Queer and There

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Why I Want to Work for LearnVest

August 11, 2013 by Harlan Leave A Comment

I’ve recently gotten hugely into turning my finances around. It’s been a part of taking control of my own life, dreaming out loud, and beginning to think about the future. The long-term future.

I’ve been reading a bunch of points and miles blogs for a while now, and recently added a new slew of financial advice blogs to my feedly account. One of them was LearnVest. Their articles are great, and I highly recommend them to anyone. The breadth and scope of financial advice was/is exactly what I’m looking for at this point in my life. They also help you to budget, keep track of financial accounts, and have a bunch of handy calculators.

I’m taking what I’m learning to heart. So much so that I want to go back to college to get my certification in financial planning so that I can help others by applying what I’ve learned. I typed “CFP jobs” into Google to see what the prospects were and got some results from… LearnVest. I audibly gasped. All of the CFP positions were in Phoenix, and besides, I’m not even certified yet. I went to close the browser window when I saw a few other positions… in New York. Including one I’m totally qualified for. This one: Operations Associate. It’s the perfect blend of my previous experience and future goals. Plus, it’s a woman-owned and operated company. And a tech startup. Headquartered in New York. And hiring! It couldn’t have been more perfect. I sent my resume in within five minutes, then tweeted them.

Maybe I’m putting the cart before the horse here, but I really want to work for this company. Along with getting my own finances in order and starting to think about getting my CFP license, this position seems like dream job material.

I saw the founder had a talk in New York a couple of nights ago. I couldn’t go because I had a lot going on at my current position and it fell on a Wednesday evening. The timing wasn’t right. Still, I hope I hear back from them. Wouldn’t that be awesome?

I freaking love feedly (a review)

August 11, 2013 by Harlan 1 Comment

In the wake of Google Reader’s demise, I scrambled, like everyone else, for a solution to find a new content aggregator for my daily blog consumption habit. In the beginning, I was hoping that Digg’s Reader would be a good replacement. It ended up being a valiant effort, but no dice. I signed up on the first day – keeping in mind that it was still very much in beta. I didn’t like how there was no unread post count, and no way to connect the desktop version with the iPhone app. I also didn’t like that my “Uncategorized” subscriptions sat on top of my categories. Small stuff I know, but Google Reader had it super figured out. Oh, and it was slow as shit. And had no search function. And just… wasn’t getting me there.

Flash forward to now. Digg Reader has added all the things I immediately wanted, and sped up the service tremendously. The app is great, and so are all the added options. But it was too little, too late. Another suitor swept in from the sidelines. Enter feedly (all lowercase).

feedly just “got it.” They seemed to really understand what a content aggregator/RSS service/blog scraper should be. In the beginning, I couldn’t stand how I had to have that stupid Chrome extension installed on both my home + work computers. Not to mention there was no app to speak of. Pffft, I thought. Fuck them. I didn’t even care that they got the unread post count right.

But then…

They made everything cloud-based. They sped it up to rival Google Reader’s speed. The app picks right back up where I left off from the desktop. They have themes! And options! And lots of other little things that make me want to use exclamation points! And from a design point of view, it’s incredibly simple and functional. It also updates automatically, just like Google Reader used to do.

When I saw they were offering a lifetime pro membership for only $99, I swiped my Fidelity Investment Rewards American Express out of my wallet so fast it burned my fingers. I could imagine so many other Brooklyn-based RSS lovers doing the same thing and I couldn’t get my card number entered fast enough. But everything went through, I got the lifetime membership, and am loving the pro version so far. Can’t wait to see what else they do with it.

Also, if you’re using a content aggregator, please consider adding this blog to it. Here’s the link to copy and paste:

http://www.outandout.net/feed/

I appreciate my readers and would love to know: do you use an RSS service? Which one?

New York Story

August 10, 2013 by Harlan Leave A Comment

My new book is available in digital and paperback versions. It’s all about living and loving in the beast that is NYC. I wrote it while I was between jobs last year, and edited it in my free time. Very pleased with how it turned out, and with the response I’ve gotten so far.

For more info and to purchase, click here: New York Story

Update: Blog Giveaway: 2 Admirals Club Passes

August 10, 2013 by Harlan Leave A Comment

Sooo I should’ve totally kept my word and done this when I said I would.

Without further adieu, I’ve selected Manda to receive the two Admirals Club passes.

