Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card Review: 90,000 Bonus Points worth $1,125 Towards Travel

Posted on August 24, 2024 // 2 Comments
My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

Business credit cards can be used by self-employed or side-gig workers with eBay, Amazon, Etsy, Uber/Lyft, DoorDash/Grubhub, Adsense or other 1099 income that make you a sole proprietorship. The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card has an improved 90,000 point bonus for new cardholders, worth at least $1,125 towards travel when redeemed through Chase TravelSM and potentially more via points transfer to United miles, Hyatt hotels, etc. This is their premium business travel card with 3X points on travel purchases and the ability to transfer points to airline miles or redeem at a 25% premium through Chase TravelSM. Here are the details:

  • 90,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s worth $900 cash back or $1,125 toward any airfare or hotels booked through the Chase TravelSM portal (works similarly to Expedia or Travelocity).
  • 3X points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel, shipping purchases, internet/cable/phone services, and advertising purchases with social media sites and search engines.
  • 1X point per $1 on all other purchases with no limit.
  • Ability to transfer points directly to airline mile partners.
  • Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase TravelSM.
  • No foreign transaction fees.
  • Free additional cards for employees.
  • Primary rental car coverage when renting for business purposes.
  • Member FDIC
  • $95 annual fee.

Ultimate Rewards points. This card offers a 25% bonus on travel bookings made through the Chase TravelSM website. For example, 100,000 Ultimate Rewards = $1,250 in travel. Similar to Expedia or Travelocity, you can book flights on Chase Travel at most major airlines, hotel chains, and car rental companies. This makes it much more flexible to spend your points. You can even buy something more expensive and pay the difference.

If you have other Chase cards that earn Ultimate Rewards points like the Ink Business Cash or Ink Business Unlimited, you can transfer points into this card account and take advantage of the 25% premium. However, if you happen to have the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, you could transfer your points over to that card and grab the better 50% premium.

You could think of this card as the small business version of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

Prefer airline and/or hotel points? This card also allows you to transfer Ultimate Rewards points into hotel and/or airline miles. Transfer to United Airlines, British Airways, Singapore Airlines, Korean Air, Southwest, Hyatt Hotels, IHG Hotels, and Marriott Hotels at a ratio of 1 Ultimate Rewards point = 1 mile/hotel point. Miles redemption continue to offer great value for savvy travelers, especially for last-minute travel and business class seats.

For example, I could definitely get more than $1,250 in value by converting into 100,000 World of Hyatt points.

Many people aren’t aware of the fact that they can apply for business credit cards, even if they are not a corporation or LLC. The business type is called a sole proprietorship, and these days many people are full-time or part-time consultants, freelancers, eBay/Amazon/Etsy sellers, Uber/Lyft drivers, or other one-person business owners. This is the simplest business entity, but it is fully legit and recognized by the IRS. On a business credit card application, you should use your own legal name as the business name, and your Social Security Number as the Tax ID.

Note that Chase has an unofficial rule that they will most likely deny approval on new credit cards if you have 5 or more new credit cards from any issuer on your credit report within the past 2 years (aka the 5/24 rule). This rule is designed to discourage folks that apply for high numbers of sign-up bonuses. This rule applies on a per-person basis, so in our household one applies to Chase while the other applies at other card issuers.

The good news is that small business cards from Chase don’t show up on personal credit reports, so getting this card in itself won’t affect your future 5/24 eligibility.

Bottom line. The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is a business card with a big sign-up bonus along with premium travel features included with the $95 annual fee. You can transfer Ultimate Rewards points from other Chase cards to increase your value. If you’d rather have a more simple cash-focused rewards structure and no annual fee, be sure to compare with the Ink Business Unlimited and Ink Business Cash.

I will be adding this to Top 10 Best Small Business Card Bonus Offers.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers, Reviews //
Last updated: March 24, 2025
My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.

Why I Finally Froze All of My Credit Reports

Posted on August 21, 2024 // 19 Comments
My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

For the first time in forever, I have frozen all of my credit reports at the three major credit bureaus (Equifax Freeze, Experian Freeze, TransUnion Freeze). The balance between the guaranteed hassle of maintaining a credit freeze and the potential hassle of dealing with an identity theft attempt has finally shifted enough towards just having them frozen as a default position.

Luckily, it has become even easier than I remembered. These days, you no longer need to call in or provide a special PIN to unfreeze your credit reports. You can freeze and thaw your credit reports using an online account at each bureau (secured by text 2FA) within minutes, and set the thaw to only last just a day or week. I like that it will automatically re-freeze your report. Just make sure you have a good password manager.

