New 60,000 Bonus Points Chase Ink Business Cards (Without The Affiliate Link Nonsense)

For a limited time (possibly until May 31, 2014), Chase has increased the sign-up bonus for both their Ink Business Cards from 50,000 to 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points when you spend $5,000 within the first 3 months. The blogosphere went wild in the past 24 hours with affiliate links plastered across just about every post and forum. You won't find them here. Here are the non-affiliate links to the same deal for both the Ink Bold and the Ink Plus Cards:

• Ink Bold Business Charge Card
• Ink Plus Business Credit Card

What's the difference between the two versions? It's quite simple. The Ink Bold is a charge card, meaning the statement balance needs to be paid off in full every month, while the Ink Plus is a standard credit card, meaning you can keep a balance and pay interest on it (of course, I would never recommend doing that for any rewards card). Otherwise, both are essentially identical in benefits:

• Earn 60,000 bonus Ultimate Rewards points when you spend $5,000 within the first 3 months
• Earn 5x points on the first $50,000 spent annually at office supply stores, and on cell phone, landline, internet, and cable TV services
• Earn 2x points on the first $50,000 spent annually at gas stations and for hotels (when booked directly with the hotels)
• Earn 1x points everywhere else
• No foreign transaction fees
• Annual fee waived for the first year, $95 thereafter

Yes, you can have both cards at the same time, however, I would wait at least a week before applying for the other card (and who knows if the deal will still be around by then). Back in late 2013, Chase began issuing all Ink Cards as Visa Signature products rather than World MasterCard. Technically, after the switch, they are considered "new products", and you should be able to get the bonus again. There is anecdotal evidence that this is true, but as always, YMMV.

Approvals have gotten significantly tougher, as Chase knows some people are fudging the "business" aspect of these accounts, and using them to max out the 5x spending at office supply stores. Be ready to call the Chase reconsideration line for a grilling in case you get denied at first:

• 1-800-453-9719  business credit analyst (8am-10pm M-F EDT)
• 1-888-245-0625  personal credit analyst (7am-10pm M-F, 8am-10pm Sat, 9am-9pm Sun EDT)

Call the business credit analyst for the Ink Cards. I included the personal number for those who are denied for other Chase personal cards. Good luck!

Fun With Call Centers: Chase Reconsideration Line And British Airways Hell

I have spent a considerable amount of time on the phone these past two days speaking to credit analysts and customer service representatives, so I thought I'd share my stories in case anyone else runs into the same situation.

Earlier in the week, Chase sent out a warning that all affiliate links for their Ink Bold business card with the old sign-up bonus offer would have to be pulled by Wednesday morning at 10:00 am EDT. This is the same bonus I have linked to my blog currently: 50,000 bonus Ultimate Rewards points after spending $5,000 within 3 months. While my link (non-affiliate) still seems to be working, the new offer on the official Ink Bold website now advertises 25,000 bonus points after your first purchase, and the final 25,000 bonus points only after spending a whopping $10,000 within 3 months!

Since I've never owned an Ink Bold card before, I decided to jump on the gravy train and apply before the old offer is completely pulled. I had also planned to apply for the new United MileagePlus Explorer card for some time now, so I pulled the trigger on that one as well. As expected, I didn't get instant approvals for either of them (you should see the stack of old Chase cards I've owned). But no worries, many folks have shared their experience of calling the awesome Chase reconsideration line and gotten previous denials turned into approvals. I was determined to have the same outcome no matter what.

First, I called up the Chase personal credit analyst line (1-888-245-0625) and got a friendly female agent. I asked what the status of the United MileagePlus Explorer card was and she said unfortunately, it had been denied due to multiple applications. I explained to her my situation, saying that I had applied for the Ink Bold card at the same time, and also listed off the reasons why I actually needed the MileagePlus Explorer card. I told her my company has a partnership with United Airlines for all of our work travel, and that I would be putting the charges onto this card. She told me to hold for a minute, then came back and said that she could approve this card, but that I would have to close down one of my other Chase accounts first - my Priority Club Visa in this case. I debated for a minute and told her to go ahead and cancel that account and approve the United MileagePlus Explorer card.