Manda said:

I would use it on a trip home to see my folks!

Congrats, Manda, and I hope you get these in time to go see your folks. 🙂

I’ve sent an email and will move on to the next winner in case it’s too late or there’s no reply.

Thank you to all who entered.

Blog Giveaway: 2 Admirals Club Passes

July 4, 2013 by Harlan 4 Comments

I got these passes as part of the signup bonus for the Citibank AAdvantage Select American Express card, and I’d like to give them to a reader.

2 Admirals Club Passes

To enter:

01. Leave a comment on this post telling me when you’d use the passes.

02. Follow me on Twitter, then retweet THIS status: https://twitter.com/harlanvaughn/status/352995490054406144

I’ll randomly pick a winner on Thursday, July 11th at 11:59pm. Residents of US and Canada only. You must be over 18 and have same-day ticketed travel on American Airlines to use the passes.

A big thanks to all my readers and supporters so far! This blog is a bit new, so I want you to know I truly appreciate all of you!

First upgrades on American as a Platinum

July 4, 2013 by Harlan 1 Comment

I took two flights on American last week as part of my courier work: IND-ORD and ORD-LGA.

It was booked into K class, which doesn’t earn complimentary upgrades. I arrived at IND a little early and asked to get on the next flight. The agent re-booked me into Y class (as a full fare) for the entire trip back and took four upgrade “stickers” out of my AAdvantage account.

Whatever about the stickers. I knew she was wrong, but loved being re-booked into a higher fare bucket.

Then when I got to ORD, I was actually supposed to fly back to EWR, which I despise. I noticed a shit ton of flights headed for LGA and asked if I could do to SDC onto the next LGA flight. The agent rebooked me (staying in the Y fare bucket), and my upgrade cleared instantly. I flew first class on both segments with instant upgrades both times. Easy peezy (and to LGA).

I knew they should’ve used three upgrade stickers instead of four. I called the Platinum desk, they answered on the first ring, and gave me back two certs instead of just one – for the trouble – although flying in first was really no trouble at all. I took the certs and enjoyed the upgrades.

All-in-all, loving American’s service. They seem more willing to do more “behind the scenes” stuff for higher tiers than Delta will, and with no cost. Delta is all about the nickeling and dime-ing these days.

Content to stay with American.

Although, I must say, Delta makes it so freaking easy to earn MQMs with credit card spend. Especially with the newest offer to get 20K MQMS with the Platinum Biz card. Damn, that’s nearly Silver right there. But oh well, can’t win ’em all, right? At least American lets you qualify on points instead of just miles – which might end up being my saving grace if LAN keeps pumping out these cheap deals to South America.

$55 Dollar Cologne for $20 (Staples Continued)

July 4, 2013 by Harlan 1 Comment

Yeah! It really happened! It amused me.

My Staples drama has been well-documented. But then, a funny thing happened. I got 5% cash-back rewards from my $500 free after rebate purchase.

$25 – for free!

Staples gave me $25 to play with – for free!

So what did I do? Bought a $50 e-gift card to Sephora, right on Staples.com. The card came in my email pretty quickly. The cologne I wanted was $55, but this certificate brought that down, right away, to $30. A pretty nice discount.

Sephora gift card on Staples.com

So about that other $10 off? I clicked through 2 portals: the AAdvantage portal to buy the gift card from Staples, and the Ultimate Rewards portal to buy the cologne from Sephora.

Staples: $50 x 2 points/dollar = 100 points (worth $2)

Sephora: $55 x 8 points/dollar = 440 points (worth $8)

The points posted, and the cologne shipped free. It smelled all the better knowing I’d gotten it for a smooth $20. Can’t beat that with a stick.

Moral of the story: always hop on that free-after-rebate stuff from Staples. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. Pretty awesome stuff.

Platinum on American…

June 5, 2013 by Harlan Leave A Comment

…with only one trip this year!

After Chile and booking the Xmas trip

American was kind enough to let me complete a status challenge. To achieve Platinum, I had to accrue 10,000 points in the three months following May 16th (my start date). Well, on May 18th, I headed down to Chile and was Platinum by the time I arrived in Easter Island.

