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🏝️ Earn Points Easily Through Shopping Portals

🏝️ Earn Points Easily Through Shopping Portals

PLUS: Perks From Members Week

PointsParadise
October 13, 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 10,900 subscribers now!

🍂I can’t believe Fall is flying by! I’m done with trips for the rest of the year, so now I’m stacking points again for 2024 travel.

If you have any trips planned later this year or early next year let me know, I love hearing from subscribers on where you all are traveling!

I’m personally using PointsPal.io now to make sure I don’t miss any points opportunities going into next year.

Also: adding some big improvements this weekend to the platform, including Daily Alerts and better organizing of deals.

Have loved hearing the feedback from you all on it! If you haven’t joined yet its free to PointsParadise subscribers and I’m giving a Delta gift card out later to this month to a random subscriber who gives feedback! I’ll be sending more details out next week that.

🗞️ News From This Week

This Week, American Express Launches Exclusive Deals For Members. The Full Details:

I love my Amex Platinum specifically for the travel perks, but Amex as a company also is great for awesome promos and experiences.

This week, they launched another great campaign for Members Week with a ton of perks/deals/experiences.

If you’re looking to save for the next trip and are an Amex holder, you’ll want to check this one out for sure.

Here’s the details you should know:

Eligible cardholders can receive an $80 credit when spending $200 or more at certain Hilton properties by booking directly on Hilton.com
During Member Week, cardmembers can expect enhanced Amex Offers. While this year's specifics are pending, last year featured up to $150 credits with brands like The Container Store and Dell.
For Resy Restaurant Deals, cardmembers can register to get $25 off a $75+ bill at over 200 U.S. Resy restaurants, redeemable twice until December 8, 2023.
Delta SkyMiles® American Express Card Members can enroll for a Member Week deal: book an international flight on Delta.com and earn a $100 Delta eCredit.
Presale Offers: Members can buy Coachella 2024 passes, LCD Soundsystem’s NYC Residency tickets, and 2024 U.S. Open Golf tickets.

Link to Full Details From American Express

👉Pro Tip: Remember as always to actually enroll in the offers through Amex’s Offers page, before any sale! That way, you’ll get the credit or money back.

Marriot Launches New Promo For 10% Off Cash & Points Redemptions.

Have an upcoming trip in the Fall or Winter and want to get a deal?

I’m always on the lookout for Marriot deals as I mostly stay at Marriots when traveling (makes it easier to keep track of points), so was excited when I saw this one.

Marriot just launched this new promo giving 10% off stays at their Homes & Villas Program.

Even better: that 10% off counts towards both cash and points redemption, meaning if you use your points you use 10% less!

That means you can save your points for the next trip.

Most promos from companies only count towards cash redemptions, so this one is relatively rare.

Here’s the details you should know:

Get 10% off participating homes booked from Oct 9 - Dec 31, 2023, for stays through Jan 26, 2024, with a minimum of 2 consecutive nights.
The 10% discount is available on both cash and Marriott Bonvoy point redemption bookings (excluding Free Night Awards).
Members earn five (5) base Points for each U.S. dollar, or the currency equivalent, on all Qualifying Charges incurred and paid for by the Member through the HVMB Platform.  
Blackout dates: Nov 23-28, Dec 23-Jan 6, and Nov 10-16 (for homes in India). Some homes are excluded from the discount.

Direct Link To Marriot Promo

👉Pro Tip: If you have Marriot Elite Status, remember that Homes & Villas counts towards that! That means make sure to book with your Marriot Elite account, as you’ll get the normal 10 to 75% bonus on points across Silver to Platinum status + a welcome gift if you’re Platinum!

🏖️ 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.

AMEX Offers Earn 5X Points on Seabourn, Canyon Ranch, JetBlue: Get 5X points on Seabourn cruises, $200 credit for $1000+ at Canyon Ranch, and $40 credit for $200+ on JetBlue flights. Use enrolled AMEX by 12/31/23 (Seabourn), 12/1/23 (Canyon Ranch), and 11/30/23 (JetBlue).
CitiBusiness American Airlines Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard Offers 75,000 Miles: CitiBusiness American Airlines Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard is offering 75,000 American Airlines miles after spending $6,000 within the first 6 months.
Chase Ink Business Premier/Unlimited Offers Increased Bonuses In-Branch: Chase is offering increased bonuses for the Chase Ink Business Premier and Unlimited cards in-branch, with a $1,500 and $1,200 bonus respectively.
AmEx Targeted Offer Spend $35+ on AT&T Air Internet and Get a $35 Statement Credit: Spend $35 or more on AT&T Air Internet and receive a one-time $35 statement credit when using an enrolled eligible AmEx card by January 16, 2024.
AmEx Offer Targeted Home Depot, Spend $150+ & Receive $50 Statement Credit: Get a one-time $50 statement credit by using your enrolled eligible Card to make a single purchase of $150 or more at Home Depot by 12/31/23, valid for targeted AmEx cardholders.
United Airlines Offers 5x Bonus Miles to Select European Destinations: United Airlines is offering 5x bonus miles on flights to London, Amsterdam, and Paris when flying in economy, and registration is required by December 13, 2023.
Chase Offers Get Up to 10% Back at Kroger Chain Stores: Check your Chase Offers to see if you were targeted to get 10% back at Kroger chain stores, up to $7 cashback, until November 4, 2023.
Citi Business Checking Bonus Earn Up to $2,000 Cash Bonus: Citi Bank is offering a promotion for new business checking account customers to earn up to $2,000 cash bonus with specific requirements and eligibility criteria.
HSBC and OCBC Points to Flying Blue with a 20% Bonus: Flying Blue is offering a 20% transfer bonus for conversions from HSBC and OCBC points until October 31, 2023.
Staples 5x Fee-Free Visa Gift Cards: Earn quadruple points for stays at select hotels between October 16, 2023, and January 28, 2024, if booked by December 17, 2023, after registering for this offer.
Citi ThankYou Points 25% Bonus to Avianca LifeMiles: Transfer Citi ThankYou points to Avianca LifeMiles and get a 25% bonus until November 4, 2023.

🗺️ Pro Tip of the Week

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

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!