Credit Cards

Category Archives for Credit Cards.

Balance transfer cards 2020: A godsend when you need more time (but don’t fail the test)

January 8, 2020 by Harlan 7 Comments

Hi lil lovies. The holidays were wild, eh? I’m writing this in a medicated haze with flu-like symptoms. But I wanted to write. And I’ve been meaning to talk about is how I’m using balance transfer cards to:

Meet my current financial goals (which I need to update)
Smooth out large, unexpected expenses (like when my AC quit in July and I had to get a new HVAC system)
Give myself a jump-start to purchase big items when I want them (I bought myself a rowing machine because I really really wanted one and I’ve been using it regularly)

This is because I didn’t have enough in a savings account, which will change this year. So hopefully I won’t have to rely on them in the future.

But for now, they’ve helped me consolidate a lot of balances spread over several cards with big interest rates. I paid a one-time balance transfer fee, and have a 0% APR rate through April 2020. So I haven’t paid a dime of interest since. And honestly? It’s been the one thing that’s given me time to get caught up.

Balance transfer cards aren’t a perfect solution. But they’ve bought me time and helped me avoid a ton of interest while I got my plans together

The test, of course, is paying them back before the 0% promotional rate expires. If you don’t, you’re right back to where you started. 🌀

The good thing is these rates are a year or more (usually more). A lot can happen in a year.

While I’m glad balance transfer cards have been available to me as a financial tool (which is absolutely how I think of them), moving forward I want to depend on savings rather than having to buy myself time.

Balance transfer cards 2020 – should you, could you, would you?

Is Citi Double Cash Now the Best Card for Plastiq Payments? (Mortgage/Rent, Auto, HOA)

October 19, 2019 by Harlan 8 Comments

Plastiq is an online service that allows you to pay nearly any bill using a credit card. And now for the “gotchas:”

There’s a 2.5% fee to send a bill payment
You can’t make loan payments (rent, car note, etc.) with a Visa or Amex card, but residential rent and HOA fees are OK
You CAN make loan payments with a Mastercard or Discover card
Capital One cards currently don’t work in their system right now
Most cards only earn 1 point or mile per $1 spent, which doesn’t make the fee worth it

That said, there are a lots of situations you’d want to use Plastiq despite the fee:

To complete minimum spending requirements in literally seconds and earn a sign-up bonus
When they run a promotion for free or discounted payments
When paying the fee gives you wiggle room for unexpected expenses
To reach a big spend bonus for a free hotel night/airline elite status credit, depending which card you have
If your card issuer is running a promotion for bonus miles/points/cash

And there are two cards with a 2X earning rate that work with Plastiq. The first is the Amex Blue Business Plus, which earns 2X Amex Membership Rewards points on all purchases, up to $50,000 spent per calendar year. That’s cool, but many peeps don’t qualify for small business cards, or don’t want to pay personal bills with a business card.

I value bank points at 2 cents each, so earning 2X points per $1 spent is a 4% return.

If you maximize your per-point value, it can easily offset Plastiq’s fee. Like when you get an international long-haul flight in a premium class. For that reason, I’ve been using my Amex Blue Business Plus on Plastiq a lot – but as noted above, I can’t pay my mortgage or car payment.

Enter the second option…

Citi Double Cash Plastiq payments

Yes! Just Got the Chase Ink Business Preferred 80,000-Point Offer!

September 10, 2019 by Harlan 6 Comments

The Chase Ink Business Preferred offer in this post is NO LONGER AVAILABLE. Click here to see the latest travel card deals!

On September 1, I applied for the Chase Ink Business Preferred 80,000 points offer. And lord, it was a long time coming. I’m now under 5/24 for the time in eons, and haven’t opened a new Chase card in literally years.

I was nervous to apply after so long. But the chance to snag 80,000 valuable Chase Ultimate Rewards points was too much to pass up. And applying for new credit cards is seriously better than any drug for me. So I was getting that sweet adrenaline fix after submitting my application and watching this screen:

Serotonin and dopamine ACTIVATED

Then was disheartened at this message:

YOU’RE WELCOME FOR MY REQUEST

Dang it. I knew this screen was common and the best bet was to sit tight and wait it out. I figured I’d give it a couple of weeks, and check back.

NOT. (Did you really give me credit for being that chill? 😹)

You know I logged into my Chase online account 4,000 times a day hoping the card would appear. After a week, I started to get down on my luck. After all, I already had seven other Chase cards. Would they really give me an eighth?

But then!

A white unmarked envelope from Westerville, Ohio, appeared in my mailbox. The joy and horror when I saw it!

Was it a thin rejection letter or a fat welcome packet? My fingers reached at warp speed. It was a fatty! There was a card inside! Perhaps it was a cruel marketing scam? Could it be?

