credit cards

Why not to use flexible point currencies for earning miles

  I will continue to tell everyone to not put your every day spending on a credit card. Many of you will continue to not listen to me. So let’s assume that you’re convinced you need to use a credit … Read MoreRead More

How can I convince you to not put your spending on a credit card?

  As I never grow tired of saying, being financially aware is one of the most crucial ways to find peace in your life and achieve anything you want. Being rich isn’t the goal, but being intentional and making the … Read MoreRead More

Conferring with the enemy (Part 3): The waiting (for miles to post) game

All posts in this series: Conferring with the enemy (Part 1): A credit card for a travel plan Conferring with the enemy (Part 2): Fulfilling minimum spend requirements on a credit card Conferring with the enemy (Part 3): The waiting (for … Read MoreRead More

In-app-ropriate: don’t use an online service to track your spending

  There are numerous sites and apps where you can sign up to manage your money, track your spending, and all of that. From what I’ve seen, they range from okay to horrendous, depending on what their angle is (and … Read MoreRead More

Conferring with the enemy (Part 2): Fulfilling minimum spend requirements on a credit card

All posts in this series: Conferring with the enemy (Part 1): A credit card for a travel plan Conferring with the enemy (Part 2): Fulfilling minimum spend requirements on a credit card Conferring with the enemy (Part 3): The waiting (for … Read MoreRead More

Conferring with the enemy (Part 1): A credit card for a travel plan

All posts in this series: Conferring with the enemy (Part 1): A credit card for a travel plan Conferring with the enemy (Part 2): Fulfilling minimum spend requirements on a credit card Conferring with the enemy (Part 3): The waiting (for … Read MoreRead More

Why foreign transaction fees are (annoying but) no big deal

  WARNING: This post contains math. Are you old enough to remember travelers checks? When I went on my first trip abroad when I was much younger, that was still the de facto method of using currency when in a … Read MoreRead More

Why the Home Depot and Target breaches aren’t an argument for using credit cards

  Another month, another major retailer announces that their internal records have been hacked, and their customer credit/debit card accounts stolen. This time it was 60 million accounts, making it the biggest breach ever. I was at dinner the other … Read MoreRead More

How to spend money

  You grab the items off the shelf and bring them to the counter. You hand them to the cashier, who scans it and then tells you how much it costs. The cashier then looks at you, expectantly. How do … Read MoreRead More

Beware of induced spending (or the perils of credit card travel benefits)

  I read lots of travel hacking blogs, as I’ve mentioned many times. And because sometimes travel hacking blogs seem more like credit card sales pages, I ingest many marketing messages on a regular basis. So when I was writing … Read MoreRead More