Top Travel on Points

Sharing tips, tricks and strategies for maximizing your travel using points!

Credit Cards

Q3 2025 Rotating Bonus Categories for Chase and Discover

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Registration is now open to activate your 5x/5% category bonus earnings on your Chase Freedom Flex℠, Chase Freedom® and Discover it® Cash Back cards. For the third quarter of 2025, the bonus categories are:

  • Chase: purchases made at gas stations and EV charging, select live entertainment and Instacart
  • Discover: purchases made at gas stations and EV charging, public transit and utilities

Chase 5x Bonus Categories

As usual, the bonus earnings rates only apply to the first $1,500 in spending in those categories. If you max out your bonus category spending for the quarter, you’ll earn 7,500 Chase Ultimate Rewards® points.

While 7,500 Chase Ultimate Rewards (UR) points are worth $75 in cash, you can get way more value by transferring those points to any of the following cards:

Once your points have been transferred to one of the above cards, the value of those points are amplified even more! If you transfer the points to Chase’s travel partners like United Airlines, Southwest or Hyatt, you can get so much more value than the original $75. For example, 7,500 Chase UR points could be enough for a one-way flight to lots of great destinations!

For more information on Chase’s flexible points program, check out The Complete Guide to Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

Key Things to Remember

  • You need to activate the 5x earnings rate by September 15, 2025
  • The promotion runs from July 1, 2025 to September 30, 2025
  • The promotion is valid on purchases made at gas stations and EV charging, select live entertainment and Instacart
  • The 5x earnings rate only applies to the first $1,500 in spending across all categories, after which the earnings rate is 1x

Note: As usual, there are various inclusions and exclusions for each category. What qualifies as “select live entertainment” will be the biggest question for most people. Merchants who sell tickets for live in-person entertainment such as major professional sporting events, concerts, theatrical productions, museums, and amusement parks are included. Some examples of merchants that are excluded from this category are bowling alleys, horse racing tracks, casinos, and dance clubs. It’s always best to check the Chase Merchant List to confirm everything that’s included and excluded in each category.

How to Activate

Unfortunately Chase doesn’t automatically enroll you into the bonus category earning promotion each quarter. To activate, go to the Chase Activation website and enter your last name, zip code and the last four digits of your credit card.

Alternatively you can log into your Chase account and activate from there. Chase sprinkles links in lots of different places on their website, making it very easy to activate. In just a few minutes, I found a few different places to activate my cards for the upcoming quarter.

Option 1

Option 2

You can also request to receive a reminder email from Chase prior to each quarter. Upon receipt of the email each quarter, you can activate via an easy 1-click activation button.

Discover 5% Bonus Categories

Discover also limits the bonus earnings to the first $1,500 in spending in those categories. However, unlike Chase, there’s no option to earn points instead of cash. So maxing out your bonus category spending for the quarter will earn you $75.

That money can be redeemed as a statement credit, a direct deposit to a checking account or used to purchase 3rd party gift cards. Gift cards are often available with 5% to 20% added value, depending on the merchant.

You can also donate your cash back to charity or to pay for purchases on Amazon.com or with PayPal.

Key Things to Remember

  • The promotion runs from July 1, 2025 (or the date on which you activate the 5%, whichever is later) through September 30, 2025
  • The promotion is valid on purchases made at gas stations and EV charging, public transit and utilities
  • The 5% earnings rate only applies to the first $1,500 in spending across all categories, after which the earnings rate is 1%

Note: Gas stations & EV charging affiliated with supermarkets, supercenters, and wholesale clubs may not be eligible. Certain parking garages where public EV charging is offered or included may not be eligible. Public transit includes commuter passenger bus, rail and ferry services. Taxi and rideshare services are not included. Finally, examples of utilities include purchases for residential electricity, natural gas, water service, internet, cable, mobile and landline phone service. If you’re unsure what may be included or excluded, visit the Discover Cashback Calendar page to confirm.

How to Activate

You won’t earn the 5% cash back bonus unless you activate this feature on your card each quarter. To do so, go to the Discover Online account page and click on “Log In to Activate.”

