American Express Cathay Bonus

Some of you guys rich with Amex points are always looking for transfer bonuses. This one is interesting. You need to log in and see how much extra they’re offering (30% is the high).

Positives? Cathay Pacific has their strong reputation for a reason and I’ve liked their currency for a while. If you’re seeing 30%, that’s definitely worth considering for some.

Negatives? Even though it wasn’t awful, but there was a recent devaluation. And availability has been worse.

Personally, I like this one more than the current 30% bonus to Virgin Atlantic. Just one opinion. Really depends on need. Nothing wrong with taking advantage of either. There have certainly been worse options for your Amex points. Have a great weekend, nerds!

 

Thursday Pair

Thanks to reader Brandon for sending these. I have very little (see: zero) experience with either. But they seem like candidates for the “deals not useful to many but could be perfect for someone” category. Here’s one from Sprint (stackable with their American Airlines offer) and another from IHG – if you book stays, meetings, or events for others.

Midweek Triple

  • It’s that time of the year when Washington residents get some payback for all the rain and depressing music (with some very easy miles).
  • It’s that time of the week when Southwest surprises zero people with a sale. And Frontier shows up too.
  • It’s that time of the day when my brain struggles to comprehend the Delta award deals that keep showing up. This is so confusing. How are these miles actually good lately? Are pennies suddenly valuable? Is broccoli suddenly delicious? More importantly, could this be the end of the SkyDong nickname?

 

IHG Promo

Take a look at what IHG is offering you here. Unsurprisingly, you guys are seeing a range of stuff.

Everything from “I’m going to yell at my laptop, dig a hole, and eat ice cream in it” to “Hey, that’s pretty decent.”

As usual, I’m closer to the ice cream hole.

 

The Top 25 Credit Cards

(If you see any errors, please let me know. I try to keep a full list, but it’s a lot of information and I do make mistakes)

 

Significant Changes Since Last Month:
-Some readers seeing 100,000 points for Amex Platinum again via CardMatch.
-Bank Of America Travel Rewards up from 20,000 to 25,000.
-IHG Premier link updated to reflect the $50 credit.
-The Barclays American Airlines card is up to 60,000 miles.
-Business version of the Barclays American card is also 60,000.
-Business version of the Citibank American Airlines card is up to 75,000.
-Amex Business Hilton 125,000-point offer showing during dummy bookings.
-Also added a similar personal card worth 75,000 points + $50.
-Added new Starwood “Luxury” card worth 100,000 points.
-Added new Capital One Savor card with $500 bonus.
-Multiple readers seeing 75,000 miles for the United Business card.
-Added Bank of America Virgin Atlantic card back to the list.
-Cathay Pacific up from 35,000 to 40,000.
-Slightly increased Alaska Business offer.

 

Before Playing This Game:
-Find a new hobby until you can pay off all balances each month.
-Take a second to look at what you’re applying for and confirm a bonus is what you expect.
-Get a screenshot of the bonus description in case you have issues collecting it later.
-Take 2 minutes to read the small print before applying.
(Look for “once in a lifetime,” “no bonus for cardholders in last 24 months,” etc.)
-Keep everything very organized in a spreadsheet. You’ll thank me later.

 

Time for my monthly Top 25 Credit Cards. It’s called “Top 25” out of tradition, but you’ll get many more links than that below. Again, if you’re a rookie, make sure you read The Newbie Guide. It’s a little outdated but many basic questions can still be answered there. For people running out of cards, remember there’s often a Business card option. Also, “churning” (getting the same card more than once) might be an option. The dates here were a guideline but things always tend to vary individually. If you’re new, it might be wise to start with Chase cards because of the limitations they’ll place on you soon.

Miles and points are far from an equal currency. 50,000 Delta SkyMiles are worth less to me than that amount from Alaska Airlines. 25,000 Hyatt points mean way more than the same number from Hilton. And so on. These links work right now (September 1st at midnight). If you read this later, many of the offers will have changed. Things move fast so read offer details and terms before applying. Especially all that small print when you’re trying to get bonuses more than once on the same card. Ok, enough chatter…here we go!  My “Top 25” current credit cards are below.

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