This is where I realize I had made a mistake in the previous way I handled all of my Chase accounts. Every time I was approved for a new card, I would lower the credit limit to the minimum allowable. I did this because 1) I wanted to save more credit "space" in the future for more accounts and 2) I just didn't see a need for such large credit limits. Well, I realize now that a higher credit limit probably could have saved me from closing my Priority Club Visa account in this situation. She probably would have allowed me to just shift some of the credit line over to my new United MileagePlus Explorer card, but since the credit line for my Priority Club Visa (and all my other existing accounts) was already at the minimum, she was unable to do that. Oh well, live and learn.

Happy with the outcome with my United MileagePlus Explorer card, I proceeded to call the Chase business credit analyst line (1-800-453-9719) to ask about my Ink Bold application. I got a very gruff-sounding gentleman on the phone who was definitely no-nonsense. He said the application was still in process, but he could go ahead and take a look at it right now. After holding for a few minutes, he came back on the line and began asking a series of detailed questions regarding my business. Now, granted, you don't have to have a real business per se with high income and employees, but it's always to good to prepare yourself during these calls so you can answer their questions without hesitation. I told him what my business does, how long it's been active, how much expected income I'd have within the next 12 months (with how much of that being profit), expenditures, etc. Finally, after the quick grilling, he came back and said he'd gone ahead and approved my application!

The moral of the story is, never, ever just give up if you receive a denial from Chase. Always call their reconsideration line, but at the same time, be very well prepared to answer questions regarding why you need the card. Also, be ready to bargain for your credit line by moving them from existing accounts.

_______________________________________________________________

Next, I'll detail what happened when I called the British Airways Executive Club customer service line. First off, I have an Avios award booking on LAN to Easter Island this November. My one-way itinerary includes two legs: SFO-LIM and LIM-IPC. I have about a one-and-a-half hour layover in Lima, which is cutting it a bit close (especially given LAN's propensity for changes and delays), but I figured it should be fine.

Well, low and behold, last night, I received an email from British Airways stating that my LAN flights had a schedule change. The funny thing is they changed the time of my SFO-LIM flight so that it now arrives almost six hours after my LIM-IPC flight has already left! Needless to say, I would not be making it to Easter Island given my current itinerary.

On the email, it said to call British Airways Executive Club immediately, so that's exactly what I did. I told the gentleman my situation, who said he would have to check availability to make changes. I had already checked online first, of course, and noticed that I could move my SFO-LIM flight back by two days, enjoy a nice stopover in Lima, and then continue on to Easter Island. The British Airways website was showing the new flight as available as well.

Unfortunately, this agent could not see the new award seat. He insisted it wasn't there (not sure if the website was wrong or if he was wrong)... and then here's where it got good. He said I had two options, either wait it out to see if any award seats become available, or I could just cancel the booking. I found this slightly incredulous... so if an airline makes a seven-hour time change to a flight and renders it impossible for passengers to continue on their connecting flights, all those passengers are basically screwed? Even on award bookings, I've always had airlines accommodate me on a new flight - regardless of if an award seat was available or not - since this is really their fault, not mine.

I explained all this to the agent, but he was having none of it. He said it was not their responsibility to fix the itinerary if no other award seats are available. If anyone knows the official policy, I'd love to hear it, but his excuse just sounded completely illogical to me. Finally, I said to him, "so you're saying that because LAN changed their flight time, making it all but impossible for me to complete my itinerary, I have to cancel my entire vacation, hotel bookings, rental cars, etc?" His answer was "yep". Absurd.