Discover also automatically emails you about 15 days prior to the start of the next quarter with a reminder. Upon receipt of the email, you can activate via an easy 1-click activation button.

Bottom Line

I can’t recall Chase and Discover ever offering overlapping bonus categories, but they’re lining up next quarter. Since I work from home, the gas stations and EV charging perks aren’t all that exciting for me. That said, if you’re frequently on the road, those categories could definitely come in handy.

With Chase, the live entertainment perks are especially timely as people pack their summer with concerts and sporting events. And for anyone short on time, Instacart offers a smart way to rack up rewards. Whether you’re throwing a pool party or just need some last minute groceries, Instacart can deliver the goods—and the cashback.

While public transit and utilities might not be the most thrilling bonus categories, Discover’s 5% cash back makes them worth a second look. Charging your electric, gas, or water bills to your card can add up fast—and don’t forget, services like internet, cable, and phone plans also count as utilities, giving you extra opportunities to maximize rewards.

As always, happy spending and more importantly, happy 5x earning!

Using Points and Miles to Get to Nashville

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Annie and I have always wanted to visit Nashville together. She went years ago with a friend, but I’ve never had the chance to go. Exploring U.S. cities and immersing ourselves in their local flavors, entertainment, and vibrant culture is something we truly enjoy. Nashville, with its rich musical history and lively atmosphere, feels like the perfect destination. Recently, inspiration struck, and we decided to turn our excitement into action — planning a weekend getaway to the iconic “Music City” this June.

Using a combination of travel credits, points and miles, and a Hilton free night award certificate, I managed to book the entire trip for under $60.

In This Post

Airfare

Chicago to Nashville

Earlier this year, Annie and I flew to Phoenix on United Airlines. After the original booking, the cost of the flight kept dropping. With most U.S. airlines, canceling a flight typically results in receiving the original cost as a travel credit for future use. So whenever I saw a cheaper fare, I cancelled and rebooked the flight. As a result, we had over $192 in travel credits to use on future travel on United Airlines.

Booking

We wanted to fly out on a Friday afternoon and I found two one-way tickets in economy for $350. After applying our existing travel credit to the total, I only paid $158 out of pocket. That was in mid-April.

The original cost of the flight was $350. After applying our travel credit, the total came to $158.

Re-booking

In early May, I found the exact same flight for only $319. So I cancelled the original booking, rebooked at the new lower price and received the difference as a new travel credit. Finally at the end of May, I noticed that the price of the flight dropped again. This time all the way down to $205. So I cancelled and rebooked once more, ending up with an even bigger travel credit.

I saved $145 by rebooking our flight at a lower price.

Pro Tip: You can cancel your paid flight with United Airlines and receive a travel credit for a future trip. So I make it a routine to periodically check prices to find a better deal. After two cancellations and re-bookings, the cost of the flight went from $350 to $205.

Now we collectively have about $145 in travel credits to spend on a future flight.

In the end, I was able to get the total cost of this flight down to $47! We began this whole thing with $192 in travel credits and we’re leaving with $145.

Nashville to Chicago

For the flight home, I decided to save some money and book with American Airlines miles.

Booking

The cash price for two tickets was $297, but instead I redeemed 27,000 miles. That comes out to a value of 1.1 cents per mile, which is well below the redemption average of 1.4 cents per mile. While it may not have been the most efficient use of miles, we still preferred it over paying cash. Of course, whenever you redeem miles on a domestic flight, the airlines still charge nominal fees. So in total, the cash cost for the flight from Nashville to Chicago was $11.

The cash price for two one-way tickets from Nashville to Chicago was $297, but I booked it for 27,000 AA miles.

Re-booking

Pro Tip: Just like with the outbound flight, our inbound flight kept dropping in price. In this case the cost was decreasing in miles. After changing the flight twice, I managed to lower the total cost to just 20,000 miles.

In the end, I redeemed only 20,000 miles for the flight back to Chicago.

I originally booked the flight for 27,000 miles, then 25,000 and finally 20,000 miles. Booking at 20,000 miles also increased the value of the miles redemption to a more respectable 1.48 cents per mile.

