[Amex offer] [YMMV] Virgin Atlantic 10k MR for $500+ spent by 10/31/17

It surely looks like American express is pushing out a bunch of travel related offers recently. Unfortunately, this one looks targeted so hopefully you are selected.

detail:

get 10k MR for flight origin from US and booked through Virgin Atlantic directly by 10/31/17

Conclusion:

This is at least 20% off ($100 off $500) for airfare; too bad I don't currently plan on going to Europe right now but who knows, maybe we'll discover some cheap tickets soon!


Full Terms:

ENROLLMENT/ELIGIBLE CARDS: Enrollment limited. Must add offer to Card and use same Card to redeem. Only U.S.-issued American Express® Cards that are enrolled in the Membership Rewards® program at the time of purchase are eligible. Your enrollment of an eligible American Express Card for this offer extends only to that Card. Your enrollment does not extend to any other Cards that may be linked to the same Membership Rewards program account (such as Additional Cards). Offer is non-transferable. ELIGIBLE PURCHASES: Offer valid for purchases made directly with Virgin Atlantic through US website, US mobile app, or through US reservation hotline Flights must originate in the U.S., including U.S. territories. Purchases must be in USD to qualify. Excludes purchases in-person at Virgin Atlantic local sales offices, terminals, club houses, and on-board flights. Excludes Virgin Atlantic Cargo, Virgin Vacations, hotel bookings, car rental reservations, corporate bookings, group travel, and all bookings through partner, third party, or affiliate sites linked with/from virginatlantic.com. Excludes Virgin Gift Card, purchases of Flying Club miles, purchases on retailtherapyshopping.com, foreign currency exchange services, and ground transportation services. Purchases may fall outside of the offer period in some cases due to a delay in merchants submitting transactions to us or if the purchase date differs from the date you made the transaction (for example, the purchase date for online orders may be the shipping date). If American Express does not receive information that identifies your transaction as qualifying for the offer, you will not receive the additional points. For example, your transaction will not qualify if it is not made directly with the merchant. In addition, in most cases, you may not receive the additional Membership Rewards points if your transaction is made with an electronic wallet or through a third party. EARNING POINTS: Limit 1 enrolled Card per American Express Card online account and limit of 10,000 additional Membership Rewards points per Card. These additional points are in addition to any points you would normally receive for purchases on your Card under the terms of your Card Member Agreement and the Membership Rewards program. When we calculate the additional points benefit for Amex EveryDay® Card products, points awarded under this offer will not be included. Additional points will be credited to your Program account within 90 days after 10/31/2017, provided that American Express receives information from the merchant about your qualifying purchase. Terms and conditions for the Membership Rewards program apply. Visit membershiprewards.com/terms or call 1-800-AXP EARN (297-3276) for more information. Participating partners and available rewards are subject to change without notice. The value of Membership Rewards points varies according to how you choose to use them. To learn more, go to www.membershiprewards.com/pointsinfo. By adding an offer to a Card, you agree that American Express may send you communications about the offer. Bonus ID: B3KG POID: CHO0:0001

[amex offer] tweet #amexhilton for $50 off $250 and possible double dip

Amex offers just released a pretty interesting offer.

 Tweet #amexhilton to get $50 off $250 on Hilton hotel stays.

That along is pretty good (20% off and loadable via twitter); but what makes it interesting is that it stack with another offer (YMMV on this one) that offers 3500 MR points for all Hilton properties. Now you can kill two birds with one stone. Go to your Amex app and hopefully you're lucky enough to double dip.

Full T&C below:

Hilton Hotels & Resorts
Offer Valid 8/30/17 - 10/30/17

Enrollment is limited. Offer only valid at properties in the US and U.S. Territories. Reservations must be made online at hiltonhotels.com, via the Hilton Honors App or by calling 1-800-445-8667. Excludes Waldorf Astoria™ Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts™, Canopy by Hilton™, Curio - A Collection by Hilton™, DoubleTree by Hilton™, Tapestry Collection by Hilton™, Embassy Suites by Hilton™, Hampton by Hilton™, Hilton Garden Inn®, Tru by Hilton™, Homewood Suites by Hilton™, Home2 Suites by Hilton™ and Hilton Grand Vacations™. After redeeming this offer, you will receive an email with details about an additional offer from Embassy Suites by Hilton, which your same Card will be automatically enrolled in. Offer does not apply to advance purchase rates, including Advance Purchase, Save Now & Pay and Non-refundable rates. Offer only valid on room rate and room charges. Offer not valid for stays that are paid for before or after the promotion start and end dates. Excludes gift card purchases. Corporate Cards are not eligible for this offer. Offer is non-transferable.

