them?

The top credit card offer right now is the 120k Chase Ink Business Preferred card. This card has been at an elevated 100k Signup Bonus for a while, so going with an extra 20k points takes it to the TOP travel rewards credit card offer out there right now. And yes, it is its highest ever signup bonus. The annual fee is $95. Requires $8k minimum spend in the first three months (used to be crazy high at $15k!). It earns 3x on travel, shipping purchases, internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines and 1x on everything else. No foreign transaction fees and primary rental car insurance. Points are worth 1.25 cents each if used in the bank’s travel portal. So, if you do the math: 120k plus 8k MINIMUM (if all spend was at unbonused 1x ) is 128k points times 1.25 cents gives us free travel worth $1,600. For an annual fee of $95. Ok, I did the math for you, come on!  And of course you can transfer the points instead to airline/hotel partners (I prefer Hyatt, Air Canada Aeroplan and sometimes Southwest, in that order) for even higher value. Very solid cell phone insurance coverage along with strong travel and purchase protections. Update: Three members of this blogger’s household applied for this card!

 Comparing Chase Ink Business Cards: Which One is Right for You

5 Excellent Options! What I Would Do with 130,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards

You can refer Amex cards from within your Amex account. Sometimes the referral bonus you earn referring others to Amex cards can be very lucrative. And sometimes the offers you can sign up for can also be very lucrative. And they can vary wildly! Sometimes different offers show up when you use different browsers, incognito mode, desktop or mobile browser or app, it is maddening! So, I will drop here my own personal Amex REFERRAL LINK. You can use this referral link to apply for ANY Amex card. You just click on Learn More and then click on either “Personal Cards” or “Business Cards” at the top. And act accordingly if you see a juicy offer, like a 200k Amex Business Gold!

Capital One has come out with a lucrative 75k Capital One Venture Rewards card PLUS a $250 Travel Credit. The annual fee is $95 and the minimum spend required is $4,000 in three months. Capital One cards usually earn a simple flat 2 points on every dollar. This card earns 5x on hotels and car rentals booked on its own travel portal, which is no big deal. No foreign transaction fees. Get $100 credit towards Global Entry or TSA Precheck. Most importantly, you can transfer the 75,000 points out to airline and hotel partners. Or just erase travel charged on the card for $750. And then of course you get the $250 travel credit. Basically, $1,000 of travel for $95. No Priority Pass lounge membership, just 2 visits allowed to Capital One or Plaza Premium airline lounges. Very tempting indeed. For diversifying purposes as well if you have enough miles and points elsewhere as it is always nice to use this card to pay for a trip and then use Capital One miles to erase the charges. Just like I did for my upcoming trip to Thailand using  Capital One miles to fly from Detroit to Bangkok in November. Capital One pulls and reports to all three credit bureaus. And they can be, well, finicky in approvals. If you are denied, you can not call to ask them to reconsider, it is all done by algorithms so, Good Luck! Finally, YES, you can have both the Venture X and the Venture Rewards cards.

Wait, there is more! The streak of unique sweetener offers continues. Pure airline cards must be suffering I am guessing. So, here is Bank of America with a unique sweetener offer: Buy One Get One and 50k Alaska Airlines Visa Signature card. Ok, let’s get into it. The annual fee is $95 and the minimum spend is $3,000 in the first three months. Well, you buy one but you don’t get the other ticket for free, you just have to pay the taxes and fees starting at $23. At each anniversary you get to use a Companion Fare at $99 plus fees/taxes, which could be a great deal. Earns 3x on Alaska Airlines, 2x on gas, EV charging, cable, streaming and local transit, 1x on everything else. Free checked bag and priority boarding for up to 6 guests as long as you use the card to pay for your ticket. 10% bonus on all your purchases annually if you have an eligible Bank of America account (checking or savings will do). 20% off on in flight purchases. No foreign transaction fees.  Bank of America website and its Bill Pay feature can be very annoying, always watch them.

I keep receiving emails from Chase trying to get me to apply for the Southwest personal credit cards. Offering only 50k Signup Bonus. Never do that, just wait until the bonus goes much higher ok? Or you can read below how the Signup Bonus for the two Southwest business cards is now 120k. Friends don’t let friends apply for 50k Southwest credit cards! And here we go with two Southwest offering business cards offering 120,000 Points.

Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card and Business Performance Credit Card are offering a signup bonus of up to 120,000 points:

Earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from your account opening.

Plus, earn an additional 40,000 points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first 9 months