Happy Hour Tonight – Join Us at the Frequent Flyer Meetup in Dallas!

by Harlan Leave A Comment

a group of people standing in a room

Hey-o, I’m back from an amazing trip to Tokyo. And man, jet lag is no joke!

I can’t wait to write about the hotels, flights, and wanderings. In the meantime, follow me on Instagram to see the city covered in pink and white cherry blossoms – or let’s talk about it tonight at the next Out for Miles frequent flyer meetup!

dallas frequent flyer meetup

Take a break from Monday-ing and have a drink with us

There’s a great group of folks chatting about points & miles, trips, and credit cards tonight at Blue Mesa in Addison, TX. We’ll be there at 6pm – just in time to make the end of happy hour!

Out for Miles frequent flyer meetup

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Updated: What’s FoundersCard Membership Worth in 2018?

by Harlan 21 Comments

a screenshot of a website

Update 2/1/19: Check out my updated review for 2019 here!

I wrote my first post about FoundersCard 4 years ago (!). And have been a member ever since.

I renew my membership every year to get discounts and many of the same ancillary benefits offered on co-branded credit cards. So it’s high time for an update about what FoundersCard gets you in 2018.

founderscard review 2018

A lot has changed but many perks have stuck around

If anything, it’s gotten better. Though benefits have shifted, it’s still worthwhile if you can make the most of a few good deals.

What’s FoundersCard about?

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Recap: Out and Out’s 9 Best Posts of March 2018 💯

by Harlan 2 Comments

a map of the united states with a plane and a map of the eiffel tower

Wow – March 2018 was the best month ever here at Out and Out. Your likes, comments, clicks and views are definitely noticed. Thank you.

The blog got over 54,000 page views, from readers in every US state. That’s not as much as the “big travel blogs” but it means everything to me.

out and out march 2018

Thank you, Cali! 🌴

The top 5 states this month were California, New York, my home state of Texas, Illinois, and Florida – as is usual for the blog. Feeling the Cali love!

April is a big month full of travel – I’ll be out of town most of the month, in Tokyo, San Francisco, and Portland. I won’t be able to blog quite as much. But follow me on Instagram, which I use as a mini travel diary, to be a part of the action.

Here’s what resonated in March 2018.

Best posts March 2018

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5 Ways to Practice Self-Care at Conferences

by Harlan 5 Comments

a large screen with text on it

Once or twice a year, I make it to another city for a conference, like Frequent Traveler University (FTU) or FinCon. (I actually plan on attending FinCon 2018 in Orlando this September!)

I’ve seen lots of articles on how to get more out of conferences. The gist is: talk to everyone, go to social events, get involved, show up early, even go for a run to keep energy levels up.

That all sounds great. It also sounds freaking exhausting.

conference self care

Industry conferences come with amazing opportunities. But you need self-care along the way

There’s a point during every conference where my energy dips, I’m thirsty and/or starving, and talking to more people sounds awful because my voice is shot.

Here’s how I plan to prepare for my next conference: get more out of it by bringing self-care with me.

Take care of yourself first

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Hotel Review: Hyatt Place Colorado Springs – Garden of the Gods

by Harlan 5 Comments

a sun shining through clouds over a city

Also see: 

If you’ve never been to Colorado Springs, a little over an hour south of Denver, you’re missing craft breweries and the city’s centerpiece – the gorgeous Garden of the Gods.

hyatt garden of the gods

Garden of the Gods took my breath away

I stopped here during my road trip to Denver. And chose the Hyatt Place Garden of the Gods as our stopover hotel. Here’s how it went!

Hyatt Garden of the Gods Review

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7 Easy Tricks to Use 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points for Cheap Travel

by Harlan 9 Comments

a row of chairs on a beach next to a body of water

Right now, a few Chase cards have sign-up bonuses with 50,000 Chase Ultimate Ultimate Rewards points or more. These are by far my favorite kind of points. And the ones I focus on collecting above all others.

use chase rewards

I’ve used Chase points to spend time in Austin via British Airways, Hyatt, and Southwest

Here’s more about each card, as they all have different fees and earning rates. And ideas for how to spend those bonus points!

