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| Travel news and a can't-miss offer on Venture Rewards |
| by Brian Kelly |
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In travel news this week, the U.S. Department of Transportation officially announced an investigation into the top four U.S. airline frequent flyer programs. So what does this actually mean?
On one hand, the optimist in me sees this as the government stepping in to make sure that consumers are not being defrauded — similar to how this DOT, more than any other in recent history, has held airlines accountable for customer service and even instituted the automatic refund policy, which goes into effect next month. These are all things that I support because I believe consumers need more protections in the U.S.
The pessimistic side of me thinks that this is related to Sen. Dick Durbin’s attempt to pass the Credit Card Competition Act, which is a horrific piece of legislation that would take away some consumer protections and essentially force consumers who have a Visa or Mastercard to get a debit-like network added to their cards for payment processing. It would allow the retailer to choose the network (likely a cheaper, less secure option), so you’d lose the option to have the purchase run on the network of your choice — which could affect your ability to earn points and protections.
The cynic in me, knowing that it’s Washington, D.C., says that it’s probably both of these things, so I will be monitoring, but there’s nothing to panic about now. There’s always the law of unintended consequences, and if this gains traction, it could be catastrophic to points-earning.
So, in the meantime, keep earning your points … and speaking of points and miles, this weekend is the last chance to apply for the limited-time offer on the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card that ends Monday.
Friends don’t let friends earn only 1 mile per dollar
I know I share my points and miles strategy quite a bit, and one of my favorite tips is not to earn only 1 point or mile per dollar on everyday spending. I use my Capital One card to earn at least 2 miles per dollar.
This offer is worth up to $1,000 in travel, and it’s the highest offer we’ve seen on this card in the last few years.
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, with a modest $95 annual fee, is offering 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. In addition, upon opening your account, you’ll receive a one-time $250 credit for Capital One Travel — which is valid for one year.
If you use this offer through the Capital One Travel portal, it’s worth up to $1,000 in travel, but because I like to stretch the value of my miles even further, you could transfer the 75,000 miles to a number of Capital One transfer partners. For example, you could book lie-flat business-class seats on Air France-KLM for 50,000 Flying Blue miles one-way from the U.S. to Europe. Economy flights start at just 15,000 miles, so there are plenty of options to gain additional value from this offer.
This card could be a great addition to your points and miles-earning strategy, so don’t miss out on this offer before it ends Monday.
Have a great weekend,
BK
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| Photo Credit: WYATT SMITH/THE POINTS GUY. |
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