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CategoryThinking about Vanguard’s no-transaction-fee ETF announcement
The finance blogosphere has been ablaze the last week with Vanguard’s announcement that they’ll be eliminating trading fees on an enormous swathe of ETF’s that currently cost $7 ..
Shop Talk: Chasing Deep Discounts on Disney Travel & Missing the Big Picture
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
Fuel Rewards: Sign up to Save 25 Cents a Gallon with your first fill-up!
There are a lot of traits of points and miles folks that lend themselves to the pursuit of other savings, outside of pure travel rewards. One area where I think
If you're reading this, hopefully I'm in the Czech Republic
I’ve heard that our top scientists, in their wisdom, have determined that people enjoy the anticipation of a holiday even more than they enjoy the holiday itself. I’m no scientis..
Marriott Travel Packages are getting more expensive (also maybe more valuable)
I saw Spencer Howard post on Twitter a seemingly-official (or at least well-spoofed) document listing the new prices of Marriott Hotel + Air packages when the combined Marriott, ..
Hotel benefits by length of stay
The other day I was looking at hotels for an upcoming weekend trip with flexible dates. I settled on a convenient Hilton property, and was immediately annoyed that I only
Keep a Bank of America Card Open for Free Museums
For a long time, Bank of America (BOA) has sponsored free museum days in the US. Currently, select museums throughout the country are free to BOA cardholders on the first full w..
Distinguishing between falsifiable and non-falsifiable claims
Right-wing troll Ben Shapiro has a cliché he deploys whenever he’s confronted by someone who disagrees with his particular brand of snarky malevolence: “facts don’t care about yo..
What if low US labor force participation is driven by low US labor standards?
There is no cliché more beloved by chin-stroking observers of The West than the “sclerotic” labor markets of Western Europe.
France is of course the most notoriously sclerotic l..
Transfer Starpoints to Amtrak Guest Rewards before August 1, 2018
For many years I was a booster of Chase Ultimate Rewards transfers to Amtrak Guest Rewards, due to their zone-based redemption system which made it possible to get 3 or
My (boring) Citi shutdown story
For the past few years, I’ve carried three credit cards issued by Citibank:Double Cash;Dividend Platinum Select;and AAdvantage Platinum Select.These are all middling credit cards..
Means-testing and the real marriage penalties (wonkish)
For decades (at least as long as I’ve been alive), people have used the expressions “marriage bonus” and “marriage penalty” to describe what happens to the income tax liability of
Shop Talk: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly in This Game.
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
Do this now: register for 2018 3rd quarter bonus categories
With July 1 right around the corner, it’s time to make sure you’re registered for quarterly bonus earnings on some popular no-annual-fee credit cards.Chase FreedomAfter a great f..
JW Marriott Chengdu – Low Category City Luxury
A few months ago, I wrote about Le Meridien Chiang Rai, then a category 2 SPG redemption (now cat 3) for a luxurious 5-star resort tucked away from the bustle. Now I’d like to t..
Potential US Bank Gift Card Fraud Spotted in the Wild
I hate that I have to write a post like this (again), but I would be remiss if I didn’t put this warning out there. Years ago there was an
Absolute versus relative redemption values
In Wednesday’s post about passing on the current IHG Rewards point sale, I mentioned that it’s not enough to get good absolute value from a points redemption if you’re not
PSA: Iberia.com hates Google Chrome. Use Internet Explorer
I am writing this in hope of saving you a few hours of your life in frustration. At least for me, Iberia.com is very buggy in Chrome and Firefox. It wouldn’t let me login 95% o..
First flight on Southwest – lessons learned and tips
So I finally flew Southwest for the first time and my hot take is that I don’t really understand why people have such strong feelings about it. Before my flight
You probably shouldn't participate in a good IHG points sale
Through Friday, June 15, IHG Rewards Club is offering a 100% bonus on purchased points, meaning you can buy up to 200,000 points for $1,000, or 0.5 cents each, when you
Shop Talk: Chase Ritz-Carlton, Full Sized Car Seats, Open Ended European Vacations, Kauai (Food & Coffee) and 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
To my reader who mistyped his own e-mail address, Starwood edition
I recently received a question from a reader using the “Contact” page, but the reader seems to have mistyped their e-mail address, which I discovered only after writing my reply.
Help! I’m flying Southwest for the first time
A lot of ink has been spilled about how Southwest Airlines is the best airline for families. And even though this purportedly is a family blog, I’ve never flown Southwest