🏝️ How Double Dipping Earns You More Points

👋 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 11,800 subscribers now!

🍁🍂 I can’t believe the year is almost over! With only 2 months left, I’ve wound down by travel and am only building up points in prep for 2024 travel.

And with holiday spend coming up, this will be a perfect season to stack those welcome bonuses. I’ll be giving more tips on that coming up!

Also: don’t forget to submit your feedback through email on Points Pal! I’ll be drawing the winner next week for the Delta giftcard and sending the announcement through Points Pal directly.

This past week, I’ve been super heads down working on Points Pal. No email sends were done last week and that’s because there’s brand new features launching for you all next week!

Love all the feedback you all have given and appreciate the early usage of the tool.

🗞️ News From This Week

Get $150 Amazon Gift Card Just For Enrolling In The Amazon Prime Visa :

I’m always on the lookout for new welcome bonuses worth getting.

Credit Card Welcome Offers are one of the fastest ways to rack up points for future travel and trips.

Amazon just released a fantastic offer that’s easy to get (upon approval) for a $150 gift card through their Prime Visa.

The Amazon Prime Card gives some great perks too, including:

• 5% back on Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods, and Chase Travel

• 10% or more with Prime Card Bonus on select items

• 2% back at gas stations, restaurants, local transit, and rideshares

• 1% back on all other items

• $0 annual fee

• No foreign transaction fees

• Purchase and extended warranty protection

• Baggage delay and lost luggage coverage

• Secondary car rental insurance

Two things to note before checking it out: You must be a Prime member to hold the card. And if you do want to apply for it, make sure to do it before 10/31, as the gift card bonus only lasts until then.

👉 Pro Tip: There’s better credit cards to put your spend on (Chase Sapphire Reserve, Amex Gold or Platinum, etc). But if you’re looking for a new card that has low strings attached (no annual fee), this is a great choice!

Chase Ink Cash & Unlimited Cards Have Best Ever Bonus: The Details

If you’re a business owner, consultant, freelancer, etc and are looking for a fantastic welcome offer take note of this one!

Business credit cards are a great way to rack up points, as credit card companies will give major bonuses for business accounts.

Chase just added their best ever bonuses for two of their cards: the Ink Business Cash and Ink Business Unlimited

You get 90,000 points ($900 cash back) on $6,000 in spend. That’s especially good, considering those cards have $0 annual fee.

👉 Pro Tip: My favorite business card is still the Ink Business Preferred. But if you want one without an annual fee, you can’t go wrong with either of the two cards above.

🏖️ Resource Roundup

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

This is just a short list, there’s 100+ offers/promotions/deals to take advantage of each week!

To get a list customized to the cards you hold, sign up to PointsPal.io for free.

• Discover Q4 2023 Spend Bonuses: Discover is offering various spend bonuses to its credit cardholders, including $250 bonus after spending $2,500, 2% cashback on all purchases, 6% back at grocery stores, and stacking generic spend offers by spending at Amazon or Target during Q4 2023, among others.

• United MileagePlus Miles Earn 5x on Hotel Stays: Book hotel stays through United Hotels by the end of October for stays through the end of the year and earn 5x MileagePlus miles.

• Chase Sapphire Preferred Get 80,000 Points: Signup for the Chase Sapphire Preferred via referral link and get 80,000 points after $4,000 in spend within the first three months.

• Double Avios on British Airways Flights: Register, book, and fly by January 14, 2024, to earn double Avios on 10 upcoming British Airways flights.

• Chase Sapphire Event Festival Benefits Earn 10x Points on Tickets: Earn 10x points on tickets for eligible events purchased with your Chase Sapphire card between October 15, 2023, and January 15, 2024.

• Bilt Mastercard Offers 5,000 Bonus Points for 5 Purchases: Bilt Mastercard is offering up to 5,000 bonus points for making five purchases at select merchants, including AT&T, Verizon, and more, within 30 days of receiving the email offer.

• Bilt Dining Offers Up to 8X Points for Dining Out: Bilt Dining is offering up to 8X points for dining out in select cities, with 18 new cities added to the list.

• Capital One SavorOne Card Offers Cash Back Bonus: Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card is offering a $200 cash back bonus for new cardholders who spend $500 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.

• Wyndham Offers 20% Discount on Global Mobile Flash Sale: Wyndham is offering a 20% discount on its Global Mobile Flash Sale for stays through December 3, 2023, with bookings made by October 27, 2023.

• IHG Maldives Up To 30% Off Sale: IHG is offering up to 30% off and a 50% discount on airplane or boat transfers for stays of four nights or longer at two of its properties in the Maldives until May 9, 2024, with bookings made by November 22, 2023.

• Malaysia Airlines Earn Double Enrich Points and Elite Status Points: Enrich members can earn double points and elite status points on all Malaysia Airlines and Firefly flights worldwide through March 31, 2024, by booking by November 5, 2023.

🗺️ Pro Tip of the Week

How Smart Travelers Use Airline Award Hold Policies To Maximize Travel Value

As many of you may know, making the most out of your credit card points and travel rewards requires a healthy combination of strategy, flexibility, and an eye for a good deal.

