About Harlan

Just a dude living in Memphis, traveling, and working toward financial independence.

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Next Week: Heading to Vipassana to Meditate for Ten Days

by Harlan 6 Comments

a yellow wheel with blue text

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Tomorrow, I’m heading down to Dallas again. I’ll work from there for a few days, and then head to Kaufman, Texas, to begin an experience unlike any I’ve ever had.

I signed up for a Vipassana 10-day meditation session.

During that time, there will be no phone, no internet, no computer, no texting or FaceTime or checking the news. And no talking. Days begin at 4am and run through 9pm. The focus is each day is… nothing.

To think of nothing.

2016-03-05_11-01-20I am excited and terrified. But so looking forward to it.

About Vipassana

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I Got the SPG AMEX with 35,000 SPG Points – Here’s Why

by Harlan 9 Comments

a close-up of a credit card

Update: One or more card offers below are NO LONGER AVAILABLE. Please check here for the latest deals!

Yep, I caved. Because I figured now or never.

I wrote about how I didn’t care about SPG points. But I also used to love Club Carlson. And cozied up to Hyatt.

I also used to be “meh” about Hilton, but I’m enjoying being Hilton Diamond this year.

So, things change. And if anything’s changing, it’s definitely the loyalty industry. And it is an industry.

Why now?

I navigated over to the application page, and looked at it for a little while. (How’s that for an image?)

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Hook, line, and sinker

And then, I thought, well, 40,000 Starpoints is worth at least 50,000 Alaska Airlines or American Airlines miles.

It’s true. You get 5,000 bonus miles for every 20,000 Starpoints you transfer (if the airline has a 1:1 transfer ratio with SPG).

I figured I’ll have at least 40,000 Starpoints after meeting the minimum spending requirements. Plus, I have to pay taxes this year and, fortunately or unfortunately (depending on how you look at it), I can complete it in one go.

That’s worth it for 50,000 Alaska Airlines miles.

Although, Cash & Points is looking mad attractive the more I dig into it.

Plus, you get the 5th night free on award stays at Category 3 and up hotels.

Nights & Flights looks pretty interesting, too.

Suffice it to say: there are a lot of ways to start using 40,000 Starwood points.

Getting the SPG AMEX

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In Closing: My Experience Buying a House

by Harlan 20 Comments

a room with a wood floor and double doors

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Back in November, I wrote about wanting to close on a house in Dallas. I did, in fact, close on a house in Dallas right on schedule, on December 15th, 2015.

The new living room where I'll (hopefully!) be banging out new Out and Out posts!

My new living room!

That was almost 3 months ago, but it’s taken me this long to write about it.

A friend of mine said it best. We had lunch when she was scheduled to close on a house a few days later.

“OMG!” I exclaimed. “Are you like, so excited to be closing ?”

“Not really, actually. I’m just sort of… ready for the process to be over.”

I didn’t think much of it at the time because I still was excited to be moving toward a closing.

That is, until I got there.

Hurry up and wait

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It’s Back! 75,000 Hilton Points for Citi Hilton Visa With No Annual Fee

by Harlan 4 Comments

a person looking up at a sign

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If you want to boost your Hilton points balance, you can earn 75,000 Hilton points when you get the Citi Hilton Visa. The minimum spend is $2,000 on purchases within the 1st 3 months of account opening.

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75,000 Hilton points for a no annual fee card is a pretty good deal

If I didn’t already have this card, I’d sign up for it. I caved after being seriously tempted the last time this offer popped up because:

  • 75,000 Hilton points is nearly enough for 2 five-night award stays at Hilton Category 2 properties
  • The card comes with automatic Hilton Silver elite status
  • You’ll get the 5th night free on all award stays
  • The card has no annual fee
  • It helps to build a positive relationship with Citi, who you’ll note is NOT AMEX or Chase
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Drugstores, eh?

You’ll earn 6X points on your Hilton stays, which is awesome. (Just don’t use it outside the US, because there’s a foreign transaction fee!)

But this is one of the few cards that still earns bonus points at drugstores.

You’ll earn 3X points at supermarkets, drugstores, and gas stations. And 2X points everywhere else.

Is a Hilton card better than a 2% cash back card at drugstores?

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TripBAM Monitors Your Paid Hotel Rates & Alerts You If the Price Drops

by Harlan 9 Comments

a screenshot of a hotel

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Ever since I got my Citi Prestige card, I’m finding I have a lot more paid hotel stays. Which means:

  • It’ll be easier to earn and maintain hotel elite status (at Hilton)
  • I want to get the best possible price on every day

For my upcoming trip to Japan, the hotel rates were pretty high because of cherry blossom season. I booked anyway in hopes the prices would drop. But I didn’t know how to track it except to check manually on the hotel site every day, which sucks because it’s time-consuming.

Enter TripBAM

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Yup, FoundersCard Still Offers Caesars Total Rewards Diamond Status Through 2017

by Harlan 25 Comments

a close up of a card

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The title says it all.

I’ve written about FoundersCard a lot over the years. Some peeps think it’s phooey, others love it. I’m in the latter camp.

