Ultimate Rewards Archives - Your Mileage May Vary

This Travel Rewards Card Always Is In My Wallet

While I have many credit cards, the majority of them don’t get used on a regular basis. Occasionally they’ll get pulled out of the drawer when I get a specific bonus offer or if I need to use it to buy airfare so I can get a free checked bag, but there are only a few cards that earn an everyday spot in the wallet.

I recently realized that while this card has stayed in rotation since I’ve had it, I never wrote about all of the benefits the card provides.

I’m speaking of the Chase Sapphire Reserve. Here’s my review of the card that shook up the travel credit card market when it was introduced in 2016 (The card, not my review). You can also check out my articles about how happy I was when I finally got the card or why I decided to keep it past the first year.

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Credit Card Review: Chase Sapphire Preferred

Remember when the Chase Sapphire Preferred was the darling of the miles and points universe. It earned valuable Ultimate Rewards points with bonus points for spending on travel and dining expenses. What happened to force the Sapphire Preferred into the back seat? The introduction of the Sapphire Reserve, that’s what happened. With a big brother offering a larger bonus for spending in the same categories and more perks, the Sapphire Preferred fell into obscurity. Since Chase doesn’t let you carry both cards at the same time, which one should you get? The Sapphire Preferred is still a pretty strong contender for people newly entering the world of points and miles and it’s really a Your Mileage May Vary call on what the better card might be for you. Continue reading “Credit Card Review: Chase Sapphire Preferred”

Problems on Southwest, The New Mickey Mouse Exhibition,The Dreaded AMEX Financial Review, & More…

Happy Sunday to all of our travel friends, both near and far! Here are some articles we’ve read from other bloggers (and other sources) that we think you may like, as well, so we’re passing them along.

Continue reading “Problems on Southwest, The New Mickey Mouse Exhibition,The Dreaded AMEX Financial Review, & More…”

Beware the Amazon Trap Designed To Drain Membership Rewards And Citi ThankYou Points Accounts

Amazon.com has “enhanced” their website making it easier for you to pay for your Amazon purchases with the flexible points from your credit cards. If you’re not careful, the points you were saving for a trip to Hawaii might end up paying for that 18 foot inflatable Frosty the Snowman you’ve been wanting to buy. I mean, it’s awesome but not a great use of your Membership Rewards points.

Flexible Points

Flexible Point currencies like American Express Membership Rewards and Citi ThankYou Points are useful because of the various ways you can redeem your points. Some redemptions are great values, like when you’re able to transfer points to travel partners and make once in a lifetime trips. Other redemptions are average, such as using the points to book travel through the designated booking portal where you’re typically get 1 to 1.5 cents of value per point. These bookings are good when you need a reservation where transferring points is undesirable or unavailable, Still other redemptions are terrible, like redeeming for merchandise, magazines or even TSA Precheck memberships. You’ll often get less than 1 cent of value per point (and the merchandise is also overpriced to begin with).

Continue reading “Beware the Amazon Trap Designed To Drain Membership Rewards And Citi ThankYou Points Accounts”

Credit Card Review: Chase Ink Business Preferred

I’ve made no secret about the problems I had trying to convince Chase that I’m running an actual business. The reason I went through all of that trouble was so I would be able to get some of the awesome business credit cards that Chase offers. Having a business opens up a whole other world of sign up bonuses.

Now, I’m not going to tell you to sign up for a business credit card if you don’t have a business. That’s something I will not do for Your Mileage May Vary. However, if you have a side business that has expenses (and hopefully an income as well) you should be able to apply for a business card. Just be honest on the application.

Once I was able to get a business card from Chase, the first card I signed up for was the Ink Business Preferred. Here are the reasons why it was on the top of my list: Continue reading “Credit Card Review: Chase Ink Business Preferred”