Just the Tip(s)

Category Archives for Just the Tip(s).

Todoist Review: How I’m Using It to Organize My Life and (Travel) Goals

November 4, 2019 by Harlan 17 Comments

It’s about time I update my Todoist review. I’ve been using Todoist to organize my days since 2015 – almost five years by now! It’s an app and website I use every day and I can’t imagine life without it.

That’s because it’s a perfect place to brain dump. If I have more than a few things I want to get done, I find they form a circular loop in my mind until I put them into list format. And seeing them sequenced calms me and puts me back in control of my thoughts.

Over the years, I’ve used Todoist to keep track of:

Books I want to read
Movies and TV shows to watch
Yearly and life goals
Recurring tasks around the house and in life
Things to do when I travel
Self affirmations
Things to buy when I’m running low on something
And of course, daily tasks

To say I love Todoist would be a huge understatement

Not only is it a great place to store to-do lists, but it’s become a huge part of getting ahead in so many ways. I truly spend my life in this app.

My Todoist review

PSA: Don’t Make This Mistake With US Bank Altitude Reserve Travel Credits

June 9, 2019 by Harlan 22 Comments

Upon logging into my US Bank online account, I noticed something weird.

I have a decent amount of points from using mobile pay at Costco for 3X points (a 4.5% return because each point is worth 1.5 cents toward travel). And I have my Real-time Rewards threshold set to $10.

So when I make a travel charge over $10, I get a text asking if I’d like to redeem points to “erase” it.

Just say the magic word and your charge is gone. (The magic word is “Redeem”)

I used this for a few Uber rides recently. Great, great, love it.

But then… I noticed my $325 annual travel credit had recently reset – and doubly covered the charges.

~$82 of charges got double credited – one from Real-time Rewards, the other from my travel credits

Not only did I redeem points for those charges, but somehow it ate up ~$82 worth of my travel credits, too. If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve saved my points.

So when your travel credits reset, DO NOT use Real-time Rewards to erase your charges. You’ll end up paying double!

Oh, and US Bank was beyond lame when I alerted them to what happened. So lame that I’m thinking of dumping this card altogether – after I drain the remaining credits and points, of course.

US Bank Altitude Reserve travel credits don’t play well with Real-time Rewards redemptions

Today Only (5/28): Get $10 When You Download the Pei App & Link a Card

May 28, 2019 by Harlan Leave A Comment

Hope you had a good holiday weekend! Wanted to share this one day only promotion for the best cashback app out there right out – Pei.

Get a free $10 in your account when you:

Download the app
Link a credit or debit card
Enter promotion code “2pur1z” to get 1,000 points worth $10

That’s it!

Of all the cashback and card-linked apps, Pei is by far the most rewarding and easiest to use. The normal bonus for getting the app is 200 points ($2), so this is an easy win.

Plus, you can get $2 in points for every Uber and Lyft ride you take.

On May 28, 2019, you can get $10 for downloading the Pei app instead of the usual $2

I’ve been impressed with how easily the cashback rolls in for my normal spending. And whereas other cashback apps have gone downhill, Pei is holding strong. Get in on the good stuff while you can, especially with this today-only increased bonus!

Have a great week! 🙂

Earn Points + Cashback With Every Uber & Lyft Ride: The Complete List to Save the Most

May 23, 2019 by Harlan 5 Comments

I’m always torn between taking Uber and Lyft when it comes to rideshares. I mostly base the decision on which promos I’m chasing at the time. Because both companies let you stack several offers to earn points and cashback rewards every time you ride.

Here’s what you can get with Uber:

200 points (worth $2 in cashback) for each ride when you link your card through Pei – download the app here and enter code “2pur1z” for 500 free points
250 to 500 Freebird points (5,000 points = $10 cashback) when you start your ride through Freebird – download the app here and enter code “OUTANDOUT” for $10 back
1% cashback when you link your card through Hooch – download the app here
$1 in Shop Your Way rewards for every ride, up to $20 per month – link accounts here
Up to 10% back in credits with Visa Local Offers (opt-in through the Uber app)
10 Drop points per $1 for when you link your card with Drop – download the app here

Get to saving every time you rideshare

And here’s what you can do with Lyft:

3X Hilton points per $1 – link accounts
1X Delta mile per $1, and 2X Delta miles on rides to/from the airport – link accounts
30 JetBlue points for rides to/from the airport (up to 1,200 points per year) – link accounts
200 points (worth $2 in cashback) for each ride when you link your card through Pei – download the app here and enter code “2pur1z” for 500 points
250 to 500 Freebird points (5,000 points = $10 cashback) when you start your ride through Freebird – download the app here and enter code “OUTANDOUT“ for $10 back
25 cents for each ride when you tap through Ebates – sign up here (this does NOT stack with Freebird, so choose one or the other – I recommend Freebird!)
10 Drop points per $1 for when you link your card with Drop – download the app here
$10 in credit for every 5 rides when you link and pay with a World Elite MasterCard

And that doesn’t count their respective loyalty programs that are slowly rolling out.

It’s kind of incredible you can get all this back from each ride – when you stack multiple opportunities, the rewards amount to a big rebate, particularly if you take a lot of quick rides around town.

So which one is the better choice?

Points & Cashback for Uber & Lyft

Have You Checked Your Small Business Credit Score Lately? Get It for Free Here.

May 22, 2019 by Harlan 1 Comment

Nav is a service that’s primarily set up to match small businesses to financing options, loans, and credit cards. And as an added resource, they let you pull your small business credit report for free.

If you’ve ever opened a small business credit card, you probably have a business credit score. Through Nav, you can see your business risk grade from Experian, Equifax, and Dun & Bradstreet.

Experian and Equifax give you a grade of A through F, while Dun & Bradstreet use their own scoring model with a rank between 0 and 100.

But small business credit reporting is still the Wild West, because they match business names and addresses – and these aren’t always unique, so they do a lot of “near matching.” It’s a good idea to check the information that’s out there, particularly if you have a generic business name.

Plus, it’s free to check with Nav, so why not?

I still rent my spare room on Airbnb, and use the income I make to apply for small business credit cards. My Experian credit grade is a B

Here’s more about your business credit score.

Nav credit report – pull it for free

Good Deal: Get a Year of VPN Service for $24 – Secure Your Desktop & Mobile Traffic

May 21, 2019 by Harlan 6 Comments

I’ve been looking to get a VPN (Virtual Private Network) for a while now. While there are pros and cons to using a VPN, the good stuff far outweighs the bad.

Having a VPN:

Lets you steam content from anywhere (no geoblocks!)
Gives you a new IP address
Protects you when using unsecured public wifi (like in airports)
Secures VOIP phone calls
Prevents your ISP from tracking BitTorrent and other torrent sites
Helps you get around bandwidth throttling tied to your IP address

I primarily use a VPN to stream content from other countries (like when Spotify or YouTube says “this isn’t available in your country” – problem solved), and torrenting. Though when I’m connected to a VPN, I have to go through the whole security routine with bank logins (they want to send a text or email to confirm it’s me – which is a PITA).

That said, I found a deal to get 12 months of NordVPN service for $24 – and so far, I really like it! Particularly because they have apps for every device. So I can secure the traffic on my iPhone. Because I already use Face ID for most apps, the security is actually much easier for mobile.

I’ll show you how to stack the deal to pay $24 for a year of service.

Get a year of NordVPN for $24 – better than a sharp stick in the eye

They also have a 30-day money back guarantee, and make it super easy to cancel auto-payments.

NordVPN coupon + TopCashback = $2 a month for a year of VPN service

Using Points for Emergency Travel: Why Having a Stash Is a Huge Relief for Same-Day Flights

May 19, 2019 by Harlan 11 Comments

What a week. Just got back from Memphis. Last Friday, I got one of those phone calls. One of those drop everything and fly home right this minute phone calls.

My dad was in the ICU with a brain lesion near his optical nerve – and no one knew why. Doctors thought it could be anything from a simple infection all the up to brain cancer. He had to have biopsy surgery to find out.

Tickets home were $659 round-trip, or $329 each way. I didn’t want to spend the cash, so I went to my usual tricks: using miles and points to fly cheap or free.

I threw clothes in a bag and headed to the airport. This was the first time I’d ever had to fly back so quickly. It was a bizarre experience I don’t want to repeat any time soon.

And it showed me why having a stash of points ready to use at all times is so important for these situations.

