September 25, 2025|Virgin Voyages by Eric Lipkind Virgin Voyages continues to innovate the cruise travel experience. I’ve made no secret of my love for Virgin Voyages and have sailed with them five times already. In addition to the recent addition of the fourth ship to the fleet, the beautiful Brilliant Lady, which I had the opportunity […]
Author: Miles Man
Free Weekly Bonvoy Points
by Eric Lipkind If you want to boost your Marriott Bonvoy balance, there is an easy way to do so weekly that won’t cost you anything if you’re targeted. Marriott recently partnered with MGM Casinos. As such, you can transfer MGM Rewards points to Marriott Bonvoy points at a 10:8 ratio. But there is an even […]
Navigating Newark Airport Delays
May 14, 2025|Delays by Eric Lipkind As you may know, Newark Airport has been plagued with many problems due to runway construction, FAA technology issues, an Air Traffic Controller Shortage, and weather. I spoke on WABC-TV Eyewitness News today about how to navigate this ongoing situation. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need […]
Free Drinks on Virgin Voyages Ending Soon
March 25, 2025|Virgin Voyages by Eric Lipkind I have written about booking Virgin Voyages using miles or points. In addition to assisting with mileage trips, I am also a Virgin Voyages First Mate, which means I can book paid Virgin Voyages cruises for you (I do not charge a fee for this). In case you aren’t familiar with Virgin Voyages […]
New Way to Upgrade on United
March 18, 2025|United by Eric Lipkind United offers upgrades using cash and/or miles after making a reservation. Many times, if you want to upgrade using Mileage Plus miles, you will be waitlisted for the upgrade as the award fare class may not be available. However, now there is a new way to upgrade, and be guaranteed a […]
New Hilton AMEX Business Platinum Benefit
December 16, 2024|AMEX, Hilton by Eric Lipkind The American Express Business Platinum card offers many credits as card benefits ($200 airline, $400 Dell, etc.). A new credit is $200 at Hilton Hotels, broken up into four $50 credits, one per quarter. To receive the credits, you must first enroll in the benefit on the AMEX Business […]
Virgin Voyages Love Affair
by Eric Lipkind I have gone on many different cruise lines in the last ten years. I have made it no secret that Virgin Voyages is my favorite. There are several reasons, including: – New beautiful ships – No tipping – Soft drinks included – Adults only – Wifi included – Specialty restaurants included, which are all amazing […]
Accelerated AMEX Business Platinum Points Rebate
October 24, 2024|AMEX by Eric Lipkind One of the great benefits of the AMEX Business Platinum Card is the Amex Pay With Points 35% points rebate on your selected airline when paying for airfare with points, up to 1,000,000 points back per calendar year. The way this works is that you buy your airfare through American Express […]
How to Get Great Value Out of Amex Platinum Fine Hotels Benefit
September 26, 2024|AMEX, Fine Hotels and Resorts by Eric Lipkind My wife and I recently stayed at the Tampa Edition using the benefits of American Express Platinum Fine Hotels and Resorts. Note: This is for the American Express personal Platinum card, not the business card. What You Get The benefits you receive are: -A $200 credit […]
Get 200 free Marriott Bonvoy points!
By Eric Lipkind Everybody likes free points. Well, Marriott is offering 200 free Bonvoy points for every Bonvoy card you register at this link. This includes both Chase and American Express Bonvoy Cards. Additionally, you can earn an extra 10,000 Bonvoy points by spending $7,000 by September 21, 2024. This one is easy. Register! Let me help […]
Book free Virgin Voyage cruises with points now!
