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‘Tis the Season to Use 0% APR Cards to Avoid Interest for up to 21 Months (If You HAVE to Carry a Balance)

January 3, 2019 by Harlan Leave A Comment

Happy New Year! I can’t believe it’s 2019! I’m working on travel plans and my credit card strategy – and soon I’ll have gigantic news to share.

If you spent too much over the holiday season, and carrying a balance is inevitable, consider transferring your balance to a new card with a 0% APR period. They vary from 12 months to a staggering 21 months! This will hugely minimize the interest you’ll pay.

Depending which card you get, you won’t have to pay it off until January 2020 at the shorter end – or October 2020 at the longer end. That’s awesome!

Or if you have a big purchase coming up, opening a card with a 0% APR period gives you time to pay it back.

I’ve used both strategies successfully. But beware – pay close attention to the dates (which are listed on every statement you’ll get), or you’ll be right back where you started.

Still, it’s a LOT better than carrying a balance and paying huge interest rates. NEVER carry a balance if you can help it!

Paying interest negates any rewards you earn. Your balance will grow and you’ll get stuck on a debt treadmill – don’t do it!

Here are card options for balance transfers and big-ticket purchases. Because yes, life happens. Just try to control the damage as best you can.

Get unstuck with balance transfer cards

Acorns Found Money: Automatic Cashback With 8 Merchants (BarkBox, Gas, Sam’s Club) & $60+ Free for Completing Offers

December 18, 2018 by Harlan Leave A Comment

File this under semi-interesting. It’s niche, but worthwhile if you spend with any of the participating stores.

Acorns is offering free cashback (Found Money) for spending with a linked card at 8 merchants. Some are set amounts, others are a percentage back in your account.

And, you can earn $60+ for completing offers with their partners – things like free trials and insurance quotes.

I’ve earned $50+ for riding with Uber, filing taxes, and booking a pet sitter. So if these current offers don’t interest you, know they’re always rotating – and something’s bound to catch your interest sooner or later.

Acorns is an investment account that costs $1 per month. But considering how much free cash I’ve earned, it’s already paid for itself for several years.

You get a free $5 bonus when you signup using this link.

Don’t turn down free money! Just link your cards and spend like normal

Here’s how to get free cash coming your way.

Free Found Money with Acorns at 8 merchants (and it’s always changing)

Dog Owners! Get Acorns & Earn Automatic Cashback to Invest With Rover & BarkBox Purchases – Just Link Your Card

December 10, 2018 by Harlan 2 Comments

It’s always nice to earn unexpected rewards for expected spending. That’s exactly what happened to me this week.

After I dropped my pup off at his sitter’s house (who I booked on Rover), I got an email saying I just got a $25 bonus from Acorns. And when I checked my account, I saw another 5% back from his monthly BarkBox!

This is free, easy money if you use either service with regularity. All you have to do is link your card within your Acorns account. Nothing to activate!

But of course me being me, I had to go and stack it to the Nth degree. 😬

I love spoiling my critter. And getting free money for spending on him is even better!

I’ll share deals going on with both these popular merchants!

Get Acorns, Save With Rover and Barkbox

Targeted: 20% Off (up to $100) at Amazon When You Use 1 Amex Point – Easy Savings!

November 22, 2018 by Harlan Leave A Comment

Too good not to share. When you shop at Amazon, you can get 20% off items sold and shipped by Amazon when you use 1 Amex Membership Rewards point as part of your payment method – if you’re targeted.

The discount is good for up to $500 in purchases, which means you can save a maximum of $100. But you can only use the discount once, and it’s good through December 23, 2018 – so use it for a big purchase this holiday season! Although Amazon could pull it way before that date.

Click the page and “Click to activate” 20% off at Amazon

Easy win if you shop at Amazon!

Save up to $100 (20% off) at Amazon with this promotion

10 Tricks to Save EVERY Time You Shop at Sam’s Club

October 9, 2018 by Harlan 7 Comments

If you like big box stores, I completely understand the sentiment. Buying in bulk and getting a month of grocery shopping knocked out in one go saves time and money – both of which are always worth saving.

I ignore the naysayers who over exaggerate what it means to buy in bulk. I have memberships at both Costco and Sam’s Club and use them both equally – especially now that both are around the corner from me at my pied-a-terre in Austin.

