Marriott Lifetime Status and Hyatt's Luxury Ryokan Brand

📣 WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT

• ICYMI - A $10,000 Bora Bora redemption you don’t want to sleep on.

• Southwest Airlines flight prices can now be seen on Google Flights. This should make price tracking/rebooking significantly easier. (ht DDG)

• Wyndham’s new promo gives up to 15k points. Stay 2 to 4 consecutive nights by 09/03 and earn 7.5k to 15.0k points. Register here.

• It’s speculated that the AMEX Personal Gold may see an annual fee increase to $325. (ht DoC)

• Hyatt is back with a new round of targeted offers giving free night certificates, points, and nights. Check every single targeted link here.

• The in-branch 85k Chase Sapphire Preferred offer is scheduled to end 06/22 (ht DoC)

🧠 CREDIT CARD STRATS/HACKS/TRICKS
Obtaining Marriott Lifetime Platinum With Credit Cards

Lifetime statuses with major hotel brands can be nearly impossible to obtain for the average traveler. Marriott’s lifetime statuses, however, are more attainable than most realize.

I’m all about doing the most with the least amount of work; this specific strategy aligns with that. It also takes quite a bit of time, so it’s best to get your clocks ticking as early as possible aka now.

Marriott credit cards will give annual Elite Night Credits that count towards elite status. The current best combination will be:

• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant AMEX: 25 nights/year

• Marriott Bonvoy Business AMEX: 15 nights/year

Holding these 2 cards, you receive 40 elite nights/year. They do have annual fees so you’ll need to math magic yourself to breakeven.

Marriott Lifetime Platinum Elite requires:

• 600 qualifying nights

• and 10 years as Platinum Elite or higher

If you hold the 2 cards mentioned above for 10 years, you’re at 400 out of 600 nights.

Each card also gives a Free Night Certificate, meaning you get another 18 nights over 10 years (FNCs come after card renewal month).

Splitting the remaining 182 nights over 10 years, that’s ~18.2 nights/year you’ll have to conjure out of thin air if you don’t stay at Marriotts regularly (why are you going for this then? 🤡)

Note: In a slower year, you could theoretically do as few as 8 nights for that year since Platinum Elite requires 50 nights and the cards give you 42. You’ll just have to make up the difference in future years.

One option is to do mattress runs at Category 1 hotels, costing 7.5k points x 19 nights = 142.5k Marriott points per year.

Another is to pick up the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless (which also gives annual free night certificates) and spend $5,000 × 18 = $90,000 to earn 18 nights + 1 FNC 🎮️. This is generally agreed to be bad value though.

A third option is corporate travel.

However you choose to do it, those 18.2 nights/year are the final piece of the puzzle.

TL;DR:

• Hold AMEX Bonvoy Brilliant + Bonvoy Business for 10 years

• Obtain an extra average of 18.2 elite nights every year

• Annual fees x 10 years: ($650 + 125) x 10 = $7,750

It’s not a walk in the park, but it’s also not impossible.

⏳️ FINAL BOARDING CALL - TIME-SENSITIVE
Increased Hilton Offers With No Lifetime Language

Offer details:

• Hilton Honors Aspire

  • 70k Hilton points + FNC after $2k spend in first 6 months

  • Annual fee: $0

• Hilton Honors Surpass

  • 130k Hilton points + FNC after $3k spend in first 6 months

  • Annual fee: $150

• Hilton Honors

  • 175k Hilton points after $6k spend in first 6 months

  • Annual fee: $550

Learn more about the Hilton cards here (direct).

Hilton Honors card ($0 annual fee) NLL link (direct).

Hilton Honors Surpass NLL link (direct).

Chase Ink Unlimited 120k SUB In Branch

Offer details:

• 120k UR points after $6k spend in first 3 months

• Annual fee: $0

Only available in-branch via business relationship manager. Not all branches will have it, but you won’t know until you ask.

Separately, there’s a 120k/$8k CIP link for solo players. Apply at your own risk - didn’t want to blast this link too publicly.

120k CIP link.

New US Bank Links For Increased Offers

The increased offers first appeared in April and have now returned with new links. Offer details:

• US Bank Business Leverage (All-Time High): $900 (90,000 points) after $7.5k spend in the first 120 days

  • No annual fee first year, $95/yr after

  • Learn more about the US Bank Business Leverage card (direct)

• US Bank Business Altitude Connect (All-Time High): $750 (75,000 points) after $6k spend in the first 180 days

  • No annual fee first year, $95/yr after

  • Learn more about the US Bank Business Altitude Connect card

• US Bank Business Triple Cash: $600 bonus after $4.5k spend in the first 150 days

  • No annual fee

  • Introductory 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 billing cycles, variable APR afterward

  • Learn more about the US Bank Business Triple Cash card

Pro-Tips:

• You need an existing relationship with US Bank. If you’re out of footprint, fund a CD or have a bank account open with funds.

• As long as an application goes pending, you can generally keep applying

• Same-day applications have hard pulls combined

• Make sure to cancel or product change your cards exactly at the 1-year mark

☁️ ON POINTS
New Hyatt Luxury Hot Spring Ryokan Brand

Hyatt and Kiraku announced that ATONA, the modern hot spring ryokan brand, is opening in Yufu, Yakushima, and Hakone.

ATONA is part of the Atona Impact Fund which aims to raise 20 billion yen (128mm USD) to invest in ATONA ryokan development. They’ve just secured the first round of funding for half that amount at 10 billion yen (64mm USD).

Watch the full introductory movie here.

If award redemptions are available, my guess is they will price in as Cat 7/8. Pricing will probably be comparable with Park Hyatt Kyoto or Alila Ventana Big Sur.

🛍️ CREDIT CARD MERCHANT OFFERS

Automatically add, favorite, and search all merchant offers on every card with a single click via CardPointers (Fly EnPoints readers get 30% off).

Chase (login at chase.com to check)

• Newegg: 5% off | Expires 05/31

• Best Western: 10% off up to $32 back after $100+ in purchases | Expires 06/01

• Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts: 10% off up to $57 back after $100+ in purchases | Expires 06/01

• Liquid I.V.: 10% off up to $9 | Expires 06/09

• Calvin Klein: 7% off up to $12 | Expires 06/26

• Southwest Airlines: 10% off up to $40 back after $50+ in purchases | Expires 06/26

• Lyft: 10% off up to $4 | Expires 07/01

• McDonald's: 10% off up to $2 | Expires 07/01

• Ace Hardware: 10% off up to $8 | Expires 07/01

• Estée Lauder: 10% off up to $15 | Expires 07/01

• Disney Plus: 15% off up to $21 | Expires 07/03

• Dossier: 10% off up to $13 | Expires 07/05

Other

• Staples: Fee-free $200 Visa gift cards | Limit 8 | 05/26 - 06/01

🤡 MEME

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