Alex Merrick

Do I NEED more credit? No. But sure, I’ll take a $4,000 increase on my Discover card.

I’m sitting on almost $600k in available credit across my various cards. I do take advantage of the occasional 0% promotion, but I have no need for the vast majority of that credit. That said, I do greatly enjoy testing out various experiences, and I also get a kick out of getting my cards some […]

Do I NEED more credit? No. But sure, I’ll take a $4,000 increase on my Discover card. Read More ยป

Flying in the next year? Book those tickets now before airline prices surge

While there’s a lot happening in the world right now, current headlines are dominated by the war in Iran. This war has plunged the whole Middle East region into uncertainty. Bombs are falling on military facilities, bombs are falling on schools, bombs are falling on energy production facilities, and bombs are falling on oil transportation

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๐Ÿ’€๐Ÿ’€๐Ÿ’€ RIP Laurel Road Loyalty Checking โ€” $10 a month

Alas, another one bites the dust. After a multi-year relationship and almost a thousand dollars back, KeyBank has finally pulled the plug on the Laurel Road digital brand, and with it some of its actually good offerings. Most notably, it’s free-money Loyalty Checking account. Stellar sign-up bonus for starting direct deposit, and monthly direct-deposit bonus.

๐Ÿ’€๐Ÿ’€๐Ÿ’€ RIP Laurel Road Loyalty Checking โ€” $10 a month Read More ยป

It’s my own fault The Club SFO Priority Pass Lounge was a bust…

Capital One recently made some negative changes to lounge benefits. These changes impacted both Capital One Lounges/Landings as well as the quality of Priority Pass extended lounges (no more blanket access for guests.) Apparently I didn’t pay close enough attention to the email, as I didn’t complete a new membership enrollment like I had to

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Month-end recap: $1,300 in rewards, perks, and freebies in February 2026

The month is now behind us, and so too are a range of new cards, offers, and fun travel bookings. I held off on major cash/like redemptions, so I’d say the volume of activity was generally lighter than is normal. Still good deals to be had, but this was primarily a banking-points month. Rewards ($643

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Best Western Pay With Points โ€” an almost-free SFO airport hotel stay

As I was pulling up all the travel documents and plans for this week’s Hawaii stay, I was having trouble finding our SFO airport hotel stay. It turns out that despite doing some research on accommodations, I never ended up booking the stay (!!!) Thankfully I’ve got a range of points banked. Looking at hotels

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I know there’s a lucrative scheme hiding here somewhere โ€” G-Bank 1% Cashback Gaming/Betting Visa Signature Card

Anyone who knows me knows my very vocal position on sports betting. I won’t hash that here beyond describing the industry broadly as evil and predatory. Like any gambling, they get a good hook and get consumers to literally burn money. That makes the core foundation of this product also genuinely terrible. I hope G-Bank

I know there’s a lucrative scheme hiding here somewhere โ€” G-Bank 1% Cashback Gaming/Betting Visa Signature Card Read More ยป

Trust but verify โ€” Chase IHG 20% off Gas offer not posting correctly

Hooray for good deals. Boo for those not triggering correctly and requiring escalation to enforce. This has happened a number of times, though most typically with online purchase portals. In this instances, a really good Chase offer seems to have slipped identification. Thankfully online messaging portal means I’m likely able to resolve without picking up

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