Sam’s Club is, in some ways, better than Costco. Both memberships add value to my life

What I like about Sam’s Club:

They have self-checkout
You can scan your items as you go (with the, what else, Scan & Go app) and check out instantly
Receipts are stored digitally online
Club pickup – Costco does NOT offer this
Digital membership card on your phone and in Apple Wallet
Cheaper prices on tires
They accept every payment method, not just Visa
You can easily reorder your most common items
Their app is way better

But they don’t offer free shipping on most items online like Costco does. And their food court offerings tend to be greasy, calorie-laden fiascos whereas Costco seems a *little* healthier. And in general, I find Costco stores to be cleaner and better laid-out. Sam’s Club locations can be hit-or-miss, whereas I feel like Costco has more consistency between the stores.

Also, there are more ways to save at Sam’s Club. A lot more ways. And that might seal the deal for some peeps, especially if both are nearby.

Let’s look at how to save money EVERY time you set foot (or web browser) in Sam’s Club.

10 ways to build your own discounts at Sam’s Club

Yes! Just Picked up a New Alaska Visa for 40K Miles – How to Get the Offer

October 7, 2018 by Harlan 7 Comments

The typical signup offer on the Bank of America Alaska Airlines Visa is 30,000 Alaska miles after meeting the minimum spending requirements (usually $1,000 in the first 90 days).

We’ve seen offers for $0 companion fares, a $100 statement credit (tantamount to a 10% discount on the minimum spending), and a few highly targeted offers.

This latest deal is for 40,000 Alaska miles and a $0 companion fare after spending $2,000 within the first 90 days of account opening. There are a few steps to get the offer to show – but it’s worth it for 10,000 extra Alaska miles.

Best public deal there’s been for the Alaska Visa – 40K miles and a $0 companion ticket

I was just instantly approved with a $17,000 credit line and I’m LOL/24. It’s clear by now I’ll never open another Chase card – so I went for it. Alaska miles are among the most valuable out there – and you can use the $0 companion ticket to anywhere Alaska flies, including Hawaii!

Here’s how to get the offer.

Alaska Visa 40K offer with a little massaging

Only Days Left for Citi ThankYou Premier’s Incredible 60,000 Point Bonus (Easy $800 for Travel)

October 6, 2018 by Harlan 2 Comments

Update: This offer is no longer available. Click here for the best current offers!

If you haven’t jumped on this offer yet, time’s almost up. Citi will pull the chance to earn 60,000 Citi ThankYou points with the Citi ThankYou Premier card on October 11th, 2018. Each point is worth 1.25 cents toward travel (including airfare, hotel stays, cruises, and excursions), which makes this offer easily worth $800 after meeting the minimum spending requirement.

Even better, the annual fee is waived the first year. So you can see if you like the card for 12 full months before paying. Even then, Citi is excellent about retention offers for bonus points upon card renewal. I get them regularly.

This is also one of the few cards to earn 3X points on gas (and travel).

Citi ThankYou points helped me get to Prague. 60K is the best offer there’s been for the ThankYou Premier

I wish I could get this offer. You’re not eligible if you’ve opened or closed another ThankYou card in the last 24 months. Otherwise, there would be zero hesitation. This is the highest offer ever for this card.

Citi ThankYou Premier Bonus = $800

GIVEAWAY: Enter to Win a Basic Pass to FinCon 2018 Next Month (Worth $600+)! 🎁

August 15, 2018 by Harlan 6 Comments

Join me at FinCon 2018 next month!

For my birthday weekend next week, I’m giving away a Basic Pass to the event which is September 26th through 29th, 2018, in Orlando!

The entries begin today at 5pm Central Time and end on August 22nd, 2018, at midnight Central Time! 🎉

Wanna go to FinCon 2018? I’m giving away a Basic Pass!

Right now, this pass is selling for $599 + fees. So if you win, you’ll save $600+, plus you’ll have a ticket to the BEST personal finance event around. I went last year in Dallas – and will attend this year, too. So if you win, you’ll see me there! 👋🏻

This pass gives you full access to all the standard events.

See how to enter below!

FinCon 2018 giveaway

Get a Year + 3 Months of 0% Interest (Including $0 Balance Transfers!) With This Amex Card

August 15, 2018 by Harlan 2 Comments

a cartoon character with a helmet holding a wrench and a thermometer

UPDATE: One or more of these offers are no longer available. Click here to see the latest deals!