The most annoying bureau was probably Experian, which always seems to ask for an upsell to their paid monitoring service at every login attempt, and also suggests their “CreditLock” service when you try to add a freeze – a paid service which I bet tricks a certain percentage of visitors. Credit Freezes are regulated and should be completely free and never require a credit card nor trial agreement.

Equifax

Experian

TransUnion

I also looked into freeze the credit reports for all three of my kids, but it does seem to require much more physical paperwork and multiple identification documents to be mailed in.

Filed Under: Banking, Credit Cards //
Last updated: August 20, 2024
My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.

Huge NPD Data Breach: Check If Your Social Security Number is Leaked

Posted on August 19, 2024 // 5 Comments
My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

Could this be the biggest data breach ever? National Public Data (NPD), a background check company, was hacked in December 2023 and they finally admitted to have exposed the full Social Security Numbers from nearly everyone in the United States (gift article). Atlas Data Privacy found 272 million unique SSNs in the database of 2.7 billion records. The entire US population is only about 330 million. 😡

This LA Times article adds more detail about how NPD has delayed and withheld information about this huge hack. Unfortunately, our knowledge of their ineptitude keeps growing: National Public Data Published Its Own Passwords The best title goes to Wired (paywall) with The Slow-Burn Nightmare of the National Public Data Breach.

Cybersecurity firm Pentester has released this NPD Breach Check Tool that lets you enter just your name and birth year to see if your data is included. With just this little bit of information, the tool was able to provide evidence that they knew my historical addresses, phone number, full Social Security Number, and date of birth. 🤬

We’re getting close to the point where Social Security numbers will not be secret enough to provide any assurance for identity verification. I believe that these data brokers should each first have to pay us a subscription fee for the right to store and resell our personal data, on top of being financially liable if they lose it. 300 years of “free credit monitoring” is not adequate.

These media articles recommend the following actions:

  • Freeze your credit reports. Also consider freezing the reports for your minor children. Experian is the most annoying. Don’t fall for their upsells and “Experian CreditLock”, which is not the same as a free Freeze!
  • Use multi-factor authentication whenever possible. Hardware keys, authenticator apps, or at the minimum SMS texts.
  • Set up account alerts. Just be sure those alerts aren’t phishing attempts themselves. Don’t click on vague links. Visit sites directly.
  • Harden your personal e-mail address. The e-mail where your password resets arrive is one of the most valuable targets for criminals.
Filed Under: Banking, Credit Cards //
Last updated: August 19, 2024
My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.

Capital One Spark Cash Plus Review: $2,000+ Cash Bonus + 2% Cash Back

Posted on August 14, 2024 // 7 Comments
My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

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Updated with new big bonus for big spenders. The card_name is a rewards business charge card offering a big early spend bonus offer in addition to ongoing unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases (or better). Instead of a standard credit card where you can carry a balance and pay interest, this is a charge card where the balance is due in full every month. Here are the highlights:

  • One-time cash bonus of $2,000 once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months of account opening. You’ll also earn 2% cash back, which means you’ll earn a total of $600 + $2,000 = $2,600 in cash rewards on that $30,000 of spending. That’s a total of 8.6%!
  • Additional $2,000 cash bonus for every $500K spent during the first year. You can earn this bonus multiple times over the course of year 1.
  • Unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase, everywhere with no limits or category restrictions.
  • 5% Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One’s travel booking site.
  • Comes with no preset spending limit, so it can adapt to your needs based on your spending behavior, payment history and credit profile.
  • Add employee cards for free, and earn unlimited 2% cash back from their purchases
  • Spark Cash Plus has no APR because your balance is due in full every month.
  • $150 annual fee; Spend $150,000 annually and Capital One will refund this fee every year.

Consider that if you exactly meet both of the spending requirements above ($30,000 within first 3 months), you will end up with the $2,000 cash bonus plus $600 from 2% cash back = $2,600 cash total. That’s effectively 8.66% back on $30,000 of card spending!

This card does have a $150 annual fee, which makes it best suited for businesses with significant spending needs. NEW: Spend $150,000 annually and Capital One will refund this fee every year.

That may all seem like a lot, but many businesses make a lot of purchases for raw materials and/or inventory. If you pay estimated taxes each quarter, you can also pay the IRS via credit card with a 1.82% fee and still come out ahead.

This card does not have all of the bells and whistles like top-level rewards, transferrable airline miles, or airport lounge access. For that, look into the Capital One Venture X Business Card and its higher annual fee.

If you also hold the Spark Miles, Capital One Venture, or the Capital One Venture X rewards cards, you can convert your cash back rewards into their “miles”, which are then transferrable to various airline miles programs including British Airways Avios. With the right companion card, $2,000 in cash rewards could be converted to 200,000 miles.

