Harlan Vaughn's Blog, page 42

February 7, 2017

Comments Are Back on Out and Out

When you have a blog baby, getting an email from a loyal reader with this subject is pretty horrifying:

*Expletive* *Censored*

But then I thought, wait a minute, I’ve gotten some comments recently. But I took another look.

Come to find out, there were 2 versions of the site. The “real” version and a “staging” version.

WordPress uses the staging version when you migrate themes or redesign the site (I haven’t done either in 2+ years). But somehow, all my site stats and comments were on the staging version of the site.

Some comments did make it through on the staging version.

Don’t stop telephoning

But comments on the real version (outandout.boardingarea.com) didn’t make it through. The BoardingArea team is working on combining both sets of comments into the current, real version of the site.

How long has this been going on?

The last comment on the “real” version of the site was in early January 2017. But I don’t know exactly when everything shifted to the staging version. Maybe a few weeks?

Why did this happen?

I literally have no idea. Everything was running smoothly until one day… it didn’t.

When you have a blog, there’s bound to be a technical glitch here and there.

I believe it had something to do with the original domain name (outandout.net) no longer forwarding the stats to the migrated version of the site. But who knows.

What I did to fix it

For starters, I deleted the staging version of the site altogether. And reconnected the real version of the site back to WordPress (which hosts the blog’s comments).

It was sorta painful because I lost all my stats since the beginning of the site… but I’d rather have communication open than not. And I still have my data from Google Analytics.

So now there is only one version of Out and Out – this one. That should prevent future glitches from happening, too.

I wanna talk

I feel terrible that I might’ve missed communication with any of my readers.

I watched the whole “Telephone” video and made screen grabs lol

I just hope no one thinks they were ignored.

It’s incredibly difficult to cultivate a space where people feel comfortable talking. And having a roadblock like comment trouble makes people (obviously) give up – especially if they’re new.

I’m grateful a couple of readers reached out and said WTF? so I could look into the issue and get it fixed.

If you tried to comment recently, I’m sorry if anything fell through. And still welcome your questions, thoughts, tips, or anything else!

Please try again – it’s all working correctly now.

Bottom line

I’m grateful every day for the readers who follow along with the blog on RSS, email, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. And I want to be as available as possible.

Comments are back now. Your comments have helped my own thought processes, philosophies, and travels. And I’m thankful for that.

Thanks again to all who helped me recognize and fix the issue.

* If you liked this post, consider signing up to receive free blog posts via email (only 1 per day!) or in an RSS reader and you’ll never miss an update! And thanks for using my links to apply for new card offers!

OUT AND OUT - Investing. Positivity. Oh, and travel.

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Published on February 07, 2017 08:20

February 6, 2017

Mexico and Bust: Eating at All the Hyatt Zilara Cancun Restaurants

Also see:

Review of My Free Stay at the Hyatt Zilara Cancun
Booked: 3 Free Nights at Hyatt Zilara Cancun With Points!

OMG, y’all. I have never eaten so much in my life. I seriously – like legit – have new stretch marks from how much I gorged myself during my recent free stay at the Hyatt Zilara Cancun.

I knew I wanted to write about the food and drinks at the various restaurants. But found balance hard one to strike because I was literally always eating and drinking. So I was torn between wanting to capture the moment and be in the moment. But I have enough to give you an idea of what to expect.

Also, I tried every dang restaurant there – some of them twice.

Love is a many splendored thing

I was impressed by the quality, selection, and creativity of the dishes. There was a huge variety. And all the drinks are made with top-shelf liquor.

Girdle thy loins, let’s look at each one.

Hyatt Zilara Cancun restaurants

Link: Hyatt Zilara Cancun restaurants and bars

At the Hyatt Zilara Cancun, you can choose from 6 restaurants, including:

Asiana – Oriental cuisine, sushi, and teppanyaki grill
Coffee House – Coffee, deli, and pastries
Maria Marie – Mexican gourmet
La Adelita – Traditional Mexican cantina
Pelicanos – Caribbean cuisine with a beautiful ocean view
Spice – Huge buffet and show cooking (open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner)

All the restaurants at Hyatt Zilara Cancun (click to enlarge)

And 5 bars:

24 Hours Lounge – Drinks and snacks any time of day or night
Lobby Bar – Gorgeous bar in the lobby (duh)
Pelicanos – There’s a small bar area but I didn’t see anyone there
Tequileria Beach Lounge – Cool bar on the beach with swing chairs and lots of tequila
Tradewinds – Essentially the same as Pelicano’s, but swim-up only

All the bars at Hyatt Zilara Cancun (click to enlarge)

1. Asiana

Asiana was our first stop for the teppanyaki grill. We arrived to the hotel around 2pm. And by 6pm, we were waiting to have din prepared before our very eyes.

The experience was part performance, and part deliciousness.

Our host did a fantastic job of engaging us, showing off his chops, and of course, cooking.

We started with a sushi roll and a beer.

Sushi

Then, our chef began cooking.

Fry ’em up!

We had a selection of beef or salmon, white rice or fried rice, and two types of mixed veggie sides.

