Hidey ho from gorgeous and sunny Honolulu, Hawaii, where I’ve spent the last week doing absolutely nothing!

Well, not entirely nothing. I worked on a new column for Out and Out and wanted to introduce it.

I like applying for new credit cards to boost my points and miles balances (as I’m sure most of us do). And I already write about various offers from time to time.

So I thought it would be a fun exercise to make a format out of it that’s easier to read and follow – and one that’s standardized. So here’s Honest Reviews – my honest take on credit card offers.

How Honest Reviews will work

• Link: Honest Reviews (Work in progress)

Each card will get a grade from A through D – I don’t bother with Fs – and a recommendation to Keep the card if you already have it or DTMFA.

There will also be a short intro, an extremely brief (one or two sentence) summary called “The short” and a longer analysis called “The long.”

That way you get the long and short of it, a grade, and short-term advice on whether you should snag an offer for the sign-up bonus or keep it long-term (or both).

The grading scale is:

• A – Are you freakin’ kidding me, why haven’t you applied already AKA Apply now!
• B – Bitchin’
• C – Cool
• D – DIAF

I’ve already added an Honest Reviews tab under “Credit Cards” at the top of the page – and you can see some offers I have in the pipeline to review (and a preview of the grade/rating the card might get – subject to change based on analysis, of course).

Why now?

I have links from CreditCards.com and this is way to put them front and center with my usual candor and incredible wit. 😉

No but for real, I write about the offers anyway, and I like the idea of having a column within the blog, similar to “My Best Advice” and “Must-Haves of Travel.” Although I do see this one going on for longer. So it will be a fun experiment.

That’s the other thing – I want to keep Out and Out three things always:

• Easy
• Awesome
• Fun

If it isn’t all of those, that means it’s work, and if it’s work, I’m slogging through it. And you’ll know it. And I’ll know it. And then it will all suck.

But I’ve been having a blast these past 3 years and am happy about adding a new section/outlet that will hopefully serve as a nice point of reference for you guys.

Keep it real

It goes without saying must still be said…

The reviews will be my honest opinion. I’ll call it like I see it. If it sucks, it’ll get a C or D. And if it’s decent or great, it’ll get an A or B.

Opinions always invite discussion, which is healthy because everyone values their points, miles, and travel experiences differently. That’s why we’re all here. And the fact that you can personalize your travel in so many ways is what makes this hobby so intriguing and addicting anyway.

All that to say, I hope you’ll chime in with your own candid thoughts. That’s what makes all this worth it. 🙂

The other part of the realness is I’ll always talk about the best available public offers. I don’t see any point in misleading anyone if there’s a better offer available.

In fact, I’d always recommend to Google “[name of card] best offer” to make sure what’s here (or on ANY site) is always the most current best offer. And then return once you verify that aye verily, it is.

Of course, I’ll clearly post an offer’s end date if one is available. And I’ll redirect the links to the Honest Reviews mainpage when an offer ends.

I’m a little scared

One reason I haven’t done something like this is because the banks bring out the fine-tooth comb when you post explicitly about their offers.

To be honest (right?), I haven’t wanted to deal with the updates, constant rule changes, and random removal requests. But maybe I’m psyching myself out and it won’t be that bad. Either way, I’ll take the leap because I might as well give it a shot. And if it fails, at least I learned…

With that, I’ll eventually phase out “My Favorite Credit Cards” because after a while, the information will be redundant. But I’ll leave it up until I build up enough reviews on the standalone page.

Bottom line

I’m excited to try something new that will need more updating, more follow-through, more care, in short – more commitment. Something to keep the site growing.

When I log in to my little dashboard and see the bright blue logo with the little plane, I still feel the butterflies of the blank page, the creation process, and the writing.

So that’s it. Be on the lookout for Honest Reviews because I have a few in the pipeline.

It’ll be a fun experiment, so let’s see what happens!

Thanks as always for reading and supporting Out and Out with your clicks. Cheers to a fun new chapter!

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