Like many of you, I’m a fan of Hyatt points. I can’t even remember the last time I transferred my Chase Ultimate Rewards to any other partner. If you’re thinking about a Hyatt points + cash booking, I’d take a look at the numbers. Some properties are popping up cheaper than they should be. But reader Amir says he also saw a couple of properties that were too high. If you book anything today, make sure you look at the chart first.
Overall, it’s been a tough time for miles. They’ve have been devaluing as a currency for years now. It’s safe for us to call that a trend, right? Figured it might be good to get my annual reminder about The Flight Deal out of the way early this year. So here it is. Recent alerts include Newark to Amsterdam for under $400 and San Francisco to Rome for under $500. Bookmark it or sign up for alerts. I literally only say that about one website so it’s probably worth listening. This has been my 2018 reminder (also see: 2014, 2015, and 2016). Have a great weekend, nerds!
Like clockwork, I’m getting a flurry of January newbie questions about what card to get. Probably a new year’s resolution thing. I guess I started doing all this in a January myself. The year was 1897 and…well, I digress…
As of today, the answer to the card question is pretty clear for noobs. If you haven’t been playing this game at all in 2016 or 2017…it’s an ideal time to go for the Southwest Companion Pass. I’ve been talking about it forever. A personal card is worth 50,000 points at the moment and a business one is good for 60,000. That can change, but as of this post, the pass is yours through the end of 2019 if you can get both of those bonuses. Hard to beat. Your mom, cousin, boyfriend, girlfriend, buddy, or mail order bride can fly with you for free. Anyone you designate as your companion. It’s still the best deal going in domestic travel.
Obviously, this post doesn’t apply to non-newbies. If you’ve gotten more than 5 credit cards in the last two years, Chase isn’t your friend (with only a few exceptions).
Whew, I think I’ve responded to the entire pile of emails from the last two weeks (note: responding to over 1,000 emails in 2 days is a little carpel tunnely). If I brain farted and somehow skipped yours, please tell me. As far as I know, I’m caught up. I do realize I dropped a Monday bomb on you guys. I’m aware. I apologize if it wasn’t done smoothly. Just know that nothing is changing for a while. I’ll definitely keep you posted with more details in a few months as I get organized. Ok, enough long posts for now. Lots to catch up on. Let’s move…
(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:
-Removed Citi Prestige for now.
-Wyndham back up to 45,000.
-Amtrak down to 20,000.
-Some readers seeing 100,000 for American Express Platinum via CardMatch again.
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.
