Citi Thank you airline partners

Presently I'm working on building up my balance of Citi Points - in general I find that Chase points are most valuable for the travel patterns I keep but there are some amazing airline options via Citi that need to be at the top of my points accrual list.

The current list of Citi airline partners:

Asia Miles (Cathay Pacific)
Avianca LifeMiles
Etihad Guest

Eva Air

Air France/KLM Flying Blue

Garuda Indonesia 

Jet Airways JetPrivilege

Malaysia Airlines Enrich

Qantas Frequent Flyer

Qatar Airways Privilege Club
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
JetBlue TrueBlue
Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Some of these that are notable to me include Qatar, Singapore, and Etihad.  There are many cross-redemptions possible via Chase and other programs - this opens up travel miles options to more places in the Middle East and Asia.

The Cards in my Wallet right now

I'm often asked about how many credit cards I have since I play the points and miles game regularly.  I often look for the best bonuses and options for regular spend along with what extra perks match my travel habits/plans - this is the best way to use the cards without getting yourself into debt trouble.  Pay off each one every month!

Having cards open actually does help your credit score provided you don't keep running balances.  30% of your credit score is utilization and 35% is your payment history.

Cards in my Wallet

Chase Sapphire Reserve - one of the best earning cards with 3x points for travel and 3x for dining

Chase Freedom - Quarterly bonus categories give 5x points and pairs with Sapphire

Chase World of Hyatt - 4x Hyatt points per stay make this one of the best for hotel stays

Chase IHG Rewards Club Select (no longer available) - Platinum Elite status plus free night every cardmember year

Chase United Mileage Plus Select (no longer available) - 3x miles on United purchases plus EQM, 2x gas/grocery/dining + Star Alliance purchases

Chase Biz Plus (no longer available) - 5x points at office supply and phone, 2x on gas station and hotel

Chase Biz Cash - 5x points at office supply and phone, 2x points on gas stations and restaurants

Citibank Premier - 3x points on travel including gas stations; 2x on dining/entertainment

Citibank AA Biz Platinum - 2x AA miles on purchases plus free checked bag and priority boarding; 2x on gas stations

Citibank AA Mileup - 2x AA miles on flights plus 2x miles for grocery purchases

American Express Hilton card - 7x Hilton points on stays, 5x points restaurant/gas/grocery, 3x all other purchases

American Express Gold Delta card - 2x miles on Delta purchases, $50 statement credit

Discover It card - 5x points/cash on quarterly bonus categories, link to Amazon.com purchases

Bank of American Alaska Airlines card - 3x miles on Alaska purchases, $99 companion fare

I keep a spreadsheet for all of these cards with sign-up dates, times, cancellations, and annual fee notes.  This helps me know where I stand each year and how keeping or cancelling a card might affect my overall portfolio.  In general I'm always evaluating based on what deals may be present; there is always a new app for points!

Happy New Year 2019!

Wishing everyone a safe and happy 2019 filled with lots of travel (and no missed connections)!

Chase Freedom Q1 2019 categories

Using the Chase Freedom card and maxing out the category bonuses each quarter is an excellent way to gain points for travel.  Via OneMileAtaTime, the first quarter bonuses for 2019 have been announced:

Gas Stations
Drugstores
Tolls

I'm pretty excited about these categories since they cover a variety of typical spend buckets.  I hope everyone is able to take advantage of the extra points gained!

Delta adding commuting options

I'm not a Delta fan; few positive experiences flying them over the years.  I do keep an eye out, though, for network changes and this one caught my eye for commuter flights.  From Routes Online:

Delta Air Lines this week announced planned domestic network expansion at Boston, including the addition of following routes.

Boston – Chicago O’Hare eff 08SEP19 5 daily Embraer E175 (Republic Airline) 
Boston – Newark eff 09SEP19 4 daily Embraer E175 (Republic Airline)
Boston – Washington Reagan eff 08SEP19 6 daily Embraer E175 (Republic Airline)