Review: Sala VIP Miro Lounge @ BCN Terminal 1

by Harlan 2 Comments

a room with chairs and a railing

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“Yo, dude, Harlan. Haven’t you been back from Barcelona for like, 2 months? When you gonna wrap up the Barcelona posts?”

“I knowww. This is it. Last one, I promise!”

But for real. As I get ready to head to Tokyo, I figured I should finally put the lid on the Barcelona series. For now at least. :p

Before flying back to New York in American Airlines Business Class, I made sure to put my Priority Pass (that came with my Citi Prestige card) to good use by making a visit to the Sala VIP Miro lounge @ BCN.

Sala VIP Miro lounge

Sala VIP Miro lounge

I was able to access it with a guest for free. I added this visit to the Citi Prestige by the Numbers page.

The Sala VIP Miro lounge

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My Last Chase Card: Just Applied for Chase Freedom Unlimited

by Harlan 19 Comments

a close-up of a credit card

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UPDATE 3/31: I was denied. 🙁

Chase will soon (in April 2016) extend their restrictive 5/24 rule to all their card offerings, including co-branded and small business credit cards. And presumably to the new Chase Freedom Unlimited card when it launches online.

The 5/24 rule means if you’ve opened 5+ cards within the previous 24 months, you’ll be instantly denied for a new Chase card. I’m suddenly no longer their target market.

It’s the last week of March, which means this is my last crack at opening up that Chase Marriott Premier card or a Chase Ink Cash, for example.

Instead, I went with the Chase Freedom Unlimited, which will be available for online applications on April 7th, 2016.

However, you can apply in-branch or over the phone right now. (Or at the bottom of this page.)

So today, I strolled over to the Chase bank 2 blocks away on my lunch break (I still haven’t grocery shopped since getting back from Vipassana) and applied in-person for the new Chase Freedom Unlimited.

I love how the acronym for this card is, endearingly, FU.

Why I applied for the Chase Freedom Unlimited (FU)

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Vipassana Part 1: Getting There and About the Course

by Harlan 15 Comments

a wheel painted on a green marble surface

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Last week, I completed my first 10-day Vipassana course at the Southwest Vipassana Meditation Center in Kaufman, Texas.

Now I’m back in New York and beginning to process the whole experience.

The Wheel of Dhamma

The Wheel of Dhamma

There were so many intangible things. It’s nearly impossible to describe the tactile and transformative qualities. After speaking with a few others about the impacts, I’m realizing how radically different everyone reacts to a course like this.

So I’ll outline my experience. Yours might be similar in some ways, but totally opposite in other ways.

I’ll start with some background and info about Vipassana and the Center I attended. Then, in a second post, talk about the coursework.

And also like, wow.

What’s Vipassana?

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Why I Bought a Car With Credit Cards

by Harlan 14 Comments

a silver car parked on a concrete surface

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I’m targeting late April/early May to be out of NYC and in Dallas full-time.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted a silver Subaru Forester. Buying a house and moving to Dallas meant I’d need to buy a car sooner or later.

The budget I had in mind was $6,000 for everything. Tax, title, registration, base price of the vehicle, everything.

I knew car prices tend to rise as it gets warmer, so when I found a great deal on the car I wanted in late February, I went ahead and snagged it.

My new cahhh

My new cahhh. I named him Clyde

Oh! And I wanted to pay for it in full. No financing.

Just an in-shape, reliable used car whose only expenses were maintenance, insurance, and gas. Boom.

Buying a car with credit cards

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Review: Bluff Works Travel Pants for Men

by Harlan 19 Comments

a pair of pants and a camera

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Update 3/7/16: Bluff Works has generously offered a $10 discount to Out and Out readers! Use promo code PROBLUFFOUT when you check out. It’s valid until April 15th, 2016. 

Out and Out was recently in Barcelona. For the trip, 2 very different companies set up collaborations.

The first was Coco Luxe (coconut oil on-the-go, which is one of my travel must-haves).

The other was a company that makes another kind of on-the-go products. And with it came the chance to try new pants!

About Bluff Works

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10 (More) Cool Things To Do in Barcelona

by Harlan 10 Comments

people walking on a beach with palm trees and people walking

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Out and Out is excited to present a guest post!

Travels of Adam is written by Adam, who writes about travel with an emphasis on the LGBT community.

Adam got in touch after my post about fun things to do in Barcelona went up. He’s traveled there more extensively, so I thought it would be fun to share his Barcelona tips with you guys.

It’s awesome to have another voice on here! And if you’re a blogger or writer, or have a cool story to share, get in touch because I’d love to share more guest posts!

Without further delay, I’ll let Adam whisk you away to Barcelona.

10 Cool Things To Do in Barcelona by Travels of Adam

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Next Week: Heading to Vipassana to Meditate for Ten Days

by Harlan 6 Comments

a yellow wheel with blue text

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Tomorrow, I’m heading down to Dallas again. I’ll work from there for a few days, and then head to Kaufman, Texas, to begin an experience unlike any I’ve ever had.