May 3, 2024|Cruise, Travel for Free By Eric Lipkind At the risk of sounding like a salesperson for Virgin Voyages based on the number of Virgin Voyages posts recently, Virgin Voyages are amazing and can easily be booked for free with points now for a limited time. Subscribe to the blog here! In order to book Virgin Voyages […]
Virgin Voyages Continues to Innovate with Season Passes and More
April 29, 2024|Cruise, Virgin Voyages by Eric Lipkind I make it no secret that Virgin Voyages is my favorite cruise line. Having also sailed on Disney, Royal Caribbean, Holland America, Norwegian, and Carnival (ugh), Virgin stands alone at the top. Last summer, my wife and I sailed on Virgin Voyages from Barcelona to Marseilles, Cannes, Mallorca, […]
Richard Branson awards free Virgin Voyage Cruises
February 29, 2024|Cruise, Travel for Free, Virgin Voyages by Eric Lipkind Virgin Voyages is my favorite cruise line and I’m looking forward to my upcoming sailing this summer. Virgin announced some nice news today to some lucky travelers. On this exciting Leap Day, Sir Richard Branson surprised 160+ unsuspecting passengers when he walked onto a Delta […]
Not All Free Travel is Created Equal
January 24, 2024|Carnival, Casino, Cruise by Eric Lipkind The main reason many people get into this hobby of miles and points is to get free and upgraded travel. Many times you can pay zero for luxury travel. We’ve traveled first class for free on Emirates, stayed at the St. Regis in Venice, and cruised on Virgin […]
How We Got $38K of Mediterranean Travel for $517
July 17, 2023|Cruise, Emirates, Virgin Voyages by Eric Lipkind Yes, you read correctly. My wife and I just got back from a 17-day Mediterranean travel vacation that had a value of $38,871 that only cost us $517 using points and other benefits we had available through airline, hotel, and cruise line statuses and credit cards. How […]
Flight Cancellations Due to Weather
June 28, 2023|Airfare The bad storms the last few days have caused severe flight cancellations. Miles Man was featured on a segment on WABC-TV Eyewitness News discussing what you should do if your flight is cancelled as well as what type of compensation you may be able to receive. Hopefully you weren’t caught up in this […]
Getting credits when fares drop on United
May 19, 2023|United by Eric Lipkind It is always annoying when you buy a plane ticket and then the fare drops in the days following. Sometimes, there is a way to get the lower fare on United. Did you know that if you purchase a nonrefundable ticket on United you can cancel the ticket and rebook […]
Paying Bills With PayPal Bill Pay
January 23, 2023|Paypal by Eric Lipkind Have you ever wanted to pay hills using a credit card, only to find the merchant wanted to charge fees for using the credit card? There is a solution – PayPal Bill Pay. PayPal Bill Pay will allow you to pay certain vendors via credit card with no credit card […]
Frontier all you can fly pass update
November 17, 2022|Frontier by Eric Lipkind Frontier has announced that the all-you-can-fly pass can be used to book flights 10 days in advance for international travel. Domestic travel still remains bookable one day in advance.
Is the Frontier All-you-can-fly pass worth it?
November 17, 2022|Frontier by Eric Lipkind Frontier just announced an all-you-can-fly pass for $599 for one year starting in May 2023 and can be purchased through today. While this may sound tempting, here is my take on it: You may definitely get some good value out of this if you can be VERY flexible as there […]
AMEX chat has disappeared
October 25, 2022|AMEX by Eric Lipkind A week and a half ago I noticed that the AMEX chat function disappeared on both the app and the website. Via DM on Twitter to AskAmex, they could provide no info. Now DM on Twitter seems to have disappeared as well. However, I found a solution. Go to www.AmericanExpress.com/socialchat and […]
Free flight to Vegas on Frontier
September 1, 2022|Frontier by Eric Lipkind Today I received an email from Frontier airlines thanking me for being a customer. There was a code for a free roundtrip to Vegas. All that needs to be paid are taxes and fees. The days of flight are limited to Tuesdays and Wednesdays and must be booked by 9/12/22 […]