Now that I’m back, I have a nice amount of activity in my AAdvantage account:

The Easter Island trip netted me 15,088 EQMs, 22,634 EQ points, 4 upgrade “stickers”, and a lot of redeemable miles. Beyond that though, it really makes me want to hit 50K miles on American this year to keep the status. And this, combined with Delta’s move toward a revenue-based system and other assorted asshat-ery makes me want to stick withAmerican from here on out. I’m also highly unimpressed with Amex, Delta’s credit card partner, as has been noted often.

I also really liked redeeming 81K miles (90K – 10% back) for business class MEL-AUH on Etihad yesterday. I dunno. I’m warming up to it. My only regret is not buying another $900 ticket to Chile while I had the chance…

I have my first revenue flight on American in August to Anchorage (and maybe sooner!) and am really curious to see the Platinum benefits in action. Already, I’ve experienced better phone service. To book the award last night, I got a great agent after only one ring.

Yes, I think I’m going to kick damn Delta to the curb. Two final thoughts:

The little things.
Devil’s in the details.

🙂

Just booked: JFK-LAX-NAN-AKL-SYD-MEL-AUH-CAI-JFK

June 4, 2013 by Harlan 7 Comments

And I’m super freaking excited about it.

So the title is a bit of a fib: I have a flight alert and fare tracker set for LAX-NAN and will buy it if I have to, and I haven’t gotten the initial JFK-LAX but am not really so worried about it.

This is what the trip will look like:

25,000 miles and all around the world

So far, I’ve used 132K miles per person and gotten over 6 cents of value out of each one. This trip would be nearly $17,000 if bought at retail price.

It’ll be from Dec 24th, 2013 to January 7th, 2014. It includes Christmas in Fiji, New Years in Sydney, stopovers in New Zealand and Melbourne, and a quick trip to see the pyramids on the Gaza strip in Cairo.

So how’d I book it? Segment by segment, and with a combination of AAdvantage, MileagePlus, and Avios miles.

The breakdown (notice there’s no Delta!):

JFK-LAX: will most likely use AAdvantage miles when I earn a few more, or maybe MileagePlus if necessary

LAX-NAN: would like to use AAdvantage miles for this. Might have to purchase it, and it would be the only leg I’d have to buy. However, it’s only $750 right now and would net me a nice amount of miles as I’m Platinum on American and the flight is on Air Pacific. Still, I’m holding out for award space.

NAN-AKL: 17,500 x 2 (so 35,000) MileagePlus miles on Air New Zealand

AKL-SYD: 9,000 AAdvantage miles for one and 10,000 Avios for the other – both on Qantas

SYD-MEL: 4,500 x 2 (so 9,000) Avios on Qantas, baby. Wonderful redemption rate!

MEL-AUH: 45,000 x 2 (so 90,000) AAdvantage miles for Etihad business class to Abu Dhabi

AUH-CAI-JFK: 60,000 x 2 (so 120,000) MileagePlus miles transferred in from Ultimate Rewards. Includes a 17-hour stopover in Cairo, then back to NYC in business class on Egyptair.

All-in-all, a very good award IMHO. 5 new countries, four new airlines, and two new business class products (I didn’t feel the need to book the short hauls in business) – not to mention an amazing life experience! This is exactly why I’m so crazy about collecting points and miles: I can go on awesome trips like this and actually 1) afford them and 2) travel in style. And the best part is that, with a little strategic planning, you can really maximize what you get for free.

As a litmus test, I went and found the exact flights over on Kayak and priced out how much the itinerary I booked would cost on the retail market. Here’s what I found:

When I factor in the two remaining legs to book, I estimate this itinerary will be over $17,000. Cray!

Here’s where I was able to extract even MORE value out of this booking aside from the goal value of 2 cents per mile:

Having the Citi AAdvantage Select card gives me 10% of redeemed miles back per year, up to 10,000 miles. I just redeemed 100K miles and will get 10K back – making my cost here only 90K miles. I value 10,000 AAdvantage miles at roughly $200, so it’s totally worth paying the annual fee of $95 to get those miles back.

The Barclaycard Arrival came with a $440 signup bonus, which I will redeem for the taxes, booking fees, and fuel surcharges. This means that there was literally ZERO out-of-pocket expense in booking these awards. Amazing.

My partner has a Chase United Explorer card which gave us access to Saver awards even when the site told us none were available. That’s huge.

I just need to add that this booking really shows the value of Avios. I know the program gets knocked quite a bit, but I was able to get some great value out of it. I also am factoring in the flight times into the equation. I had the pick of literally dozens of flights – all for free. Having all those choices is something I really loved.