Chef glanced at everyone’s selections a few times, but seemed to remember what everyone ordered. It was fascinating to watch him cook!

Several times, he sent up flames from the grill, performed tricks, and cracked jokes. We were all falling off our seats laughing and watching him. Just a fantastic evening with good food and drinks.

The service was fantastic.

Beautiful end result

And everything was cooked perfectly. They added sauces and garnish and the image above shows the presentation. Highly recommend reserving a teppanyaki dinner when you stay here!

We went back a second time for lunch.

White fish and fried rice

Tuna sushi roll

Green tea cheesecake

We got fish and fried rice, a couple of sushi rolls, and a wonderful green tea cheesecake – paired with margaritas, of course.

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Published on February 06, 2017 20:32

February 5, 2017

Are Checking Account Bonuses the New Credit Card Sign-Up Bonus?

I opened 3 new checking accounts last week. And will earn a total bonus of $900 after making the required number of transactions and/or direct deposits.

That’s a super easy way to make $900. And I didn’t even have a credit pull.

Boom

I have around 30 credit cards. And currently can’t get most Chase, Citi, or Amex cards because:

Chase has 5/24
Citi limits to “family of brands” every 24 months when you open OR close an account
Amex has the once per lifetime (AKA every ~7 years) rule

I’m not interested in any Barclaycards. Or US Bank cards. And I can’t get more Discover cards (limit 2).

I’m really only dealing with Bank of America these days for Alaska miles from credit card sign-up bonuses. Except for when there’s an odd offer here or there.

So, scraping the bottom of the barrel. But it’s not so bad down here! I’ve been following more checking account bonuses recently – a new world indeed.

How I got $900 in a week from checking account bonuses

First of all, Doctor of Credit is the source for checking account bonuses – I follow them on feedly.

The first bonus was $450 from a new Regions account. My mom banks with Regions, so I had her refer me to a new account. She’ll get $50 and I’ll get $400 – $450 in total.

I opened the account online. And then had to go in person to “sign the signature card” (???). It seemed like a waste of time. But I wanted to ask about their business checking and mortgage opportunities just in case. Plus, it’s always good to have a relationship with a new banker.

The signature card thing took all of 2 minutes. Then we chatted about investment properties and getting a DBA on file – super helpful stuff.

That got him talking about another $200 for opening a new business checking account.

Yessss

He said I could refer myself to that account from my newly opened personal checking account and earn $50 for the referral. And $150 for opening it.

I went back a few days later and opened the account.

So we’re up to $650 for the 2 accounts. I was already beyond thrilled. And I legit needed to open a business checking account with a DBA on file.

Then, I saw I could get an easy $250 by opening a Wells Fargo checking account.

Bait taken

I could theoretically transfer $500 from Regions to Wells Fargo (then make 10 debit card transactions) to satisfy the requirements. Within a few minutes, I filled out the application and sent it on its way.

So when that cash hits, I’ll be up to $900 earned from checking account bonuses. That’s pretty cool.

What to look out for

It’s not all sunshine and fields of cash.

Then again, neither are credit card bonuses. With those, you have to spend $X,000 amount and track it for X months.

With checking account bonuses, you have to make XX transactions and/or direct deposit $X00 within X months.

There are ways to earn both types of bonus within a few minutes. I’m not worried about it, but it’s a consideration.

I just make sure I track when I met the requirements and when the bonus is supposed to hit in case I have to follow up.

The bigger issue is the recurring monthly account fees, usually around $10. There are ways to waive them, but you have to be on top of it – for at least for a few minutes per month. Then, once the bonus cash hits, you can simply close the account. Or if you like it for other reasons, keep it.

Usually, the fee is waived for a month or two anyway. And I recommend paying it for a couple of months anyway (or getting it waived) just so it doesn’t look as obvious that you only wanted the bonus.

It does require some tracking, time management, and mental headspace keeping track of it all. But again, so do credit card bonuses…

Bottom line

Checking account bonuses aren’t as sexy as 100,000 point sign-up bonuses and award trips in international First Class. But $900 relatively free and clear – who wouldn’t want that?

Because I can’t get most current credit card offers, I’m paying attention to checking account bonuses more (and a huge thanks to Doctor of Credit for tirelessly tracking them all). It’s a whole new world with new rules and guidelines.

But the way I see it, a few minutes of time this past week nearly paid my mortgage for a month.

I know other peeps must be in a similar position. Would you consider signing up for checking accounts while you wait for the next eligible credit card deal?

OUT AND OUT - Investing. Positivity. Oh, and travel.

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Published on February 05, 2017 23:17

Don’t Make This Mistake With Sapphire Reserve & Prestige Travel Credits

Oy. I had a slip-up with my Chase Sapphire Reserve $300 annual travel credit last week. Luckily, it wasn’t that bad.

But here’s a PSA of what NOT to do.

If you get a refund, you essentially lose your credit!

I booked a round-trip award flight on Southwest with my Sapphire Reserve. The taxes were $11.20.

Immediately after, I thought it better to have the trip as 2 one-ways so could lock in the price if plans didn’t change. Or have the option to change either (or both) legs down the road if needed. So that was another $11.20.

