I want to mention some additional important items you should consider now that we are halfway through 2024!
Instagram-If you are not following me, you should because that is often where I post most of the info about items/offers (that can add up!). My Instagram handle is thepointsmom_.
Travel Freely app-I am loving this and have signed up my entire family! The app helps you keep track of your cards, due dates, credit limits, etc.-As you get more cards, you may want an efficient and easy way to store your info and keep track. It is a program through me, the Points Mom, and my partner, Travel Freely. You can sign up here.
Bonus Offers-Many cards currently have high and increased bonus offers. Check out all of the latest offers here.
New York Friends-new lounges!-For those of you who have a Sapphire Reserve, know that as of this past January, there is a Sapphire RESERVE lounge at both LGA and JFK. I haven’t been to either, but I have heard they are fantastic. Ensure you have your Priority Pass memberships set up with your Sapphire Reserves so you can enter. And it was just announced that they are opening a Capital One lounge at JFK! You can only get unlimited access to this lounge with a Venture X or a Business Venture X. Now may finally be the time to add this fantastic card to your inventory. Let’s speak!
New York Friends–Mobile ID-As of last week, the TSA began officially accepting Mobile IDs at security checkpoints at LaGuardia and JFK airports.
Airline Family Pools-This past March, United added Family Pooling (like JetBlue already has). Now you can create a pool with up to 5 MileagePlus members to combine United Miles into a single shared account. The Miles can be used to book award flights for any pool member. You can set up your Family Pool here.
Changes to Global Entry (bad and good)-Starting Oct. 1, 2024, the $100 fee will increase to $120. However, children under 18 years old will no longer have to pay a fee when a parent or legal guardian is already a member or becomes a member of Global Entry. Know that your child still needs to apply for their own membership; they just will not have to pay.
Delta loyalists…
a. Do you have Rollover MQMs from 2024? You need to convert these by 12/31/24. You can convert them to Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs), SkyMiles, or a combination of both. The conversion ratios are: 10 MQMs will convert to $1 MQD, and 2 MQMs will convert to 1 mile. If you do not do this by 12/31, your rollover MQMs will be automatically converted to MQDs.
b. Choice Benefits for Platinum and Diamond Members-Make sure you select your 2024 Choice Benefit (s) by January 31, 2025. You can do this in your Delta SkyMiles account.
Status-You should know where you currently are with status for your airline and hotel loyalty programs. I talk a lot about status in the article on my site because, with many of your cards, you can spend to top off your status. But if you are close to the next status level but don’t have the ability to spend or don’t want to, consider an inexpensive “mattress run” or “mileage run”. This means spending a night at a low-category hotel or taking an inexpensive quick flight to nail down your status.
Shopping Portals—If you are an online shopper, remember to use shopping portals. When I remember, I often go through my Capital One portal, which has great offers for percentages back. Also, look at Rakuten for deals, and know you can earn cash back OR Amex Membership Rewards when you shop through Rakuten.
Rent-If you pay any rent, you should really reach out to me about the Wells Fargo Bilt card if you don’t already know about it.
Group Sessions-I am now offering group sessions in addition to 1:1 consults. Watch for info about a young adult Zoom session coming in July!
Player 2-For those of you with partners, remember that Player 2 can also apply for cards with big bonuses that can likely be merged with existing buckets. There are still a lot of lucrative offers out there. Ask me about them!
Kids over 18-If your kids are 18 or over, now is the time for them to apply for a card on their own so they can start establishing credit. They do NOT have to hold this card (unless you want them to). You can hold it. The main goal is for the card to have monthly activity and payments to help your kids in the future. Reach out to discuss!
Independent Kids-If you previously listened to me and made your kids additional cardholders on your cards, if they are older, you should now consider taking them off. The most important reason is that this will likely show up on their credit reports as their OLDEST accounts. When you nix your primary account for whatever reason (even death), your kids will lose their oldest account on their credit report, which will hurt. You can do this by calling the bank. Happy to discuss this!
Kids going abroad next school year-Your kids should bring a card with no foreign transaction fees, a decent credit line, and ideally, no annual additional cardholder fee.
Elderly Parents-If you are conversing about traditional assets, it may be wise to assess what points and miles your elderly parents have. Depending on the program, it could be difficult to get these (often very big) balances after your parents pass. Plan in advance!
STEP-If you are traveling internationally this year, register your trip with STEP here.
Transferring points is usually better than redeeming through the credit card portal-If you have cards that earn FLEXIBLE REWARDS, before automatically using your points as money through the bank’s travel site, you should always see if you have the option of transferring your points to the partner program and booking it there. Quite often, you will use fewer points doing it this way versus using your points as cash through the bank’s travel portal.
Delta/Starbucks-Link your Delta SkyMiles and Starbucks Rewards accounts here to earn 1 mile per $1 spent at Starbucks.
Delta/Lyft–Link your Delta SkyMiles and Lyft account here to earn 1 mile per $1 spent on Lyft.
Hilton/Lyft-Link your Hilton Honors account and Lyft account here to earn 3 points per $1 spent on Lyft.
Hyatt/American-You can earn Hyatt points when you fly American Airlines when you link your accounts here.
Bonvoy/Uber-Link your Bonvoy acct to your Uber account here. Now, you will earn Bonvoy Points every time you take an Uber or order UberEats. If you link before 12/31, you can get an extra 3,000 Bonvoy Points. As I said in my Instagram post the other day, do this for your kids if they are frequent Uber users. Their own Bonvoy points that they are earning can be transferred to you at no fee.
Here is the link to the post on my site about the mid-year check in.
