Tag: Card Benefits

American Express announced the addition of three new merchants to the American Express® Gold Card $10 monthly dining credit. The expansion brings the total number of restaurant merchants you can use the credit with to 8. However, two options are being dropped on August 1, 2022. Here are the full details of these changes.

Mastercard holders who are fans of food delivery services have a couple of benefits they should be taking advantage of. The bad news is that these benefits are going away later this year. Currently, Mastercard has benefits with DoorDash and HelloFresh. Both of these are going away after September 2022, and the DoorDash benefit is being reduced pretty soon. Here are the details.

Cardmembers of the The Platinum Card® from American Express or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express might be glad to know they now have access to Virgin Clubhouses - some of the best lounges around. This comes after Plaza Premium took over the management of the lounges. Thanks to Plaza Premium's partnership with Amex, select Amex cardholders now access five of the Virgin Clubhouse lounges for free.

We are big fans of the Citi Double Cash® Card. It's a simple card with a great earning structure and no annual fee. There are some big changes that just launched on this card that make it even better. Let's take a look at what's changed, what hasn't changed, and whether these are positives or negatives for those who have the card.

If your Chase credit card comes with a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck reimbursement benefit, you may have a new use. Chase recently, but quietly, added a new option to several of its cards: an application fee credit for the Trusted Traveler Program called NEXUS. But what is this program, and how do you use this benefit? You might be surprised to learn that NEXUS is a better option than Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.

We recently shared that Hyatt is offering points for expiring awards, and now IHG is doing the same for free night awards. Given that IHG didn’t extend awards that expired at the end of 2021, this could be a good way for members to get something in return for any awards that they weren’t able to use. Here are the details we’ve seen from members’ experiences.

Heads up to those with Marriott and Ritz-Carlton credit cards: there is a change to how you will earn Bonvoy elite status through annual spending. Cardholders will soon earn status based on annual spending -- not cardmember year spending. Thankfully, we get a transition period. Here's what you need to know.

Hilton is extending Free Weekend Night Reward certificates yet again. This gives those that don't feel comfortable traveling quite yet some extra time to use their free night certificates. Here's how to plan to double (or triple) up on free weekend nights once things return to normal.

Shipt just teamed up with Visa to offer free and discounted Shipt memberships to all Visa cardholders. Visa Infinite cardholders get 3 free years of Shipt membership while Visa Signature cardholders get 3 free months of Shipt. Here are the terms to keep in mind and how to enroll for this free benefit.

Hilton is once again extending several of its temporary benefits and elite status for Hilton Honors members. Hilton Honors elite status holders will keep their membership tier through March 2023. Hilton is also reducing qualification requirements for 2022, extending points expiration dates, and more.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® now offers 10X points on purchases made through the Chase Dining platform. For frequent diners who live in an area with an ample selection of participating restaurants, this is a huge return on spending. But you can’t just walk up to your favorite neighborhood eatery and swipe your card for 10X points. Here’s what you need to know to take advantage of this perk.

The The Platinum Card® from American Express has long been a favorite due to lucrative perks and generous offers. As of July 1, 2021, American Express is revamping the Amex Platinum to add a slew of perks. But it's not all good news. The annual fee is also increasing by $145 to a whopping $695 per year.

American Express has solidified its lounge access partnership with Lufthansa. Now, cardmembers of Platinum- and Centurion-branded cards can permanently access select Lufthansa lounges in Frankfurt and Munich.

Marriott Bonvoy members can breathe a sigh of relief. Marriott just made some positive changes - including extending the expiration pause on Bonvoy points and extending to the validity of Free Night Awards. Both are now valid through at least the end of 2021.

Starting April 1, 2021, Amex will add cell phone protection as a new benefit for several popular card products. If you use your qualifying Amex card to pay your cell phone bill, you can be reimbursed up to $800 for repair or replacement costs in the event it's stolen or damaged—including cracked screens! Here's what you need to know about the new benefit and how it compares to other cards.

If you're a Priority Pass member, you can once again access all but one of Alaska's lounges. This is good news for travelers flying through Los Angeles, New York JFK, Seattle, Portland, or Anchorage. Three of Alaska's lounges left Priority Pass, but they're all now back and ready to host you.

The good news for American Express cardholders just keeps on coming! Through the end of 2021, Delta, Hilton, and Marriott co-branded cards will receive a monthly statement credit for dining or wireless credits. These credits range from $5 per month on no-annual-fee cards up to $20 per month on Amex's premium co-branded cards. That's up to $220 in statement credits through the end of the year!

American Express announces a new partnership with the Calm app. All U.S. Amex cardholders can now signup for a free premium subscription to the app for one year. That's 12 months of access to guided meditations, calming music, and even soothing bedtime stories—all for free!

One of Amex's go-to benefits for justifying high(er) annual fees is the Airline Fee Credit. This credit reimburses cardmembers for making eligible purchases with their airline of choice every year. However, for the Amex Gold, this benefit is in its last years. Starting in January 2022, Amex will no longer offer the annual $100 Airline Fee Credit to Amex Gold cardholders that signed up before February 4, 2021. What's next for this card?

Citi has accelerated increased earnings on the Citi Premier℠ Card due to go into effect later this year. Plus, Citi announced a temporary new spending bonus for the Citi Prestige® Card. Cardmembers with accounts active on May 22nd can now earn bonus ThankYou® Points on the things that we're spending more on lately—including online retailers, supermarkets, and restaurants.

American Express offers one of the largest collections of travel-oriented credit cards—some of which involve a significant annual fee. With travel at a standstill, many cardmembers are debating whether their travel cards are still worth the annual fee. In response, Amex just released the most comprehensive list of cardmember benefit updates we've seen yet.

Capital One has launched Capital One Offers in beta to select cardmembers, offering between 10-15% back with a variety of retailers. While details are still slim, it appears to be a similar format to that of Chase Offers and Amex Offers. If Capital One Offers end up being similar, the program could add a lot of additional value to Capital One's portfolio of credit cards.