The selection of ancillary benefits reads like a round-up of the best of the best from co-branded cards (free TripIt Pro, Hilton Gold elite status, Cathay Pacific Silver elite status, 10% off British Airways flights).

The one benefit I’m consistently asked about is Total Rewards Diamond elite status.

It still works

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United Miles Versus Singapore Miles: Which Star Alliance Partner Awards Are Cheaper With Each Program

by Harlan 5 Comments

I’m getting more into Citi’s ThankYou program recently (because Citi ThankYou points are so easy to earn).

And while I can’t totally abandon Ultimate Rewards (for access to United Airlines, British Airways, and Hyatt), I’ve been thinking of award flights where collecting Citi ThankYou points instead of Ultimate Rewards might actually make more sense.

Why Singapore Airlines miles?

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Review: Air France Lounge JFK @ Terminal 1

by Harlan 8 Comments

people sitting in a room with large windows

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Before I headed down to Martinique to stay at the Hotel La Pagerie (with the 4th night free!), I had to get to JFK to experience my first Norwegian flight, departing out of Terminal 1.

What lounges are there? The Air France Lounge and the KAL (Korean Air Lines) Business Class Lounge – Priority Pass gets you into both.

I’ve been to the KAL Lounge before and was underwhelmed. Plus, the Air France Lounge was literally right next to my departing gate (Gate 1). Perfect!

I got free admission for me and up to 2 guests thanks to the Priority Pass I got with Citi Prestige. But day passes are between $35 and $50, depending on time of day. I brought Jay with me, so I peg this visit for at least $70, and have updated the Citi Prestige by the Numbers page to reflect this visit.

The lounge

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Hotel Review: La Pagerie, Les Trois Ilets, Martinique

by Harlan 4 Comments

a courtyard with palm trees and buildings

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The ticket to Martinique cost $67 out-of-pocket ($317 fare – $250 Citi Prestige airline credit). And I booked Hotel La Pagerie through Citi Travel Concierge and got the 4th night free.

Citi Prestige saved me a boatload of cash on this trip. Safe to say I love this card.

Grounds of the Hotel La Pagerie

Grounds of the Hotel La Pagerie

Arrival and check-in

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What’s with all the crap promotions lately?

by Harlan 6 Comments

a credit card with a picture of a child on a bicycle

As I look out onto the barren fields where credit card crops once grew, I mourn the loss of Chase (with the 5/24 rule). Of Citi (when they shut down so many peeps’ accounts). And definitely of AMEX (1 bonus per lifetime? Um, OK). Barclays and Bank of America are both one-card wonders (Arrival for sign-up bonus and Alaska Visa, respectively).

I don’t know about you, but I’ve received a lot of terrible offers lately. Here are the best of the worst.

AMEX

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Loving Citi More Than Ever – Time to Cancel Other Cards?

by Harlan 15 Comments

a screenshot of a website

The credit card landscape is shifting fast:

  • Chase will apply the 5/24 to all its cards starting in April 2016, including co-branded and business cards
  • Citi has been shutting peeps down for usage they don’t like (multiples of any 1 card, money order payments, etc.)
  • Barclays had a good product with the Arrival Plus card, then butchered it. That was pretty much the only good card they had
  • US Bank is useless
  • Bank of America is only good for the Alaska Visa
  • Wells Fargo is a cantankerous little beast
  • There are a few other niche cards, like the Fidelity Visa and BBVA NBA card, worth looking into, but not many

Card offers come and go. Benefits change. Mergers happen and shake things up. Revenue-based elite status throws a wrench into points-earning calculations.

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Could ThankYou become the go-to?

Lately, I’ve been using my Citi cards for most of big purchases. And my trusty Chase Sapphire Preferred for dining.

Non-bonused spend goes on the Fidelity AMEX (I still have the AMEX version). And that’s pretty much it. All the other cards I have are for niche benefits or very specific spending (Chase Hyatt Visa, for example).

Recently, I went ahead and canceled the Chase British Airways Visa.

RIP

Bye, you useless thing

And downgraded my US Bank Club Carlson Visa Signature to the no annual fee version just to keep the credit line and history intact (here’s my recent offer to increase my credit line in exchange for 250 Club Carlson Gold points).

Poor AMEX

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Bank of America Sending 30K Offers for the Alaska Airlines Card Already

by Harlan 6 Comments

a blue envelope with white text and numbers

The same day Doctor of Credit broke the news Bank of America will increase the sign-up bonus on the Alaska Airlines Visa to 30,000 Alaska miles upon approval in May, I got that exact offer in the mail. But it’s already active.

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One of these is not the same… 

Actually, I got two offers. One for 25,000 miles. And another for 30,000 miles upon approval.

sad

Throw in a $100 statement credit and it’s a deal

I typed in the link to the offer (alaskavisanow.com lol) and typed in the promo code in the letter. Sure enough, it works for immediate sign-ups.

If there had also been a $100 statement credit, I would’ve pulled the trigger.

Get a better offer anyway

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