When I canceled the first ticket, I had the option to get a refund or store the money in my Southwest bank. I didn’t think it through, and impulsively hit “Refund.” Not good.

A couple of days later when the charges and credits hit, I realized what I’d done. I did get the $11.20 refund. But I lost $11.20 of my travel credit. It’s not a huge loss, but what if it was an entire paid flight?

A similar thing almost happened to me again this week at a hotel!

Another time I messed up

I was in Austin all last week for work. And switched hotels mid-way to earn my full IHG Accelerate offer this quarter (the hotels were also a stone’s throw from where I needed to be). #TravelNerd

But I was in a hurry and left my Citi Prestige card in my backpack at the office. The desk agent said I could switch the card at checkout but “I need to swipe something.” So I handed over my Chase Sapphire Reserve… again.

Heart palpitations

Well I’ll be diddy danged if they didn’t post not only a hold, but the daily room rate for each day as separate charges. I stopped by and asked how it would work.

“Oh, we’ll just reverse the charge and give you a credit,” she said all casually. But it would’ve slurped up the remainder of my $300 travel credit – I would’ve lost the rest of the entire thing.

Had this been my first time using it this year, I might’ve lost it all. Because Chase has no way of “uncrediting” once it’s applied.

Luckily, I caught it in time to apply the final charges to the correct card. But sheesh, that got my heart rate up for a second there.

Don’t lose a cent of your annual travel credit

There are many situations where you could lose your travel credits.

For the Chase Sapphire Reserve, anything that comes back as a refund to your card can waste the $300 credit, like:

Refundable hotel stays
Refundable flight tickets
Anything that codes as travel that you change or alter

And for Citi Prestige, the same thing would’ve happened in my earlier Southwest scenario. Now I’ve seen first-hand how easy it is to trigger the credit – and to lose it altogether.

The solution is to only use it for things you are sure you’ll use: flights you’ll definitely take, airport transfers for trips 2 days out, or plans that are absolutely firm. Because if you get a refund for unused travel experiences, you’ll get your money back… but not your travel credit.

Bottom line

Link: Honest Review: Chase Sapphire Reserve 100,000 Point Offer
Link: Honest Review: Citi Prestige 40,000 Point Offer

Yeah, it seems very “duh.” But anyone can make a mistake, especially if you’re rushed, tired, or not thinking clearly. Heck, it happened to me twice in one week.

Peeps always talk about how the annual fee on the Chase Sapphire Reserve is “really $150” after the $300 travel credit. And “really $250” for Citi Prestige after the $200 airline credit’s applied. But if you lose the credit because of a silly mistake, you’re paying full price. Don’t do that!

My advice is to use the credits as soon as possible. That way you get your money’s worth and get to offset the annual fees. Or if you decide to wait, use it for firm travel plans that are unlikely to change. Because it would suck to waste this otherwise valuable perk.

Has this happened to you? Any luck appealing to the Chase or Citi overlords?

OUT AND OUT - Investing. Positivity. Oh, and travel.

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Published on February 05, 2017 08:14

February 4, 2017

Review of My Free Stay at the Hyatt Zilara Cancun

Also see:

Booked: 3 Free Nights at Hyatt Zilara Cancun With Points!

Ahoy, mateys! I have so much to tell you about – just back from a week of meetings in Austin.

I’ve been meaning to report on the Hyatt Zilara Cancun, so here goes.

I booked 3 nights with points in late January.

The flights were paid with Citi ThankYou points (which I’m always rolling in). And I charged the $55 round-trip airport transfer to my Chase Sapphire Reserve, which trigged part of the $300 annual travel credit. And because it’s an all-inclusive, food was covered (more on that in a future post!).

Hyatt Zilara Cancun from above

So flights, hotel, food, and transportation were all completely free. I did bring $100 in cash to leave as tips for the drivers, bartenders, servers, and housekeeping staff.

This trip would’ve cost north of $2,000 out of pocket.

But back to the hotel!

Arrival and check-in

Link: Hyatt Zilara Cancun

The non-stop flight from Dallas was smooth as silk. Short, half full, and easy.

The immigration line was insane. But the booths were well-staffed, and the line moved fast. Took about 30 minutes.

I booked a $55 round-trip transfer to the hotel through Cancun Transfers based on the recommendation of Out and Out reader David.

The process couldn’t have been simpler. There are a lot of pre-arranged services, so when you get outside, there’s a sea of signs and colors. It’s a bit overwhelming.

But we found the guy in the white and purple vest and were quickly on our way to the Zilara. ~25 minutes later, we arrived.

When we pulled up, there was a flurry of commotion: opened doors, luggage, and instant guidance to the “Romance Concierge” to check in.

After entering the Hyatt Zilara Cancun

The desk agent told us about the restaurants and what was available on the property.

The beautiful horse-themed lobby bar at Hyatt Zilara Cancun

It was an hour before check-in and the room wasn’t ready. But they stored our bags and let us have free reign of the bars and self-serve snacks in the lobby.

We grabbed a couple of drinks at the lobby bar. 30 minutes later, they found us, handed us our keys, and invited us to check-in.

And we got an upgrade to the 4th floor thanks to my Platinum elite status.