New Marriott Amex Offer
July 19, 2022|Marriott There is a new Marriott Amex offer that can be added to select Amex cards. This offer appeared on my Amex Business Platinum cards and the additional cardholders. The offer is for 20% off room rates and room charges, up to $50 back. Offer is good in the US, Canada, Mexico, and […]
Discounted United Flights for 18-22 Year Olds
June 3, 2022|United by Eric Lipkind United is running a promotion through June 30th, where 18-22 year olds can get a 5% discount off flight purchases. Here are the steps to get the discount: Use the United app Sign-in to Mileage Plus Account Select ‘Book’ at the bottom of the navigation bar Select “Discounted travel (ages […]
Chase Credit Card News
April 1, 2022|Chase Chase released some information today on new/extended benefits coming to its cards: Lyft Accelerator Extension through March 2025 DoorDash Co-Brand Update Pay Yourself Back Updates Chase is once again extending and updating its popular Pay Yourself Back offer across Ink, Sapphire, and Freedom cards, giving cardmembers additional ways to utilize this benefit. […]
Latest Data Points on AMEX Retention Offers
April 1, 2022|AMEX, Retention Bonus by Eric Lipkind American Express has been very generous with retention offers in the past, while others have not (I’m looking at you, Chase). You can get a retention offer by calling the retention line at (800) 492-3945, saying you were just charged the annual fee, which is a lot. You then […]
Emirates Skywards+ Provides Great Benefits
March 15, 2022|Emirates My wife and I have an upcoming trip to Dubai. When looking to book with points, I found something on the Emirates website called Skywards+. Skywards+ is a membership program that comes in three different tiers. Each tier provides different benefits. Classic — $399 per year 20% bonus Skywards Miles 20% discount […]
Caesars and Atlantis have upped their offer
March 9, 2022|Caesars Rewards, Founders Card If you have Platinum status or higher in Caesars Rewards, you are entitled to free nights at Atlantis in the Bahamas. Previously, you could get up to 4 free nights. The new offer that came out gives you up to 5 free nights, depending on your Caesars Rewards status. […]
Frontier reduces baggage weight allowance
January 21, 2022|Frontier by Eric Lipkind If you fly on Frontier, be aware that the baggage weight allowance has been reduced to 40 pounds for new tickets purchased for travel after March 1. This is lower than most airlines with 50 or 70 pound allowances. This reduced weight allowance applies to 50K and 100K elite fliers […]
Did you know you can pay THESE with credit cards?
December 6, 2021|Paypal by Eric Lipkind Credit cards are the easiest way to earn miles and points. Most people think of using credit cards for everyday purchases like groceries and gas, but there are several other categories of spending that you may not realize accept credit cards. College Paying for college can be a tremendous burden, […]
World of Hyatt Triple Nights
October 22, 2021|Hyatt by Eric Lipkind I recently got a new Chase World of Hyatt credit card. Aside from the bonus points and 5 night credit toward elite status, it came with double night credit through the end of the year. From my prior trip to the Grand Hyatt at Baha Mar, I earned 4 night credits (2 […]
Nearly $7,000 of travel for $1,000 – Bahamas
Nearly $7,000 of travel for $1,000 – Bahamas October 7, 2021|Bonvoy, Caesars Rewards, Casino, Hyatt, Priority Pass by Eric Lipkind My wife, sons, and I recently went to Nassau and Paradise Island. We broke the stay into two nights at the Atlantis and two nights at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar. I’ll start off with how […]
Latest round of retention offers
September 16, 2021|AMEX, Bonvoy, Retention Bonus by Eric Lipkind Every year after the annual fee posts to one of my cards, I call the card issuer to see if there are any retention offers to keep the card. Here are my latest findings from my attempts in the last month. American Express: I had two different AMEX […]
Does Chase even understand the 5/24 rule?
