So, what’s up with credit card offers?
It’s been a slow week.
Chase Ritz-Carlton Offer Is Dead!
The Chase Ritz-Carlton 140,000-point credit card offer is dead. RIP! They have replaced it with a 1-night stay bonus, which is, well, meh. In addition, the Flyertalk thread is reporting increased difficulties with getting the annual $300 credit for creative charges that lie outside the scope of their T&C (how dare they!). I’ve recently used the card to pay $330+ in taxes for two award tickets to Paris. I used it mostly because of its excellent insurance benefits (at least on paper), so I would’ve charged it anyway. Will try to get reimbursed, but I’m not holding my breath.
Let’s hope the offer will come back either as 140,000 points with an AF or 70,000 points without an AF for the first year, or both. I did two comprehensive reviews of this card, in which I claimed that it was the best and the most underappreciated reward credit card out there. I stick to my story. If you have missed out this time, grab it next time you see it.
Just Got My New Chase Ritz Carlton Card–Is It the Best Reward Card Ever?
Chase Ritz-Carlton 140,000 Points Offer–What Is It Good for?
Barclaycard Wyndham Rewards 45,000-Point Offer
These come and go several times a year as they please. 🙂 The usual bonus is 30,000, so if you can use Wyndham points, then the 45,000 bonus is as good as you can get. Supposedly, you should be able to get up to 8 nights, but these nights will be in motel-type environment. There are two things that tick me off about Wyndham. First, they have a stealthy chart. Just like Hilton, they don’t list hotels by tiers–you have to enter your destination in order to see what’s available. And second, they have a really bad habit of devaluing their program without any prior notice.
Having said that, the 45,000-point bonus can be very valuable if there is a road trip in your future. So, depending on where you want to stay, you will be getting from 1 to 8 nights–or anything in between. This is the latest Wyndham chart.
Chase Ink Plus 60,000 bonus points
Unlike the regular 50,000-point credit card offer, this one does not waive the annual $95 fee. I, just like most other hobbyists, value 10,000 Ultimate Rewards points more than $95, but that’s beside the point. Even if you don’t, you can always redeem 10,000 points for a $100 credit, so it’s a wash anyway (except that you’re getting a free fifer). As to me, I would gladly pay $95 for 10,000 UR points. So, does it mean you should get this offer?
Not necessarily. There are two Chase banks near me (I have an account in one). I called both, and they both told me they had never heard of a 60,000 Ink Plus offer with a waived AF for the first year. A few days later I called again (one of these banks is a 3-minute walk away, but please read the name of this blog). This time, the guy told me they indeed had the offer, but said that I would have to come in and fill it up. Since I already have this card, I didn’t take him on his offer–but, folks, it’s always HUCA (hang up, call again). They do have these offers in the branches, so make sure you are 100% positive that your Chase branch doesn’t have it before applying at this link.
That’s it fellows. Happy President’s Day!
NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIPTION
Want to know more about free travel hacks? Sign up for my weekly digest (top left) and don’t miss the good stuff.
If you have a Gmail, my newsletters will end up in the Promotion tab by default, and if you are like me, you don’t check that tab too often. However, it’s very easy to move emails into the Primary Tab.
The easiest way to move an email in your inbox is to left-click and hold on the email to drag it from the Promotions tab over to the Primary tab. Once dropped, Gmail displays a yellow box that asks if you want to make this change permanent. Click Yes to ensure that all messages with the same From email address appear in the Primary tab going forward.
Same instructions with pictures
[…] 3 Credit Card Offers: Dead and Alive! […]