๐ Hi Reader, Happy Saturdayโhope your weekend is off to an amazing start! Here's what's included in today's newsletter:
One small favor: if you enjoyed reading, please forward this email to someone else who might too! And if that's you, make sure to subscribe here :) Thanks so much in advance! ๐ณ Deep Dive on Amex Credit Cards and MR PointsThis week, I reviewed and ranked the full American Express lineup of 30+ cards. I also dive deep on Membership Rewards, transfer partners, approval rules, card-linked offers, unique perks, and more.
Todayโs newsletter is brought to you byโฆ Notion AIโ I run my life and business on Notion. I literally use it every day and I don't know what I would without it. It's where I track my tasks, manage the newsletter and podcast, plan family trips and so much more. But with the addition of Notion AI, it's even better. Notion AI is an all-in-one AI that does so much. It automatically captures meeting notes, instantly finds the exact content you need, drafts detailed docs for you, and lets you chat with the best AI models. It's all in one place, making it one of the best AI tools for work. Try Notion AI for free today at chrishutchins.com/notionโ ๐ซ Travel, Points & Miles๐บ Biz Class Award Flight Deals to 7 DestinationsIf you're looking at international travel, there are some great award deals for business class flights right now.
๐จ Earn Bonus Points at Hyatt, Marriott & HiltonHere are three hotel promos you can take advantage of if you have upcoming summer travel this year.
๐ฐ Earning Points on a New Mortgage or RefinanceIf you're looking to get a new mortgage (or refinance an existing one), there are two ways to earn a lot of points in the process:
Separately, anyone with a mortgage can earn 1x points on their mortgage (up to 100k/yr) with the Mesa Homeowners Cardโ. While they've moved to a waitlist right now, I've been told they're moving through it quickly and it shouldn't be too long before you get invited. I wrote up a post with more details on the card here, and once you get off the waitlist, you can use my referral code (FCRGNB) for 5,000 bonus points. Note: the code is not an invite code to skip the waitlist. ๐ New JSX Loyalty Program + $100 off Your FlightThe "feels-like-private" airline JSX recently launched their new loyalty program, Club JSX, offering members 5% back on flights as trip credits. The program also includes family reward pooling, birthday bonuses, personalized offers, and a referral program, so if you're flying JSX, it's defintiely worth signing up. If you've never tried JSX before, you can check out their route map and use the code NP0DUC to get $100 off your first flight. ๐คฉ 25% Bonus Southwest PointsSelect Southwest Rapid Rewards cardholders can now earn a 25% bonus on points, up to a maximum of 20,000 bonus points, when they spend $3,000+ between 7/1 and 9/30. Registration is requiredโso check your account to see if you're eligible. ๐ณ Bilt Leaving Wells Fargo to Launch 3 New Bilt CardsBilt is moving from Wells Fargo to Cardless as its card issuer in Feb 2026 and will launch three new cards: a no-fee, $95, and $495 version. I'm a big fan of Bilt Rewards because it has the best lineup of transfer partners, so I'm very excited to see this new lineup of cards! โ๏ธ Etihad's 5 Million Mile ChallengeEtihad Guest's Extraordinary Challenge is offering 20+ million bonus miles in prizes to anyone who visits their 15 newest destinations. The top three finishers receive 5, 3, and 1 million miles, respectively, while the first 100 to reach 5 and 10 destinations earn additional bonus miles. I prefer challenges like the current JetBlue 25 (which I'd probably be doing if we lived on the east coast) where everyone is guaranteed the "prize" vs. Etihad's where you have to be first for the full amount. โ๏ธ 2x Aeroplan Points on International FlightsAeroplan members can earn 2x points on international flights (including Asia, Australia, Europe, South America, Mexico, or the Caribbean) from 9/15 to 12/15. You must register and complete your booking before 8/15. ๐ค Latest Deals๐ฆ Bank Bonuses Worth $4,300+Bank bonuses are an easy way to earn extra cash, especially with these new offers.
๐ Latest Card-Linked Offers: $500+ in SavingsCard-linked offers are a great way to save on shopping youโre already doing. Here are some worth checking out with expiration dates in parentheses.
P.S. Some of these offers are targeted, so I highly recommend using CardPointers Pro (get 30% off here) to automate these offers. ๐ Up to 20% Off Popular Gift Card BrandsHere are some great gift card deals I found this week.
๐ฐ $50 from PayPal for Linking 3 SubscriptionsPayPal currently has a targeted offer to earn a $50 reward when you link 3 subscriptions to you PayPal account. It's a fairly easy bonus, so check your PayPal account to see if you're eligible. ๐ต๏ธ Top Finds๐ธ Is Financial Independence Overrated?I really love this article by Nick Maggiulli about how chasing financial independence can be overrated. He argues that Coast FIRE is the highest form of financial freedom because it still requires you to engage in meaningful work, and I completely agree with this mindset. ๐ฌ Airports With the Most Summertime Flight DelaysโThis Upgraded Points study breaks down which U.S. airports have the worst summer delay stats, including average delay times, cancellation rates, and tarmac waits. If youโre flying this summer, itโs worth a look to know which airports and airlines are most likely to slow you down. โQuestion For YouI'd love to know what you'd like to see more/less of in this newsletter, so please reply and let me know! And as always, thanks so much for reading and have a great weekend! Chris |
Discover the latest and greatest hacks, deals and recommendations to upgrade and optimize your life, money and travel โ all while spending less and saving more.
๐ Hi Reader, Happy Labor Day weekend! Here's what's included in today's newsletter: ๐ธ Strategies for retirement, wealth building, and taxes ๐ฐ New 2-3% brokerage transfer bonus ๐บ Biz class award deals to 5 destinations (incl. Italy & Japan) ๐ณ 50% off one of my top apps for credit card offers ๐ Card-linked savings worth $1,200+ โ Submit questions for an ask me anything ๐จ Hotel promos from Marriott, Wyndham & more ๐ 42 lessons from 15 years of investing and more! One small favor: if you enjoyed...
๐ Hi Reader, I hope your weekend is off to a great start! Here's a quick sneak peak of what's included in today's newsletter: ๐ค Deep dive on Capital One cards and miles ๐งณ How to get 2,500 bonus miles if your luggage is delayed ๐คฉ 100k welcome offer on new Alaska Atmos card ๐ฎ๐ธ Final call for the All the Hacks Iceland trip (2 spots left!) ๐ณ New 125k welcome offer on a top personal card ๐บ Biz class award deals to Europe ๐ฐ Free event on must-know tax moves for business owners ๐๐ฝ How to use your...
๐ Hi Reader, Happy Saturdayโhope your weekend is off to a great start! Here's what's included in today's newsletter: ๐ณ Last chance for two 100k welcome offers ๐ค 10+ new cards and bonuses to earn more points ๐ธ Bank & brokerage bonuses worth $7,000+ ๐จ Latest hotel promos for IHG, Marriott & Wyndham ๐บ Google flights finally allows filtering out basic economy ๐ Pricing hack for Uber airport rides ๐งโ๏ธ How airlines choose which planes to fly and more! One small favor: if you enjoyed reading, please...