In today's episode, we'll talk about why we like the Rakuten shopping portal and also discuss a great new trick Rakuten has up its sleeve...

(00:42) - What is a shopping portal?

(01:15) - Choose cash back or Amex Membership Rewards points (must link Amex card)

(02:55) - Great refer-a-friend promos ($40/4K)

(04:08) - Frequent 10x, 15x, 20x promotions

(04:43) - Portal includes travel sites like IHG, Marriott, Choice, Hertz, Avis, Expedia, some airlines

(05:13) - Double dip with hotel / car rewards / airline miles etc.

(06:38) - In-store offers

(07:08) - NEW: read about new Rakuten credit card bonuses here.

(10:26) - Our Rakuten referral links:

• Nick’s Referral Link
• Greg’s Referral Link
• Stephen’s Referral Link
• Tim’s Referral Link

In today's episode, we're schooled about Wells Fargo cards, we learn about earning points on your mortgage, and we talk about how you can take the sting out of Southwest's customer unfriendly changes.

(01:03) - Listeners give us more ideas about making a great Wells Fargo Wallet

Find our episode "A World-Class Wells Fargo Wallet" here.

(08:20) - Mesa Homeowners Card: Earn transferable points on mortgage payments

(14:20) - Goldbelly no longer selling $10 gift cards (minimum is $25)

(16:06) - Read about maximizing your "coupon" credits from American Express here.

(16:15) - Capital One Shopping pulls many good gift card redemption options (and it varies from one cardholder to the next!)

(20:05) - Pepper Rewards app not working (Taking payment but not producing gift cards, no coin...

(22:44) - Likely: JetBlue partnering with United

(27:51) - AA reducing award holds to 24 hours

(29:04) - Emirates breaking up with some transferable currencies (temporarily?)

Read more about this Emirates speculation here.

(31:39) - Transfer SAS to Scandic hotels and back

(34:26) - New Details announced (fare bundles, bags, credit cards)

(41:09) - Cardholders will win big

(47:05) - Is Southwest Priority Card the best airline card ever?

(53:09) - Is Southwest Priority Card even better than elite status?

(57:23) - But....is the writing on the wall?

(1:01:19) - If you have a major purchase you weren't expecting, which credit card would you put it on (and how would you decide?)

Visit https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/ to get updated on in-depth points and miles content like this, and don’t forget to like and follow us on social media.

Music Credit – “Ocean Deep” by Annie Yoder

There are credit cards that help make your points actually more valuable, just by having the credit card on hand. You can find all of the cards discussed on this show on our Best Offers page.

(00:40) - United: Discounted awards, ability to upgrade

(01:38) - Delta: 15% discount

(01:54) - JetBlue 10% rebate

(02:20) - Aeroplan: 1.25 PYB, better award pricing

(02:55) - Avianca Lifemiles Elite: Comes with Lifemiles+ Lite (10% discount on awards)

(04:09) - Spirit points pooling

(04:58) - IHG: 4th night free (& 10% back old card)

(06:00) - Wyndham 10% discount

(06:50) - Hilton 5th Night Free

(07:33) - Amex Membership Rewards: Business Platinum card 35% rebate

(08:49) - Chase: make the points on your cash back card transferrable, 1.25/1.5

(10:32) - Capital One: make cash back points transferrable

(11:49) - Citi: make cash back points transferrable, 10% rebate

(14:54) - Wells: make cash Transferrable

Visit https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe to get updated on in-depth points and miles content like this, and don’t forget to like and follow us on social media.

Music Credit – Beach Walk by Unicorn Heads