For the last thirteen years, every December break my family and I pack up and head down to a different Caribbean island. Our flights and hotels are always paid for using points and miles. For December 2012 we chose Curacao…

Redemptions – Believe it or not, we’ve used American Airlines to get us to our Caribbean destination of choice on miles each and every year. Being from New York, there’s always either a direct flight from JFK or a connection via Miami. This year we secured our seats on LGA-MIA-CUR-MIA-JFK flights in economy for 35,000 AAdvantage miles per person. For the hotel, our choices were the Hilton Curacao or the Curacao Marriott Beach Resort. After reading tons of traveler reviews, we decided on the Marriott which was more recently renovated and seemed to have a nicer beach and pool. I had enough points for one room at the standard category 6 rate and the rest of my family signed up for the Chase Marriott Rewards Premier card to cover the other room. The rooms were 30,000 points per night but we got our 5th night free, making the rooms 24,000 Marriott Rewards points per night. We also stayed a 6th night and paid an additional 30,000 points for that night. I should mention that the hotel only had the standard room rate available on random days throughout Christmas week. I took a shot in the wind and booked all the available standard reward nights and then called in-house reservations and asked if they could book the missing dates. I was told that it was Christmas week so it would be difficult, but it was not a flat out rejection as the rooms were still available for sale. They told me they had a Marriott Rewards waiting list and would email me if any standard rooms opened up. Sure enough, not even a week later they emailed me to inform me that both rooms were now booked for all six nights at the standard rates. The rooms available at the lowest level were resort view rooms.

The Flights – Traveling during holiday time we’ve had our share of “interesting” flight crews, however this year everyone was actually really merry. Upon boarding at LGA we were greeted by a flight attendant with reindeer ears and later passed another in a Santa hat. In fact, all the flight attendants had some sort of holiday flair incorporated with their uniforms. The trend continued on our MIA-CUR leg as well.

The flight itself on the 757 was uneventful with standard service. Using my AAdvantage lifetime elite Gold status I reserved exit row Main Cabin Extra seats for the entire family. The flight attendants came around shortly after takeoff for drink and buy-on-board service and then we didn’t really see them for the remainder of the flight…unless we headed to the back galley to use the bathrooms. That’s fine, we expected as much and brought our own breakfast on board. I also requested a full can of club soda and a water so that I’d be set for the flight.  There was an overhead movie being played on both flights, though I opted to catch up on a few TV shows that were downloaded on my laptop (the MacBook Air can last for the full 5 hours but our row had the standard outlets as well). We ended up landing early in both Miami and Curacao.

The Hotel -At the time of the trip, I had no paid Marriott stays in 2012 and was only a silver elite. Luckily, The Weekly Flyer reminded me that Marriott was running their platinum challenge with an immediate platinum status match. I called from the airport in Miami and was told the update would reflect the next day. However, the customer service agent also placed me on hold while she called the hotel to inform them of our updated status. She came back to tell me that the hotel had already upgraded us to partial ocean-view rooms.  Upon arrival at the hotel, check-in was fast and our rooms were ready even though it was prior to the official 3pm check-in time. For our platinum amenity we were allowed to choose two of the following or 500 points: a bottle of wine, cheese & cracker platter, fruit platter, or Haagen-Dazs ice cream (vanilla, chocolate, cookies & cream). Additionally, we were also given a password for free wifi for the entirety of our stay (the only real benefit of Platinum status at this resort).

The Room – The Marriott has resort view, garden view, ocean view, beachfront, and suites room types. Our awards were for resort view rooms, though we were upgraded to partial ocean-view / garden view rooms. All rooms have balconies or terraces with a table and two chairs. The bathroom looks like a typical Marriott bathroom while the room itself was adequate. There was nothing fantastic or horrible about the room, though another renovation might be in store for the room soon…

The pool and beach are definitely the best part of the resort and they were great…

The Beach – Before arriving, we had concerns that the beach was rocky and that it would be difficult to actually get into the water. While the areas to the extreme left and right of the hotel did have quite a number of rocks, it was easy to enter the water most everywhere else. There were a few small shells and rocks but they are smooth from the constant tide. We didn’t have any problems getting in and enjoying the water, though we definitely avoided entering at the hotel’s extremes. There’s also a volleyball court, a beach bar, and ample chaise lounges. Unlike most of the other resorts we’ve been to during Xmas week, you did not need to get up at 6am to reserve chairs. An umbrella is a different story though and my mom was up bright and early to secure one. You can easily walk from the Marriott to the Hilton along the beach and you’ll see why we choose the Marriott. The Hilton has nice views above the beach, but besides a staircase leading almost directly into the water, you’ll be watching the water from the concrete overlook. As nice as the Marriott beach was, we spent most of our days exploring the beaches all over the island. See the bottom of this post for our favorite locations.

