Reasons to Love Hilton Honors, Cheaper St. Regis Bentley Suite, Apple’s New Person-to-Person Payment, Why Keep the United Card, and More!

It is amazing how fast some things can happen. I was going through the posts from the last couple of weeks to grab the ones that are still pertinent. I saw that it was just a week ago that the situation with Qatar and other countries in the region took a big turn. It literally happened like overnight and has already affected many, many people. It is things like this that always hold me back when I go to book some great deal months or even a year in advance.

Miles, Points, and Deals

• 3 Reasons to Love Hilton Honors – Hilton Honors is not the most beloved hotel program in the industry but there are several reasons to actually love them!
• Great Amex Offer! Earn 12,500 MR Points for $400 Spend at Montblanc [32 Points per $!] – Targeted – If you are targeted for this, it could be a great way to rack up your MR points! You just need to find someone that wants to order something at Montblanc through you…
• Should You Take Points or Cell Phone Insurance? – Various credit cards offer different perks and features. Sometimes, these features do not overlap and you have to choose what is more valuable to you. Dustin does a great job breaking it all down to answer this question.
• New Amex Offers for June Are Here – There are some new Amex Offers here for June that you may want to take a quick glance at. Also, there is a targeted one going around that I, unfortunately, did not get that you should save! It is to spend $50 on Amazon and get 2,000 Membership Reward points back!
• Hilton Is Ditching Citi and Becoming Exclusive With Amex – Finally, the four-card offering for Hilton hotels is about to be cut in half. Citi will be losing their cards and Amex will be taking exclusivity. I do wonder what will happen if Amex does not feel pressure to draw customers to their own product anymore…
• Get the Southwest Companion Pass with 2 Of These Card Bonuses! – The Southwest Companion Pass continues to be the most valuable perk in the travel and points world. Now, you can get it very easily with just 2 of these sign-up bonuses.
• $435K Fine For United, World’s Largest Plane, Facial Boarding Passes, and More – A brief update on some of the things going on.
• A Very Cool Marathon! Run 26.2 Miles Inside Boston’s Fenway Park – This would be an awesome race for a baseball fan! One of our readers is actually running it so check out her link in the comment section of this post.
• Now Book JetBlue Flights Through February 14, 2018 – We are starting to move deeper in 2018 for bookings!
• 3 Reasons To Consider Buying SPG Points With 35% Discount – This discount is still going on and you could benefit from it if you fit within any of these 3 reasons.
• Several Countries Cut Ties & Air Routes with Qatar, Citing Terrorism Concerns – This is the story I was referring to at the top of this post. If you have travel in this region, check your airline before take-off to ensure there are no cancellations.
• This Could Be Huge – Apple Introducing Person-to-Person Payments – Apple is moving further into the currency world and will be rolling out person-to-person payments. According to other stories, there will be a 3% fee if you use a credit card but this could make sense if you look at the post below.
• One Way the US Bank Altitude Reserve Does Not Compete with Premium Cards – I don’t know if US Bank is trying to step out gingerly into this market but this is one thing that needs to change.
• Best Cards for Earning Flying Blue and KrisFlyer Miles – Flying Blue and Singapore Air’s KrisFlyer program are two programs you should be familiar with since they let you book awards on airlines like Delta and United for fewer miles than those programs require themselves! Plus, there are several great card options out there for them!
• My Recent Credit Card Binge – It is nice to be able to go and take another round of cards to earn more points for free travel. Come along as Dustin details his own most recent credit card binge.
• How The New Apple Person-to-Person Payments Could Be Great – Even With a Fee – Find out how the new Apple Pay component could, even with a fee, be a great thing – if you hold one certain card.
• Fly From Athens to Abu Dhabi on Etihad’s 787-9 Dreamliner – For the summer, Etihad is upgrading their aircraft that flies on the Athens – Abu Dhabi route and you can relax on their 787-9 Dreamliner!
• Great New Amex Offer: Earn 3,000 MR Points on Sports Gear for $150+ Spend [Targeted?] – In the market for some new sports gear? Save this offer and get shopping!
• The Best Reason To Keep the United MileagePlus Credit Card – A Real Cost-Saver! – A couple of weeks ago, I beat on the United cards by talking about how one of their key “features” is in real need of an upgrade. But, it does have another feature that could help you keep it in your drawer!
• Now Earn 7,500 Starpoints Per SPG Referral Bonus & Leave Your Referrals Here! – The SPG cards from Amex have a heftier referral now – 7,500 points! Check it out!
• A St. Regis Bentley Suite Is Now Going For $3,500 Less Per Night Than Last Year – There are only 3 of these suites in the world and they can go for a lot of money. But, one of them has come down over $3,500 since last year!

That’s it for this week! There were a lot of sales and deals that popped up so hope you were able to get in on those!