Hotel

Hilton Nashville Downtown

For hotel choices, I planned to use my Hilton free night award, which expires in August. This is a benefit I receive from owning the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire® Card. Every card-opening anniversary, I receive a free night award certificate, valid at virtually any Hilton property worldwide. Plus, I also had tons of Hilton Honors points I could redeem for the second night.

A quick search of Hilton properties in downtown Nashville, uncovered two solid options. There was the Hilton Nashville Downtown, which is located in the heart of downtown and the and the Embassy Suites Nashville Downtown. To me, the decision to choose the former was easy. The downtown Hilton property is centrally located, near Broadway and the Country Music Hall of Fame. It also has a more traditional hotel setup with upscale amenities, multiple restaurants, and a stylish atmosphere.

The cash price for a 2-night stay was $1,078.

If I paid cash for both nights, the total would’ve been $1,078. From a points perspective, Hilton was asking for 85,000 points per night.

I booked 1 night using my free night certificate and 1 night using points.

To use a free night award certificate with Hilton, you have to call them to book it. I provided the agent with my award certificate number, the stay dates, and my request to use points for the other night.

Note: When you use a free night award certificate, it’ll appear on the reservation like you used points for that night. For whatever reason, Hilton’s system doesn’t show that correctly. So in the screen shot above, it says I redeemed 170,000 points, but I actually only redeemed 85,000. If you’re nervous about this, you can always review your Hilton account activity to confirm the correct amount of points were deducted.

In total, I booked our 2-night stay using my free night award certificate and 85,000 Hilton points. That saved me $1,078 and we get to stay in the perfect location in the heart of downtown Nashville.

Nashville 2025 Redemption Table

Retail CostOur CostMiles and Points UsedPoints Source
2 one-way tickets from Chicago (ORD) to Nashville (BNA)$102.50 per person ($205 total)$47$158 United travel credit- Travel credit earned from rebooking prior trip for less money
2 one-way tickets from Nashville (BNA) to Chicago (ORD)$149 per person
($297 total)		$5.60 taxes and fees ($11 total)20,000 AA miles- Citi AAdvantage credit cards
- AAdvantage eShopping
- Simply Miles
2 nights at Hilton Nashville Downtown$539 per night + taxes ($1,078 total)$01 free night certificate and 85,000 Hilton points- Amex Hilton Aspire card
Total$1,580$58- $158 United travel credit
- 20,000 AA miles
- 1 free night certificate
- 85,000 Hilton points		- $1,522 in total savings
- 96% off retail cost

Bottom Line

All in all, I saved a whopping 96% off the retail cost of this trip by using points, miles and credit card perks. Annie and I are really looking forward to immersing ourselves in Nashville’s music scene, indulging in amazing cuisine, and exploring iconic attractions like the Country Music Hall of Fame and Ryman Theater.

Trip Report Index

  1. Using Points and Miles to get to Nasvhille
  2. Flight from Chicago to Nashville
  3. Hilton Nashville Downtown

Chase Announces Revamped United Airlines Credit Card Lineup

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The good, the bad and the ugly of the new United Credit Card lineup

Chase recently announced significant changes to their lineup of United Airlines credit cards effective immediately. As of March 24, 2025, the annual fee on all but one credit cards were increased. To balance out the increase in annual fees, a bunch of coupon book statement credits have been added to encourage cardholders to keep their cards and spend more on them.

So who is going to benefit and suffer most with the new changes? I think the occasional United flyer and those who don’t put much spend on their United credit cards will struggle to justify keeping them in this new environment. On the flip side, frequent United flyers and big spenders chasing elite status may like the new changes.

Let’s take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly of all these changes card-by-card. First up is the United Gateway Card.

United Gateway Card

The United Gateway Card will continue to have no annual fee, but its new benefits are designed to encourage large spending in order to take advantage of them.

What’s New and/or Changing

  • Welcome bonus of 30,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first three months
  • Earn two checked bag certificates, valid for 12 months, after spending $10,000 in a calendar year
  • Earn access to member pricing on award travel redemptions after spending $10,000 in a calendar year.

