Welcome Back!

Hope everyone is doing well this week - we are almost into May!

My first newsletter went out on April 2nd, so this edition will mark the one-month mark for Sense per Point! Sharing what I know and what’s going on in the points & miles world with you all has been great, and there’s so much more to come!

So far, I’ve discussed a lot of topics related to redeeming points in my newsletters, but haven’t discussed earning points as much. You can’t redeem points if you haven’t earned them yet, so today’s newsletter is focused on signup bonuses to earn those points faster! 🏃 

In today’s edition:

• 🔷 Sapphire Soars Again 🔷

• 🏦 Transfer Bonuses ✈️

• 💳️ More Elevated Signup Bonuses 📈 

• 📰 Other Stories and Deals 💰️

🔷 Sapphire Soars Again 🔷

Almost every single points & miles blog I know has the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® on their list of top cards. With a reasonable $95 annual fee, a $50 hotel credit, as well as access to Chase’s airline and hotel transfer partners, there’s no doubt that this card is solid 🪨 

The most common signup bonus we’ve seen on this card is 60k points after spending $4k in the first three months after account opening. That’s not bad by any means, but why settle for 60k when you can get more??

Well, now, it is possible to get a higher signup bonus on the Chase Sapphire Preferred^®! Data points are coming in that there is an 85k signup bonus being offered 🤑 

So how can you get this?

This offer is only available in branch (the online offer still shows 60k as usual), so you would need to go to a physical Chase branch. This does mean that there are no referral bonuses on this, to be clear. Nevertheless, this is still a great signup bonus!

According to reports, the in branch signup bonus is 85k points after $6k in spend in the first six months after account opening. This bonus is divided into two parts: 75k points after $4k in spend in the first three months, and then an additional 10k (for 85k point total) after spending $2k more (for $6k spend total). I should also note that the Chase Sapphire Reserve^® , the other Sapphire card, also has a higher in branch signup bonus of 75k points after $4k in spend in the first three months!

Of course, you do need to be approved, so the Chase application rules all still apply, like 5/24, etc. Check out my work-in-progress glossary if you aren’t familiar with Chase’s credit card application rules 📖 

One big rule on the Sapphire cards is that you can get the signup bonus on a card again after 48 months, as long as you no longer currently have the card. Well, my 48 months are up! So I’ll be downgrading my Sapphire card to a Freedom Flex, and then heading into a branch to get this elevated offer myself 👍️ 

So if you were considering either Sapphire card, now is a great time to head to a Chase branch and get these elevated offers!

🏦➡️✈️ Transfer Bonuses

💳️ More Elevated Signup Bonuses 📈 

The Sapphire cards improving their signup bonuses is pretty significant news, but there are many other cards that have elevated signup bonuses as well!

Some notable elevated bonuses include:

• 🏨 Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant is offering a 185k point signup bonus (until May 1st)

• 🏨 Marriott Bonvoy Bevy is offering a 155k point signup bonus (until May 1st)

• 💳️ Amex Platinum is offering as high as a 175k(!) signup bonus

• 💳️ Amex Business Platinum is offering as high as a 300k(!) signup bonus

• 💳️ Amex Gold is offering as high as a 90k signup bonus

Unlike Chase with their 24/48 month rules for their signup bonuses, most American Express card signup bonuses are once per lifetime, so its important to get the highest signup bonus possible with Amex cards! 💰️ 

I should note that the Gold and Platinum signup bonuses may not show up right away when you search for them online, but they eventually showed up for me, as shown in the picture above. I kept searching on incognito mode on multiple browsers, and I got it to show up!

Of course, when applying for these cards, do make sure that these cards, their benefits and their annual fees make sense for your needs - you can open these cards, earn the bonus, and cancel the cards after a year too, if you are a churner! 🧈 

For cards with bigger spend requirements, and in general, I recommend opening these cards when you are certain you can meet the spend requirements. This can mean opening a card to pay off your taxes, or opening a card before a big purchase 💵 

Happy earning! 😊 

📰 Other Stories 📰

• 🌐 United devalued international First Class awards this past week, from 121k one-way to 145k one-way. Get these through Aeroplan or Avianca instead! ✈️ 

• 🛫 Avianca is also launching a US credit card with Cardless - join the waitlist for 10k points on top of the welcome bonus!

• 🛬 The Delta Skymiles Reserve and Delta Skymiles Reserve Business released a limited edition Boeing 747 card 💳️ 

💰️ Tips & Deals 💰️

• 💸 (Through May 13th) Get $40 back for spending $40 with Rakuten!

• 🇺🇸 (Through May 10th) Bank of America is running double cash back with BankAmeriDeals!

📤️ Spread the Word! 📤️

Thank you so much for subscribing! This newsletter is committed to providing you all with helpful info and tips to maximize your points and rewards, at no direct cost to you! (appreciate you using any of my referral links, though!)

Being that I don’t use social media, it’s been a bit harder to gain subscribers, but I can do it with your help - if you do find this newsletter informative, helpful, or entertaining, I’d greatly appreciate you spreading the word about it! If not, please do give me feedback on how I can improve your Sense per Point experience.

Also, if my newsletter helps you to book travel using points, let me know! It’ll make me so happy 😄 

Hope that all makes sense! That’s all for this week’s edition of Sense per Point.

Wishing everyone a wonderful day and week ❤️ 

- Sean Kim

PS: If you want to make sure Sense per Point doesn’t get caught in your spam, you can move this email to your primary inbox, or Reply “Hello!” directly to this email by clicking the link and hitting send 📩