Absolutely nothing happened in the world of credit cards this week. Zero, zip, zilch, nada. April fools. While the busy month of March did end quietly compared to prior weeks, a few newsy bits popped on our radar this week, including Alaska Airlines’ official place in the oneworld airline network, more Chase Sapphire card Peloton perks, and tasty Mastercard offers for those who despise grocery shopping. This weekly credit card news roundup contains what you should know about the cards in your wallet, other available offers, and new product releases or reports that stood out like a giant container ship stuck in the Suez Canal.
What’s the Lowdown?
Here’s what has caught our attention since March 26, 2021.
Alaska Airlines Makes Its Relationship With Oneworld Official
Alaska Airlines has had an alliance with oneworld for some time, with points-earning deals on six members of the international airline alliance. But the airline finally put a ring on it by officially joining oneworld on Wednesday, which means some airline-branded credit card holders can earn and use miles with more partner airlines. There are now 14 airlines in the oneworld network, including American Airlines and numerous foreign airlines such as British Airways and Qantas. The new partnership means Alaska Mileage Plan members (which include consumers who have the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Card) can earn miles when they fly with any of the other 13 oneworld airlines. Alaska Airlines already has information about earning rewards with oneworld partners on its website, too. As for how you can use those miles with the new partners … those details are still being hashed out, according to a press release from Alaska Airlines. We do know that people who love extra travel perks will enjoy this new partnership, since it can level up your elite status game. For example, if you earn elite status in the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program, you’ll also receive an equivalent status with oneworld, which offers extra travel benefits such as lounge access and priority check-in.
Chase Rewards Sapphire Cardholders Riding the Peloton Craze
Those pandemic pounds aren’t going to lose themselves. For those of us ready to move from couch lolling to a healthier indoor activity, Chase has a deal. The bank rolled out limited-time perks for its Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve cards on Tuesday, including bonus points on pricey at-home cycle bike purchases. Through March 2022, cardholders who make Peloton Bike, Bike+, Tread, and Tread+ purchases will earn 10 points per $1 spent with the Reserve card, or 5 points per $1 spent with the Preferred. While the generous bonus point offer comes with earning limits (50,000 points for Reserve cardholders and 25,000 points for Preferred cardholders) and extra points can only be earned on bike purchases exceeding $1,800, we still think it’s a gem for these flexible travel rewards cards. You’ll be hard-pressed to find another way to essentially earn 5% or 10% back on such niche fitness purchases that are already quite expensive. For example, buying a Peloton Bike+ will set you back a steep $2,495—and that’s before you factor in workout class membership costs. Along with the new points bonuses, cardholders can take advantage of an existing offer to earn statement credits on digital memberships for Peloton workout classes through December (up to $120 back with the Reserve or up to $60 back with the Preferred).
Mastercard Seasons World & World Elite Perks for Online Food Shoppers
New Mastercard benefits might make it harder to break those online shopping habits you’ve leaned on over the past year, especially if the idea of actually grocery shopping makes you cringe. The card network announced new partnerships with DoorDash and HelloFresh on Thursday. If you have a World or World Elite Mastercard, new DoorDash DashPass customers get a complimentary three-month membership, and new and existing customers get $5 off their first two orders every month when they pay with their World or World Elite card. At-home cooks can get 5% back on HelloFresh meal service orders to use on future purchases with the meal delivery service. Oh, and Instacart shoppers can get two free months of Instacart Express membership through September with an annual subscription. Mastercard recognized more businesses are operating online these days, so it’s now offering some new perks to its Mastercard BusinessCard and World Elite Mastercard for Business cardholders, too. Biz cardholders can now save on QuickBooks Online Payroll and Zoho subscriptions, and earn Microsoft Advertising credits. See the Mastercard website for more information.
Capital One Refuels Venture Card Bonus Now For Travel Later
If you haven’t been bitten by the post-pandemic travel bug quite yet, there’s a new bonus offer on the table for the Capital One Venture Card that could help fund a trip down the road. The latest bonus is a hefty two-part offer, which means you’ll need to spend and wait a bit to earn it, but it may still be worth the investment. New cardholders who spend $3,000 within three months of opening the Venture card will get 50,000 miles, and then another 50,000 miles if they can spend $20,000 within their first year with the card, bringing the total bonus to 100,000 miles. The full offer is worth $1,000 when used to book travel through Capital One, or more if you transfer the miles to a partner airline loyalty program like JetBlue TrueBlue, based on our valuation of Venture miles. That makes this offer one of the best general travel rewards card bonuses available right now. Sure, you’ve got to be in it for the long-haul to earn the full offer, but once you have it, the shiny new Hopper-powered Capital One Travel portal we highlighted last week may also be live.
