Flying for Fitness

Photo credit: OMAAT After over a year, the day has finally come as Alaska Airlines officially joined the Oneworld alliance today, connecting them with 14 global airlines flying to 1,000+ destinations.  Alaska Air has always had one of the most generous award charts, and coming Summer 2021, Alaska will release their award redemption rates for Oneworld partner flights.  As a reminder, Alaska Air elites will be afforded the following Oneworld benefits: Although Oneworld doesn't have quite the extensive global network afforded by Star Alliance and Skyteam, their top tier Emerald status is hands down the best airline alliance elite status with first class lounge access.  Many questions still remain though, such as which non-Oneworld partnerships, like Singapore Airlines and Korean Airlines, that Alaska Air may lose, and whether or not we'll see increase in award redemption rates for their existing "pre-Oneworld entry" partners (e.g. American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and J...

Chase has increased the Sapphire Preferred sign-up bonus to the highest ever 80,000 Ultimate Rewards (UR) points after spending $4,000 within the first 3 months.  The usual sign-up bonus is 60k, so this is a remarkable increase.  In addition, Chase has increased their flagship Reserve card's sign-up bonus from the usual 50k to 60k UR after spending $4,000 within the first 3 months. Sapphire Preferred vs Reserve You can only have one Chase Sapphire card at a time, meaning that you can only choose one or the other.  Let's take a look at the differences between the two cards. Sapphire Preferred 2x on dining and travel $50 grocery credit (one time) Transfer points 1:1 to loyalty programs or redeem for 1.25 cents each for travel purchases $60 Peloton credit (one time) 1-year Doordash Dashpass membership $95 annual fee Sapphire Reserve 3x on dining and travel $300 annual travel credit (includes grocery and gas purchases through 12/31/2021) Transfer points 1:1 to loyalty progr...

As if getting a free COVID-19 vaccine to avoid catching the negative effects of the virus wasn't enticing enough, Krispy Kreme will be offering 1 free Original Glazed Doughnut daily to those who present a vaccination card with at least their first shot.  There are no strings attached, and no other purchase is required.  Starting today through the end of the calendar year, any individual with a vaccination card can walk into any of Krispy Kreme's 369 shops nationwide to get one free doughnut per day.  Per their statement: Krispy Kreme is finding ways to be sweet as the U.S. continues to scale COVID-19 vaccinations. To show our support for those who choose to get vaccinated, starting Monday, 3/22, anyone who shows their COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card will receive a free Original Glazed® doughnut. Now do keep in mind that eating a doughnut a day is a sure way for gaining weight in the form of fat and a pathway to diabetes.  Doughnuts are deep-fried and high in satura...

As there are many underprivileged individuals who may have difficulty getting to COVID-19 vaccine sites, Lyft is running a "Fund a Ride" program to support equal access to vaccinations.  Partners including Hilton and Delta Air Lines have also opted in, offering 2,000 Hilton Honors points and 250 Delta SkyMiles to those who donate a minimum of $5 to fund a Lyft ride through May 31, 2021 and have their loyalty accounts linked to their Lyft account.  In addition, Chase has announced that all their Sapphire, Freedom, and Ink business cards will be earning 10x Ultimate Rewards (UR) through Lyft's Fund a Ride program.  So for a $5+ donation, you get the following: 2,000 Hilton Honors points 250 Delta SkyMiles 10x UR I value Hilton points at 0.4 cents each and Delta miles at a penny a piece, so you're looking at roughly $10.50 in points/miles value just for donating $5 to a worthy cause.  And of course, you could and probably should donate more than just the minimum $5, es...

Chase has announced the Q2 (2nd quarter) 5x bonus categories for their Freedom Flex and old Freedom legacy cards: home improvement stores and gas stations.  Q2 runs from April 1 through June 30, and the bonus spending is capped at $1,500 for the quarter per card.  So if you have both the Freedom Flex and the old Freedom, then you'd be capped at a total of $3,000 in spending.  Registration is required, and open through June 14. Activation link As more of us continue to work from home, gas station spending is definitely not one of the bigger categories that we'll be spending at.  Home Improvement stores such as Home Depot and Lowe's may come in handy from time to time, but I wouldn't classify it as a frequent spending category for most of us like grocery stores, restaurants, and PayPal.  One way to max out on Q2's categories is 3rd party gift card purchases at 7-Eleven stores, which are coded as gas stations.  Home Depot and Lowe's also sell a vast array of ...

The U.S. Mint will be releasing a couple of American Eagle 2021 gold coins tomorrow at 9:00 am PST, and the PFS Buyers Club will be paying $200 and $100 guaranteed commissions for purchasing the coins on their behalf.  You may also be able to sell the coins on your own on the secondary market for a higher profit, though this isn't guaranteed.  This is a great opportunity for reselling/commission profit, as well as manufacturing credit card spend and points/miles. American Eagle Gold Coins to buy The  American Eagle 2021 Gold Proof Four-Coin Set will be selling for $4,410.00 plus $4.95 shipping for a total of $4,414.95.  PFS will pay you $4,615.00 for each Four-Coin Set - for a profit of $200.05 per order. The American Eagle 2021 One Ounce Gold Coin will be selling for $2,375.00 plus $4.95 shipping for a total $2,379.95.  PFS will pay you $2,480.00 for each One Ounce Gold Eagle coin - for a profit of $100.05 per order. Resell to PFS for commission In order to b...

The popular negative cost Visa gift card deal has returned to Office Depot/Max in-store, where you get $15 off for purchasing $300 in Visa gift cards.  Office Depot typically sells Visa gift cards up to $200, so you would need to buy at least two Visa gift cards in order to be eligible for this offer.  $200 Visa gift cards have $6.95 processing fees, and $100 gift cards have $5.95 processing fees.  But in terms of generating credit card points, you're most likely best off purchasing two (2) $200 gift cards with your Chase Ink Cash/Plus for 5x Ultimate Rewards (UR): $200 + $6.95 x2 = 413.90 -$15 discount = $398.90 $398.90 x5 UR = 1,995 UR So for $398.90, you'd get $400 worth of Visa gift cards plus 1,995 UR.  UR are worth 1.5 cents each at the bare minimum, so you'd be looking at $30 in additional points value from the purchase. Key Terms Expires March 13, 2021. Limit 1 per customer. Offer valid in-store only. Best ways to redeem Visa gift cards Visa gift cards are ac...