Month: September 2016

September 15, 2016

Free 500 to 750 US Bank FlexPerks Points Offers

I love free point offers and there are two quick & easy opportunities right now to earn 500 to 750 FlexPerks points. I know many of you recently applied for the US Bank FlexPerks Visa with the increased signup bonus of 34,500 points due to their Olympics promotion in which the signup bonus was tied to Team USA’s performance in Rio so these free points offers are quite timely.

Offer #1 – Earn 500 FlexPerks Points for Enrolling in Real-Time Rewards

One of the features of the FlexPerks program is the ability to redeem rewards instantly right after a purchase and right now you can earn 500 points for simply enrolling in this program. You do not have to make a redemption to earn the 500 points. Of course, I would never recommend redeeming points this way but I don’t mind an easy 500 points for signing up.

flexpointsoffer

Here is a direct link to the landing page with more detailed instructions about the offer and Real-Time Rewards. Alternatively you can access this offer by logging into your account, going to the Rewards section and looking for the Offers tab towards the top of the page.

Offer #2 – Earn 250 FlexPerks Points for Visiting FlexPerks Promo Site (this one is a bit more YMMV)

You simply need to click the link below and see if you are eligible for the offer as occasionally FlexPerks will run promotions on their promotions site for various bonus point offers. The initial landing page does not show the offer but it should be available once you fill in the information.

Here is the direct link to the offer. This is not working for everyone so this must be targeted (hence the YMMV title on the offer) but worth the 10 seconds to check.

I took advantage of these offers as I hope to get my FlexPerks balance for my wife and I at the 40,000 point level so I can redeem them for airline tickets up to $800. The signup bonus and minimum spend will count for 36,500 points of those points and these offers bring us over 37,000 points each so this was a no-brainer for us to each try.

(H/T to Doc, SJ0 on Reddit)

September 10, 2016

New Chase Reconsideration Line Phone Number

You might want to bookmark this post for future reference as it appears the reconsideration phone number for Chase cards has changed. Per Reddit, it appears the old reconsideration number of 1-888-245-0625 is no longer in service but there is a new, working reconsideration number which is 1-888-270-2127. I’ve confirmed the old number is not in service and this new number takes you to a Chase credit analyst. This number is working for both personal and business cards.

Frankly, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if this was a result of the volume of calls received on pending/denied applications for the Chase Sapphire Reserve. I mean interest in the card is so popular they ran out of metal to make the card….

Chase Sapphire Reserve

Once you start applying for several credit cards, you’ll undoubtedly need this number as it is tougher now to get an instant approval with Chase. If you are eligible for a Chase card (i.e under 5/24 or applying for a card not subject to 5/24) and get a pending message, I recommend calling this number to figure out what can be done to approve the application. Many times the representative will state Chase can’t extend you any more credit but will allow you to shift credit from an existing card to the new one to get it approved.

Good luck with all the reconsideration calls!

September 6, 2016

Rumor: Starwood American Express Card Signup Bonus Possibly Increasing in Two Weeks

Update (9/22): So my source was kind of right as the offer did change today but I’m not sure it is a better offer. Here is my analysis of the new offer of two free nights at category 1-5 hotels. 

I want to stress the following information is simply a rumor but I believe the signup on the American Express Starwood personal and business cards will increase to either 30k or 35k Starpoints in the next two weeks. I have a friend of a friend who is “connected” at American Express and he claims that the go live date for this offer is the week of September 19th. He didn’t know whether the offer would be for 30k or 35k like it was in March.

The offer from March 2016

The offer from March 2016

Could this information be accurate? Well in years past usually around summertime, though there was a curveball with the 35k offer in March this year, American Express has typically increased the signup bonus on the SPG cards. I went back and put a list together of when over the past few years the publicly available bonus has increased to 30k or 35k Starpoints. Anyone spot a trend?

  • March 2016
  • August 2015
  • June 2014
  • August 2013
  • August 2012
  • August 2011
  • July 2010

That is some serious consistency and only further makes me believe the information I received could very well be accurate. The current signup bonus is 25k for both the personal and business cards so I’m sure some of you might be questioning why I’m recommending you should wait a few weeks for an offer that is only 5k-10k points higher. Here are some of my reasons:

  • Starpoints are incredibly difficult to earn – the only feasible way to earn them is via the Starwood credit card and staying at SPG hotels. Since it is difficult to earn these points in bulk, an extra 5k Starpoints is a big difference to me. And to the average person who doesn’t manufacture spend that equates to spending an extra $5,000 on your SPG Amex to make up that extra 5k points.
  • American Express limits you to one bonus per lifetime on their cards. Basically you only get one shot to signup for this card to earn a bonus so you better make it count. I won’t signup for an American Express card unless I know at that point in time, that is the highest ever known offer on a card.
  • Starpoints are one of the most valuable, if not most valuable, points out there. Great flexibility with dozens of airline transfer partners, a transfer bonus of 5k when transferring in 20k increments and some great hotel redemptions in the Starwood chain. You can redeem points for weekend nights at lower tier SPG hotels for 2k or 3k points a night.

My advice is to resist the temptation to signup for the next two weeks just in case the offer is increased unless you have an absolute urgent need for this card. While American Express might very well match you to the new bonus anyway, remember that American Express limits you to one bonus a lifetime, so you always want to get each Amex card at its peak signup bonus offer. Again I do want to stress this is only a rumor (some will argue I shouldn’t even post unconfirmed information like this) but based on past history, there could be some merit to this information.

I’ll be sure to post an update in two weeks if/when the offer is increased. If my information is correct & you plan to apply for this card at that time, I hope you will consider using my referral links for either the personal or business card (for being a current cardmember, not an affiliate link) for possibly earning you an extra 5k to 10k Starpoints by advising you to wait.

September 2, 2016

500 Free Virgin America Elevate Points

Virgin America is giving away 500 Elevate points for subscribing to the Virgin Hotels newsletter. It took me less than 10 seconds to fill out my name, email address and Elevate number. 


Here is a direct link to the offer. 

500 points for 10 seconds of works seems like a good deal to me. This is also a good way to extend the expiration date of your current point balance. 

Pro tip – use a throwaway email address. 

Enjoy the long weekend!