Many people aren’t aware of the fact that they can apply for business credit cards, even if they are not a corporation or LLC. The business type is called a sole proprietorship, and these days many people are full-time or part-time consultants, freelancers, eBay/Amazon/Etsy sellers, Uber/Lyft drivers, or other one-person business owners. This is the simplest business entity, but it is fully legit and recognized by the IRS. On a business credit card application, you should use your own legal name as the business name, and your Social Security Number as the Tax ID.

Bottom line. The card_name is a rewards business card where you pay in full each month. If you put a lot of purchases on a card, this card is offering a big early spend bonus offer in addition to ongoing 2% cash back on all purchases (or better).

Due to the high first-year value, I will be adding this to my Top 10 Best Small Business Card Bonus Offers.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers, General //
Last updated: April 15, 2025
My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.

Discover It Card Review: Double Cashback Match + $100 Bonus (Apple GC Rewards 15% Bonus)

Posted on August 5, 2024 // 55 Comments
My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

Update: Existing Discover cardholders should note that right now you can get 5% to 20% of extra value to gift card redemptions at various retailers. Apple is at a 15% bonus, so $85 in cash back = $100 in Apple gift cards. Smaller increments are also available, such that I was able to redeem my $34 balance for a $40 Apple GC, which I instantly added to my Apple account. Nike has 20% bonus, Gap/Athleta has 15% bonus, and so on. Offer ends 8/31/24. Discover It is a long-time “keeper” card of mine due its 5% cash back categories, plus you can double that to 10% with their new cardholder bonus.

Full card review:

The Discover it® card is a rewards credit card that offers 5% cash back on rotating categories each quarter and no annual fee. Right now, new cardholders get double their cash back during the entire first year (“Cashback Match”). This means that their 5% cash back on specific categories each quarterly will effectively get doubled to 10% cash back. Here are the highlights:

  • We’ll double all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year. So if you earned $101 cash back, we’ll double it to $202—Automatically. Only for new cardmembers.
  • 5% cash back in categories that change each quarter like gas, restaurants, home improvement stores and more—up to the quarterly maximum when you sign up. 1% cash back on all other purchases.
  • Freeze It on/off switch lets you prevent new purchases, cash advances & balance transfers on misplaced cards in seconds by mobile app & online.
  • 100% U.S.-based customer service.
  • Free FICO credit scores updates on your monthly statement.
  • No overlimit fee. No foreign transaction fee. No late fee on first late payment & paying late won’t raise your APR.
  • No annual fee.

From July 1st through September 30th, 2024, you can earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 spent in the following categories:

  • Walmart (both in-store and online)
  • Grocery Stores (excludes Target and wholesale clubs)

Enroll after logging into your online account (look on the right-hand side). 5% rewards won’t apply until after you activate your rewards, so it is best to activate now before you forget. No annual fee.

Discover it $100 bonus details. If you are a new applicant and sign up via my Discover Card referral link, you will get a $50 improved $100 Cashback Bonus after your first purchase within 3 months of being account opening. You will also get Cashback Match for an entire year – a dollar-for-dollar match of all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year, automatically. During those 12 months, your 5% cash back rewards becomes 10% cash back, and your 1% cash back rewards become 2% cash back. You can verify this on the application by looking under “Terms and Conditions” or searching for “cashback match” and “statement credit offer”:

Refer a Friend: You will receive a $100 statement credit after making a purchase within three months of account opening. You must apply online through your friend’s digital referral link and be approved by 11:59pm ET, December 31, 2024 in order to be eligible for the $100 statement credit offer.

Cashback Match: We’ll match all the cash back rewards you’ve earned on your credit card from the day your new account is approved through your first 12 consecutive billing periods or 365 days, whichever is longer, and add it to your rewards account within two billing periods.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //
Last updated: August 5, 2024
My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.

Free Instacart+ & Credits with Select Credit Cards (Expired)

Posted on July 30, 2024 // 4 Comments
My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

Update: This offer is expired. The last day to activate this benefit was July 31st, 2024. You can add multiple eligible Chase Sapphire/Slate/Freedom flavors and they will stack to extend your free membership further and further. Just keep going back to Instacart.com/chase to activate all your cards before the deadline. For example, I added both a Freedom Flex and Freedom Unlimited.

Original post:

Chase has partnered with Instacart to offer a free memberships and credits to Instacart+. Instacart+ usually costs $9.99 a month (or $99 a year) and includes free delivery on $35+ orders and reduced service fees. They claim the average savings is $7 per order. Here are the eligible cards and perks:

Get free delivery with Instacart+:

– 12 free months with Sapphire Reserve® and J.P. Morgan Reserve®
– 6 free months with Sapphire® and Sapphire Preferred®
– 3 free months with Freedom®, Freedom Flex?, Freedom Unlimited®, Freedom Rise?, Freedom® Student, Slate® and Slate Edge?