Lastly, thinking of this award booking as one project instead of individual segments really helped me justify the “not amazing” redemption values of some segments. The first on Air New Zealand, for example, only got 3 cents of value per mile. However, on the Etihad segment, I got over 13 cents of value for each mile. That is a huge WOW. By thinking of it this way, the average value of all my miles really came into focus.

Very much looking forward to the flights, trip reports, and of course all the amazing new places. I’ve always wanted to visit Australia, and my heart is bursting with excitement and gratitude at being able to actually do this. More soon as always.

The Kaspresky/Staples Drama is OVER: Got my miles (finally)!

June 4, 2013 by Harlan 1 Comment

Last update to the torrid drama of the free 1500 AAdvantage miles from the free-after-rebate software purchase from Staples that originated back in March. When last we heard, I’d received the checks but not the miles. Welp, I am happy to report I’ve finally received all 1500 miles.

…but not without a lot of followup! I value 1500 miles at around $30, but hot damn did I have to work (and wait!) for it.

I sent an email to the Cartera people on April 26th. They were great with the followup and sent me emails on May 11th, 20th, and 31st. The last one was to say the miles had posted. I checked my account and there they were. Yay!

I also found something else that sparked my interest. I now have $25 in Staples rewards that I can spend after the June statement closes. I’m wondering if I have purchase an e-gift card, then use it after clicking through a portal to generate even more FREE miles. That would be simply awesome. So while the Staples saga is over (this one, anyway), the quest for points and miles soldiers on.

MasterCard: World Vs World Elite Benefits

May 12, 2013 by Harlan 15 Comments

Also see:

Taking another look at MasterCard World Elite Benefits

When I received my Barclaycard Arrival approval email today, something in the wording caught my attention. I’d been approved for a “World” MasterCard.

What’s “World”?

Then I flashed back to when I received my new Ink Plus card in the mail. I remembered flipping that beautiful baby over and seeing this:

What’s “World Elite”?

Google searches didn’t really yield anything concrete. I did, however, end up on the MasterCard page and they lay out the benefits really nicely. Here’s what I’ve surmised:

World benefits are pretty limited. It’s like they’re competing with Visa Signature. I’m literally going to copy & paste:

CONCIERGE SERVICES

Enjoy exclusive, personal assistance with dinner reservations, event tickets,  locating hard-to-find items, buying and delivering gifts, and coordinating business related arrangements. Knowledgeable experts can assist with whatever you need, whenever you need it – 24 x 7 x 365. This takes “Concierge Service” to the next level with robust, personalized features that will save you time and simplify your day.

PRICE PROTECTION

Should you find a lower price for a new item using your eligible MasterCard card, you may be reimbursed for the price difference. For more information about the coverage you may be eligible to receive,  call 1-800-MC-ASSIST (800-622-7747). To file a claim on-line, go to www.mycardbenefits.com.

MASTERCARD GLOBAL SERVICE

Get emergency assistance virtually anytime, anywhere and in any language. MasterCard Global Service helps you with reporting a Lost or Stolen Card, obtaining an Emergency Card Replacement or Cash Advance, finding an ATM location, and answering questions on your account.

MASTERCARD AIRPORT CONCIERGE™

Arrange for a personal, dedicated Meet and Greet agent to escort you through the airport on departure, arrival or any connecting flights, 24/7/365 at over 450 destinations worldwide.

WORLD HOTELS & RESORTS PROGRAM

Make your next travel experience truly priceless. Access our portfolio of some of the finest hotels and resorts the world has to offer – all presenting you with an exceptional lodging experience. Enjoy complimentary room upgrades, early check-in and late check-out privileges, exclusive World MasterCard amenities, and more.

For comparison, here are the Visa Signature benefits:

Cardholder Inquiry Service
Emergency Card Replacement and Emergency Cash Disbursement
Lost/Stolen Card Reporting
No Pre-Set Spending Limit
Purchase Security
Warranty Manager Service
Year-End Summary Statements
Zero Liability
Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver
Lost Luggage Reimbursement
Roadside Dispatch
Travel Accident Insurance
Travel and Emergency Assistance Services

Now on to the good stuff. I was sort of shocked (in a good way) when I saw the full list of World Elite benefits. They blow both World and Visa Signature out da water!