September 8, 2021|Chase, Hyatt by Eric Lipkind As has been widely published, Chase has a so-called 5/24 rule whereby if you have gotten 5 new credit cards in the last 24 months across ALL lenders, you will not get approved for a Chase credit card. Or, so I thought… Yesterday I applied for the World of Hyatt […]
My latest free travel and how I did it — $7,085 for $272
July 16, 2021|Autoslash, Turkish Airlines, United by Eric Lipkind If you’re looking to travel last-minute for free, it can be done! Let me explain. My son and I wanted to see a game in Dodger stadium. We live in New Jersey. So, within two weeks, I put together a trip at a minimal cost. Here’s how: […]
The 100,000 Brex points finally posted
June 28, 2021|Paypal Two months ago Brex had a promotion for 100,000 Brex points for signing-up for the no-fee Paypal Merchant Services credit card processing. 100,000 points is worth $1,000 cash or at least 100,000 points transferred to certain airline programs (current 25% transfer bonus to Avianca LifeMiles). The points never appeared. I was constantly told another […]
Update on value gained out of credit cards with annual fees
June 17, 2021|AMEX, Annual Fee, Bonvoy, Chase, Frontier, Retention Bonus by Eric Lipkind Last month I wrote about how I get value out of credit cards with annual fees. In May, I added two more credit cards bringing the total number of cards with fees between my wife and me to 27 with total annual fees of […]
Nice surprise from Delta
June 15, 2021|Delta by Eric Lipkind Last year I had signed up for a status match challenge with Delta SkyMiles. It gave me Platinum status through May 2021. I was not able to meet the requirements of the status match, so my status dropped back down June 1. Yesterday, I received a nice surprise in my […]
United PerksPlus devaluation
June 1, 2021|United United Perks PerksPlus is a program for business owners which allows the business to accumulate points for awards based upon dollars spent on airfare for its employees. This rewards program is in addition to the Mileage Plus program points. Today United did a major devaluation on many of the awards which is effective 9/1/21. […]
Major change to Marriott Bonvoy Points Advance
May 27, 2021|Bonvoy, Marriott Marriott just announced a major change to how you can book award reservations. Until now, there was a feature called Points Advance which would allow you to book award reservations prior to having enough points, as long as you had enough points by the time of your stay. Today that changed. […]
Brex points for Crypto?
May 14, 2021|Crypto While I am still awaiting my 110,000 point bonus Brex points from the Paypal and Carta promotions, yesterday they rolled out the ability to redeem Brex points for cryptocurrency through a partnership with TravelBank. You are now able to redeem Brex points for Bitcoin or Ethereum at a rate of $7 worth […]
Why Its Worth It To Pay For Credit Cards With Annual Fees
May 10, 2021|AMEX, Annual Fee, Bonvoy, Chase, Retention Bonus My wife and I have many credit cards. We have many credit cards that charge annual fees. 26 to be exact. In total, we are currently paying $6,585 in annual fees. That is a LOT of money. However, with targeted spending as well as signing up […]
Trip review – Tampa, FL
May 7, 2021|Autoslash, Bonvoy, Frontier, Hertz, Priority Pass Earlier this week I moved my son out of college in Tampa, FL. I’ll review the flight, hotel, car rental, as well as the amazing restaurant where we ate. Flight I flew Frontier out of Newark. Being 50K Elite from their status match program, I was able […]
Marriott extends free night and point expiration
April 29, 2021|Bonvoy, Marriott Following on a prior extension, Marriott is extending Bonvoy points expiration and free night certificate expiration as follows per Marriott: Eligible Free Night Awards redemption has been extended to January 3, 2022. Effective May 7th, 2021 members who currently have a Free Night Award that has an original expiration date in […]
My Brex saga
April 28, 2021|Paypal Last week I wrote about the new Brex offer giving 100,000 Brex points for signing up form Paypal Merchant Services credit card processing. In the post, I used the Brex logo as well as my Brex referral link. The next day, I received a cease and desist email from Brex’s legal counsel to […]
Brex 100,000 point offer from PayPal
April 23, 2021|Paypal Brex is a relatively new platform that offers a no-fee debit card that earns points which can be redeemed for cash at $.01 per point, or transferred to certain airlines. They had a great sign-up offer for 110,000 points a few months back with very little effort. As I mentioned in the Miles […]
San Juan: Latest travel hack 94% off – $7,021 of travel for $391
April 6, 2021|Bonvoy, Frontier, Marriott, Uber For Spring Break, we wanted to travel domestically to avoid a COVID test on our return. We were able to find a great deal in Puerto Rico. I will post a separate trip review. Airfare I found that the lowest fare to San Juan would be to fly from Philadelphia […]
New United Budget Search Feature
March 3, 2021|United There is a new feature on United.com called Budget Search which the website says is still in beta testing. What this will do is show you the cheapest fares on a map from a particular city to other cities around the world with the airfare shown. The link is located on the home page […]
1099 News
February 4, 2021|AMEX There are a few interesting quirks to the issuance of 1099’s for credit card referral bonuses and new account opening bonuses this year. American Express American Express has indicated that unless your referral bonuses exceed a value of $600 across ALL of your cards, you will not receive a 1099. So for […]
New Amex Delta Offers
February 1, 2021|Delta There are also new Amex offers on the Delta cards. Remember to add the offers to your cards. 3 extra miles per dollar spent on Delta through 12/31/21. $10 back on $10 spend once a month on restaurants through 12/31/21.
