About Harlan

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

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Is United allowing discounted 1-ways and stopovers on award flights?

by Harlan 5 Comments

I was poking around the United website and messing with the award search cuz duh that’s an awesome way to spend a Saturday night.

I noticed something weird. I’m not sure if it’s a glitch or pricing error or a legit award booking or what.

But I wanted to share it with you guys in case someone has a better answer.

Here’s what I found.

United is discounting First Class round-trip award flights with a one-way added

Here’s what I searched:

  • LAX-NYC-LAX (round trip)
  • LAX-IAH (after a stopover)

Pricing at 65,000 miles.

Now, United isn’t supposed to allow free one-ways or stopovers on domestic itineraries any more according to Milevalue (although you can still get a free one-way on international itineraries and mainland US to Hawaii award flights).

So following that logic, 50K is the standard price for a round-trip First Class award.

And a one-way would be 25K.

But instead of pricing as 2 tickets, it’s letting me book all 3 flights for 65,000 miles. A 10K discount.

Round-trip First Class award with a discounted one-way LAX-NYC-LAX-IAH

Round-trip First Class award with a discounted one-way LAX-NYC-LAX-IAH

It gets weirder when I mix cabins. A free one-way?

When I book the 1st flight in economy and the next 2 in First Class, the price it spits out is 50,000 miles.

That means I’m paying for 2 legs at the price of 25K for a First Class one-way.

But what about the leg in economy? It’s free.

A free one-way after a stopover on a domestic award booking?

A free one-way after a stopover on a domestic award booking with mixed cabins?

Also weird was that I was able to replicate the pricing with partner awards on European award flights.

When I looked into it, I can book something like:

  • AMS-CDG in economy
  • CDG-AMS in business
  • AMS-somewhere else in business after a stopover

It prices at 45,000 miles. 

Round-trip awards in business are supposed to be 60,000 miles.

Partner award flights are pricing weird, too

Partner award flights are pricing weird, too. Instead of 60K round-trip it’s 45K

So not only do I get a free one-way, but I get a 15K mileage discount, too.

What else is glitching?

This is as far as I’ve gotten. But I’m wondering if you can add the free economy one-way after a round-trip First Class award flight (I couldn’t find any examples… yet.)

FWIW, I can replicate the discount from the all-First Class example with all-economy flights, too:

This "should" price as 37,500 miles, but

This “should” price as 37,500 miles

But it’s more like a 2,500-mile discount.

On the beta website, it prices the 1st leg at 17.5K miles. And then the next 2 at 8.8K miles each.

a screenshot of a flight schedule

Same results on the beta site

Bottom line

I haven’t actually booked any awards, so it could all error out before the final pricing screen.

I tried to find info about this on the ye olde interwebs but couldn’t find anything, so apologies if this is old news.

It seems United is pricing 1-ways and stopovers as either free or with a discount. I can force this with partner metal, mixed cabins, and all-domestic itineraries.

Is this a known error… or a new glitch?

Anyone know anything about this? 

Admirals Club Passes Giveaway Winners!

by Harlan 2 Comments

Thanks to everyone who commented on Giveaway: 5 Pairs of Admirals Club Day Passes ($100 Value!)!

I was kinda blown away by the number of comments!

It came down to sheer randomness, literally. I used random.org and picked 5 numbers. The first 5 numbers were the winners!

Enjoy the Admirals Club!

Enjoy the Admirals Club!

They are:

  1. R Hirsch
  2. JamesP
  3. Allan
  4. Mary
  5. Dee

I’ll be in touch with each of you about where to send your Admirals Club passes. Congrats!

Ways to keep up with the blog

Twitter and Instagram are my personal accounts. I post on those the most so be sure to follow me on both!

I often write about things I find handy or ways to save money.  There are two ways to ensure you never miss a blog post:

Ways to support the blog

If you like what you see here, I appreciate any kind of support, whether it’s using my links for services I like, or to pick up a new travel rewards credit card.

I’m aggressively working toward paying off my student loans so any clickage is infinitely appreciated!

Bottom line

It was a pleasure being featured on BoardingArea for the week!

Thanks again to all who entered the giveaway! I hope you’ll continue to follow Out and Out.

Winners, I’ll be in touch shortly about where to send the passes – enjoy the Admirals Club, whichever one you pick!

Must-Haves of Travel: Apple Cider Vinegar

by Harlan 17 Comments

a hand holding a small bottle of liquid

Also see:

Now I’ve really gone off the deep end, and am suggesting that you pack a spray bottle filled with… vinegar?

Yup!

I’ve written about traveling with coconut oil. I make sure to have a container of it with me every time I travel.

More recently, I’ve started taking a little spray bottle filled with apple cider vinegar.

Here’s why. 

Benefits of apple cider vinegar

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DTMFA: Barclaycard Arrival Plus. Still a good card?

by Harlan 16 Comments

Also see: 

So torn. Always kinda have been.

The Barclaycard Arrival Plus. I’ve always wondered what it was, in the sense that it was a bit of an enigma.

In the crosshairs

In the crosshairs

I got this card in May 2013. The annual fee was waived for the 1st year.

I got a retention offer the 2nd year.

I just paid the $89 annual fee about a month ago. I want to cancel this card. But it has 1 good use left in it…

Is is worth it?

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Targeted Citi AA Cardholders: 2X Miles in Bonus Categories / 10X Miles with Apple Pay

by Harlan 4 Comments

Just saw this and wanted to put it up.

Keep an eye on your mailbox. It seems Citi is targeting American Airlines credit card holders for bonus offers:

a close up of a card

Letter from Citi

Here are the deets: 

  • Earn up to 2,500 bonus miles
  • Earn 2X miles in certain categories (below)
  • Earn 10X miles if you pay with Apple Pay
  • Promo runs through 9/30/15

2X / 10X categories: 

  • Grocery stores
  • Gas stations
  • Drugstores
  • Restaurants
  • Commuter transportation

Couple of thoughts. Citi is going after Barclays in the promo department.

And they’re going after pretty much every other card with the categories. Including drugstores?

If you max out the 10X with Apple Pay, that’s only $250 in spend. So it’s not stellar.

However, Citi sometimes mixes up their promos and sends different offers out.

Did anyone else get one of these recently? Was your offer different? 

SmarterBucks & Radius Bank Unlimited 1% Cash Back Toward Student Loan Debt

by Harlan 1 Comment

In my exploration of new MS techniques, I stumbled across something else that could be potentially useful for some.

I’ve written about the whole PayPal debit card/My Cash/RadPad combo.

As you guys know, the PayPal Business Debit MasterCard earns unlimited 1% cash back in your PayPal account. It does work with RadPad and does NOT work with Evolve Money (in the sense that you’re charged a 3% fee for using it).

But some peeps don’t like the PayPal-ness of it all, as they’ve been known to shut down accounts after sending warning emails.

So enter…

SmarterBucks and Radius Bank

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Hotel Review: Hilton London Tower Bridge

by Harlan 3 Comments

a building with trees and a statue in front of it

Also see: 

Oh man. Talk about a blast from the past.

I stayed here in October 2013 and never got around to writing a review about it. However, I still remember it all so clearly…

It was right after I used Delta miles to fly on Virgin Atlantic. It was my first time on that airline, and my first time at the Wingtips Lounge @ JFK T4.

It was also my first time staying on the “other side” of the River Thames, as I’d always stayed closer to Soho/Hyde Park. So staying in Southwark was a totally different experience.

And I’ll never forget the wonderfully curated, breathtaking Paul Klee exhibit at the Tate Modern and walking around overwhelmed by the artworks afterward.

I went to see the Tori Amos musical “The Light Princess” at the National Theatre. Anyway, suffice it to say it was a good trip. And the Hilton London Tower Bridge was a big part of that.

Arrival and check in

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Mexico’s Supreme Court Ruled in Favor of Gay Marriage, Too

by Harlan 1 Comment

Happy Pride Weekend!

LOVE!

LOVE!

Just wanted to put this out there. I normally don’t take to this platform to share these things, but thought this one was important.

A few weeks before our Supreme Court declared same-sex marriages are legal across the country, Mexico’s Supreme Court did the exact same thing.

Yay progress!

Yay progress!

Canada has had same-sex marriage for 10 years by now, but this month – June 2015 – saw the other major North American countries finally align with that freedom.

Yeeeees ,bravo mexico #equality #matrimoniogay #quiensequierecasar

A photo posted by Victor Amarillas (@victor_amarillas73) on

Also see: 

Huge congrats to Mexico (and to us!). I just didn’t want their victory to fly under the radar. Instead, we should celebrate our progress together!

Bottom line

The US isn’t the only place to finally join the 21st century. Same-sex marriage is the law in Mexico now, too.

Stay scrappy out there! And congrats to everyone. I am so happy about our victories and progress!

Giveaway: 5 Pairs of Admirals Club Day Passes ($100 Value!)

by Harlan 94 Comments

It’s been real being featured on BoardingArea this week. I’ll be going back to Prior2Boarding after this weekend, but wanted to throw something out to express my gratitude.

To 5 lucky winners, I’ll be giving out a pair of Admirals Club day passes. Each pass is worth $50, and 5 winners will get 2 passes. So take a buddy along and save a deuce!

Win a pair of passes to the Admirals Club

Win a pair of passes to the Admirals Club

How to enter

To enter, leave a comment below.

In it, tell me: what’s your favorite Admirals Club AND favorite airport and why? If you’ve never been to an Admirals Club, just let me know your favorite airport and why it’s your fave.

Even though I won’t be featured on BoardingArea after Sunday, June 28th, the contest is open until 11:59pm ET on Saturday, July 4th. (Whoo hoo independence day!)

I’ll pick winners on Sunday, July 5th. So be sure to leave me your email when you comment, because I’ll notify you via email.

Da rulezAdmirals-Club-One-Day-Pass-Free-Giveaway

  • Must be 18 years old or older to use the pass and One-day pass visitors must hold a same-day ticket for airline travel that allows clearance through security for flight departure and access to the Admirals Club lounge
  • Only one comment per person
  • Must be a US resident
  • Winner will be determined via random.org and will be notified on Sunday, July 5th, 2015
  • Admirals Club pass doesn’t expire until 12/31/15

I just requested the passes, so it might take them a week or so to get here. I’ll aim to get them in the mail in early July, so be sure you don’t need them until mid-July or after.

Ways to keep up with the blog

Twitter and Instagram are my personal accounts, and I post on those the most so be sure to follow me on both!

I often write about things I find handy or ways to save money.  There are two ways to ensure you never miss a blog post:

Ways to support the blog

If you like what you see here, I appreciate any kind of support, whether it’s using my links for services I like, or to pick up a new travel rewards credit card.

I’m aggressively working toward paying off my student loans so any clickage is infinitely appreciated!

Bottom line

Giveaway! Feel free to share the link anywhere you like but remember only one comment per person.

I’ve had a blast on BoardingArea this week.  Follow me on Twitter and Instagram if you’d like to keep up with my travel adventures.

Check out services I like, or pick up a new travel rewards credit card if you’re in the market for one (or more!). All support is mucho appreciated!

Good luck!

Assessing the Benefits of FoundersCard

by Harlan 43 Comments

Also see: 

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!

So you guys know I’m been working toward FIRE (financial independence, retire early) lately. And part of that means ruthlessly cutting out extraneous spend.

So far, I’ve gotten rid of my gym membership, canceled credit cards that no longer serve me, and have cut back on my eating out (more trips to Costco!).

FoundersCard Benefits

You can stay

FoundersCard is $395 a year, which is a little “ouch.” I’m nearly due to the pay the annual membership dues again to keep the card for another year and I looked at it with an eye to cut it.

But, I’m going to keep it for another year.

Here’s why.

The AT&T Benefit

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Hotel Review: Radisson Blu St. Helen’s, Dublin

by Harlan 1 Comment

Also see: 

Ireland was my last hurrah with the Club Carlson program, which is now dead to me.

After leaving the Radisson Blu in Limerick and kissing the Blarney Stone, we drove into the city of Cork, and then looped back up to Dublin to stay our final night at the Radisson Blu St. Helen’s in Dublin.

Arrival and check-in

The hotel is located in an area that is rez. ee. dent. shul. OK?

That means that traffic is terrible at rush hours, because people are going to or from work.

It’s about 3 miles (~Whatever kilometers) from Dublin proper, but there is free parking in a huge lot right in front of the hotel. For late night escapades, you can easily get a taxi to the city center and back.

The reason I chose this location was because:

  • It was a new property for me
  • It was near the M1 which goes right to the airport
  • The property looked gorgeous

Because I had an early-ish flight back to Boston on Aer Lingus, I wanted to hop right on the highway and get outta there.

I knew the traffic would be bad, and I budgeted time for that, but wow. It was really bad. We were stuck on the same 3-block stretch for over 20 minutes.

Anyway, arrival and check-in.

We parked in the rain after a lovely day in Cork, and walked in.

You’re instantly transported to some other era, where opulent mansions still exist.

Upon opening the door to the Radisson Blu St. Helen's

Upon opening the door to the Radisson Blu St. Helen’s

Indeed, this property is a 1700s estate converted into a hotel. And it is lovely.

The desk agents checked us in within a few minutes and told us how to climb through a maze and get to our room.

Hallways of the Radisson Blu St. Helen's

Hallways of the Radisson Blu St. Helen’s

Again, no upgrade to a business class room, but we figured we’d eat in the lounge at DUB and then again on the flight over. So whatever. Ireland was 50/50 with the upgrades for Gold status elites in the Club Carlson program (through the US Bank Club Carlson Visa Signature which is now deep in a sock drawer and will never be used again).

The room

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