It includes all the benefits listed for “World” above + a TON more and is obviously the winner.

The basics

The one that immediately caught my attention was Priceless New York.

It grants access to lots of cool things going on in town like concert VIP packages, culinary experiences, shopping deals, and discounts on services.

I signed up for the email list and will be sure to report if I ever end up using it. Cool idea! I’d love to use it, being based in NYC and all.

But then, I started digging a little deeper and found a lot of other info. What caught my attention the most was the “Air” section of the Travel Benefits page, particularly the offerings on a diverse range of carriers like Swiss, Austrian, Etihad, Lufthansa, LAN, and Virgin Atlantic.

Interesting…

Some of the “upgrades” specifically say you need to’ve purchased a full-fare ticket, which can oftentimes be as much, or more than, business class to begin with. But LAN’s, for example, just says you can upgrade “from an eligible coach ticket.” What’s an eligible coach ticket, LAN? I’m assuming they mean a full-fare ticket, but I would definitely be interested in learning more.

Aer Lingus is very clear about their policy

LAN is super wishy-washy

Other benefits from a World Elite card include:

$1000 off a first class ticket on Etihad
50% off a biz class companion ticket on Etihad
20%-30% off biz class tickets on LAN
“Special savings” on Virgin Atlantic
Upgrades on these carriers: Aer Lingus, Austrian, Etihad, LAN, Lufhansa, SAS, and Swiss

Pretty awesome!

They also have quite an extensive list of tours, cruises, rental cars, private offers from companies like NorthShore Advisory (consultants), and hotels. I arbitrarily picked New Orleans from the hotel list and turned up a few good options:

World Elite benefits in NOLA

All the options include upgrade, late check-out, and daily breakfast for two. Also, a “guaranteed best rate”. Maybe I’ll test their pricing for an upcoming trip…

All-in-all, I was pretty blown away to find out my new Ink Plus gave me all these benefits. I’ve never read about these totally legit, published benefits on any other blog before – sorry if this is old news!

I probably won’t be booking a private jet or chauffeured car any time soon, but for rental cars, air tickets, and hotels, this could turn out to be a real hidden gem.

AAdvantage Miles and Thoughts on American

May 5, 2013 by Harlan Leave A Comment

So I am love love loving the AAdvantage program the more I get into it. I recently discovered that American has what’s called an “Explorer Award” – an award that permits one to make 16 stops in a RTW ticket for 150,000 AAdvantage miles.

That would be a great reason to take a few months off of work to just travel. It’s pie in the sky for me at this point, but considering my balance is about half of what’s needed, I still have some time to think about it. I do, however, think it’s a tremendous value, and a way to see many cities for dirt cheap and save a lot of miles doing it.

So far, I have about 77,000 AAdvantage miles. So I’d need 73,000 more. That sounds like a lot, but it’s totally do-able. The motivation is definitely there.

Orrr, I could make an award booking, like a weekend in Vancouver on Cathay Pacific, or maybe pop over to Europe for a long weekend this summer. But nothing beats the intoxicating thought of traveling all the way around the world.

I’d wanna hit Prague, Vienna, Tokyo, Sydney, Auckland, Cape Town, Buenos Aires, Santiago, and some great Canadian city before slithering back to New York. My heart explodes just thinking about it.

The other thing is that this, along with my upcoming trips to Easter Island and Alaska on American, have got me really considering switching my loyalty over. I just dread what the US Airways merger is going to bring. But in another way altogether, I’m genuinely curious, too. American also just released some awesome elite rewards, so more than ever, I’m considering challenging for Platinum status.

Delta continues to spiral down while American seems interested in being a better airline. Sure, they both have their pitfalls. American can be stingy with upgrades for lower elites, but on Delta they’re pretty much impossible. There’s the issue of American’s tiny regional jets out of NYC. But their miles are a hell of lot easier to redeem. Harder to earn, true, but the fact that Delta partners with Amex really bugs me because Amex is a stingy, bitchy little company (more on that later).

Anyway, thinking of all these wonderful options, including an award redemption Delta could never touch, makes me think about what I want for myself in the future. I did slash do like Delta, but I can feel myself starting to sing a new tune. After my upcoming trips, there will be a few really fierce trip reports… then more comparisons. The only wild card here in US freaking Airways. I said it one and I’ll say it again: I Hope US Airways Doesn’t Ruin American’s Culture.

Queer and There

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