New Amex Bonvoy Offers
February 1, 2021|Bonvoy Some new Amex offers just came out on the Amex Bonvoy cards. Some help largely offset the annual fees. Both Bonvoy Brilliant and Bonvoy Business cards: Spend $7,500 and get 7,500 bonus points, up to 10 times until 12/31/21. Bonvoy Brilliant card: Spend $20 and get $20 back at restaurants once a […]
Amex retention bonuses continue
January 21, 2021|AMEX, Retention Bonus As I’ve mentioned, American Express has been extremely generous with retention offers. In the past, you could get a retention offer on a card every other year. That no longer seems to be the case. Yesterday, I was given a $350 credit on my American Express Platinum for Business […]
Great Bonvoy News for 2021
January 11, 2021|Bonvoy Today Marriott rolled out some great enhancements to itw Bonvoy program. This is in addition to enhancements added last year. The new enhancements are as follows: 2021 Bonvoy Elite Status -Like last year, Marriott will add 50% of the nights required for your tier from 2020 to your account. -The number […]
New Year, New AMEX Offers
January 4, 2021|AMEX, Paypal Happy New Year! AMEX has released a bunch of great new offers and credits on several cards. Some offers are automatic and some need to be added from AMEX offers. I noticed that there was not necessarily consistency as I received some offers and my wife did not on her cards […]
Trip Review – Punta de Mita, Mexico
December 24, 2020|Bonvoy, Marriott, United by Eric Lipkind Last month, amid rising Covid cases in the US, my wife, son, and I went to Punta de Mita Mexico. I had been keeping a close watch on cases in Nayarit, Mexico and compared to the US, they were miniscule. So off we went. My prior post mentioned how […]
Homes and Villas by Marriott Promotion
December 15, 2020|Bonvoy, Marriott If you didn’t know, Marriott has a new program called Homes and Villas by Marriott International. From what I can tell, it seems similar to AirBnB. There is currently a promotion that gives 10% off the most popular destinations when you book now for the year ahead. Book before 12/31. […]
Free Bonvoy Nights Promotion
December 14, 2020|Bonvoy, Marriott Some Bonvoy members have a promotion in their accounts for two free nights. You will get one free night after a paid stay and another free night after a second paid stay through March 31, 2021. You will get free night certificates worth up to 35,000 points per certificate. There are […]
Maximizing AMEX Dell credits – $1,393 of items and a profit
December 3, 2020|Founders Card by Eric Lipkind One of my favorite benefits of the AMEX Business Platinum cards is the semi-annual $100 credit to be used at Dell.com. As you may recall, earlier this year I was able to get 75 inch 4K TV using this deal. For 2020, AMEX increased the credit to $200. Additionally, AMEX […]
December AMEX Platinum credits
December 1, 2020|Uber Don’t forget to use your new December AMEX Platinum card credits. Amex Platinum Business card – $20 on cell phone and $20 on shipping. Amex Platinum card – $20 on streaming services, $20 on cell phone, and $35 on Uber (including Uber Eats).
Use your AMEX Platinum Dell and Saks credits TODAY
November 26, 2020|AMEX The American Express Platinum Business card comes with $200 in Dell credits the second half of 2020. The American Express Platinum card comes with $50 in Saks credits the second half of 2020. Today, Rakuten has 12% back on Dell purchases and 16% back on Saks purchases. This can be redeemed as AMEX membership rewards, which […]
Credit card annual fee waivers
November 18, 2020|Annual Fee, Retention Bonus I always mention, its worth asking for annual fee waivers or retention bonuses. However, sometimes it happens even without asking. I just checked my Citi Premier statement. I was expecting a $95 annual fee to post. Instead, the statement says ‘$95 annual fee waiver’ and a $0 charge. This […]
Great new Delta Covid Tool
November 17, 2020|Delta by Eric Lipkind Delta has a great Covid Tool which not only shows where they are currently flying, but it also shows all the Covid requirements and restrictions for the destinations. The table will show you where they are flying. Clicking the interactive map will show you travel requirements and restrictions. Check it […]
One year Free of Blinkist Premium via AMEX Offers
November 13, 2020|Bonvoy There is an AMEX offer which can be added to your AMEX card for one free year of Blinkist Premium that gives you unlimited access to key insights from the best-selling non-fiction books. It says it is a $99.99 value. This appeared on my Bonvoy Brilliant card, but it may appear on others as […]
AMEX Retention Bonuses for No-Fee Cards
November 11, 2020|Retention Bonus I have had a lot of success lately with Amex retention bonuses on my cards that had large annual fees. I wondered what would happen if I tried to get a retention offer on a no-fee card. I called the Amex retention line at (800) 452-3945 and gave my card number for my American […]
My latest great points booking for $10,846 of travel for $339!