I ripped through the paper and just starting laughing right there at the mailbox. I couldn’t believe it.

Just like that, I was back in the game. I had a new Chase Ink Business Preferred in my hot little hand.

Chase Ink Business Preferred 80,000 points offer

Review: 3 Ways the Amex Platinum Card Is Worth the $550 Annual Fee

June 10, 2019 by Harlan 7 Comments

If you can’t tell, I’ve been thinking about ultra-premium cards a lot lately. Which ones to keep and pick up… and my overall card strategy.

All roads lead back to the Amex Platinum Card (learn more here) – the original, and a current stronghold.

Several years ago, it was my first card that had a big annual fee. Lots has changed in the industry since, but it’s held up remarkably well. It’s still the card to have if you’re seeking lounge access (though admittedly denigrated a bit in the past few years).

Among ultra-premium cards, it holds its own – especially if you can get maximum value from the long list of benefits.

There are three main ways to approach recouping the cost of the $550 annual fee: through lounge access, with statement credits, or from ancillary bennies.

In each case, the card earns its keep – making the rest of the perks gravy. 🤤 Let’s dig in a bit more.

And don’t forget the 60,000-point welcome bonus, worth ~$1,200 by itself!

Use the Amex Priority Pass to take a nap in airport Minute Suite locations – and many other lounges around the world

Here’s my expert analysis. 🧐

Amex Platinum Card review – how to make the $550 fee worth it

PSA: Don’t Make This Mistake With US Bank Altitude Reserve Travel Credits

June 9, 2019 by Harlan 22 Comments

Upon logging into my US Bank online account, I noticed something weird.

I have a decent amount of points from using mobile pay at Costco for 3X points (a 4.5% return because each point is worth 1.5 cents toward travel). And I have my Real-time Rewards threshold set to $10.

So when I make a travel charge over $10, I get a text asking if I’d like to redeem points to “erase” it.

Just say the magic word and your charge is gone. (The magic word is “Redeem”)

I used this for a few Uber rides recently. Great, great, love it.

But then… I noticed my $325 annual travel credit had recently reset – and doubly covered the charges.

~$82 of charges got double credited – one from Real-time Rewards, the other from my travel credits

Not only did I redeem points for those charges, but somehow it ate up ~$82 worth of my travel credits, too. If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve saved my points.

So when your travel credits reset, DO NOT use Real-time Rewards to erase your charges. You’ll end up paying double!

Oh, and US Bank was beyond lame when I alerted them to what happened. So lame that I’m thinking of dumping this card altogether – after I drain the remaining credits and points, of course.

US Bank Altitude Reserve travel credits don’t play well with Real-time Rewards redemptions

Does Your Biz Spend $5,000+ a Month? Get 85,000 Points, $700+ in Credits, Lounge Access, Elite Status…

June 4, 2019 by Harlan 7 Comments

a man sitting in a chair holding a drink

UPDATE: This offer Is no longer available. Click here to see the latest deals!

Who’s never had the small business version of the Amex Platinum Card? *raises hand*

This card doesn’t count against your Chase 5/24 status. But I didn’t include it on my list of 6 best cards if you’re over 5/24 because:

It will only appeal to a small segment of people
The minimum spending requirement to earn the welcome offer is $15,000 (!) in the first 3 months of account opening

But there are several huge reasons to get this card, namely 85,000 Amex Membership Rewards points as a welcome bonus. Plus it comes with a long list of benefits – like $200 in airline credits, 5x points on flights, and 35% points rebate on an airline of your coach (for coach flights, and any airline for Business or First Class).

You can learn more about the card here.

I always make sure to eat full meals and enjoy a couple free cocktails at Amex Centurion Lounges

The annual fee is NOT waived the 1st year. But man, if you make good use of the lounge access and annual statement credits… it’s a total GOAT.

Amex Platinum business card offer

Using Points for Emergency Travel: Why Having a Stash Is a Huge Relief for Same-Day Flights

May 19, 2019 by Harlan 11 Comments

What a week. Just got back from Memphis. Last Friday, I got one of those phone calls. One of those drop everything and fly home right this minute phone calls.

My dad was in the ICU with a brain lesion near his optical nerve – and no one knew why. Doctors thought it could be anything from a simple infection all the up to brain cancer. He had to have biopsy surgery to find out.

Tickets home were $659 round-trip, or $329 each way. I didn’t want to spend the cash, so I went to my usual tricks: using miles and points to fly cheap or free.

I threw clothes in a bag and headed to the airport. This was the first time I’d ever had to fly back so quickly. It was a bizarre experience I don’t want to repeat any time soon.

And it showed me why having a stash of points ready to use at all times is so important for these situations.

