News
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American Airlines Changes AAdvantage Program
The rumor was already out and it was confirmed today. American Airlines, the world’s largest carrier, said today that it is fundamentally changing the way it awards frequent flier miles, joining other major U.S. airlines by rewarding dollars spent instead of miles flown. The change, also made by United Airlines earlier this year, benefits big-spenders, usually…
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Marriott International to buy Starwood Hotels for $12.2B
Marriott International has agreed to buy Starwood Hotels and Resorts in a $12.2 billion deal that will make it the largest hotel chain in the world. The combined companies will operate or franchise more than 5,500 hotels with 1.1 million rooms worldwide. About 35% of the properties are outside the USA. The companies expect the deal…
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Verizon Cancels Orders For Price Mistake On Sony SmartBand
We recently wrote about a price mistake from Verizon. They were selling Sony Smartbands for free with free shipping. They just send me an email notifying me that the order is canceled, and… my card wasn’t charged. Well the second part was obvious because the price was $0. But thanks anyway. Here’s the text of…
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How To Add “Shop Small in November” Amex Offers If Not Targeted
We previously wrote about Shop Small in November, which this year has replaced Small Business Saturday. It isn’t as good as the previous version because you can only get one $10 credit per card, and not all cards were targeted for most people. Business cards had offers for $20 credit on purchases of $100 or more. But…
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Bad News From Discover Deals For Non-Discover Card Purchases
Big Habitat has posted a letter from one of his readers who was contacted by mail by Discover’s Fraud Prevention Departments regarding Discover Deals purchases made with non-Discover cards. The same reader says that he hasn’t seen any rewards clawed back yet, but this is worrisome if you done high volumes of purchases through Discover Deals…
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4,500 Avios Flights Will End On Feb 2nd
British Airways has announced that they will end one of the best deals out there, the 4,500 Avios Flights in North America. In their statement they say that starting 2 February 2016, they’ll be making some changes to the Executive Club pricing structure for reward flights originating or terminating in the United States of America.
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Meth Addicts Create Algorithm To Steal Gift Cards
This is the kind of crime that makes merchants put restrictions on gift card purchases. But it is also a interesting story so I decided to post it. It’s about three meth addicts who came up with a scheme using phony Giant Eagle gift cards to fuel his meth addiction, police said. This was the scheme.…
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Amex Platinum Card Adds Complimentary Hilton Gold Status
Besides the SPG Gold status, the American Express Platinum now comes with complimentary Hilton HHonors Gold status as well. This is a benefit that was tested previously but can now be added easily to all Platinum cards. For HHonors Gold status, you need to have make 20 stays or 40 nights in a calendar year, or earn 75,000 HHonors Base…
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Amex Now Accepted at Sam’s Club & $25 Off Membership Price
Earllier this year American Express announced the end of the partnership with Costco as the two companies failed to agree on new terms. This was considered to be a significant blow to Amex as 11 million of the 112 million American Express cards in circulation were co-branded with Costco. Amex’s stock price is down 20% year-to-date, far below the…
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No Credits This Year For “Small Business Saturday”
This is bad news. Looks like there will be no free stuff this year from Amex. On the FAQs page of Small Business Saturday it is clearly stated that there will be no statement credits this year. Many people have probably been adding cards to their Amex portfolio, so this is very disappointing. Small Business…
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You Might Need Your Passport To Fly Domestic In 2016
Starting in 2016, travelers from four U.S. states will not be able to use their driver’s licenses as valid ID to board domestic flights. This is not a new rule that comes our of nowhere, but a law passed years ago that will finally be enforced. The standard licenses from New York, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and…
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Amex Does Not Backdate New Credit Cards
This is not breaking news, but something that’s been known since late March. I never wrote about it actually, but two recent emails from readers pushed me to clear up the confusion, if there’s is any left. Two readers, Andrew and Kate, emailed me saying that their new cards from Amex have the backdated year…