👋 Hi Reader,

Happy Saturday—hope your weekend is off to a great start! Here's what's included in today's newsletter:

• 💳 Last chance for two 100k welcome offers
• 🤑 10+ new cards and bonuses to earn more points
• 💸 Bank & brokerage bonuses worth $7,000+
• 🏨 Latest hotel promos for IHG, Marriott & Wyndham
• 💺 Google flights finally allows filtering out basic economy
• 🚕 Pricing hack for Uber airport rides
• 🧑‍✈️ How airlines choose which planes to fly and more!

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!

Chris

🤑 Earn More Points with 10+ New Cards and Bonuses

​

This week, I share new credit cards, increased welcome bonuses, and major changes to existing cards/benefits. Plus, learn how to rack up thousands of points through airline and hotel challenges and giveaways.

💰 Use Your Taxes to Grow Your Wealth

Today’s newsletter is brought to you by… Gelt​

Smart tax planning isn’t just about filing on time—it’s about building wealth. And with months to go before next year’s deadline, now’s the perfect time to switch to Gelt, the modern CPA firm that works with you year-round to get you truly ready for this year’s filing.

I’ve been working with Gelt for a few years on our personal and business taxes and I love that every client gets:
✔️ A proactive, year-round strategy to minimize tax liability
✔️ Guidance on credits, deductions, and tax-efficient growth
✔️ A platform that keeps your tax plan aligned with your goals

Even if you’ve already filed, there’s still time to make smart tax moves to optimize your situation. Schedule your consultation today and start using taxes to grow your wealth.

🛫 Travel, Points & Miles

🚕 Uber Airport Ride: Pricing Hack

I came across this post by MaxMilesPoints where he shows how choosing a different drop-off airline when taking an Uber to an airport saved him ~$14 on the ride. So next time you're taking an Uber to an airport, try different airlines (even at the same terminal) to save.

💳 Last Chance: 100k+ Welcome Offers on 2 Cards

There are two cards with big welcome bonuses expiring next week:

• ​This popular travel card recently got an upgrade and has a bonus worth at least $1,500+. The offer ends at 9AM ET on 8/21.
• ​This United card has its best-ever welcome offer (which includes a boost towards elite status) ending at 6PM ET on 8/20.

💺 Google Flights Can Now Exclude Basic Economy

Yesterday I noticed that Google Flights now allows you to exclude Basic Economy fares during your searches. I've been waiting for this feature, so I'm excited to see it finally launched. They also launched a new AI-powered Flight Deals tool, which I haven't tried, but looks cool!

🏨 Hotel Promos: IHG, Marriott & Wyndham

If you’re looking to lock in late summer/fall stays, here are some hotel promos that could help maximize your savings and rewards.

IHG

• ​Earn up to 30,000 bonus points (10,000 points every 2+ nights) on qualifying stays between 8/5 and 9/30. Registration is required.
• ​Earn unlimited 2x points for stays between 9/1 and 9/30. Registration is required.
• ​Save 20% on Points & Cash stays between 8/21 and 9/26. This is a targeted offer, so check your account to see if you're eligible.

Marriott

• ​Save up to 20% when you book weekend stays between by 8/18 and 9/7.
• ​10% off home rental stays for 2+ nights between 8/1 and 12/19. You must book before 8/31—no registration required.
• ​Earn 2x points on Homes & Villas stays booked for 3+ nights. Book before 9/25 for stays until 12/31.

Wyndham

• ​Up to 20% off​ stays booked by 9/8 and completed by 12/31.

✈️ Add Authorized Users, Earn Up to 20,000 Delta Miles

Amex is offering some card members 5,000 Delta miles when they add an authorized user and spend $500+ within six months. You can add up to 4 authorized users, which means you can earn a total of 20,000 miles. It’s a targeted offer so check to see if you’re eligible.

🛫 Bonus Miles From United Airlines Mile Play Promo

United Airlines' Mile Play promotion allows select members to earn bonus miles by completing certain activities, such as taking qualifying flights. Mile Play offers vary from person to person, and you must register for this promo before 10/7.

💰 Points & Miles on Sale: IHG, Emirates, Hyatt, United

These offers aren’t too exciting but if you have a redemption in mind (or if you’re already familiar with these programs), it might come in handy. Expiration dates are in parentheses:

• IHG: 0.5¢ with a 100% bonus (8/28).
• Emirates: 2.4¢ with a 25% bonus (8/22).
• World of Hyatt: 2.17¢ with a 20% bonus (10/6).
• United (Targeted): 1.88¢ with a 100% bonus (8/24).

🎗️ [Updated] 25-50x AA Miles for Cancer Research

Through 9/30, American Airlines will give you 25x AA miles (or 50x with an AA card) for every $1 donated using an AAdvantage® Mastercard to Stand Up To Cancer. I shared this 2 weeks ago, but between drafting and sending the email they dropped the earning rate from 50x to 10x. However, it looks like they've increased it again (just checked today).

🤑 Latest Deals

💸 Bank & Brokerage Bonuses Worth $7,000+

On Ep #184, I shared how you could be earning a lot through bank and brokerage bonuses, so here are some that are worth checking out.