The welcome bonus is 10,000 points higher than the prior offer. However, I’ve seen a 30,000 point welcome bonus before, so this isn’t really new or better.

They’ve now added the ability to earn two free checked bags, which is something this card never had access to before. But it’s really hard to justify spending $10,000 to receive two free checked bags. United charges $35 for the first checked bag and $45 for the second. So at most you’ll get $80 in value from this new feature. 

The real gut punch here is the loss of member pricing on award travel redemptions. This reduces the number of miles needed to book award travel on United flights. While this benefit remains in place on all other United cards, Gateway cardholders now need to spend $10,000 for it. I guess I can understand United not wanting to give access to member pricing on a card with no annual fee, but it’s certainly disappointing. Saving a few thousand miles on an award redemption does not justify that much spend.

United Gateway cardholders will need to spend $10,000 in a calendar year to get member pricing on some flights.

This card is still a decent card as a downgrade option if you opened a United Explorer, Quest, or Club card and decide those benefits aren’t worth paying for any longer. However, without access to member pricing on award travel, the card is much less attractive as a downgrade option.

United Explorer Card

The overarching change to the United Explorer Card is the “credit couponification” of the benefits. They raised the annual fee by $55 and offset that by adding several new statement credits. The catch is that those credits come in the form of a coupon book whereby you earn them on a monthly, quarterly or semi-annual basis, instead of all at once. They also added a few big spend bonuses that won’t appeal to most people. Overall, it’s definitely a mix of positive and negative changes, so it really comes down to how often you fly United and whether you can maximize the new coupon credits.

What’s New and/or Changing

United Explorer Card
  • $150 annual fee (up from $95)
  • Welcome bonus of 80,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months
  • The annual United Club passes will now require the primary cardmember or authorized user to be present when redeemed (no more gifting)
  • One $100 travel credit after spending $10,000 in a calendar year
  • One 10,000-mile award flight discount after spending $20,000 in a calendar year
  • Up to $100 in statement credits for United Hotels ($50 each on your first two bookings per cardmember year)
  • Up to $60 per year in rideshare credits (up to $5 per month) when using your card to pay for rideshare services
  • Up to $50 in travel credit for Avis or Budget car rentals per cardmember year on rentals booked through cars.united.com and paid for with your United Explorer card (up to $25 for each of the first two rentals)
  • One $10 Instacart credit per month when you have Instacart+ membership
  • Up to $100 statement credit for purchases with JSX each cardmember year

Although the $55 annual fee increase can be more than offset by up to $430 in credits each year, it requires significant effort to keep track of and actually utilize those credits. This is what I mean when I say “credit couponification”. Like those old coupon books from the 80s and 90s, you now have to remember you have these credits as well as when and how to trigger them.

These changes make me far less interested in owning this card. Some of the new features require a lot of spending while others are simply annoying to use. Still others would require me to change how I book travel (i.e. booking hotels with United Hotels rather than with the hotel directly or booking rental cars through cars.united.com). I’m only an occasional United flyer and have owned this card on two separate occasions. I don’t own one today and don’t see myself ever applying for one again in the future.

However, if you check at least four bags on United flights a year, this card can make sense to own just for that benefit alone. If you fly frequently enough with United, it’s also worth looking into the Quest or Club cards instead. They’re more expensive but also provide better benefits.

United Quest Card

The changes to the United Quest Card are very similar in nature to the United Explorer changes. However, in the case of the Quest card, a few existing benefits were actually enhanced. Just like with the Explorer card, the annual fee is going up and is being offset by the addition of several new credits. There are also a few big spend bonuses now available. Because United Quest cardholders are more likely to be big spenders and/or chase elite status, I think this card may be more appealing now.