But did you know that you could further maximize your award ticket bookings by utilizing an often overlooked feature - holding award tickets?

What Are Award Ticket Holds?

Holding an award ticket allows you to reserve a seat temporarily, giving you a chance to finalize your plans, transfer points, or consider various options while securing a good deal.

How Does It Work?

Every airline has its own set of rules regarding ticket holds. Some, like American Airlines, allow free 5-day holds on award bookings. Others, like Turkish Airlines, offer up to 72 hours. Here are a few pointers to guide you:

American Airlines: AA allows a 5-day hold on award bookings, offering you the time you need to transfer points from partners, or think over your plans.

Virgin Atlantic: VA lets you hold tickets for up to 48 hours.

Air France/KLM: Allows you to hold tickets for 48-72 hours.

Lufthansa: Up to 6 days, though dependent on the agent you talk to.

Get the Most Out of Your Hold:

Have a Plan B: Utilize the hold feature as a means to secure a backup option while you finalize your plans or wait for a better opportunity.

Transfer Points: If you need to transfer points from a credit card program (like Chase Ultimate Rewards or Amex Membership Rewards), putting a hold on your award ticket ensures that your seat doesn't disappear while you wait for the transfer to process.

Monitor Prices: If you're not yet certain about your booking, a hold can buy you some time to monitor prices and ensure you're getting the best possible deal.

Avoid Rushed Decisions: With the hold in place, you can avoid making rushed decisions, allowing you to make sure all elements of your trip align perfectly.

✈️ Reward Reminder of the Week

How Double Dipping On Points Programs Earns You More Rewards With No Extra Spend

Double Dipping on points programs is a strategy that most people forget, but shouldn’t!

It’s a great way to build up points that gives you more points for a small amount of planning.

What Is Double Dipping?

Double dipping in credit card rewards involves earning points, miles, or cash back from both your credit card company and the merchant's loyalty program on a single transaction.

This could mean earning airline miles from a credit card's travel category and additional points from the airline's own loyalty program when you book a flight.

Real Examples Of Double Dipping Points:

1. Staying at Hotels with Loyalty Programs: Suppose you have a co-branded hotel credit card, like the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card, that gives you 6x points for every dollar spent at Marriott Bonvoy hotels. You're also a member of the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program. Whenever you stay at a Marriott Bonvoy hotel and pay with your Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card, you earn both the 6x points from your credit card and points from the Marriott Bonvoy program.

2. Using Shopping Portals for Online Purchases: Say you have an American Express card that gives you 1 point per dollar spent on all purchases. You want to buy a new laptop from Best Buy. If you go through the Amex shopping portal, you may get an extra 2 points per dollar spent at Best Buy, allowing you to earn a total of 3 points per dollar on your laptop purchase.

3. Booking Flights via an Airline's Website: Suppose you have a travel rewards credit card that offers 3x points on airline purchases. You book a flight directly on Delta's website and are a member of Delta's SkyMiles program. You will earn points from your credit card for the purchase and miles from Delta's program for the same booking.

Remember, the goal with double dipping is to strategically align your spending habits with credit cards and loyalty programs that complement each other.

This way, you maximize rewards for purchases you'd make anyway.

🌎 Community Corner

My Answer:

Congrats on the card! Amex Platinum is one of my favorites (along with the CSR).

My favorite perk of the Amex Platinum is Centurion Lounges. They’re much nicer, less crowded, and much cleaner than Priority Pass lounges.

But: the perk I think is most useful for traveling is their security pass credits through Clear and either TSA Precheck or Global Entry.

If you’re like me: going through norma airport security is the WORST part of flying.

With Clear, you breeze through security and can go right to your favorite lounge.

Normal security takes me at least 20 minutes at popular airports like ORD, ATL, and DFW.

When going on international flights, Global Entry lets you speed through when you return from abroad.

Bottom Line: If you have an Amex, make sure you leverage their security perk credits! It’ll save you time and headaches at the airport

🐶 Meet Points Pup

💳 Community Codes

Looking for a new credit card and want to help out a Points Paradise community member? The links below contain referral codes from the community.

Chase Sapphire Reserve (60k Signup Bonus Currently): Best all around rewards card (Code 2)

Chase Marriot Bonvoy Cards: Best for Marriot rewards

Visa United Explorer Miles Plus: Best for United Flyers

Chase Sapphire Preferred: Flexible Rewards + Lower Annual Fee (Code 2)

Amex Platinum: Best Luxury Travel Rewards Card (Code 2)

American Express Gold: Best for Dining at Restaurants (Code 2, Code 3)

American Express Hilton Honors Aspire: Best Overall Hotels Card

Southwest Rapid Rewards: Best Southwest Rewards

Chase Freedom Unlimited: Great overall bonuses on categories (Code 2)

Capital One Quicksilver: Best flexible Capital One Card

Chase Business Ink Preferred: Best Business Card

Capital One Venture X: Best Capital One Luxury Card

Discover It Cash back: Best Cash back Card

American Express Delta Skymiles: Best Delta Card

👋 How I Can Help

Here’s 3 ways I help subscribers with their points plans:

🤝 Add Your Referral Link To The Community Codes Section

🤔 Ask Me Anything About Points

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