What can the police do but arrest them?
I read with interest the essay of National Review columnist Kyle Smith about the response of the Starbucks coffee drink company to reports that one of their employees summoned Ph..
Things I’ve changed my mind about in the miles and points world
I am a sucker for spirited debate, and at the end of my last such interaction with my flesh and blood father, he said to me, “Nobody’s mind was ever
Shop Talk Special Guest Edition: The Dominance of Chase UR, First Class for Less, & More.
Welcome to another edition of Shop Talk where we discuss what’s going on in our personal points & miles space and highlight what we think is interesting in the broader
Two takeaways from Starwood Preferred Guest merger announcement
Since blog subscribers already knew about the changes coming to Marriott’s elite status qualification in August, I want to highlight two additional takeaways from the details rel..
The Best Place to See Cherry Blossoms in DC is Not Where You Think
Another cherry blossom season has come and gone, and with it the enormous crowds. If you missed the Tidal Basin’s peak bloom, you are not out of luck. The best
A little Spring housekeeping
It’s been a wild month or two in the world of manufactured spend, with free groceries at Giant/Stop&Shop/Martins, more free or cheap gas promotions (depending on your region), an..
Quick Hits: How to use non-Southwest points to book Southwest flights
When you’re trying to save money on flights using Orbitz or the like, you may notice that Southwest never pops up. That’s because Southwest blocks online travel agencies from vie..
Consumption smoothing is the best-theorized, least-implemented idea in economics
Given the prestige economics holds as a profession under late capitalism, it’s somewhat odd how little attention is paid to the genuine theoretical innovations of the economics p..
Why and How: Transfering Wells Fargo Rewards Between Accounts
Point transferability between accounts varies wildly across banks. Wells Fargo is one of the most favorable banks in this regard, allowing point transfers:
To and from personal..
Deal or Not a Deal? Paying Taxes with a Credit Card, “Buying” URs, and 3x Plastiq
There are a lot of different ways to play this game. There’s no “one size fits all” and I think it’s important to consider that everyone’s situation is unique.
With that
April 2018 credit card applications
It’s been a long time since I’ve applied for a new credit card. So long, in fact, that I was astonished to log into the credit monitoring service I got
Shop Talk: Southwest’s Second Devaluation, Booking Patience, IHGee-Whiz, & Gift Card Changes.
Welcome to another edition of Shop Talk where we discuss what’s going on in our personal points & miles space and highlight what we think is interesting in the broader
Marriott Rewards Changes Make AMEX Platinum and Chase Reserve More Appealing. Here’s Why.
Rumors about the new combined Starwood Preferred Guest and Marriott Rewards programs broke recently. The program appears to have gone the same direction as Hyatt by ditching bene..
Pros and Cons: Ranking the “Tier 2” Rewards Credit Card Banks
Beyond the big three banks with the best flexible points programs (Chase, AmEx and Citi) there’s a second group of banks with travel/rewards credit cards worth exploring.
The ..
Episode 79 – Cruising, wine, and more with Matt from Saverocity
Episode Description
Matthew Hague from Saverocity returns to discuss a litany of topics including his never ending Las Vegas M Life status gig, cruising and how to save money on ..
Wells Fargo Propel World 40,000 + $100 air incidental still available over phone
The Wells Fargo Propel World AmEx card is still available for applications over the phone.
Card details
40,000 GoFar Rewards after $3,000 in spend over 3 months
$100 air incide..
Automatically Re-Book Flights and Hotels When Prices Drop With DoNotPay.com
Editor’s Note: The creator of DoNotPay, Joshua Browder, reached out to me and asked me to call him and discuss a new robo travel re-booking site. I’m familiar with the
Example of Improved AA Award Availability
This is a quick example of what I’ve observed for a while – that since last year, AA award availability has improved from the pathetically lacking state of a few years ago. It’s..
How to Double Dip Chase and American Express Hotel Benefits
I’m just back from a family trip to Las Vegas. I have some thoughts about taking kids to Vegas, but will save them for another day. We are fortunate to
If you're already buying Hilton points for 0.5 cents each, why not buy in bulk?
I’ve never successfully bought one of the US Travel Association’s “Daily Getaways,” but when they’re released I always poke my head over to see if anything jumps out at me
How to Find Boutique and Family Friendly Hotels
Note: If you haven’t listed to the Saverocity Observation Deck podcast #78 you might want to before reading this post.
A good friend is headed to Italy with his wife and son
There are no off-the-shelf travel hacking strategies
Last week I wrote what I thought was a commonsense corrective to the din of blogger voices encouraging readers to sign up for the IHG Rewards credit card before it
Choosing which point option to use for a domestic flight
So I’ve been working on clearing out earned miles and points (my shame list). I’ve got points lying around in all sorts of programs that I’ve decided to prioritize getting