Credit Card Surcharges Coming Soon To A Store Near You?

For those of us who earn miles, points, or cash back on credit card purchases, the past two years have witnessed an unsettling series of events that all seem to be leading to one eventuality: the onset of surcharges for Visa, MasterCard, and American Express payments.

Over a year ago, Visa and MasterCard settled one of the largest private antitrust lawsuits in U.S. history, paying out $5.7 billion to merchants who claimed that both companies had colluded with banks to eliminate competition and increase the price of credit card transactions. Part of that settlement allows for merchants to add a surcharge when customers pay with a credit card.

However, the settlement also stipulates that any merchant who decides to tack on a surcharge to Visa and MasterCard transactions must also do the same for American Express, if they accept American Express. In turn, American Express has its own rule stating that all electronic payments must be treated equally, meaning surcharges would then have to be added to debit cards transactions as well. In a truly bizarre Catch-22 scenario, both Visa and MasterCard specifically prohibit surcharges on debit cards, rendering the entire argument moot.

That is, until this past Thursday. Just one week after a judge finally approved the Visa and MasterCard settlement from last year, an agreement was also reached in a separate class-action lawsuit involving American Express. While there will be no massive payout in this settlement, American Express has quietly relented on their requirement that surcharges be levied across the board, including debit card transactions.

This essentially clears the way for retailers to establish a two-tier pricing system, one for cash, checks, and debit cards, and another for credit cards. While some merchants claim that this will allow them to offer a discount to those paying with cash, there are serious doubts as to whether any savings will actually be passed down to consumers.

Many businesses already take credit card swipe fees into account by building them into the price of goods and services they sell, and there may be little incentive for them to offer a real discount for cash transactions rather than to simply tack on an additional surcharge for credit card transactions.

So what does this all mean for credit card rewards programs? Well, first off, it may get a little more confusing at the register in the future. If the price differential between cash and credit card is large enough, any rewards you earn may be completely worthless given the extra money you are paying up front. While it remains to be seen if the two-tier pricing system catches on with mid-to-large-size retailers, this certainly has the potential to become a game-changer.

In countries like Australia, credit card surcharges are ubiquitous and seemingly arbitrarily set by the retailer, raising the possibility of deceptive pricing. Often times, it makes absolutely no sense to use a credit card given the considerable difference in price, and while traveling across the country, I found myself relying more and more on cash.

If there is a substantial shift in the U.S. to cash and debit card payments, credit card companies may be compelled to lower their fees, which, in turn, may force them to reduce the rewards and benefits offered on even the most premium of products. We witnessed the same effect on debit card rewards programs when the Durbin Amendment went into effect, reducing the swipe fees that banks collected from merchants.

It is still too soon to become alarmed, however, as some states still maintain a ban on all credit card surcharges, despite the settlements. Lawsuits challenging these bans may alter the payments landscape in the future, but that could take years. In addition, a judge must still approve the American Express settlement, not to mention the possibility of further delays due to the appeals process.

You can read more about this story on The New York Times here and here.

Obsessive Behaviors And The Retention Department

I just read this hilarious post from The Points Guy this morning, titled "10 Obsessive Behaviors of Miles and Points Junkies". I guess I haven't gone off the deep end yet, since I only exhibit 8 out of the 10 behaviors listed on a regular basis ;)  All humor aside, there are actually some very good miles/points-earning tips in his post.

One I wanted to emphasize was #5, "threatening to cancel a credit card unless they give you bonus points or waive the annual fee". While it may sound like a terrible thing to do, like I'm blackmailing or hostage taking, this is actually a very normal aspect of owning (and disowning) a credit card, and one of the main reasons why retention departments exist in the first place.

I typically do not keep a credit card past the first year if there is an annual fee, unless it provides a truly worthwhile anniversary bonus, such as a free night at a hotel or a decent amount of miles/points. But even if a card doesn't give you any of those things, it is still important to call in and speak to someone if you are thinking about canceling, because more often than not, they will try their best to keep your business.

This is exactly what I did yesterday with my American Express SPG Business Credit Card. I noticed that the $65 annual fee had posted on my October statement, and I immediately called in. Using the automated menu, I selected the option of canceling my account, and was transferred directly to the retention department. From there, I followed a fairly standard script:

• Even before speaking to anyone, first make sure you have enough leverage, and by leverage, I mean annual spend on the account. The more spend you have, the greater the chances they will provide some sort of incentive for you to keep the card.

• Tell them how you really enjoy the benefits of the card and that you use it regularly, but the annual fee is just too high. Politely ask if there is anything they can do, such as waive the fee. I typically do not ask for miles/points directly, since they may voluntarily give you this option anyway if they can't waive the fee.

• There may be some push back. The agent may tell you how great this card is, and give you a long list of reasons why you should keep it. Respond by bringing up examples of other cards you have that may provide better benefits, such as no foreign transaction fees, or an anniversary bonus.

• At this point, it is either an absolute no, and you may want to go ahead and cancel the card outright, or the agent will ask you to hold for a minute while they see what can be done.

• If a hold occurs, then there is a very good possibility that they are willing to provide some sort of incentive. If they do, decide whether or not to take it, or perhaps to push even harder for more. That's a personal decision on whether or not the offer offsets the annual fee.

