Have you heard of Google Fi yet?
Google is starting cell service
It’s Google’s way of getting into the phone service market. This is a good thing. A very good thing.
Just the Tip(s)
Category Archives for Just the Tip(s).
Must Haves of Travel: Rose Petal Water
Also see:
- Must-Haves of Travel: Coconut Oil
- Must-Haves of Travel: Apple Cider Vinegar
- Must-Haves of Travel: Activated Charcoal
- Must-Haves of Travel: Affordable Razors!
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
Reminder: Get Your Club Carlson Free Night E-Cert (If You Haven’t Already)
Also see:
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
Chase Is Crackin’ Down on Churners
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:
It’s under “Replying to this offer”
Why this is interesting
New American Airlines FoundersCard Benefit: 10% Off Transatlantic Fares & 5% Off Domestically
Also see:
- FoundersCard Membership: Is it worth it?
- Details about FoundersCard benefits (Cathy Pacific, Avis, hotel discounts)
- Assessing the Benefits of FoundersCard
- FoundersCard
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!
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
Also see:
- New App Alert: AirHelp. Know Your Options When You Get Bumped from a Flight
- A Few Apps + Sites I Like to Save Money
- Mercez
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!
What’s Mercez?
IHG’s New Fall Promo (My Offer Sucks!)
Also see:
- I broke down and got the Chase IHG Rewards Club credit card
- Should I go to a different state for my IHG Set Your Sights Promo?
- Chase IHG MasterCard Sign-Up Bonus Counts Toward Spire Elite Status!
- IHG Accelerate Promo
In case you guys haven’t heard, IHG has a new fall promo called Accelerate.
I won’t be “accelerating” anywhere
This is a GREAT promo if you don’t have an IHG Rewards Club account because you can earn 2 free nights at ANY IHG hotel (1 free night for 2 stays, up to 2).
But if you’re an existing member, or Spire Elite, the offers vary from OK to “thanks for nothing.”
Compared to the “Set Your Sights” offer that had me contemplating travel to another state, this one is kinda meh.
Of the next 4 months, IHG wants me to spend 1 of them exclusively in their hotels
Though you can sign up now, the promo runs through September 1st to December 31st, 2015.
My offer basically said spend a month in IHG hotels and we’ll give you a free stay at a Category 9 hotel (earn ~58,000 IHG points).
So I’m like thanks but no thanks.
I wonder if it has to do with my recent accidental acquisition of Spire Elite status.
Peeps on FlyerTalk have been busy posting their offers today, and they’re all really different from one another. Which is kind of interesting.
Newbies take the cake
But the real treasure is for newbies. If you don’t already have an IHG Rewards Club account, you can earn 2 free nights at ANY IHG hotel when you complete 4 separate stays. ANY!
So… you could spent $75 per night ($300) and then get 2 free nights at a hotel that goes for $600+ a night, essentially turning $300 into $1,200?!
Freaking nuts!
And remember you earn a free night certificate when you open the Chase IHG MasterCard. The annual fee is a paltry $49 and comes with IHG Platinum status, which is usually totally worthless, but does earn 50% bonus points on paid stays.
I recently broke down and opened the card and all I’ll say is that 3 free nights in a year is a lot better than just 1. And if you pick hotels that costs $600+ per night like:
- InterContinental Le Moana Bora Bora
- InterContinental Park Lane London
- InterContinental Paris Le Grand
… you can get damn near $2,000 of value of that – not to mention the vacation experience of a lifetime.
Don’t worry, it’s actually ~$781 per night after taxes and fees
So if you know anyone uninitiated to IHG Rewards Club… and you can make a new account… definitely get in on this! Dang newbies. (Bitter, party of one, right here!)
Bottom line
IHG has a new fall promotion called Accelerate. It’s great for newbies/new accounts but various levels of sucky for current members.
That being said, if you have stays coming up anyway, you might as well register (or let someone else book the room for you).
Keep in mind you should sign up before you stay – IHG doesn’t credit stays after the fact.
This will be helpful for some. Between this promo and wanting to burn Hilton points, I’m torn between where to stay on an upcoming trip.
Does this promo rock your world at all?
Must-Haves of Travel: Affordable Razors!
Also see:
- Must-Haves of Travel: Coconut Oil
- Must-Haves of Travel: Apple Cider Vinegar
- Must-Haves of Travel: Activated Charcoal
- Dollar Shave Club
So this is going to sound like an effing advertisement. And I guess it kinda is.
Yes, they are f***ing great
But. If you haven’t already heard of Dollar Shave Club, you should read about it now, they are all over, even the best beard oils reviewed mention and talk about them, they truly went viral.
That’s because they’ll ship you razors each month for really cheap. And they travel well.
What’s Dollar Shave Club?
Refer Your Friends to the SPG AMEX and Earn Up to 55,000 Bonus Starpoints Per Year
UPDATE: This offer is no longer available, but you can earn even more SPG points – 35,000 of them – through March 30, 2016! You can find the offer via my links. Click through, then select “Card Type” and “AMEX” and you will see the offer. Of course, you can still leave your links in the comments, too. Thank you!
It’s that time of year when there’s non-stop pumping of links for the SPG AMEX.
Now until September 14th, we have to survive on little points news other than 5,000 extra Starpoints on the SPG AMEX.
*yawn*
Why this card?
AMEX CardMatch Offers Still Available for Platinum, Premier Rewards Gold, Blue Cash Preferred, Gold Delta SkyMiles, and EveryDay Preferred Cards
I wrote about an increased offer for 30,000 Membership Rewards points for the AMEX EveryDay Preferred on CardMatch.
Nearly 3 weeks later, the offer is still alive and kicking. And so are other increased offers for AMEX cards.
Here’s a round-up.
AMEX Platinum
Kohl’s B’day Gift, Free Admirals Club Membership In, Instant FIA Credit Line Increase + Inquiry
Just a few bits and baubles to follow up on recent posts.
1. Kohl’s $10 Birthday Gift
Also see:
- Holy crap I love Kohl’s
- Confession: I Got a Kohl’s Card
- Yay! Just got Discover It and Citi Hilton 75K cards!
August is my birthday month, and Kohl’s got their timing perfect.
Because today, in the mail, was a card/gift from Kohl’s. Right after I mentioned how much I love them this morning.
$10 birthday present from Kohl’s
I also just received my Yes2Rewards this morning as an email, too.
Kohl’s has a great thing going. Their rewards program is more straightforward than Sears Shop Your Way Rewards and their website is way better, they have frequent discounts (usually 30% off) and promotion codes, often free shipping, and now I get a $10 bonus.
I wish their portal payout on the Discover Deals shopping portal was 10% cashback like Macy’s, Sears, and Kmart (it’s 5%).
But free money is great. I can always buy some new sheets and towels for my Airbnbs.
2. Admirals Club Membership Materials Are In
No Annual Fee Cards + Personal Finance: Why You Need (At Least) One
Like it or not, in this country you need good credit. It’s as avoidable as death or taxes. As in, not at all.
Starting out with credit cards, you’ll encounter a catch-22: you need good credit to get a credit card, but you need a credit card to build good credit.
No annual fee cards are NOT boring. In fact, they have some innovative rewards!
A good place to start is no annual fee cards.
