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July 7, 2026 | View Online
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I cannot lie to you. I was in the pub at 8 AM this morning for the England-Mexico game, and didn’t leave till much later. I love this period every four years. But I think my body is ready for it to be over.
I need to make sure I’m on top form, as in less than ten days I’ll be in a Qsuite bound for the US to annoy my colleagues in person — and that’s something nearly as rare as the World Cup.
Let’s get to the points:
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The best card around right now
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Double dipping isn’t bad for you
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Transfer bonuses this month
Cheers,
Steven
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| CARD OF THE WEEK
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The Time Is Now For This Solid Mid-Tier Card
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This has always been one of my favorite cards. It fits into pretty much everyone’s wallet, acting as either a beginner card or a solid little role player within a broader ecosystem. It was never a sexy option, as such, but it’s always been reliable.
Those days appear to be behind us.
New cardholders can earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in the first three months of opening an account. That’s a monstrous introductory offer in its own right and makes it far more appealing on the whole, especially considering its annual fee is pretty low as well.
But honestly, it’s the other changes that are making it super valuable. Thanks to its recent refresh (which I cover in depth here), it now makes a much stronger case as an everyday earner, too. The new structure gives it a lot more usefulness beyond the usual “stick it in the drawer until you book a trip” routine, which is exactly what you want from a card with this much long-term upside. I can’t dive into all the details here, but the new spending categories make it valuable for almost anyone, ramping up its day-to-day value by a ton.
There are some downsides, unfortunately, which I also cover in the article, and one of them is a real loss, but on the whole, it won’t impact too much for most of us. If you already have the card, the changes will be applied, but for everyone else, I don’t know when you’re likely to get a bonus that big with a card like this.
Don’t wait too long if you’re thinking about it.
Learn more here.
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| JOIN 1440
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| STEVEN'S TIPS
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Make Sure You’re Double Dipping
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One of the best things I ever cracked when we were traveling was working out where and when I could double dip on different purchases. The most powerful one I found came about because we were living primarily in Airbnbs for the better part of six years.
Unless you’re using one of the Bilt cards, it’s unlikely you’ll be paying your rent with a card, but our constant travel made this a necessity. While we moved, I always put our Airbnbs on this card. It granted me 3x points per dollar on any travel, which included Airbnbs — not all “travel” bonus categories include these.
So if our apartment in Dubai cost $3,000, I was pulling in a more than excellent 9,000 points for that month. But I also discovered that some airline have their own specific platform portals that allowed me to earn extra points. The downside was that they weren’t transferable points, only for that airline, but it was still a huge influx of points.
In this case, I used the British Airways Airbnb portal, which also grants me 3x Avios per dollar spent on Airbnb purchases. So, all things considered, I was earning a whopping 18,000 total points a month on that $3,000 purchase. Other airlines had different rates, but this one made the most sense for us as we bounced around a lot, and British Airways is solid for short-haul flights in Europe and other places. That was a huge influx of points for us.
There are others all over the place, from shopping portals that get you bonus points on random purchases you make, to bigger things like hotels or booking platforms.
Get creative and leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of your points.
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Check Out Our Home and Mortgage Homepage
Instead of highlighting a single piece this week, I’ll throw you straight over to our…home…page…(get it?), for all things mortgages and home finances. We’ve got an ever-growing library of articles there, perfect for anyone in the market for a new home, refinancing a current mortgage, and everything in between.
Check it out all out here.
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| TRANSFER BONUS ROUNDUP
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Transfer Bonuses You Should Consider This Month
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It’s the start of the month, so there are a few new transfer bonuses for you to take advantage of. Some are solid…others…not so much.
Chase Ultimate Rewards
Amex Membership Rewards
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20% transfer bonus to Hilton Honors
Runs from July 1 to July 14, 2026. Technically good as you’re already getting a 1:2 transfer ratio, so this is a pleasant boost if you have your eye on a specific hotel.
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15% transfer bonus to Avianca LifeMiles
Runs from June 15 to July 15, 2026. This one I won’t put too much hope in. Avianca is getting worse by the week.
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30% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Runs from July 1 to July 31, 2026. The same rule applies here as the other Virgin transfer. You could comfortably combine these to get a solid discount on an already brilliant rate.
Citi ThankYou Rewards
Capital One Miles
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30% transfer bonus to EVA Air Infinity MileageLands
Runs from July 1 to July 31, 2026. This one is super niche, so I’m not anticipating many of you getting a lot of use from it. But if it fits into your travel plans, get stuck in.
As always, don’t transfer points without having at least some idea of a plan first. Use these as a tool to maximize your points, not as an impulsive response because you like a certain airline.
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