The pool area was the most recently renovated and it showed. There are great views of the ocean from the pool and you can even order food and drinks at the swim-up bar. It too was crowded, though we never had any problems with chairs.

Food – Being a platinum member did not include complimentary breakfast, leaving us with the choice of an overpriced hotel breakfast or a few quick (and less expensive) options at the on-site deli. We went with the deli option each morning, stopping on our way out to the rental car.  The deli had apples, bananas, muffins, croissants, yogurt parfaits, egg sandwiches, fruit cups, and cereals. There was also coffee, tea, juices, and waters for purchase as well. Tip – if you are heading to a beach without any facilities, pick up some sandwiches and large waters (and maybe some beers) so that you’ll be set for the day (they have ice and coolers too).

Nightlife – There isn’t much of it! The hotel has a casino but on the night we went inside to take a look, there were at most five people there. There’s also a lounge but it too has a small crowd. We expect as much in the Caribbean (when not in Aruba or Puerto Rico) and so we made our dinner reservations for 830pm each night. Feel free to email me for a list of our favorite Curacao restaurants. We had some excellent meals and several of them had incredible views as well. Which brings me to the only problem we had with the hotel, there was a problem with our confirmed dinner reservations EVERY single night. I normally email the hotel about a month in advance with a list of restaurants and requested dinner times. The concierge then checks what times are available and sends back an email of confirmed times and locations. This year, the concierge somehow got the time wrong three of the nights, compeltly got the date wrong on another, and swapped dinner locations on the two other nights. Luckily we were in Curacao and everyone at the restaurants was extremely accommodating and happy to help. You’ll also want to watch out for the forced special Christmas menus on Xmas Eve, Xmas, Boxing Day, and the day after Boxing Day!

We did make use of our free wine and cheese / fruit platters…

Our Favorite Off-Property Beaches - Forget about your rocky beach concerns,we experienced some of our favorite and most picturesque Caribbean beaches in Curacao. Sure there are rocks and coral as you enter, but the water and scenery is incredible (it’s also easy to find a path that’s rock free). Additionally, the coral makes for some great snorkeling right off the beaches. All of these beaches had great sand and calm warm water. We used a rental car (use the Enterprise agency at the Marriott which is cheaper than the Budget at the Hilton and book in advance if possible) to get to Groot Knip Baai, Playa Kenepa Grandi, Playa Cas Abou – Bon-Bini Beach, and Playa PortoMari. Driving was easy and Google Maps did a great job with navigation.

…legacy KLM asia 747 aircraft being used on the CUR-AMS route

Overall, we had another great and relaxing family trip and our only real costs were food/drinks and a rental car (thanks to our AA miles and Marriott points). The people on the island were extremely friendly and the beaches were beautiful.  I’d recommend a trip down to Curacao if you haven’t visited, though you’ll need to use AA/BA miles or points from an American redemption partner if you plan to fly from the US (unless you want to connect in BOG or CCS). Using UA/US miles, Air Canada operates a flight from Toronto. Additionally, if flying from Europe, KLM has a direct flight from Amsterdam.

Brian S. sent me the following email this morning:

Hi Adam, I wanted to let you know that when I logged into my Marriott Rewards account this morning I saw the following message up top  – “Congratulations, you have received Gold Elite status for 2013“. However, I only had 23 nights in 2012 with no rollover nights and I do not have a Marriott Rewards Chase card. This is actually the 3rd year in a row that I’ve been short nights but somehow maintained my gold status, I have not qualified since 2010. 

