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It's Southwest Companion Pass Season

The end of the year means it’s time to start talking about companions.

First, around the Thanksgiving dinner table  Zoom video dinner when your family inevitably asks about your dating life, and second when we start talking about earning the Southwest Companion Pass.

Right now is the time to start working on earning your Southwest Companion Pass for all of 2021 and 2022.

This is typically done by opening one of the Southwest business credit cards, one of the Southwest personal credit cards, and not earning each of their signup bonuses until after January 1, 2021.

There’s a lot more to know about earning the Southwest Companion Pass so you should probably give our overview a read before getting started.

You may even want to read it 2 or 3 times to be sure. Once for each time your weird uncle tries to talk about politics this holiday season.

Elevated Offers on The Platinum Card from American Express

Dozens of readers in the Insider’s Facebook Group are reporting that they are seeing offers for 100k and 125k points on the Platinum Card from American Express after you spend $5,000 in the first 6 months. You also have the opportunity to earn 10x points on purchases at U.S. Gas Stations and U.S. Supermarkets on up to $15k in purchases in your first 6 months.

But there’s a twist, these offers aren’t exactly “public”.

Though they are about as well hidden as my 3 year old when we play hide and seek.

Here’s how to find one, should you be interested.

1. Check CardMatch.  CardMatch is a tool that “matches” you with credit card offers that are specifically for you. (Ignore the non Amex offers for now)
2. If you don’t see them on CardMatch, simply try searching for the offer a few times using different browsers and devices. Readers are reporting that they occasionally show different offers.

The 100k and 125k offers are far from guaranteed, but I would go so far as saying that you are likely to see them if you have never had this product before.

For those of you who recently got this card and are asking “now what?”, you should consider reading our full review of the Amex Platinum as well as our team piece on how each of us would spend 100,000 American Express Membership Rewards Points.

Three more things to know about the elevated Amex Platinum offers:

1. Many people who are under 5/24 should consider these offers, but each situation is different. You might consider asking the 10xTravel Insiders Facebook Group for advice if you are not sure what to do.
2. Amex generally does not match offers, so if you recently got the Platinum Card with a lower bonus you probably aren’t going to be matched to this one. It never hurts to ask (and please share any data points of success), but I have yet to see them honor this.
3. The opportunity to earn 100k+ via CardMatch and incognito are pretty well known by now, so be very skeptical of any site that is actively promoting the 75k offer with no mention of this trick.

Chase Ink Business Cash and Ink Business Unlimited Offers are Up to $750 Cash Back (Previously $500), and Chase is Matching the Offer

Ink Business Cash and Ink Business Unlimited recently upped their bonuses to $750 cash back after $7,500 spend in the first 3 months. This is a substantial increase over their previous bonuses of $500 after $3,000 spend in the first 3 months, which is what the offers have been for as long as I can remember.

This change caused them to jump to #2 and #3 in our monthly card rankings.

Keep in mind that these bonuses are awarded in the form of 75,000 Ultimate Rewards points, meaning that if you have a Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve, or Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card, you can combine your points to be used for higher value travel uses.

We have also seen many reports of Chase matching this offer for anyone who has recently received the Ink Cash or Ink Unlimited. If this is you, simply log in to your Chase account and send a secure message asking Chase to match the current offer.

We do not know how long the $750 bonuses are scheduled to last at this time.

For more information on these cards be sure to read our review of the Ink Cash, review of ink unlimited, and team piece on how we would each use 100k Chase Ultimate Rewards Points.

Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card

$750 bonus cash back after you spend $7,500 in 3 months

Learn more

Chase Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card

$750 bonus cash back after you spend $7,500 in 3 months

Learn more

Citi is Giving 5% Back on Online Purchases (Enroll by 11/30, Purchases Need to Be Made Between 11/24 - 11/30)

Do you have a Citi card that was open on 10/23/2020?

If so, you are likely eligible to save 5% back on online purchases made between 11/24/2020 and 11/30/2020, up to $500 in spend. The cash back is awarded in the form of a statement credit.

FYI, you have to enroll at Citi.com/giving before making the purchases. This will also confirm your eligibility.

Feel free to share data points in the comments with which online purchases trigger the statement credit.

10xTravel Trips Have Launched and Are Selling Fast! 

10xTravel is hosting curated trips to popular international destinations that are exclusive to our readers!

We launched trips to Greece, Bali, Iceland, New Zealand, and The Galapagos on Friday, November 13th, 2020.

You can read more about these by visiting our Trips Page.

The Galapagos sold out almost immediately, with Iceland and New Zealand not far behind.