In my case, the agent came back and said they could give me a $35 statement credit immediately, bringing my annual fee down to $30. I waivered for a few seconds, then politely asked if that was the best they could do. Sensing my hesitation, the agent actually put me on hold one more time, and then finally came back and said they could waive the entire annual fee by giving me a $65 statement credit. Score!

Of course, success is not always guaranteed, and I have plenty of examples where I struck out and went ahead with closing my account. But, if you have a good amount of spend on your card, and you are thinking about cancelling anyways, why not call in and see what kind of retention offer they can provide? It never hurts to try.

New American Express Credit Card Offers

American Express seems to be on a roll the past few days with new credit card promotions. First off we have the Business Gold Rewards Card, which is offering 75,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $10,000 within the first 4 months. The spend requirement is quite high, so make sure you can actually complete it before applying. Here are the relevant details:

• This offer is only good through August 9, 2012
• Earn 3 points per dollar spent on airfare; 2 points per dollar spent on advertising, gas, and shipping; 1 point per dollar everywhere else
• Annual fee of $175 is waived for the first year
• Per the terms and conditions, the welcome bonus offer is not available to applicants who have had this product or any Business Gold, Green, or Platinum Card account within the last 12 months
• Membership Rewards points will post to your account 6-8 weeks after meeting the spend requirement

In addition, keep in mind that this is a charge card, and all statements must be paid off in full each month. The Membership Rewards program has lost a bit of its luster this past year, as I've written in this post. However, they still maintain some decent airline and hotel transfer partners, and they consistently run transfer bonus promotions throughout the year. 75,000 Membership Rewards points can be valued at more than $1,000 if used wisely, so this is a very good deal you should seriously consider if you can meet the high spend threshold.

If the $10,000 spend is too high, you can also consider the American Express Starwood Preferred Guest Card, which is currently running their annual summer promotion. The typical sign-up offer for this card offers a maximum of 25,000 SPG points after meeting the spend requirement. However, from now through September 4, 2012, you can earn 10,000 SPG points after your first purchase, and an additional 20,000 SPG points after spending $5,000 within the first 6 months - for a total of 30,000 SPG points. Here are the relevant details:

• This offer is only good through September 4, 2012
• Earn 2 SPG points per dollar spent at SPG Hotels and Resorts; 1 SPG point everywhere else
• Annual fee of $65 is waived for the first year
• Receive credit for 5 nights and 2 stays towards SPG elite status each calendar year
• Per the terms and conditions, the welcome bonus offer is not available to applicants who have had this product within the last 12 months
• SPG points will post to your account 6-8 weeks after meeting the spend requirement

I've written extensively about the American Express Starwood Preferred Guest Card in the past (see here, here, and here). It is simply one of the best rewards cards out there, and I have not hesitated to pay the $65 annual fee for the past 2 years just to keep it in my wallet.

There is also a business version of this card, which is also offering 30,000 SPG points. However, I have not found a public link for that yet. If you are interested in applying for the business card, I would recommend heading over to Boarding Area and you will find many bloggers there with affiliate links. May I recommend View From The Wing and Rapid Travel Chai's links, as I really enjoy both their blogs and think they are incredibly cool people.

Finally, as you all know, I don't post any affiliate links on my blog, nor do I make any money off of advertising. However, once in a while, there is the chance for me to earn some extra miles and points by referring friends and family to certain credit card offers. Right now, the American Express Starwood Preferred Guest Card is allowing anyone to refer people to the card, and earn 5,000 SPG points in the process (if their application is approved). If you enjoy this blog and would like to do something extra nice, just send me your name and email address at milesglu@gmail.com, and I will fill out the referral right away (personal card only). You'll receive the same great offer I listed above, and I'll earn an extra 5,000 SPG points. Thanks as always!

50,000 Bonus Membership Rewards Points American Express Business Gold Rewards Card

This promotion is valid for today only! Not the best offer ever, but definitely one of the higher ones I've seen in a while for the American Express Business Gold Rewards card. Earn 50,000 bonus Membership Rewards points after spending $5,000 within your first 4 months. You earn 3x points per dollar spent on airfare, 2x points per dollar spent on advertising, gas, and shipping, and 1x points per dollar spent everywhere else. The annual fee of $175 is waived for the first year.

Despite losing some of its luster recently (with the British Airways and Aeroplan devaluations as well as the exit of Continental Airlines and pending exit of Priority Club Rewards on June 30, 2012 as transfer partners), Membership Rewards still retains some great airline and hotel transfer partners. Best of all, they appear to consistently run transfer bonus promotions throughout the year, especially with British Airways and Delta Airlines. In fact, through May 31, 2012, you can earn a 50% bonus on all points transfers to British Airways, although it might be difficult to complete the $5,000 spend requirement and earn the 50,000 bonus points before the deadline hits.