I hung up and decided to call LAN directly. After a total of less than 10 minutes on the phone, the friendly agent reissued my ticket on the earlier SFO-LIM flight, allowing me to connect on the LIM-IPC flight two days later with no problem. Yet another lesson learned.

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.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Bonus Lowered To 40,000 Ultimate Rewards Points

Many bloggers have posted about this today. It looks like Chase has finally lowered the sign-up bonus for the Sapphire Preferred card. For almost a year, they ran a 50,000 Ultimate Rewards points bonus offer for spending $3,000 within three months. Now the website is showing only 40,000 bonus points.

Your last chance to sign up for the 50,000 bonus points offer may be to use an affiliate link that many bloggers have to earn a commission. Since I do not earn any money from my blog and refuse to post affiliate links, you won't be able to find them here. However, I will gladly direct you to one of my favorite blogs out there, View From The Wing, who is offering up his link for sign-up.

I have written extensively about the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, but here are the basics:

• 50,000 Ultimate Rewards points can be directly cashed out into a $500 check or statement credit. Or if you book through the Chase travel tool, you can use the 50,000 points to redeem for airfare worth up to $625. Otherwise, the more preferred way of utilizing these points would be to take advantage of the 1:1 transfer ratio and move them over to one of the many partners they have, including United Airlines, British Airways, Korean Air, Hyatt, Marriott, Priority Club, etc. There are a number of other ways to redeem your Ultimate Rewards points through their website as well.

• Earn one point per dollar spent anywhere, and two points per dollar spent on travel and dining

• The annual fee of $95 is waived for the first year

• You get a 7% annual bonus on all the points you accumulated in one calendar year, regardless of if you have already redeemed them or if they are from the sign-up bonus. Since they total the points at the end of the year (December 31st), you can still get this bonus before your annual fee hits (around March 2013 if you apply now).

• No foreign exchange or foreign transaction fees

Chase Freedom 30,000 Ultimate Rewards Bonus Points Promotion Revived

I posted about the Chase Freedom card in October of last year, when they ran a 30,000 Ultimate Rewards bonus points offer ($300 cash back) after spending $500 within the first three months. The old link died mid-December, but it looks like a new working link for the same offer is back today. You can read a detailed analysis of the Chase Freedom card in my previous post.

In general, I would say this is one of the best cash back credit cards out there with no annual fee. You earn 5% cash back (5 UR points per dollar) on rotating categories that change every quarter (activation required each quarter), though this is limited to the first $1,500 in purchases within the bonus categories. All other purchases earn 1% cash back (1 UR point per dollar), with no limits on those earnings. For 2012, the categories are: 

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

No word yet on when this offer will expire, so apply soon!

Chase Freedom 30,000 Bonus Points

To be frank, the Chase Freedom card isn't the greatest card in world, or even close to it for that matter. But strangely enough, I've found myself carrying this card for more than 5 years now, and it is probably the card I've kept the longest in my wallet - ever. It's gone through several incarnations, and the rewards scheme has had multiple "enhancements" over the years, but I still find it to be one of the best rewards cards out there that doesn't charge an annual fee.

Chase Freedom participates in the Ultimate Rewards program, but be aware that even though it shares a name, there are significant differences between the UR points earned with the Freedom card and those earned with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. Freedom UR points are not worth 25% more when redeeming for travel through the UR travel booking tool, and most importantly, they cannot be transferred to airline or hotel partners such as United/Continental, British Airways, Korean Air, Hyatt, Marriott, and Priority Club. The good news is that if you have a Sapphire Preferred card, you can transfer UR points earned from your Freedom card over, and then all the benefits of your Sapphire Preferred UR account will apply.