The room

I’ll talk more about the property after this section. :p

Hallways of the Hyatt Zilara Cancun

My room, #416

We were assigned to room 416, above the main atrium.

All the rooms have balconies and overlook the ocean. But some are tucked into the wings on either end. And many are above the atrium (which goes up 4 floors).

Overlooking the atrium

If I recall correctly, this hotel has 8 floors.

View upon walking in

Our room was gorgeous! Not huge, but the way it was laid out made it feel open and airy.

Instead of an overt beach theme, the room had a neutral vibe, with dark wood accents. And I loved the sculpted stone columns.

Closer shot of the columns

The main room

The bed

Desk area

Chairs, table, and TV

Jacuzzi

We had a king-sized bed. And there were a couple of areas for sitting. The jacuzzi was a double-seater and took about 15 minutes to fill up. A nice, romantic touch.

The minibar is all yours, too

The fridge had top shelf liquor, plenty of soft drinks, juice, and a few beers. You can take whatever’s inside and they’ll replace it each day – it’s included in the price of the room.

So is room service! They put your order into a little cubby next to the door. So it’s entirely possible to never leave the room and still eat and drink to your heart’s content.

Bathroom

The bathroom had an open area for the sink. And a private room with a shower, toilet, and another sink.

Shower with 2 shower heads

KenetMD shampoo, conditioner, and soaps

Toilet, next to the shower

Lotion and soap, mouthwash, bug spray, and bottled water

More extras than you’ll possibly need

The bathroom was incredibly well-stocked. They provide a shoe mitt, shave set, dental kit with toothpaste and a toothbrush, extra bath salt, Q-tips, and a sewing set. That’s in addition to the high-quality soaps, shampoo, and conditioner.

Robes and slippers, iron, umbrella, and safe

I should mention there was coffee too. The room is basically preset with everything you might need during your stay.

View from the window

Overall, the room was gorgeous. There are many surfaces to sit and set things down. Outlets everywhere. And the wifi was blazing fast throughout our stay.

Toiletries, drinks, and towels were replaced every day. And I loved the mature decor. From top to bottom, the room exceeded my expectations.

View and welcome amenities

We need to talk about the view from the room.

Looking left

Looking right

Balcony

The rooms overlook the gorgeous blue waters of the Gulf. And our balcony had a hammock for relaxing in the sea breeze. It was pretty much heaven.

Welcome amenity #1

At check-in, there was a bottle of merlot on the table with a corkscrew and 2 glasses. Which was awesome.

Welcome amenity #2

The next day, there was another bottle of wine, this time a champagne – with 3 raspberry macarons and a piece of chocolate.

Both were unexpected but (obviously) totally welcomed. This, combined with the view from the balcony, made for a warm and delicious experience. Just really, really wonderful.

Around the property

I’ll save the food and drink at the restaurants for a separate post, but wanted to touch on the activities.

The activities schedule (click to enlarge)

There is something to do every dang day. Yoga, tastings, classes of all types, sports, bingo, you name it.

There’s also parasailing, diving, and snorkeling

I uh… didn’t really do anything other than eat and drink, so I can’t vouch for their quality. Although if they match the service of the other parts of the hotel, I’m sure they are professional and worthwhile.

If you forget something, or want souvenirs, there’s a small market on-site with things like medicine, sunscreen, t-shirts, tote bags, etc.

The overall property is pretty small (nothing like the behemoth that is the Atlantis resort). Basically just the restaurants, pools, and beach.

There are ATMS with US dollars and Mexican pesos

In Cancun, I tipped with US dollars. There are two ATMs: one with US dollars, and other with Mexican pesos. The servers seemed to like the US dollars, so that’s what I gave them.

I noticed many peeps celebrating special events, like a honeymoon or birthday

Several doors had banners like the image above. Peeps came to the Zilara to celebrate milestones, like marriage or a birthday. I also saw couples taking their engagement photos along the beach – and what a location!

There was definitely romance in the air. And things like the double jacuzzi and cabanas for two further emphasize the “coupledom” this place inspires.

A few more things to know

It wasn’t all peachy keen in this paradise of endless booze and meals.

If you watch the video above of us popping the champagne, you’ll notice a lot of background noise. If you’re in a room that overlooks the atrium, you can hear the music of the evening shows through the door. And the pools below play Top 40/pop radio pretty much all day, beginning at like 8 in the morning.

The music does stop around 10pm, but if you want to go to bed early, or sleep in, you’ll likely get a lot of interruptions. I imagine the very top floors, or the wings not overlooking the atrium, are much quieter. So if you need quiet, I’d recommend asking for one of those rooms.

This drove me damn crazy

Next is the mad dash to “claim a spot” at the pool. I hated this about Martinique. And I hated it here, too.

People start claiming spots at 6 or 7am. They throw a towel on a chair and leave it all day. And come back hours later, expecting it to still be available. Like, hours and hours.

This happened every day. I find it rude, personally.

Not a problem on the sand

To mitigate this, you can simply walk down to the beach. There are rows and rows of open chairs. It’s beyond me why they don’t add more chairs around the pool.