Earn statement credits*

– $15/month for Sapphire Reserve® and J.P. Morgan Reserve®
– $15/quarter for Sapphire® and Sapphire Preferred®
– $10/quarter for Freedom®, Freedom Flex?, Freedom Unlimited®, Freedom Rise? and Freedom® Student

Tip #1: Turn off auto-renewal immediately after activation. When you activate this offer, it will be set to auto-renew after the end of the free membership. However, you can cancel this auto-renew now and it will still keep your free membership until the end of the gift period.

Tip #2: Keep the Instacart app installed on your phone with notifications on. Instacart reliably sends me new coupons via app notifications. (I don’t get the same coupons via e-mail.) Stacked with other benefits, it can make it worthwhile to use Instacart even with their inflated prices, especially if you value the time saved. I actually prefer shopping via an app nowadays for meal planning purposes, but usually directly with a grocery store for lower prices.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //
Last updated: August 1, 2024
My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.

American Express® Gold Card: 60,000 Points Welcome Offer, $84 Dunkin’ Credit, $100 Resy Credit, $120 Uber Cash, $120 Dining Credit

Posted on July 26, 2024 // 4 Comments
My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

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The card_name has been refreshed in order to get back to its former glory as a status card with several new perks and credits mostly related to travel and dining. Here are the highlights:

  • 60,000 Membership Rewards(R) Points after $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
  • 4X Membership Rewards(R) points at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 of purchases per calendar year, then 1X for the rest of the year).
  • 4X Membership Rewards(R) points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 of purchases per calendar year, then 1X for the rest of the year).
  • 3X Membership Rewards(R) points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
  • 2X Membership Rewards(R) points on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • 1X Membership Rewards(R) point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 in Uber Cash. Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards(R) points for Uber Eats purchases made at restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin’ Credit (NEW): Get up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express(R) Gold Card at US Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment is required.
  • $100 Resy Credit (NEW). Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express(R) Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. This is broken down into up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment is required.
  • $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express(R) Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment is required.
  • The Hotel Collection benefit. Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • Apply with confidence. Know if you’re approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you’re approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
  • No foreign transaction fees.
  • $325 annual fee (increased). Additional cards (authorized users) are free.
  • See Rates and Fees

Note the following:

Welcome offer not available to applicants who have or have had this Card or the Premier Rewards Gold Card. We may also consider the number of American Express Cards you have opened and closed as well as other factors in making a decision on your welcome offer eligibility.

The application will tell you if they detect that you are not eligible for the bonus based on their records.

Membership Rewards points can be converted to the following airline and hotel programs (there are more, this is just a selection):

  • Delta SkyMiles
  • Hawaiian Airlines
  • JetBlue
  • ANA Mileage Club (partner of United Airlines)
  • Air Canada (partner of United Airlines)
  • British Airways (partner of American Airlines)
  • FlyingBlue (Air France/KLM)
  • Singapore Airlines
  • Virgin Atlantic
  • Choice Privileges
  • Hilton Honors
  • Marriott Rewards (Starwood)

You can also transfer to gift cards many retailers at varying rates, but many available at the rate of 10,000 MR points = $100 gift card. My most common redemption is a $100 Home Depot card for 10,000 points, sometimes less when they run special discount. However, don’t expect the cash-equivalent prepaid credit cards at that rate, it’s usually closer to a 0.6 cent/point ratio.

The value this card really depends on if you can use up their long list of annual credits, worth over $400 in value annually. Their target customer is a “food lover” that travels regularly. If you can take advantage of the credits, your potential first year value is higher than $800 with the current limited-offer.

Bottom line. The new card_name has a bunch of new features more targeted at the young, urban traveler including hundreds of dollars of potential credits related to dining out and travel.

(See Rates and Fees)

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers, General //
Last updated: March 14, 2025
My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.

