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Free Marriot Bonvoy Gold Status, New Amazon Prime Visa Offer, How To Save With Corporate Codes, and More!

Free Marriot Bonvoy Gold Status, New Amazon Prime Visa Offer, How To Save With Corporate Codes, and More!

Discover the latest news in the world of points.

PointsParadise
July 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.

I’m always on the hunt the best ways to max out my points rewards. And this week, I found this fantastic thread by Barry Holt on how he got a free trip with his business spend.

👉 Here’s how you can do the same thing:

He signed up for the Chase Ink Business Preferred card
Using the signup bonus + his normal business spend (he runs FB ads for companies), he got hundreds of thousands of points
Using those points, he transferred them from Chase → Hyatt for better utilization rates
With those final points, he got 11 nights at the resort for free, which would’ve totaled $13,000 in cash!

No matter your spend, there’s always great rewards you can cash in towards trips, flight, hotels, and more!

🗞️ News From This Week

Major Increase In Fees is Coming to Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard

The Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard from American Airlines is highly favored among flyers due to its valuable authorized user and lounge perks.

But massive changes were announced. Starting July 23rd, annual fees are increasing from $450 → $595, authorized user fees are going up, earning rates are increased, and more.

If you’re a current holder or thinking about getting a new card for airlines miles, you’ll want to checkout the full details here.

Chase adds Marriot Bonvoy Gold Elite Status as a perk for Sapphire Reserve Holders

If you’re a Chase Sapphire Reserve holder, you’ll want to take note!

Chase just added this new offer that’s super valuable: complimentary Marriot Bonvoy Gold Elite Status.

Register between July 1 and September 30, 2023, to enjoy three months of complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status, extendable to February 2025 with three paid qualifying nights within three months of registration.

With Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status, you enjoy perks like late checkout, enhanced room upgrades, bonus points on stays, and a personalized welcome gift, making every stay more rewarding and comfortable.

Amazon Prime Visa Bumps Intro Offer Up, With $200 Gift Card

Amazon has introduced an enhanced offer for the Prime Visa card, where you can get a $200 gift card instantly upon approval.

The card, issued by Chase, carries no annual fee and offers impressive benefits like 5% back on Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market purchases, up to 25% back on select items, and no foreign transaction fees, making it an excellent choice for frequent Amazon and Whole Foods shoppers.

🏖️ Resource Roundup

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

Delta Vacations Earning Rates Are Now Higher: Delta Vacations has increased the earning rates and redemption value for SkyMiles members, now offering at least 1.15 cents per SkyMile for vacation packages, as well as enhanced bonus mile accruals for certain paid packages.

Expedia Adds Brand New Loyalty Program Called One Key: Expedia Group has launched "One Key", a unified and expanded loyalty program across its brands, including Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo, offering tiered benefits based on customer spending and providing the option to earn points and tier credits on various bookings including hotels, car rentals, activities, home rentals, and airfare.

Marriot Bonvoy Adds 1000 Point Bonus Offer For Uber Grocery Delivery: Marriott Bonvoy members can earn 6 points per USD for Uber food and grocery orders at Marriott-affiliated properties or 2 points per USD otherwise, and a 1,000 bonus points for a first-time Uber Grocery order of minimum $40 by July 25, 2023 in the US.

United Airlines Adds New Buy Miles Offer, Up To 95% Bonus: United Airlines offers MileagePlus members a 95% bonus on purchased miles until July 28, 2023, potentially beneficial for international business or first-class ticket redemptions between expensive cities.

Cathay Pacific Points Devaulation Announced: Cathay Pacific Announces Devaluation of Asia Miles Program Effective October 2023, with Award Prices Increasing by Up to 30%.

You Can Now Add Chase Cards to Digital Wallets Before Receiving the Physical Card: Chase now allows cardholders to add their credit cards to digital wallets such as Apple Pay, G Pay, or PayPal before physically receiving the card, offering an opportunity to start using the card and accruing rewards sooner.

Chase Aeroplan Card Now Has Increased Offer to 100k Points: The Chase Aeroplan Card offers a 100,000 points bonus with tiered spending requirements in the first 3 and 12 months, providing various benefits such as 3x points on grocery and dining, Aeroplan status, and travel credits, though it requires significant spending to maximize rewards.

🗺️ Pro Tip of the Week

How Smart Travelers Use Corporate Codes To Save Big

What Are Corporate Codes?

Corporate codes are special discounts given by hotels to businesses for their employees. When entered during a booking, these codes can significantly reduce room rates and sometimes include additional perks.

Note: Most hotels DO check your badge or id, to confirm that you work for the company. While most don’t care if you’re on personal or business travel, the majority will confirm you’re an employee through your badge. If you don’t have a badge, they’ll charge you the normal rate.

How Do They Work?

While making a reservation, you input the code in a specified field, and the system applies the discount. Please note that these codes are generally meant for the employees of the affiliated company, and hotels might ask for proof of employment.

An Example:

Imagine you work for IBM and plan to stay at a Marriott hotel in New York for a conference. IBM's corporate code with Marriott could provide you with a 20% discount on the standard rate, or offer extras like free breakfast.

Conclusion:

Corporate codes offer significant savings on hotel stays. Use them responsibly and within their terms of usage. Happy, budget-friendly travels!

✈️ Reward Reminder of the Week

What Are Credit Card Referral Programs And How Can They Earn You Free Points?

One of the easiest and most popular ways to build points, is through referral programs.

All major credit card providers (Chase, Amex, Capital One, Discover, etc) allow you to earn points through them.

What is a Credit Card Referral Program?

A credit card referral program is a system set up by credit card issuers to incentivize their cardholders to refer their friends, family, or colleagues to apply for a credit card from their portfolio. In return for a successful referral (i.e., your referee gets approved for the card), you receive a reward, often in the form of bonus points, miles, or sometimes even cash.

A Real-World Example: Chase's Referral Program

Take, for instance, the Chase referral program. As a holder of a Chase credit card, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred or the Chase Freedom, you can earn up to 75,000 bonus points per year by referring friends. For each friend who gets approved, you receive 15,000 bonus points. If you max out the yearly cap, that's enough points for a round-trip flight to Europe!

How Can You Get Started?

One way is through sending your link to your friends!

Another way is through submitting your link through the form here.

The Community Corner section below is all community-based referral links. We’re happy to feature codes from the community and each week, we add new links in!

🌎 Community Corner

I want to get a better credit card and have heard the Amex Plainum is good, but so is the Chase Sapphire Reserve. Which one is the best right now?

- Question from a subscriber

Our Answer:

Good question, and one that most people have when they’re trying to maximize points!

The short answer is that the Amex Platinum is better if you want luxury travel perks & rewards, while the Sapphire Reserve is better for flexible rewards.

The longer answer is:

American Express Platinum:

The Amex Platinum is excellent for frequent travelers, offering 5X points on flights and prepaid hotels, extensive airport lounge access, and hotel/car rental elite status. It's a high-annual-fee card best suited for those who can fully utilize its luxury travel perks.

Chase Sapphire Reserve:

The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers a more flexible rewards structure, with 3X points on travel (after a $300 credit) and dining. It has a lower annual fee than the Amex Platinum, making it a solid choice for those seeking comprehensive travel benefits and dining rewards without a super premium price tag.

Frankly, you can’t go wrong with either as they’re both two of the most popular & rewarding cards.

Let us know which one you end up going with!