Just the Tip(s)

Category Archives for Just the Tip(s).

Sinemia Review: How It Works & How to Get the Most From It ($10 for 3 Movies a Month!)

October 1, 2018 by Harlan 20 Comments

So we all know MoviePass is dead as a doornail by now. Other programs have (or will) pop up, like AMC’s A-List and Alamo’s upcoming season pass (get on the waitlist now if you’re interested).

I used the ever-loving crap out of MoviePass, so losing it stung hard. But I’ve had Sinemia for a couple of weeks now and I gotta say – I like it even better than MoviePass.

Right now, they have a fall promotion to see a movie:

Every day for $30 a month
3 times a month for $10 a month
1 time a month for $5 a month

Considering the average movie ticket is $10+, that’s a great deal. But with MoviePass in the can, it begs the question: how long will this one last?

I opted for the plan to see 3 movies a month

So far, so good, though. I like that you can buy tickets in advance. And there are a couple more ways to get an even better deal out of the membership.

My Sinemia Review

USAA Cards Not Earning Reward Points (Cashback) for Plastiq Payments

September 17, 2018 by Harlan 5 Comments

a red line going through a blue and white website

I opened a new USAA card to take advantage of a 0% APR rate until February 2020 (but gosh how I wish the Limitless card with 2.5% cashback everywhere would come back). I previously got a new card to make a student loan payment.

So the USAA Preferred Cash Rewards card earns 1.5% cashback on purchases. I was hoping Plastiq payments would code as “miscellaneous services” (or similar), but nope, they post as a “quasi-cash merchant” and do not earn any reward points.

So don’t use your USAA card with Plastiq!

More importantly, I hope this doesn’t signal a trend of Plastiq coding as cash-like purchases.

Don’t mix USAA cards with Plastiq payments, cuz you won’t earn rewards

Even still, I was not charged a cash advance fee per Plastiq’s advising.

Tread carefully with USAA Plastiq payments

7 Tricks to Save EVERY Time You Shop at Costco

September 7, 2018 by Harlan 16 Comments

Dear light of heaven, I love Costco. Whereas to some it can seem like a gigantic warehouse with narrow aisles stacked to the ceiling with pallets, to me it’s a veritable wonderland.

I love a good deal, and the best deals are often buying in bulk. When I mention I’m a Costco member, I’ve gotten scoffs and “Yeah but I don’t need 25 rolls of paper towels and 8 dozen eggs [or some other exaggeration]. Plus, where would I put it all?”

Ummmm… Costco was the cheapest place to shop in New York City, honey. If I can find space in a tiny Brooklyn apartment to store extra items and save some cash, you can too. And that’s what it’s all about: saving cash.

In my element

Admittedly, Costco isn’t always the best deal. Sometimes they try to pull one over on ya and slip in some regular-priced stuff. But I don’t blame ’em for trying to make profit. Because when the deals are good, hoooo boy are they stellar (find me a cheaper avocado and I’ll eat my hat, and bananas cheaper than Trader Joe’s). That’s what keeps me shopping at Costco year after year: THE DEALS.

On top of already great prices, I’ve found ways to push them even further by making sure I always get a discount. 2% off, 5% back, even 10% rebates in some cases when I’m in the mood to plan a big shopping trip.

Here’s how I save every time I shop at Costco.

Stack these offers to build your own discounts at Costco

Buy a Coin for $1,400 – Earn Points + $50 Cash!

September 4, 2018 by Harlan 5 Comments

Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
	• 5X Chase Ultimate Rewards points on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year • 2X Chase Ultimate Rewards points on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year
• $0 annual fee
• Excellent 5X categories and best-ever offer right now	• Compare it here

Yay! I’m opted-in to this deal which happens at exactly 12pm Eastern Time on Thursday, September 6th, 2018.

It’s through PFS Buyers Club, which I’ve written about before.

The Palladium coin costs $1,387.50 + $4.95 shipping – so your total will be $1,392.45. PFS Buyers Club will pay you $1,443 once you complete the deal, for a profit of $50.55 – on top of the points you earn.

If you’re looking to meet minimum spending on a card, this is a simple way to do it!

Get ready to buy this coin and make $50 on Thursday

This one is going to go quick, so hurry if you can do it!

Buy through PFS Buyers Club and make $50

CityPass: Save up to 50% on Popular Attractions in 13 Cities

July 31, 2018 by Harlan Leave A Comment

CityPass is a service I personally recommend to peeps when they stay at my Airbnbs and ask for fun stuff to do around Dallas.

Within Dallas, a $49 adult CityPass includes 4 attractions. Two of them are set. And you get to pick the other two. In this way, you build a little package for yourself. It’s fun, and saves you money when you travel. The Dallas package (for example) saves 40% on the 4 places you visit.

I loved spending time at the Dallas Botanical Garden as part of my CityPass ticket

The CityPass tickets filled up a weekend with places I’d been meaning to visit for a while.

CityPass has deals for 12 US cities and Toronto. If you visit a place on the list and want some fun touristy things to do, check what’s included for that city. They also have discounted tickets for kids and some cities have theme parks, aquariums, and much more to choose from!

CityPass savings

Yay! A Huge 89-Point Jump for an Authorized User’s Credit Score!

July 13, 2018 by Harlan 3 Comments

Or, Lightning Strikes Twice!

I shared how my brother’s credit score jumped 100+ points in a month after I added him to one of my credit cards. He had literally nothing on his credit report.

