MileageMark

Saving you money, one mile at a time.

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Year of earning and burning on the Citi Executive card Last year I sprang for the super-premium American Airlines card. The 75k sign-up bonus and free pre-check/global entry were too good of an offer to pass up.

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Is the Capital One Venture card right for you?

Overall, many cash back cards make it easier to earn cash back than most miles cards. This can take the edge away from the value of points over their cash equivalents. While this is starting to change as consumers put a premium on points, you can still earn some fantastic rewards from pure cash back cards.

As many of you know, I am not usually a fan of cash back cards. While it is valuable to have the flexibility of cash back, you tend to lose a lot of value that comes with having airline miles or hotel points. For instance; $500 worth of cash back on the Chase Freedom card can be transferred to the Chase Sapphire card. This translates to 50k Ultimate Rewards points that can be transferred to…

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The new and improved United Mileage Plus Explorer card.

The new and improved United Mileage Plus Explorer card.

Last month we told you about some new perks coming to the American Airlines card. This time around, it’s United’s turn. In true United form, they have one-upped AA. While this card isn’t new, it is a relaunch with some major upgraded features. Chase has done an awesome job of making this card a strong contender to be your everyday spend card. They appear to be aiming for more of the low-annual…

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Lounge Life.

Last month we delved into the lucrative (albeit expensive) world of AmEx Platinum Card perks and benefits. Specifically, we looked at some of the awesome hotel benefits and how you might be able to justify the annual fee through those alone. This time, we will discuss one of my favorite benefits: airport lounges.

Again, some may see this as a frivolous perk that isn’t really needed. And, before I…

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Alitalia struggles and the fate of your points.

Alitalia struggles and the fate of your points.

Over the past year there have been many new changes within the European airline market. As budget airlines take over and battle with the traditional flag carriers, these low-cost options continue to struggle. This is particularly true of Southern Europe’s carriers who have struggled for a multitude of reasons and were ill-equipped to handle the budget onslaught. 

As Bloombergreports, Italy’s…

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It seems lately there have been a lot of changes in the air in regards to travel cards and loyalty programs. This time the change lies in one of my wallet staples and a card I always keep open—the AA Platinum Mastercard from Citi. This card is a must when you’re starting to stack AA cards. It has typically been a ho-hum co-brand airline card with few perks. While perks like checked bags and 10%…

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SPG AmEx card loses signup bonus; adds new perks

SPG AmEx card loses signup bonus; adds new perks

Last week we told you about the old-standby SPG AmEx card and how it was the perfect time to take advantage of the impending SPG and Marriott merger to rack up a lot of points in the new combined program. In light of the recent announcements, there have some been some big changes. But sadly, one of my favorite cards lost its sign up bonus.   Here’s what happened: The SPG AmEx card no longer has a…

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BREAKING -- SPG-Marriott merger details and what you need to know.

BREAKING — SPG-Marriott merger details and what you need to know.

In light of recent news, I thought the SPG-Marriott merger announcement today warranted a quick update to alleviate the fears and anxiety that many of us had about the upcoming merger. In short, not a lot has changed and that is something we can be happy about. In fact, I would say that this is an upgrade over the two previous respective programs. In this case—two is definitely better than one.…

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Is the annual fee worth the expense?

Is the annual fee worth the expense?

Most of you know that my mantra is to travel on the cheap, use points when it makes sense, and spend money on things that warrant it. With that being said, some of you may be confused as to why I always keep my AmEx Platinum card despite it having a very hefty annual fee of $550. To most this would seem to be an extravagant waste of money. And, I admit,  at first I was very apprehensive about…

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AmEx Starwood Preferred Guest Card

AmEx Starwood Preferred Guest Card

I have alluded to one my favorite programs, Starwood Preferred Guest, many times in previous posts and the impending merger of SPG and Marriott. As such, now is the perfect time to get the SPG card if you haven’t already. With the future somewhat unknown, I would take advantage as soon as possible. The SPG AmEx is pretty simple since it is not a “premium” card, but a worthwhile candidate to be a…

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The future of JetBlue & why it may be smart to take advantage of their credit cards.

The future of JetBlue & why it may be smart to take advantage of their credit cards.

Recently I have started saving up miles through JetBlue. This is an airline that doesn’t fly out of my local airport (Indianapolis),  and unfortunately any other nearby airport. In addition, I have never flown JetBlue, however, they make it easy to earn, and use, their miles (despite last month’s end to earning on Amazon purchases—RIP). And, anyone that follows the airline industry probably…

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AMEX Extra Points Alert

AMEX Extra Points Alert

Many of you are probably aware of American Express’ “Offers and Benefits” section offering promotions that range from cash back, extra points per $ spent, and points bonuses. If you aren’t, you could be missing out on some major points earnings. And, right now, AmEx has a lot of good offers for spring. However, these may vary depending on the card(s) you have and other factors. For me, I have…

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Gas + Bonus Miles = More Travel

Gas + Bonus Miles = More Travel

A few weeks ago, I was driving to my hometown and stopped for gas on the 3-hour journey. I stopped at a rural BP gas station and was greeted, to my surprise, by a United MileagePlus advertisement! There weren’t a lot of details so I made a mental note to check when I got home. United is one of my favorite frequent flier programs as there are so many options to pad your account. Sadly, I have…

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Is the Aeromexico card worth your while?

Is the Aeromexico card worth your while?

This past February, my wife and I took a long weekend trip to Mexico City. While there, I was bombarded with ads for the Aeromexico card. However, it was ads for the Mexican domestic market Aeromexico card offered by American Express. In the U.S. this card is offered solely by U.S. Bank and its perks are quite unique and well worth a look, even if it is not the greatest co-brand credit card…

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New update for an old change.

New update for an old change.

In older posts I have referenced the ability to rack up miles by paying basic bills with a credit card. One of these was for student loans. I, like most millennials, have student loans and would call my servicer to make these payments with a credit card. Most of their websites would not allow this to be done online. And, while annoying, helped me get a lot of extra miles over the years. However,…

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Chase's confusing rules on multiple credit cards.

Chase’s confusing rules on multiple credit cards.

As many of you know, I usually suggest newcomers to the points and card game to take advantage of Chase’s travel cards to avoid running into the 5/24 rule. For those of you that don’t know, Chase has a rule (unwritten) that doesn’t allow you to get a new Chase card if you have had 5 or more new credit cards in the last 24 months. While I had hoped this would change, it has not. When I first…

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Back at it.

Hello! It has been a long while since I have posted. This was an unfortunate side-effect of going to school full-time for the past 2.5 years. I recently graduated and will be back to writing. Fear not, I have continued to travel and collect miles and points along the way. I will continue to provide tips, tricks, and ideas to help you travel for free or on the cheap. I know there is a lot of…

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