I would rank this promotion below some of the more lucrative offers in the big list of credit card sign-ups I posted two weeks ago. However, if you haven't had an American Express Business Gold Rewards card before and can meet the spend requirement easily, then I say go for it. Click on the link below to apply:

The Big List - Credit Card Bonus Offers Galore

It's always frustrating being out of the internet loop for an extended period of time. Case in point, I go on vacation for a week, and there are tons of new credit card bonus offers that have already come and gone. A flurry of credit card deals recently hit the market, some of them lasting only a few days or less. It's unclear if these were meant to be targeted only and thus were pulled prematurely, but many people were still able to sign up and have the bonus offers confirmed.

While some deals may have already expired, there are still many others out there for the taking. Therefore, I've gone ahead and compiled a list of what I feel is the best current bonus offers available. As always, I never use affiliate links, nor do I ever make money off of referring a credit card. Feel free to leave a comment if you know of better promotions!


Chase Ink Bold Business Card - 50,000 Bonus Points (EXPIRED)

I previously wrote about the Chase Ink Bold back in September of last year. Well, a newer version of this card has come out since then, with slightly modified earn rates. Here's the basic rundown on the offer:

• Earn 50,000 bonus Ultimate Rewards points after spending $5,000 within the first 3 months
• Earn 5x points per $1 on the first $50,000 spent annually at office supply stores, cellular phone, landline, internet, and cable TV services
• Earn 2x points per $1 on the first $50,000 spent annually at gas stations and hotels (when purchased directly with the hotel)
• Earn 1x points per $1 on all other purchases, with no limits on how much you can earn
• No foreign transaction fees
• $95 annual fee waived for the first year

Last week, for less than a day, there was a 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points offer with the same spend requirement floating around. Unfortunately, the website was pulled very quickly as news spread. Thus, the the offer I detailed above is still the best one that is currently available. However, Gary from View From The Wing just mentioned that even this may be pulled soon. The standard offer now gives you only 25,000 bonus points after your first purchase, and requires a $10,000 spend within the first 3 months to get the remaining 25,000 points. I would go ahead and apply via the link below before it gets pulled!

50,000 Ultimate Rewards points can be redeemed for a $500 check or statement credit. If you book airfare directly through the Chase travel tool, 50,000 points can be redeemed for tickets worth up to $625. Otherwise, the best way of utilizing these points, in my opinion, would be to take advantage of the 1:1 transfer ratio and move them over to one of the many airline and hotel partners, including United, Southwest, British Airways, Korean Air, Hyatt, Marriott, or Priority Club accounts. There are a number of other (less valuable) ways to redeem your UR points through their website as well. Apply here.


Citibank American Airlines AAdvantage Card - 50,000 Bonus Miles
I previously wrote about the Citibank AAdvantage card back in December of last year. Unfortunately, those links have already expired. However, the same sign-up bonus still exists! Here's the basic rundown on the offer:

• Earn 50,000 bonus AAdvantage miles after spending $3,000 within the first 4 months
• Receive a one-time $150 statement credit after the first eligible American Airlines purchase you make within the first 12 months (there is no minimum purchase amount, so you can buy a drink on your next American Airlines flight and you should still receive the $150 statement credit)
• Receive 2 Admirals Club one-day passes
• Earn 2x miles per $1 on all American Airlines purchases
• Earn 1x miles per $1 on all other purchases
• $85 annual fee waived for the first year

In addition, it has been confirmed that Citibank has added a bunch of new benefits to all of their American Airlines co-branded cards starting April 2, 2012 (including existing cardholders):

• A 10% rebate on miles redeemed that will post each month, up to a maximum of 10,000 miles per year
• First checked bag free for up to four passengers on the same reservation
• $100 American Airlines flight discount after spending $30,000 on the card each year
• 25% off inflight purchases made with the card

Personal Visa
Personal American Express
Business Visa

There are also a number of other current Citibank AAdvantage card offers that vary in sign-up bonuses and benefits. Take a look at the first post in this Flyertalk thread for all the links. I do think the offer I detailed above is the best of the bunch, however.


Chase United MileagePlus Explorer Card - 65,000 Bonus Miles
I previously wrote about the Chase United MileagePlus Explorer Card back in January of this year. That promotion has not expired, since if you log into your United account online, you should still be able to see the 60,000 bonus miles offer (as long as you have a balance of at least one mile). However, an even better deal is now available, giving you an extra 5,000 bonus miles and a $50 statement credit after your first purchase! Note: you must be logged into your United account when you click on the link below. Here's the basic rundown on the offer:

• Earn 50,000 bonus MileagePlus miles after your first purchase. Earn an additional 10,000 bonus MileagePlus miles after spending $25,000 within one calendar year
• Earn an additional 5,000 bonus MileagePlus miles for adding an authorized within 2 months
• Receive a $50 statement credit after your first purchase
• Earn 2x miles per $1 on all United purchases
• Earn 1x miles per $1 on all other purchases
• First checked bag free for you and a companion when you fly on United-operated flights
• Priority boarding privileges
• Two complimentary United Club passes every year
• $95 annual fee waived for the first year

Apply here


Chase British Airways Card - 100,000 Bonus Avios
Chase has offered a 100,000 bonus Avios promotion on it's British Airways card every year for the past three years. This year, the spend threshold has gotten significantly tougher though. Here's the basic rundown of the offer:

• Earn 50,000 bonus Avios after your first purchase. Earn an additional 25,000 bonus Avios after spending $10,000 within the first 12 months. Earn another 25,000 bonus Avios after spending an additional $10,000 within the first 12 months.
• Receive a Travel Together Ticket after spending $30,000 on your card in one calendar year. This is a free companion ticket that can be used when redeeming your Avios for an award flight. It is good for two years. Taxes and fees apply (and they are a doozy).
• No foreign transaction fees
• Earn 2.5x Avios per $1 on all British Airways purchases
• Earn 1.25x Avios per $1 on all other purchases
• $95 annual fee is not waived for the first year

Unless you are a high spender, this is actually a 50,000-75,000 bonus Avios offer. While nothing to sneeze at, do remember that British Airways massively devalued their awards chart last November. However, there are still some good deals to be found in short-haul awards on partner airlines that don't tack on fuel surcharges. Speaking of which, British Airways is known for the outrageous fuel surcharges they include on award tickets, even with partner airlines - so don't be shocked when you see more than $1,000 charged in addition to the Avios points redeemed for a business class flight from New York to London! Apply here.


Citi ThankYou Premier Card - 50,000 ThankYou Points
As I wrote in a detailed post about this card last October, Citibank ThankYou points have not interested me in quite some time. That being said, 50,000 points is still a huge sign-up bonus by any measure. Add to that a recent flurry of rumors that ThankYou points will soon be transferable to British Airways Avios and Singapore Airlines Krisflyer miles (with more airlines on the way) at a 1:1 ratio, and the program has suddenly become a lot more valuable! Here's the basic rundown of the offer:

• Earn 50,000 bonus ThankYou points after spending $2,500 within the first 3 months
• Earn 1.2x ThankYou points per $1 on supermarkets, gas stations, drugstores, commuter transportation and parking merchants
• Earn 1x ThankYou points per $1 on all other purchases
• Receive an annual anniversary bonus calculated as a percentage of the total ThankYou points earned from purchases, starting at 1% after your first year to 5% after your fifth year (increasing 1% every year). Beyond your fifth year, the bonus stays at 5%.
• $125 annual fee waived for the first year

You'll notice on the application that this card can be issued as a MasterCard or Visa. Many people have tried applying for both versions at the same time using two browsers, with some actually getting approved for both and earning 100,000 bonus ThankYou points. Your miles may vary, so proceed with caution.

Redemption is rather limited for Citi ThankYou points - you can redeem 50,000 points for $500 in various gift cards. Otherwise, if you book flights using the ThankYou Travel Center, you can get 33% more value for your ThankYou points, and your 50,000 points can be redeemed for $665 in airfare. However, as I mentioned above, the best value for redeeming points will come when airline transfer partners become a reality very soon! Apply here.

Bank of America Alaska Airlines Card - 35,000 Bonus Miles  (EXPIRED)
Last year, I wrote about the 40,000 bonus miles offer from the Bank of America Alaska Airlines Visa Signature card. While that promotion already expired long ago, a new offer that's almost as good has recently surfaced. Here's the basic rundown on the offer:

• Earn 35,000 bonus Mileage Plan miles upon approval
• Receive a $99 (plus taxes and fees) round-trip companion ticket upon approval and every year on your account anniversary
• Earn 3x miles per $1 on all Alaska Airlines ticket and vacation package purchases
• Earn 1x miles per $1 on all other purchases
• Two complimentary Alaska Airlines Board Room lounge passes that can be used at select airports with an Alaska lounge presence
• $75 annual fee not waived for the first year

Although 35,000 bonus miles doesn't seem like much, there are two very big benefits that set this card apart from the others. First of all, many people on Flyertalk have reported applying for and receiving this card multiple times, and earning the sign-up bonus each time as well. Now, I would still be cautious and wait at least a few months between applications, but at the very least this is still one of the few cards left that can be churned. Second, the $99 companion ticket can be used on any published fare - even first class. And both tickets earn miles for the flight as well! Every other airline that offers these companion tickets heavily restricts the fares they can be used on, and even has blackout dates.

Now here comes the bad part. First, the annual fee of $75 is not waived for the first year like most other cards. In addition, Bank of America has a bad habit of sometimes automatically downgrading an application to a lower-tier card that offers significantly less benefits. For example, if I apply for the Visa Signature card, Bank of America may deem me "not qualified enough" for that card, but instead of an outright rejection, they will send me their Platinum Plus card, or even their Preferred card, which offers only 15,000 and 13,000 bonus miles, respectively. Definitely frustrating and not worth it in those cases. However, if you have excellent credit and high income, you should have no problem getting the Visa Signature card. Apply here.


Chase Freedom Card - 20,000 Bonus Points (EXPIRED)
First of all, I would not recommend applying for this offer. I'm only writing about the Chase Freedom card because while I was on vacation last week, a deal for 30,000 bonus points appeared, and then another for 35,000 bonus points! Unfortunately, those only lasted for less than a day before they were pulled by Chase. Since the 30,000 bonus points offer has appeared multiple times in the past few months, I would bet that it's going to come back sometime this year (perhaps even the 35,000 bonus points offer). However, if you're desperately in need of this card right this moment for some reason, the best deal is the 20,000 bonus points offer.

