Category: Ultimate Rewards

Anatomy of an Award and Uzbekistan Trip Report

Afrosiyob train, Anatomy of an Award, Bukhara, Hyatt Regency Tashkent, Khiva, Samarkand, Sharq train, Silk Road Teahouse, Tashkent, Travel, Turkish Airlines, Ultimate Rewards, United Polaris Business Class, Uzbekistan

Written by Annalou Mercado @ MileValue

Uzbekistan popped up on my radar as a possible destination a couple of years ago. The country has been at the crossroads of civilizations for millennia and is deeply infused with the most fascinating history of the Silk Road. Its ancient cities, famous hospitality and delicious food all had the makings of an unforgettable and affordable trip. 

Uzbekistan is a long way from home, so my goal was to find business class award space. I traveled with my friends, and we booked mostly local hotels, with the exception of the Hyatt Regency Tashkent.

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Activate Your Chase Freedom Q1 2022 Bonus

Chase, Chase Credit Cards, Chase Freedom, Chase Freedom Flex, Chase Freedom Quarterly Bonus, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Credit Card Bonuses, Island Miler, quarterly bonus, quarterly bonus categories, Travel, Travel Credit Cards, Ultimate Rewards

Written by Island Miler @ Jeffsetter Travel

Honestly, I didn’t realize that next week is already Christmas. That means we’ve only got two weeks left in the year! This means that it’s time now to activate your Chase Freedom Q1 2022 bonus. The Chase Freedom Q4 2021 bonus categories were pretty good – PayPal + Walmart. I don’t shop at Walmart, but […]

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Citi ThankYou Premier vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Which Is A Better Card?

Chase, Chase Sapphire Preferred, Citi, Citi Premier, Citi ThankYou Premier, Travel, Ultimate Rewards

Written by Anya Kartashova @ MileValue

Adventurers who dabble in travel rewards face quite a selection of mid-range credit cards, and the process of choosing one can be overwhelming.

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New Chase Freedom Flex Top Spend Bonus

bonus points, Chase, Chase Credit Cards, Chase Freedom, Chase Freedom Flex, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Credit Cards, Earning Points and Miles, Freedom, freedom flex, Island Miler, Points, Points Accumulation, Travel, Ultimate Rewards

Written by Island Miler @ Jeffsetter Travel

Perhaps Chase is feeling the competitive pressure from other banks like Citi? Whatever the case, there’s a new Chase Freedom Flex top spend bonus offer now live for all cardholders. Better yet, you don’t even need to activate this new offer if you have already activated your quarterly bonus! The Chase Freedom Flex replaced the […]

The post New Chase Freedom Flex Top Spend Bonus appeared first on Jeffsetter Travel.

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Best Ways to Book United Flights with Citi ThankYou Points

Avianca - LifeMiles, Best Ways, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi, Citi Premier, Citi ThankYou Points, Google Flights, KrisFlyer, lifemiles, Singapore Krisflyer, star alliance, Travel, Turkish Airlines, Turkish Miles&Smiles, Ultimate Rewards, United

Written by Anna Zaks @ MileValue

Citi ThankYou Points are almost an afterthought for many points and miles collectors. However, if you are ignoring ThankYou Points, you are doing yourself a disservice.

The post Best Ways to Book United Flights with Citi ThankYou Points appeared first on MileValue.

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Best Ways to Book United Flights with Citi ThankYou Points

Avianca - LifeMiles, Best Ways, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi, Citi Premier, Citi ThankYou Points, Google Flights, KrisFlyer, lifemiles, Singapore Krisflyer, star alliance, Travel, Turkish Airlines, Turkish Miles&Smiles, Ultimate Rewards, United

Written by Anna Zaks @ MileValue

Citi ThankYou Points are almost an afterthought for many points and miles collectors. However, if you are ignoring ThankYou Points, you are doing yourself a disservice.

The post Best Ways to Book United Flights with Citi ThankYou Points appeared first on MileValue.

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How Sapphire Changes Impact Earnings

Chase Credit Cards, Chase Sapphire, Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Island Miler, Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, Travel, Travel Blogging, Travel News, Trip Reports, Ultimate Rewards

Written by Island Miler @ Jeffsetter Travel

Last week, I covered the very mediocre “enhancements” coming to the Chase Sapphire cards, including their new earning structures. So, today, I want to cover how the Sapphire changes impact earnings with the cards in real-life usage. And, as you might imagine, the change is significant. As a recap, Chase tweaked the earning structure of […]

The post How Sapphire Changes Impact Earnings appeared first on Jeffsetter Travel.

