🤑 My Top Finds, Latest Deals, and Best Recommendations (5/24/25)
👋 Hi there,
Happy Saturday! Here's a sneak peak of today's newsletter:
💳 Deep dive on Citi cards and ThankYou points
✈️ Latest flight deals: London, Italy, Reykjavik and more
🧴 $15 off $50+ Amazon household products
💰 Limited time bonus: 100k AAdvantage miles
🚴 Earn up to 12k Hyatt Points with Peloton Workouts
🍽️ $50 of InKind dining credit
💰 Using Smart Yield to optimize earning on cash
💸 Up to 6% cash back on BoA cards
🏛️ The plan to kill the penny and more!
I really hope you enjoy reading, and please don't forget to forward this to someone who might enjoy it too. (And if that's you, make sure to subscribe here please). Thanks so much!
Chris
💳 Deep Dive on Citi Credit Cards and ThankYou Points
I recently opened up a few Citi cards and did a deep dive into Citi’s credit card lineup, including how to maximize ThankYou Points, the best airline and hotel transfer partners, and how Citi’s best two-card combo stacks up against other major issuers.
🤱Save on Childcare with Cultural Care
Today’s newsletter is brought to you by… Cultural Care Au Pair
Amy and I love their flexible, personalized childcare. We've hosted 5 au pairs and appreciate the scheduling freedom (mornings, weekends) plus help with kids' laundry and meals.
Sign up at chrishutchins.com/culturalcare to save $250 and find your match!
🛫 Travel, Points & Miles
✈️ Latest Flight Deals: Award, Biz Class & Round Trips
Check out these flight deals (including award and business class) if you have any travel plans and want to travel to/via these destinations.
Reykjavik: Business class from 47.5k miles via Delta.
São Paulo: Business class from 50k miles via LATAM Airlines.
Vienna: Business class from 70k via Austrian Airlines.
London: Round-trip in economy from 8k miles via Virgin Atlantic.
Milan: Round-trip in economy for $355 via American Airlines.
Rome: Round-trip in economy for $355 via Norse Airways.
💰 Limited Time Welcome Bonus: 100k AAdvantage Miles
Speaking of Citi cards, the AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard (which I ranked in the A tier in this week's episode) has an increased limited-time best-ever welcome offer of 100,000 American Airlines AAdvantage after a $10,000 spend in 3 months. While it has a high annual fee, it comes with an Admirals Club membership, loyalty point bonuses to help earn AA status faster, and more!
🚴 Earn up to 12k Hyatt Points with Peloton Workouts
You can now earn Hyatt points by completing workouts on a Peloton Bike or Peloton Row at Hyatt stays around the world. Just make sure to link your Hyatt and Peloton accounts here before your workout. I have a Hyatt stay next weekend so I'm hoping to rack up some extra points!
💸 Up to 6% Cash Back on BoA Cards for the First Year
Bank of America just announced increased cash back rates for two cards starting 6/1 (though it looks like they might be live already).
Unlimited Cash Rewards Credit Card: $200 bonus after a $1,000 spend and 2% cash back for the first year (1.5% thereafter).
Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card: $200 bonus and 6% cash back in a chosen category, 2% on groceries, and 1% everywhere else for the first year (3%, 2%, and 1% thereafter).
For those with BoA's preferred rewards Platinum Honors status, which requires holding $10,000+ across all BoA and Merrill Lynch accounts, the Unlimited Cash offers 2.625% cash back on everything. However, with this promotion, you'd be getting 3.125% back your first year.
🏨 New Hotel Promos: Choice, Radisson, Accor
Here are some hotel promos to take advantage of if you have any upcoming travel.
8k bonus points at Choice: For every two stays between 5/19 and 9/2. Registration is required.
Up to 11k bonus + 35% off at Radisson: Earn up to 6k points after 2 stays between 7/1 and 9/10 and get 2k bonus points and up to 35% off select destinations when you book by 6/6 for stays in June. Plus, earn an extra 3k bonus points when you book a 2+ night stay via the Radisson Rewards app.
20% off Accor: Book Accor 2+ nights' stays in select countries before 5/27 for stays between 6/27 and 9/9. You must be an ALL—Accor Live Limitless member (signing up is free) to qualify.