Maybe people just don’t like the sand? But I was fine to lay out in these chairs. And definitely didn’t want to stay for hours on end.

Aside from the near-constant noise, and the dumbass pool situation, the rest of the experience was quite good.

I don’t know how near to capacity they were, but the restaurants never once felt crowded. And we always got a seat within seconds.

But if you like silence, or want a spot near the pool, the above 2 points are worth keeping in mind slash planning around.

Check out that window

The only other thing I found odd was the window from the bed frame that looked into the shower. You couldn’t feasibly look through it without standing on the bed. But on the other side, you can see into the room while you’re showering. It does fog up after a sec.

This feature might not be in the rooms with double beds. But if you’re traveling with a friend or family member, it could be worth asking about.

Bottom line

The hotel is everything it’s cracked up to be. And the room and grounds felt inviting and luxurious.

Part of me wondered if I’d regret using 75,000 precious Chase Ultimate Rewards points on 3 nights at the Hyatt Zilara Cancun. Especially after my sub-par experience at the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome, which other bloggers go crazy for.

Instead, I wish I’d stayed longer. I’m also newly curious about the Hyatt Ziva Cancun, which is also an all-inclusive but not adults-only. Although I must say, I really enjoyed not having any kids around for a few days.

There’s no way I’d pay $2,000 for a short trip like this, but a combination of Chase Ultimate Rewards points and Citi ThankYou points was the magic ticket to a free trip.

The overall experience was mature, relaxing, peaceful, and drizzled with liquor and opulent meals – which I’ll cover in my next post on this hotel.

The service, starting at check-in, was top-notch and unwavering. The staff truly makes this place a special time.

Admittedly, I’m a little topical vacation-ed out for a while. But I’m interested in the other hotels in the area, and would love to return.

If you’ve stayed here, how does your experience compare? Any other tips to add? And if I left anything out, feel free to ask questions!

OUT AND OUT - Investing. Positivity. Oh, and travel.

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Published on February 04, 2017 19:40

February 1, 2017

Everyone Can Get Free Kindle eBooks From IHG App

Greetings, earthlings. No idea if this has been mentioned on other blogs or not.

I found a cool deal while tooling around on the IHG app.

Free Kindle eBooks – thanks, IHG!

Anyone can download the app and access free Kindle eBooks. You get more free eBooks throughout the year for having status with IHG.

Here are the deets!

How to find the IHG Kindle Offer

Link: IHG app for iOS
Link: IHG app for Android

Once you download the Kindle app, sign into your account. If you don’t have one, you can create one through the app.

Look under your account details

To find the free Kindle eBooks, click your name in the top right corner, then look for “Your Extra Benefits: Kindle eBooks” near the bottom.

Higher elite status = more free books

Click “Get a Free eBook” to look through the selections.

You can get:

2 free books per year if you make an IHG account (1 every 6 months)
4 free books per year if you’re Gold elite (1 per quarter)
8 free books per year if you’re Platinum elite (2 per quarter)
12 free books per year if you’re Spite Elite (3 per quarter)

Of course, if you have the Chase IHG card, you’re automatically Platinum which means you can download 2 books each quarter for free.

Easy peezy

There’s some good stuff in there! You’re limited to Kindle Singles, which are short novels, novellas, or long-form essays. I but saw some well-known authors in there.

Each Kindle Single costs $1 to $5. So you’re not saving a huge amount or anything ($60 at the absolute most, but more like a few bucks). But this is a nice little perk to fill up your device for reading on planes or trains, or just to enjoy.

When you find the book you want, sign into your Amazon account and that’s it!

Cool deal

You can start reading right away on a Kindle. Or, download the Kindle app to read on your phone or tablet.

Bottom line

I love to fill up my Kindle before flying so I’ll have something to read. It’s an easy way to stay entertained. That’s why I called it one of the best gifts for travelers.

Anyone can easily get a couple of free books per year via the IHG app. I found a book and downloaded it within a few minutes.

It’s super simple, and a nice gesture from IHG.

Enjoy the free books! Did you already know about this offer from IHG?

OUT AND OUT - Investing. Positivity. Oh, and travel.

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Published on February 01, 2017 20:23

January 21, 2017

Citi Offering Instant Upgrades for Hilton Visa, but No Bonus

This morning, I got an email from Citi with an offer to upgrade my no annual fee Citi Hilton Visa to a Citi Hilton Reserve with a $95 annual fee.

The email subject was, “Upgrading your card means enhanced benefits.” I was excited because I’ve never seen an offer from Citi like this. So I was hoping to score some bonus Hilton points in the process. But, all you get with this offer is “One Weekend Night Certificate Opportunity and Gold Status.”

Ya know, nah

Thanks but no thanks. This isn’t a good deal with no bonus points involved. But I’m glad Citi is trying new things.

I also don’t know if they’re sending out targeted offers with this card or others, so it’s worth checking your email and junk folder to see if anything is in there.

Upgrade Citi Hilton Visa

Link: No Annual Fee Cards + Personal Finance: Why You Need (At Least) One

I’ve long said you need at least one card without an annual fee. Because they’re free to keep forever, they essentially sit around and help to increase the overall age of your accounts, which can boost your credit score. If you don’t use them, they also help reduce your debt to available credit ratio on your other cards.

