Milenomics² Episode 234: More Cards, Puzzlers and a Quick CA Trip Report

0:33 Follow Up: Amex Bonvoy Business

• Remember last show I said I’d do the $7k spend for 10k and maybe we’d see whether the welcome bonus might trigger? It did!

• I’ve surely had this card before, and I’m almost positive I got the pop-up when applying through referral for 10x dining

• Somehow the bonus got attached

• Checked whether other cards I’d similarly applied for may have had similar and none did

• Chat rep confirmed offer was attached to Bonvoy Business but no others

• Just got lucky I guess

• But 3x 50k pays for 3 nights of lodging at the PNC Championship!

01:58 Puzzler: What’s Still Working for Churning Amex Welcome Bonuses?

• Forcing a decline

• Via back button trick?

• Via 90 day rule?

• NLL links?

• Morgan Stanley Platinum

• Experiment: Amex Platinum Resy for 100k + $25k of 10x Dining

09:45 How Is the BofA +3% Promo Going?

• It just works

• Perfectly timed for the 3% BofA offer and Fluz cash loads (Office supply)

• Cycling or not? 

• Shutdown risk? How valuable is BofA long term?

14:18 Fluz Update

• Useful categories disappearing without notice

• Sidekicks useless as always

• 3.3% Dining loads on Amex for gift card loads < $139 (3.7% otherwise)

• The service is no longer as reliable in the MCC codes as it has been. Will this change our spending pattern/speed?

18:57 Why: Linking Taekus to Fluz for Direct Withdrawal

• Taekus payout rates are better than Fluz multi-use card payouts

• Taekus has been more reliable

• For people with address mismatches in their fluz account Taeuks allows you to change your address if you move. 

• Note: Transfers are slow when coming from Fluz. Takes about 3 business days.

22:49 How To: Link Taekus to Fluz

• Enable Authy 2FA in Taekus under Settings -> Security

• Confirm that works to log in to Taekus

• Go to add a bank account the Fluz App

• Search for Taekus in Plaid

• Log in using your Taekus username and password

• When it says it’s going to send you a code to your phone, instead enter the Authy code for Taekus from the Authy app

• It will fail the first time, but try again and it should go through

• From there you should be able to see your Taekus accounts directly from Fluz to transfer out

22:55 Puzzler: Is the BofA Elite Concierge 20% Uplift on Any Airline/Airfare Dead?

• We hardly knew you

• Seems to have died somewhere in the September 2024 timeframe

• This was such a nice attribute of the program because it allowed maximum value of these points on the best possible price of a ticket

• Combated random price inflation, enabled use of airline promo codes, and situations where the carrier isn’t in the bank portal

• BofA sucks 

• Easy to say, “Just pay cash and use the points another time” but when multiple bookings in a row would be well-served by this option it’s frustrating

• Discuss: The pursuit of uplift for airfare

• Discuss: Just how tremendous BofA cards really are overall (from an earning and pay by phone perspective) even with this annoyances

33:04 [Targeted] AA Status for Hyatt Globalists

• Check email for “Register to Earn Instant AAdvantage® Status Today” or Promotions page on AA.com

• Register by Sept 4, 2024 for “Instant” Platinum Pro for 4 months

• Extend status further through a complicated scheme of earning loyalty points

• Puzzler: When is it safe to go back into the pool on Citi cards after self-shutdown?

• See Also: Hyatt Corporate Fast Track

38:22 Puzzler: Baggage Damage While Traveling

• This happened in my oslo-lax return

• Not only were bags delayed, but mine came cracked, a starburst shaped crack.

• I personally use a large 31” bag, have for 5+ years. 

• Recently replaced it last summer just after our Japan trip. Wanted something lighter.

• Have probably used this bag on 8-10 segments 

• What would you do? You notice (after an hour waiting around) the damage and you've booked the ticket with a card with great travel and bag protection.

• $150 bag

46:24 Applied: US Bank Altitude Reserve

• Denied

• Reason: Too many recent inquiries

46:51 Applied: Chase Ink Cash w/Private Client

• Recall I was denied a Hyatt Business card shortly after getting Private Client

• This experiment was a referral for P2 in a new month after qualifying

• Result: Fail

• Denied for 5/24 as usual

48:00 Quick Northern California Trip Report

• Outbound: JetBlue Mint w/Qatar Avios

• Return: Delta First

• Lodging: Hyatt Centric-centric