December 2020 spending (points earning) Game Plan

My December 2020 Game Plan:

I thought it would be good to have a monthly series where I’m giving some insight as to what credit card and other offers I’m taking advantage of. December 2020 has some non-sign-up bonus spend I’m working toward.

Barclay’s Miles & More Card (Lufthansa)

This is the offer I’m most intrigued by, and #1 on my to do list. You may be surprised but this is NOT a sign-up bonus. Pretty rate to get such a high ROI, but 60,000 Miles & More points on $3,000 spend? Sign me up! Note you earn the full 60,000 if $1,000 of your $3,000 spend is on Grocery. I already have some Miles & More points stashed, so this should top me off for a Business class flight on Lufthansa direct from Denver to Europe for 73,000 points (example below).

Chase

Earlier in November Chase came out with some rather nice offers and just at the right time. Focusing on largely Amazon.com and Grocery bonuses, Chase knows where people are spending their money around the holidays. See the details on each below, but here’s the potential haul of points I’ll earn in December from Chase.

Chase Sapphire Reserve

I’m starting out which Chase’s flagship card, but honestly this is a snooze for me. If this was my only chase card earning points, I’d happily take 3x a month up to $1,000 spend (especially with Chase’s Pay Yourself Back option being able to cash out for 1.5 cent per point), but you’ll see from the offers below on why this is a pass

Chase Southwest Priority Card

Southwest is an airline I use out of Denver quite a bit. The offer (Amazon.com and Grocery) to earn 5x points up to $1,500 each month in November and December will allow me to collect 15,000 points combined. This comes at a great time for anyone who is close to earning companion pass status.

Chase United Explorer Card

Like Southwest, United is a frequent airline I use out of Denver. The offer (Amazon.com and Grocery) to earn 5x points up to $1,500 each month in November and December will allow me to collect 15,000 points combined. I’m not working towards any status with United, so this is purely a point grab.

Chase Marriott (Bonvoy) Card

Do I enjoy earning Marriott points? Sure. Do I think they have a lot of value? Not really. I don’t anticipate spending a night in a Marriott prior to year-end, but if you are, take advantage and earn 10x. The 5x offer is similar to both the Southwest and United cards above, but I put a higher value those points, so this is likely a pass unless I max out all the offers you’ve seen so far.

Chase Hyatt Card

I’d probably rather earn Hyatt points more than any other non-transferable currency, and I think Chase knew that as they dropped the earnings bonus here to 3x for Amazon.com and Grocery. I’ll probably pass a result.

Chase IHG Card

I only keep this card around for the annual free night that comes with it so I can use it at the Holiday Inn Steamboat. Passing on this offer, even at 5x.

In order to take advantage of most of these chase offers, you need to opt in. Head to the link here or go to https://www.chase.com/mybonus to see which offers you’re eligible for.

Potential December haul:

Miles & More – 60,000 Lufthansa points – ABSOLUTELY!

Chase Sapphire Reserve – 3,000 Chase UR points – Pass.

Chase Southwest Card – 7,500 SW RR points – Yes.

Chase United Card – 7,500 United points – Yes.

Chase Marriott (Bonvoy) Card – 7,500 Marriott points – Pass.

Chase Hyatt Card – 4,500 Hyatt points – Pass.

Chase IHG Card- 7,500 IHG points- Pass.

Agree or disagree where I put my priority? Let me know!