0% APR intro offers are common, especially for purchases. And you can usually transfer a balance from another card – but you’ll pay fees in the form of a percentage of the amount you transfer. The more you transfer = higher fee.

So when I saw a deal for 15 months of 0% interest on purchases including NO fees on balance transfers, that caught my attention. Then I realized it was with an actually useful Amex card – with a decent welcome bonus. It’s the Amex EveryDay card – learn more here.

Offers like these aren’t as exciting as getting tens of thousands of bonus points. But they can give you a lot of breathing room – especially if you need to plan for a big purchase, or catch up to avoid paying hundreds in interest fees. In this case, for well over a year.

I know I’m gonna need a new HVAC system – to the tune of $6,000 – in the next couple of years

I’ve taken advantage of similar offers in the past. And this one would be a great way to consolidate some balances. Especially if you’re over 5/24.

Amex EveryDay balance transfer offer

For Advanced Players: The Citi ThankYou Premier 60,000 Point Offer Is Easily Worth $900

August 11, 2018 by Harlan 12 Comments

Dang, I just checked my credit file, and it looks like I closed my last Citi ThankYou Premier card in June 2017. I still have my Citi Prestige card open (and can’t wait to see how they refresh it this month).

According to Citi’s rules, I’m not eligible to earn another bonus on a ThankYou card because I’ve opened OR closed a ThankYou card within the last 24 months. But man, if you’re eligible to apply for this offer, there is absolutely no reason you shouldn’t hop all over it – especially if you’re over 5/24.

I have some FOMO about this offer. Because this offer is an easy $900 toward travel.

I use Citi ThankYou points all the time – including for flights to Belgium to stroll the gorgeous river that runs through Bruges

Here’s my expert analysis. 🧐

Dat Citi ThankYou Premier 60,000 point offer tho

Is It Worth Getting (or Converting to) the Chase Ink Business Preferred Just for 3X Plastiq Payments?

August 3, 2018 by Harlan 10 Comments

The Chase Ink Business Preferred offer in this post is NO LONGER AVAILABLE. Click here to see the latest travel card deals!

Update 8/19/18: 3X on Plastiq payments with the Chase Ink Business Preferred stopped working on 8/16/18. So the method below doesn’t work any more. I’m glad I kept my trusty Chase Ink Plus after all!

There’s a bit of a known secret about the Chase Ink Business Preferred card – you earn 3X Chase Ultimate Rewards points on ALL Plastiq payments (that is, the ones you can use a Visa card for).

I currently have the old Chase Ink Plus card (no longer available) that earns 5X at office supply stores, and on cable, internet, and phone service.

But month after month, I find myself spending way more on Plastiq payments than on “office supplies” or my internet bills. I’m heavily considering converting to the Ink Business Preferred to get that sweet 3X. When I run the numbers, I know I can earn more Chase Ultimate Rewards points this way. But, I’m afraid:

Chase will change the 3X any second now
Of losing the Chase Ink Plus card – once I convert, I can never go back

Is it worth a risk long-term for a short-term gain? Ah, isn’t that always top of mind with this hobby (and everything, really)?

I’ve had the Chase Ink Plus since it was a MasterCard… but if I convert, it’ll go the way of my Blockbuster card: SO TOTALLY OVER

Along the same thinking, would it be worth opening the Chase Ink Preferred to earn 3X on Plastiq payments… for as long as the gettin’s good?

Chase 3X Plastiq payments

CityPass: Save up to 50% on Popular Attractions in 13 Cities

July 31, 2018 by Harlan Leave A Comment

CityPass is a service I personally recommend to peeps when they stay at my Airbnbs and ask for fun stuff to do around Dallas.

Within Dallas, a $49 adult CityPass includes 4 attractions. Two of them are set. And you get to pick the other two. In this way, you build a little package for yourself. It’s fun, and saves you money when you travel. The Dallas package (for example) saves 40% on the 4 places you visit.

I loved spending time at the Dallas Botanical Garden as part of my CityPass ticket

The CityPass tickets filled up a weekend with places I’d been meaning to visit for a while.

CityPass has deals for 12 US cities and Toronto. If you visit a place on the list and want some fun touristy things to do, check what’s included for that city. They also have discounted tickets for kids and some cities have theme parks, aquariums, and much more to choose from!