Despite these limitations, the Chase Freedom card is still very lucrative for earning rewards points. Every purchase earns a base rate of 1% back per dollar spent. In addition, there are rotating categories that earns 5% back (1% base + 4% bonus) per dollar spent. These categories change every quarter, and you must remember to sign up every quarter, although there are plenty of reminders when the time comes. Also note that the extra 4% bonus is limited to the first $1500 in purchases within the bonus categories, which caps your total quarterly bonus earned on special categories at $60. Here are the categories from 2011: 

January 1, 2011 – March 31, 2011  
      - Grocery Stores 
      - Drugstores

April 1, 2011 – June 30, 2011 
      - Home Improvement 
      - Lawn and Garden 
      - Home Furnishings

July 1, 2011 – September 30, 2011 
      - Gas 
      - Hotels 
      - Airlines

October 1, 2011 – December 31, 2011 
      - Dining 
      - Department Stores 
      - Movies 
      - Charity

While this does seem a bit cumbersome, I have to say that Chase has always done a pretty good job of accurately rewarding the 5% bonus. And even when specific purchases aren't reported into the correct category, a call will usually get the adjustments done immediately.

Right now, Chase Freedom is running its largest sign-up promotion ever, giving out 30,000 bonus UR points (worth $300 cash back) after spending just $500 within the first 3 months of cardmembership. If you've ever thought of signing up for the Freedom card, or just need a no annual fee rewards card for everyday use, I'd say take advantage of this offer now!

One final note: if you also have a Chase checking account, you earn even more points back on the Chase Freedom card - 10% extra points per dollar spent (meaning you are effectively getting 1.1% back instead of just 1%), plus 10 extra points per transaction. While minor, this can certainly add up fast.

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!

Chase Sapphire Preferred 50,000 Points Becomes 100,000 Points (YMMV)

I posted previously about the Chase Sapphire Preferred 50,000 points promotion on May 28, 2011. This is a great offer that effectively gives $500 cash back or up to $625 worth of airline tickets booked through the Chase airfare tool - all for $3000 of spend within three months.

Just last night on Flyertalk, word began spreading that there is now a targeted 100,000 points promotion for the same card for only $500 spend within three months. Since this is targeted, you can only apply if you have a specific invitation number and offer code (people have already tried calling in to apply with no success). However, many who already applied and was approved for the 50,000 points offer sent in a secure message via the Chase online messaging center asking politely to be matched to the new promotion, and low and behold, within hours most received a positive reply and an additional 50,000 points instantly posted onto their Ultimate Rewards account! Remember, this is in addition to the 50,000 points they will or have already received after spending $3000 within three months - for a total of 100,000 points.

Granted, this is a highly YMMV (your miles may vary) case, and everyone should tread carefully. Nobody knows if this points grab free-for-all will last another week or even another day. Unfortunately, I only applied for the Sapphire Preferred card last week since I was still finishing up my spend for the Citibank AA card. I was not instantly approved, so I'm still sitting around waiting. However, if/when I am approved and the card shows up on my online account, I will immediately send in a secure message asking to be matched to the 100,000 offer. Either way, this is a great promotion and I will be happy whether it's 50,000 or 100,000. If you haven't already done so, I would recommend applying now!

(EDIT: This trick has officially been shut down. All agents are now denying the extra 50,000 bonus points and requiring the specific invitation code in order to take advantage of the 100,000 points offer. For those that received the extra 50,000 I doubt Chase will revoke the points so enjoy them soon. And unfortunately for the rest of us, looks like the the normal offer will have to do.)

The Best Credit Card Miles Promotions Currently Out There

Credit cards are by far the most lucrative source of free miles. And for one reason or another, banks have been upping the ante on the promotional bonus miles quite generously these past 2-3 years. The card that started this mega-bonus trend was the British Airways Chase Visa Signature, who in the winter of 2009 offered 100,000 miles upon spending $1000 within 3 months of approval. A similar BA offer was brought back for a brief couple of weeks just this past April, but has since expired. There are, however, still some great promotions out there. I'll detail 2 of them below:

1) American Airlines Citibank Visa Signature, Citibank American Express, and CitiBusiness Visa - 75,000 miles after spending $1,500 within the first 6 months of cardmembership. Officially this offer expired in February 2011. However, the applications online continue to work, and anecdotal evidence offered virtually every day on FlyerTalk suggests the promotion is very much alive and well (EDIT: it looks like ALL versions of this offer have finally expired - links no longer work). A couple of points to remember about Citibank AA cards however:

• Sneaky folks out there have realized that although Citibank now only allows one personal card bonus, it is possible to get both the Visa Signature and the American Express card (and both bonuses) in one swoop by applying for them within the same day (preferably applying at the same time, one after another in different browsers). If you apply for one, then wait a few days, and then apply for the other, you will be denied the second time due to not being a "first time customer". The other advantage to doing this is typically the 2 resulting credit pulls will be combined by the credit bureau into 1 pull.

• If you only applied for 1 personal card above, you can go ahead and apply for the CitiBusiness Visa at any time. The general rule for Citibank is 2 applications every 60 days. You do NOT need to have your own business to apply (just use your name as the business name and your SSN as a sole proprietorship). Some have run into problems as they have received phone calls or letters asking for more proof of the business name and address via utility bills, so if you use your name as the business name, you might have more success.

• If you applied for 2 personal cards at the same time, then you should definitely wait at least 60 days to apply for the CitiBusiness card. Otherwise you will be denied for "too many applications for credit".

• For the people who used to churn the AA Citibank cards, you will be be denied for not being a "first time customer". However, if you wait approximately 18 months after your last churn, there is a good chance you may be approved. To be safe however, I would wait about 18 months after you canceled your last AA Citibank card.

• CitiBusiness cards seem to still be churnable (though with a lot of scrutiny and probably more proof of your business). It is best to wait at least 90 days between CitiBusiness applications.

• If you applied and did not get instant approval, you can try calling 1-866-606-2961 between the hours of 9:00 am to 9:00 pm EST, Monday - Friday, to check the status.

• The application pages have absolutely no trace of the promotional offer, but trust that it works (I will most likely post a warning once it actually expires). Just to be safe, when you receive your card, call in to activate and reconfirm the promotion with the customer service representative on the phone.

• Annual fee of $85 for the personal cards and $75 for the business card is waived for the first year. Just cancel before your anniversary date is up.

• Credit for all the above information goes to Flyertalk and specifically jcmitchell21's post.

2) Chase Sapphire Preferred Card - 50,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $3,000 within the first 3 months of cardmembership. The spend threshold is a bit high, but I think it's doable for most people. Plus there are methods to do the spend without actually doing the spend (more on this later). This application is a lot more straightforward, but just a couple of notes about the benefits and the reward points for the card:

• 50,000 Ultimate Rewards points can be directly cashed out into a $500 check or statement credit. Or if you book through the Chase airfare tool, you can use the 50,000 points to redeem for tickets worth up to $625. Otherwise, the more preferred way of utilizing these points, IMO, would be to take advantage of the 1:1 point transfer ratio and move them over to your United/Continental, British Airways, or Hyatt accounts. There are a number of other ways to redeem your UR points through their website.

• The annual fee of $95 is waived for the first year, so be sure to cancel before the anniversary date is up.

• You get a 7% annual bonus on all the UR points you accumulated in one calendar year, regardless of if you have already redeemed them or if they are from the sign-up bonus. Since they total the points at the end of the year (December 31st), you can still get this bonus before your annual fee hits (around May 2012 if you apply now).

• No foreign exchange or foreign transaction fees when using this card abroad.

• So far I have not seen an expiration date on this offer, but I'm guessing it won't last more than a few months at most.

I will continue to post new credit card offers as they pop up. And judging from the string of exceptional offers these past few years, I have no doubt more will be coming. With the deals above, you could potentially bank 225,000 AAdvantage miles, and 50,000 UR points in just 6 months. That's more than enough for a first class flight to virtually anywhere in the world and also a couple nights of hotel stays!