Hey, Noobs! It hasn’t been the most news-filled couple of weeks, but here’s a roundup of the latest happenings in the rewards credit card space.
100% IHG Buying Bonus
You can a receive a bonus of up to 100% when you by IHG points until September 22, 2014 (ends today).
IHG 100% Buy Promo
From the IHG landing page:
You may purchase points in 1,000 increments:
1,000 – 10,000 points for $13.50 per 1,000 points
11,000 – 25,000 points for $12.50 per 1,000 points
26,000 – 60,000 points for $11.50 per 1,000 points
I’m not a huge fan of buying points unless you’re topping of an account for an upcoming redemption, but buying IHG points can be very lucrative if you’re taking advantage of the 5,000 per night Pointbreaks hotels. Buying points also means you wouldn’t have to transfer over valuable Ultimate Rewards points, which are better to save for other travel partner transfers.
$14.99 Houston to San Francisco
Today only, you can book a one-way flight from Houston to San Francisco for just $14.99 on Frontier Airlines!
Frontier Houston to San Francisco
This is obviously a great deal if you can purchase today and the dates work for you. Frontier might not be your airline of choice, but it definitely makes sense in this case.
Southwest Rebrands
Southwest has a new look, and it’s about time.
New Southwest Branding
There’s a lot of talk about “heart” with the Southwest rebranding. “Heart sets us apart.” I agree that their customer service is great, and that most Southwest customers are loyalists. However, I have more of a love/hate relationship with Southwest. Just give me a darn seat number and don’t make me pay for early bird boarding!
The Southwest website also got a facelift, and on first glance, it’s a big improvement. What do you think about the new look?
Southwest new website
Marriott Asks for Tips
Marriott recently rolled out some new envelopes for their guests. I’m all for tipping the staff at hotels, but it seems like Marriott wants you to pay their staff so they don’t have to. Thoughts?
Marriott Tip Envelopes
Changes to Bluebird
A couple of days ago, I received an email from American Express and Bluebird about some changes.
Bluebird and American Express Changes
I’m always on alert when there’s Bluebird news, since I use it to earn points on my mortgage payment and other bills. Not to worry, though. The three updates aren’t really even newsworthy. They are:
out of network ATM fees go from $2 to $2.50
users now get free ATM withdraws from MoneyPass ATMs
new ATM withdraw limits are now $750 a day, up from $400.
New Expedia Rewards Cards
Citi and Expedia have launched a couple new rewards card offers.
New Expedia and Citi rewards cards
It’s always good to see new offers, but unfortunately the Expedia rewards program isn’t the most valuable. And the sign-up bonuses on these cards aren’t reason enough to apply. That said, if you’re already a fan of the Expedia rewards program, these cards might be a good fit for you. I’ll be passing, though.
3,000 Bonus Club Carlson Points
From September 8 to November 16, 2014, you can earn 3,000 bonus Gold Points for each hotel stay booked through the Club Carlson mobile app. Maybe through a new iPhone…
Club Carlson App Bonus
It’s worth nothing that bookings must be for revenue stays (boo). This is obviously an incentive for Club Carlson users to get familiar with the the CC app. Mobile bookings are the future!
Subscribe to the Noob Traveler email list to stay up to date on the sickest deals. Or use my RSS Feed.
— Geoff Whitmore