Welcome back to Junk Mail Saturday! This is where I will review some of the junk mail (both postal and e-mail) that was received through the week. We call it “junk mail” but many times there are some golden nuggets in there (more often than not, they are targeted to specific individuals) so hopefully this will help you as we look at what the offers are. I have seen some very funny ones and some great ones. Feel free to send me yours to be included as well!
Junk Mail Saturday
This week, my offers have been for current customers. While they are targeted, you may have received these offers or may be eligible for them if you check your account.
I do not receive a commission for any of the Chase cards mentioned below but do receive a commission on the US Airways card and the American Express card if you choose to use my links.
Hyatt Credit Card
The Offer: Spend $3,000 or more with your Hyatt Credit Card from April 1 through June 30, 2013, and receive 5,000 Hyatt Gold Passport bonus points, in addition to the points you would already earn.
The Fine Print: To be eligible for this bonus offer, you must either call the phone number or log on to the website referenced in this offer and enroll using thespecified enrollment code by 5/31/13. You will qualify for and receive your bonus if you make purchases with your credit card that total an amount at or above the specified target amount during the promotional period. Please allow 6 to 8 weeks after qualifying transactions post to your account for bonus points to post to your account. You do not earn bonus points on balance transfers, any checks that are used to access your account, cash advances, cash-like charges such as travelers checks, foreign currency, and money orders, overdraft advances, interest, unauthorized or fraudulent charges, or fees of any kind, including fees for products that protect or insure the balances of your account. Credit card product changes during the promotional period will forfeit this bonus offer. To qualify for this bonus offer, account must be open and not in default at the time of fulfillment. This promotional offer is non-transferable.
The Summary: Hyatt points are typically valued between 1.5 cents per point and 2 cents per point. This would mean that this bonus offer is worth anywhere from $75 – $100, potentially more depending on whether you would be using these points to top off your account for redemption at a high category hotel. Ultimate Reward points transfer to Hyatt at 1:1, so if you ever transfer points, these would be worth as much as the Ultimate Reward points. My wife and I both received this offer, I would imagine because we have not used our cards much. So, if you were to use this promo offer only at places that give 1 point per $1, you would end up with 8,000 Hyatt points. This is enough for a Category 2 hotel (I have a local Category 2 that goes from $149 – $239 a night). If you were to use the card in any of the bonus categories (like restaurants or airline tickets purchased from the airline, or car rental agencies), you would earn 2 points per $1. If you were to use it at Hyatt hotels, you would earn 3 points per $1. To sum up the summary, this is a good offer, especially for someone who is not trying to meet spend on another card or would use this card for everyday spending. It comes down to $1,000 in spend per month, but with Bluebird, it becomes a lot easier to meet the goal. Besides, it costs nothing to enroll, so why not?
The Verdict: Good
US Airways Mastercard
The Offer: Use your US Airways Dividend Miles Mastercard to enjoy your favorite restaurant, make a purchase at your local gas station or stop by your neighborhood home improvement store, and you’ll earn 5 bonus miles for every $1 that posts to your account, up to 2,500 bonus miles, from April 1 through June 30, 2013, when you activate this offer by April 20,2013. This is in addition to the miles you already earn for using your card every day.
The Fine Print: This bonus offer is for select US Airways Dividend Miles Mastercard cardmembers and is not transferable. Qualified cardmembers who activate by April 20, 2013, will earn 5 bonus miles for every one dollar ($1) in new purchase(s) at gast stations, restaurants, fast food restaurants, and home improvement stores (that are not later returned or rescinded) that post to their account between April 1, 2013 and June 30, 2013, up to a maximum of 2,500 bonus miles. Eligible gast station, restaurant, fast food restaurant, and home improvement store purchases are defined by merchant category codes.
The Summary: These miles would be valued around 1.6 – 1.8 cents per point putting the max bonus for this promotion at $45. While I am always looking for more US Airways miles, I will be passing on this. One big reason is that this is category specific – restaurants (my Chase Sapphire Preferred gets 2.14 points per dollar at Restaurants), gas stations (my Chase Ink Bold or Chase Ink Plus earn 2 points per dollar at gas stations and my American Express Premier Rewards Gold earns 2 points per dollar at stand-alone gas stations), and home improvement stores (I purchase gift cards at office supply stores using my Chase Ink Bold or Ink Plus that earn 5 points per dollar). So, I have a better way with each category mentioned to earn points than with the US Airways card. Granted, this bonus is offering 5 points per dollar, but that is only on a total of $500. So, I will pass on this one as I would rather accrue points on the other cards than on this one for just 2,500 miles.
The Verdict: Average
Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by American Express. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of American Express, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express. This site may be compensated through American Express Affiliate Program.
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