It was once a marvel when airline credit card bonuses hit 50,000 points. Then the ante was occasionally upped to 75,000 and only once in a blue moon did the six-figure likes of 100,000 enter the chat. They come, but more often they go.

That’s all to set the table for today’s absolutely enormous bonus of 125,000 point bonus opportunity on the Chase British Airways Visa Signature Card. Expectedly for a record offer, there’s no blogger commission on this bonus, so rest assured this is us purely sharing good news.

It’s not ever day you get a chance to grab 125,000 points just as a welcome bonus.

Valuable British Airways Benefits Beyond Points

This card is really a no-brainer for US customers who frequent Europe or the UK. One reason is that the annual fee is only $95 a year, but you can save so much more than that by utilizing the cards many perks, such as the standing 10% discount on British Airways flights. The card offers..

• 10% off British Airways flights, uncapped and in all cabins
• Travel together ticket after $30k in spend, which is a companion voucher
• Up to $600 per year in credits when you use Avios for a reward flight

In other words, $95 a year may save you up to $600 in taxes and surcharges when you actually book flights with points — and 10% off all British Airways flights from the US with cash. That’s a compelling offer, not even factoring in the 125,000 Avios.

British Airways Visa Signature Card: Avios And More

Avios is the points currency used by British Airways, Iberia, Qatar Airways and soon Finnair as well. They’re increasingly useful, particularly after British Airways made significant reductions earlier in the year to the taxes and surcharges added to flights with points.

Basically, you need a few more points than last year, but a lot less cash to book a reward flight with British Airways. A one way in business class from most US regions to Europe will run 80,000 points and $350 in cash.

How The 125,000 Point Bonus Works

The bonus is a two tiered offer, where you’ll unlock 75,000 Avios after $5,000 in spending within the first three months of opening the account and then an additional 50,000 Avios after a total of $20,000 in spending in the first year.

The $20,000 in a year equates to $1,666 in a month, which these days in the United States can be done on coffee purchases alone. I’m only half kidding.

Bottom Line: As Good As It Gets

If you’re finding good points uses with Avios this is a great offer. Want 10% off all the British Airways flights you book from the USA this year? This is also a great offer.

125,000 points is enough to seriously kickstart a journey and with the fee credits when you use points up to $200 per passenger it makes the already palatable taxes and fees and really makes them competitive. You can check out the offer here.

The post Huge 125,000 Point Bonus On British Airways Visa Card appeared first on God Save The Points.

A person who makes $50k a year, but earns credit card rewards efficiently can occasionally enjoy a first class flight worth $10k, or an out-of-sight five star hotel, by cleverly utilizing rewards points. Or maybe — just use them to buy a computer their family needs for school. On points, no problem!

Those rewards are largely funded by the circa 2% fee card issuers get from each transaction. In the free and competitive marketplace that currently is the US credit card market, virtually all of that fee gets reinvested directly into rewards and perks for cardholders, like you or me.

A bill dubiously called the “Credit Card Competition Act of 2023” is now making its way through the U.S. Senate, largely using false narratives and highly flawed data, hopes to change that — pretty much so that big box stores can save a few cents while processing your transactions. And no, those cents won’t be lowering prices for you anytime soon.

The last time a similar bill was passed, only 1% of US merchants lowered prices in any way. When in history has that old trick worked? Here’s everything you need to know about the proposal, and how it would do a lot more harm than good for consumers.

Conflating Cost Of Living Issues

Why is my cheese more expensive? Why is Netflix hiking the prices again and no longer winking and nodding about sharing passwords?

With many elements of life reaching unfamiliar territory, and pricing to go along with it, people are eager to find answers and reasons. People are tired of living through these “unprecedented” times, and would really just like to go back to precedented stuff.

Cost of living worries aren’t something to be taken lightly, but this proposal making its way through the U.S. Senate may be the most illogical, and arguably flat-out stupid way to deal. It certainly won’t help the people, but may help some greedy businesses.

Basically, big box merchants have convinced politically motivated senators to propose a new bill which would strip out credit card rewards, by forcibly potentially lowering interchange fees — aka the fees merchants, but not consumers pay — when you pay with a credit card.

It’s always been a cost of doing business, but merchants want the benefits of accepting cards — aka people spending more — without the fees. That’s called having your cake and eating it too.

With no fees to fund rewards, or create perks, many key benefits to credit cards, like car rental collision coverage, or trip delay protection could come under threat.

The proposed bill would force the best rewards cards to partner with uncompetitive card networks like Pulse or NYCE in addition to Visa, Mastercard, Amex or Discover, so that merchants could enjoy lower fees on the transaction.

After you’ve paid the same old price, of course.

Interchange fees help fund credit card rewards and that’s an example of what truly free competition brings. If a leading card issuer earns 2%, many invest that 2% right back into the customer with points or cash back because the market is so competitive. Some even invest more than they make on the transaction to win loyalty.

