Why Global Entry rocks for land crossings Upgraded to Economy, August 19, 2022July 25, 2024 Take a look at the line I passed at the Peace Arch. Continue Reading
How to scan your RFID TTP card at land crossings Upgraded to Economy, August 14, 2022July 25, 2024 Watch this video for a demonstration on how to scan your RFID TTP card at land crossings. In this example, I am using the NEXUS lane with my Global Entry card. Continue Reading
The best airline phone customer service shortcut Upgraded to Economy, August 8, 2022November 28, 2022 Something I realized in 2021, when I had to stay on the line with American Airlines customer service for long periods of time before I could reach someone, is that I didn’t have to wait for those long periods of time. In fact, I didn’t even need elite status on… Continue Reading
Flights How I got AAdvantage Platinum in January 2022 during the double dipping period Upgraded to Economy, August 8, 2022July 9, 2023 I’ve been enjoying the wonderful benefits of AAdvantage Platinum and oneworld Sapphire since January 2022. While I had qualified for AAdvantage Gold back in October 2021, I was going to be making a 2 month trip to Europe and I realized it would be really handy to have the additional… Continue Reading
Driving How to save money flying to Canada if you’re renting a car Upgraded to Economy, July 26, 2022July 25, 2024 If you’re flying to Canada from the United States, chances are, you’ll probably be visiting (or at least starting your journey in) one of its larger cities: Toronto, Montréal, or Vancouver. Then, you might rent a car for your trip. Only problem is, it’s much more expensive to fly to… Continue Reading
Why you should apply for a new credit card every six months if you’re building credit Upgraded to Economy, July 19, 2022 Want to build credit? The best way is probably going to be by applying for one new card every six months (give or take a few months—it doesn’t need to be precisely this long). While this may seem excessive, it actually is a great rule of thumb to live by… Continue Reading
Credit Cards Why you should never use a debit card ever again Upgraded to Economy, July 18, 2022November 28, 2022 After I got my first credit card, I started saving money on my transactions because I got at least 1% cash back on each purchase. Once you get your first rewards credit card, in general, you should never use a debit card ever again. Why? By using a debit card,… Continue Reading
My most useful credit cards Upgraded to Economy, July 18, 2022July 29, 2022 While I have 7 credit cards as of June 2022, I only use 4 credit cards on a day-to-day basis. The 4 cards I consider to be most useful for me (and the 4 I use the most) are, in no particular order: Chase Sapphire Preferred Chase Freedom Unlimited Chase… Continue Reading
How I’m earning 9% cash back on gas from July-September 2022 Upgraded to Economy, July 18, 2022July 18, 2022 In June, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to apply for the Capital One Venture X card. Since I would hit Chase’s 5/24 rule by getting approved for this card, I decided to go ahead and hit 5/24 by completing the Chase trifecta: Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Freedom Unlimited, and… Continue Reading
Travel My experience with getting approved for Global Entry Upgraded to Economy, July 17, 2022November 28, 2022 After the pandemic, with travel surging, the estimated application wait times for Global Entry has become less certain than before. As I recently went through the application process myself, I hope my experience will be a helpful data point. The stages of the application process There are essentially three stages:… Continue Reading
Travel The new LaGuardia is nothing short of amazing Upgraded to Economy, July 17, 2022July 5, 2023 Less than 10 years ago, then-Vice President Joe Biden said that being in LaGuardia Airport feels like “some third-world country”. Recently, I traveled to New York City for a week-long trip, the first time since the pandemic. The last time I was in LaGuardia was in 2018, where I remembered… Continue Reading
Credit Cards How I got my credit score above 800 before I turned 22 (Part 2) Upgraded to Economy, July 16, 2022July 16, 2022 This is part 2 of a two-part post. For part 1, see: How I got a credit score above 800 before I turned 22 (Part 1). I wasn’t planning on applying to a new credit anytime soon, as I was content on the credit cards I already had: Discover it®… Continue Reading