Brian was nice enough to provide me with his account statement and I verified that he truly has only 23 qualifying nights in 2012, 0 rollover nights from 2011, and no associated Marriott Rewards Chase card. I then talked to Brian to see if he worked for a large corporation that perhaps had a special deal for their employees with Marriott. Nope, he started his own business several years ago and he does not have lifetime status. Hmm, this got me curious so I checked with some of my colleagues to see if anyone else had been comp’d gold status. Of 27 Marriott Rewards members who had at least Gold status in 2012 but did not hit the collective requirement for 2013, three received the message that they too achieved Gold Elite status for 2013. I checked their balances, all three have Marriott Rewards Premier Chase cards, but their stays + rollover nights + 15 night Chase credits still don’t bring them close to the 50 night requirement. I’m trying to figure out what they all have in common besides working for the same company and will report back if I find anything. Any ideas??

Westin is offering 1,000 bonus miles when you stay at any property by March 31, 2013. The link brings you to a Delta SkyMiles 1k offer (http://www.starwoodpromos.com/westin-delta/), but I’ve tried substituting Delta for other airlines and found that US Airways works as well. American and United do not.

Similarly, Marriott is offering 1,000 bonus miles for stays from November 15, 2012 through February 15, 2013 at JW Marriott, Renaissance Hotels, Marriott Hotels & Resorts or Gaylord Hotels booked by January 15, 2013. The link is for Delta (http://joinmarriottrewards.com/delta), though you can substitute US Airways as well. Again, American and United do not seem to work. The promotion is intended for NEW Marriott Rewards members, however there is a section for current members and I successfully registered for the promotion. YMMV

Remember to also register for the Q1 Starwood, Marriott, Club Carlson, and Hilton promos.

Registration is now live for Q1 promos being offered by Starwood Preferred Guest and Club Carlson programs, plus catch up on the previously announced Hilton Double Points/Miles and Marriott MegaBonus promos:

SPG Power Up
Earn 2,000 bonus Starpoints after every four eligible nights, up to a maximum of 8,000 bonus Starpoints after 16 eligible nights. Earn an additional 10,000 bonus Starpoints once you’ve stayed 20 eligible nights. You can earn a maximum of 18,000 total bonus Starpoints for eligible nights from January 15, 2013 through April 15, 2013 and you must register for the promotion by February 28, 2013 midnight ET. Bonus Starpoints will post to the registered member’s account within 2–4 weeks after the qualifying stay posts that includes the 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th and 20th eligible night. Bonus Starpoints will be awarded after the complete stay posts, regardless of when the qualifying nights within a given stay occur. An eligible night is a night at any of the over 1,100 SPG-participating hotels and resorts paying an eligible rate during the promotion period. Nights do not have to be consecutive and can be accumulated across multiple stays. An eligible rate is any rate that is eligible to earn Starpoints in the Starwood Preferred Guest program. Certain prepaid rooms where the booking is made through a third party (including but not limited to travelocity.com, expedia.com and orbitz.com) are not eligible rates and do not earn Starpoints or qualify toward promotional earnings.

Club Carlson Triple Points
Earn triple points on all hotel stays and food and beverages charged to your room after completing the registration form and completing an eligible stay between January 8 and March 15, 2013 at any of the more than 1,000 Carlson Rezidor hotels worldwide. To be eligible to earn 40 Gold Points per U.S. Dollar spent (“Bonus Points”) in addition to the standard 20 Gold Points per U.S. Dollar spent, members must register online for the Promotion, provide their Club Carlson number at the time of reservation or at check-in, and pay for a stay on a Gold Point eligible rate at participating Radisson Blu, Radisson, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson, Park Inn by Radisson and Park Plaza hotels worldwide beginning on or after January 8, 2013, and completed by March 15, 2013 (“Eligible Stays”). Bonus and standard Points are awarded based on the amount spent during an Eligible Stay on the room rate(s) and eligible food and beverage charged to your room, exclusives of any taxes, levies, charges and fees. Members only need to register once before March 15, 2013, but registration must be received in advance of the Eligible Stay or before checkout to qualify. Only one Club Carlson member account will be credited for each Eligible Stay.

Remember, Club Carlson & Avis are also running a 7.500 Gold Points promo that’s good all year long!

• Now through December 31, 2013, Club Carlson members can earn 7,500 total Gold Points on qualifying rentals of 3 days or more at participating locations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
• Use coupon # MUHA018 and present your Club Carlson number at the time of reservation or at the rental counter to earn your bonus points.

Previously announced Hilton & Marriott Promos:

Hilton Q1 Double Points or Double Miles Promo
Earn Double Points or Double Miles on your next trip when you stay at participating hotels and resorts in the Hilton HHonors portfolio from January 7 through March 31, 2013.