Get a one-time $50 statement credit and unlock a new offer by using your connected Card to spend $250+ on room rate and room charges at Hilton Hotels & Resorts from 8/30/17 to 10/30/17. Tweet using #AmexHilton to add this offer to your connected American Express® Card. This offer does not require a coupon at the point of sale - so once you’ve received a confirmation response message from our Twitter handle @AmexOffers that the offer has been added, just shop with your connected Card to redeem!

[Amex offer] new (perhaps easier) way to grab Amex offer from FB messenger

Yesterday I received an email from Amex about the possibility to grab Amex offers (among other things) using their new Facebook bots. I tried it out a bit and figure I'll share my experience with you.

Here is the Q&A from Amex website

Set up:

set up is actually pretty straight forward, I just click on the link, sign on to messenger, which asked me to agree to T&C and then log into my account to link the card. But if you didn't get the email, here is the instruction from Amex

1. Download the Messenger app on your mobile device and type “AmericanExpressUS” into the Messenger search bar to locate the Amex bot.

2. Select the Amex bot and click the “Get Started” button beneath the greeting message in the Amex bot conversation to initiate the Card connection process. 

3. Tap “Log in” and enter your American Express online account User ID and Password. Please know that your American Express User ID and Password are not visible to or shared with Facebook. If you have more than one eligible Card, your primary Card will be the default selection. You can always change the Card by clicking "Change" at the top of the screen. Please know that during this step, you may be presented the option to add your Card and billing information to Facebook so you can make purchases while on Facebook. To learn how to “Add your Card” to Facebook see FAQ, “I want to add my Card to my Facebook account to make purchases on Facebook. How can I do that?”

4. Review the Terms and then tap “Agree” to agree to the Terms and connect your Card to the Amex bot and start receiving messages.

 

Use:

Using Facebook to load Amex offer is nothing new, in fact, it was introduced soon after the twitter sync rolls out and even before syncing with tripadvisor. It's just unfortunate that it just doesn't produce as many great offers as twitter. This time around, as it turns out, it appears to be a much better designed interface which actually has a lot of potential such as customer service or concierge. After playing with it for a while, I believe this bot does has some potential.

Offers:

After a quick look, perhaps it's just me, but the offers seems to be identical to the ones I can find on the account service web page, which kind of defeats the main purpose I use the feature. After all, I can already load offers from the Amex app on my phone; and as of the customer service aspect, it can already be done via twitter. That being said, I do recognize the potential here so hopefully there will be unique offers in the future and opens up the possibility of managing/loading offers to multiple cards.

Conclusion

It's great that Amex shows they are not completely abandoning the Amex offers on Facebook platform and they did roll out a decent upgrade to match existing capability in twitter. However, to get mass popularity, eventually Amex needs to provide unique offers like what they did on twitter.

[amex offer] tweet #amexsurlatable for $10 off $50

American Express just released a pretty good offer

Just tweet #amexsurlatable and spend $50 or above with your synced Amex card before 10/22/17.

Full T&C below:

Offer Terms & Conditions

Sur La Table
Offer Valid 8/22/17 - 10/22/17

Valid in-store and online. Excludes Nespresso Boutiques/Coffee Shops in Sur La Table stores and online cooking classes. Offer not valid on Wine Club purchases.