November 10, 2020|Airfare, Bonvoy, Marriott, Turkish Airlines, United By Eric Lipkind With Covid raging out of control and feeling a bit cooped up, we decided to book a vacation where Covid was low. After much research, we found the St. Regis in Punta Mita, Mexico. We had been there before and it is amazing. With Covid cases […]
Amazing Amex Bonvoy card offers
October 22, 2020|AMEX, Bonvoy American Express currently has amazing sign-up offers for the Amex Bonvoy Brilliant Card and the Amex Bonvoy Business Card. Amex Bonvoy Brilliant Receive 125,000 Bonvoy points with a $5,000 spend in the first 3 months. The sign up bonus is worth at least $1,000. This card has a $450 annual fee, but comes […]
Chase Freedom + Paypal Key = 5X Points on College Tuition
October 18, 2020|Paypal Luckily, one of my kids’ colleges takes Visa or Mastercard with no credit card fee. This brought a great opportunity for 7,500 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points. Normally, I would use my Chase Freedom Unlimited card and get 1.5 points per dollar spent, but the 4th Quarter rotating bonus on my regular Chase […]
Another day another Amex retention offer
October 15, 2020|AMEX, Bonvoy, Marriott, Retention Bonus Following up on yesterday’s post where I got a 65,000 Bonvoy point retention bonus from Amex on my Bonvoy Brilliant card, today my wife did the same. She was offered a $100 statement credit after $3,000 spend, or 60,000 Bonvoy points with no spend requirement. She took the points. As […]
HUGE AMEX Bonvoy Brilliant Retention Offer
October 13, 2020|AMEX, Bonvoy, Marriott The $450 annual fee just got charged to my AMEX Bonvoy Brilliant card today. I called the AMEX retention line at 800-452-3945 to see if there was anything they could do to incent me to keep the card given the large annual fee. They came back with an offer of 65,000 Bonvoy […]
Easy 10,000 United Mileage Plus Miles
October 12, 2020|United The Mileage Plus X app is a great app that acts like a shopping portal by letting you buy gift cards and earn United miles. Within the app there is a feature called Visa Rewards. This is activated by adding a United Visa card to your account. Visa Rewards is currently running […]
New month, new credits to spend
October 5, 2020|Uber Just a reminder that certain credits replenished at the start of the month on the AMEX Platinum cards. Make sure to use them! AMEX Business Platinum — $20 shipping credit (I have used to purchase stamps on the USPS website each month) $20 cell phone credit (I make a $20 payment to […]
30% Off Marriott Amex Offer
September 24, 2020|AMEX, Bonvoy, Marriott There is a new Amex offer for Marriott for $75 off $250 in stays which is 30% off. This is much better than the recently expired offer of $50 off $250 in stays. Some additional notes: – Spend is cumulative over multiple stays – Additional cardholders may have their own […]
Which is the best card to use for purchases?
