Credit card points, airline miles, transfers, etc.

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ptdebate
Posts: 1072
Joined: April 7th, 2015, 8:39 pm

Credit card points, airline miles, transfers, etc.

Postby ptdebate » September 18th, 2018, 5:11 pm

This past summer I was sitting on about 70,000 Amex points and couldn't figure out a good way to utilize them. I read on The Points Guy about getting awesome deals on point transfers but at the time I was shopping around, none of the ratios were very good. I ended up spending the points, but felt like I didn't get the most out of them sadly.

Has anyone had any luck with points (of any variety), and what were the best transfers or redemptions you found?

Have you found any other creative ways to utilize credit card benefits that allowed you to maximize value?

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ActRaiser
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Joined: April 8th, 2015, 12:38 pm

Re: Credit card points, airline miles, transfers, etc.

Postby ActRaiser » September 18th, 2018, 10:34 pm

I get cash back and normally splurge on something I'd normally not buy.

From Costco I've used the cash back to get luggage, dishes, and a ladder. From CapitalOne I've used it for credit for comic books and a gift for my wife. On the Amazon front I used it to get a New 3ds and board games for the family.

Mainly I use the cash back for random stuff I'd probably never normally buy.

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ptdebate
Posts: 1072
Joined: April 7th, 2015, 8:39 pm

Re: Credit card points, airline miles, transfers, etc.

Postby ptdebate » September 19th, 2018, 11:09 am

One card that has ironically proven to be a dream come true for budget travelers is the JP Morgan Ritz card. I got it last September and since then have used the following benefits:


-Discounted airfare (saved $400 in 2017) - basically, this gives you a $100 discount on any economy, round trip itinerary purchased for two people. This can sometimes result in tickets that cost barely anything depending on the destination or time of year (we flew to Chicago for $83 total...round trip...for two people).
-Airline baggage fee credits ($300, used all of the credit available for the year)
-Complimentary Priority Pass Lounge membership ($400+) - used about 8 times in total last year
-Global Entry fee credit ($100)
-2 free hotel nights ($$$$)
-2 free club-level upgrades ($$)
-Platinum Elite status with Marriott/Starwood (and Hilton Diamond status match)

Unfortunately, the card is not available for new applicants any more! I was on the fence about keeping it past the first year because I've already used the two free nights intro bonus. But now I think I will keep it just because of the other perks.


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