Milenomics² Podcast Episode 268: Transfer Bonuses and more…

0:20 Transfer Bonuses

• CapitalOne (ends 10/22/2025)

• NEW! JAL 30% (regularly 1:0.75, so 1:0.95 w/bonus)

• New: Preferred Hotels 1:0.2 (no bonus)

• Virgin Atlantic 30% 

• Citi (ends 10/18/2025)

• Turkish 50% 

• Virgin Atlantic 30%

• Avianca 20%

• Chase (ends 10/31/2025)

• All Avios Partners 30% (ends 10/31/2025)

• Amex (ends 10/31/2025)

• 20% Air France

• 30% Marriott

15:01 Park Hyatt Tokyo Set to Reopen after Remodel

• Worth a visit now that it has been remodeled? 

• Discussed back in Episode 187 (link) and 67 (link)

• Also came up on our 1 star review show (link)

16:43 Q4 2025 5x Categories

• Chase Freedom: Old Navy, Chase Travel, Department Stores, PayPal (Dec only)

• Discover: Amazon and Drugstores

19:16 Applied: CSR, Mesa, Business DL Gold

• 0-3

• Mesa: Needed an ID picture, but I’m no longer interested in this card for P2. 

• Delta Business gold, black hole–nothing yet

• CSR, probably an identity verification as well. 

• Time heals all wounds, I need time off, or call Amex reconsideration on the DL Gold

• Was testing the theory of Co-Branded cards auto approving. Doesn’t seem like it for Delta.

28:12 Approved: Amex Business Gold for P2 after High Risk/Fraud Call

• Spouse so well versed she was able to handle this herself

• Approved! 

• But who is this card for?

• Besides the SUB what’s the point of the card.

30:23 Update: Amex referrals missing on P2 side

• This seems like a browser issue 

• Thankfully I was able to generate referrals on the app 

• Applied for a Delta business gold.

• Pending, and not a peep for the last 7 days

31:30 What to do with these Morgan Stanley robo accounts?

• Heightened 125,000 for $8,000 through 11/12/2025

• Try for one more Platinum before closing brokerage?

• Close the brokerage and move on?

35:22 BofA Alaska Business Reinstated

• Got a call from a business credit analyst who said she was doing this for me (when they were the ones who closed the wrong card)

• Took a few days, but card re-appeared online

• Who knows if BofA really dislikes closure within a year, but my next call will probably be to close this card for real

40:42 MailBag: Long live the king, SYW program sunsetting 

• November 3 the card will be rebranded

• Still a Mastercard, but not clear what it will become. 

• Card has been an incredible earner – what will happen to it?

• Fear this year will be its last good year

44:25 Hilton/Marriott Penn State Double Whammy

• Originally Planned on Being in Altoona at a Marriott

• Plans changed and we need to be in State College (40 min. away)

• Great use of 2 Free Night Certificates at State College.

• One Free Night expired. But I wanted to use the other and some points

• Except my stay is Non-refundable AND booked with a Hotels.com GC. 

48:11 Puzzler: Resy Family Dynamic Moral Dilemma: 

• At a Resy restaurant my family loves

• My Daughter asks to buy their merch

• Except they don’t take cash

• “I’ll give you the cash, and just use your credit card”

• Uh-oh. Do I cash out incidentals? Use a non-Amex card for it? Refuse the cash?

• What would you do?

53:12 10 years ago today: Chase Amtrak card sunsets (Link)

• Will move to BofA 

• What to do with points?

• Amtrak to choice hotels possibly

• Scandinavian connection origin story.

• It’s all here. Choice hotels, Scandinavia, Amtrak. We found the source!