I signed up for a Vipassana 10-day meditation session.

During that time, there will be no phone, no internet, no computer, no texting or FaceTime or checking the news. And no talking. Days begin at 4am and run through 9pm. The focus is each day is… nothing.

To think of nothing.

2016-03-05_11-01-20I am excited and terrified. But so looking forward to it.

About Vipassana

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I Got the SPG AMEX with 35,000 SPG Points – Here’s Why

by Harlan 9 Comments

a close-up of a credit card

Update: One or more card offers below are NO LONGER AVAILABLE. Please check here for the latest deals!

Yep, I caved. Because I figured now or never.

I wrote about how I didn’t care about SPG points. But I also used to love Club Carlson. And cozied up to Hyatt.

I also used to be “meh” about Hilton, but I’m enjoying being Hilton Diamond this year.

So, things change. And if anything’s changing, it’s definitely the loyalty industry. And it is an industry.

Why now?

I navigated over to the application page, and looked at it for a little while. (How’s that for an image?)

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Hook, line, and sinker

And then, I thought, well, 40,000 Starpoints is worth at least 50,000 Alaska Airlines or American Airlines miles.

It’s true. You get 5,000 bonus miles for every 20,000 Starpoints you transfer (if the airline has a 1:1 transfer ratio with SPG).

I figured I’ll have at least 40,000 Starpoints after meeting the minimum spending requirements. Plus, I have to pay taxes this year and, fortunately or unfortunately (depending on how you look at it), I can complete it in one go.

That’s worth it for 50,000 Alaska Airlines miles.

Although, Cash & Points is looking mad attractive the more I dig into it.

Plus, you get the 5th night free on award stays at Category 3 and up hotels.

Nights & Flights looks pretty interesting, too.

Suffice it to say: there are a lot of ways to start using 40,000 Starwood points.

Getting the SPG AMEX

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In Closing: My Experience Buying a House

by Harlan 20 Comments

a room with a wood floor and double doors

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Back in November, I wrote about wanting to close on a house in Dallas. I did, in fact, close on a house in Dallas right on schedule, on December 15th, 2015.

The new living room where I'll (hopefully!) be banging out new Out and Out posts!

My new living room!

That was almost 3 months ago, but it’s taken me this long to write about it.

A friend of mine said it best. We had lunch when she was scheduled to close on a house a few days later.

“OMG!” I exclaimed. “Are you like, so excited to be closing ?”

“Not really, actually. I’m just sort of… ready for the process to be over.”

I didn’t think much of it at the time because I still was excited to be moving toward a closing.

That is, until I got there.

Hurry up and wait

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It’s Back! 75,000 Hilton Points for Citi Hilton Visa With No Annual Fee

by Harlan 4 Comments

a person looking up at a sign

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If you want to boost your Hilton points balance, you can earn 75,000 Hilton points when you get the Citi Hilton Visa. The minimum spend is $2,000 on purchases within the 1st 3 months of account opening.

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75,000 Hilton points for a no annual fee card is a pretty good deal

If I didn’t already have this card, I’d sign up for it. I caved after being seriously tempted the last time this offer popped up because:

  • 75,000 Hilton points is nearly enough for 2 five-night award stays at Hilton Category 2 properties
  • The card comes with automatic Hilton Silver elite status
  • You’ll get the 5th night free on all award stays
  • The card has no annual fee
  • It helps to build a positive relationship with Citi, who you’ll note is NOT AMEX or Chase
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Drugstores, eh?

You’ll earn 6X points on your Hilton stays, which is awesome. (Just don’t use it outside the US, because there’s a foreign transaction fee!)

But this is one of the few cards that still earns bonus points at drugstores.

You’ll earn 3X points at supermarkets, drugstores, and gas stations. And 2X points everywhere else.

Is a Hilton card better than a 2% cash back card at drugstores?

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TripBAM Monitors Your Paid Hotel Rates & Alerts You If the Price Drops

by Harlan 9 Comments

a screenshot of a hotel

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Ever since I got my Citi Prestige card, I’m finding I have a lot more paid hotel stays. Which means:

  • It’ll be easier to earn and maintain hotel elite status (at Hilton)
  • I want to get the best possible price on every day

For my upcoming trip to Japan, the hotel rates were pretty high because of cherry blossom season. I booked anyway in hopes the prices would drop. But I didn’t know how to track it except to check manually on the hotel site every day, which sucks because it’s time-consuming.

Enter TripBAM

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Yup, FoundersCard Still Offers Caesars Total Rewards Diamond Status Through 2017

by Harlan 25 Comments

a close up of a card

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The title says it all.

I’ve written about FoundersCard a lot over the years. Some peeps think it’s phooey, others love it. I’m in the latter camp.

The selection of ancillary benefits reads like a round-up of the best of the best from co-branded cards (free TripIt Pro, Hilton Gold elite status, Cathay Pacific Silver elite status, 10% off British Airways flights).

The one benefit I’m consistently asked about is Total Rewards Diamond elite status.

It still works

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