About Harlan

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

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One Week Left: Get 75,000 Points and No Annual Fee With Citi Hilton Visa

by Harlan Leave A Comment

a group of people walking on the beach

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I chronicled my interest, growing fascination, and ultimate cave-in about the Citi Hilton Visa.

I’ve had the card for a sec now, and really like it. I wrote about the importance of having a no annual fee credit card, and this one might be a really good one to have.

About the Citi Hilton Visa

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Chase Ink Plus Vs. Ink Cash: What Are the Differences?

by Harlan 9 Comments

Update: The Chase Ink Plus card is no longer available. Check here for the most current card offers. 

I haven’t written about the Chase Ink cards very much, but I’ve been thinking about picking up a Chase Ink Cash lately. I already have a Chase Ink Plus. It’s possible to get both because they’re technically different card products.

They have a lot in common. But there are a few differences that make or break the value you’ll get from them.

Biggest similarities

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Must Haves of Travel: Rose Petal Water

by Harlan 4 Comments

a hand holding a bottle of rose water

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I know, I know. There are a lot of “must-haves” now. So much to keep track of.

I have to get super judicious about these.

Side note: the new Jewel album is SO GOOD. It’s called “Picking Up the Pieces” and it’s a throwback to 1995.  It’s supposed to feel like it came right after “Pieces of You” (hence the similarity in the titles).

HER VOICE. Sounds so good. Some of it’s a little emo and histrionic, and has me in kind of a mood. But the songs are gorgeous. Please listen to it!

As another aside, there’s a last.fm plugin in the right-hand sidebar so you guys can always creep on what I’m listening to. Feel free to add me there if you have an account!

Anyway, rose petal water.

ROSE PETAL WATER

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Reminder: Get Your Club Carlson Free Night E-Cert (If You Haven’t Already)

by Harlan 19 Comments

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Man, I was a Club Carlson fanboy for a while there. You couldn’t get me out of Club Carlson hotels when they offered the BOGO for cardholders of the US Bank Club Carlson Visa Signature.

And then, they brutally snatched the benefit away, leaving peeps (and their brand) in the dust.

It was a too-big-for-their-britches move during which they artificially inflated their points currency, and made themselves completely irrelevant when compared to the big players… but that’s just one man’s opinion.

The upshot was they started apologizing in the form of free night e-certs good at any Club Carlson property.

Except there was one snag. Not everyone got them.

But, you can email US Bank via their online platform if you didn’t get one!

How to do it

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Chase Is Crackin’ Down on Churners

by Harlan 18 Comments

While reviewing the new T&Cs of the:

  • Chase Ink Cash
  • Chase Ink Plus
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred

…I noticed some new language I hadn’t seen before:

Chase cardmembers who currently have or have had a Chase credit card in any Rewards Program associated with this offer, may not be eligible for a second Chase credit card in the same Rewards Program. Chase cardmembers currently receiving promotional pricing, or Chase cardmembers with a history of only using their current or prior Chase card for promotional pricing offers, are not eligible for a second Chase credit card with promotional pricing.

Here’s a screenshot:

asdad

It’s under “Replying to this offer”

Why this is interesting

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Awesome Things, Value From Hilton and Hyatt Points, Win SPG Points, and a New Finance Blog

by Harlan Leave A Comment

1. 1000 Awesome Things

This is such a fun blog.

A guy named Neil is working on a list of 1000 things that are… awesome. And no corner of life is left unexplored.

He’s got 161 left to go, so there’s plenty to read and lot more to look forward to. Instantly added it to my feedly. I think anyone can find something they appreciate there.

2. Virgos are having a great month

If you’re a Virgo, this is a pretty good time to be alive. For the first time in 12 years, Virgos are experiencing a solar return.

Susan Miller explains this much better than I do

Susan Miller explains this much better than I do

What’s that mean? I’ll let Susan Miller explain it. But it basically means this year is dipped in gold for the Virgo-folk out there.

I’ve experienced a turning point this month already, and things are always on the up and up.

I check in with Susan each month on Astrology Zone, as her horoscopes, whether you’re “into” astrology or not, are simply a delight to read. Her voice is so kind and knowledgeable. Love it.

3. TPG digs into Hilton

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Citi Offers to Compete With AMEX Offers “Soon”

by Harlan 6 Comments

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I wish I got a better screenshot of this.

But it comes up right after you pull up the Citi mobile app after the September 7th update:

adad

The mobile app calls the new feature “Citi Offers”

The other screen was much more effusive, and promised new “Citi Offers” on eligible cards at certain merchants – just like AMEX Offers. The only timeline Citi offered was “soon,” but I wouldn’t be surprised if the new feature hit in the midst of the holiday shopping season.

Benefits for consumers

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ABC + FIRE! (In which life is all acronyms.)

by Harlan 3 Comments

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I’ve been looking forward to writing this post for a few months by now. Now here it is!

Yesterday, I made the final payment on my credit cards. Now, I don’t owe a cent of credit card debt!

As you guys know, I charged those puppies up to:

There was a point, a real and scary one, where I felt I’d certainly overleveraged myself.

I wrote about the feeling in Smart Debt: Is carrying a balance ever a good idea?

Side hustle of the millennium

Side hustle of the millennium

And I definitely felt I’d nearly crossed the line into plain ol’ dumb debt.

Digging out of credit card debt is by far one of the most psychologically strenuous exercises I’ve faced. And that moment where I saw the interest get charged felt so wrong, my stomach turned. But I knew I could shoulder a couple of months of interest to make it all back, plus more.

Still, it sucked.

And today is the official turning point where I go full-force into FIRE.

What is FIRE?

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New American Airlines FoundersCard Benefit: 10% Off Transatlantic Fares & 5% Off Domestically

by Harlan Leave A Comment

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At the risk of turning Out and Out into the official FoundersCard blog, I wanted to share their new American Airlines benefit. It changes quarterly, and some of them have been really good (they’ve had 5% off domestic fares before, and just had a free Platinum Status Challenge this past quarter).

10% off transatlantic fares is a new benny!

10% off transatlantic fares is a new benny!

They’ve never had 10% off fares to the UK and Europe before, so this could be useful to some.

FoundersCard + American

If you have a business class fare (or heck, even an economy fare) to Europe, you could easily save $70-$100+ on a $700-$1,000+ round-trip ticket.  5% off domestically is nice, too.

A few T&Cs to keep in mind:

  • The discount will not be applied to any government or airport imposed taxes, fees, or charges (duh)
  • Discount is only valid on published, round-trip fares
  • You must book on AA.com
  • You must purchase your ticket by November 1st, 2015
  • And travel by January 6th, 2016
  • There are blackout dates around Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas/New Year

You can use the benefit as many times as you want. You can request the 5% off code directly through the website (they’ll email it to you instantly), but you must call to get the 10% off code.

About FoundersCard

FoundersCard has a few key relationships I really value (this one with American Airlines, free Gold elite status at Hilton, 15% off AT&T cell phone bills, free TripIt Pro for a year, and a few other goodies).

It’s $395 a year, which I mostly recoup from getting 15% off my AT&T bill. Everything else, like free breakfast and late check-out at Hilton hotels, free TripIt Pro, and discounts like this one, are gravy.

If you have a few trips with American Airlines coming up, especially to Europe, 10% off could easily add up to cover the cost of the annual fee. And then you’d have all the other perks left to enjoy, so it might be worth it for a few peeps.

Bottom line

I was looking forward to seeing what the new American Airlines benefit would be, and this one is the best yet.

Too bad there are blackout dates for the holidays, but every airline has blackout dates around the holidays, so I can’t really blame ’em.

Check out my posts about if FoundersCard is worth it, some of the overall perks, and specifically the ones about travel.

Feel free to sign up using my link. I can also email invites so you can preview the website. Just comment below or email me.

Happy Saturday!

New App Alert: Mercez Helps You Pick the Right Card to Use Abroad

by Harlan 10 Comments

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Add this to apps you should download.

I love handy travel apps and saving money, and this one really impressed me.

Mercez lets you add all your credit cards, and then tells you which one has the best exchange rate abroad!

Mercez lets you add all your credit cards, and then tells you which one has the best exchange rate abroad!

What’s Mercez?

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18 FoundersCard Travel Benefits (Status, Discounts, and Freebies)

by Harlan 26 Comments

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Update: You can lock in a FoundersCard membership for $295 a year through May 13th, 2016 when you sign-up with my link. This is $100 less than the usual rate!

I’ve written lots about FoundersCard (including the eternal question: is it worth it?).

I noticed that lots of the travel benefits offered by FoundersCard are ancillary benefits of having certain co-branded credit cards. So I thought it’d be fun to explore the benefits you can get from having a FoundersCard membership (which costs $395 a year) instead of having a bunch of credit cards.

This post inspired by the Chase British Airways Visa. RIP, fallen soldier.

founderscard travel benefits

I love this little card

18 FoundersCard travel benefits, organized by type

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New Aspiration Checking Account Has 1% APY and Free Global ATM Use

by Harlan 29 Comments

a mountain with a blue circle and white text

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Update 10/1/15: I just got my own invitation link.  Yay! You can sign up for an Aspiration Summit account here.

Update 8/26/15: I have the account set up now as well as email invites. If you’re interested, leave a comment below or shoot me an email and I’ll hook you up – it’s supposed to let you “skip the line!”

I’m always on the hunt for a great new banking product, so when I saw Aspiration’s new Summit checking account with a 1% APY (NOT APR!), I had to check it out.

aspiration summit checking account

Aspiration Summit checking account will earn you 1% APY when you have a $2,500 daily balance

I’ll show you the benefits and highlight one big caveat.

What’s Aspiration?

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