I've written extensively about the Chase Freedom card here, and I still say it is the best fee-free rewards card out there. You earn 5x Ultimate Rewards points per $1 on rotating categories every quarter (up to a maximum of $1500 spend in those categories per quarter), and 1x Ultimate Rewards points per $1 on all other purchases with no limits. The categories for 2012 are as follows:

January 1, 2012 – March 31, 2012 
      - Gas stations
      - Amazon.com 

April 1, 2012 – June 30, 2012
      - Grocery stores
      - Movie theaters

July 1, 2012 – September 30, 2012
      - Gas stations
      - Restaurants

October 1, 2012 – December 31, 2012
      - Hotels
      - Airlines
      - Best Buy
      - Kohl's
Apply here

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Here is an additional list of links to decent credit card offers that I would highly recommend. However, the first two are just standard offers, and you may want to wait until a better promotion appears. Both the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the American Express Starwood Preferred Guest cards have had bigger sign-up bonuses in the past.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card - 40,000 Bonus Points
The standard offer had been 50,000 bonus points for most of the past year. But finally, Chase has reduced that amount to 40,000 bonus points. While not as good as before, 40,000 Ultimate Rewards points is still a fairly decent amount - worth up to $500 in airfare booked with the Chase travel tool, or transferable at a 1:1 ratio to many airline and hotel partners. The $95 annual fee is waived for the first year. Apply here.

AMEX Starwood Preferred Guest Card - 25,000 Bonus Starpoints
Each summer, the American Express Starwood Preferred Guest card seems to come up with a special sign-up offer for 30,000 bonus Starpoints. While we wait to see if they do it again this year, the standard offer still remains 10,000 bonus Starpoints after your first purchase, and an additional 15,000 bonus Starpoints after spending $5,000 within 6 month. The $65 annual fee is waived for the first year. I would be very happy to refer anyone for this card - I get 5,000 Starpoints per referral and you still enjoy the same standard bonus offer. Just send me your name and email address at milesglu@gmail.com. Or if you prefer, you can just apply directly from website. Apply here.

Barclays US Airways Premier World Card - 40,000 Bonus Miles
I've written extensively about this card in a previous post. This is the best current offer for the US Airways Premier World MasterCard, and the only one I know of that waives the $89 annual fee for the first year. There are actually some very good benefits offered with this card, so make sure you read my earlier post for all the details. Best of all, Barclays still allows churning on their cards, although you may need to call in to get multiple cards approved. Apply here.

Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Card - 50,000 Bonus Points
I've written extensively about this card in a previous post. Just when it seemed like all the 50,000 bonus points versions of this card were finally pulled, there appears to be one more working link to the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Card. 50,000 Rapid Rewards points translates into $833 in Wanna Get Away fares, which would more than pay for two round-trip flights. The $69 annual fee is not waived for the first year, but there is also no spend requirement to get the bonus points (just after your first purchase). Apply here.

50% Transfer Bonus From American Express Membership Rewards To British Airways Executive Club

This is the first great transfer bonus opportunity of the year. A few days ago, I posted about the US Airways 50% transfer bonus from hotel partners. However, the only partner worth transferring from was Starwood Preferred Guest... and even then, it made very little sense to trade in valuable Starpoints for Dividend Miles, despite the significant bonus.

In my opinion, the best value for Membership Rewards points is the airline miles transfer program, and the best time to do a transfer is when they run a promotion such as this one. From now until May 31, 2012, earn a 50% bonus when you transfer points from Membership Rewards to British Airways. There is no need to register, and you can transfer as many times as you like before the promotion ends. The smallest increment you can transfer is 1,000 points.

As you may already know, British Airways massively devalued their award chart last November, and I documented the aftermath in great detail here. However, despite the huge increase in Avios points required for long-haul flights, there is a silver lining to be found in short hops all around the world, especially when they involve partner airlines that don't tack on a fuel surcharge.

The highest yields can be found on popular tourist routes that are typically short in distance but high in cost. For example, the San Francisco to Los Cabos route is quite popular, and Alaska Airlines can charge upwards of $500 or more for this three-hour flight. However, only 20,000 Avios points are needed to book a round-trip award ticket, while using other frequent flyer programs typically will run you 35,000 miles. Likewise, flying Los Angeles to Honolulu on American Airlines costs only 25,000 Avios points. Even shorter flights such as San Francisco to Los Angeles, New York to Toronto, Miami to Cancun, Lima to Cusco, all only cost 9,000 Avios points round-trip! Read my previous post to find out how to price out specific award itineraries on the British Airways website.

If you have a large stash of Membership Rewards points just waiting to be used, I would highly recommend converting at least some into Avios points before May 31, 2012. Although others may disagree, I would do the transfer even if you don't have any award travel planned. Typically, transfer bonuses don't get any better or simpler than this. Membership Rewards did run another promotion last year where you could effectively earn a 67% bonus on Delta Skymiles transfers, but it turned out to be a logistical nightmare, and people had to wait months before they actually received the bonus points in the form of a rebate certificate. Plus, I have not seen any transfer bonuses higher than 50% for Membership Rewards to British Airways.

I don't doubt that another 50% transfer bonus promotion will occur sometime in the future, but I say take advantage of the offer now, and make use of those Avios points for high-value redemptions before another devaluation comes!

