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🏝️ Community & Giveaway Announcement, Fly To Europe On Less Points, and More!

🏝️ Community & Giveaway Announcement, Fly To Europe On Less Points, and More!

Discover the latest news in the world of points.

PointsParadise
September 07, 2023

👋 Welcome Back!

If you’re new to Points Paradise, welcome to the community! Otherwise: welcome back to your go-to source for points updates. Our community is up to 7,300 subscribers now!

As mentioned last week, I’m hosting a giveaway to celebrate our Points Paradise Facebook Group launch!

I started the group and already some of you have joined, but this is the first time I’m announcing it!

This will be an awesome place to:

Post your referral links to cards (we’ll also put these into the Community Codes section, so don’t miss out on free rewards!)
Talk with fellow points enthusiasts, both beginners and pros.
Get daily updates on the best offers, deals, and rewards tied to your favorite travel programs.
And more!

🎉 To celebrate, I’m giving away a $300 Delta Airlines gift card so you can save your points for the next trip! One person who joins the group and is also subscribed to the newsletter will win, I’ll randomly pick a group member on September 14th.

I’m so excited to talk more of you and hope everyone takes the opportunity to join the community.

🗞️ News From This Week

Fly To Europe For Only 11,250+ Points With New Flying Blue Promo

Is there anything better than flying to Europe on points?

Actually there is: flying to Europe on LESS points!

Air France is one of my favorite transatlantic carriers to fly on, specifically because I can transfer my Chase points into their Flying Blue program.

This past week, they released a ton of new awards inventory through March 2024. These come with up to 50% off discounts on points used.

For example: routes going from NYC → Europe start from 11,250 miles.

For example, one from NYC → Rome is going for only 12k points.

Here’s how to check flights from your city:

Go to the AirFrance homepage here.
Login (or make an account if you don’t have one)
Select your origin and destination
Tip: Use the Calendar view if you have flexibility on date (it allows you to see cheaper points totals)

👉 Pro Tip: Most major rewards programs like Amex, Chase, Marriot Bonvoy, Capital One, etc all transfer to Flying Blue. So if you’re wondering if you have points to use: you probably do!

Get $200 Back On Your Amex At These High End Hotels In the Caribbean and Mexico Properties

This week there’s 2 fantastic Amex offers for anyone looking to stay at luxury hotels in the Caribbean, Mexico, or the USA.

I love staying at St. Regis or the Ritz (who doesn’t?) so the 2nd one caught my eye.

But the first offer is also amazing and includes some incredible luxury resorts.

Spend $1000 or more on room rates and charges at select Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, and LXR hotels in the US, Mexico, Anguilla, or French Polynesia to receive a $200 statement credit.

Use your enrolled eligible card to spend at least $500 on room rates and charges at specified luxury hotel brands between 9/5/2023 and 12/15/2023 to receive a one-time $200 statement credit.

Explore your Amex Offers here and make sure you enroll if you want to use it!

👉 Pro Tip: Always read the fine print on these offers! While the 2nd one doesn’t explicitly mention it in the initial view, in the terms & conditions it says the offer can only be used at hotels in the Caribbean, Mexico, and the US.

Unbeatable Fall Deals: 50% Off Breeze Flights And Frontier Specials

How did the summer go by so fast?

If you’re looking to travel before the year is over, checkout these brand new deals from Breeze Flights and Frontier.

For Breeze Flights: Use promo code IMGAME50 at checkout to get 50% off the base fare for new flights purchased by Sept. 7, valid for travel until March 7.

For Frontier: Frontier Airlines is offering $19 flights on select routes such as Atlanta-New York and Chicago-Tampa. Tickets must be purchased by Sept. 11 for travel by Nov. 15 on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Full list here.

👉 The Points Pro Take: If you’re flexible on time and don’t mind flying Breeze or Frontier: these are some awesome deals.

🏖️ Resource Roundup

A quick roundup of the top offers, deals, and more that you should know:

Chase 30% Transfer Bonus with British Airways, Iberia & Aer Lingus: Chase offers a 30% bonus on transferring Ultimate Rewards points to British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus until September 22.
British Airways Holidays End Of Summer Sale: British Airways' End of Summer Sale, book by October 3, 2023, and save up to £300 extra when booking before September 12.
Avelo 50% Discount on Base Fares: Get 50% off base fares for one-way or round-trip flights when using promo code SEP50, book by 8/28/23.
AmEx Spend $200 & Get $50 Back on JetBlue: Spend $200 or more with JetBlue, get a $50 statement credit using your enrolled eligible Card by 11/30/2023.
Discover 6% Back with PayPal: Discover offers select cardholders $60 extra cashback by using the card through PayPal, earning 6% on up to $1,000 in purchases.
Alaska Airlines 30% discount code after $1,000 spend: Alaska Visa cardholders spending $1,000 by October 28, 2023, can earn a 30% flight discount code.
Amazon Get $10 Off (Promo Code AMEXCARD10): Get $10 off by adding an American Express card to your Amazon account, applying AMEXCARD10, and spending $10.01+ with it.
Hyatt Resorts Bonus Points Offer with code RESORT: Hyatt offers resort bonus points at 37 locations in North America through March 3, 2024, for bookings with code RESORT by September 11.
IHG 35% Off Sale on stays at Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, & more: IHG's 7-day Flash Sale offers up to 35% off for IHG One Rewards members on stays in various locations through March 31, 2024, with bookings open until September 12.
Southwest Airlines 2X or 3X Companion Pass qualifying points: Southwest Airlines offers Rapid Rewards members a promotion: double Companion Pass qualifying points on flights through November 30, 2023.