Get a one-time $10 statement credit by using your connected Card to spend a minimum of $50+ in one or more transactions in-store at Sur La Table or online at surlatable.com by 10/22/17. Tweet using #AmexSurLaTable to add this offer to your connected American Express® Card. This offer does not require a coupon at the point of sale - so once you’ve received a confirmation response message from our Twitter handle @AmexOffers that the offer has been added, just shop with your connected Card to redeem!
Tweet
Offer Terms:


To be eligible to receive the statement credit:

(i) you must have an American Express Card that is connected with Twitter (see sync.americanexpress.com/twitter for more details on how to connect your Card)
(ii) you must tweet using #AmexSurLaTable
(iii) you must receive a response message from @AmexOffers stating that this offer has been added to your connected Card AND
(iv) you must use your connected Card to spend a minimum of $50+ in one or more transactions in-store at Sur La Table or online at surlatable.com by 10/22/17.

You must receive a confirmation response from @AmexOffers stating that the offer has been added to your Card before you can redeem the offer. This confirmation response will begin with your @username and will appear in your Mentions tab on the @Notifications page. These terms will be available to you via a link in the confirmation message. If you do not receive a response message about this offer from @AmexOffers, please Contact Us or direct message us at @AskAmex. Must add offer to Card and use same Card to redeem. Limit 1 statement credit(s) per American Express® Card across all American Express offer channels. Statement credit will appear on your billing statement within 90 days after 10/22/17, provided that American Express receives information from the merchant about your qualifying purchase. Note that American Express may not receive information about your qualifying purchase from the merchant until all items from your qualifying purchase have been provided/shipped by merchant. Statement credit may be reversed if qualifying purchase is returned/cancelled. If American Express does not receive information that identifies your transaction as qualifying for the offer, you will not receive the statement credit. For example, your transaction will not qualify if it is not made directly with the merchant. In addition, in most cases, you may not receive the statement credit if your transaction is made with an electronic wallet or through a third party or if the merchant uses a mobile or wireless card reader to process it. Program Terms and Conditions apply; see below for details. By adding an offer to a Card, you agree that American Express may send you communications about the offer. POID: CHQ8:0001

[Marriott] tweet #SolarEclipse2017 and #RewardsPoints for easy 50 points

Marriott Rewards' twitter account just announce a easy way to earn 50 points

you're supposed to tweet both #SolarEclipse2017 and #RewardsPoints along where you're watching the eclipse to get the points; honestly, it might be easier to just retweet it.

Looks like a quick and easy way to get 50 points. Enjoy

Citi Prestige 750k sign-up bonus

Hi everyone, it looks like Citi Prestige currently has increased sign-up bonus of 750k Thank you Points after spending $7500 in the first 3 month. This is the highest ever for this card and, despite recent slash on point value, remain one of my most favorite card. Please note the $450 annual fee is NOT waived.

Key benefits of this card:

1. $250 airline credit per calendar year: meaning, even if you decide to cancel after the first year, you can get your money's worth by fulling using this benefit twice before you cancel. It works on ticket purchase but NOT thankyou portal.
2.  4th night free on hotel booking: although adding the ability to book online is great, it is nevertheless sad to see that this benefit now only works for average of room rate and excludes taxes. That being said, I am still able to save over $1k this year using this benefit.
3. 3X on air, hotel, and travel agencies, 2X on restaurant and entertainment, points worth 1.25 cent when purchasing air ticket through Thankyou portal or transfer partners available: fairly typical for a premium card nowadays but still pretty good.
4. Priority Pass: 2-guest limit and can be loaded on smartphone; this is my most used priority pass (compare to Chase Sapphire Reserve and Amex Platinum) because I just need to take out my phone to show my boarding pass and priority pass. 
5. Global Entry credit once every five year: also fairly typical for cards at this level and I can't stress enough how much time can be saved by having Global Entry, which also grants TSA pre.
6. No Foreign transaction fee

Additionally, being a Worldelite Mastercard, this enables you to obtain Avis preferred status, which gets some priority service and higher rate of reward earning. Since you are not required to use the card for reservation, this is indeed a good thing to have.

Further, if you happen to be a CitiGold member, you can get $100 reduction in annual fee, which makes this card even sweeter.

