Columbus, OH

Frequent Miler

Online passport renewal is back again (sort of), the ball drops on Curve in the US and the Bilt card is costing Wells Fargo $10 million per month. All that and more in this week’s Saturday Selection, our weekly round-up of interesting tidbits from around the interwebs (links to each article are embedded in the titles).

Wells Fargo losing millions on Bilt card, the ball drops on Curve and online passport renewal is kind of back (Saturday Selection)

Stephen and I have been acting as judges for the ongoing Flying by the seat of our Points Challenge! If you’d like a refresher of how we scored Stage 1, check out this post. You can check out the information below for more general details about this challenge, but in this post, we’ll talk all about how our contestants scored for their second stage: the international divergence to Croatia, Switzerland, and Morocco!

Judging Stage 2 of the Flying by the Seat of our Points Challenge

All three of the consumer Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards credit cards are now offering increased welcome offers of 85,000 Rapid Rewards points after making $3K in purchases within the first 3 months. These offers are the best, in terms of total points, that we’ve seen in at least several years. If you’re looking for a card and/or trying to earn a companion pass, these are certainly worth considering.

Southwest Personal Cards: Limited-time 85,000 Point Offers

The Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Red MasterCard has is back with a very solid welcome offer of 70,000 miles after making only one purchase, 20K better than what was previously available (without going through a referral). While this new offer does charge a $99 annual fee, the additional miles should more than make up for it. (h/t: DOC)

AAdvantage Aviator Red Mastercard: 70K Miles Welcome Offer

Yesterday Hilton announced that AutoCamp properties were now bookable through Hilton for both cash and points stays. To celebrate that launch, they’re also offering 1,000 bonus points per AutoCamp stay through August 12. The Deal. Earn 1,000 bonus Hilton Honors points when booking AutoCamp stays. Direct link to offer...

Earn 1,000 bonus Hilton Honors points on AutoCamp stays through 8/12/24

VanillaGift is back with another promotion waiving purchase fees on Vanilla Visa gift cards. This time you can use promo code VGDADS24 to save 100% on those fees. Get 100% off purchase fees when buying Vanilla Visa gift cards from VanillaGift.com and using promo code VGDADS24. Direct link to offer.

VanillaGift.com: Get 100% off purchase fees on Visa gift cards with promo code VGDADS24

Several shopping portals are offering increased rates for purchases at GiftCards.com that yield between 2 and 4 points per dollar spent. Better yet, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines both have site-wide shopping portal bonuses ending today and tomorrow that would stack nicely to make for a great return on spend.

2-4x at GiftCards.com, stack with airline portal promos

Following on from the start of an Alaska Airlines shopping portal promo last week, three other airline portals are now offering bonus miles/points when hitting spending thresholds with them. The Deals. United shopping portal. Spend $200 & get 500 bonus miles. Spend $400 & get 1,000 bonus miles. Direct link...

American, United & Southwest portal promos: Earn up to 2,500 bonus miles/points

Newark, NJ

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Morristown Minute

NEWARK, N.J. – Eight individuals associated with the "793 Bloods" street gang, a subset of the national Bloods gang, have been charged for their roles in a Newark-based drug trafficking organization, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Eight '793 Bloods' Gang Members Charged in Newark Drug Network

California State

Alameda Post

California regulators just stopped AT&T from pulling the plug. California’s Public Utilities Commission on June 20 rejected AT&T’s application to stop providing landlines and other services in areas where there is no other option.

Still Need Your Landline?

Save 15% on the cash component of IHG Points & Cash bookings. This offer for 15% savings on the cash portion of Points & Cash bookings (the “Offer”) is available only to select IHG One Rewards members who book their stay during the period of June 17, 2024 through June 21, 2024 (the “Booking Period”) and then complete their stay during the period from June 17, 2024 through July 31, 2024 (the “Stay Period”).