What’s New and/or Changing

  • $350 annual fee (up from $250)
  • Welcome bonus of 90,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months
  • $200 United TravelBank credit per cardmember year (was previously a $125 statement credit)
  • One 10,000-mile award flight discount annually (was previously two 5,000 discounts)
  • Earn up to 18,000 Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) at a rate of 1 PQP per $20 spent (max is up from 9,000 PQPs annually)
  • Earn an additional 10,000-mile award flight discount after $20,000 in purchases in a calendar year
  • Earn two Economy Plus seat upgrades after $40,000 in purchases in a calendar year
  • Up to $150 in statement credits for Renowned Hotels and Resorts for cardmembers when you book and pay for your stay with your card
  • Up to $100 in rideshare credits per year (up to $8 per month January to November and up to $12 in December)
  • Up to $80 in Travel Credit for Avis or Budget car rentals per cardmember year on rentals booked through cars.united.com and paid for with your United Quest card (up to $40 for reach of the first two rentals)
  • Up to $15 Instacart credits per month when you have Instacart+ membership
  • Up to $150 statement credit for purchases with JSX each cardmember year

We’ve finally come to a card where there are a few positive impacts to highlight. However, many of those positives are paired with immediate negatives. Take the annual fee increase, for example. The card now costs $100 more in annual fees (boo!), but that is mostly offset by a $75 increase in the United travel credit (yay!). However, that credit now comes as TravelBank cash and a 12-month expiration, rather than a statement credit (boo!).

The award flight discount is potentially more useful as a single 10,000-mile discount rather than two 5,000-mile rebates (yay!). In addition, the ability to earn 18,000 PQPs, up from 9,000, per year is another positive change (yay!). It will require more spending, but if you’re already spending big on this card, this is a definite win.

The majority of the other changes and additions are a continuation of the “credit couponification” of all the United cards. The ridesharing credit is particularly annoying because you have to enroll each year and remember to pay for rides with your card. Plus Chase only credits $8 per month and $12 in December. Sporadic users of ridesharing will not be able to maximize this benefit.

Overall, this card is certainly worth considering for its solid welcome bonus and its first year benefits. However, the long term cardholders are likely going to be the big spenders chasing elite status and those who are able to use the credits.

United Club Card

Chase has increased the annual fee on the United Club card by a whopping $170. Of course, they’ve also added benefits to offset the fee increase. However, those benefits are probably not going to move the needle unless you’re planning to spend toward elite status.

What’s New and/or Changing

  • $695 annual fee (up from $525)
  • Welcome bonus of 95,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months
  • Receive 1,500 Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) per qualification year starting in 2026
  • Earn 1 PQP per $15 spent up to 28,000 PQPs per calendar year (up from 15,000 max)
  • Earn a 10,000-mile award flight discount after $20,000 in purchases in a calendar year
  • Earn an additional 10,000-mile award flight discount after $40,000 in purchases in a calendar year
  • Earn United Club All access membership after $50,000 spend in a calendar year (this can also be achieved when reaching Premier Gold status or higher)
  • Up to $200 in statement credits for Renowned Hotels and Resorts for cardmembers when you book and pay for your stay with your card
  • Up to $150 in rideshare credits per year (up to $12 per month January to November and up to $15 in December)
  • Up to $100 in Travel Credit for Avis or Budget car rentals per cardmember year on rentals booked through cars.united.com and paid for with your United Quest card (up to $50 for reach of the first two rentals)
  • Up to $20 Instacart credits per month when you have Instacart+ membership
  • Up to $200 statement credit for purchases with JSX each cardmember year

Again, the changes here are mostly negative unless you’re planning to spend big. The new annual fee is a 32% increase! Another negative is with lounge access. While cardholders can still access United Club lounges, Star Alliance lounges are off limits without big spend. Previously, the standard United Club membership provided access to participating Star Alliance lounges. Now, you’ll need to spend $50,000 in a calendar year or achieve Premier Gold status to access those lounges.

The “credit couponification” continues on this card, with many of the same credits as the United Quest card. These credits can provide some value as long as you’re able to use them.

If United Club access is all you’re after, this card may still be worth the annual fee. In addition, if you’re spending your way to elite status, it makes sense to do it on this card to take advantage of the award discounts at the $20,000 and $40,000 spend levels. I would caution, however, that this card is for serious United frequent flyers and elite status seekers. If that’s not you, this is not your card.

Bottom Line

Chase and United made similar updates to their business cards as well. For more information on those changes, head to the Chase Business Rewards website.

