Remember that MS false alarm I wrote about yesterday? Unfortunately, this isn’t another one. I just got word that at the end of this month, giftcards.com will stop offering cash back on Visa gift card purchases. To be precise, they’re ending affiliate commissions. So unless some really great shopping portal is eager to win over … Read more
Last week, Marriott and SPG announced a new unified award chart that would go into effect in 2019. I’ve been out of the loop lately, but the general sense on Twitter was that the upcoming changes were worse than the Hilton Honors apocalypse of 2012. I don’t want to get into the weeds of the … Read more
A week ago, I shared a possible MS shut-down on social media. A Twitter follower from Tennessee reported that his local Walmart may have begun hard-coded registers to reject gift cards for money order purchases. It turned out to be a false alarm. Readers continue to email and comment with their data points, so I … Read more
The Andaz 5th Avenue is a popular hotel for travel hackers visiting New York City. It’s located in midtown, between the New York Public Library and Grand Central station. The rooms are spacious and the hotel has a boutique vibe. The biggest draw of this hotel (at least for travel hackers)? Free room service breakfast … Read more
It’s Ron Swanson’s favorite time of year and I know what some of you are thinking: “Can I pay my taxes with a credit card?” If you’re like me and you run a side hustle but don’t have GE’s accountants, then chances are you’ll end up owing money to Uncle Sam. The glass is definitely … Read more
Following months of speculation Barclay finally announced the new Arrival Premier World Elite MasterCard. Interestingly, their press release really emphasized the fact that this is “a card for life”. One you can keep beyond the sign-up bonus. Not to burst your bubble Barclay, but I was totally on board with keeping my Arrival Plus for … Read more
The Conrad Chicago is having an insane sale right now that ends tomorrow. If you plan on visiting Chicago between now and May 25, 2018, you can get rates as low as $97 per night. To get 50% off your Conrad Chicago stay, you have to make a minimum 2-night reservation using booking code BG. … Read more
Unfortunately, this is not a late, pathetic attempt at an April Fool’s joke. Yesterday, Chase announced it would devalue the IHG Rewards Credit Card’s annual free night benefit. Starting May 1, the annual free night can only be redeemed at hotels that require 40,000 points per night or less In other words, it’s only good … Read more
Housing is probably the biggest expense most of us have, so it’s no wonder most people in this hobby try to find a way to earn miles on rent payments. Plastiq is the service I’ve used over the past few years to make mortgage payments. You can pay virtually anyone using Plastiq, which accepts all … Read more