(Targeted) Get 15% off IHG Points & Cash (buy IHG points for ~0.56cpp)

The American Express Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card has had a a bit of a topsy-turvy journey over the last few years, befitting its unusually wordy name. It began life known as the SPG Luxury card, the high end offering of the now-defunct Starwood Preferred Guest program and was launched at the same time that Marriott began its merger with the Starwood and Ritz Carlton reward programs.

Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Credit Card Review (2024)

This week, Greg, Tim, and I have been crisscrossing the planet on our 2024 Frequent Miler team challenge. If you haven’t been following on Instagram, see the post below about how to follow. Read on for more updates from our week on the road and find easy links in the table of contents below if you’re after the podcasts or more from this week at Frequent Miler.

Around the world in a flash: catching up on a wild week [Week in Review]

From 6/15/24 to 7/31/24, Chase Ultimate Rewards is offering a 20% transfer bonus for eligible cardholders when converting points to Air Canada Aeroplan. This is stackable with the existing 10% points bonus available to Chase Aeroplan cardmembers when those cardmembers transfer 50,000 or more Chase Ultimate Rewards points in a single transaction to Aeroplan points (up to a maximum 25,000 Aeroplan bonus points per calendar year).

Stackable: 20% transfer bonus to Air Canada Aeroplan from Chase (stack w/ cardholder bonus)

Save 25% when booking Southwest award flights and using promo code SAVE25. Must book by June 17th and travel by November 20th, 2024. Book a Southwest® flight on Southwest.com or swabiz.com using your Rapid Rewards® points from June 14 through June 17, 2024 (the “Booking Period”) and receive 25 percent off when you fly between June 14-November 20, 2024 with travel blacked out July 6 and July 7 (the “Travel Period”).

Southwest Award Sale: Get 25% Off Points Bookings

Georgia State

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Douglas City, CA

Daily Coffee Press

This afternoon, Kentaiwon Durham, the Douglas City Commissioner of Ward 2, entered a guilty plea for wire fraud in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia. Consequently, Durham is mandated to resign from his position as a city commissioner.

Georgia City Commissioner Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud in $20K PPP Fraud Scheme

I’ve flown Qatar Airways several times now and have found that service seems to range from fine to extraordinary. On my recent flight from Zagreb to Doha I experienced truly extraordinary service. The great service combined with excellent food and comfortable seats made this daytime flight one of my favorite flights ever.

Qatar A320 Business Class Review (Phenomenal!)

Total Apex Sports & Entertainment

The global economic collapse is adversely affecting relationships. Some zodiac signs are struggling to pick partners who will stand by them when they are financially unstable. The zodiac greatly affects people’s character. However, it isn’t the only thing you should consider when choosing a lover. Select someone who is understanding and you are compatible. This might be time-consuming but it is worth it. Which reliable zodiac signs are ideal to start a long-term relationship with?

4 Zodiac Signs Who Always Stand Up For Their Partner

Recently, Avianca LifeMiles has been adding significant fuel surcharges to various award tickets. These are additional fees that, up ’til now, Avianca hasn’t passed on to its customers. We’ve had numerous messages today from folks that noticed this, wondering if it was an unannounced change with how LifeMiles was pricing award ticket fees.

No, Avianca LifeMiles isn’t adding new fuel surcharges to its awards

Virginia State

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Cheryl E Preston

Growing up in Southwest Virginia, I heard adults say that the same people who welcomed Jesus on Palm Sunday were shouting "Crucify Him" less than a week later. We don't know if they were the same individuals, but the principal makes a point that unfortunately, General Hospital actress Tabyana Ali is experiencing.

General Hospital gives an official statement after racists attack Tabyana Ali online

NewsBreak

Podcast: Bilt is costing Wells Fargo dearly. Should you duck & run or double down? | Coffee Break Ep15 | 6-18-24

The Wall Street Journal published a report over the weekend that there is friction in the relationship between Wells Fargo and Bilt. Both Wells Fargo and...

Podcast: Bilt is costing Wells Fargo dearly. Should you duck & run or double down? | Coffee Break Ep15 | 6-18-24

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