Time running out to earn highest 70,000 bonus miles with the United MileagePlus Explorer card

As I posted at the beginning of this month, Chase was offering a limited time increased sign up bonus for the United MileagePlus Explorer card. The normal public offer is for 50,000 bonus miles but this limited time offer is for 70,000 miles which is the highest I've seen for this card. However, the offer is set to end tomorrow on June 30, 2016 so if you plan to take advantage of this offer you have to apply now.

Chipotle introduces a loyalty program, sort of

I have always been a big fan of both Chipotle and Costco and have written about both on a number of occasions in the past (no I do not own stock in either company). Chipotle has been doing a lot to try to restore consumer confidence in their brand since the whole E. coli outbreaks earlier this year and have been handing out free food like candy in past promotions. I received a text the other day informing me about a new loyalty program they are launching called "Chiptopia" starting July 1st although this seems to be a limited promotion extending through the end of September.

My short ATL layover debacle continued...

I had written about my upcoming trip from Indianapolis (IND) to Puerto Vallarta (PVR) connecting through Atlanta (ATL) booked through Costco Travel a couple months ago in this post. As I mentioned then, I noticed that my connection time was only 44 minutes which for anyone who has traveled through ATL knows can really be pushing it depending on where your terminals are located. I didn't make too much of big deal at the time because I assumed the flight must have met the required "minimum connection time" which is built into most airline booking websites.

Earn up to 55,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points for referring friends

So I know it's been a while since my last post but I've been super busy with work. There have been a lot of topics I wanted to post about recently such as the amazing JetBlue point match promotion, discounted United saver awards to Europe for 45,000 points, and Chipotle's new loyalty program but I'll have to save those for another day. I wanted to write about an email I just received from American Express with an opportunity to earn an easy 55,000 points just for referring friends for the Platinum card.

Limited United promo: Buy miles and get a bonus of up to 60% more award miles

It appears United is running another limited time promotion for up to 60% more miles when you purchase miles depending on how many you buy. This promo is running from June 6 - June 13 and the details are as follows:

Massive European sale...many airlines and many destinations

So I've been itching to get back to Europe since my first trip there earlier this year in March. However, tickets have been so expensive usually ranging in the $1,000-$1,400 range just for a round trip economy ticket from my home airport in Indianapolis (IND). But it appears there is a massive fare war going on between multiple airlines all across the US to Europe for dates in August 2016-March 2017 (excluding the holidays in December). Flights are going for a mere $600-$700 which is almost half the price they normally do but I'm not sure how long these fares are going to last.

Wyndham promo: Earn 5,000 bonus points for using Visa Checkout on mobile app

Wyndham is running a limited time promo in which you can earn an additional 5,000 bonus points just for using the Visa Checkout method when booking a room on their mobile app. The promo seems straightforward enough and you must book and complete your stay between April 27-July 31.

AMEX Platinum Delta SkyMiles card increased 60,000 sign up bonus offer

Another email I received today was an offer for an increased sign up bonus for the American Express Platinum Delta SkyMiles card. The offer is for 60,000 bonus miles and 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) with the Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express after spending $2,000 or more in eligible purchases with your new Card in the first 3 months of Card Membership.

Targeted United offer: 70,000 bonus miles with the United MileagePlus Explorer card, highest ever

So it's been a while since I posted, I never realized how difficult it would be keeping up with this on a regular basis. Much has happened lately so hopefully you are keeping up with all the latest news through other means. I received an email today for an offer of 70,000 bonus miles with the MileagePlus Explorer card which is the highest I've seen so I thought I'd share.

New Hyatt promo: Earn 30% point bonus with purchase of 5,000 miles or more

Sorry for my lack of posts this past week, I was swamped with my normal day job so have been slacking. There has been quite a bit of news just in the past week alone including a 100,000 point sign up offer for the AMEX Platinum that is open to all, amazing airfares to Europe on multiple airlines which are all but dead by now, Alaska Airlines adding Japan Airlines as a transfer partner, and Wyndham introducing new elite tier benefits just to name a few top headlines. Hopefully you have been keeping up with all the news through other methods.