Overall I’m pretty disappointed with the changes Chase and United made in this recent revamp. Arguably, every card (except perhaps the Quest card) have higher fees and worse benefits. The addition of coupon credits are designed to make it look like the cards have become more affordable even as their annual fees increased. However these credits are overwhelming in numbers and many will be difficult to fully utilize or utilize at all.

Unfortunately this “credit couponification” is a common trend we’re seeing across cobranded cards. Delta and American Express started it back in early 2024 and it looks like the pack is following their lead. Banks and their partners are trying to increase spending on their cards and are using these new credits and spending bonuses to incentivize that.

The one bright spot in all of these changes may be the United Quest card. Of course the annual fee increased but I like that they increased the travel credit by $75 and changed the two 5,000-mile award rebates into a better 10,000-mile award discount. In addition they added the ability to get a second 10,000-mile discount with $20,000 in spending.

Whether you see this as mostly positive or mostly negative is in the eye of the beholder. However, if you’re unhappy with these changes, don’t panic. You’ve likely already paid your most recent annual fee, so continue enjoying the existing benefits and use the new ones, too. Then, when your next increased annual fee comes around, call Chase and ask for a retention offer. If you don’t like the offer, downgrade or cancel your card.

Apply here for the United personal cards.

Q2 2025 Rotating Bonus Categories for Chase and Discover

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Registration is now open to activate your 5x/5% category bonus earnings on your Chase Freedom Flex℠, Chase Freedom® and Discover it® Cash Back cards. For the second quarter of 2025, the bonus categories are:

  • Chase: purchases made at Amazon and select streaming services
  • Discover: purchases made at grocery stores and wholesale clubs

Chase 5x Bonus Categories

As usual, the bonus earnings rates only apply to the first $1,500 in spending in those categories. If you max out your bonus category spending for the quarter, you’ll earn 7,500 Chase Ultimate Rewards® points.

While 7,500 Chase Ultimate Rewards (UR) points are worth $75 in cash, you can get way more value by transferring those points to any of the following cards:

Once your points have been transferred to one of the above cards, the value of those points are amplified even more! If you transfer the points to Chase’s travel partners like United Airlines, Southwest or Hyatt, you can get so much more value than the original $75. For example, 7,500 Chase UR points could be enough for a one-way flight to lots of great destinations!

For more information on Chase’s flexible points program, check out The Complete Guide to Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

Key Things to Remember

  • You need to activate the 5x earnings rate by June 14, 2025
  • The promotion runs from April 1, 2025 to June 30, 2025
  • The promotion is valid on purchases made at Amazon and select streaming services
  • The 5x earnings rate only applies to the first $1,500 in spending across all categories, after which the earnings rate is 1x

Note: As usual, there are some inclusions and exclusions to be aware of. For the Amazon category, eligible purchases include the following — digital downloads, Amazon.com Gift Cards, Amazon Fresh orders, Prime subscriptions, and items sold by third-party merchants through Amazon.com. It also includes purchases at Whole Foods Market and www.wholefoodsmarket.com. Examples of select streaming services include popular services like Netflix, Max, Disney+, Hulu, Pandora, Peacock, SiriusXM, Spotify, and Paramount+. It’s always best to check the Chase Merchant List to confirm everything that’s included and excluded in each category.

How to Activate

Unfortunately Chase doesn’t automatically enroll you into the bonus category earning promotion each quarter. To activate, go to the Chase Activation website and enter your last name, zip code and the last four digits of your credit card.

Alternatively you can log into your Chase account and activate from there. Chase sprinkles links in lots of different places on their website, making it very easy to activate. In just a few minutes, I found a few different places to activate my cards for the upcoming quarter.

Option 1

Option 2

You can also request to receive a reminder email from Chase prior to each quarter. Upon receipt of the email each quarter, you can activate via an easy 1-click activation button.

Discover 5% Bonus Categories

Discover also limits the bonus earnings to the first $1,500 in spending in those categories. However, unlike Chase, there’s no option to earn points instead of cash. So maxing out your bonus category spending for the quarter will earn you $75.