Plus, if you have a no annual fee card you actually enjoy, like Discover it or Chase Freedom, even better.

So right away, it would take me some convincing to ditch a no annual fee card for another with a $95 annual fee. The incentive I was looking for was, of course, pernts!

Nice to think about, but no

All this offer does is extend the existing perks of the card without any type of bonus.

I don’t want to spend $10,000 to earn one free night. And I already have Hilton Gold elite status through other avenues. And telling me there are no foreign transaction fees isn’t a benefit, it’s an expectation.

Also, if you upgrade this way, you will lose the ability to earn the sign-up bonus on the Citi Hilton Reserve card, which is 2 free weekend nights at most Hilton hotels. And, Citi will treat this as a newly opened account which will reset the “family of brands” 24-month clock if you want to earn another Citi Hilton sign-up bonus in the next 2 years.

Overall, it’s kind of a bad and sneaky offer with little benefit unless you want to spend $10,000 to earn a free weekend night. Hard pass.

Bottom line

I like to see card issuers try new things. Some of them work, some don’t. We’ve seen a craptacular offer from Amex recently. And Citi blew its chance to compete with Amex Offers.

However, other (hopefully better) offers might be out there, so it’s worth checking your email or Citi account. A step in the right direction, but no dice. I hope Citi works out their growing pains because Chase and Amex are currently duking it out. And there was a time I was spending almost exclusively on Citi cards. But I’ve spread it out a lot with the current category bonus environment.

If you got a similar offer, please share! I’m curious if Citi is sending out other versions of this offer, particularly with other cards.

OUT AND OUT - Investing. Positivity. Oh, and travel.

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Published on January 21, 2017 09:07

January 12, 2017

Refer 3 Friends to Ebates and Earn $75 (Share Your Links!)

I’m a huge proponent of shopping online through portals – you literally get free extra airline miles, hotel points, or cashback for clicking a link. It couldn’t be simpler.

I always check Cashback Monitor before buying anything online. And lots of stuff earns points or cashback that you wouldn’t expect:

I got Alaska miles for filing a DBA through LegalZoom

And I plan to file taxes myself this year through H&R Block. I was surprised to see I could get 19 Avios per $1. My taxes this year will be about $60, so that will net me a free 1,140 British Airways Avios points for something I was planning to do anyway.

Get 20% cashback or 19 Avios per $1 at H&R Block

None of the amounts are staggering individually, but it’s easy to see how it could add up over the course of a year – or even a few months if you shop a lot online.

Get $75 free bucks from Ebates

And Ebates has a promotion through March 31st, 2017 where you can earn $75 for referring 3 new sign-ups who make a $25 purchase.

About Ebates and cashback portals

Link: Ebates

There are many cashback shopping portals out there. The one I use most is Giving Assistant because the payouts post within a few days after you shop. Others, like TopCashback make you wait 3 or 4 months.

As you can see in the image above, payouts vary wildly. For a single merchant, the cashback can range from 2% to 20% back with no apparent rhyme or reason.

That’s why I recommend checking Cashback Monitor and the payout terms before you commit to a particular portal.

Ebates sends you a check or PayPal payment on a set schedule

With Ebates, the cashback you earn is tracked within a few business days, which is good. But the payouts are sent 4 times per year – and you must accumulate at least $5.01 each quarter to get a payment (otherwise it carries over to the next payout).

The referral bonus here does not count toward the minimum, so you have to commit to shopping through Ebates to hit that magic threshold – but you get everything once that’s accomplished.

I get why they do this – to encourage people to use the site and form a habit loop of shopping through there. Which is good for everyone involved (you, the merchants, and Ebates as a business).

And, if you’re currently earning nothing from shopping online, anything is certainly better than that!

Refer and earn

When you refer 3 new sign-ups to Ebates, you get $25 for each when they spend $25 after clicking through the site within a year.

There are tons of popular merchants

Then, you’ll get $75 added to your own Ebates account (a $5 base and a $20 “tier bonus.”)

But remember, you need to earn at least $5.01 to get a payment. This isn’t hard.

Assuming you spend a little over $100 through the end of March 2017 at 5% cashback, you’ll hit that and get the $75 from referring others. Finally, you would earn an ~$80 payment on May 15, 2017.

So there are really only 2 hoops to jump through:

Refer 3 new sign-ups
Earn at least $5.01 in cashback to get paid

Not a bad deal for free money.

Share your links!

If you want to sign-up for a new account, here’s my link.

Here’s how to get your referral code

To find your referral code, click “Refer & Earn $25” at the top, then copy your unique code.

Feel free to share it in the comments! And of course, you can share it on your social media and send it to your friends, too.

This is an easy way to make an extra $75 if you shop online a lot.

Free $10 if you’re new, too

As an added bonus, you get $10 right away for creating a new account and making a $25+ purchase within 90 days.

I recommend setting your payout preference to PayPal so your payment processes on the quarterly payment dates – and you don’t have to wait for a check in the mail. But some peeps like paper checks, so select whichever one you like best.

