Quick Tips
Every Friday I post a new Quick Tip covering a wide range of topics, including ways to save money, travel tips, personal products/services I find interesting, and more.
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Another Centurion Lounge Access Policy Update is Now in Effect
Over the past several years, the popularity of airport lounge networks has caused these locations to adjust their entry rules. For example, Delta Sky Clubs now limit the number of times Amex Platinum and Delta SkyMiles Reserve cardholders can visit per year, while Amex’s own Centurion lounges have disallowed cardmembers from bringing guests — although,…
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Amex’s Saks Fifth Avenue “Make Good” Offers Are More “Meh”
Back in March, American Express announced that the semi-annual Saks Fifth Avenue credit that had been offered on the Platinum card would be removed on July 1st. As I noted when sharing that news, this wasn’t a huge loss as the Saks online shopping experience had gotten noticeably worse over the years, making it harder…
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My Wife Just Discovered the Magic of Bank Bonuses
One of the reasons why my wife and I have enjoyed such a successful marriage is that we were quick to get on the same page about money. However, while we agree on how we spend and save our money, when it comes to credit card rewards, my wife’s been more apprehensive than me. It’s…
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The Internet is Going Wild for This Lucrative Offer from Paze
You may not have heard of Paze — but there’s a good reason why you’ll want to familiarize yourself with it now. This week, the digital wallet (which comes from the same company behind Zelle) launched an offer that could be worth $100 or more. Currently, when customers use Paze to pay at qualifying online…
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How Chase Just Got Me to Keep My Sapphire Preferred Card
A couple of weeks ago, my wife received replacement cards for our Chase Sapphire Preferred in the mail. This served as our reminder that, if we did want to downgrade the card as we’d been talking about for years, now would be the time. See, I’d convinced her to get the card while it was…
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How Utilization Impacts Your Credit Scores: My Real-Life Example
You may already know that Credit Utilization is the second-largest factor FICO considers when determining your credit score. Specifically, it makes up 30% of your score, topped only by Payment History at 35%. But what does that look like in practice? Well, I recently got the “opportunity” to see firsthand. In April, I elected to…
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This New Hardshell Carry-On Luggage Option Has My Attention
Welcome back to another Quick Tip — and the latest edition of our occasional, unofficial series Things Kyle Wants to Buy. When I returned from my most recent trip, for some reason, I had hardshell luggage on my mind. That’s strange because my current soft-sided luggage has served me well and, moreover, I’ve traditionally not…
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Would it Be Wrong to Try This Potential Free Checked Bag Trick?
I don’t remember the last time I paid for a checked bag on a plane. Granted. I’ve paid for carry-ons while flying Allegiant — but, in the cases where I have elected to check a bag in recent years, it’s been a free gate check since I occasionally volunteer to part with my bag early…
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4 Daily Games I Play That Somehow Make Me Feel Smart
Remember a few years ago when Wordle took the world by storm? Well, after that, it seemed that several other daily games popped up as well. Over time, the lineup of games I actually bother to play daily has evolved — but there are a few that I keep returning to. That’s probably because, even…
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I’m 40 and Finally Figured Out How to Properly Shave My Face
For a good portion of my mid to late 20s, I made my living pretending to be in high school for television. As it turns out, part of the reason why I could pass for younger is that I can’t grow a beard to save my life. Unfortunately, this lack of growth also means that,…
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First Impressions of My New Charles Schwab Amex Platinum Card
Well, I did it. When I was sharing my 2026 credit card strategy, I noted that I was mulling over the idea of adding the Charles Schwab version of the American Express Platinum Card to my wallet, with the intent of then phasing out the “vanilla” version. With that plan stuck in my brain for…
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Problems Aside, Here’s Where FinTech Still Shines
Admittedly, I’ve been a bit down on FinTech in recent years. That’s mostly thanks to the Yotta/Synapse/Evolve debacle, which brought to light some major issues and misconceptions about neobanking services. In turn, while I still use plenty of financial technology apps and a few neobanks, these days, the vast majority of my money is held…
