Anyone who knows me also knows that my most passionate hobby after credit card gaming is cycling. I like riding fast. I like long rides. I like meandering around the neighborhood. Occasionally I like making funny images out of my routes. I also like riding nice bikes. I’ve lusted after a new racing bike for […]
A Bicycle Story — Buy Now Pay Later (Affirm) — Part One Read More »
Despite not even signing up for any new cards or accounts, I scored a pretty solid New Year’s haul. This is broken across true rewards (ex. cash back on cards) with $1,183, offers (ex. promotional discounts for spend) making up $103, and perks (ex. freebies or discounts for card ownership) contributing $454. The single-month amount
I am not generally “active” investing (trading on any frequent basis beyond recurring buys.) Historically, I have had some fun and seen some moderate income from buying and selling low volumes of options contracts. Typically the only space I am willing to throw any meaningful way is occasional covered calls (see Fidelity overview). This most
My fun week with covered call sales (and $717.90 in returns!) Read More »
We’re a month into the new year and the new credit card itch is starting to scratch. I’m hungering for those sweet, sweet sign up bonuses. And best of all, I know I have some big expenses coming up (tax season, oof!) so hitting them will be easy. Perhaps, even, there’s a long term 0%
I’m on the hunt for some new cards (and sign up bonuses!) Read More »
It is clear that I am not loyal to any one airline or credit card or program. That’s great for flexibility, but less great for searching for and making bookings. Hunting across a half dozen sites is difficult, and makes finding the right arrangement difficult. A few years back I stumbled across a great web
There’s only one tool you need for award travel booking: Roame Read More »
Nice little targeted offer from US Bank showed up in my email box this past month. And this past week, a reminder saying not to forget to take action. Believe it or not, I forgot. US Bank wants me to change default payments and get in the habit of using their card so they can
US Bank Targeted Offer – $25 for making 2 utilities payments (easy money!) Read More »
Occasionally there’s a gem in the late night phone doom scrolling. This popped up as I was headed to bed, and actually made me lose sleep because I felt the need to look into it further. I’m a fan of the “free” element of matching. I’m particularly a fan when the restrictions about that mean
OKX 5% match on deposits — absolutely crazy value promotion 15.8% annualized return Read More »
A few months back there was some big news, Visa/Mastercard and a broad group of suing merchants agreed upon terms that would see a range of restricted actions on the part of networks (Visa, Mastercard) and fewer restrictions for merchants (surcharges, ability to decline certain card types). Anything impacting transactions (restrictions, fees, surcharges, etc.) has
Get ready for more merchant surcharges — Visa/Mastercard Merchant Settlement Read More »
Kathy’s favorite quote is “you choose how much you suffer.” When I’m presented an opportunity for a pile of free points, generally I’m willing to choose the suffering option for some free travel. Sometimes (but often not) that turns out even better than expected, like last week’s New York Hilton Grand Vacations “owners update.” TLDR
Timeshare “owners update” gone right —110k Hilton Points in under an hour Read More »
I closed three accounts in 2025. Each for a varying reason. Each for an account with a $20,000 limit or more. Those closures did not destroy my credit score, damage my credit history, or have any meaningful impact whatsoever. It is also true that I have many, many accounts, so in the balance of other
Don’t be afraid to close credit card accounts you don’t need or want to manage Read More »