Bottom line

If you shop online with any frequency, you can earn an easy $75 bucks when you refer 3 new sign-ups to Ebates through March 31st, 2017.

Your 3 referrals need to spend at least $25 on purchases after clicking through Ebates to shop. And you need to collect $5.01 in cashback earnings to get a payment.

Pretty generous deal and no reason why you shouldn’t hop on this.

I always recommend checking Cashback Monitor before you begin shopping online. But I’ll shop through Ebates a time or two to hit the $5.01 threshold and get my payout – then switch back to whichever portal pays out the most.

If you have an Ebates referral link, feel free to share it in the comments!

And if you’ve had a good or bad experience with a particular shopping portal, I’d love to hear which ones to stick to and ones to avoid.

OUT AND OUT - Investing. Positivity. Oh, and travel.

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Published on January 12, 2017 20:51

January 11, 2017

My Experience Getting the Southwest Companion Pass With Starwood Points

Also see:

I’m Switching to Alaska and Southwest (With Companion Pass) Next Week

It is here! My coveted Southwest Companion Pass.

After a disappointing New Year’s Day announcement that hotel transfers would no longer count toward the Companion Pass, to a reversal a few days later after much criticism, the beginning of 2017 was a wild ride for Southwest.

Back n forth on January 1st

I wasn’t surprised by the announcement – I predicted it would happen a year ago – but it was underhanded and calculating for them to “close the loophole” on January 1st with absolutely no forewarning.

It was sleazy and the opposite of transparent. And for those few days, I was kind of happy to not have the Companion Pass. Because why would I want to commit to a company that makes those sort of changes without warning?

Made it official on January 5th

But they did the right thing, and added a generous 3-month deadline. So that turned me around. Although they have devalued their revenue-based points system without notice twice in recent memory. So I still have that thought in the back of my mind.

My experience getting the Southwest Companion Pass

Link: Get the Southwest Companion Pass for 2 Years for 90,000 Starwood Points

Just as I described in this post, I transferred 90,000 Starwood points instantly to Marriott. At the 1:3 ratio, I had 270,000 Marriott points – exactly enough for a Southwest Hotel + Air package.

Package 3 is where it’s at

Then called Marriott at 800-321-7396 and had a representative on the phone within 5 minutes. I asked for the Hotel + Air package for 7 nights and 120,000 Southwest points. He quoted me 270,000 Marriott points – exactly the amount in my account.

I gave him my Southwest Rapid Rewards number. The whole call took maybe 3 minutes.

Boom

The 7-night certificate appeared in my account immediately.

And the 120,000 Southwest points appeared on January 7th, a couple of days later.

It took a couple more days for the points to update

But no Companion Pass status. I was patient though, a couple more days later, saw this:

Yessa!

And in case I hadn’t logged in, they sent me this nice email today (January 11th) with the subject “Congrats! You earned Companion Pass.“:

Thanks, Southwest

The process from start to finish, from initial phone call to Companion Pass status, took 5 days.

Day 1: Called Marriott to book the Hotel + Air package
Day 3: 120,000 Southwest points appeared in my account
Day 5: Companion Pass appeared in my account

And, it’s valid through December 31, 2018 – nearly 2 full years.

As a Dallas-based flyer, I can’t wait to put it to near-constant use! An excellent way to redeem 90,000 Starwood points if you ask me.

This method of earning the Companion Pass is valid through March 31st, 2017. Then it will be gone foreverrrr.

Thoughts on this year’s travel goals

With Virgin America and Southwest both serving Dallas-Love Field, I anticipate flying out of DAL like a beast this year. With some flights from DFW on Alaska and other airlines for award flights.

I have Alaska companion certificates, gift cards, and discounts I need to use (all earned from the Bank of America Alaska Visa or Amex Platinum cards). And of course, I have 120,000 Southwest points, worth $1,716 toward Southwest flights (assuming they’re worth 1.43 cents each and they’re usually worth a little more). And, I can add a companion for only the cost of taxes and fees.

Suffice it to say, I am raring to go!

I also have a fair amount of Alaska miles to burn (because it’s easy to get 30,000 more every 45 days) and am thinking of a trip to Hong Kong and South Africa on Cathay Pacific. I’d also love to visit Patagonia, finally.

I also want to re-visit Chicago, New York, Las Vegas, and New Orleans. And fit in a trip to Portland for a weekend (Alaska has a DFW-PDX non-stop and I’ve never been there!).

Excitedddd

Lots of domestic travel. And a few award trips to farther places. So the Southwest/Virgin America/Alaska trio is going to serve my travel goals quite well. Now, to start planning some trips!

Bottom line

Link: Apply for Card Offers

Earning the Southwest Companion Pass with 90,000 Starwood points took a 5-minute call and 5 days of waiting. Easy peezy.

If you need more Southwest, Starwood, or Marriott points, you probably have enough time to open a new credit card and earn the sign-up bonus. Don’t forget online shopping portal bonuses, dining bonuses, and points earned from hotel stays all count toward the Southwest Companion Pass, too. And it all adds up!

I’m jazzed about the Companion Pass and flying 2-for-1 through the end of 2018. I have a feeling it will be put to constant use. And more importantly, I’ll use it to make new memories and visit new places – the reason I travel to begin with.