3 Great Chase Offers

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Turn Your Credit Card Into a Debit Card (And Earn Rewards!) With This Website and App

by Harlan 12 Comments

a hand holding a phone

Debitize has been on my radar for a long time. It’s a website (and iOS app) where you plug in your credit card and bank account information. As you make purchases on your credit card, money is moved automatically every time you swipe – as if you were using your debit card.

For peeps who have trouble with the idea of managing credit, or afraid to overspend, you can still see money leaving your account every time you use your card. And Debitize will pay your card off in full each month.

debitize review

Debitize lets you earn credit card rewards with a debit card mentality

In essence, you can treat your credit card like a debit card. But the big plus is, you can still rack up valuable credit card rewards!

Here’s more about the service.

What’s Debitize?

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Bottom of the Barrel: Have I Gotten All the Points & Miles Cards I Possibly Can?

by Harlan 18 Comments

a rooftops of a city

I wanna type out loud for a sec to assess which card offers I can still earn. Before I begin, I know there aren’t many.After all, I currently have about 30 cards and have rotated through many others since I started the points & miles game in 2012 (and heavily in 2013).

which cards are left

My first award trip was to Hawaii in 2013, with Delta miles and Hilton points

So what’s left for me? I know it’s not much.

Let’s take a deep dive.

Which cards are left that I can even get?

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3 Excellent Amex Small Business Card Welcome Offers – Which Is Best for You?

by Harlan 4 Comments

a man in a suit and tie

Update: The Starwood small business Amex 35,000 point offer expired as of 3/28/18. It is NO LONGER available. 

Amex is bringing it with their small business cards. There are notable welcome offer increases on a few of them right now.

And they are definitely NOT created equal.

amex business card offers

#spgamex is gonna go the way of the #dodo

Here’s what to consider about each one.

Big welcome offers on Amex small business cards

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IHG Elite Members: Get a Free Kindle Book This Week – and Another One Next Week

by Harlan Leave A Comment

a screenshot of a book

Quick update about free Kindle books because:

  • They’re free
  • I noticed you can actually get full-length books now instead of just “singles”

You can get a free eBook just for being an IHG member (so anyone can get a free one). Redeem it through the IHG app!

free kindle book

How bow dah?

Even better, you can get free books each quarter if you have elite status with IHG. (The number of books you can get depends on your status tier.)

You can get a free book this week. And another one next week on Sunday, April 1st – because it’ll be a new quarter! 🙂

Free Kindle book deal from IHG

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Electric Tokyo: A $15,000 Week in Japan for $58 (With Business Class Flights and Free Hotels!)

by Harlan 27 Comments

a group of trees with a couple people walking in the park

Oh my purness, I cannot wait to get back to Japan right meow. 😻

I’ll be back in early April – just in time to catch the end of cherry blossom season (!) according to the forecast.

I went during the same time 2 years ago and fell completely in love with Tokyo (and Osaka). But this trip will be a whole week in Tokyo.

I’ll fly there and back in American Airlines Business Class, Dallas nonstop to Tokyo. (I reviewed the First Class cabin last time).

I’ll be at the Hilton Tokyo again for 3 nights (here’s my review). And at the ANA InterContinental Tokyo for 4. Was hoping to stay at the Conrad Tokyo for at least 2 nights. But demand was too crazy, obvi.

tokyo with points 2018

I also used 54,000 American miles, 50,000 Alaska miles, 180,000 Hilton points, and 200,000 IHG points

Still, I paid ~$58 out-of-pocket for a trip that retails for nearly $15,000. My only expenses when I get there will be train fares, food food food, and admission to art museums.

Here’s how I booked it!

To Tokyo with points, 2018 edition

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