LaGuardia Landing, Sapphire wellness perks, Robinhood banking, and More
Talking Points - Issue 25
This post contains affiliate links. Affiliate disclosure
Valentine's Day dinner reservations were impossible unless we were willing to eat at 3 PM or pay double. So naturally, my wife asked what I got her instead. I said, "100,000 Chase points—worth over $5,000 toward future travel if we play it right." She said that doesn't count because I earned them on purchases we were making anyway. Technically true, so I'll need to get the flowers and chocolate after all.
Key Points
ChatGPT now has ads, so that happened in record time. Here's some other news from this week:
🍽️ Capital One Landing might be America’s best airport restaurant: Capital One’s second Landing location opens February 18 at New York LaGuardia, with Chef José Andrés at the helm. It features tableside cocktail carts and legitimately good food—think Spanish anchovies, croquetas, and carne asada—and feels more like a restaurant than a lounge. Book ahead in the mobile app. Venture X cardmembers get unlimited access, but guests now cost $45 per visit (free if you hit $75k in annual spend).
💰 Robinhood launches traditional banking: Robinhood rolled out “Robinhood Banking“ with 3.50% APY on savings and $2.5M FDIC insurance. Members with $100k+ in assets get free ATMs and wire transfers. The CEO hinted that checking accounts will also earn 3.5%. If true, that would align with the best fintech bank APYs while keeping funds liquid. Robinhood’s known for aggressive brokerage transfer bonuses. Don’t be surprised if banking bonuses follow.
✈️ American serving caviar and Beef Wellington: AA’s celebrating 100 years with 1920s-themed premium cabin dining (March through August). International and transcontinental Flagship get the full treatment: prawn cocktails in March, caviar with blinis in April, plus Beef Wellington and Chicken Florentine roulade as mains. Domestic first gets a variation of this rotation. The concept is creative—whether AA’s catering budget can actually execute Beef Wellington at scale remains to be seen.
🏃 Chase Sapphire adds wellness perks: New wellness offers just dropped. WHOOP (fitness tracker for recovery/strain/sleep): Reserve gets a $359 credit for a full annual membership; Preferred gets $100 off. Wearable band included. Expires May 12.
Calm (meditation/sleep app): Reserve gets 100% back on annual subscription; Preferred gets 50% back. Expires March 31.
Both require activation through Chase Offers first.
Pro Tips
Tax season question: Are your credit card rewards taxable?
Short answer: Usually not.
Q: Sign-up bonuses earned from spending?
Not taxable. The IRS treats them as rebates.Q: Bank account bonuses?
Taxable income (you’ll get a 1099-INT).Q: Referral bonuses?
Also taxable.
The gray area is when you earn rewards without spending, like those “spend nothing, get points” promos. Technically taxable, but rarely enforced for small amounts.
Bottom line: Don’t lose sleep over your 75,000-point Chase Sapphire bonus. But do report that $400 checking account offer.
This is not financial advice. Consult a tax professional for your own specific tax situation.
Resource Drop
CardPointers is an app and browser extension that helps you win the rewards game.
If you’re juggling multiple cards, this app is essential:
Tracks all your bonuses, card benefits, and renewals
Reminds you about unused and potentially unknown credits
Advises real-time on best card to use for every purchase
Automates adding Amex, Chase, and Citi Offers to your cards
You don’t need to give it account access or numbers. Just tell it which cards you have, and it automatically loads all the benefits. For anyone carrying more than a couple of cards (which should be all of you), this pays for itself in the first month.
Got questions? I’ve got answers. Stuck on a points strategy? Confused about which card to get next? Want me to cover a specific topic that’s been bugging you? Send me your questions – I read every message, and you might get your 15 minutes of fame if featured in a future Talking Points.
Live rewarded,
Jason
Editor’s note: Opinions shared in this article are solely the author’s and do not represent the views of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other organization. The content has not been evaluated, approved, or endorsed by any of the mentioned entities. These are recommendations, not financial advice. I may receive a commission if you click through any of the links in this article.