Marriott MegaBonus Q1 Promo
Earn up to 3 free nights with MegaBonus when you stay at any participating Marriott hotel worldwide. To earn your free nights:

• Register online or call 888-MARRIOTT (627-7468) by March 15, 2013
• Stay twice at any participating hotel between February 1 and April 30, 2013
• Earn 1 free night after every second paid stay, up to 3 free nights

Your free nights are ONLY GOOD at category 1 – 4 hotels.

Every year during xmas week my family and I take an annual trip to the Caribbean using only miles and points, it’s a tradition that started over ten years ago. We switch islands every year and have almost run out of those islands where there is a major hotel chain allowing us to redeem hotel awards.  This year we are off to Curacao and staying at the Marriott. For all the travel I had this year, I stayed at NO Marriott hotels at all. My stays have been mostly at SPG and Hyatt properties with a few Hilton nights thrown in as well. Hence, I only have Silver Marriott Elite status as do my family members (from their Chase Marriott Rewards cards). I’m not too upset as most Marriott Resorts are not required (and don’t) provide breakfast as a Gold/Platinum benefit and the Curacao Marriott has no club lounge anyway. However, as we are booked for the standard garden room, it would have been nice to have a chance at an ocean view room and free wifi (though it’s free in the lobby area). I did email reservations with a request for ocean view rooms, but without status and it being xmas week and all, I don’t have much hope for an upgrade. Could I have moved some of my travel over to Marriott the last few months, probably but I just didn’t feel it was worth it for the few benefits. Crazily, this will be my first hotel stay all year at a property where I do not have middle or top tier status…I know the travesty haha!!  I’ll be updating the blog with our results.

Speaking of travesty , we are flying AA on coach awards (NYC-MIA-CUR), meaning no upgrades!

Anyway, I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable week.  I’ll be sporadically posting and some of the Easy Points entries will appear throughout the week for any readers who may have missed out on some very easy points opportunities.

Update – As the The Weekly Flyer reminded me and posted about earlier in the week Marriott is still running their platinum challenge with immediate platinum status. The Frequent Miler also posted about his platinum challenge earlier in the week. I’ll be calling from Miami to request the match prior to arriving in Curacao.  Hoping for the best!

Update - Got very lucky.  Asked for the challenge during the layover in Miami and was told it would reflect at midnight MST. I notified the hotel but they had already upgraded us with just our silver status and a fully sold out hotel!  At 11pm EST, the status is already showing as Platinum!

Each winter my family and I redeem some AA miles and head down to the Caribbean to experience another island.  The problem is that after almost ten years of these trips, we are running out of new islands that actually have chain hotels where we can redeem our points.  One of the final islands with major properties that we have not yet visited is Curacao.  I booked one room using my Marriott Reward points, but our additional room is being booked with my parent’s yet to be received points from Chase (after signing up for the Marriott Rewards Premier Visa). I had completely forgotten that you can actually hold a reward with Marriott while having less points than required for the award (or zero points in our case), until I signed into my father’s account.  After searching for award availability, I received the following message “Please note that some of the rewards listed below exceed your point balance.  You may reserve these rooms, but you will need to earn or purchase additional points prior to check-in to redeem these hotel rewards.” Wow, I can’t believe I completely forgot about this great feature as I’ve moved almost all of my business over to Starwood and Hyatt.  There was only one award room still available for our selected dates so this feature was extremely valuable (especially since I didn’t have enough Marriott Rewards points to cover their room and I wasn’t thrilled with the prospect of  moving over some UR points).  Nice to have in your travel planning pocket…

Today, I finally received an email from Marriott formally announcing the go-live of their cash & points option.  The option has been available on their website for a few months but this is the first official announcement:

Marriott Rewards is now offering you a new way to book your stay online. With Cash + Points, you can combine redemption nights and cash nights within a single reservation of two or more nights. Plus, you’ll still earn points and Elite night credits for your nights paid with cash. With Cash + Points you can extend a business trip with a few days of fun or use just a portion of your points to book a vacation at 3,600+ hotels worldwide. No matter how you mix things up, we’ll help you find the perfect combination. 

Full details here and look for analysis on the Marriott Cash & Points valuations this weekend.