Bank Bonuses

• ​Up to $500 from TD Bank: Open a new TD Beyond Checking account to earn $300 and/or open a TD Complete Checking account to earn $200 with qualifying direct deposits. Offers ends 8/31.
• ​Up to $500 from St. Mary’s Bank: Open a checking account with promo code GET500 and set up a recurring direct deposit for a $300 bonus, plus get $200 when you open a new savings account with a deposit of $2,000 and add a $25 recurring monthly deposit.
• ​Up to $1,000 from Capital One (Business): Open a new Basic or Enhanced Checking account with promo code Q3BONUS1000. Deposit $5,000 to earn $500 or $30,000 to earn $1,000 and complete 10 qualifying electronic transactions within 90 days.

Brokerage Bonuses

• ​Up to $4,000 from Moomoo: Existing customers can get up to $4,000 for depositing or transferring a qualifying amount into a brokerage account before 8/31.
• ​Up to $1,000 in NVDA Stock from Moomoo: Make a qualifying deposit to a new Moomoo account before 9/25 to earn up to $1,000 in NVDA stock.
• ​Up to $750 from CIT Bank (First Citizens Wealth): Open a Self-Directed Investing account and deposit a qualifying amount within 30 days.
• ​$200 from Ally Invest: Open a Self-Directed Trading account before 10/15 and transfer at least $1,000.

🌯 Buy One, Get One Free Chipotle with IQ Test

Chipotle is running an "IQ Test" until 8/21, where you can win BOGO, free entrées, and more. The answers for each day are listed here.

🔗 Card-Linked Offers: $750+ in Savings

Here are some card-linked offers I found this week, with expiration dates in parentheses. To automate these card-linked offers, I highly recommend checking out CardPointers Pro, plus get 30% off here.

• Southwest: 10% back, up to $40 (9/12).
• Select Hilton Luxury Hotels: $200 off $1,000 (12/31).
• Luxury Escapes: 8% back, up to $350 (11/4).
• Peloton Monthly Membership: $30 off (9/6).
• Walmart+ Annual Membership: $49 off $98 (1/27/26).
• Caesars Properties: 15% back, up to $50 (8/27).

📦 Latest Deals on Amazon.com

Here are some offers on Amazon you might be able to use:

• ​$15 off when you add your Amex card to your Amazon wallet.
• ​$10 off when you add your Discover card to your Amazon wallet. Use promo code 25Q3DISCO.
• ​$30 off $100 worth of pet products.

⛷️ 50% Off Friends' Tickets for Epic Pass Holders

The Epic Pass just added a new perk, Epic Friend Tickets, which offer 50% off lift tickets for friends at 37 resorts. The number of friend tickets you get depends on the purchase date of your Epic Pass—if you bought it before 4/14, you get 10 tickets, and after, you get 6.

🕵️ Top Finds

😢 The Death of Partying in the U.S.A.

Here's an interesting article about how Americans are hanging out a lot less than they used to. Time spent at social events has dropped 50% since 2003 (and 70% for young adults), with only 4% hosting or attending a party on a typical weekend.

🍩 Impartial News That's Enjoyable to Read

Lately, I've been really enjoying The DONUT daily email. It’s an impartial news brief that takes less than 10 minutes to read and makes staying informed so much easier. It's just the biggest stories, explained clearly (with a dose of wit) every weekday. And most importantly, there's no outrage or clickbait! You can subscribe for free here.

🧑‍✈️ How Airlines Choose Which Planes to Fly

​

You’d think that airlines choose which planes to fly mainly based on demand and profitability, but this video breaks down how there are so many other factors involved. Most interestingly, how United Airlines’ highly influential pilot union scope clauses limit regional jet operations.

📋 My Past Week

Let me share a quick recap of what I was up to last week:

• Last weekend, we went stand-up paddle boarding with the girls and had such a fun time. We actually got these SUP boards as a gift and have gotten so much good use out of them. Highly recommend this for a weekend activity, especially with kids!
• If you need a fun gift idea, I bought these mini glass bottles with mini scrolls each and created a scavenger hunt for my wife Amy's birthday. It was inspired by a kids book about finding a message in a bottle, but ended up being such a fun activity for the whole family. Highly recommend (and thanks to ChatGPT for helping me come up with so many good clues).
• I'm a big fan of travel, especially to off-the-beaten path places. So it was really fun to stumble on Drew Binsky's YouTube. He's been to all 197 countries and has created some really great content about his travels. I might be reaching out to invite him on the podcast later this year, so stay tuned!
• I was already excited for the upcoming premium Alaska Airlines card that might launch as soon as next week, but I'm even more excited reading the rumors around the card. If it's paired with a big welcome bonus, I'll probably be applying when it launches. I'll defintiely share more once all the details are confirmed.
• This week I learned that Smokey Bear has his own zip code. Turns out he got so much fan mail that in 1964 he got one of only two personalized zip codes (the other is for the president). You can still write him a letter at Smokey Bear, Washington, D.C. 20252. Thanks to my friend @pitdesi for sharing this (and being a great follow on X).

💬 Parting Thoughts

As always, thanks so much for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts on today’s newsletter, and if you enjoyed it, please let me know why!

Chris