American Express® Business Gold Card Review: 100,000 Bonus Points, 4X and 3X Rewards, $240 Flexible Business Credit, $155 Walmart+ Credit Annually

Posted on July 25, 2024 // Leave a Comment
My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

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Updated with increased 100k offer. The card_name is a premium card for small businesses with excellent features like purchase price protection, travel accident insurance, car rental coverage, and the famous AMEX extended warranty that actually pays out. The card features have been changed as of October 2023 to include new rewards categories and perks. Here are the highlights:

  • Welcome Offer: 100,000 Membership Rewards(R) points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months.
  • 4X Membership Rewards(R) points on the top 2 eligible categories where your business spends the most each month from 6 eligible categories. Your top 2 categories are allowed to change each billing cycle, and you will earn 4X points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year (then 1X thereafter). Only the top 2 categories each billing cycle will count towards the $150,000 cap.*
  • 3X Membership Rewards(R) points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com using your Business Gold Card.*
  • $240 Flexible Business Credit. Earn up to $20 in statement credits monthly after you use the Business Gold Card for eligible U.S. purchases at FedEx, Grubhub, and Office Supply Stores. This can be an annual savings of up to $240. Enrollment is required.
  • Up to $155 Walmart+ Credit annually. Get up to $12.95 back in statement credits each month when you pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with your Business Gold Card. $12.95 plus applicable taxes on one membership fee. Enrollment is required.
  • The Business Gold Card now comes in three metal designs: Gold, Rose Gold and Limited Edition White Gold. The new White Gold design is only available while supplies last.
  • Annual fee is $375.
  • See Rates and Fees

The six eligible categories for the 4X Membership Rewards(R) points are:

  • Transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways
  • Purchases at US media providers for advertising in select media (online, TV, radio)
  • U.S. purchases made from electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers
  • U.S. purchases at gas stations
  • U.S. purchases at restaurants, including takeout and delivery
  • Monthly wireless telephone service charges made directly from a wireless telephone service provider in the U.S.

Membership Rewards points can be converted to the following airline and hotel programs (there are more, this is just a selection):

  • Delta SkyMiles
  • Hawaiian Airlines
  • JetBlue
  • ANA Mileage Club (partner of United Airlines)
  • Air Canada (partner of United Airlines)
  • British Airways (partner of American Airlines)
  • FlyingBlue (Air France/KLM)
  • Singapore Airlines
  • Virgin Atlantic
  • Choice Privileges
  • Hilton Honors
  • Marriott Bonvoy

Business card eligibility. Many people aren’t aware that they can apply for business cards, even if they are not a corporation or LLC. Sole proprietors are a small business. If you received a 1099-MISC tax form and filled out a Schedule C, that means you have business income, you pay self-employment taxes, and you’re a sole proprietorship. This is the simplest business entity, but it is fully legit and recognized by the IRS. On a business card application, you should use your own legal name as the business name, and your Social Security Number as the Tax ID.

This card will require you to personally guarantee that you’ll pay them back what you purchase with the card, which means they’ll check your personal credit score like any other consumer card. However, as the card is a business card, American Express won’t have it show up on your personal credit report, so it won’t change things like your credit limits, average account age, or credit utilization ratio.

Bottom line. The card_name is a premium business card that includes the classic American Express features like excellent customer service and customer-friendly protections. The card now offers the ability to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points on the 2 categories where your business spent the most each month, on up to $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year. There is also a welcome offer for new applicants.

I will add this card to my list of Top 10 Best Business Card Offers.

(See Rates and Fees)

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers, General //
Last updated: January 16, 2025
My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.

$7,000 IRA Contribution Bonus Challenge: $4,673 in Bonuses (2024 YTD Edition)

Posted on July 18, 2024 // 12 Comments
My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

Each year, I challenge myself to earn the equivalent of the maximum annual IRA contribution limit ($7,000 for 2024 if under 50) using the profits from various finance promotions alone. I earned $5,592 in 2021, $6,259 in 2022, and $5,444 in 2023 (plus another $2,500 in stock special situations). Here’s a progress update after the end of the first quarter of 2024.

If you combined these hobby profits and steady investing, this CAN create enough for a house downpayment (unlike perhaps spare change roundups). If you had put $6,000 into your IRA every year for the recent 10 year period (2014-2023) and invested in a simple Target Date retirement fund, you would have turned small, weekly deals into a $95,000+ nest egg.

That’s worth repeating: An extra 100 grand has been the real-world result of playing this game and investing $500 a month in proceeds for the last 10 years! I have the brokerage statements to prove it. Not to mention, a couple could double these numbers. Focus + Long attention span = Surprising results.

Ground rules: Real-world results for one person only. Following with My Money Blog tradition, this will track my personal, real-world results. It would be quite easy to list a bunch of promotions that add up to $6,000, but these will be promotions that I personally sign up for and complete the requirements (even though I’ve already opened 100+ bank accounts, credit cards, and brokerage accounts over the years). I will track my individual results only, although my partner does also participate on a more selective basis. Nearly all of them have been documented in real-time in the Deals and Offers category, Top 10 credit cards list, and brokerage bonus list.

