About Harlan

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

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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.

asd

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.

asd

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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The best card for shopping at Costco is… Citi AT&T Access More?

by Harlan 8 Comments

a screenshot of a credit card

Also see: 

In my wanderings with the Citi AT&T Access More card, I learned you’ll earn 3X Citi ThankYou points per $1 spent at Costco.com – including gift cards.

ad

This $300 Costco cash card earned 900 Citi ThankYou points with the Citi AT&T Access More card

It got me thinking… is the Citi AT&T Access More card the best card to use for shopping at Costco?

Buy Costco Cash Cards online

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Confirmed: RadPad Earns 3X ThankYou Points With Citi AT&T Access More Card

by Harlan 22 Comments

a close-up of a credit card

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Hello from sunny and HOT Martinique! I’m at Hotel La Pagerie (which I booked with the 4th night free through Citi Prestige).

Quick update because I just received my first statement on my brand new Citi AT&T Access More card.

I didn’t go for the Citi ThankYou Premier to get the full 3X on all travel including gas. Instead, I hedged my bets and got the Citi AT&T Access More card.

The main draw for me was paying rent through RadPad and earning 3X Citi ThankYou points.

And because I also have Citi Prestige, each point is worth 1.6 cents toward American Airlines flights (including codeshares). So even with RadPad’s 1.99% fee, I’d still get close to 3% back of value (4.8% – 1.99% = 2.81%).

Which is awesome – and better than a 2% cash back card obvi.

I outlined the numbers in detail here. And commenters on both Doctor of Credit and Reddit said RadPad earns 3X Citi ThankYou points per $1.

But I just had to confirm it for myself. It really does!

My 3X Citi ThankYou points experience

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Coco Luxe: Coconut oil on-the-go for $12. Worth it?

by Harlan 7 Comments

a tube of cream next to a package of coconut oil

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I’ve written about how awesome it is to travel with coconut oil. So when Coco Luxe asked me if I wanted to review their product, I thought, why not. I travel with coconut oil anyway, so I took it to Barcelona.

The big draw with Coco Luxe is that it comes in a 3.4 ounce tube. It clears TSA and all you have to do is throw it in your bag. So, the convenience factor.

Their cute logo :)

Their cute logo 🙂

Full disclosure: They sent me a free tube in exchange for an honest opinion. And if you purchase a tube, I get a percentage of the sale. Now, putting all bias aside…

About Coco Luxe

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10 Fun Things to Do in Barcelona

by Harlan 4 Comments

a tall metal object in front of a building

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I had a great time in Barcelona and wanted to share some adventures that rounded out the trip.

Barcelona reminded me of Paris in lots of ways: the buildings, the twisty-turny side streets, the grand thoroughfares, and the dozens of cafes lining every street.

Lemme go ahead and set the tone here

Lemme go ahead and set the tone here

But it was decidedly very different. The Mediterranean replaces the River Seine as the city’s main waterway, the food had a much different focus, and the city itself has wayyyy different attractions. Including a few things you can’t do, get, or see anywhere else in the world.

Here are a few things I loved about Barcelona.

10 Fun Things to Do in Barcelona

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Just Booked: Tokyo and Osaka, Japan in April for Cherry Blossoms

by Harlan 15 Comments

a tree with red leaves

Thanks to Frequent Miler for posting this “Quick Deal!”

It certainly did go quick.

I saw Business Class award availability shrink away from me with the Wicked Witch of the East’s shoes when the house fell on top of her.

But First Class seats were still there – at least 2 of them – and I thought, you know, whatever. And just did it. DFW-NRT First Class on American Airlines. And ITM-NRT-DFW coming back.

At least I got in on this one during its prime time unlike the ~$747 AA Business Class ticket to Barcelona (which still ended up being a very good deal).

This trip cost 62,500 American Airlines miles each way, but I got back 10,000 miles for having the Citi AA credit card.

In total, I paid 120,000 American Airlines miles round-trip.

I wish it were on JAL, or Cathay Pacific, instead of AA, but oh well. It’s in the middle of cherry blossom season. I hope these dates are lucky so I’ll be able to see cherry blossoms during Japan’s spring.

By the numbers

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Is the Citi AT&T Access More Card + RadPad a Viable Increase Spend Option?

by Harlan 21 Comments

a screen shot of a phone

I wrote earlier about my wishes for the Citi ThankYou program and increasing fascination with Citi.

Today, I had some sort of psychic break and picked up the Citi AT&T Access More card.

Oops, I did it again

Oops, I did it again

I applied for it instead of the Citi ThankYou Premier card. Based on my current spending habits, and the fact that I already have Citi Prestige, the Citi ThankYou Premier seemed redundant.

Except for its broad 3X category for all travel including gas. But then I thought, you know, no.

Before I go all-in with Citi ThankYou, I wanna see what’s next. I can pick up that card up any time. And use my Chase Sapphire Preferred (or some other card) for gas/other travel.

And then, thinking more on the Citi AT&T Access More card, I thought about why it could be better. Including for paying rent at RadPad, a topic I’ve mined frequently.

About the Citi AT&T Access More card

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Hotel Review: Alexandra Doubletree Barcelona, Dream Suite

by Harlan 8 Comments

a room with a bed and a couch

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I wrote about my experience arriving and checking-in to the Alexandra Barcelona, a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel.

Lobby of the Alexandra Doubletree Barcelona

Lobby of the Alexandra Doubletree Barcelona

It couldn’t have been better. I was upgraded to a Dream Suite worth ~$1,660 as a Hilton Diamond member.

Now, I want to show you the Dream Suite and review the hotel more in-depth.

The Dream Suite at the Alexandra Doubletree Barcelona

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4 Things Holding Back Citi ThankYou From Being the Best Points Program

by Harlan 26 Comments

a plane flying through the air

For too long, Chase Ultimate Rewards has been considered the best all-around points program for peeps who like collecting them (myself included).

You welcome

You welcome

AMEX is failing miserably at just about everything right now, except for AMEX Offers.

They lost Costco and jetBlue, might lose Starwood, Membership Rewards doesn’t have (m)any great transfer partners (maybe Delta, Aeroplan, and ANA for niche award flight redemptions), and they’ve absolutely failed to make timely and industry-leading adjustments to their credit card and points line-up for a long time (thanks for dropping forex fees after like, a decade…).

That left the door wide open for Citi to swoop in (Barclays and Bank of America were never a concern). And man, they really took their chance.

I went from having 1 Citi AAdvantage card to wanting multiple Citi cards in a short while. I’m in love with Citi Prestige because of all the money it’s saved me in the few months I’ve had it.

Current Citi cards I have and want

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My Hilton Diamond Experience in Barcelona (With Suite Upgrade Worth Over $1,600!)

by Harlan 14 Comments

a room with a bed and a tv

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I was super looking forward to visiting Barcelona.

From the initial disappointment of not getting the best deal (but still a very good deal) on the flights, to wondering which hotel to stay at, to finally getting a Citi Prestige card and choosing the Alexandra Doubletree, it was a bit of a ride.

In the end, I was able to book 6 nights via Citi Travel Concierge with Hilton’s Winter Sale rate and 4th night free.

Here’s how it all shook out.

Booking by the numbers

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Get Honey, Save Money! (Browser Extension for Chrome)

by Harlan 4 Comments

a screenshot of a computer

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You guys know I’m all about saving money when shopping online.

In fact, I’m borderline obsessed with Paribus, which is an incredible way to save money when there’s a price change on items you bought.

Enter Honey Chrome extension

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