That money can be redeemed as a statement credit, a direct deposit to a checking account or used to purchase 3rd party gift cards. Gift cards are often available with 5% to 20% added value, depending on the merchant.

You can also donate your cash back to charity or to pay for purchases on Amazon.com or with PayPal.

Key Things to Remember

  • The promotion runs from April 1, 2025 (or the date on which you activate the 5%, whichever is later) through June 30, 2025
  • The promotion is valid on purchases made at grocery stores and wholesale clubs
  • The 5% earnings rate only applies to the first $1,500 in spending across all categories, after which the earnings rate is 1%

Note: Restaurant purchases include those made at merchants classified as full-service restaurants, cafes, cafeterias, fast-food locations, and restaurant delivery services. Home improvement purchases include online and in store purchases at home improvement retail stores, building supply stores (e.g. lumber, paint, and hardware stores), as well as lawn, nursery, and garden supply stores. Finally, examples of select streaming services include popular services like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Audible, DirecTV Stream, FUBO, Max, Netflix, Pandora, Peacock, SiriusXM, Spotify, and YouTube TV. If you’re unsure what may be included or excluded, visit the Discover Cashback Calendar page to confirm.

How to Activate

You won’t earn the 5% cash back bonus unless you activate this feature on your card each quarter. To do so, go to the Discover Online account page and click on “Log In to Activate.”

Discover also automatically emails you about 15 days prior to the start of the next quarter with a reminder. Upon receipt of the email, you can activate via an easy 1-click activation button.

Bottom Line

This should be a pretty lucrative quarter for both Chase Freedom/Freedom Flex and Discover cardholders.

Chase is giving cardholders a really easy way to maximize bonus earnings this quarter. The beauty of having Amazon as a bonus category is that so many people already shop there. You don’t really have to change your regular spending habits at all. Just make sure you set your Freedom or Freedom Flex card as the default payment option in your account.

The fine print also enables a sneaky way to earn 5x on groceries as well. Whole Foods Market, which is owned by Amazon, is included in the bonus category. That will provide even more options to help maximize your bonus earnings.

With Discover, the grocery store category will also have broad appeal. Unlike the other niche categories, everyone buys groceries! Families with kids should have little problem maxing out their bonus earning this quarter. Wholesale clubs should also be lucrative as long as your club accepts the Discover card as payment.

If you find it difficult to earn the maximum bonus points or cash back, remember that you can buy gift cards to hundreds of other merchants at grocery stores and Amazon. Those gift card purchases count towards the bonus earnings and you can use them at any time in the future.

Happy spending and more importantly, happy 5x earning!

Using Points and Miles to Get to Seattle

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Due to my older daughter Brynn’s participation in club volleyball, I’ve had the opportunity to travel with her quite a bit. However, I’ve never gone on a trip with just my younger daughter Rory. We both happened to have President’s Day off on Monday February 17, so I decided to search for somewhere to spend the long weekend together. My goal was to find a destination that wouldn’t break the bank and had some attractions that a teenager would like.

Since I’m based in Chicago and it was February, I began my research with warm weather locations. Unfortunately flights to places like Florida, California and Arizona were really expensive. So were hotels, which either cost a lot in cash or a significant number of points. Some other destinations I thought of included Atlanta, Charleston or Nashville. However, they’ve all recently had snowfall so there was no guarantee the weather would be any better than at home. So instead of targeting specific locations, I changed my search to focus on cheap flights and see were it took me.

Almost immediately, Seattle became a top contender. That might seem odd since it’s north of Chicago, but their weather isn’t nearly as bad as it is at home in February. The average February high in Seattle is 49 degrees. Yes, there may be rain, but it’ll still be so much better than it’ll be in Chicago! In addition to relatively cheap flights, the hotels were also very reasonable and a decision was made.

In This Post

Airfare

Chicago to Seattle

For the flight out to Seattle, cash prices were inexpensive as were the number of miles needed. I found economy tickets on American Airlines for only 7,000 miles per ticket. That’s about as low as any one-way redemption I’ve seen lately. I also checked in First Class and American Airlines was only asking for 18,500 miles per ticket. I wanted to make this quick trip a little more special for the two of us, so I booked the First Class seats using miles.