SPG American Express Ups Their Sign-Up Bonus

For the past two summers, the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express credit card has offered a better-than-normal promotion where you can earn 30,000 SPG points after a fairly reasonable spend requirement. These offers typically lasted only a month or two, and then the card would return to the normal bonus, which was 10,000 SPG points after your first purchase, and 15,000 SPG points after spending $15,000 within the first 6 months. Last month, however, SPG reduced the spend requirement on the regular offer, so you could get the latter 15,000 SPG points after spending only $5,000 within the first 6 months.

And now, they've gone a step further and upped the points amount to 20,000 SPG points after spending $5,000 within the first 6 months. And you still get the 10,000 SPG points after your first purchase, for a total of 30,000 SPG points. This pretty much matches the summer promotion (with a tiny bit higher spend requirement), and I would suggest you take advantage of this deal before it ends on December 12, 2011. The annual fee of $65 is waived for the first year. In addition, there is a personal and a business version of this card, and you can receive the bonus for both if approved!

I've written extensively about the benefits of the SPG American Express card both earlier this summer and also just two months ago. You can read about why it remains one of my go-to cards for everyday spending. If you decide to hold off on applying, I fully expect the 30,000 SPG points bonus offer to come back sometime in 2012, so don't worry too much about missing out!

5,000 Membership Rewards Points For Pay Over Time Option

Via View From The Wing, earn a quick and easy 5,000 Membership Rewards points for signing up for their "Pay Over Time" option. This allows certain larger charges on your American Express Green, Premier Rewards Gold, or Platinum card to be paid over an extended period of time instead of paying them in full every month. You don't actually have to use it to get the 5,000 points, you just need to sign up so the option is there. Personally, I would avoid using this feature since you will be charged interest on the "Pay Over Time" amount.

Per the fine print, you must already have a Membership Rewards account at the time of enrollment, and bonus points will be credited to your account within 6-8 weeks after enrollment. The Bonus ID on this offer is 5670, 5671, or 5688 (I believe depending on the card type you have). Enroll by December 31, 2011.

75,000 Bonus Membership Rewards Points For The AMEX Business Rewards Gold Card - TODAY ONLY

Jump on this offer if you've been meaning to apply for the American Express Business Rewards Gold card! For one day only (November 3, 2011), you will earn 75,000 bonus Membership Rewards points if you spend $10,000 within the first 5 months of cardmembership. The normal bonus offer on this card is 50,000 points. In addition the $175 annual fee is waived for the first year.

This card is the counterpart to the personal Premier Rewards Gold card, so the earn rates are similar, though on different types of categories. You earn 3x points per dollar spent on airfare, 2x points on advertising, gas, and shipping, and 1x points on everything else. Membership Rewards points, as always, can be transferred at a 1000:1000 ratio to a number of decent airlines, including Delta, British Airways, All Nippon Airways, Air Canada, etc.

If you just recently applied for the normal 50,000 points offer for the same card, you may be able to send a secure message asking for them to "bump the bonus" by citing this offer (Bonus ID 7616). Despite American Express recently cracking down on bumping the bonus using targeted offers, this appears to be a public offer so it's worth a shot.

The spend threshold on this offer is very high, and for that reason alone, I will probably pass. After all, I'm still working on the spend for my Citi Premier ThankYou card!

Some Decent Credit Card Sign-Up Bonuses

Unfortunately, the stream of massive credit card sign-up bonuses we saw earlier this year has now slowed to a trickle. But despite there being very few mega-bonuses in the past few months, there are still a couple of good deals to be had.

I had previously written about the SPG American Express, and how it remains one of my go-to cards for daily use. I typically don't keep cards beyond one year so as not to incur the annual fee, but I've made a notable exception for the SPG AMEX simply because SPG points are worth more than the average airline miles or hotel points, and because it is so flexible for transfers to other programs. Earlier this summer, there was a promotion on this card for 10,000 SPG points after your first purchase, and then 20,000 more after spending $4,500 within the first 3 months of cardmembership.

That offer has already ended, but American Express has now tweaked the regular year-round offer to make it somewhat easier to earn the full sign-up bonus. Right now, if you sign up for the card, you can earn 10,000 SPG points after your first purchase, and then 15,000 more after spending just $5,000 within the first 6 months of cardmembership. Compare that to the normal $15,000 spend threshold within 6 months! Personally, I would say if you don't have an urgent need for this card, wait until next summer when SPG and American Express might run another 30,000 point sign-up promotion. Otherwise, take advantage of this offer now. The $65 annual fee is waived for the first year.

If anyone plans on applying for this card, I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to refer them. That way, you get the same great offer, and I receive 5,000 SPG points also. Just email me your full name and email address at milesglu@gmail.com, and I'll get the referral sent out right away. Thanks!

Another offer that popped up recently is for the Chase Ink Business Bold charge card. Right now, you can receive 50,000 Ultimate Rewards points when you spend $5000 within the first 3 months of cardmembership. That is a pretty high spend threshold in a short amount of time, so you may need to employ some other spend methods such as buying gift cards or Amazon Payments. Also, even though this is a business card, you typically don't need a registered business... applying as a sole proprietorship with your Social Security Number has worked in the past. But as always, proceed with caution.

