Start Of Week Stuff

Three to catch up on after a few days off…

  • American’s shopping portal has a new Mystery Bonus event. It might suck but, hey, if there’s a promo with the word “mystery” or “surprise” in it…I’m checking it out every time.
  • If you (somehow) don’t have a Marriott account, get 1,000 points and double miles for setting one up.
  • Good promo from JetSmarter. If you have a million miles or elite status with any airline, you’ll get a 3-month membership to fly private. This seems like the kind of deal that could end quickly, so jump on it.

milenerdStart Of Week Stuff

Award Booking Recommendation

In April, 3 readers were able to get freebies so I’d have some feedback about an award booking service. No way I could give my recommendation without that. Cut to a few weeks later and I’m happy to say the reviews were extremely positive. Drumroll please…

The official MileNerd recommendation for award booking is now Award Wizards. I’ll add a link to the sidebar tonight. David is professional, very nice, and extremely skilled. As usual, I turned down the referral money so you guys could have it instead. MileNerd readers will get $25 off per person on every booking. If you use him, please feel free to let me know any additional feedback. Have a great weekend, nerds!

 

milenerdAward Booking Recommendation

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:
-New Alaska link with a no-fee companion pass.
-Added UBS Visa Infinite card.
-Added Amex Blue Business Plus high on the list.
-New Delta links worth 60,000 and 70,000 SkyDongs.
-Barclays American card bonus increased to 50,000.
-Marriott dropped back down to 87,500.
-Amex Hilton and Surpass scheduled to go down but still working as of this post.

 

Before Playing This Game:
-Find a new hobby until you can pay off all balances each month.
-Take 5 seconds to confirm a bonus is what you expect.
-Get a screenshot of the bonus 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 (June 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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milenerdThe Top 25 Credit Cards

Wednesday Triple

  • JetBlue is offering up to 50,000 points if you refinance your student loans.
  • I hope all of you find someone to love as much as Southwest loves having sales. Book by Thursday for fall travel.
  • What would a week be without a weird rental car promo? Well, this one is weirder than most. The good news? Hertz is offering up to 10,000 Cathay Pacific miles. The bad news? You’ll need to drive more than Sly Stallone in Over The Top to collect all 10,000.

 

milenerdWednesday Triple

Good Hotel Promo

You might need to turn off your pop-up blocker, but here’s $40 off (on $80 or more) at Booking.com.

I’ve never used the site, but you can try a link like one of these first (here or here) if you don’t have an account. Could come in handy for an extra $25.

 

 

milenerdGood Hotel Promo