Booking Barcelona: A Hilton Points Dilemma

by Harlan 26 Comments

a room with a large ceiling and chairs

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It’s been a minute, but remember when I was tempted by the 75,000 Hilton points signup bonus on the Citi Hilton Visa? And then I went ahead and got it anyway?

OK, flash forward to now. I have the 75,000 Hilton points, and just booked a trip to Barcelona in January.

Those are all great things, so what’s the dilemma?

To Points & Money, or just money?

This is how life has been lately: I think one thing sounds good, then turn it over in my mind and convince myself of its opposite. Then repeat, like an annoying little hamster wheel of indecision.

Why stop now?

Here are my conflicting ideas.

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The setup

Within the image above are the raw materials for a room at the Hilton Barcelona in January. The options are:

  • The room rate at $150 a night, prepaid (AKA $935 for 6 nights after taxes)
  • 30,000 Hilton points a night (AKA 150,000 Hilton points for 6 nights with 5th night free)
  • 12,000 Hilton points + $50 a night (AKA 72,000 Hilton points + $310 for 6 nights)

Pros and cons

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Booking Barcelona: $747 Round-trip in AA Business Class

by Harlan 24 Comments

a colorful tiled rooftops of Park Güell

Like many peeps, I got in on the fantastic British Airways business class fares to Europe.

There were so many ways to stack that it was hard not to.

And, without a trip planned, I was starting to feel weird.

October is the time of year you have to be on alert for a really good deal. And you have to be ready to jump. I knew this one would be fast-moving, and man, it was.

Here’s how my flight plans came together.

1. Messed around with fares

These fares were not kidding around. I casually typed in JFK to BCN not expecting to find much. But wow. The prices were incredible.

Exhibit A

Exhibit A

JFK-BCN was pricing out at $436 round-trip in business class!

Exhibit B

Exhibit B

Literally every date I tried was turning out fares for ~$450, after the AARP and Avios discounts. Just insane.

Your pick of routes, airlines, and connections, too.

2. Gathered Avios/AMEX EFFED ME

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Tips to Get Started With Aspiration Summit Bank Accounts

by Harlan 39 Comments

a person holding a credit card

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My new favorite banking product has, over the last month, become the Aspiration Summit account.

aspiration summit account

Even the debit card is cool looking

But, getting started wasn’t exactly a cakewalk. So here are a few tips that’ll help you, should you decide to open this account for yourself.

What’s an Aspiration Summit Account?

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How to Use Mint.com to Track Your Minimum Spending Requirements

by Harlan 2 Comments

a hand pressing a button

Thought this might be useful for peeps who need to meet minimum spending requirements AKA all of us.

This requires you to have:

My daily jam

My daily jam

Then, you can use simple tools on the website to show you clearly how much you’ve spent on a certain card, to the cent, including pending transactions.

What’s Mint.com?

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Easily Save Money With Paribus and Giving Assistant

by Harlan 5 Comments

a screenshot of a social media account

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I’ve been shopping at Amazon.com a lot recently (for things like rose petal water), and have gotten a few bucks back here and there.

I liken it to seeing a buck on the ground. It’s not a lot, but you’re definitely gonna pick it up, right?

It’s kinda like that.

Were going into Q4 on Thursday, October 1st, which is a big day for Amazon shoppers and means:

  • 5X Chase Ultimate Rewards points on the Chase Freedom + 5% cash back 
  • 15% cash back possible with Discover It

There are 2 services that’ll boost your Amazon shopping experience and maybe give you a few bucks back.

Paribus

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Earn Triple Miles With Barclays Aviator Cards (Targeted Offer, Just OK)

by Harlan 13 Comments

a card with text and images on it

I got a targeted email offer today on my Barclaycard AAdvantage® Aviator™ Red World Elite Mastercard®. It’s not earth-shattering or anything but thought I’d share because it does require registration.

The email subject is “Finish the year strong and earn bonus rewards.”

Triple miles in some pretty good categories

Triple miles in some pretty good categories

It’s worth registering for if you’re targeted.

Deets

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One Week Left: Get 75,000 Points and No Annual Fee With Citi Hilton Visa

by Harlan Leave A Comment

a group of people walking on the beach

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I chronicled my interest, growing fascination, and ultimate cave-in about the Citi Hilton Visa.

I’ve had the card for a sec now, and really like it. I wrote about the importance of having a no annual fee credit card, and this one might be a really good one to have.

About the Citi Hilton Visa

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Chase Ink Plus Vs. Ink Cash: What Are the Differences?

by Harlan 9 Comments

Update: The Chase Ink Plus card is no longer available. Check here for the most current card offers. 

I haven’t written about the Chase Ink cards very much, but I’ve been thinking about picking up a Chase Ink Cash lately. I already have a Chase Ink Plus. It’s possible to get both because they’re technically different card products.

They have a lot in common. But there are a few differences that make or break the value you’ll get from them.

Biggest similarities

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Must Haves of Travel: Rose Petal Water

by Harlan 4 Comments

a hand holding a bottle of rose water

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I know, I know. There are a lot of “must-haves” now. So much to keep track of.

I have to get super judicious about these.

Side note: the new Jewel album is SO GOOD. It’s called “Picking Up the Pieces” and it’s a throwback to 1995.  It’s supposed to feel like it came right after “Pieces of You” (hence the similarity in the titles).

HER VOICE. Sounds so good. Some of it’s a little emo and histrionic, and has me in kind of a mood. But the songs are gorgeous. Please listen to it!

As another aside, there’s a last.fm plugin in the right-hand sidebar so you guys can always creep on what I’m listening to. Feel free to add me there if you have an account!

Anyway, rose petal water.

ROSE PETAL WATER

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Reminder: Get Your Club Carlson Free Night E-Cert (If You Haven’t Already)

by Harlan 19 Comments

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Man, I was a Club Carlson fanboy for a while there. You couldn’t get me out of Club Carlson hotels when they offered the BOGO for cardholders of the US Bank Club Carlson Visa Signature.

And then, they brutally snatched the benefit away, leaving peeps (and their brand) in the dust.

It was a too-big-for-their-britches move during which they artificially inflated their points currency, and made themselves completely irrelevant when compared to the big players… but that’s just one man’s opinion.

The upshot was they started apologizing in the form of free night e-certs good at any Club Carlson property.

Except there was one snag. Not everyone got them.

But, you can email US Bank via their online platform if you didn’t get one!

How to do it

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Chase Is Crackin’ Down on Churners

by Harlan 18 Comments

While reviewing the new T&Cs of the:

  • Chase Ink Cash
  • Chase Ink Plus
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred

…I noticed some new language I hadn’t seen before:

Chase cardmembers who currently have or have had a Chase credit card in any Rewards Program associated with this offer, may not be eligible for a second Chase credit card in the same Rewards Program. Chase cardmembers currently receiving promotional pricing, or Chase cardmembers with a history of only using their current or prior Chase card for promotional pricing offers, are not eligible for a second Chase credit card with promotional pricing.

Here’s a screenshot:

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It’s under “Replying to this offer”

Why this is interesting

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