Walking Across America with Points: Week 3

It's been a while since we've heard from Mike Hammari, the man who is walking across the United States using travel rewards to minimize accommodation costs and therefore nights slept outdoors. He's vlogging his experience on YouTube and blogging about it here on MileValue.

A Quick Catch Up

These recounts of his journey are being written in retrospect. Mike took a break in the middle of his walk to return to work, travel some (not on foot), and is now back on the steaming, late summer road of central Texas. Last I heard, his shoes had recently melted.

Last Chance to Opt Out of Chase’s Binding Arbitration

If you have a credit card issued by Chase, in May you should have received an email from Chase with the subject line, "Important information regarding changes to your Chase account". In said email you were informed that Chase will alter your cardmember agreement to include a legal provision called binding arbitration as of early August.

I Wasn’t Expecting That Auto-Approval!

I just applied for the Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card.

New Southwest Business Card with 80k Bonus


The brand new Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card is exciting. Its benefits package is loaded, the 80,000 point bonus is huge, and it makes getting a Companion Pass easy.

If you are eligible to open a business card, keep reading. If you're not sure you're eligible, don't move on so fast. Read the linked post and make sure whether you're eligible or not, because ignoring business credit cards leaves a lot of bonus miles and points on the table.

Reader Question: Chase Travel Portal or Transfer to Airline Miles?

Last week I wrote about how and why you'd to want transfer Ultimate Rewards between accounts. If you haven't read it yet, stop and read before continuing with this post.

How & Why to Combine Points Between Ultimate Reward Accounts

Chase issues seven credit cards that earn a travel reward currency called Ultimate Rewards. Not all Ultimate Rewards, however, are created equal.

This post will teach you:

the logistics behind moving Ultimate Reward points between accounts (your own, or between two people's living at the same address)

how to turn water to wine, doubling the value of more than half of these Chase cards' Ultimate Rewards via strategic point transfers

Step-by-Step

Step 1) Login to your Chase online account.

Step 2) Choose an account.

A Cost/Benefit Analysis for the Marriott Bonvoy Amex

In the spring of 2017 I opened a Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express. At the beginning of this year, that card was product changed to the Marriott Bonvoy Amex Card.

The Mariott Bonvoy Amex Card is not open for applications. Those that have one were all product changed from a Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card.

Book BA Avios Awards Before Devaluation Tomorrow

May 30 (tomorrow), the price of British Airways Avios awards flying all of the following partner airlines will increase in price:

Alaska AirlinesAir ItalyAmerican AirlinesCathay PacificFinnairJapan AirlinesLATAMMalaysia AirlinesQantasQatar AirwaysS7Sri LankanRoyal Jordanian Airlines

Award prices flying British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, and Vueling will not change price as of now.

How to Check Your Chase 5/24 Count

A couple days ago I wrote a post clarifying the Chase 5/24 rule and it's relationship to small business credit cards. A reader asked the following question in the comments:

"How do I figure out if I can apply for the United Explore Card under the 5/24 rule. I didn’t keep track of when I applied for the various cards I have.

Clarifying Chase 5/24 in Relation to Business Cards

Opening five credit cards within 24 months will render you ineligible for any further Chase credit cards, until that five number has dropped to, at the most, four credit cards within the last 24 months. While not published by the bank, the Chase 5/24 rule is widely accepted as truth by the miles and points community after years of shared and collected experiences.

Business credit cards do not, anecdotally, count in your Chase 5/24 total.