Several blog readers became familiar with TopCashBack as a result of the Club Carlson promotions this summer, where the site was offering 10% cash back (thanks to FrequentMiler) on the total bill for all Radisson bookings. The offer for Radisson hotels is unfortunately back down to 5%, but did you know that TopCashBack has an extensive list of other hotel and travel partners, including some of the largest chains – Starwood, Marriott, and IHG? I had never really taken a detailed look at the other vendors but there are some real surprises from luxury to low-cost brands both domestically and abroad:

Cash Back Rates
Accor Hotels – 8%
IHG (Intercontinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn) – 6%
Hotels.com 5.5%
BookHotelRooms.com 6%
Starwood Hotels 3%
Choice Hotels 5%
Occidental Hotels 6%
Wyndham 3%
Preferred Hotel Group 3%
Riu Hotels 1%
Radisson 5%
Preferred Hotel Group 3%
Melia Hotels 7%
Expedia (2% Hotels & Car Rentals, 2.75% Vacations, $2.25 flights)
Priceline (3% on Hotels, Vacations, Cruises, and Car Rentals, $5 on flights)
Mercure / Ibis / Novotel – 8%
Sofitel – 8%
Best Western – 5%
Ramada – 3%
Marriott (2.1% Marriott & Renaissance, 3.5% Courtyard, 2.2% Residence Inn, 4.5% Fairfield Inn, 3.9% SpringHill Suites, 3% Autograph Collection, 2.3% TownePlace, 3% AC Hotels)
Baymont – 3%
Studio 6 – 4.5%
CheapOair.com – ($15 hotel, $25 vacation, $8 flights, $5 car)
Fairmont – 5%
Hojo – 3%

The best part about using TopCashBack is that you can still earn an online booking bonus and full points for stays! Since  TopCashBack simply forwards you on to the hotel’s own website, the hotel essentially treats the booking the same as any other booked directly on their website.  In my experience it normally takes about two-three weeks to see any cash back activity post to your account, though sometimes it can take longer.  I just received a posting for 3% back on a Le Meridien stay in mid July. If you travel for business and can book your own hotel, this is a nice extra bonus on those long stays!

TopCashBack also allows you to earn $5 when you refer a friend, once that friend earns at least $10 cash back.  The links in this post include my referral information but please feel free to sign up and post your own referral link in the comments section and we can start a referral conga-line.

UPDATE – Check the comments section for a 16% IHG cashback opportunity courtesy of dealswelike & Gee.  Also, check the comments if you are more interested in receiving Ultimate Rewards points for your bookings courtesy of Grant.

Hotel Check-in, has an article this morning discussing the sale of the Essex House hotel (currently the Jumeirah Essex House) to Strategic Hoetls, who has selected Marriott to run the property as a JW Marriott. Believe it or not, this will be the first JW Marriott in Manhattan.  The property is located directly across from Central Park and actually was a Marriott from 1969-1985. Full details available at Hotel Check-in.

An interesting  history of the Essex House can be found here.

Update 7/23 – Up to 140,000 Ultimate Rewards points with the addition of the Ink Plus, see full details below or 150,000 points with the Ink Plus and Freedom card.

I finally received both of my cards in the mail last week and I’m very excited to get working on the sign-up bonuses!  The Sapphire card is pretty awesome, it feels heavier than the average credit card and is completely blank on the front besides your name…it’s no AMEX Black but as close as I can get right now.

If you are new to the Chase Ink Bold, Ink Plus, or Sapphire Preferred Cards, here is why I signed up and the great perks that come with each:

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Visa Signature Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred has been my go to card for travel and restaurant purchases since I first obtained it almost two years ago. The card earns 2 points per dollar spent on travel (taxis, train, etc. are all included) as well as when dining at restaurants and the points are super valuable with 1:1 transfers to several airlines and hotels, including United Airlines. I absolutely love the card and Ultimate Rewards.  If I’m not using the SPG cards above, I’m using this card. All customer service calls are answered by actual human beings and you’ll never be greeted by an automated system.  The current offer is 40,000 points upon spending $3000 in the first three months.  Card members receive: 1 point for ever $1, 2 points per $1 on dining and travel (air, hotel, cruises, rental cards, trains, and taxis), no foreign transaction fees, and first year free.  1 to 1 point transfers are offered with United (Star Alliance), Southwest, British Airways (Oneworld), Korean Air (SkyTeam), Ritz Carlton, Marriott, Hyatt, Priority Club, and Amtrak.  Additionally, there is a 7% annual point dividend on all points earned, which means the sign up bonus is actually worth over 40,000 points! The 40,000+ points can go a long way depending on which redemption partner you choose.  For example, see where you can go with the 40k on United including any of their Star Alliance (Lufthansa, Singapore, Swiss, Thai, etc.) partners.  More impressive, look where 100-150k can take you, if you sign up for the Sapphire and a Bold (continuing reading below) you are set in BUSINESS CLASS to Europe or Asia or can get two coach tickets!  32.5 coach each way to Hong Kong or 60k each way in business, 40k coach each way to Johannesburg or 60k each way in business, or 40K coach each way to Sydney, Australia or 67.5k each way in business. After the first year there is an annual fee of $95, however you are free to cancel at the end of the year and you will be able to keep all earned points (just remember to move them to another UR account).  The card also includes some great warranty and purchase protection benefits. Check out a full write-up on the benefits of the card as well as how to up your bonus here.  You can apply for the card here. Also, remember that Chase generally matches all publicly available offers for up to 90 days after signing up, meaning that if a better offer comes along with a lower spending requirement or a higher bonus you can ask to be matched.

• 40,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months- that’s $500 toward travel rewards!
• 2 points per dollar spent on travel and dining at restaurants & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases
• Get 20% off airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises when you redeem through Ultimate Rewards^SM
• No foreign transaction fees
• Receive a 7% Annual Points Dividend on all new points earned on purchases – even on points already redeemed
• 1:1 point transfer to leading frequent travel programs – that means 1,000 Ultimate Rewards points equal 1,000 partner miles/points
• Direct access to expert service advisors anytime
• Introductory Annual Fee of $0 the first year, then $95

Chase Ink Bold®  Business Card

I applied for this card on the same day as the Sapphire Preferred card above.  They both earn Ultimate Rewards points which can be combined.  This is a business card but don’t let the title fool you, individuals can apply as well(eBay selling, a hobby, or side business qualify…see the bottom of this page for further details).  The card is currently awarding 50,000 points for new applicants, combined with the 40k for the Sapphire Preferred you’ll have close to 100k Ultimate Rewards points. You’ll receive 50k points after $5000 spend in the first three months and get 5 points for every $1 spent at office supply stores, on cell phone and land-line bills, internet, and cable tv services, 2 points for every $1 on gas and hotel charges, 1 point on all other purchases, and no foreign transaction fees. The card also comes with complimentary lounge access via the LOUNGE CLUB. The annual fee is waived for the first year and is $95 thereafter.  All points are yours even if you choose to cancel after the first year. Like the Sapphire card above, benefits include 1 to 1 point transfers with United, Southwest, British Airways, Korean Air, Ritz Carlton, Marriott, Hyatt, Priority Club, and Amtrak. Check out a full write-up on the benefits of the card as well as how to up your bonus here. You can apply for the card here.   **You should consider applying for this card and the Sapphire card on the same day, which will likely result in only one credit pull instead of two.**  See this post for additional details on how to apply as well as the numbers to call for reconsideration.  Remember, when combined with the Sapphire Preferred offer above this is essentially 100k Ultimate Rewards points.  100k points is enough for 4 domestic coach tickets, a business class ticket to Europe, or a coach ticket to Africa, Asia, or Australia.  Alternatively, these can be redeemed for several Hyatt, Marriott, or Priority club hotel nights.

• Earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months from account opening
• No interest charges because it’s a pay in full charge card
• Earn up to 5X points per dollar on eligible business purchases, and points do not expire
• Transfer points at full value to participating travel programs.
• Direct access to a live service advisor anytime.
• Introductory Offer – First Year Free ($95 thereafter)

The offers aren’t as sweet as they once were but if you can meet the spending requirements they are great ways to get a free ticket on United,  BA, Southwest, Marriott, or Hyatt points.  Remember, it makes the most sense to apply on the same day in order to minimize credit pulls.  The Bold is a business card (sole proprietorships are fine) and the Sapphire card is a personal card.  If you do apply for both, you’ll most likely receive an automated rejection for at least one of them.  Don’t worry, all you need to do is call the reconsideration line at 1-800-453-9719 and explain that the reason you applied for both cards is that the Bold will be used exclusively for your business purchases and that the Sapphire is for personal use.  Otherwise, you can wait 30 days in between and apply separately.

