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🏝️ Get Delta Miles Through Coffee, How To Protect Your Points' Value, and More!

🏝️ Get Delta Miles Through Coffee, How To Protect Your Points' Value, and More!

Discover the latest news in the world of points.

PointsParadise
August 24, 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 6,400 subscribers now!

One of my favorite parts of the Points Game is being able to enjoy luxury experiences I’d never normally do.

Just yesterday, Marriot sent out this “Escape to Luxury” promo which gives you a $300 credit on stay at specific hotels 🏖️.

🏙️ I’ve got a wedding in New York City coming up soon and literally was going to look for hotels this week.

The St. Regis in NYC is on the list and has an amazing restaurant.

Pic of The Astor Court From The St. Regis Website

I’m meeting one of my college friends the night before the wedding, and now I get to treat him to an awesome experience (and have a great dinner myself!)

And the best part is: it’ll be free thanks to the Marriot promotion!

Always keep your eyes open for promo emails like this from rewards programs. And of course I mention as many as I can each week in this newsletter!

🗞️ News From This Week

Coffee Today, Travel Tomorrow: Earn 1,000 Delta Skymiles With Starbucks

If you love Starbucks and have linked your Delta account, you’re in luck!

Delta just dropped this great bonus yesterday. Anyone who enrolls in the offer & already has linked their accounts, earns 1,000 Bonus Miles just by going to Starbucks 3 times.

As a big Starbucks drinker myself, this makes me feel slightly better about spending on Starbucks this week 😅.

Click here to enroll and get your bonus miles.

👉 Pro Tip: If you order Starbucks and DON’T have your Delta account linked to Starbucks, you should!

Here’s why:

You’ll receive 1 Skymile per dollar spent on eligible purchases at Starbucks. Not bad for getting rewards on coffee you already drink!
In the future, you’ll be eligible for bonuses like this one. Rewards programs frequently send bonus offers to people already enrolled, to give new members incentives to join.
It’s free and takes less than a minute.

This page lets you link your accounts together.

Stay More, Earn More: How To Get Triple Hilton Points Through 2023

If you wanted to go to Europe for cheap and are flexible on dates, now’s your chance!

The "Multiply Your Points" Promo allows you to earn up to 3X Hilton Honors points at select global locations such as Barcelona, Bangkok, and New York, while offering 2X points at all other properties.

👉 Pro Tip: If you’re a Hilton Aspire holder, have another Hilton branded card, or have Elite Status with them, you earn even more points!

For example, if you’re a Diamond member and stay four nights at $150 per night at a 3X points bonus:

7,500 base points
7,500 points Diamond bonus
15,000 points promo bonus
Total of 30,000 points

Ending Soon: Amex Green Card’s Best Ever Offer Of 60k Points & 20% Back On Travel:

The Amex Green Card has its best bonus yet: 60k points (~$600 of value) for $3k in spend.

Plus: it gives 20% back on travel and transit purchases (up to $200 max).

Normally the bonus is around 40k points and is said to be going back to that by next week.

As a less expensive Amex card, it gives great bonuses including:

3 points per dollar on travel, restaurants, and transit
Clear membership for airport travel
$100 in lounge access
A ton of other travel perks as well

🏖️ Resource Roundup

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

Chase 10% back on Best Buy: Get 10% back at Best Buy, up to $25 back until 9/28/23.
Accor ALL 25% Off on South America Stays: Up to 25% off extended stays in south America with "STAY LONGER AND SAVE" rate.
Finnair to Adopt Avios Next Year: Finnair will adopt Avios as its frequent flyer currency, allowing easier points transfer from various credit card programs like Chase and Amex.
Marriot Bonvoy 150% points conversion: Get a 150% bonus on points-to-points conversions from The Club (HK) until October 20, 2023.
Citi 20% transfer bonus from ThankYou to Wyndham Points: Get 20% bonus Wyndham Rewards Points when transferring ThankYou Points, valid until September 16, 2023.
Chase 10% Cash Back on CVS Pharmacy: Get 10% cashback at CVS Pharmacy, up to $5 back until 09/29/2023.
Bank of America, USBank 10% on Southwest Flights: Get 10% back (up to $40) on Southwest Airlines tickets over $49. Offer ends Sept. 3, 2023.
Radisson Hotels 30% Off & 2.5K Bonus Points: Radisson's "Look Ahead – Book Ahead" sale is up to 30% off & 2,500 bonus points for members, book by Aug 31.
Breeze Airways 30% Discount: 30% discount on over 50 nonstop routes, with one-way fares starting at $39, when using code 'YOUDOYOU'
Alaska Airlines 4X Miles: earn 4X miles or [200 miles max] on Hertz rentals through Dec. 31, 2023.
Staples No Purchase Fee Visa Gift Cards: Get no purchase fee Visa gift cards at Staples this week on $200 cards (8/20-8/26, max 8).
Air Canada 25K Bonus Miles on NZ Flights: Earn 10K bonus miles in economy or 25K in business/premium economy for travel from Canada to New Zealand. Book by Aug 29

🗺️ Pro Tip of the Week

Protect Your Rewards from Devaluation: Keep Points in Flexible Programs

A high-flying rewards strategy can quickly hit turbulence if you're not careful with how you manage your points.