Two tickets in First Class cost me 37,000 American AAdvantage miles.

The cash price for the two First Class tickets was $929. Instead of paying cash, I used 37,000 miles and paid $11.20 in taxes and fees. The redemption value of those miles was 2.5 cents per mile, which is well above the average value for AAdvantage miles.

The cash price of two First Class tickets would’ve cost $929.

Seattle to Chicago

After a $100 reduction, my total cost was $377.

For the flight home, I decided to pay cash. I did that because the membership year for American Airlines AAdvantage elite status was about to end on February 28th. At the time of booking, I was very close to achieving Platinum Pro elite status for the very first time. Paying for the flight in cash is probably going to be the thing to put me over that threshold.

I was still able to reduce the total cost because I have a Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. It offers an airline credit perk of up to $50 in statement credits each quarter, for a total of up to $200 back each year on eligible flight purchases. To make sure I utilize this perk, I buy a $50 American Airlines gift card at the beginning of every quarter. It automatically triggers the statement credit and I can use any gift cards I’ve accumulated on upcoming flights.

At the time of booking, I had two gift cards for a total of $100. So my total cost was $376.96.

Hotel

Sheraton Grand Seattle

When it came to hotel options, I wanted to use my free night award with Marriott. As a cardholder of the Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card, I receive a free night award certificate every year. The award, valid at hotels costing up to 35,000 points per night, is given annually on your card-opening anniversary. Even better, you can add up to 15,000 extra points from your account to redeem your free night award at hotels above the 35,000 point redemption limit.

There were a few downtown options, but the Sheraton Grand Seattle was well-reviewed and in an excellent location. I decided to use the free night award for the first night’s stay and then pay cash for the other two nights. The points rate for one night was 40,000 points, so I had to add 5,000 points to my free night certificate in order to book it. 5,000 Marriott points are worth about $35, so it was no big deal to part with those points.

The cash price for a 3-night stay was $675.

If I paid cash for all three nights, the total would’ve been $675. By using the free night award certificate to erase one night, the cash price went down to $452, for a savings of $223. That’s a great value considering the Marriott Bonvoy Amex card’s annual fee is only $125. That’s well worth it when I can use the free night award to erase a $200+ hotel night.

I booked 1 night using my free night certificate and 5,000 Marriott points.

All in all, I saved $223 on our 3-night stay in the heart of downtown Seattle!

My total hotel cost was $452 since one night was free!

Seattle 2025 Redemption Table

Retail CostOur CostMiles and Points UsedPoints Source
2 one-way tickets from Chicago (ORD) to Seattle (SEA)$465 per person ($929 total)$5.60 taxes and fees ($11 total)37,000 AA miles- Citi AAdvantage credit cards
- AAdvantage eShopping
- Simply Miles
2 one-way tickets from Seattle (SEA) to Chicago (ORD)$239 per person
($477 total)		$377$100 AA gift cards- Amex Hilton Aspire card
3 nights at Sheraton Grand Seattle$165 per night + taxes ($675 total)$4521 free night certificate and 5,000 Marriott points- Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card
Total$2,081$840- 37,000 AA miles
- $100 AA gift cards
- 1 free night certificate
- 5,000 Marriott points		- $1,241 in total savings
- 60% off retail cost

Bottom Line

All in all, I only saved 60% off the retail cost of this trip by using points and miles. I say only because I could’ve used airline miles to book the flight home or used more Marriott points to erase the other nights. However, I’m happy with how things turned out because I’m going to achieve Platinum Pro elite status on American Airlines. I also know I can get better value out of my Marriott points somewhere else down the line.

But most of all, I’m looking forward to spending some quality “daddy-daughter” time with Rory. We have plans to go up on the Space Needle, visit a few museums and take a food tour of Pike Place Market. And if you’re teenager is anything like mine, a stop at the original Starbucks is also something we won’t pass up!

Using Points and Miles to get to Seattle
We made it to Starbucks!

Trip Report Index

  1. Using Points and Miles to get to Seattle
  2. Flight from Chicago to Seattle
  3. Sheraton Grand Seattle