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Today Is My Birthday, and I'm Giving Away 500,000 Points

March 07, 2018
5 min read
Pride Parade — Washington, DC 2017 019
Today Is My Birthday, and I'm Giving Away 500,000 Points
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Update 3/7/18 3:30pm: Prizeo donations process with a small foreign transaction fee of around $0.10. If you're going to donate, we recommend doing so with a card that doesn't charge foreign transaction fees.


Link to enter to win 500,000 points — $10 minimum donation.

Today marks my 35th birthday. And this year, instead of asking for gifts, I'm asking for you to donate to help give the gift of life to someone who's in danger of being killed just for being who they are. Just by donating, there's something in it for you, too. For every donation of at least $10, you'll be entered to win 500,000 points — a mixture of Chase Ultimate Rewards and American Express Membership Rewards — to use however you want.

Rainbow Railroad is an organization that TPG has been working with for more than a year, and one that has saved hundreds of lives during that time. For those not familiar, Rainbow Railroad works to help LGBT people around the world seek asylum because they are in danger of being persecuted for being who they are. Sadly, there are still places around the world that sentence LGBT people to death or imprisonment for being themselves. It's devastating to hear, but unfortunately, it's still very much a reality.

As you can imagine, one of Rainbow Railroad's biggest expenses is the travel needed to get people out of harm's way. In 2017, TPG readers and I helped the Rainbow Railroad cause by donating nearly $30,000 and more than two million miles. TD Bank joined in the effort by donating six million Aeroplan miles. Between the outpouring of support from TPG readers and raising awareness for the cause with our float in the Washington, DC pride parade, we together helped to save more than 21 LGBT lives. But our job is not done.

Rainbow Railroad still needs our help. I'm thrilled to launch a Prizeo campaign, with all donations going straight to the organization and its efforts to save those lives in danger. Not only will you be doing good by your donation, but you'll also be able to win some pretty cool prizes — the grand prize being 500,000 of my own points. Check out the video below for full details:

All it takes is a $10 donation to Rainbow Railroad to be entered to win. If you donate more, you'll earn more chances to win, plus some incredible exclusive experiences — from a puppy playdate with The Points Pups to tickets to our exclusive Pan Am Experience party or a Zero-G anti-gravity flight with me. Oh, and there's the 500,000-point grand prize. Check out the TPG Prizeo campaign for complete details on all the exciting prizes you could win just for donating to an amazing cause.

I'll meet up with the lucky winner to help plan your dream vacation and just how you plan to use the 500,000 points (250,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points + 250,000 American Express Membership Rewards). I mean, think of all the possibilities...

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  • A premium trip to Europe for two:
  • 2 one-way tickets to Europe in Lufthansa first class (220,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points transferred to United each)
  • 1 night at a Hyatt Category 7 property (30,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points transferred to Hyatt)
  • 2 one-way tickets back to the US from Europe in Singapore business class (160,000 Amex Membership Rewards points transferred to Singapore)
  • 3 nights at an upper-tier Hilton property (30,000 Hilton points per night)
Ultimate Rewards saved the day, letting me book a last-minute flight home in Lufthansa first class through United.
I love Lufthansa's first-class product.
  • More travel for more people:
  • 33 one-way economy flights of up to 1,151 miles with Oneworld partners (7,500 Chase Ultimate Rewards points transferred to British Airways each; 247,500 total)
  • 1 one-way Southwest flight for less than 2,500 points (2,500 Chase Ultimate Rewards points transferred to Southwest)
  • 10 round-trip tickets from the West Coast to Hawaii on American or Alaska (12,500 British Airways Avios transferred from Amex Membership Rewards each way)
  • An extended trip:
  • 20 nights in a Category 3 Hyatt property (12,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points transferred to Hyatt)
  • 10,000 leftover Chase Ultimate Rewards points to be transferred for Southwest flights
  • 2 round-trip tickets from the US to Japan in ANA business class (75,000 Amex Membership Rewards points transferred to ANA each; 150,000 total)
  • 1 one-way ticket from the West Coast to Australia (excluding Perth, Darwin and New Zealand) in economy with Singapore Airlines (100,000 Amex Membership Rewards transferred to Singapore)

... The possibilities are endless.

And as far as what card to use, you have a few options to get a good return on your donation. I'd recommend using the Chase Freedom (No longer open to new applicants) to earn 5% cash back on Chase Pay, Android Pay, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay purchases for this quarter (up to $1,500 in combined purchases). Alternatively, you could use the Chase Freedom Unlimited to earn 1.5% cash back on every purchase. Or, you could use the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express to earn ever-valuable Starpoints.

This year, I'm thrilled to pledge my birthday to help Rainbow Railroad do incredible work in saving lives around the world. As a TPG community, I'm excited to see what we can do to help Rainbow Railroad make a lasting change. Donate today!