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If you have the American Express Platinum credit card, don't forget that your current $50 Saks Fifth Avenue credit expires in just a few days on July 1. One of the perks of this card is free $50 to spend at Saks every 6 months. Don't let it go to waste! Here are 5 ways to spend that credit:
 3. Kids toys! Stock up now for an upcoming birthday present for a kid in your life. They have a large selection of unique toys, such as this 115 Piece Glow-in-the-Dark Marble Run.  4. Jewelry! Kate Spade New York has many beautiful pieces at the $50 mark for you, such as these Brilliant Statements Pave Huggie Hoop Earrings. 5. Travel kits! Our favorite is this 7-piece kit from Aesop. It includes hand wash, hand balm, facial mask, moisturizer, lip cream, mouthwash and toothpaste.  And if you don't like any of those ideas, you can always get $50 off an $88,300 Chopard watch , making it only $88,250 :-P Let us know how you spend your credit! Have you heard the buzz? One of our favorite credit cards for travel rewards, the Chase Sapphire Preferred, has hit a magnificently high sign-up bonus! If you were ever thinking of starting the points game, now would be the time.  For years, the sign-up bonus for the CSP was 60,000 points, until a few months ago when Chase raised it to 80k points to entice new clients ready to travel after the pandemic, but now they've outdone themselves with an unbelievable 100k points sign-up bonus! 100k points can get you very, very far in the world of points; it's worth at the very least $1250 in travel, but if you play your cards right can be worth hundreds of dollars more. So here's how we spent our Sunday: 1. Chase does not allow two Sapphire cards owned by the same person at once, and we already have the Chase Sapphire Reserve. So we first needed to call Chase and ask them to downgrade our Chase Sapphire Reserve to a Chase Freedom Flex. (This is also known as product change). By the way, we downgraded the CSR to the Freedom Flex because we also already have a Freedom Unlimited-- but if you don't yet have an Unlimited, that is a good choice to downgrade to also. Additionally, keep in mind that you can only receive a signup bonus for a Sapphire card every 48+ months, so make sure you've held on to your card for at least two years before trying this downgrade hack. 2. Ask Chase to reduce your available credit with them. This is because sometimes Chase will deny your application if the amount of available credit they've offered you is already high (regardless if you use it all or not). So reduce your credit line to an amount that closer aligns with your monthly spending habits to improve the odds of being accepted for your new card.
3. Apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred using the 100k signup bonus offer link. Note: you might further increase your odds of getting approved if you wait 31 days from downgrading to apply for your new card. 4. After getting approved for your new card, spend $4000 on it in the first three months and collect your points. Note: it does have a $95 annual fee, but the perks will more than cover this. Besides the killer sign up bonus, you will also enjoy 5X points on Lyft rides, 2X points on dining and travel, up to $50 statement credit for grocery items (this alone offsets most of the annual fee), free DoorDash DashPass for a year and many other perks. 5. If you benefit from the perks of the Chase Sapphire Reserve including the lounge access it comes with and therefore don't want to see it go, after qualifying for the CSP, call back Chase and ask them to upgrade your Freedom Flex or Unlimited back to the Chase Sapphire Reserve. This works because while you can't get approved for a Sapphire card when you already have one, you CAN upgrade another card to a Sapphire even if you already have another Sapphire.  Dazzling resorts dotted along the white sand shores of Cancun, Mexico come a dime a dozen, but we chose to stay at The Pyramid at Grand Oasis and will definitely be returning again. Here's why. 1. Location, Location, Location! The best beach experience in Cancun lies on what is referred to as the "Hotel Zone"- a 1/3 mile stretch of beach which boasts the clearest water and finest, whitest sand. The Pyramid is located directly in the center of it, where you are within walking distance to shops, malls and restaurants, should you feel the need to leave the resort (although with so much to do, you won't want to!) 
 2. The food! The Pyramid has some of the BEST restaurants in Cancun; literally, five of them are listed in the top ten restaurants in Cancun on TripAdvisor. The food quality is tremendous (think the best meat cuts and seafood!), with incredible variety (all you can sushi!) and great ambiance (gorgeous sea views!). Now, if you've visited all-inclusive resorts in touristy areas before, you may be familiar with having to line up at 8am to make dinner reservations, or risk eating at the same mediocre buffet for the fourth day in a row. You won't have that problem here, but pay attention! Oasis Hotels bought out what used to be two separate properties- The Grand and The Pyramid and combined them into one. Make sure to book The Pyramid at Grand Oasis (and not just the Grand Oasis), because you will get a different colored wristband that allows you access into exclusive restaurants. Because there are less people who book The Pyramid (as it is more expensive, but well worth it!) there are no lines and no reservations required. Just be sure to check which restaurants are exclusive and frequent those, as the Grand Oasis options aren't nearly as good and often have long lines. Definitely eat at Market Place for breakfast (the least crowded of the buffets by far and with more choices and a better view). For dinner, eat at Carayes Seafood at least once! 
 3. The rooms: While you MUST book The Pyramid for access to a more exclusive experience, we don't actually recommend staying in the Pyramid. The Pyramid building (although with newer renovated rooms) is towards the back of the property and doesn't have any ocean front rooms. So we recommend booking a Pyramid Oceanfront room (not the same as 'Sea View"), which is actually housed in the Grand Oasis building (confusing, we know!). These rooms have incredible balconies directly overlooking the ocean and are phenomenal. If you are traveling with a family, we reccomend spending a little more to upgrade to the Pyramid Suite which are on the top two floors, as it is more spacious with two rooms, and two balconies each overlooking the ocean.  4. Peacocks! How can you resist a property that has roaming peacocks throughout the property? While you are eating in a restaurant or lounging by the pool, peacocks will suddenly surprise you at your feet. Need we say more?  5. Loungers, daybeds and pools! While the Grand Oasis boasts the longest pool in Cancun (1/4 mile!), there is also a separate pool for those staying in The Pyramid. It is much smaller, but the plus is that it is surrounded with beautiful cabanas and daybeds available only to Pyramid guests, so no more waking up a the crack of dawn to reserve a cabana with your towel. Many all-inclusives in Cancun charge extra to use beach and pool cabanas and loungers, but we loved that at the Pyramid they are truly all-inclusive and free for guests.  If you still aren't convinced that this is the spot to be, The Pyramid also has nightly shows akin to Cirque Du Soleil, held in their giant Pyramid amphitheater. They also have ae robust gym full of all thee equipment you need, hammocks throughout the garden, and other entertainment such as tennis courts and golf. See you in Mexico!  |