I've gone through some of the benefits of the Ultimate Rewards program in a previous post, but in general, points can be redeemed for cash on a 100:1 basis (so 50,000 UR points = $500 USD). Or if you redeem for flights or hotels through the UR travel booking tool, points are worth 25% more (so 50,000 UR points = $625 USD). You can also transfer points on a 1:1 basis to a number of different airlines such as Continental, British Airways, and starting within the past week or two, Korean Air. The $95 annual fee is waived for the first year. This offer expires on November 28, 2011, so apply soon!

Say Goodbye To "Bump The Bonus"

American Express has long had a bad (good?) habit of applying targeted promotional offers to non-targeted cardholders' accounts and thereby "bumping the bonus" they receive. For example, I applied for an American Express Premier Rewards Gold card in May of this year and the promotion I signed up for only gave me 10,000 Membership Rewards points. There was another offer floating around, however, on Flyertalk which gave you 75,000 MR points after spending $500 within 3 months. Despite appearing targeted to specific customers only, I was able to call up American Express and have this offer applied to my account. After I completed the spend, I called them back and requested the full 75,000 points, which was promptly added to my account.

Well, it looks like those days of "bumping the bonus" are officially over. Since about a week ago, it looks like American Express has clamped down on this loophole and are now refusing to apply offers to non-targeted customers and also refusing to add bonus points to anyone's account - even those that have been previously notated with an offer code. It's unfortunate because in early August, I had another offer code applied to my Premier Rewards Gold account, giving me 10,000 MR points per additional user I added, after making the first spend on each card. I even blogged about it here. I added 5 additional users, and reconfirmed with another representative that the offer was applied to my account and that I would receive the points.

After hearing the chatter on Flyertalk regarding American Express' recent refusal of bonus points, I called up their Membership Rewards line (1-800-297-3276) to see for myself. Low and behold, I was denied the points since I was not specifically targeted for the promotion. After about half an hour on the line with both the representative and her supervisor, I hung up and dialed the American Express Executive Office line (212-640-2000). Apparently, the people at this office have more ability to "make things happen". I spoke at length with a pleasant lady who, despite continuing to deny me the points, still offered to do some more investigation into whether or not I was actually promised the points. I'm not worried about that since they can pull up phone records that show I indeed spoke to 2 different representatives who both confirmed that my account was notated and that I would receive the points after the first spend had been met. However, I'm not holding out hope that I will actually receive anything at the end of all this.

American Express has obviously realized that honoring these bonus points will cost them dearly, since the promotion code spread like wildfire and their own representatives were adding them onto everyone's accounts. They've clearly decided that cutting their losses far outweighs angering some of their customers and perhaps even some closed accounts. And frankly, I can't blame them.

I'll report back if I hear anything from the investigation, but it's definitely not looking good.

10,000 Membership Rewards Points For Each Additional User

American Express Membership Rewards seems to be on a points free-for-all lately. This Flyertalk thread details information on promotion code 5721, which offers 10,000 MR points for each additional user added to your existing Premier Rewards Gold personal and business cards, or the Platinum card. For the Gold card, you can add up to 5 additional users for free, and any additional users beyond that for $35 per card. Platinum cardholders can add up to 3 additional users for $175 total.

I tried calling the Membership Rewards line at 1-800-AXP-EARN this morning, and was shot down a total of 4 times before I was finally successful. Each of the first 4 customer service representatives I spoke to denied me on the basis that I wasn't targeted for the offer. On the 5th try, I spoke to a gentleman who asked me to confirm the promotion code 5721, which I did. He then transferred me over to the Customer Service Department, which handled the adding of the additional users.

At first, the lady I was transferred to asked for the Social Security number for each user, but I told her I didn't have them with me at the moment, and she said that was fine and proceeded to take down the names and date of births of each person. After about 5 minutes, she said they were approved and I would receive the cards within 5-7 days. I asked her to confirm that the promotion code was actually applied to my account, but she said she wasn't able to do that. I will probably wait a few days for the madness to end before calling MR back to confirm (seems like AMEX is getting flooded with calls regarding this promotion).

YMMV highly on this one, but never hurts to try! Just do so quickly before it gets shut down like the 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points bump on the Chase Sapphire Preferred card!

(EDIT: It looks like this promotion was originally targeted for American Express Platinum members in Argentina only. However, based on anecdotal evidence, it sounds like AMEX might be honoring the offer code for everyone through today 8/10/2011 only. If you get shot down by a CSR, don't bother arguing, just hang up politely and call back again until you get someone who is willing to help you apply the code.)

3,000 SPG Points For 3 Minutes Of Your Time

I hit the first year anniversary on my Starwood Preferred Guest American Express this month, and unfortunately that meant the $65 annual fee showed up as expected on my statement. As I've mentioned in a previous post, the SPG AMEX is one of my go-to cards, and its points are extremely valuable as well as versatile.

Typically, I only apply for credit cards that have the first year annual fee waived (as in this case), and I always cancel the account prior to hitting the first anniversary. However, I really just like this card too much to let it go... hence I ponied up the $65 without much hesitation.