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Greece 2021 Trip Report – Part 2

Chase, Hyatt, Marriott, Marriott Bonvoy, pay yourself back, Travel, trip report, Ultimate Rewards, World of Hyatt

Written by Anna Zaks @ MileValue

This is part 2 of my travel report. My husband and I recently spent two and a half weeks in Greece so if you’d like to know what it’s been like traveling in Greece when it just reopened, how I booked our tickets and the COVID-19 restrictions, you can read part 1. 

Here I’ll cover the places and islands we’ve visited, where we stayed and some of my finds and must do things on each island, such as tours, activities and restaurants that we loved in each place.

The post Greece 2021 Trip Report – Part 2 appeared first on MileValue.

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Air Canada Aeroplan Joins Chase Ultimate Rewards

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Written by Island Miler @ Jeffsetter Travel

Air Canada’s Aeroplan has long been known for having excellent sweet spots for award flight pricing. But, unless you were an American Express or Capital One cardholder, you couldn’t enjoy these sweet spots. That’s changing, however, as Air Canada Aeroplan joins Chase Ultimate Rewards as a transfer partner. If you recall my Hawaii Credit Card […]

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Chase Ultimate Rewards Adds Air Canada’s Aeroplan as a Transfer Partner

Aeroplan, Air Canada, Capital One, Chase, Chase Freedom, Chase Freedom Flex, Chase Freedom Unlimited, Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Membership Rewards, Transfer Partners, Travel, Ultimate Rewards

Written by Matt Brown @ MileValue

Chase Ultimate Rewards is one of our favorite flexible rewards currencies and today’s news adds a much needed boost for Ultimate Rewards.

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Greece 2021 Trip Report – Part 1

aegean, American express, Avianca - LifeMiles, business class, Capital One, Chase, Chase Sapphire Preferred, Citi, Europe, lifemiles, MileagePlus, star alliance, Travel, trip report, Turkish Airlines, Turkish Miles&Smiles, Ultimate Rewards, United, United Explorer, United Miles, United Polaris Business Class, United.com

Written by Anna Zaks @ MileValue

A trip to Greece has been on my to do list for a long time, but, I must admit, I was a bit put off by pictures of crowded beaches and tourist overrun islands. But when I learned that Greece is one of the first European countries to open to U.S.

The post Greece 2021 Trip Report – Part 1 appeared first on MileValue.

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Everything You Need To Know About the United Excursionist Perk

Chase, Japan, madrid, MileagePlus, Paris, rome, Travel, Ultimate Rewards, Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal, United

Written by Travis Cormier @ MileValue

It isn’t uncommon to book a trip with more than one destination. This is especially popular for travel to Europe. Who doesn’t want to visit Rome and Paris on the same trip? How about Madrid and Santorini? 

In order to do this, your travel plans will be multidimensional and not just round-trip so you’ll need to plan accordingly.

The post Everything You Need To Know About the United Excursionist Perk appeared first on MileValue.

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United Polaris Review Covid Edition: Newark to Tel Aviv Polaris

Award Space, brussels, business class, Chase, Hilton Honors, Life Miles, Marriott, polaris, Singapore Airlines, Singapore Miles, star alliance, Travel, Ultimate Rewards, United, United Club, United Miles, United Polaris Business Class, United.com

Written by Anna Zaks @ MileValue

Anna’s note: Israel is still closed to tourists and only Israeli citizens are allowed to enter. Please check updated travel restrictions before making any plans.

Know the Entry Requirements for Each Country

As travel resumes, it’s paramount to know each country’s requirements, even if you are just transiting through and are there for a short layover. I like IATA’s Travel Regulations Map and Kayak also maintains a comprehensive list of travel restrictions by country. 

United has its own resource where you can check international travel requirements.

The post United Polaris Review Covid Edition: Newark to Tel Aviv Polaris appeared first on MileValue.