Last month, I added an authorized user to a 5-year old (no annual fee!) credit card with a $13,000 credit limit. The statement closed on July 3rd. And on July 11th (a week later), we pulled his credit report.

My AU’s credit score went up 89 points in under a month

His new score (according to Credit Sesame) is now 732 – 89 points more than it was this time last month! (FWIW, it was the same on Credit Karma, too.)

After adding my brother, and now with this new experience, I’m convinced how beneficial it can be to add authorized users to old cards with a high limit. And why it’s so important to have a couple of cards with NO annual fees in your wallet.

This AU had one negative mark, but all my info transferred

3 Days in Iceland: What You Should Know About Your Stopover Trip

July 12, 2018 by Harlan 16 Comments

It’s easier than ever to spend three days in Iceland:

WOW! Air frequently has $99 one-way sales to Iceland (and around $200 coming home)
Icelandair lets you add a free stopover – up to 7 days – on your way to mainland Europe
American, Delta, and United all fly there seasonally from their hubs

Of course, with all this competition, fares are rock bottom. I’ve seen them as low as $287 round-trip to visit the Land of Fire & Ice.

Planning a visit to Iceland? You should – it’s easier than ever

I say Iceland deserves a full week to appreciate. The weather is unpredictable and if you hit a rainy patch, that’ll be unfortch. That said, if you’ve never been it’s beyond worthwhile to add a bonus side trip to Iceland. A friend asked what to do with 3 days in Iceland, to which I said…

Even three days in Iceland is expensive

6 Ways to Save Big on Dining: Find Faves, Get Points + Cashback With Every Visit

June 6, 2018 by Harlan 3 Comments

a patio with tables and chairs and string lights

Eating out is probably my biggest weakness. I give myself a couple of things to spend relentlessly on. And beyond that, I save like a madman.

My 2 things are: eating out and travel. I do well stocking up at Costco and cooking at home most nights. But my god if a good happy hour deal doesn’t get me.

I pay pennies on the dollar when I travel. Dining is easy, too. By enrolling my cards once and having a few go-to places, I get discounts close to 20% off in the form of points, miles, and cashback – and the savings add up!

I love happy hours at this cantina. Plus, I get points, miles, and cashback every time I visit

It’s not hard. Here’s how to do it.

Dining programs + cashback app + points card = big dining discounts

This Month: Save 10+% on Shell & Exxon Gas With These Cards

June 4, 2018 by Harlan 2 Comments

a snowy landscape with trees and mountains

There are a couple of good offers to save at the pump these next few weeks. I’ve been using them to fill up – and found it’s cheaper than buying gas at Costco, where I usually get gas in conjunction with a shopping trip.

You can get 5X Chase Ultimate Rewards points with Chase Pay with the Chase Freedom card (compare it here) on up to $1,500 in spending through June 30th, 2018 – and Shell is a Chase Pay merchant. Chase Freedom cardholders also get free Gold Status with Shell Fuel Rewards, which saves 6 cents per gallon through the end of 2018.

And Amex has an offer to get 10% cashback at Exxon through the end of November. Plus, when you pay through their Speedpass app, you can save 10 cents a gallon. And when you add your Amex card in the Dosh app, you’ll get another 2% cashback through July 10th, 2018.

Combine apps and offers to save on Shell and Exxon gas

Either offer also gets you savings for most of 2018. And for the next few weeks, you can combine offers to save over 10% at Shell or Exxon.

Here’s how they work!

Stack credit card offers to save on gas

1. Chase Freedom + Chase Pay at Shell

5 of My Favorite Blogs Are Run by Awesome #GirlBosses

May 31, 2018 by Harlan 2 Comments

Recently, an Out and Out reader left a kind comment asking who my favorite bloggers are. I started typing up a response then realized… my favorite bloggers are women. Which is awesome!

I decided to make a proper post about it.

Here are 5 blogs I have as “Favorites” in my Feedly. When I see they’ve posted, I make a note to read in the way I’ve grown used to – which is different for each one. They cover topics from travel to financial freedom to mental and physical health. And I’ve learned so much from all of them in the years since I discovered their fantastic blogs.

5 of my favorite bloggers!

They are true hustlers, hard workers, deeply knowledgable about their areas of interest, and all incredible women. Add them to your reading list!

5 Fave Bloggers to Read

15 Cashback Shopping Portals Compared: Payments, Bonuses, & How They Work

May 9, 2018 by Harlan 27 Comments

Cashback Monitor is far and away the best site to check the highest payouts (be it points, miles, or cashback) for online shopping. And there are a lot of shopping portals out there.

Each has its “quirks” – from slow payouts to minimum thresholds and different ways of paying. And most of them even give you a little reward just for signing up and shopping – some as much as $10 on top of your cashback bonus.

Always click through a shopping portal when you shop online – but which one should you use?

There are many to choose from – and of course you can earn points or miles from airline or bank portals. Here’s an overview of the 15 most popular cashback portals. And how to pick which one to click through!

15 Cash Back Shopping Portals Comparison

5 Apps to Effortlessly Save Money and Get Discounts (Set & Forget!)

May 8, 2018 by Harlan 3 Comments

There are apps you can set up once – and then, if you want, never look at them again. Even better, these apps earn credits for gift cards, get you refunds, or award cashback for setting them up.

I turn Drop points into Whole Foods gift cards and get free groceries – just for keeping the app installed

I’ve gotten free groceries and Amazon gift cards, deposits into my checking account, and credits on my cards – all from having these apps on my phone.

Here’s an overview. And how they save you money without any ongoing effort.