Hotel cards hit all-time highs, new lounges, gas savings
Talking Points - Issue 29
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The Oscars are this weekend, and I've been thinking about what a points-and-miles awards ceremony would actually look like. "Best Devaluation Without Apology"? United's a lock. "Best New Lounge Experience" has some real contenders this year. And "Best Supporting Card in a Wallet" is always competitive. Hollywood hands out trophies for the best stories. We hand out trophies for the best redemptions. Same energy.
Key Points
🛋️ New airport lounges incoming: American is building a new Admirals Club at AUS, with a rare outdoor terrace, a first for the brand. On the Amex side, Charlotte Douglas is getting a “Sidecar by The Centurion Lounge”, a speakeasy-style concept with premium cocktails and small plates, designed for shorter connections. Worth noting: the LAS original caps visits to within 90 minutes of departure, so don’t plan a long layover around it.
🏨 Kimpton opens steps from Rockefeller Center: The Kimpton Era Midtown New York just opened in a 33-story skyscraper right off Rockefeller Plaza—with views of 30 Rock, the Empire State Building, and One World Trade depending on your room. It’s part of IHG One Rewards, with award nights starting at 30,000 points (up to 80,000 on peak dates), while cash rates start at $450/night.
💳 Wyndham tries something new with its Earner Card offer: The new welcome offer splits the bonus into two tiers: earn points for hitting a general spend threshold, then earn additional points for specific spending. And um, no. It sounds reasonable until you realize it’s requiring you to make direct Wyndham purchases just to unlock the full bonus. If issuers start layering MSRs like this as standard practice, the math on welcome bonuses gets a lot messier.
Pro Tips
With the conflict in the Middle East driving gas prices up everywhere, this is a good time to optimize rewards for your fuel spend. The savings stack up fast.
Fuel rewards programs are the starting point. Most major gas station brands—Shell, ExxonMobil, grocery stores and others—run their own loyalty programs that earn you discounts up to 5¢ per gallon. Sign up, scan at the pump, and the savings apply automatically.
Upside offers an additional ~10-40¢ back per gallon at gas stations through their app, and it stacks with your credit card at checkout. Speaking of which: linking a high-earning card to your Upside account, like the Wyndham Earner Business card’s 8x points on gas, maximizes the combo.
Trunow is an app that takes a picture of your gas receipts after the fact to earn additional 1% cash back. A simple last step that costs nothing extra.
For ways to get rewarded, same gallon of gas. The full stack might save you ~$0.30 per gallon, ~$5.40 per fill-up, ~$140.00 per year (based on a 18 gallon tank and 26 fill-ups per year)
📌 Did you know? Most people use Walmart+ for the delivery and Paramount+, but it also includes free tire-puncture repair. If you hold the Amex Platinum or Business Gold, you already have Walmart+ included. The tire repair perk alone could save you $20 when you actually need it.
Fresh Picks
Big week for hotel cards. Several just hit all-time highs simultaneously:
Marriott Bonvoy Business — 5 free nights:
5 free night certificates (up to 50,000 points each) after $9,000 spend within 6 months
Annual free night on renewal
$125 annual fee
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant — 200,000 points:
After $6,000 spend within 6 months
Annual $300 Marriott dining credit, Platinum Elite status, Free night certificate, Priority Pass
$650 annual fee
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy — 175,000 points:
After $5,000 spend within 6 months
1,000 Marriott bonus points per stay, Gold Elite status
$250 annual fee
World of Hyatt Business — 80,000 points:
After $10,000 spend within 3 months
Earns 5 elite nights per $10,000 spend
$199 annual fee
Hot Take
Using points to pay on Amazon is usually a trap, except when there’s an offer requiring just 1 point to unlock a 30-50% discount. That’s the deal worth getting in on.
But the current Amex Offer is not that. Use at least 7,143 points ($50 via Pay with Points) on Amazon, get 1,500 points back. Net cost after the rebate: 5,643 points for $50 in value—that’s 0.9¢ per point. If you value Amex points at 1.8¢, you just traded $100 in points for $50 in Amazon credit.
Skip it.
Oddballs
🍨 The Plaza Hotel is selling a 16-scoop ice cream sundae inspired by the room service scene from Home Alone 2—the one where Kevin orders everything on the menu and charges it to his dad’s stolen credit card. The sundae costs $350 and includes its own dedicated server. Or you could throw in a cheese pizza and limo ride, too.
The points-and-miles angle: The Plaza is a Fairmont property, so you can book with Accor points or use a travel credit to offset the cost. Whether that counts as a redemption or a character flaw is between you and your conscience.
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.