One common pitfall? Transferring points to airline programs without an immediate redemption plan, exposing you to the risk of point devaluation.

The One-Way Street of Point Transfers

Programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards or American Express Membership Rewards allow you to transfer points to various airline and hotel partners, often at a 1:1 ratio. However, it's crucial to remember that this transfer is typically a one-way street.

For instance, you can move Chase points to United MileagePlus miles but you can't do the reverse. Why does this matter? If United decides to devalue its points — say, raising the number of miles needed for a free flight — your points are stuck in a depreciating asset.

The Risk of Devaluation

Airlines frequently update their rewards programs, usually not in the consumer's favor. A round-trip domestic flight that once cost 25,000 miles might now set you back 30,000 miles, reducing the value of your saved miles by 20% overnight.

The Strategy: Keep Points Flexible

To shield your hard-earned points from devaluation:

Don't Transfer Without a Plan: Only move points to airline or hotel programs when you have a specific redemption in mind.
Stay Updated: Regularly check the terms of your airline's reward program for any announced devaluations so you can redeem before the changes.
Keep Points in Original Program: Whenever possible, store your points in the flexible program until you’re ready to redeem.

✈️ Reward Reminder of the Week

The Trick To Top Tier Rewards Cards: One Easy Way To Improve Your Credit

Last week, one of my colleagues at work brought up during lunch that he was shocked that his credit score was just average.

He went to buy a car and during the credit pull, learned his score was 680, which he expected to be in the 720+.

He asked me how his credit score could be that low, and after some questions I realized he didn’t have any debt, which is typically a signal that companies use by monitoring payment histories.

While the new car payments will help his credit score go up over time, he was looking other ways to improve it faster. I gave him the following advice that anyone could use:

Increasing Your Credit Score By Lowering Your Credit Utilization

Your credit utilization, which represents the proportion of your available credit that you're currently using, plays a crucial role in shaping your credit scores.

A lower utilization rate is generally more favorable for your credit scores, as a high rate may signal to lenders that you might struggle with timely bill payments.

Here’s some steps worth taking:

Determine your current credit utilization.

This is your available limit on your cards.

To find your credit utilization rate, divide your monthly statement balance by your credit limit and multiply by 100.

For example, spending $1,000 on a $5,000 limit gives a 20% rate. For multiple cards, combine all balances and divide by the total credit limit.

Ask for a Credit Limit Increase

Requesting a credit limit increase is generally a straightforward process, but there are some key considerations to keep in mind:

Timing: Wait 6-12 months of reliable payments before requesting an increase.
Check Financials: Know your income, credit score, and employment status for the review.
Be Prepared: Have a valid reason for your request, such as a salary increase or better offers from competitors.
Make the Call: Contact customer service to apply; some providers also offer online options.
Review Terms: If approved, check for changes in terms or interest rates.
Moderation: A higher limit isn't a spending invitation; aim to lower credit utilization.

Bottom Line: Increasing your credit limit on your cards is an easy way to improve your credit score over time. Just don’t overspend to match it!

🌎 Community Corner

Hi! I’m a college student and tried getting a Chase Sapphire Reserve but was denied.

I think it was due to my credit being low? I’ve read that secured cards are what I should apply for next. Any recommendations on ones with the best rewards?

- Question from a subscriber

My Answer:

Good question! Secured cards are indeed the best choice for you.

They’re a great way for people with no credit history or low credit to build their credit score up, and get into better rewards cards.

The Discover It Secured Card is my top choice for this, as it gives great rewards including 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter, and 1% unlimited cash back on all other purchases.

Plus: Discover typically graduates their secured cards in under a year with proper use.

This means you get an unsecured card with better rewards automatically!

For two other choices, I’d recommend:

US Bank Cash+ Secured Visa: 5% back on your first $2,000 in combined eligible purchases each quarter in two categories you choose.
Capital One Secured Mastercard: Low initial security deposit options and free CreditWise VantageScore 3.0 credit monitoring.

Before committing to a secured card, check for pre-approval links from Discover and Capital One for unsecured cards, or consider options like Chase's Freedom Rise card or starter cards from your own bank.

Bottom Line: Pick a secured card with the best rewards that fit you, knowing that in 1-2 years you’ll want to upgrade to a unsecured card with better rewards.