2024 bonuses and promotions list. The 💵 symbol means I have received and/or cashed out the bonus successfully. The ⌛ symbol means that the promo is still in progress. “Still live” means the offer is still available but the values may have gone up or down.

I chose the Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines cards because I already had planned trips within the next 12 months and knew I could take advantage of the free checked bags, companion fare savings, and redeem the miles. I valued the miles at a simple and conservative $0.01/mile. The Alaska Companion fare on its own saved us nearly $700. The LFCU credit card was something out of the ordinary since I have gotten most of the mainstream cards already, and I was already an LFCU member from their checking account bonus and sometimes-competitive CD rates. They did give me a very low credit line ($2,000).

Total for 2024 YTD: If I assume that all bonuses for which I have completed the required activity will eventually post, the total tally so far is $4,673, which is 67% of the $7,000 annual IRA contribution limit for 2024.

Honorable mention #1: Cummins / Atmus Odd Lot Tender Offer. I did make a $4,819 profit over only 23 calendar days from the expired Cummins / Atmus Filtration odd lot tender offer. This did require a $26,000 commitment to buy 99 shares (the max allowed as an individual small investor) before the odd lot tender, but the lockup time was short with an annualized rate of return of 1,528%.

Honorable mention #2: Robinhood 3% IRA Transfer / 401k Rollover Bonus. After some hesitation, I went for this expired 3% of assets transfer offer using my largest Roth IRA account from Vanguard. The size of this bonus will depend on the size of your assets, and there is a 5-year hold period, so I won’t include this bonus in my annual sums. My bonus was roughly $8,000.

Honorable mention #3: Webull 2% Taxable ACAT Transfer Bonus. I am in the middle of this 2% of assets transfer offer with a portion of my buy-and-hold stocks. Again, the size of this bonus will depend on the size of your assets, so I won’t include this bonus in my annual sums. My expected bonus value is $4,000 on $200,000 of assets transferred.

This is a personal challenge/game that I like to play (and have played for a long time now). It’s not for everyone. I happen to enjoy trying out new apps and services. I also like my hobbies to be profitable – not gonna lie – but I don’t like to waste my time either. I look for a solid return based on the time commitment required. I try to avoid speculative bets, bonuses that are hard to convert to real cash-equivalent value, and anything that requires driving to stores where things may or may not be in stock. The deals that I post often last only a few days, but it’s a bit like value investing where you have to be ready to get off your butt and take decisive action when an opportunity shows up, because they won’t last forever.

Many things I have to skip simply because I’ve already done them. For those new to this hobby, I would first grab the best overall cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred or the Chase Sapphire Reserve and build up a nice stash of flexible Ultimate Rewards points. After that, I would recommend looking at the Citi Premier (ThankYou points), Capital Venture X (Capital One Miles), and American Express Gold (AmEx Membership Rewards points) to jumpstart your points stashes.

This list also ignores the additional interest earned from otherwise optimizing my existing cash balances, as well as everyday credit card rewards like 2% to 2.6% cash back on all purchases and 5% cash back on specific categories or 1% or better cash back on rent.

Finally, I am also excluding small-business deals like huge $1,000+ value business card bonuses, big business checking bonuses, and so on. Even you can apply as a sole proprietorship using your name and Social Security number, without having to file for any special ID numbers or licenses…

Photo was generated by Adobe’s Firefly tool (AI).

Filed Under: Banking, Credit Cards, Deals & Offers, Goals //
Last updated: December 12, 2024
My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.

Amazon: Pay with American Express Membership Rewards Points, Get up to 40% Off (Targeted)

Posted on July 4, 2024 // 5 Comments
My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

Check AmEx link again to see if eligible again for this new round. You may also find an Amazon offer under your “AmEx Offers” in your account. Note that Amazon links may not show up on RSS/email, please click here to visit the website directly.

If you have an American Express card with Membership Rewards (MR) points, you can redeem them to buy eligible items at Amazon.com. The redemption rate is 1 MR points = 0.7 cents to spend at Amazon, which unfortunately is less than a cent per point and thus not really the ideal use of MR points. (My base redemption is 1 cent per point minimum toward any Delta flight.) However, here are targeted promotions where you can save money after redeeming as little as 1 single MR point (the minimum required can vary). Check below:

Here are some additional tips:

  • If you haven’t linked yet, first check if you are eligible for a bonus here. Otherwise, you can link your Membership Rewards points balance to your Amazon account here.
  • If you have already linked your cards and aren’t targeted, you may consider removing your American Express card from your account completely, and then linking it again after a day, and then checking the offer page(s) again after another day.
  • Items must be marked as both sold AND shipped by Amazon.com.
  • Be sure to select your American Express as your payment method and redeem the minimum required amount of Membership Rewards points.
  • Savings should be reflected on the final order checkout page, before you commit to purchase.