September 22, 2020|AMEX, Chase, Discover If you can manage multiple credit cards (and pay them off in full each month), you can maximize your miles and points earning by charging different purchases on different cards based on their earning potential. As bonuses change regularly, this guide is a snapshot as of today as to which […]
United ends change fees
August 30, 2020|United United offered a surprise today by eliminating change fees. They say there are no change fees for all tickets but basic economy. Basic economy has no change fees through 12/31/2020. Award tickets have no change fees and awards may be redeposited for miles until 30 days prior to travel. Additionally, United is […]
Some great Amex offers
August 3, 2020|AMEX, Bonvoy There are some great Amex offers that you can add to your card: $100 off $100 purchase at Dell (Platinum card) 7 extra Marriott points for dining spend (Bonvoy card) 4 extra Marriott points per dollar for Marriott spend (Bonvoy card) 8 extra Marriott points per dollar for gas station spend […]
New month, New reset on Amex Platinum credits
June 2, 2020|AMEX, Uber As the new month starts, remember that certain credits on Amex Platinum Business and Amex Platinum personal cards get refreshed: Amex Platinum Business: Cell phone bills – $20 Shipping – $20 for which you can even purchase stamps on USPS.com Also, don’t forget to use your semi-annual $200 Dell credit and […]
Use your Amex Platinum Uber credit today!
April 30, 2020|Uber The American Express Platinum comes with a $15 monthly Uber credit. Last month, Amex was willing to give me a credit for this. They wouldn’t this month. Amex began advertising that you should use your Uber credit on Uber Eats. I did just that. I am not willing to have delivery people […]
United extends no fee changes for purchases through April 30th
March 30, 2020|United By Eric Lipkind United has extended its no fee change policy for tickets purchased through April 30th. This is an extension from the original purchase date through March 31st. Tickets must be used within 12 months of the day of ticketing.
Extension on time for Chase United Card sign-up bonus
March 27, 2020|Chase, United By Eric Lipkind Many credit cards come with sign-up bonuses which require a certain amount of spend within a certain time frame. One such card is the Chase United Mileage Plus Business card. This card comes with a whopping 100,000 United Miles with $10,000 spend within 3 months of card opening. Given […]
AMEX giving refunds in lieu of Uber credit
March 24, 2020|Uber By Eric Lipkind One of the benefits of the American Express Platinum card is the $200 annual Uber credit given in $15 monthly installments and $20 extra in December. Given the Coronavirus situation, my credits won’t be used. Using the chat function in the AMEX app, I asked if they could carry the […]
Coronavirus policies at United and AMEX
March 19, 2020|AMEX, United by Eric Lipkind Hope everyone is staying safe. Just a few notes regarding how United and AMEX are handling Coronvirus related issues: United: If you purchased a ticket under the United flexible no-change fee waiver, just be aware that if you change to another flight in the future and the fare is […]
United caves to pressure
March 9, 2020|United by Eric Lipkind United seems to have caved to public scrutiny regarding its Conavirus change policy and is now allowing changes on flights through April 30th, regardless of when they were purchased, with no change fee. This was only after Delta announced the same. Their PR folks must be having a ton of […]
Does United care about you?
March 9, 2020|United by Eric Lipkind United is allowing you to change your tickets for no fee if you purchased them since March 3rd. They claim this is to help you in case you have issued traveling related to the Coronavirus. So sweet of them. It’s really a money grab. With people not buying tickets, they […]
AMEX Uber Eats credit for tequila shots?
March 5, 2020|AMEX, Uber by Eric Lipkind The American Express Platinum Card comes with a $15 per month credit (plus an extra $20 in December) for Uber charges. This credit also happens to work on Uber Eats. I just received an email offering 25% off the first two Uber Eats orders of alcohol (up to $10), […]
Huge cash-back on Samsung Galaxy S20 phone with Rakuten
February 21, 2020|AMEX, Shopping Portals by Eric Lipkind The new Samsung Galaxy S20 phone went on sale today. If you pre-registered with Samsung, you would have been emailed a promotion with up to $235 in accessories. This will stack with the AMAZING 10% cash-back (or AMEX Rewards Points) being offered today. For example, the Samsung Ultra […]
Another amazing AMEX retention offer
February 20, 2020|AMEX, Chase, United By Eric Lipkind My American Express Platinum annual fee was coming up. I called the retention number with the usual, ‘I’m considering canceling my card’ language. This time, I was offered a $500 statement credit or 50,000 membership reward points. I took the points as they are worth more than $500 […]
