Category: 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.

AMEX Offers Filters
American Express Just Made an Awesome Update to Its Amex Offers Interface
If you've spent much time on this site at all, you've likely seen me mention Amex Offers. But, just in case, let me refresh you: Amex Offers are special deals that American Express card customers can opt into. While some of these offers are widely circulated, others are more targeted — and occasionally quite lucrative....
Hotels.com Rewards Visa Credit Card
Hotels.com's Rewards Visa is a Bit Confusing But Intriguing — Especially With the Current Enhanced Offer
A few months back, Hotel.com unveiled a new rewards card being issued by Wells Fargo named the Hotels.com Rewards Visa. Although I had never and still have never actually used the site, as a growing credit card enthusiast, I was interested in seeing what it had to offer. Yet, what I initially found as I...
A row of doors
Custom Category Credit Cards Rewards May Be the Future — But There's a Catch
As someone who's taken a strong interest in the world of credit card rewards in recent years, it's definitely been an exciting few months. Things started heating up last year when several travel-focused credit cards began upping their offers and introducing limited-time perks in order to keep customers rolling in amid the halt in travel....
Ally Bank illustration
Ally Has Announced the End of Overdraft Fees
If you ask anyone who's had a negative experience with banks what in particular was so bad about them, I suspect that "overdraft fees" would be an overwhelmingly popular response. After all, the very idea of overdraft fees sounds like a stand-up comedy premise: "You don't have any money so we're going to take more...
browser URL bar
Double Check Websites When Shopping Online: My Funny But Frightening Tale
I like to fashion myself a fairly savvy online consumer. Not only am I able to quickly discern poor phishing attempts but have even foiled a few of the more convincing variety. On top of that, I know a few different things to check when it comes to sniffing out a scam site. That's why...
Robinhood IPO trading app
Robinhood is Rolling Out IPO Access to Users
If you've ever happened to keep an eye on a company that was going public and then tried to buy shares for yourself once they did, you may have been in for a surprise. That's because, while you may see reports about a company's target price, that might not be the amount you actually pay...
Las Vegas skyline at night
Two Big Ways in Which Investing and Gambling Overlap
This week calls for a bit of celebration. Seeing as my wife and I are now both fully vaccinated, we decided to travel to Las Vegas and meet up with a couple of friends. In addition to resort hopping and gathering material for future Travel Tuesday reviews, I’ve also taken to playing a bit as...
Postmates app
You Can Now Link Your Uber Account to Postmates (For Better or Worse)
If there's any industry that's grown during the pandemic, it has to be delivery services. Anecdotally, last year marked the first time I began ordering delivery with any real frequency — especially relying on them in March and April when leaving the house felt like a major chore. Since then, I've moved mostly to the...
online banking
Checking My ChexSystems Report for the First Time (and How You Can Too)
As I've shared numerous times before, part of my personal finance origin story involves me checking my credit for the first time. Since then, I've written plenty of times about ways to obtain your credit reports from the three major bureaus as well as reviewed various platforms that provide an educational look at your credit...
Google Pay Spring Challenge
Google Pay Has Extended Its Spring Challenge That Could Score You $30
For the past couple of weeks, Google Pay has hosted its Spring Challenge, inviting users to complete tasks, earn stamps, and hopefully even score $30 cashback. Originally, this promotion was set to run from April 12th through April 22 (Earth Day) — however, at nearly the last minute, the Spring Challenge was extended. Now, Google...
Don't Kick Yourself Over Money You "Coulda Had"
Back in 2018, the popular (yet somehow always in trouble) app Robinhood began offering crypto trading. In the months that followed, it also added support for additional tokens — including something called Dogecoin. Being curious about crypto, I threw a literal few dollars at each option. As a result, I ended up buying 756 Dogecoins...
American Experes Centurion Airort Lounge
Amex is Cutting Complimentary Centurion Lounge Access for Guests — But Don't Panic Yet
Back when I was considering and comparing the American Express Platinum card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve, one of the perks that put the former over the top for me was access to Amex's own Centurion Lounges. While the similar benefits of being able to enjoy Delta SkyClubs when flying Delta was another reason why...
Featured Articles
Travel Tuesday: The Club ATL Grab & Go Pantry Lounge Review
Last week, I set off for San Francisco from my home in Springfield, Missouri. But, since I was flying Delta, I of course needed to make a stop in Atlanta before my flight back in the correct direction. Over the years, I've spent plenty of time at ATL, so when something new pops up, I...
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...
Hotel Vandivort Review: Springfield, Missouri's Four Diamond Boutique Hotel
When it comes to my Travel Tuesday hotel review series, I often wonder what travels might be featured in my latest installment. That's when it hit me that: instead of looking to other cities for adventure, I could feature a property found right here in Springfield, Missouri.  Hotel Vandivort is a unique boutique hotel we’d...
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,...