This is a recurring perk for existing American Express cardholders, which is why one of my two “keeper” consumer American Express cards is the Amex EveryDay Card (keeps my Membership Rewards points active with no annual fee, helps qualify for various Amazon promotions). The other is the Blue Cash Preferred from AmEx (6% cash back on US supermarkets, up to $6,000 annually).

You can also earn and keep Membership Rewards points active with a small business card. My favorite business American Express card is the Blue Business Plus Card – Earn 2X Membership Rewards points on all purchases, of up to $50,000/year. There is also the Blue Business Cash Card that earns a flat 2% cash back on up to $50,000 in purchases each year. Both have no annual fee.

Might also want to check for similar “Pay with Points” offers if you haven’t in a while: Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou, or Discover cash back.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //
Last updated: July 5, 2024
My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.

Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Red Mastercard Review: 70,000 AA Miles (Single Purchase, $99 Annual Fee)

Posted on June 20, 2024 // 14 Comments
My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

Offer increased to 70k, but must pay $99 annual fee. The Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Red Mastercard is a co-branded American Airlines credit card from Barclays. This offer is notable because the bonus can be triggered by a single purchase of any amount (no spending hurdle). Various perks for AA fliers are also included. Here are the card highlights:

  • 70,000 bonus AA miles
  • First checked bag free on domestic American Airlines itineraries for the primary cardmember and up to 4 companions traveling with you on the same reservation.
  • Preferred boarding (Group 5) for the primary cardmember and up to 4 companions on the same reservation for all American Airlines operated flights. “Eligible cardmembers will board after priority boarding is complete, but before the rest of economy boarding.”
  • Up to $25 back in inflight Wi-Fi statement credits every anniversary year on American Airlines operated flights.2
  • Anniversary Companion Certificate each anniversary year; earn a Companion Certificate good for 1 guest at $99 (plus taxes and fees) if you spend $20,000 on purchases and your account remains open for 45 days after your anniversary date.
  • 2X AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases.
  • 1X AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees
  • $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $99.

Anniversary Companion Certificate details. From the fine print:

At each card anniversary, you will be eligible to earn 1 domestic economy fare companion certificate redeemable for 1 companion ticket at $99 (plus taxes and fees) if you spend $20,000 or more on eligible Net Purchases with your Card Account that have a transaction date within your cardmembership year (each 12-month period through and including your Card Account anniversary month) and your Card Account remains open for at least 45 days after your anniversary date. After the companion certificate is earned, please allow 1-2 weeks for it to be deposited to the primary cardmember’s AAdvantage® account.

When the companion certificate is used according to its terms, you will pay a $99 companion ticket fee plus government taxes and fees, the amount of which will depend on the itinerary (as of the date of these Card Account Reward Rules government taxes and fees range between $21.60 and $43.20), for a round-trip qualifying domestic economy fare ticket for a companion when an individual round-trip qualifying domestic economy fare ticket is purchased and redeemed through American Airlines Meeting Services. Companion certificate eligible travel must be booked and purchased from select economy inventory. The Companion certificate will be valid one year from the issue date. Companion certificate eligible travel is defined as travel on flights within the 48 contiguous United States, on flights marketed and operated by American Airlines, or on flights marketed by American Airlines and operated by Envoy Air Inc., Republic Airline Inc., SkyWest Airlines, Inc., Air Wisconsin Airlines, PSA Airlines, Inc., or Piedmont Airlines, Inc. This is not available for travel on codeshare flights booked with an American Airlines flight number but operated by another airline. For residents of Alaska and Hawaii, companion certificate eligible travel is defined as round-trip travel originating in either of those two states and continuing to the 48 contiguous United States. For residents of Puerto Rico only, valid for round trip travel originating in Puerto Rico and continuing to the 48 contiguous United States. For residents of the U.S. Virgin Islands only, valid for round trip travel originating in the U.S. Virgin Islands and continuing to the 48 contiguous United States. Applicable terms and conditions are subject to change without notice. Details, terms and conditions, certain restrictions, and restricted dates apply and will be disclosed on the companion certificate.

Additional bonus details. Note the following language if you have had this card previously. However, I have been able to get a new Barclays card in the past, as long as my old account was closed for at least roughly a year.