New United promo: Buy miles and get a bonus of up to 100% more award miles

So I received an email today from United for a special bonus offer when I purchase United miles for either an additional 50%, 75%, 80%, or 100% extra miles. When I clicked on the link it took me to a page with the maximum 100% bonus offer with my purchase which I am assuming will be the same for everyone as well.

My AMEX Membership Rewards account got hacked!

So I woke up this morning and was checking my email when I noticed that I received an email from American Express Membership Rewards with a receipt for a $50 iTunes gift card. At first I thought this must be some sort of phishing scam although the email did look rather legit and was also actually from americanexpress@membershiprewards.americanexpress.com so that had me a little worried.

Weekly Review: Expiring points, New AA promotion, Comparing SimplyCash Plus to Ink Cash, Hilton HHonors highest sign up bonus, FoundersCard review, Daily Getaways week 5

Here is a brief recap of all the posts you may have missed from this past week.

When do you let points and miles expire

There has never been a loyalty or rewards program that I have not signed up for and as a result I literally have thousands of points spread out across hundreds of different programs, some of which I have only used once or twice. If you are lucky then these programs don't have expiration dates for your points such as with Delta SkyMiles but this is usually not the case. As a result, I have many points that are on the verge of expiring which begs the question: What should I do with these?

New American Airlines promo: Up to 35% off on miles in celebration of their 35th anniversary

Last week I posted about a spring promotion from American Airlines offering up to a 75% bonus when buying/gifting miles which brought the cost down to 1.7 cents per mile if you bought the maximum amount of miles possible. That deal ended on April 28th but it appears they have another promotion for up to 35% off when you buy or gift miles in celebration of the AAdvantage program’s 35th anniversary.

Comparing the new AMEX SimplyCash Plus Business Credit Card to the Chase Ink Cash Business Card

In January of this year, American Express announced the release of their new no annual fee SimplyCash Plus Business Credit Card which is now publicly available. When I first heard about this card, it sounded a lot like Chase's Ink Cash Business Card so I thought I'd give a comparison of the two.

One day left to take advantage of highest sign up bonus ever for AMEX Hilton HHonors cards

There is only one day left to take advantage of the highest sign up bonus yet for 2 AMEX Hilton cards: the Hilton HHonors Card for 75K and the Hilton HHonors Surpass Card for 100K. Just a reminder that you are only entitled to one sign up bonus per AMEX product in your lifetime although there are rumors that these rules may be loosening in the near future.

Reviewing the FoundersCard and access to an exclusive discount code

This post is a little bit different in that I am not reviewing the typical credit card or loyalty program that we have all become so readily accustomed to but rather a card that provides membership into a vast, worldwide network of over 20,000 entrepreneurs and innovators that comes with its own unique set of perks and benefits. While the card itself is more geared towards those in the entrepreneurial community such as business owners, CEOs, presidents, etc it offers plenty of travel benefits that even an infrequent flyer can appreciate. And since I am always looking for ways to obtain elite status or benefits the quick way I thought this card might be worth mentioning.

Daily Getaways week 5

This week marks the fifth and final week of the U.S. Travel Association's Daily Getaways deals. For those of you who don't know this is an annual promotion that offers travel getaways across the United States at discounted prices every weekday at www.dailygetaways.com. Offers are sold at a fixed price in limited quantities and are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Offers are purchased on the site but booking can be done at a later date. Offers go on sale at 1:00pm ET each weekday and began April 4th, 2016.

2016 Annual Freddie Awards (26th) results out...Southwest and Marriott winners

You may remember getting all those annoying mass emails a few months ago from every airline and hotel chain you have ever used asking you to vote for them in this years annual Freddie Awards. For those of you who don't know what these are, according to their website at freddieawards.com:

Introduced in 1988 by InsideFlyer magazine’s Randy Petersen, the “Freddies” are named in honor of Sir Freddie Laker and have grown in stature and importance to become the most prestigious member-generated awards in the travel loyalty industry. The goal of the Freddie Awards is to give voice to the frequent flyer and to honor the efforts of an industry that counts more than 300 million members worldwide.