Therefore, at least for the first year, besides the $450 annual fee you need to pay upfront, this is indeed a great card to have just for the $250 airfare benefit alone and the 750k Thankyou point is just added bonus. For people looking long term, as long as you can use the 4th night free benefit regularly (twice a year or more, I'd say), it's still a great card to keep in your wallet even though the good old day of getting a ridiculously priced 4th night (e.g. room with Times Square ball-drop view on New Year's Eve) is gone.

Never buy Hyatt gift card from 3rd party

About two years ago, I decided to use my Newegg's Amex offer to get $10% off at Hyatt gift card. At the time, I didn't realize that these gift card doesn't work in Guam, which I had a reservation coming up. Well, at that time, I figured that since the funds doesn't expire, I'd find some other opportunity to use them. Well, that opportunity finally arrived after two years, or so I thought.

When preparing for my upcoming trip, I suddenly had a hunch that I'd better check the funds first. Unfortunately, I was totally shocked to find out that the funds has been depleted. My first reaction is to call the customer service number listed on the eGift card, 1-800-555-0233. The experience is actually not too bad, after typing in your gift card number, it was surprisingly easy and straight forward to talk to a representative. The only problem is that, she wasn't able to provide me much information except for the date of the transaction (Dec 12, 2016) so I can confirm that I wasn't staying at ANY Hyatt property on that day. She then ask me to call the customer service number, which is 1-888-524-9288. Yet again, the representative was really nice and all but she wasn't able to help me because I didn't purchase the gift card from Hyatt directly. My only recourse, at this point, is to contact Newegg and see if I can get any resolution out of them for a transaction completed two years ago. I'm not holding my breath here.

[update]: after spending close to an hour in the chat queue and a 15-min chat with Newegg, I was told that they are not able to refund or replace the gift card because 1. hacking is not something in Newegg's control and gift cards are non-refundable and non-replaceable

In the mean time, I did some searches and it appears to be quite a widespread problem for the last two years and Hyatt recommends checking your gift card balance every month. I guess, the moral of the story here is

1. Always check the T&C of the gift cards you're buying; I wouldn't be in this mess if I had checked.
2. Check the gift card balances frequently
3. Just like booking, buying gift cards direct can save you a lot of trouble

[update 2]
I'm not sure I like how Hyatt just wipes its hand clean and left me suffer all the consequences. Newegg was authorized to sell those gift card and when it got hacked, they just say they are not able to help me. I don't think I'll be staying at Hyatt anytime soon.

[Targeted] spend $30 at AT&T, get $50/75/100 back

It looks like there is yet another deal released today, according to Doctor of Credit. Unfortunately, my Bank of America account wasn't targeted. Otherwise, it would be sweet.

Steps:
1. log on to your Bank of America, Regions Bank, Suntrust Bank, BBVA, BB&T, PNC, Columbia Bank, Beneficial Bank, or Christian Community Credit Union account and add the offer if you're targeted before 9/30/17.

2. Spend $15 two times before 11/14/17 in-store (corporate store), online or over the phone

Some Notes:

• Apparently iTunes gift card and prepaid plan refill card would work
• Don't forget cashback sites if purchasing online

Sounds super easy so hopefully you're one of the selected customers! Good luck, everyone.

Amex Offering 15% off on Radisson 8/1/17-10/31/17

I just received the flyer in the mail promising 15% off for Radisson hotels booking between 8/1/17 to 10/31/17. Just follow the instruction on the link and pay with Amex card

https://www.radisson.com/amexoffer

Full Terms and Conditions with emphasis added:

Exclusively for American Express^® Card Members

Get 15% off your stay at participating Radisson^® hotels in North and South America when you book and pay with any American Express^® Card for your stay between 8/1/17 and 10/31/17.

Make your reservation and use your American Express Card today!