AMEX Retention Bonus
February 12, 2020|AMEX, Retention Bonus by Eric Lipkind Given the fantastic sign-on bonuses AMEX has been offering which gave upwards of 75,000-100,000 points, many people signed up for new cards last year. One such card I signed up for was the Gold Delta Amex card. I received 75,000 Delta Skymiles upon account opening with minimum spend. […]
I received a 1099 from Amex for a referral bonus
February 1, 2020|AMEX In 2019 someone got an Amex card by clicking through my referral link. I received 20,000 bonus points. Today, I received a 1099 from Amex claiming the referral bonus is taxable income. They valued the 20,000 points as $200 of taxable income. In the past, I had never received a 1099. […]
Missing annual free night with Bonvoy Amex card
January 22, 2020|AMEX, Bonvoy Over a year ago the Amex Starwood cards were revamped and became the Amex Bonvoy cards. Upon the annual renewal, you are supposed to get a free night certificate in your Marriott Bonvoy account. I have two cards – the Bonvoy Brilliant and the Bonvoy Business. The certificate for the Bonvoy […]
My 5 day trip to CES in Las Vegas for under $240 total
January 14, 2020|Caesars Rewards, Frontier Last week I attended CES in Vegas. The total expense for the trip was just under $240 including airfare, hotel, food, and admission to CES. I was able to accomplish this through the benefits of rewards. Let me explain… I took an Uber to Newark Airport. My total cost was […]
Using Amex Platinum airline credits on Frontier Airlines
January 3, 2020|Frontier Happy New Year! One of the good things about a new year is that the annual Amex Platinum card airline credit resets to $200. This means cardholders now have $200 to spend on airline incidentals in 2020. Both the American Express personal and business Platinum cards come with the $200 airline fee […]
Free miles while cruising
December 28, 2019|Cruise Manufactured spending is creating mileage earning opportunities by spending on your credit card and then paying the credit card bill for purchasing virtually nothing. Having just completed a cruise on Holland America, I discovered that the casino on the ship does not charge a fee if you want money for gambling: they […]
Affordable dining option at Atlantis
December 15, 2019|Caesars Rewards While using the free 4-night stay in the Royal Tower at Atlantis in the Bahamas courtesy of Caesars Rewards Diamond status, I couldn’t help but notice how outrageously priced all the food is. For example, a plain pizza pie at the Marina Pizza restaurant is over $60 and a single scoop […]
Cyber-Monday Ray-Ban Triple Stacking Deal
December 2, 2019|Shopping Portals Today only, you can get a great deal on Ray-Ban’s. Here are the steps: 1. Login to each of your AMEX cards and find the card that has the Ray-Ban offer and add the AMEX offer for $30 off $150 for Ray-Ban. 2. Click through Rakuten to Ray-Ban for 15% cash back or […]
Easy 2,000 American Aadvantage miles with The Economist
You can get an easy 2,000 American Aadvantage miles by signing up for a trial subscription to The Economist for only $12 through the Aadvantage Shopping Portal. That works out to purchasing miles for $.006 per mile, which is very cheap. Just remember to cancel your subscription right before the 12 week mark, or the […]
Lord and Taylor Black Friday Sale and Bonus AMEX points
November 27, 2019|Shopping Portals Lord and Taylor is having a huge online sale. Many items are significantly marked down, but in addition, you can earn bonus points and get additional discounts. Here’s how: Click through Rakuten (formerly Ebates) to get to the Lord and Taylor Website. This will give you a 10% cash rebate, or alternatively, 10 […]
Spa Finder Gift Certificates amazing deal
November 27, 2019|Shopping Portals Spa Finder has a great Black Friday sale. Sometimes, cash back comes out to more value than points. This is a case where that is true. Topcashback.com is giving 14% back on Spa Finder purchases. Couple that with a 24% Black Friday sale on purchases over $100 using code SPAFRIENDS. This […]
Earn extra points through shopping portals
November 4, 2019|Shopping Portals There are many ways to earn frequent flier miles, American Express Membership Rewards, or even Chase Ultimate Rewards. One such way is by shopping through SHOPPING PORTALS online. Shopping portals are sites which you click through that take you to the online store where you’d like to make a purchase. For […]
Airfare price drops
November 1, 2019|Airfare Have you ever purchased a plane ticket (ahh!!!) only to find the airfare then drops? Several airlines allow you to receive travel vouchers. For example, Southwest will give you a voucher for the fare difference. On United, if the fare drops within 30 days of purchase, you can get a travel voucher […]