Monthly Archives: November 2013

$10 in Free Candy, Thank You AMEX Small Business Saturday!

SBS

$10 in Free Candy, Thank You AMEX Small Business Saturday!

Happy Small Business Saturday everyone!  Today only, get a $10 statement credit when you spend at least $10 at a small business.  You need to register your American Express credit card (link) before spending $10 on your credit card.  American Express has a list of small business merchants here, but you can also can also use your American Express credit card at any small business, even if it is not listed on the website (thanks to reader Lucy for letting me know).  You can register every American Express credit card you have and receive the $10 statement credit once per card.  You cannot register Bluebird, Serve, or other prepaid American Express cards.

I’m in Carmel, CA this week and found a candy store called Cottage of Sweets close by.

SBS Cottage of Sweets

I registered my AMEX Blue Cash Preferred credit card and spent $10.10 on candy.

BCP Receipt

Continue reading →

Chase Freedom vs. Discover It vs. Citi Dividend 5% Cash Back Credit Card Comparison

Which Credit Card

Chase Freedom vs. Discover It vs. Citi Dividend 5% Cash Back Credit Card Comparison

The Chase Freedom card gets a lot of attention in the travel blog-o-sphere, but there are similar cards from Discover Bank (Discover It) and Citi Bank (Citi Dividend Platinum Select) that offer 5% cash back on different categories.

More cash back cards = more cash back for you.  Each card offers 5% cash back per quarter, capped at the first $1,500 per quarter ($1,500 x 5% = $75 cash back).  3 cards x 4 quarters x $75 cash back per quarter = $900 per year (not including sign up bonuses and other 1% spend).

After all the airline/hotel devaluations thus far in 2013, I am more interested in cash back cards.

To read the entire post, please click here.

a woman holding her hands up with a man in front of him

Chase Freedom vs. Discover It vs. Citi Dividend 5% Cash Back Card Comparison

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UPDATED 6/17 @ 8 AM: Updated the chart below with current offers and newly announced categories.

Chase Freedom vs. Discover It vs. Citi Dividend 5% Cash Back Credit Card Comparison

All of the credit cards below have no annual fee and offer a base rate of 1% cash back on all purchases.  Every quarter of the year (January – March / April – June / July – September / October – December), the credit cards below offer 5% cash back on rotating categories, instead of only 1% cash back.  This post is designed to compare each of the rotating cash back credit cards.

I will update this post whenever new cash back quarters begin or when new quarterly categories are announced.  Make sure you register your credit card with the 5% cash back categories before the quarters begin.

 

Chase Freedom Credit Card

Chase Freedom

Current Sign Up Bonus

  • 20,000 Chase Ultimate Reward Points after spending $500 in 3 months (can be transfer to Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Ink Bold/Plus credit cards)
  • 20,000 Chase Ultimate Reward Points = $200 cash back

Annual Cap on 5% Cash Back

  • $300 annual cap ($75 per quarter)

Payout Increments

  • 100 Chase Ultimate Reward Points = $1 statement credit

Current 5% Categories (July – September 2015) – activation link

  • Gas Stations
  • Kohl’s

Chase Freedom Q3

 

Discover It Credit Card

Discover It CC

Current Sign Up Bonus

Annual Cap on 5% Cash Back

  • $300 annual cap ($75 per quarter)

Payout Increments

  • $1 cash back = $1 statement credit or bank deposit

Current 5% Categories (July – September 2015) – activation link

  • Home Improvement Stores
  • Department Stores
  • Amazon.com

 

Discover It Q3 Discover It Q3 Merchants

 

Citi Dividend Platinum Select Credit Card

Citi Dividend Platinum CC

Current Sign Up Bonus

  • $100 cash back after spending $500 in 3 months

Annual Cap on 5% Cash Back

  • $300 annual cap (no quarterly cap)

Payout Increments

  • $50 checks (available only upon request)

Upcoming 5% Categories (July – September 2015) – activation link

  • Hilton Hotels
  • Airlines

Citi Dividend Q3

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.

$25 Off a Hotel Reservation with Orbitz Rewards

Orbitz Rewards Logo$25 Off a Hotel Reservation with Orbitz Rewards

First things first, you probably don’t have an Orbitz Rewards account.  Click here to sign up for an account.  You will receive a $25 promo code (discount) off your first Orbitz hotel reservation of $50 or more.  After you complete your hotel reservation, I will also receive a $25 promo code.  It’s a win-win!

Orbitz Rewards Refer A Friend

You should receive an email from Orbitz within 1-2 days of creating your Orbitz Rewards account.

Orbitz Bonus Email

To read the entire post, please click here.

$25 Off a Hotel Reservation with Orbitz Rewards

Posted on by . 2 Replies

Orbitz Rewards Logo$25 Off a Hotel Reservation with Orbitz Rewards

First things first, you probably don’t have an Orbitz Rewards account.  Click here to sign up for an account.  You will receive a $25 promo code (discount) off your first Orbitz hotel reservation of $50 or more.  After you complete your hotel reservation, I will also receive a $25 promo code.  It’s a win-win!

Orbitz Rewards Refer A Friend

You should receive an email from Orbitz within 1-2 days of creating your Orbitz Rewards account.

Orbitz Bonus Email

My account has a $30 promo since I signed up through Google Wallet.  Your account should have $25 in Orbitz Rewards.

Orbitz Rewards Account

To familiarize yourself with Orbitz Rewards, you earn 5% back on hotel reservations and 1% back on flights and packages.  You can redeem your points anytime, there is no minimum redemption amount required.

Orbitz Rewards Home

The math is simple, $1 in Orbucks (Orbitz Rewards Dollars) = $1 off a flight, hotel, or vacation package.

Orbitz Rewards Earn

Redeem your Orbucks whenever you want, no minimum amount required to redeem.

Orbitz Rewards Redeem

If you are feeling adventurous, you can book your Orbitz hotel reservation through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Mall and get 1x per dollar.

Orbitz Chase UR Mall

During checkout, make sure you log into your Orbitz Rewards account and apply your Orbucks to your hotel reservation.  The discount is immediately deducted from your current order price and you will even earn Orbucks on your current reservation.

Orbitz Checkout

After placing your hotel reservation, your Orbitz Rewards balance will update to show your current Orbucks balance.

New Orbitz Rewards Balance

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.