Did you know that with these points you could fly business class on the Emirates A380 with a transfer to Korean Air? See how here.

What about a hotel stay in Phuket, Thailand? See how here or other ideas for flights and Hyatt stays here.

UPDATE – NOW THE CHASE Ink Plus and Freedom card will further add to your Ultimate Rewards balance…

Chase Ink Plus®  Business Card 

Chase has released the Ink Plus Business card which is the credit card edition of the Ink Bold (which is a charge card). Remember, a credit card allows you to pay part of your bill each month while a charge card requires you to pay your balance in full.  The most exciting part of the new card announcement is that the Ink Plus is considered a separate product from the Ink Bold, which means you can obtain both bonuses (in addition to the Sapphire bonus).  All terms and conditions are the same as the Ink Bold above and you’ll receive 50k points after $5000 spend in the first three months.  You can apply for the Ink Plus card here. Again, see the bottom of this page for details as to why you have a business without even knowing it. With the Sapphire Preferred (40K), Ink Bold (50K) and the Ink Plus (50K), you’ll have 140k Ultimate Rewards points in no time. Once you meet the minimum spend, you’ll essentially have enough points for a first class ticket to Europe, Africa, Asia or Australia on some of the nicest airlines in the world.

• Reward yourself with 50,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months from account opening
• With Ink Plus, you have the cash flow flexibility with the choice to pay over time or pay in full
• Earn 5X points per $1 on the first $50,000 spent annually at office supply stores, and on cellular phone, landline, internet, and cable TV services
• Earn 2X points per $1 on the first $50,000 spent annually at gas stations and for hotel accommodations when purchased directly with the hotel
• No foreign transaction fees
• Free employee cards
• 1:1 point transfer to participating travel programs with no transfer fees
• Get 20% off travel redemptions when booked through Ultimate Rewards.

Chase Freedom Visa (a very necessary companion card if you already have a Sapphire Preferred or Ink Bold/Ink Plus card)

These cards award $100 cash back (which coverts to 10,000 Ultimate Rewards points) after $500 in spend in the first three months and has no annual fee. However, the real reason to get these cards is the ability to earn 5% cash back (or 5x Ultimate Rewards points) on rotating categories each quarter.  Previous quarters have included grocery stores, drug stores, movie theaters, gas stations, and restaurants, and the current quarter is 5% cash back on up to $1,500 spent between Apr 1 and Jun 30, 2013 at restaurants, movie theaters, and Lowe’s®. That means if you effectively use your Chase cards you should earn more than one point per dollar on the majority of your purchases (5x points on rotating categories with the Freedom MasterCard or Visa, 5x points on office supplies, phone, and internet bills with the Ink Bold or Ink Plus, 2x points on gas with the Ink Bold or Ink Plus, and 2x points on travel and restaurants with the Sapphire Preferred). I exclusively use these cards to earn the 5x points on the quarterly categories up to $1500 and then revert back to my other cards. Learn more about combining points from the Sapphire, Bold, and Freedom cards here. If you sign up for the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Ink Bold, Chase Ink Plus, and Chase Freedom, you’ll have 150,000 Ultimate Rewards points without even including any of the required spend or bonus categories! Several readers have asked whether they can have a Visa and Mastercard, the answer is yes! You’ll then have 2 x 5% rotating categories every quarter, though you will have register each card separately for the quarterly bonus categories. If asked why you need both, some of your favorite stores only accept MasterCard while others only accept Visa.

• Earn $100 Bonus Cash Back after you make $500 in purchases in your first 3 months from account opening
• 0% Intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers
• 5% Cash Back on up to $1,500 spent between Apr 1 and Jun 30, 2013 at restaurants, movie theaters, and Lowe’s®
• You’ll enjoy new 5% categories every 3 months like gas stations, restaurants and Amazon.com. It’s free and easy to activate your bonus each quarter!
• Unlimited 1% Cash Back on all other purchases
• No annual fee and rewards never expire

Questions about any of these? Feel free to email me at adam@pointmetotheplane.com

Ultimate Rewards Partners with a 1 to 1 transfer using the points from Sapphire Preferred or Ink Bold: