Queer and There

Category Archives for Queer and There.

FoundersCard Promo: $395 a year forever and a new AA promo

by Harlan 4 Comments

Screenshot 2014-09-26 15.58.56
Worth mentioning since I’ve posted about FoundersCard before.

When you join FoundersCard, you get to enjoy the initial rate you paid… forever. I joined when the rate was $495, and have gotten that much value out of the card despite only being a member coming up on a year. Here’s a chance to do even better than the deal I got in on.

You now can join FoundersCard for $395 a year, and you’d get to keep paying that rate every year you keep the card.

Here is the link to the promo and the promo code to use is FCHARLAN818.

If you’ve been deliberating about whether to join or not, this $100 off the usual lowest rate ($495) might be the thing that makes this deal a little bit better.

Also, if you’re an AA flyer, their current AA promo is 5% off most fares on American. You will receive a discount code that is good for unlimited use. If you heavily fly on American/OW and are trying to meet some sort of status before the end of 2014, you’d get to take advantage of the fare discount and start earning your $395 back right away.

That, combined with the multiple other discounts and freebies offered by the card, as well as the fantastic global networking events, makes this card a great investment for entrepreneurs in major cities.

AA’s last quarter promo was a free Gold status challenge, and bonus Business Extra points. They’ve featured 5% off fares before, and that seems to be a hit with most members of FoundersCard.

Read my full review to learn about the other discounts offered and to decide whether this membership might be worth buying.

If you have any questions, email me at zynner@gmail.com or feel free to post a comment below.

Back from Italy/Work is slowing/I missed you!

by Harlan Leave A Comment

Many moons ago, I bought a R/T ticket to Italy when Star Alliance airlines were attacking fares in Skyteam hubs. After playing around with some dates and locations, I decided to go to Italy for my birthday. Now I’m back and have so much catching up to do.

  • I flew there and back on Swiss business class, which offered a phenomenal product and service
  • I stayed (for free!) at the Radisson Blu in Galgiznano Terme, Italy, which was a lovely property
  • I got to see Venice and Florence for the first time – both lovely cities
  • And I earned nearly 14K United miles, nearly enough for a free one-way toward another getaway trip

I’ve also been crazy busy with work, but it’s now slowing down and I’m hoping to turn more attention back into the blog, especially before I return to Europe for Oktoberfest in Germany.

Finally, I’ve missed you guys and am looking forward to getting back in the saddle!

FoundersCard offering free AA Gold Status Challenge until 5/31/14

by Harlan 1 Comment

a close up of a blue round object

I’ve written before about the benefits of FoundersCard.

Quick overview of current bennies

They partner with American Airlines to offer a unique benefit each quarter. In the past, they’ve had discounts of 5% or 10% off most fares on AA metal, which can be quite a nice break with you fly American a lot.

Here are the current airline benefits:

  • Virgin Atlantic: Complimentary Flying Club Silver Elite Status & Fast Track to Gold Elite Status
  • Virgin Atlantic: Up to 20% off US & Vancouver originating Flights to the UK
  • Cathay Pacific: Complimentary Marco Polo Club Silver Tier Status
  • Cathay Pacific: 5-25% off flights
  • JetBlue: FoundersCard Members save 5% on fares (excluding multi-city trips)
  • Qantas: FoundersCard Members receive up to 25% off travel between US, Australia, and New Zealand. Discounts are available on most classes of service
  • Emirates: 5-15% off fares for US originating flights
  • British Airways: 10% off most roundtrip US, UK & Canada originating airfares

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Taking another look at MasterCard World Elite Benefits

by Harlan 3 Comments

Also see:

a credit card with text and images

A new World Elite

I’d already decided last month to keep the Barclaycard Arrival for another year. This weekend, I logged in to see if some points had posted for the gifts cards I purchased on a recent spree of manufactured spend.

I was asked to verify my address and contact info – no biggie, didn’t think too much of it. And then, I noticed the logo of the Arrival card looked a little different. It was now a Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard.

Surely enough, the entire blogosphere exploded with this news. I’m not one to parrot news, so I’d recommend reading this post by Million Mile Secrets that outlines all the new changes. I already have a World Elite Mastercard (the Ink Plus from Chase), but having two of a nice product never hurts. Read More

Blog giveaway: $10 in Kohl’s Cash and a $15 shoes.com promo code

by Harlan 2 Comments

 

Dear readers, I have two things hanging around that I know I won’t use. You all know how much I love Kohl’s, and I have $10 in Kohl’s cash that I’d like to give away to someone who’ll use it, as well as a promo code for shoes.com

Kohl’s Cash

Screenshot 2014-04-29 15.05.34

It’s only $10, but I’d hate to see it go to waste. It’s good until May 3rd. Leave a comment here on this post with your email, and I’ll send it over on Thursday, May 1st. Be sure to specify whether you’d like the Kohl’s Cash or shoes.com code.

Shoes.com

I bought some Chucks and got a promo code included for $15 off any order over $75. If you hit it right at about $75, this equates to ~20% off. This one’s good until May 31st. Leave a comment here on this post with your email, and I’ll send it over on Thursday, May 8th. Be sure to specify whether you’d like the Kohl’s Cash or shoes.com code.

Bottom line

And that’s it. I know it’s not a lot, but I’d rather give these away that let them expire.

Thanks for reading Out & Out!

Back from FTU Seattle!

by Harlan Leave A Comment

Typing this on a Delta plane on the way back to NYC. Feeling overwhelmed in the best way possible by the experience I’ve had in Seattle.

Lots of firsts:

  • First time in Seattle (and Washington – was my 42nd state visited!)
  • First FTU
  • First Delta biz class transcon SEA-JFK
  • First Marriott stay
  • First taste of Washington beers

FTU Seattle was a great experience. I was able to attend 7 out of the 10 sessions – had to leave early to get back to NYC. The flight selection was limited since I burned all my SkyMiles for this trip, so had to take what I could get.

I have a lot to catch up on and a lot of new observations I’d like to share. Going to gouge myself with Girl Scout cookies (thanks, Jasmin!) and make a few new posts.

Oh, and here are the states I have left to visit:

  • Wyoming
  • Idaho
  • North Dakota
  • South Dakota
  • West Virginia
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Oregon

Off to Seattle & My First FTU!

by Harlan 1 Comment

By the time this is up, I’ll already be in Seattle. 

However, right now, I am on a Delta plane burning the last of my SkyMiles.

To lament briefly, it’s a shame. I love Delta’s brand, operations, flight attendants, and route network. They are a huge presence here in NYC, both at LGA and JFK. It would be so easy to pledge my loyalty to Delta. But all the other stuff makes me not want to have anything to do with them – the gutting of SkyMiles, the way they treat their “partners”, the unannounced changes, and all the rest. 

In any regard, I am enjoying the flight and service, and am excited about getting to Seattle. It will be my first time there, and my first FTU. 

Will definitely report back about my stays at Hyatt Place and the airport Marriott in Seattle, impressions of Delta First Class, and of course all the things I learned at FTU. 

If you happen to be there, totally say hello. There’s a pic of me on the About page (and in various trip reports). 

Happy travels!

My US Airways Flight Attendant Interview

by Harlan 5 Comments

This will have to be a text-only post, as there was really no way to discreetly take photos of anything I experienced. But talk about a recon mission!

The application

I found a link to apply for the US Airways flight attendant position while trolling Craigslist as part of my side hustle gig. I clicked through out of curiosity. The application was quite short, and I thought for an instant that it could be really cool. After all, this was before American started to devalue and I knew the position would soon be part of the “new American.” And I think about the travel industry so much anyway that I was like… why not work for the travel industry? Five minutes later, I’d applied.

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Rolling with the punches (Or, Et tu, American?)

by Harlan 3 Comments

Update: American’s shitty response when I tweeted this post:

Did you feel it this morning? The quake that rippled through the blogs regarding American’s sudden overhaul of award redemptions? They also eliminated the beloved Oneworld Explorer Award AND stopovers at North American “gateway” cities – two features I really loved about the AAdvantage program. It’s a veritable mAAsacre.

I have to admit, I was really down about it. I don’t really care about the new five-tired award redemption system. I only ever booked SAAver awards anyway. The others are pure capacity controls, nothing more.

I was really looking forward to booking an Explorer Award in the near future. American recently introduced an unprecedented 100K bonus on the Executive AAdvantage card, which was enough, or nearly enough, to book a decent Explorer Award. I know a lot of people were looking into it and beginning to plan one of their own, including me.

And now, overnight, it’s gone. No advance notice. No, “hey you might want to book this soon”. Just a complete, unannounced overhaul.

The other thorn was the elimination of the free one-way that you could tack onto an award redemption. I was planning on doing that too, to get back from Oktoberfest, then onward to somewhere else. Now, the “somewhere else” prices as a completely separate award.

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Bye, Bluebird: My Experience Getting the Serve Card

by Harlan 4 Comments

Yesterday, after writing the post about how to best manufacture spend post-Vanilla, I went ahead and dumped Bluebird. I’ve heard of many ways people have done it, and the different sequences of opening/closing, and all the conflicting rules about switching from Bluebird to Serve.

Here’s how I did it:

  • Applied for a Serve card by following this promo link to get a $50 credit after two direct deposits of $250 or more (I plan to do this with Amazon Payments in May)
  • Yes, WITH my Bluebird account still open
  • Of course I got an “account being reviewed” message because you can’t have a Bluebird and a Serve account at the same time
  • So then I called Bluebird CS to close account
  • Then Serve CS to open the pending account
  • Seconds after I hung up, I got a “Welcome to Serve” email

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Will Vanilla Reloads at CVS be cash only starting 3/31?

by Harlan 1 Comment

Is that so?

Is that so?

Well, this would certainly be a game changer.

Per this report from PM&M and this post from @Ringsthecaddy on Twitter, CVS stores will stop accepting credit cards for Vanilla Reloads starting TOMORROW (3/31). Does that mean we can get in one last day of reloading? Or is it essentially “effective immediately?”

Vanilla Reloads have become a huge staple in my points earning strategy, to the point where I’ve relied on it to pay monthly bills like rent and student loans (and I know this is true for many others out there). To have it taken away with no warning would be tough. I can revert back to bill pay through my bank, but earn no points in doing it that way.

If this is true about CVS, they’ve changed their policy overnight with no warning – and we only know about it because of a leaked memo. I can’t say I blame them, but I wonder what the catalyst was? Transaction fees? Too many fraud attempts from criminals? Too many points addicts getting their fix at CVS for $4 a pop?

The game will go on no matter what. Here’s a post from Points Chaser about how to cope. We’ll all find out soon enough how this shakes out.

Mark this one as developing. Don’t be sad because it’s over; smile because it happened… right?