My mom applied for this card with an ITIN and little credit history, and she was approved!

1️⃣ Wyndham updates its award chart

Wyndham completely updated its credit card portfolio a few weeks ago, and very shortly after, also its points pricing table.

Until now, Wyndham offered 3 reward levels for its properties: 

7,500, 15,000, and 30,000 points per night.  

Starting September 15, they are introducing a new chart with 4 award levels: 

• 5,000 points per night

• 15,000 points per night

• 30,000 points per night

• 45,000 points per night

The 7,500-point tier will be replaced by the 5,000-point tier, and they introduced a 45,000-point one. 

Most Wyndham hotels are not the most "aspirational," but we can definitely find very good options in certain markets, including major cities like New York and highly sought-after European destinations. These hotels are usually in the 30,000 points per night category, and it is very likely that most will move to 45,000. 

The good news is that there are ways to reduce these costs. If you have an eligible Wyndham card, you can get a discount of between 10% and 25% on nights booked with points, so a 45,000-point night could end up costing between 33,750 and 40,500 points.

Also, if you have Wells Fargo points you can transfer at a 1:2 rate, so you would only need 22,500 points to book a 45,000-point night!
These changes are never ideal, but with a little ingenuity, it is possible to get excellent value. 

2️⃣ Rakuten extends $50 offer for new members

Now through September 30, new Rakuten members can get $50 when they spend at least $50 through their portal within the first 90 days after opening your account.  

If you don't have Rakuten yet, this is an excellent opportunity to start doing so. It is basically a tool through which you get cashback just for shopping at stores you probably already buy from. This cashback can range from 2% to 15% and even more during special sales, and it is completely worth taking advantage of.  

You can open your account with our referral link here.

And if you already use Rakuten, which we know is the case for many, you can refer friends and family and both they and you will earn $50, so this can be a great time to recommend this tool. 😌

💳 The point of this news: Rakuten has extended its best offer in history for new users and referrals, and it is completely worth taking advantage of. $50 is not bad at all, especially if we were going to buy something anyway. Remember that you can choose between cash, Amex Membership Rewards points, or Bilt points to receive your rewards. 

3️⃣ My mom applied for this card with an ITIN and short credit history, and she was approved!

Ever since Carlos and I started traveling with points, my mom kept telling me that she wanted to do the same. 

She already had a Bank of America card and thought that was enough, but after explaining the whole dynamic to her, she understood that this card was not going to get her very far, and she really did not have many options because she had neither an ITIN nor a SSN. 

After some time, she decided to apply for an ITIN and with it begin her credit journey in the United States: she started with the Chase Freedom Rise, then a few months later she applied for the Freedom Unlimited, and a few weeks ago she decided to take the plunge with the Sapphire Preferred thanks to the 100,000-point bonus (we clearly told her it was too good to pass up, and she fully trusts our recommendations).  

I must say we were a bit nervous because she has not even had a year of credit history with her ITIN, but she was instantly approved with a $15,000 limit! 😲

Now she is using that card exclusively to reach the welcome bonus, and we already have plans to take a family trip to Italy next year with all the points she has accumulated so far. 

You can't imagine the excitement of our families getting interested in this hobby, because it opens the doors for us to take many family trips together. In fact, Carlos's mom traveled to Madrid from the United States last week precisely using points. 😉

Remember that the 100,000-point offer for the Sapphire Preferred is still active, and it is too good to pass up. We created a guide with all the details of the offer and the card, and you can access it here.

And if you don't want a card with an annual fee, remember that business cards from this same bank are also offering a 100,000-point bonus, which is the best offer in their history. 

4️⃣ Maximizing points on our purchases

If there is one thing we love, it is maximizing the points we generate from our purchases. 

Lately we are using our Bilt Palladium for practically everything since it is giving us 3x points per dollar thanks to the point multiplier, but there are occasions when it is more convenient to use others, for example, the rotating categories of the Chase Freedom Flex. 

Last quarter this card was giving 5x points per dollar on purchases made on Amazon, and since we are in shopping mode for the arrival of our baby, we took advantage of not only Prime Week but also the bonus on this card.

Result: savings on things we were going to buy anyway, and also more points along the way. 

PS: buying for the arrival of a baby is not cheap at all. 😮‍💨

This quarter this card is giving 5% or 5x per dollar at gas stations, EV charging stations, public transit, live entertainment, and United Way, so if you are already going to spend in any of these categories and you have this card, don't forget to activate that 5% to take advantage of it. 

5️⃣ 43,000 points = $743, not $430!

Not long ago we received a comment in the Points and Miles Academy that reads: 

“I just took advantage of the 50% Citi to Accor bonus for a 3:4 rate. I transferred 43,000 ThankYou Points which became 32,250 Accor pts. With that, I covered a stay that would have cost me $743 for two nights at a Fairmont Georgetown in Washington D.C. That gives me a transfer value of 1.7 CPP from Citi to Accor. What do you think of this move?”

Well, we think it is so good that we wanted to share it here. The vast majority of people will redeem 43,000 points for $430 at best. Often for even less… 🫠

Your points are worth more than you think, and if you are someone who likes to travel or wants to travel more, you can get much more for them than you believe. 

This is the kind of redemption that is spectacular to see: focusing on certain programs that usually give us good value by themselves and taking advantage of transfer bonuses is one of the most effective ways to stretch our points and maximize their value. 

Ultimately, this hobby is a combination of accumulation and strategic redemption, and if you learn the rules of the game, you can get a lot in your favor. 😉