Big Change of Opinion on BankDirect

I have probably been the most outspoken fan of BankDirect as a great checking account. I’ve endorsed them daily as an awesome way to rack up miles.  I’ve posted often about how much I recommend them as a place to park your money. Unfortunately, I’ve had a big change of opinion.

I spoke with Toni Freitas, a Vice President at BankDirect, about my concerns. I’ve been so surprised with recent feedback. The bank has been changing…slowly enforcing rules that make our mileage lives more difficult. I noticed it too, and have tried to convince myself that it’s no big deal. Well, it has reached the point where I just don’t think it’s worth it anymore. Yes, you might want to open an account, collect the bonuses, and move on…but this is just not a long-term checking account worth having (in my opinion).

It’s a tough thing to say, seeing as I built an entire page on this blog to endorse them. That page is gone as of right now and I’ve got to be honest about my experience. Nothing illegal is going on, just some policies I disagree with. I’m sure I’ll write more about it later, but right now I want to apologize. This blog has grown in popularity and many people have opened checking accounts at BankDirect because of me. I apologize to the hundreds of people I’ve sent referrals to this year. I can no longer endorse BankDirect as a company I respect. They don’t value me as a customer the way I expect to be valued. I’m sorry for any inconvenience to those of you who’ve decided to close your accounts.

Finally Make Some Miles On Amazon

From now on, whenever you shop on Amazon.com, do it through one of the following shopping portals…

On Amazon.com purchases, you can:
Earn 2 Hawaiian Airline miles per $ spent through here, or
1 US Airways mile per dollar spent through here.

Citibank Thank You Rewards Card

This is not the card to apply for if you haven’t grabbed Citibank’s 75,000 mile American Airlines cards yet. If you’ve already cashed in on those, this is a solid offer to check out. The annual fee is $125 and not waived, the spend is $2000 in 3 months, and the reward is 50,000 ThankYou points. It’s enough to pay for $650 in airfare. Subtract the annual fee and you’re still looking at a free 500 bucks in flights. Click here for the application page.

30-Day Admirals Club Membership

American Airlines’ First Class lounge is called Admirals Club. These lounges are a lot more comfortable than the typical nightmare seating at the gate. The chairs are comfy, you get some free drinks/snacks, the bathrooms are cleaner, and it’s a lot less crowded. The best price for an annual membership is $350, and even a day pass is 50 bucks. Just introduced is a 30-Day pass for $99. You’ll get unlimited use for a month, and can bring along 2 guests. This probably only appeals to a a few people, but ya never know. Click here for the info.

100 Free American Airlines Miles…

100 free American Airlines miles from something called KGB Deals. I’d never heard of this website before but it only takes 10 seconds so it’s worth a shot. Click here for the info.