Taking things further, Amex, Mastercard and Visa spend countless billions learning how to manage risk, so that as many transactions as possible can be approved, rather than be denied. That learning is thanks to incredible data and investment, which would come under threat. A biased look at many of these topics can be found here.

Senators Durbin and Marshall are taking aim at the credit card industry because it’s an easy target, even if it’s the wrong target. That’s not all that surprising, considering that some of Durbin and Marshall’s largest donors and constituents are big box stores that truly hate paying any credit card fees at all, yet find credit card acceptance vital.

And fun fact, Discover is an Illinois constituent of Durbin and would be exempt from the newly proposed bill. Ha! Non-competitive networks which have never invested in significant rewards or perks for customers want to get a bite of the apple, and rather than competing in a free market, they want someone to change the rules for them.

What’s The Deal With Fees & Rewards?

From the start, know this one thing, if nothing else. Interchange fees haven’t actually changed in a significant way in about a decade, unlike other things! Businesses can’t truly argue that their economics have changed because of card processing. If anything, things like Stripe or Square have lowered processing costs for merchants.

The last time interchange fees were forcibly amended by Durbin, only 1% of merchants made any price adjustment at all. Basically, with this proposal, based on data from the last economic bill Durbin passed, 99 out of 100 stores you visit would still charge you the same or more, despite them making more money.

What’s changed — and created a soundbite these senators are conflating — is that banks and networks like Visa, Amex, Mastercard and Discover are making more money off of interchange than ever, and that’s true, but not in the way it’s been framed.

The reason it’s true is because people are spending more money on credit cards versus debit cards, thanks to the purchase protections and other perks interchange fees help bring. Not because the interchange rates have significantly changed.

If we say US consumers historically spent $100 dollars a year, and card issuers and networks got 2% of that, but now they spend $200 dollars a year and card issuers and networks still get 2%, it’s just a larger gross number. That’s what’s happened.

The gross numbers credit card issuers collect off of interchange fees are just larger because people are spending more on credit cards to earn rewards and enjoy those protections and perks that other products don’t offer. Ready for the kicker?

That’s particularly amusing, because the last Durbin sponsored government economic experiment ruined debit card rewards and forced countless people out of the banking system. A study by George Mason University estimated that the last time Durban intervened in the free market, circa 1 million people lost access to banking.

Credit Card Competition Act: A Whole Lot Of Nothing

Durbin and Marshall have dubbed their (very expensive) and ill fated bill the ‘Credit Card Competition Act’. I can’t help but L-O-L at the notion.

They want to create competition by taking a free market system which already exists, and already affords every opportunity for Pulse and others to be competitive in the space, and force a seat at the table for them at the expense of consumers who enjoy better perks and consumer protections than ever. That’s not competition. It’s strong arm tactics.

In my opinion, this isn’t about helping consumers with the cost of living. It’s about propping up businesses which refuse to compete and invest — at the expense of truly competitive credit card products and rewards, from which the public benefits.

The post The US Senate Bill Proposing To Ruin Your Credit Card Rewards appeared first on God Save The Points.

If you haven’t had to cancel a trip, or at the very least change a flight, what’s your secret? Travel is as wonderful as ever and in many ways more appreciated than ever now, but it doesn’t always go to plan these days.

For some people, it’s no longer in the plans at all, but things like new phones, home decor, offsetting the cost of a special meal, or sneakers certainly are.

After a decade of virtually every credit card moving to offer incredible travel rewards to keep up with the mega trend of airline miles and hotel points, the pandemic makes the “what do I do with my credit card points” thing a bit more complicated.

Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be complicated. The trick to earning credit card rewards during a pandemic is to earn with cards that present a double threat: a card which can convert points into airline miles or hotel points, but also offers lucrative cash back, too.

That way, you’re covered for whatever you want your rewards to unlock.

Double Threat Credit Cards

Double threat credit cards don’t lock you into a one size fits all approach to spending your rewards. If you want cash back, you can have it. If instead you want airline miles or hotel points which can unlock aspirational value, you can have them too.

Airline miles and hotel points are wonderful when availability presents itself in the perfect cabin or room, on the perfect day, but for many people those two things lining up together are fanciful.

Cash back only cards leave out the potential for aspirational value, such as first class seats or five star suites, but miles only cards leave the ease of use of “just gimme cash” off the table as well. One card offering both is the ultimate “win”.

Best In Class Double Threat Cards

Cash back is supposed to be easy, and transfer to airlines or hotels should be too. But for “best in class” double threat cards, those two things alone aren’t good enough. You also need…

• Strong points earning rates
• Strong points and cash back redemption rates

For the best earn rates on your spending, the strongest value points transfer options and dependable value when converting points into cash back, two cards really stand out: the Capital One Venture X, and Chase Sapphire Reserve.