🔚 Amex Ending Hawaiian Airlines Transfers Soon
Amex is dropping Hawaiian Airlines as a transfer partner starting 6/30 so if you want to stock up on Alaska points like I'm doing, now is the time to make it happen.
🔑 New Kimpton Secret Password
Upgrades and perks are a great way to elevate your hotel experience, and I love that Kimpton Hotels offer a seasonal password for guests to score free upgrades, parking, or food. Just mention "Social Sent Me” when you check in between 5/19 and 8/31.
P.S. Our luxury hotel upgrade program also offers upgrades and perks like daily breakfast for two, $100 property credit, and more!
🏆 Earn Delta MQDs on Hotels, Vacations & Car Rentals
Delta Airlines has limited-time promo to earn bonus Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) on hotel stays, vacation rentals, and car rentals booked through their designated portals before 7/14. This is a great opportunity if you're trying to upgrade your Medallion status.
📉 Marriott Quietly Guts Elite Status Perks
Following Hilton’s devaluation last week, Marriott has downgraded benefits for Platinum, Titanium, and Ambassador elites by removing the guaranteed upgrade to a base-level suite if available at check-in. The change quietly took effect on 4/30, with no announcement, despite being a major downgrade for loyal elites.
🚗 15K Aeroplan Points Back on Car Rentals
Aeroplan is offering a 15k point rebate when you book a car rental via Air Canada with promo code ROADTRIP15. The redemption should be worth 60k+ points, and you must book before 6/8 for rentals through 6/7 next year.
🤑 Latest Deals
🧴 $15 off $50+ Amazon Household Products
Amazon is offering a $15 credit on select household products when you spend $50 or more. And you can save even more if you have a credit card that has increased earning rates for Amazon purchases.
💰 New Smart Yield Tool from Carry (+$100 Off)
I first opened an account at Carry for my Solo 401(k), but they just launched a new Smart Yield product that will automatically allocate your cash savings to the best after-tax yielding investment, based on your personal tax rate. If you don't already have a Carry account/plan, you can use this link for $100 off.
🍽️ $50 Dining Credit with InKind Referrals
InKind is a free dining rewards app that has helped me save $100s at some amazing restaurants and they're offering a limited-time referral bonus until 6/30. Referrers receive $50 when a referred friend makes a $50+ purchase, while the referred friend gets $25. So if you have an account, now's a great time to share your link. Or if you haven't signed up, here's my referral link :)
📚 Free Magazine Subscriptions
Score free 1-2 year magazine subscriptions like ELLE, Condé Nast Traveler, Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, and more—no credit card required.
🔗 Latest Card-Linked Offers
Here are some card-linked offers I found recently, with expiration dates in parentheses.
AT&T Fiber: $50 off $55 (7/7).
Blue Apron: $85 back on purchases + $50 back via Rakuten (+ $30 bonus for new Rakuten users).
British Airways: 5% back on $100+ (5/28).
DirecTV: $40 off $100 (8/31).
Giftcards.com: 5% back up to $50 (6/16).
Omni Hotels: $100 off $500 (8/12).
Visible Phone: 35% back up to $30 (6/30).
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts: $100 off $500 (8/12).
To automate adding these card-linked offers, I highly recommend checking out CardPointers Pro (and get 30% off here).
🚙 3k Delta Miles or $25 Marriott Gift Card via Uber One
Uber One members can now earn 3k bonus Delta miles when they complete 10 rides or Uber Eats orders. They can also get a $25 Marriott gift card when they spend $100 on premium rides, plus eligible annual plan members get complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status.
🛂 Get 2 Free Months of CLEAR+
Get two free months of CLEAR+ when you use code STAPLESMAY25 to enroll before 6/14. But if you’ve got a premium Amex card that covers the full fee, that's even better.
🕵️ Great Finds
💌 Letter from Sahil Bloom to His Son
I loved reading this letter that Sahil Bloom wrote to his 3-year-old son for his birthday. It's a great reminder of what really matters in life.
🏛️ The Plan to Kill the Penny
Finally, the US Treasury announced it is phasing out penny production. This is great because it currently costs more then 1¢ to make a penny. Now let's see how long the Nickel lasts!
💬 Parting Thoughts
As always, thanks so much for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts on today’s newsletter, and if you enjoyed it, please let me know why!
Chris