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A Deep Dive into Emirates Skywards

Alaska Airlines, Alaska Mileage Plan, American express, Capital One, Capital One Venture, Chase, Citi ThankYou Points, Copa, easyJet, Emirates, JAL, Japan Airlines, Jetblue, Korean Air, Malaysia Airlines, Marriott Bonvoy, Membership Rewards, Qantas, South African, TAP Portugal, Travel, Ultimate Rewards

Written by Anya Kartashova @ MileValue

I bet you 100 dirhams you’ve heard of Emirates, the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates. I bet you 1,000 dirhams you haven’t heard much about Emirates Skywards, the Dubai-based carrier’s frequent-flyer program.

Ironically, Emirates continues to deliver the highest levels of service and therefore earns the highest levels of praise.

The post A Deep Dive into Emirates Skywards appeared first on MileValue.

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Best Ways To Use United Miles

Aeroflot, Air Canada, Austrian, Best Ways, Chase, Life Miles, Lufthansa, Marriott Bonvoy, Ryanair, SAS, star alliance, swiss, Travel, Ultimate Rewards, United, United MileagePlus Explorer, United Miles

Written by Travis Cormier @ MileValue

When it comes to domestic airline frequent flyer programs, it’s hard to argue with the value presented by United’s MileagePlus program.

The post Best Ways To Use United Miles appeared first on MileValue.

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Elevate your Top-Tier Elite Status with Marriott and United’s Preferred Partnership

Chase, Marriott, Marriott Bonvoy, MileagePlus, Travel, Ultimate Rewards, United, United MileagePlus Explorer

Written by Travis Cormier @ MileValue

Many people, myself included, are finding themselves with a number of top-tier status with different hotel loyalty programs. Given the pandemic, most major hotels groups reduced the requirements for earning status.

The post Elevate your Top-Tier Elite Status with Marriott and United’s Preferred Partnership appeared first on MileValue.

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Don’t Transfer Ultimate Rewards Points to Southwest – Do This Instead

Chase, Chase Freedom, Chase Freedom Flex, Chase Freedom Unlimited, Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Ink Business Preferred, Ink Plus, pay yourself back, rapid rewards, Southwest, Southwest Rapid Rewards, Travel, Ultimate Rewards, Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal

Written by Anna Zaks @ MileValue

Recently, Southwest suddenly, and with no notice, devalued their Rapid Rewards points by 6%. While not super drastic, it’s still a surprising move.

The post Don’t Transfer Ultimate Rewards Points to Southwest – Do This Instead appeared first on MileValue.

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Best Ways to Australia with Points and Miles

Air China, Alaska Airlines, alaska mileageplan, American Airlines, American express, American Express Gold card, American Express Platinum, AMEX, ANA, asia miles, avianca, Avianca - LifeMiles, Best Ways, Blue Business Plus Credit Card, British Airways, Capital One, Capital One Venture, Cathay Pacific, Chase, Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Citi Premier, Citi ThankYou Points, Fiji Airways, finnair, Iberia, Ink Business Preferred, Japan, LATAM, lifemiles, Malaysia Airlines, Marriott, Marriott Bonvoy, Membership Rewards, Mileage Club, Qantas, SriLankan, star alliance, Travel, Ultimate Rewards, Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal, United, United MileagePlus Explorer, United Miles

Written by Anna Zaks @ MileValue

Many travelers have Australia on their bucket list. There really is something for everyone, from the snorkeling and diving at the Great Barrier Reef to wineries, cool cities and spectacular beaches. 

The competition for the very limited number of award seats to get there, however, is fierce. Airlines’ frequent miler programs certainly don’t make it easy and finding award space on the nonstop flights from the U.S. could be quite a challenge.

The post Best Ways to Australia with Points and Miles appeared first on MileValue.

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Chase Pay Yourself Back Extended, and Why You Would Use It

Capital One, Chase, Chase Freedom, Chase Freedom Flex, Chase Freedom Unlimited, Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Hyatt, Ink Business Preferred, Ink Plus, pay yourself back, Travel, Ultimate Rewards, Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal, World of Hyatt

Written by Anya Kartashova @ MileValue

During the coronavirus pandemic, banks that issue travel rewards credit cards had to pivot and added bonus earnings in various spending categories, such as streaming services, groceries and home improvement stores, to make their products more compelling when travel was put on hold.

Since then, card issuers also have added more ways to redeem rewards and travel credits. One of the most noteworthy redemption options is Chase’s answer to Capital One’s Purchase Eraser—Pay Yourself Back.

The post Chase Pay Yourself Back Extended, and Why You Would Use It appeared first on MileValue.

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