🗺️ Pro Tip of the Week

Maxing Rewards Value: When To Use Free Night Certificates Vs Points For Hotel Stays

I love using credit cards that give free night certificates. Not all do, but they’re a great perk if you hold any of the cards below:

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card: One free night certificate up to 35,000 points
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card: One weekend night reward certificate
IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card: One free night certificate at IHG hotels up to 40,000 points
World of Hyatt Credit Card: One free night at a Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel
Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card: One free night at a Wyndham property up to 15,000 points

It can be hard to know when to use a certificate over points. After all, you don’t want to waste them!

Checkout these quick tips below that you can use when deciding on your next trip.

Why Free Night Certificates First?

Expiration: Unlike points, which can often be kept alive through account activity, free night certificates usually expire within a year and are hard to extend. Use them before they're gone.
Category Caps: Most certificates are limited to certain hotel categories. Points offer more flexibility, especially for high-end stays.

Exceptions to the Rule

Low-Value Stays: Don't waste a high-value certificate on a budget hotel. If the hotel costs fewer points than your certificate's worth, use points instead.
Long Stays & Free Nights: Some hotels offer a free fifth or fourth night when booking consecutive stays with points. Certificates don't count towards this, so save them for shorter stays.

Bottom Line: Prioritize using certificates for stays that closely match their value and are about to expire. Save your points for more flexible or longer-term options.

✈️ Reward Reminder of the Week

Shopping Portals Made Easy: Earn Bonus Rewards With Your Daily Purchases

Years ago, I was looking for ways to earn more points.

I was churning cards and looking for bonus offers to use when I traveled, but still wanted more points!

I asked one of my consultant friends if he knew any other strategies, and he told me about shopping portals. I’m glad he did, beacuse I’ve been buying things through them and earning extra points ever since!

What Are Shopping Portals?

In a nutshell, a shopping portal is an online platform that partners with various retailers to offer you extra points, miles, or cash back on top of what you'd normally earn with your credit card. Think of it as a digital gateway that you pass through before heading to your favorite online store.

Why Use Them?

The beauty of shopping portals lies in their ability to "stack" rewards. For example, let's say you have a credit card that gives you 2 points per dollar spent. Shop through a portal offering 4 extra points per dollar at your chosen retailer, and voila! You're now racking up 6 points per dollar. These bonus rewards can be significant, especially if you're a frequent shopper or planning a big purchase.

For example, checkout the current earnings on Walmart items through America Airlines’ Portal here.

Example: Buying a TV from Walmart with Chase Sapphire Reserve through American Airlines' Shopping Portal

Steps:

Log into AAdvantage Shopping: Access the American Airlines AAdvantage eShopping portal and log in with your AAdvantage account credentials.
Find Walmart: Use the search bar to find Walmart. The portal is offering 4 miles per dollar spent at Walmart.
Click Through: After locating Walmart, click the "Shop Now" button to be redirected to Walmart's official website.
Shop: Browse Walmart's website and add a TV you wish to purchase to your cart. Let’s say the TV costs $500.
Checkout: Proceed to the checkout page. Make sure to complete your purchase using your Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

Rewards Calculation:

Using Chase Sapphire Reserve, you'd normally earn 500 points (since you get 1 point per dollar on everyday purchases).
With American Airlines' 4 miles per dollar offer, you'd also earn 2,000 AAdvantage miles for your $500 TV purchase.

Total Rewards:

You earn 500 Chase Ultimate Rewards points for using your Chase Sapphire Reserve.
You also earn 2,000 AAdvantage miles for use on flights later.

Bottom Line: For purchases you already plan on making, check out shopping portals hosted by the major airlines and credit card companies. You’ll be shocked at how making the same purchases you already planned on doing, can lead to so many bonus points over the years!

🌎 Community Corner

How many credit cards is realistically too many? What do I need to watch out for when opening them for new signup bonuses.

- Question from a subscriber

My Answer:

A great question! While everyone likes signup bonuses, it’s SUPER important to not open to many accounts.

There’s a number of reasons why, but the biggest are:

Credit Score Impact: Every time you apply for a new credit card, the issuer performs a hard inquiry on your credit report, which can lower your credit score. Too many hard inquiries in a short period can significantly affect your creditworthiness.
Annual Fees: Many credit cards with lucrative sign-up bonuses also come with high annual fees. Make sure the benefits outweigh the costs, and be aware that holding multiple cards with high annual fees can quickly become expensive.
Minimum Spending Requirements: To qualify for a sign-up bonus, you often need to spend a certain amount within a specified time frame. Overextending yourself to meet these requirements across multiple cards could lead to financial strain.
Juggling Multiple Accounts: Managing multiple credit card accounts requires diligence in tracking payment due dates, annual fees, and promotional expiration dates. Mistakes can result in late fees, higher interest rates, and negative impacts on your credit score.

Bottom Line: You’re on the right track by collecting those signup points bonuses. But make sure you don’t over extend yourself!