Each card offers the potential to earn up to either 10X points or 10% cash back on select travel purchases, easy to digest 1:1 airline and hotel transfer partners, as well as clear guidance on how much points are worth, if used for cash back.

Capital One Venture X

Capital One Venture X carries a $395 annual fee, but more than $400 in annual travel perks which are easy to use, such as a $300 travel flexible credit for Capital One Travel, and 10,000 bonus points. Right now, there’s also a 75,000 point welcome bonus.

The card offers an incredible 10X points or 10% cash back on hotels and cars booked through Capital One Travel, and 5X on flights through Capital One Travel. That’s right, you can choose whether to use your points with airlines and hotels, or as cash back to cover some, or all of any purchase.

The Capital One Travel platform also offers price drop protection, which gives a partial refund if flight prices drop after the search engine suggested booking!

A fantastic feature of this card is that all spend earns at least 2X points or 2% cash back which makes it a fantastic choice for non-bonus categories found in daily spending.

1:1 Transfer Partners

Capital One now offers 15 airline and hotel transfer partners, where 1 Venture Mile equals at least 1 mile with these airline partners. This means a 100,000 point bonus could be converted into 100,000 miles with a variety of airlines.

But since it’s a double threat card, the points can be converted to cash back in a tap.

1 Cent Per Point Towards Travel

If you can’t find availability to redeem points through an airline or hotel program, you can always just pay for a flight or hotel and use your cash back to cover some, or all of the purchase.

The same way Capital One Venture Miles can be converted into airline miles, they can also be converted into cash with purchase eraser. The new 100,000 point bonus would represent $1000 towards travel and can be used all together, or bit by bit.

If you had a $3,000 Airbnb stay and wanted to make it a $2,000 purchase, you could use 100,000 points to erase $1000 off. It’s not an optimal value, but it’s there.

Read the full review of the Capital One Venture X.

Chase Sapphire Reserve

This card is fantastic for many of the same reasons as the Capital One Venture X, but the card carries a higher $550 annual fee, which requires a bit more work each year to justify keeping.

With that said, it can be totally worth it, and with new airport spaces such as the Sapphire Terrace at Austin International Airport opening, good things appear on the way.

Chase now offers 10X points earning for hotel and car rental purchases made at Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel, as well as 5X on flights. In that sense, the two cards are very similar. The card currently only offers a 60,000 point welcome, but that can change for the better, and often does!

1:1 Travel Transfer Partners

Chase also has an impressive stable of 1:1 transfer partners, where points can be converted into miles with a variety of top airlines, including Emirates, United, Virgin Atlantic and more.

They can also be converted into hotel points 1:1 with the World of Hyatt program, which is a significant win for cardholders to unlock great value.

Better Than 1 Cent Per Point On Travel & Mystery Categories

A key feature of the Chase Sapphire Reserve which makes up for other features where the Capital One Venture X clearly has a leg up, is that Chase offers better value toward cash back, when used on select categories.

With Capital One Venture X, you get 1 cent per point of value on travel, but with the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you get 1.5 cents per point of value.

This means 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points are worth $1,500 when used toward travel, rather than $1,000, like Capital One. Making matters even more unique, Chase rotates a variety of categories in, which also benefit from the higher cash back rate, often including dining or home improvements.

So yeah, if you had a $150 grocery bill, you could wipe it off your card account with 10,000 points when dining is part of the enhanced ‘Pay Yourself Back’ offers. Charity donations also currently could for the 50% bonus. Nice touch!

Double Threat Rewards Credit Cards: The Key To Earn & Burn

People who said they’d never use Chase, Amex, Citi or Capital One Points for cash back before the pandemic, have since used points for cash back. Much has changed, and it always feels good to unlock fun things with points.

By earning with incredibly rewarding cards with the largest multipliers, you’re always getting a top return on your buck, but with these double threat cards you’re also able to use rewards to fit any evolving needs.

If you’re looking to stay on top of the points game during a pandemic, now you know.

The post The Best Credit Card Rewards Strategy Right Now appeared first on God Save The Points.

Queen Bey officially announced her Renaissance World Tour earlier this week. And Beyhive fans around the world are anxiously awaiting for tickets to go on sale, as Renaissance is Beyoncé’s first worldwide concert series since 2018’s On The Run II tour with her husband Jay-Z.

Similar to Taylor Swift’s presale late last year with Capital One, Beyoncé has partnered with Citi to give its personal credit and debit cardholders exclusive, early access to her tour presale. And if we learned anything from the cluster that was the TSwift presale, then it’s likely that tickets will be EXTREMELY hard to come by for Beyoncé.

There are a few presale ticket options for Bey’s upcoming tour, but if you’re a Citi cardholder, you could get access to purchase tickets for the US concerts even earlier than anyone else through Citi Entertainment. Of note, tickets to the general public won’t even be going on sale until late February.