From time to time, we may offer bonuses of AAdvantage® miles or other incentives to new American Airlines AAdvantage® Aviator® Red Mastercard cardmembers in connection with an application for a new card account. These bonuses and/or incentives are intended for applicants who are not and have not previously been American Airlines AAdvantage® Aviator® Red Mastercard cardmembers. You understand and agree that you may no longer be eligible for any bonuses and/or incentives in connection with a new American Airlines AAdvantage® Aviator® Red Mastercard account after this Card Account is opened. If you receive a bonus or incentive for which you are not eligible due to your status as a current or former American Airlines AAdvantage® Aviator® Red Mastercard cardmember, we may revoke the bonus or incentive, or reduce your AAdvantage® miles by the amount of the bonus or incentive, or charge your Card Account for the fair value of the bonus or incentive, in our sole discretion.

Bottom line. The Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Red Mastercard is a co-branded American Airlines credit card that offers a relatively simple and straightforward sign-up bonus and free checked bags on domestic AA flights for you and up to 4 travel companions. The $99 companion certificate also has potential value, but you’ll have to spend $20,000 on the card within a year (and then wait for your next card anniversary and thus pay the $99 annual fee) to get it.

I will be adding this offer to Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //
Last updated: December 12, 2024
My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.

United Quest Card Review: 90,000 Bonus Miles + 500 PQP

Posted on June 13, 2024 // Leave a Comment
My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone.

The United Quest Card is a new premium travel card that offers a lot of added perks on United Airlines for a higher annual fee. Here are the highlights:

  • 90,000 bonus United miles and 500 Premier qualifying points after $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. Plus, earn 5,000 bonus miles after you add an authorized user to your account in the first 3 months your account is open.
  • First AND second checked bags are free for both you and a companion (a savings of up to $360 per roundtrip) when you use your Card to purchase your ticket. Terms apply.
  • Priority boarding.. The primary Cardmember and companions on the same reservation will be invited to board United-operated flights prior to general boarding.
  • Up to a $125 United(R) purchase credit and up to 10,000 miles in award flight credits each year (terms apply).
  • Earn up to 9,000 Premier qualifying points per calendar year (1 PQP for every $20 you spend on purchases).
  • Up to $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS fee credit.
  • Expanded award availability and free upgrades. Having this card makes it easier to find that saver award economy ticket. No blackout dates for MileagePlus members booking award flights on United.
  • $250 annual fee.

Here are the ongoing rewards on purchases:

  • 3X miles on United(R) purchases
  • 2X miles on all other travel.
  • 2X miles on dining.
  • 2X miles on select streaming services.
  • 1X mile per dollar spent on all other purchases.
  • No foreign transaction fees.
  • 25% Back on United inflight purchases (Wi-Fi, Food and Drinks).

The United Quest card is considered a new product, which means you can get this new bonus even if you’ve had other United card flavors in the past 24 months:

This card product is available to you if you do not have this card and have not received a new Cardmember bonus for this card in the past 24 months.

This card is very focused on making it a better experience for regular United customers. You have the first and second checked bag for free on United flights, both for your and a companion traveling on the same reservation. The bag fees are $40 first bag and $50 second bag per person, each way, so that adds up to a potential $360 total value roundtrip.

After each card anniversary, you automatically get $125 back on United purchases charged to your card, which already covers half the $250 annual fee. You save another 5,000 points (up to twice a year) when you book an award ticket with miles. You also get Priority Boarding, and while onboard, you get 25% back on your inflight purchases of WiFi, food, and drinks.

If you are trying to make Premier status on United, this card offers the ability to earn up to 9,000 Premier qualifying points a year (1 PQP for every $20 you spend on purchases).

Expanded award seat availability. You earn United miles for all your purchases, but then they also make it easier for you to redeem those miles on Saver level tickets with no blackout dates. No blackout dates for MileagePlus members booking award flights on United. Expanded award seat availability is another of the top perks from this card, and I’ve found a very significant difference when searching. If you’re constantly trying to find economy tickets for the entire family like me, this is a big deal. Saver Award ticket redemptions start at 12,500 miles one-way within the continental U.S. and Canada.

If you are a Premier® status member and traveling on an award ticket, with this card you can take advantage of Premier Upgrades on United-operated flights.

Another unique feature of this card is that it offers primary coverage on the Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver. On most other consumer cards, this coverage is offered as secondary coverage, meaning it only kicks in after your personal auto insurance has been exhausted.

Bottom line. The United Quest Card offers a long list of special perks for folks that fly United on a regular basis. For the right person, the benefits can be worth much more than the annual fee.

Also see: Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers.

The information for the United Quest(SM) Card has been collected independently by My Money Blog. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //
Last updated: March 24, 2025
My Money Blog has partnered with CardRatings and may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. MyMoneyBlog.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers. All opinions expressed are the author’s alone, and has not been provided nor approved by any of the companies mentioned.

MyMoneyBlog.com is also a member of the Amazon Associate Program, and if you click through to Amazon and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.

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