I hate hospitals. Using points got me home the same day my dad went to the ICU

Here’s the series of quick steps I used to fly home right away.

When you have to fly immediately, having points for emergency travel can help so much

Hacking Uber: Earn Points, Cashback, and Credits Every Time You Ride 🚙

May 2, 2019 by Harlan 12 Comments

Updated 5/23/19.

I’ve been riding Uber more lately because they make it so easy to stack multiple offers when you ride.

Oh, Uber. I am “getting there”

And, I’m hopeful they’re slowly but surely turning things around.

With Lyft, you can only earn 1X Delta miles – and 30 JetBlue points on airport trips. Which, meh.

I’d rather earn cashback and Drop points, use travel credits, and get Uber credits for shopping around town. And many times you can stack these deals. You know I love a good stack!

1. Earn points and get cashback with Freebird

The 12 Best Card-Linked and Cashback Apps (10 Get You Completely Free Rewards)

April 9, 2019 by Harlan 11 Comments

Lord knows I love playing around with new apps on my phone, especially in the interest of free, passive cashback just for linking my cards one time.

And other apps can save you money too, but require more interaction. I’m happy to click a few buttons to earn a few free bucks.

There are a LOT of card-linked and cashback apps out there. Here are the 6 best card-linked apps, and 6 best cashback apps.

Between the 12, you stand to gain $95+ right out the gate!

These apps get you ongoing rewards for linking your cards. Set and forget!

Between them all, I’ve gotten back $100s in free rewards in the form of cash and gift cards.

12 Best Apps for Free Rewards

Up to $10 Back for Uber & Lyft Rides + Earn Points Every Time With Freebird

February 8, 2019 by Harlan 5 Comments

I recently discovered Freebird – an app that aims to reduce drinking and driving, and partners with local bars, restaurants, and liquor companies to reward consumers for taking Uber or Lyft rides to their businesses (and back home). Rewards come in the form of points per ride, and cashback when you visit a participating business.

And right now, you can get up to $10 back when you connect your Uber and/or Lyft accounts and start riding.

Even better, it pulls prices directly from Uber and Lyft – but booking through Freebird gets you the benefit of earning rewards on every ride.

I’ve been using it for a week or so and I gotta say, it’s pretty cool.

Freebird is an app that connects to Uber and Lyft and rewards you for riding

Here’s how to get the cashback.

What’s Freebird?

Awesome Targeted Deal: Up to 50% Off at Amazon With 1 Amex Membership Rewards Point

January 10, 2019 by Harlan 3 Comments

Talk about an amazing deal – you can get $30 off a $60+ Amazon purchase when you use 1 Amex Membership Rewards point and put the rest on a qualifying Amex card.

This deal is targeted. You can check your account at this link to see if you’re eligible.

It was in my account, so I immediately got a $60 Whole Foods gift card for only $29.99. That’s 50% off!

The deal works on items sold and shipped by Amazon, and excludes digital content. I love easy wins like this.

I can get everything I need for my heavy metal detox smoothie for 50% off with this latest Amazon Amex promotion

Here are more deets!

Amazon Amex $30 Off $60+

‘Tis the Season to Use 0% APR Cards to Avoid Interest for up to 21 Months (If You HAVE to Carry a Balance)

January 3, 2019 by Harlan Leave A Comment

Happy New Year! I can’t believe it’s 2019! I’m working on travel plans and my credit card strategy – and soon I’ll have gigantic news to share.

If you spent too much over the holiday season, and carrying a balance is inevitable, consider transferring your balance to a new card with a 0% APR period. They vary from 12 months to a staggering 21 months! This will hugely minimize the interest you’ll pay.

Depending which card you get, you won’t have to pay it off until January 2020 at the shorter end – or October 2020 at the longer end. That’s awesome!

Or if you have a big purchase coming up, opening a card with a 0% APR period gives you time to pay it back.

I’ve used both strategies successfully. But beware – pay close attention to the dates (which are listed on every statement you’ll get), or you’ll be right back where you started.

Still, it’s a LOT better than carrying a balance and paying huge interest rates. NEVER carry a balance if you can help it!

Paying interest negates any rewards you earn. Your balance will grow and you’ll get stuck on a debt treadmill – don’t do it!

Here are card options for balance transfers and big-ticket purchases. Because yes, life happens. Just try to control the damage as best you can.