Just wanted to share about my quick and easy experience earning the Companion Pass. The hotel points transfer method will work through March 31st, 2017 – so get it while you can.

Did you get a Southwest Companion Pass already this year? Or will you, before this “loophole” closes forever?

OUT AND OUT - Investing. Positivity. Oh, and travel.

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Published on January 11, 2017 20:22

January 2, 2017

How’d I Do for 2016 Travel Predictions?

Also see:

16 Points & Miles Predictions for 2016

Last year, I tried my hand at predicting… the fyoocha!

Go go gadget clairvoyance

So let’s recap and find out what happened in 2016 behind the smoky haze of palo santo and sage.

My 2016 Travel Predictions
1. Citi will add American Airlines as a ThankYou transfer partner

WRONG.

He’s looking for Citi’s new transfer partner. Good luck, buddy

I don’t it’ll ever happen at this point. My hope is dwindling.

2. American Airlines will “get in bed” with Hilton

WRONG.

No partnership there. You’d think the world’s largest airline and one of the world’s largest hotel chains would introduce reciprocal benefits like Delta/Starwood or United/Marriott, especially since both have cards with Citi. But… noooope.

3. AMEX will step up the Platinum Card’s game, finally add bonus categories

CORRECT.

Dang skippy

We finally got a 5X category on the personal version of the Platinum Card.

4. Citi Prestige will get a little less shiny

CORRECT. A LOT less shiny.

I still luh ya, but not *as* much

They axed Admirals Club access, free rounds of golf, and reduced the redemption rate of each point: ouch. The changes don’t kick in until July 23rd, 2017. But I have a feeling they’ll add something to compete with Chase Sapphire Reserve in the meantime.

Still, I saved over $3,000 with Citi Prestige last year, so I’m keeping it for a while longer.

5. Fidelity and Schwab will compete in the cashback arena

WRONG.

Schwab came out with a 1.5% cashback card, but it hardly competes with Fidelity’s 2% cashback card.

6. All 3 legacy airlines will make the exact same positive change

WRONG.

The race to the bottom still rages on. They’re all the same level of shittiness now, so by all means, take your pick!

7. Hilton will step it up a bit

WRONG.

Same ol’ Hilton. Good on them for consistency. I think they’re waiting to see what a combined Marriott/Starwood will look like. Or maybe they don’t care and are fine with the program as-is.

8. Hyatt (and thus Chase Ultimate Rewards) will devalue

CORRECT.

“World of Hyatt” is a complete pile of poo.

Let’s start with that hideous logo

They haven’t messed with award rates yet, so no hit to Chase Ultimate Rewards. But at least there’s that… for now.

9. Manufactured spend will get crazy difficult to the point of not worth it

CORRECT.

The “new” MS is to resell or start a side hustle. I don’t have time to do the gift card –> money order –> bank deposit loop and pray it works at each step because they are ALL so shaky.

10. There will be at least 2 SCREAMING flight deals

CORRECT.

There were a LOT of good flight deals, including many good sales to Europe. I think this will continue for a while more.

11. Barclays and BofA will stop sucking so much

CORRECT.

The new JetBlue cards were a win for Barclays; so was regaining the AAdvantage cards for new sign-ups.

I didn’t get them all on the same day

And BofA didn’t stop sucking so much as much as the others now suck equally… and you can still get Alaska miles every 45 days, so at least there’s that.

12. Club Carlson will do something to remain relevant

WRONG.

Who? I haven’t thought about them in ages.

13. Southwest will finally add more T&Cs to the Companion Pass

CORRECT.

It came a day after 2016 ended, but OW that stings. I was all set to get a Companion Pass this week (using this method which now no longer works).

Lots of peeps recently signed up for Chase Marriott cards Amex Starwood cards to take advantage of this. Others bought Starwood points during a recent sale. And some have just been saving them up for a big redemption.

Southwest, you’re a dirty dog

So it sucks Southwest gave absolutely no heads up or last call about this. Changes with no notice are legal, yes, but extremely sleazy and bad for trust in your brand.

There are many ways Southwest could’ve handled this. In the end, they decided to do the most underhanded thing possible.

Do I blame them? No. But they should’ve worked on their approach, as they were obviously waiting until January 1st to drop this. Guess I’ll go for Alaska and fly Southwest when they’re the cheapest/have the best routes. I’m going total free agent this year.

14. British Airways will keep fuel surcharges

CORRECT.

And everyone still hates them for it because we know they’re garbage.

15. An international airline loyalty program will gain new prominence

WRONG.

It’s the same ol’ with those programs. The only new one on my radar is Etihad.

16. United Airlines will actually improve

WRONG.

See: #6. Race to the bottom, baby!

Bonus: Alaska Airlines will steal the show

CORRECT.

I said:

They’ll add improvements to their planes, credit cards, route network, and loyalty program quietly, behind the scenes. And at the end of 2016, everyone will be Team Alaska.

Or maybe just me.

They merged with Virgin America, upped the bonus on their credit cards to 30,000 miles, and actually improved their award program in several ways.