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Mar
News and notes from around the interweb:
- Club Carlson will give you 1000 points for liking them on Facebook. You can even earn the points if you’ve liked them in the past. (HT: Lucky)
- The Southwest Airlines® Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card 50,000 point signup bonus offer (after $2000 spend within 3 months) is back.
Lots of folks get very excited by this offer, and combined with signing up for a business version of the card you nearly reach earning a companion pass on credit card signup bonuses alone. The points are worth up to $835 in travel, so ‘worth it.’
Many readers will benefit from the offer, but I won’t be getting it myself. I haven’t set foot on a Southwest aircraft since 1993. I do receive referral credit, though, if you’re approved for the card when applying through my link.
- From March 3 through March 9, Staples will be offering a $15 prepaid card via EasyRebate for purchase of a Visa prepaid card valued at $150 or more. Limit one per household. I’ll definitely be walking over to my local Staples, earning 5 points per dollar on a gift card, and make money while doing. Sad you can only earn this once. (HT: Frequent Miler)
iahphx said,
Twenty years without a WN flight? Wow! How is that possible?
With high status in all 3 of the global alliances, I rarely set foot on WN these days. A couple of years ago, I did fly them occasionally — when they offered a fare significantly lower than “the majors.” I even had a companion pass through one of those screwy transfer deals (I recall that it involved CO miles to Amtrak to Choice to WN). These days, however, WN’s business model has changed (largely because their costs have risen), and they’re rarely cheaper than the competition. Which means there’s little reason to fly them for me — or get their credit card. And I suspect there are many frequent flyers who are in the same boat as me on this one.
Peter said,
Even if you don’t fly Southwest, those points can be redeemed for gift cards at 1 point/cent, so the two cards combined give you about $800-900 worth of gift card (after you factor in the annual fee). That’s better than most other offers currently available.
Peter said,
In response to iahplx, I fly Southwest all the time now, precisely because they are consistently less expensive. Occasionally there will be a JetBlue or Frontier flight that prices out lower, but that’s the exception and not the rule. Perhaps they just don’t price out well on the routes you fly regularly?
Ha said,
Sorry for the stupid question. So to get the $15 Visa GC, do I have to fill out my household address and it will be shipped to me later? Or will I get it right away at the store after I bought $200 Visa GC?
Gary72 said,
Are the Premier cards different from the Signature cards that I have had(and cancelled) in the past?
Sandman said,
I also fly Southwest, and agree with Peter that they are generally least expensive. This is even more true if you have a bag or two. But probably my biggest motivation for booking with Southwest is their cancellation policy. It’s just so nice to be able to book and not worry about changing plans or if the price drops. That alone is worth a ton.
Richard said,
I have to spend $5,000.00 on my new Chase Ink Visa–will I get 25,000 points + 5,000 for the spend if I purchase a $5,000 Visa gift card? I can also get $500.00 free groceries if I purchase a Shaw’s grocery card for $5,000.00—I hope you younger folks can tell me what the better deal is here. Thanks very much.
Robert Hanson said,
Since you can only do this with one gift card, I’m wondering what the max amount is that you can put on that card. Anyone know?
Carl P said,
I got an email today that also said you get “3,000 bonus points for eligible stays booked through our Facebook page”. This may amount to the same as the CC Concierge 3,000 booking bonus, but I’m not sure. If so, that’s a 2,000 gain for a lot of people.
Personally I’m not big on FB.
mike said,
Your link for the Southwest card is not working. Just fyi
iahphx said,
Yes, if you check a bag or (especially) two, WN will be cheaper. And if you regularly change your plans and need a refund, WN will also be cheaper. Otherwise, in most cases, I don’t think WN is likely to be cheaper.
Gary said,
@mike fixed it sorry about that!
Harvey Mechanic said,
The maximum amount is $500 (and only one per household listed on Staples site). I have purchased these often and the highest I have seen from any issuer is $500 and that is confirmed with a Google search (no one reporting anything higher). http://goo.gl/Nm0qW
Robert Hanson said,
@Harvey Mechanic Thank You !
Craig said,
Maybe I’m missing something, but, if the offer is “one per household”, why can’t I buy one GC using my home address and another using my office address?
Re the earlier question, as I understand it from the ad, the $15 GC is offered through Staples “Easy Rebate” program. I use it all of the time, and it is, indeed, very easy.
Can you order Visa GCs through Staples online?
My local Staples has a very limited supply of Visa GCs, and I have never seen one there above $200. My guess is that I will have to buy 2 $100 GCs, which will still have me coming out slightly ahead. Anything more than that, and it will start costing me money (as card fees will exceed the $15)
Craig said,
Sorry — just answered one of my own questions!
I went to Staples website and they ARE available online, but the highest denomination I saw was $100. It cost $6.95 — $5.95 + $1 s/h — so I’m hoping my local store will have them for $5.95.
UAPhil said,
In addition to WN’s “non-refundable, with no change fee” policy on revenue bookings, their Rapid Rewards points bookings are truly refundable. I am a UA million miler, and enjoy premium cabin international travel, but I also value WN’s flexibility for domestic itineraries (where my plans are frequently subject to change). (I got the Companion Pass for 2013 mostly through credit card bonuses and spend – that makes 100,000 RR points worth over $3200.)
Craig said,
Quick update re Staples:
– largest denomination at my local store were $200 GCs for $6.95. They also had $100 GCs for $5.95.
– bought 2 $200 GCs + 2 reams of paper (which also carry a 100% rebate)on my Chase Ink card, and received an Easy Rebate form for the $15 Visa GC (which more than covers the $13.90 in charges)
– I went back later and got 2 of the remaining $200 GCs (they were almost out), using a different card so that I could hit the minimum spend on it. I did NOT use my Staples Rewards # on the 2nd purchase, and I plan to use a different name/address to see if I can actually score a second $15 GC. Even if it doesn’t work, I figure I only “wasted” $12.80 (the 13.90 in charges less the 1.10 difference from prior purchase), but at least my minimum spend is now done on that card.
Good luck to anyone else — I would offer to update, but I won’t have any substantive info until long after the deal is dead.
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