I hate hospitals. Using points got me home the same day my dad went to the ICU

Here’s the series of quick steps I used to fly home right away.

When you have to fly immediately, having points for emergency travel can help so much

The Top Card for Beginners? Yeah, the Chase Sapphire Preferred

May 6, 2019 by Harlan 12 Comments

I’m sure it’s happened to you at some point. A friend asks, “How do you do it?” Take all these trips to places like Hawaii, Tokyo and Osaka, Dublin, Barcelona, and more. How do you get free hotel rooms that cost hundreds of dollars a night?

“I want to travel like you do,” they say. “Where do I start?”

And you have that moment where you’re thinking, “Well for starters, using that debit card for everything you buy isn’t helping anything.” *cough*

You ask about their spending habits. “Do you shop online?” Definitely use a shopping portal – get free miles for clicking a link.

You can stay at the Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta for FREE with Chase Ultimate Rewards points

And sign up for dining rewards while you’re at it because you never know when you’ll get some extra miles in your account – especially if you live in a mid-sized to large city.

But as far as cards go… where to begin?

Get the Capital One Savor $500 Sign-Up Offer While You Can (Dropping to $300?)

May 5, 2019 by Harlan 3 Comments

Update: This offer is no longer available. Check here to see the latest card offers!

Right now, the sign-up bonus for the Capital One Savor card is showing as a $300 cash bonus once you spend $3,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening on the Capital One website.

You’ll also earn:

4% cashback on dining and entertainment
2% cashback at grocery stores
1% cashback everywhere else
Free Postmates Unlimited membership through December 2019 (as a statement credit)
Learn more here

The $95 annual fee is waived the first year. If you spend even moderately on dining or entertainment, this is a great card to consider with a really generous $500 cash bonus.

If I weren’t trying to stay under 5/24, I’d get this in a heartbeat. Keep in mind Capital One pulls from all 3 credit bureaus when you apply for a new card.

How about $500 smackaroos right back in your pocket? Hit up this offer sooner rather than later if you’re interested

And I’ll remind you about those bonus categories!

Capital One Savor $300 Bonus

The 8 Best Chase Credit Cards & 3 Paths to Choose From (Or Mix and Match)

May 5, 2019 by Harlan Leave A Comment

In a couple more months, I’ll be mercifully under 5/24, which means I’m looking at the best Chase credit cards and wondering what I’ll open, as if ordering off a menu. Chase hasn’t been a possibility for so long, it feels a bit like starting over.

It kinda is. I’ll get to retool my card arsenal – and that got me thinking about what’s worth getting – and what to skip (or cancel if it comes to that).

Upon reflection, I realized there are 3 ways to approach Chase cards:

Focus on personal cards (especially Ultimate Rewards cards)
Focus on small business cards
Go for the Southwest Companion Pass

Not to say any of these paths is absolute. I find that generally, peeps have certain travel goals in mind before they start applying, myself included.

And of course, you can mix and match. Here are the ones to start with.

I’ve got the Chase Freedom Flex℠ – and soon I can expand my entire Chase card strategy

Then you can fill-in around the edges with cards from other banks.

8 best Chase credit cards

Hacking Uber: Earn Points, Cashback, and Credits Every Time You Ride 🚙

May 2, 2019 by Harlan 12 Comments

Updated 5/23/19.

I’ve been riding Uber more lately because they make it so easy to stack multiple offers when you ride.

Oh, Uber. I am “getting there”

And, I’m hopeful they’re slowly but surely turning things around.

With Lyft, you can only earn 1X Delta miles – and 30 JetBlue points on airport trips. Which, meh.

I’d rather earn cashback and Drop points, use travel credits, and get Uber credits for shopping around town. And many times you can stack these deals. You know I love a good stack!

1. Earn points and get cashback with Freebird

Excellent 3X Categories, $200 Bonus, & No Annual Fee: Wells Fargo Propel Amex Review

April 29, 2019 by Harlan 9 Comments

All sorts of cards are getting my attention with my impending sub-5/24 status looming near.

High on the list: the Wells Fargo Propel Amex. This card has:

A sign-up bonus of 20,000 bonus points (worth $200 in cash back, travel, gift cards, or other rewards) after completing minimum spending requirements
Really good 3X bonus categories
NO annual fee
Up to $600 in cell phone insurance when you pay your wireless bill with the card

While I usually prefer cards that earn points toward award travel, there’s a lot going for this cashback card – especially considering it’s free to keep long-term. It’s a strong card for active lifestyles, and for peeps who don’t want to pay an annual fee.

Eat out, order in, travel, unwind… the Wells Fargo Propel Amex earns 3% cashback in some of the best bonus categories and has NO annual fee

Let’s take stock!