Category Archives for Queer and There.
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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!
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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.
I love this little card
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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.
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:
… 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!)
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?
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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.
Just a few bits and baubles to follow up on recent posts.
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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.
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Yup!
I know, it sounds kind of weird. I was like, “What the hell am I getting myself into?”
But it’s been a month and I haven’t used any shampoo. And it feels great!
“No ‘Poo” is “no shampoo.” I have no idea why it’s abbreviated to “no ‘poo.” Because it sounds like you’re aren’t ever going to poop again.
But nope! No ‘poo means you cut out shampoo once and for all. And replace it with baking soda and/or apple cider vinegar.
There’s a surprisingly huge section of Reddit devoted to people’s experiences with it. And amazingly, you won’t turn into a dirty hippie!
The idea is that normal shampoo has dozens of chemicals in it, and you’re putting them into your hair every day.
All the crap in an ordinary bottle of shampoo
So I picked up the shampoo I was using and turned it over. Sure enough, there was a whole laundry list of stuff I couldn’t pronounce.
What’s “Hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride?” It sounds like something that’s gone through a lot of processing.
What about “Methylchloroisothiazolinone?” I’m out.
Random thought of the evening.
I’m going through my cards and want to dump:
And replace them with:
The hitch is that you have to wait ~8 days between applications with Citi, so I’m not sure which of their cards to get first. But I’m warming up to the idea of Category 1 and 2 Hilton hotels – there’s a ton of value to be had there.
Anyway.
Via The Points Guy, tomorrow is the last day to sign up for the Hyatt Diamond Challenge (something that’s always tempted me). You’ll have 60 days to complete it when you sign up (so until September 30th).
And via View From the Wing, the Citi Prestige card’s 4th night free benefit is “too good” to last. (I agree.)
Hyatt hotels are easily bookable with the Citi Prestige travel program. (Here’s the link to Carlson Wagonlit to search.)
A quick search in Dallas turned up 6 Hyatts, most under $100 a night
If you book a 4-night stay for $100 a night, you’d pay $300 (after the Citi Prestige statement credit).
Do this 3 times in 60 days, pay $900, get Hyatt Diamond status. Any many hotels are available for under $100.
If you have Hyatt stays coming up anyway, this might be something to mix-and-match with cash + points stays.
And hotels booked with the Citi Prestige card do earn elite credit.
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Activated charcoal FTW
After reading an article by fellow Brooklynite Jenny on Healthy Crush about activated charcoal, I had to try it.
Activated charcoal is made by burning something carbon-based, like wood or coconut shells to remove all of the oxygen. What’s left is a highly absorbent material filled with millions of tiny pores that trap and bind gas and toxins and can carry thousands of times its weight.
That’s really cool.
It comes in capsules and looks like this:
Activated charcoal capsules
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Correct me if I’m being thick because I definitely have my “forest for the trees” moments.
Meaning of value… are you in there? Oh, there you are.
I read an article on Point Me to the Plane about a flight that got 2.5 cents per Delta mile.
Then the comments read: if you wouldn’t pay cash for the flights, that’s not how much the points/miles are worth.
But… I use points and miles for flights and hotels specifically because I won’t pay cash for them.
In fact, I’ve planned entire trips (like Hawaii, Paris, RTW/Australia, and Eurotrip 2014 in Lufthansa First Class) that I would’ve never paid for if it weren’t for points and miles.
I did NOT pay $7,243 for this flight… but I did pay 40,000 Avios + $453 in fuel surcharges. So what are the points worth?
I thought… that was the “point” of points and miles?
Did you hear about the new travel jacket that’s blowing Kickstarter out of the water?
They only wanted to raise $20,000, but as of today, they’ve blown past the $1M mark.
…And I think I want one.
They start at $109 and go up from there.
The Baubax Travel Jacket is loaded with features
It comes in 4 styles (and multiple colors) for men and women:
I’m partial to the blue hoodie myself 😉
All of the styles look functional and comfortable. And the company is based in Chicago. Holla!
I think it’s interesting how they’ve chosen multiple types of fabric and recommend a style based on the temperature where it’s worn.
Different fabrics for each style
And each one is best worn at a certain temp
Of all the features, I think my favorites are the neck pillow and built-in gloves.
And with all the pockets, I could definitely bring along my coconut oil and apple cider vinegar. 🙂
Thought this was cool and wanted to share.
A little over $100… not a bad price, considering all the features.
But it seems like time’s running out if you wanna get one. And I can’t make up my mind!
On the fence.
Have you guys seen this jacket? Did you (or will you) get one?
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I was excited to explore this dark alleyway of the internet, because there are so few rewards debit cards left.
No bueno
This one, through SmarterBucks and Radius Bank seemed like it was gonna be a doozy. But, unfortunately, it’s pretty worthless, for me at least. I’m gonna have to DTMFA.
I’ll explain.
The Cambria Hotel & Suites in Manhattan celebrated its grand opening on July 14, 2015.
Cambria is part of Choice Hotels, and the Chelsea location is the first in New York!
Out and Out was excited to attend the grand opening celebration, and to talk with key members of the Choice Hotel senior management team about the hotel and Choice Privileges, the hotel chain’s loyalty program.
Hello and welcome to Out and Out! My name is Harlan – I’m a points and miles enthusiast who loves to travel. I am interested in personal finance, the power of positive thinking, and the extraordinary journeys that make life worth living.