DO CASINOS SELL VANILLA RELOADS?: I’ve been curious about Comenity since the Virgin America card’s move to that bank was announced. As per the Wallaby blog they currently issue 31 million cards, making them the biggest issuer I know nothing about. There’s a list of their cards here, and it’s a long one. I haven’t found any screaming good deals, though I did notice that Caesars has a Total Rewards credit card that gives 5 reward credits back per dollar spent at Caesars properties, 2 credits on airfare, gas and grocery spending, and 1 credit on all other spending.
I am not at all wise in the way of the gambling world, but do they sell prepaid debit cards at Casinos? I can’t see things like “5 credits per dollar” without wondering. You can get status with Caesars which is transferable to Starwood, though only at the very highest level, called Seven Stars, and that takes 150,000 credits.
As per the website, here are the benefits of Seven Stars:
- A Guaranteed Complimentary room at any Total Rewards destination
- A Retreat for two, including airfare to any Total Rewards destination
- An Appreciation Gift, just to thank you for your loyalty
- Guaranteed next-in-line priority service
- A Complimentary $500 Celebration Dinner at any Caesars-owned restaurant
I’m not clear on whether the first bullet point means you could get a free room any time you want. But 150,000 credits seems to be a lot by Caesars’ reckoning, since it’s the equivalent of $750,000 played on slot machines.
AMERICAN AIRLINES 75,000-MILE OFFER: Have you been living under a rock for the past week? Yes? Well then you probably haven’t heard about the new 75,000-mile Citi Executive AAdvantage World Mastercard offer. Despite the Points Guy “Amazing Deal Alert” headline, it is not, in fact, an amazing deal on account of the $450 annual fee. It could be a good deal, depending on your circumstances, but it is certainly not an amazing deal.
GETTING SICK FOR FUN AND PROFIT: How much do you have to pay someone to voluntarily contract the flu? About $3,000:
NIH scientists are deliberately giving dozens of volunteers the flu by squirting the live virus straight up their noses to study how the body fends off the virus. Memoli’s study aims to infect up to 100 adults with the flu over the next year.
…To avoid spreading the germs, participants must spend at least nine days quarantined inside a special isolation ward at the NIH hospital, their health closely monitored. They’re not released until nasal tests prove they’re no longer contagious.
The incentive: About $3,000 to compensate for their time.
At least one participant seemed to enjoy the experience:
Bennett’s flu was pretty mild, and he passed the time studying, watching TV and playing games with the four other study participants infected this month.
“All I had to do was read and watch movies, so it wasn’t that terrible,” Bennett said. “It was a really cool experience” to see how research is done.
THANK YOU SIR, MAY I HAVE ANOTHER?: Mrs. PFD cancelled her Delta Amex two months ago. Today, she got an offer for a 50,000-mile Delta Amex + a $50 statement credit + the annual fee waived for the first year. You see, they want us to churn.
MY NEW HERO: Via the Wandering Aramean, here’s the tale of a guy who got free meals for a year by buying a refundable first-class ticket:
A man bought a first-class ticket and used it to have free meals and drinks at the airport’s VIP lounge almost every day for nearly a year, Kwong Wah Yit Poh reported.
The itinerary for the ticket was found to have been changed more than 300 times within a year, and the owner of the ticket used it to enjoy the facilities at the airport’s VIP lounge in Xi’an in Shaanxi, China.
The rare case was discovered by a China Eastern Airlines staff member, who then decided to investigate.
When the ticket’s validity was almost up, the passenger cancelled it for a refund.
An airlines spokesman said there were no means to stop this act, even if it was done on purpose. However, many netizens lauded the passenger for being smart, rather than condemning him.
All I can say about this is…
I just picked up the TR Visa (no annual fee) -> Platinum status for year (only 1 yr, boo) = no resort fees at Caesars properties! + better upgrade chances (still use $20) + keep credits from expiring w/o setting foot in casino… I’ll do some gift shop exploring next time I “need” to step away from the tables.
In the Total Reward Program, Reward Credits are comps that people can spend at a TR property, while Tier Credits earn you status. Seems to me that you won’t receive any Tier credits through the TR Visa.
I’ve been looking at those Comenity cards too… what is interesting is most of them are only usable at the sponsor and are not general purpose credit cards, thus limiting the ability to do MS on them. But there are one or two showing some promise
Thanks, I thought there might be something like that, but I couldn’t tell for sure from the website.
If you’re spending $750,000 in slots, I don’t know that you need a credit card to get free nights/airfare/F&B.
1) Now 100k for the AA + $200 back. Not such a bad deal anymore.
2) Churning Delta Amex- 12 month amex rule doesn’t apply?
100K does make it better.
Delta Amex–I would have thought, but I figure if they send the preapproval, they’re on the hook. It’s a moot point anyway since I don’t think we’ll bite.
I would love to know if targeted offer gives bonus within 12 months. I cancelled my amex plat 6 months ago and received a targeted 50k plat and prg offers and some other offers with no mention of the 12 months rule in the terms.
I would think that if you could get a written assurance from customer service that you’re eligible for the bonus, you’d be in a good negotiating position if they don’t give it to you later.