Lazy Points of the Week
Story of the week: new Uber/Delta partnership
Uber and Delta just announced a new partnership. Later this spring, you will be able to begin linking your Uber and Delta accounts to earn extra Delta miles on certain Uber purchases. To make sure you don’t miss out on any of those miles, and to “unlock the chance to receive exciting surprises,” you can sign up for the waitlist HERE.
Much like Uber’s Marriott Partnership, it isn’t quite as easy as just hailing an Uber or ordering via UberEats. You can earn 1 Delta miler per dollar on Uber X rides… but only to and from an airport. You can also earn one mile per dollar on Uber Eats purchases, but the minimum qualifying purchase is $40 before tax, tips, and fees. Premium Uber rides (e.g. Comfort, Black) and Uber Reserve rides earn 2x and 3x miles per dollar respectively. Still, this figures to be an excellent set-and-forget mileage earning opportunity to get extra Skymiles on Uber trips that you may be taking anyway.
This means that Delta’s partnership with Lyft is ending, although I had never used it anyway. I’ve found Lyft’s partnership with Bilt and Mastercard much more lucrative, and preferred the Alaska Airlines partnership as a backup ahead of Delta anyway.
Other card and points news
Earn 1500 United Miles with MileagePlus Dining. I am a big fan of dining programs for many reasons, including the ability to simply link a card, forget about it, and earn bonus points if and when you happen to stumble into the right restaurant. But they can also offer a quick infusion of miles with sign-up bonuses, especially when they offer an elevated bonus like United is doing now. New members who sign up and spend $50 (including tax and tip) at a participating restaurant within 30 days will earn 1,500 bonus United miles.
Of the various dining programs, United’s is one of my favorites too, because you can see participating restaurants on a map in United’s MileagePlusX app, which just makes it that much easier to earn extra miles.
Airline trip credits are being extended. New government regulations require airlines to honor trip credits/vouchers offered to passengers after significant delays or cancellations for up to 5 years after they are issued. That is great news for infrequent fliers who may not have otherwise been able to use that compensation in the one- or two-year window they might have been offered previously. Better news still? According to ThePointsGuy, even some trip credits issued for non-qualifying reasons, like voluntary trip changes, are being changed to 5-year terms. So if you think you might have a trip credit on file with an airline, go check your account.
New entry requirements (and fees) in Europe. The UK has instituted a new entry permit requirement, which requires some paperwork and a roughly $13 fee. Annoyingly, this applies even if you just have a layover in the UK (e.g. at Heathrow). The EU will launch a similar system sometime this year (or so they say; it has been delayed a few times), also requiring a bit of paperwork and a roughly $7 fee. For more details, read this explanation from ThriftyTraveler.
Sign-up bonus of the week
Chase’s co-branded Hyatt cards have increased offers this week, with the personal card offering 35k points (usually 30k) after spending $3,000 in the first three months after opening an account, plus, as usual, the chance to earn another 30k points by earning 2x on 1x categories for 6 months. Because the card offers a free night after spending $15,000 in a calendar year, earning the full bonus would also result in a free night at a Category 1-4 hotel.
This is a solid increased bonus, as the extra 5k points is enough for an extra night at a lower-end hotel, where off-peak rates start at 3500 points. And if you want to go for the extra 30k and free night, now is a great time to do it to ensure all your spending falls in a single calendar year. That said, Hyatt’s five-free-night offer back in October was probably a better offer, especially if you’re not inclined to spend $15k+ on a single card this year. If so, you may want to hold out to see if they offer something similar in the future.
Previously highlighted bonuses with offers still available:
•70k on the Hawaiian Airlines Mastercard
•30, 60, 70, or 90k miles on United Airlines credit cards
•75,000 points on the Citi Strata Premier
Lazy tip of the week
Do you spend a lot of money on a debit card? If so, consider the Discover Cashback Debit card, a rare debit card with rewards: 1% cash back on up to $3,000 in purchases each month.