But before giving up too easily, I decided to give American Express a quick call to ask if there was any way to waive or reduce the annual fee, since I was "contemplating canceling the card". At the same time, I told them I use this card all the time and I really enjoy the benefits, so anything they could do to "ease the pain" of the annual fee would be greatly appreciated. Without even a second thought, the customer service representative said that while there was no way she could waive the annual fee, she could give me 3,000 SPG points as a goodwill gesture for keeping the card. I wasn't about to push my luck, so I quickly thanked her and accepted the offer. Within three days, the points posted to my SPG account.

Not bad for a three minute phone call! If your annual fee for the SPG AMEX recently hit, I'd definitely suggest giving them a call to see what they can do for you. Anecdotal evidence on Flyertalk suggests most people received at least 3,000 points just for keeping their account open. (A word of caution though, do not call prior to your annual fee showing up on your statement - I tried calling a number of times before that, and no dice each time)

AMEX SPG Personal Card With 30,000 Points Bonus

One of the few cards that I consistently use and keep despite having a $65 annual fee is the American Express Starwood Preferred Guest card. SPG points have some of the highest award nights redemption value out there, in addition to the dozens of airline frequent flyer programs that you can transfer into. Even better, when transferring into an airline program, SPG will give you a 25% bonus when you transfer 20,000 points - meaning 20,000 points becomes 25,000 miles when the transfer ratio is 1:1. Not all airline miles transfer at that ratio however, an example being United where the ratio is a measly 2:1. Regardless, this is an extremely versatile card that any miles junkie should have at their disposal.

Last summer, AMEX had an amazing bonus offer of 30,000 points upon spending $1000 within the first three months of card membership. Some were expecting this offer to come back this year, and indeed it has - although the spending threshold has gone up significantly. 10,000 bonus points will now be awarded when you make your first purchase within one year of card approval. The remaining 20,000 points will be awarded after you spend $4500 within the first three months of card membership. The bonus points are only for new cardmembers and will be deposited within 8-12 weeks after the spend threshold has been met. The annual fee of $65 is waived for the first year.

Finally, this offer seems to be only available via a referral from an existing cardholder who receives the specific email offer. I received this email tonight and can refer anyone that is interested - just email me at <milesglu@gmail.com> your first and last name as well as your email address. Full disclosure: as the referrer, I will receive 5,000 points for every approved application.

(EDIT: The general link for everyone is up now! Same offer - 10,000 points after your first purchase and 20,000 additional points after spending $4,500 within your first three months of cardmembership. Although I would definitely still be glad to refer anyone who is interested :))

Big Transfer Bonuses From Membership Rewards

Membership Rewards is the proprietary rewards program for American Express charge cards (green, gold, platinum). While MR offers many ways to redeem for rewards, perhaps the best way to use these points is by transferring them to any number of participating airline frequent flyer programs. Currently, AMEX has agreements with Delta Skymiles, Continental OnePass, British Airways Executive Club, Air Canada Aeroplan, and many more (most at a 1000:1000 ratio). It's usually a good idea to keep your points in the MR program and only transfer when you actually have a need to book an award flight. And if for some reason you have an urgent need to transfer points, I would always recommend Continental Airlines, since OnePass miles are generally more valuable.

However, there are two great promotions going on right now for transferring MR points into Delta Skymiles and British Airways Executive Club:

• From now through 9/30/2011, transfer any amount of MR points into the Delta Skymiles program and receive a 50% bonus. Transfer 100,000 points or more and also receive 25,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQM) - enough to qualify for Silver Medallion status. MQMs are NOT redeemable for awards and are only used for status qualification. Silver Medallion status will give you bonus redeemable miles, waived baggage fees, seat upgrades and more when traveling on Delta. Note that this is for first-time transfers only!

• From now through 7/31/2011, transfer any amount of MR points into the British Airways Executive Club program and receive a 50% bonus. Note that the bonus is only applicable once during this period!

I must add a word of warning though... because I normally would not recommend either program as a means to accumulate miles unless there is a large promotion like in this case. Delta Skymiles is notoriously stingy about releasing saver awards, especially on international flights. I've done some searches before for fairly popular international routes that Delta flies, and have seen zero saver award availability for an entire year! Domestic routes through their main hubs tend to be slightly better... but still far behind the competition. So even though it is extremely easy to accumulate, you often will end up spending double or even triple the amount of miles you originally thought. Hence the term "Skypesos".

British Airways, on the other hand, actually has fairly good award seat availability, especially on their own metal. However, they also tack on an obscene amount of fuel surcharge fees to award flights. First class flights going through London can have upwards of $700 in fuel surcharges, in addition to the miles they deduct from your account! They even collect fuel surcharges on partner awards flights such as Cathay Pacific or Japan Airlines, whereas American Airlines never does that for award redemptions. Partner award fuel surcharges can run upwards of $400 roundtrip.

If you are interested in Membership Rewards, there is a thread on Flyertalk right now that details a promotion for 75,000 MR points after completing the spend requirements on an American Express Premiere Rewards Gold Card. I won't go into details about this here because this is not a straightforward application, and you may run into several obstacles trying to get the bonus points. Do read through the entire thread before deciding whether or not it's worth the risk!