 *Offer valid when you book and pay with any American Express Credit or Charge Card for your eligible stay between 8/1/17 and 10/31/17 (“Promotion Period”). Fulfillment of the offer is the sole responsibility of the participating American Express merchant. Offer valid when you book online at www.radisson.com/amexoffer or call 1-800-333-3333. Promotion Code “AMEX Save 15%” must be entered/mentioned at time of reservation. An eligible stay is defined as a booking for one (1) evening or more in a standard room (single or double occupancy) at the same participating hotel for which the guest specifically booked the promotion using “AMEX Save 15%.” There are no minimum or maximum number of nights required. Extra person charges may apply if double occupancy is exceeded. Blackout dates apply and may vary by property; please see individual property for details. Offer valid at participating Radisson hotels in North and South America (“Participating Hotels”). Participating hotels are subject to change without notice and the number of rooms available for this promotion at participating hotels may be limited. Offer is not valid at Radisson® Blu or Radisson® Red hotels. Offer excludes incidental charges such as taxes, service charges, or room service charges accrued during the eligible stay. Offer not valid for previous stays or existing reservations. Advance reservations required and subject to availability. Rates for each night may vary. Offer is not redeemable for cash. Promotion cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotions/offers/discounts. Offer does not apply to group, corporate, or convention rates. Cancellation policies vary by hotel; contact the individual hotel for more information. Void where prohibited by law. By participating in this promotion, you agree and consent to these terms and conditions. POID: CGWQ:0001.

[Hyatt Visa cardholders] $20 off $50 at Whole Foods

I got the info from slickdeals

For those with Hyatt Visa cards, this is a easy way to get quick $20; if you don't feel like shopping at Whole Foods, they do sell gift cards (e.g. Amazon).

Offer Details below:

Register before using your Hyatt Credit Card to shop at any Whole Foods Market in the U.S. and get a $20 statement credit for spending $50 or more in a single purchase at Whole Foods with your Hyatt Credit Card between August 14, 2017 to September 25, 2017.

Link [trialpay.com]

Allow approximately 5-10 days to receive your statement credit, subject to card issuer's timing and processing of statement credit.

Available at Whole Foods Market stores in the U.S. Purchases at stores not correctly classified as a Whole Foods location for credit processing will not qualify for this offer. Offer not available for online purchases or purchases made through Instacart.

Limit one offer redemption per card.

Visa is wholly responsible for the provision of or failure to provide the stated benefits and services. Chase and Hyatt are not responsible for providing the stated benefits or services.

[Amex Offer] $100 off $500 at Ritz-Carlton

A new Amex offer was released recently; and this one can come in handy, especially if you have access to special rate such as AAA rate; alternatively, from what I heard, this would also stack with FHR and it would be awesome if it works 3rd or 4th night free.

Here is how to get the offer:

tweet #AmexRC with linked twitter account to get the offer.

Brief description:

Get a one-time $100 statement credit by using your enrolled Card to spend a minimum of $500+ on room rate and room charges, when you pay for your stay at The Ritz-Carlton from 8/9/17 to 12/11/2017. See terms for exclusions.


Full Terms and Conditions:

Enrollment limited. Offer valid only at The Ritz-Carlton in the US and US territories. Reservations must be made online at ritzcarlton.com, via the Ritz-Carlton App or by calling 1-800-542-8680. Excludes Ritz-Carlton Luxury Vacation Packages, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Ritz-Carlton Residences, Ritz-Carlton Destination Club properties and timeshare purchases. Excludes The Ritz-Carlton Shop purchases. Excludes gift card purchases. Please note that hotels, car rental companies, cruise lines do not accept prepaid cards for charges authorized in advance, although prepaid cards may be used to settle the final bill. Check to make sure prepaid cards are accepted before attempting to use your prepaid card to take advantage of offers for these merchants. Offer only valid on room rate and room charges. Offer not valid for lodging stays that are paid for before the promotion start date or after the promotion end date. Must add offer to Card and use same Card to redeem. Limit 1 statement credit(s) per American Express® Card across all American Express offer channels. Statement credit will appear on your billing statement within 90 days after 12/11/2017, provided that American Express receives information from the merchant about your qualifying purchase. Statement credit may be reversed if qualifying purchase is cancelled. If American Express does not receive information that identifies your transaction as qualifying for the offer, you will not receive the statement credit. For example, your transaction will not qualify if it is not made directly with the merchant. In addition, in most cases, you may not receive the statement credit if your transaction is made with an electronic wallet or through a third party or if the merchant uses a mobile or wireless card reader to process it. By adding an offer to a Card, you agree that American Express may send you communications about the offer.