Here’s How to Register for Beyoncé’s Presale

After completing Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan process, which is now open for registration, existing and new Citi credit and debit cardholders may have the opportunity to access the Citi ticket presale.

So how does Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan work?

• First, you’ll need to register for Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour powered by Verified Fan. Registering does NOT guarantee you will be verified, receive the required passcode, or have the ability to purchase tickets.
• If you’re lucky enough to be invited to the sale, you’ll receive an access code the night before the Citi presale inviting you to shop for tickets.
• Find and purchase tickets with a valid Citi personal credit card or Citibank debit card.

The purchase of Citi presale tickets will be executed in the following three waves:

• Registration for Group A of the Citi presale powered by Verified Fan in Chicago, East Rutherford, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Houston will go through Thursday, Feb. 2 at 11:59 PM EST.
  • If you receive a Verified Fan access code, the Citi presale begins for these markets on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 10 a.m. local time through Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 6 p.m. local time.
• Registration for Group B of the Citi presale powered by Verified Fan in Minneapolis, Boston, Tampa, Miami, San Francisco, Seattle and Dallas will go through Thursday, Feb. 9 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
  • If you receive a Verified Fan access code, the Citi presale begins for these markets on Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 10 a.m. local time through Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 6 p.m. local time.
• Registration for Group C of the Citi presale powered by Verified Fan in Philadelphia, Nashville, Louisville, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Charlotte, St. Louis, Glendale, Kansas City and New Orleans will go through Thursday, Feb. 16 at 11:59 PM EST.
  • If you receive a Verified Fan access code, the Citi presale begins for these markets on Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 10 a.m. local time through Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 6 p.m. local time.

Of note, there is a limit of four tickets per Verified Fan code.

I personally signed up for a Verified Fan account for the Tampa Beyoncé presale, and in my confirmation (pictured above and below), I found it interesting that Ticketmaster is pretty upfront that the “lottery-style process” is a crap shoot for even getting access to the Citi presale. Given that the Taylor Swift Capital One presale was a disaster, and since it even sparked a congressional investigation, it looks like Ticketmaster is taking some lessons learned in order to avoid another catastrophe.

Which Citi Cards Will Get You Access to Beyoncé’s Presale?

All Citi personal credit and debit cardholders are eligible to sign up for the Beyoncé ticket presale. Sadly, Citi cardholders with small-business debit and credit cards are not eligible for the presale.

Popular personal Citi travel rewards cards, such as the Citi Premier card and the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard are all eligible for the Beyoncé presale.

In addition, popular Citi personal cashback cards like the Citi Double Cash, Citi Custom Cash, Citi Rewards+, Citi Simplicity and Citi Diamond Preferred — all cards with no annual fee — are also all eligible for the Beyoncé presale.

A Value-Add from Citi

It is great to see creative sponsorships for compelling events like this in the ever-evolving and highly competitive credit card marketplace. The leg up that this gives to fans, and the fact that the presale is open to all Citi personal credit and debit cardholders, is a testament to the many benefits that having the right card in your wallet can bring.

If you do not currently have a Citi credit or debit card, there still is time to apply for one and gain access to Beyoncé presale tickets. That’s because for certain Citi rewards cards you can receive a virtual card number instantly after application approval.

Overall, this is a great opportunity to see 28-time GRAMMY winner Beyoncé during her highly anticipated tour Renaissance Tour, and we hope some GSTP readers get to take advantage and score some tickets!

The post Here’s How Your Citi Card Can Get You Beyoncé Presale Tickets Before Anyone Else appeared first on God Save The Points.

Delta just made a power move that makes having a Delta American Express Card more valuable today than it was yesterday. For cardholders, it’s a “lose nothing, gain a great discount” day.

Delta and itsSkyMiles program has gained major love for its travel perks within the actual flying experience, but of late, the SkyMiles currency hasn’t always been a part of that love. Some unflattering terms such as “SkyPesos” have been coined to reflect what often felt like exorbitant pricing using points, compared to other airlines.

Despite this, the SkyMiles program has continues to grow and Delta remains one of the most loved airlines — so make of that what you will. Now, with the introduction of a new 15% discount on SkyMiles prices for Delta Amex cardmembers, there’s no sign of that changing any time soon.

Miles are more valuable and loyalty has its perks. It’s a major win for cardmembers, without a doubt.

Delta’s New 15% SkyMiles Discount

Effective immediately — and permanently, those who hold a Delta SkyMiles American Express Gold, Platinum or Reserve co-branded credit card will receive a 15% discount on the price in SkyMiles when they redeem for award travel.

Basically, if Delta wants 140,000 SkyMiles one way for a business class flight to Europe, Delta Amex cardmembers holding one of these co-branded credit cards will enjoy 15% off the points price.

That price may still be significantly higher than what other points programs charge for comparable flights, but that’s another story for another day. Delta and SkyMiles just launched limited time card offers with bonuses upward of 90,000 SkyMiles to celebrate the news.

Delta Discount On Award Travel: How It Works

The new “Takeoff 15” benefit from American Express and Delta kicks in automatically. Anyone with a Delta Skymiles Amex Gold, Platinum or Reserve Card searching in the Fly Delta App, or on Delta.com will see the benefit and discount reflected in the pricing automatically.

One key piece to note is that the discount does not apply to any partner flights, such as those on Virgin Atlantic, Air France or KLM, nor does the discount apply to thinks like taxes, fees or surcharges. Just the points price in SkyMiles, but that’s still great.

Delta Pushes Loyalty For Discounts

Delta has been aggressive with SkyMiles prices in recent years to say the least. Now, it’s offering a way out for those willing to show loyalty. It all makes plenty of business sense.

Elite loyalty program members and co-branded cardholders make up a significant share of airline profits, and increasing stickiness with these customers by offering an exclusive discount is a brilliant way to do so.

If you want the most out of your airline miles these days, expect to pledge some loyalty to get there, either with your spending or your flying.

The post If You Have A Delta Amex Card, Today Is A Good Day! appeared first on God Save The Points.

The premium travel card wars continue to heat up! And it’s no surprise that we keep hearing about new credit card issuer airport lounges, given the ongoing, strong consumer demand for premium travel experiences.

According to a post today from View From the Wing, based on City of Austin permit records, it looks like plans are in the works to open a new Chase Sapphire Lounge at the Austin airport.

That’s in addition to news that broke yesterday from Thrifty Traveler, which said that the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport Board will vote to approve or deny a lease agreement for a new Chase Sapphire Lounge at its meeting tomorrow on Thursday, Feb. 2.

We reached out to Chase to confirm the Austin and Dallas news, but we’re still waiting to learn more. In the meantime, its no wonder that Chase continues to bolster its efforts to take on the popular American Express Centurion Lounges, as well as Capital One, which also recently dipped its toe into the world of airport lounges.

Here’s What We Know About Chase Sapphire Airport Lounges So Far

Chase has opened, or is expected to open, Sapphire Lounge locations at the following 10 airports:

• Austin (AUS) – location TBD (according to construction permit details published online on 2/1/23)
• Boston (BOS) – lounge will be located between Terminals B and C
• Dallas (DFW) – Terminal D (pending DFW Airport Board approval on 2/2/23)
• Hong Kong (HKG) – Near Gate 40 in Terminal 1 *Now Open*
• Las Vegas (LAS) – C Concourse
• New York LaGuardia (LGA) – Terminal B
• Philadelphia (PHL) – Terminal D/E connector
• Phoenix (PHX) – Terminal 4
• San Diego (SAN) – Terminal 2
• Washington, D.C.-Dulles (IAD) – Concourse A

Chase is building out its Sapphire Lounge network in partnership with Airport Dimensions, which is part of the same company behind “The Club” family of lounges and Priority Pass. However, Chase plans to offer more premium amenities than those that you will find in a typical Priority Pass or “The Club” lounge, such as elevated food and beverage options, showers, wellness facilities, dedicated spaces for both business travelers and families, and more.

Who Can Access Chase Sapphire Lounges?

Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders will have complimentary access to all Sapphire Lounges.

What’s interesting though is that Chase Sapphire Lounges will also be accessible for ALL Priority Pass members. This means that anyone with a Priority Pass membership — even if it’s through a rival premium travel card like the Capital One Venture X or American Express Platinum — will have access to these lounges.

Strangely, Sapphire Reserve cardmembers won’t gain entrance to the lounge with their credit card alone. They will have to activate their Priority Pass membership, as a benefit of their card, and then show their Priority Pass card at check in.

Unfortunately, at this time, it looks like those with the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card won’t get access to this lounge network.

Final Verdict

As mentioned above, the new Chase Sapphire Lounges will face some pretty stiff competition from Amex and Capital One when they launch in the US. It goes without saying, but American Express has long been the undisputed king of credit card airport lounges. Amex not only has a broad and ever-growing list of Centurion Lounges, but it also has connections with major, premium travel and F&B brands, which clearly solidifies its position as the top credit card issuer in the airport lounge game.

And now, Capital One has set the bar even higher for Chase, since its first-ever lounge — which opened in Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) in 2021 — has been a smashing success. On top of that, Capital One has two more airport lounges slated to debut this year in both Denver (DEN) and Washington Dulles (IAD), and Capital One also won a bid to open a lounge in Las Vegas (LAS). In addition, Capital One plans to debut its innovative, airport-lounge-dining concept called Capital One Landing (in partnership with the José Andrés Group) in both Washington Reagan (DCA) and at New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA).

All of that being said, it’s no surprise to see Chase continue to add new lounges to its network, especially in cities where there are large concentrations of their premium travel card customer base. And overall, we’re thrilled here at GSTP to see Chase get into the airport lounge game and we’re eagerly awaiting the US debut.

One thing we’re going to keep our eye out for though is overcrowding in these lounges. Given how many people will have access, since the spaces will be open to all Priority Pass members, only time will tell as to how overcrowding will affect the allure of these locations once they go live.

What do you think about Chase’s new Sapphire Lounges? Drop us a comment below and share your thoughts!

The post Yeehaw! Chase Sapphire Airport Lounges Expanding To Dallas and Austin appeared first on God Save The Points.

I’ve been to a fair share of lounges where “180” is the operating principle.

By that, I mean I walk in, see a horribly crowded space, do a 180° turn and head back to the airport terminal, where a seat at an airport bar, or just an empty gate area might actually be preferable. Amex is making a big change in future lounge access policy to stop that from happening in Centurion Lounges, but not everyone will be happy.

When Amex brought worldly standards to US airport lounges with its Centurion Lounge concept, the premium credit card brand never quite expected just how much uptake would come from the offering, or how much extra space would be needed to accommodate not only Platinum and Centurion cardmembers, but their guests.

The only thing better than complimentary mixology level cocktails and champagne is sharing it with someone, right?

Now, as of February 1st, 2023 guest access has officially been cut for some, but not all cardmembers. Depending on your dynamics, it might be a blessing or a curse. Being a credit card company, there’s also a way to spend your way out of the issue too.

New Amex Centurion Lounge Policy

Amex expanded Centurion Lounges into new cities across the United States and international gateways in recent years, but space inside those lounges has remained an issue. It’s why Amex chose to double, or even triple the size of various lounges such as Seattle and San Francisco recently.

Reports surfaced in 2022 of significant changes, which have since been confirmed on the Centurion Lounge websites. Now, they’re also live, with the February 1st, 2023 date for official policy change.

Specifically, Amex will allow Centurion Lounge access to primary and all additional Platinum and Centurion cardholders as usual, but will institute new guest fee policies for some Amex Platinum Card members. Access for Centurion (Black Card) holders will remain unchanged, as well as those with Corporate Platinum Cards, but not business Platinum Cards.

Here’s who won’t be charged extra for Centurion Lounge guest access…

• Centurion Card (Amex Black Card) holders.
• Corporate Platinum Card holders.
• Platinum Card members who spend more than $75,000 on the card annually.
• Platinum Card members guesting in authorized users with their own Platinum.

If none of those apply to you, such as being in the camp of someone who spends under $75,000 a year on the Platinum Card and doesn’t have any authorized users, you’ll be charged $50 per guest.

Amex allows all Platinum Card holders to add up to 3 additional cardholders to their account at a cost of $175 total, so adding 3 frequent travel companions would cost under $60 a person for the year for access. That’s better than paying $50 a visit, for sure.

For people who don’t travel with guests, or only travel with guests who are already additional cardmembers on their account, or carry the Platinum card on their own, this is a very positive change. There should be some success to curbing crowding issues with this implementation starting today.

Centurion Lounges should genuinely be less crowded as a result. Less crowd, better experience.

If, however, guesting people into these airport spaces has been a big part of the card value for you, this perk being reduced is something not everyone will appreciate. The choice would be to add people as authorized users (and perhaps sock drawer their cards if they can’t be trusted to carry the card) or encourage others to sign up.

It’s worth noting that Amex seems to be cooking up interesting additional airport space agreements for the Centurion Card, popularly known as ‘Amex Black Card’, including PS @ LAX access. It’s beyond stunning.

Amex also seems closer to launching a long rumored new card in between Platinum at $550 a year and Centurion at $5000 a year, but only time will tell if that ever comes to fruition. If you hate these changes, the good news is you’ve got ways around them with fair and easy ways to add access, and of course, healthy competition from other cards.

If you love these changes, they’re now live — so let’s see how it goes.

The post Explained: New Amex Centurion Airport Lounge Access Rules Are Live! appeared first on God Save The Points.

As first reported by Doctor of Credit this morning, Capital One today soft launched its own answer to Amex’s Fine Hotels and Resort Collection and Chase’s Luxury Hotel and Resort Collection. GSTP reached out to the issuer for clarification, and a Capital One spokesperson confirmed that all Venture X cardholders can now make reservations via its new Premier Collection on Capital One Travel.

Exclusively bookable for Venture X cardholders, Capital One’s Premier Collection includes a selection of luxury hotels and resorts, each “hand-picked for exceptional quality.” A few examples of the hotels that can be booked via Capital One’s Premier Collection include: 

• The Ned NoMad, New York City
• COMO Cocoa Island, Maldives
• Montage Laguna Beach, California 
• 1 Hotels South Beach, Florida
• La Réserve Paris Hotel and Spa, Paris
• COMO Castello Del Nero, Italy
• Sugar Beach, a Viceroy Resort, St. Lucia 
• Euphoria Retreat,Greece
• Hotel Cafe Royal, London
• Majestic Hotel,Barcelona
• The Carlin Hotel,New Zealand
• The Plettenberg, South Africa

Integrated into Capital One Travel, Venture X cardholders earn 10X miles per dollar on Premier Collection bookings. In addition to the 10X earn, Venture X cardholders will receive the following benefits when booking through the new Premier Collection: 

• A $100 USD experience credit (or the local equivalent) to use on dining, spa, and other activities during their stay
• Daily breakfast for two
• Complimentary Wifi
• Additional premium benefits – when available – such as early check-in, late checkout, a room upgrade, and more

In order to book Premier Collection hotels and resorts, Venture X cardholders will need to log into their account and access the Capital One Travel portal. Once on the Capital One Travel site, Venture X cardholders will have the ability to search for Premier Collection properties, in addition to the standard flight, hotel and rental car inventory already bookable via Capital One Travel. 

Capital One isn’t debuting anything groundbreaking or innovative here, as its Premier Collection is pretty much a copycat of American Express’s Fine Hotels and Resorts Program (bookable for Amex Platinum cardholders) and Chase’s Luxury Hotel and Resort Collection (bookable for Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders). 

Capital One’s Premier Collection benefits are on par with Chase’s LHRC product and both programs offer basically the same perks. However, compared to American Express’s FHR program, the Capital One Premier Collection is behind the curve, as it isn’t guaranteeing late 4 PM checkout like Amex does. 

In addition, with Capital One being brand new to the space, its Premier Collection does not offer the same quantity of properties as Amex FHR and Chase LHRC. Amex’s FHR program offers Platinum cardholders the ability to book at 1,300+ properties worldwide, while Chase’s LHRC program gives Sapphire Reserve cardholders the choice to book at 1,000+ hotels and resorts globally. In comparison, Capital One currently only has “hundreds” of properties bookable via its Premier Collection for Venture X customers.  

Now, I am sure it is Capital One’s intention to launch this new feature to customers, so that they can book and enjoy the properties that Capital One has already have onboarded to the program. And I am also sure that it is Capital One’s intent – in order to better compete with Amex Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve – to add more and more hotels and resorts to the Premier Collection over time. We asked Capital One for more info on this, and a spokesperson told us, “This is just the beginning – we look forward to growing the collection in a thoughtful way that opens the door to new experiences and destinations for our customers.” 

All of that being said, Venture X is still the perfect premium travel card for most people out there. It’s also great to see that Capital One keeps adding more perks to Venture X, without taking anything away or raising the annual fee.

Only time will tell how Capital One will bolster the Premier Collection offering compared to its established competitors in the space, but overall, we’re happy to see additional, premium travel benefits launch for Venture X customers.

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The UK and card bonuses are like middling professional sports teams. They’re in the league, but basically no one cares. That’s a normal day, but today isn’t a normal day.

In an exciting move, the British Airways Amex Premium Card is offering a record setting bonus of 70,000 points as a welcome, which bundled with recent card changes makes it more desirable than ever.

It quite literally has never gotten better than that, so if you’re in the UK and are looking for a great kickstarter to get into the points game, or a top up, this is a great card with a record bonus.

British Airways Premium Plus 70K Offer

In the United States, we typically don’t get out of bed for airline card bonuses under 100,000 points, but in the UK — anything over 30,000 points is dubbed extraordinary.

With a bonus of 70,000 Avios, this is quite literally the most extraordinary UK BA Amex offer to date. And with a companion voucher that’s now far more valuable thanks to the recent British Airways reward flight pricing changes, it’s even better.

Changes to the companion voucher last year also make it attractive for solo travelers too, since it can be equally effective for one person.

The card carries a £250 annual fee, but considering you should be able to save a ton of Avios by using it when a companion voucher is triggered, the annual fee should always be more than justified. For example, on a New York trip, it’ll save me 160,000 Avios on the second passenger, which I personally value at over £2000 of value in the year.

With the lower surcharges of just £350 per person round trip to many destinations in Club World, it’s an even simpler equation. If you’re not earning a companion voucher each year with £10,000 in spend it may still be worth it for the big 70,000 Avios bonus alone.

Quick Recap: British Airways Avios Changes

British Airways recently massively decreased the cash surcharge portion for reward flights booked using Avios. That came with an increase in the Avios price for flights, but its far easier to earn more Avios — particularly with bonuses like this — than to just up a salary.

Someone grabbing the British Airways Premium Plus card and spending £10,000 to trigger a companion voucher would now pay £700 round trip in taxes for two people and 160,000 Avios total to New York in business class, compared to typically 120,000 points and over £1600 total for two previously.

Solo travelers are able to use the voucher to halve the Avios needed for one and would be able to book a trip like London to New York in business class for £700 and 80,000 points round trip.

Who Can Get The Card?

The rules are pretty simple. You can get this card and most importantly the bonus, if the following applies to you.

“I understand I will not be eligible for any Welcome Bonus award if I hold or have held any personal British Airways American Express Cards in the past 24 months.”

American Express

In GSTP’s opinion, this is a great time to get a family member or travel companion involved if you’re not personally eligible. Fortunately, Mrs. GSTP was and just locked in the best bonus ever on this card.

The direct link to apply for the card can be found here. We get nothing from this.

The post Stunning 70,000 Point British Airways Amex UK Offer appeared first on God Save The Points.

With the new year comes a decision for many credit card enthusiasts, as to which cards will retain spots in their wallet.

I personally like to do a little inventory to determine how much value and use I have gotten from each of my cards, since many of them have annual fees. 

Chase Sapphire Reserve has been the travel rewards card that I have had in my wallet the longest. But with Amex Platinum continuing to add more benefits and more Centurion lounges, and with the launch of the Capital One Venture X, I decided to take a more granular look at my usage and the value I got back last year from my CSR.

At a $550 annual fee, I decided to really crunch the numbers, and one benefit in particular stood out to me as something that no other card offers – and it’s a benefit that I use weekly and get a ton of value out of… Instacart.

It surprised me when I realized that my favorite and most used benefit on one of the top travel rewards cards was a grocery delivery service. And it’s one of the main reasons why I have decided to renew my Chase Sapphire Reserve in 2023.

Why I love Instacart+

I signed up for the one-year free Instacart+ membership (which costs $99 per year) with my Chase Sapphire Reserve when the benefit launched back in June 2022. I live in a smaller city in Florida where Walmart+, Amazon Fresh and Shipt are not really options for me. On the other hand, Instacart+ offers delivery and pickup for me at a variety of retailers in my town: Publix, Fresh Market, Aldi, Sprouts, ABC Fine Wine and Spirits, Petco and many more.  

So far, I have placed 35 Instacart orders, I have saved 50 hours of shopping at stores (according to my Instacart stats year-end-review recap), and I have saved $120 in fees.

I personally was one of those people who loved going to the grocery store. I enjoyed strolling the aisles for the best deals, picking out the freshest produce, chit chatting with friends I ran into, etc. But I have to say, you can’t put a price tag on convenience and on saving time – especially in this day and age! – and Instacart+ has saved me so much time and hassle over the past 6 months.

The app experience is easy and seamless, delivery and pickup have always been a breeze, and I have never had an issue with the quality of the fresh produce, meat, bakery items or cheese that I have ordered.

There is nothing better than having neatly packaged, fresh groceries delivered right to your door, or pulling into a pickup spot and having your car quickly loaded up for you. It sure beats running around the store to grab what you need, waiting in lines, loading the car yourself, and then making your way home. 

I am clearly a big Instacart fangirl, and I love all of the perks that come with this CSR benefit. Instacart+ membership includes the following: Unlimited free delivery on orders $35+, 5% back on pickup orders, a free family account and more.

To make my Instacart+ membership work that much harder for me, I typically pick up my order to get the 5% back. While having your groceries delivered is super convenient, saving 5% on my order and not having to tip the delivery driver makes this my go-to option.

I simply schedule my order for pickup within the timeframe that I know that I will be running errands near where the store is. Then I pull up, get my car loaded for me, and off I go. I have been in and out with my order in as little as 3 minutes, but it has never taken me longer than 10 minutes.

Chase Cards That Offer Instacart Perks

Not only does Chase offer complimentary Instacart+ memberships (worth $99 per year) for numerous cardholders, but they’re now also offering Instacart statement credits on a monthly or quarterly basis depending on which card you have:

Chase Sapphire Reserve: 

• Cardholders receive 1 year of complimentary Instacart+ (must be activated by July 31, 2024). 
• $15 in monthly statement credits (through July 2024). 

Chase Sapphire Preferred: 

• Cardholders receive 6 months of complimentary Instacart+ (must be activated by July 31, 2024). 
• $15 in quarterly statement credits (through July 2024).  

Chase Freedom Flex, Freedom Unlimited and Freedom Student card

• Cardholders receive 3 months of complimentary Instacart+ (must be activated by July 31, 2024). 
• $10 in quarterly statement credits (through July 2024).  

To enroll for Instacart+, eligible Chase cardholders simply need to sign up via the promotional link by July 31, 2024. If you already have an Instacart+ membership, you can still enroll at the promotional link, and then enter your Sapphire or Freedom account number to link your Instacart account to your Chase card and receive the above benefits.

Final Verdict

You can’t put a price on ease and convenience in this day and age, and Chase’s Instacart benefit has become my favorite and most used benefit out of all of my credit cards! Plus, it’s always nice when card issuers add unique perks like this, without taking anything else away.

If you haven’t already signed up for Chase’s free Instacart+ membership, then give it a try, as you’re also missing out on monthly/quarterly Instacart statement credits that can help you offset your annual fee. Check out the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card.

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