Tag Archives: Citi Bank

Marathon Man: “Manufactured Spending is like Card Counting” and my #WestCoastDo Thoughts

Card Counting Casino

Marathon Man: “Manufactured Spending is like Card Counting” and my #WestCoastDo Thoughts

Don’t worry Marathon Man, your secrets are safe. The one thing you said that I will share is, “manufactured spending is like card counting.” That is such a great analogy that fits perfectly.  Just like card counting, MS is not illegal, but it is definitely frowned upon.  The comparison to MS is wonderful.  After catching up on some sleep, I have a few points I want to share about the #WestCoastDo and the other travel conferences I have attended.

1 – First off, great job to Matt @ Saverocity for putting together and pulling off a great travel conference.  I am sure those in attendance would agree.  The lunch was fabulous and the extended happy hour was much appreciated. Thanks for all the hard work, time, and money you spent on this conference.  You da’ man!

2 – Uber is great in Phoenix/Scottsdale.  I used Uber a few times to get to/from my Holiday Inn Express hotel (please don’t screw me over Into the Nights) as well as to get to the airport.  There are lots of drivers at all hours of the day and night.

Uber in PHX

3 – George @ Travel Blogger Buzz is much nicer in person.  I have been a long time reader and friend of George, but this was the first time meeting him in person.  He is very nice, funny, and just fun to hang out with.  He shared his thought on #WestCoastDo here.

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My Credit Card Affiliate Links will be Removed on Monday, November 10 at 12PM CT

Which Credit Card

My Credit Card Affiliate Links will be Removed on Monday, November 10 at 12PM CT

Good evening everyone, I wish I were here with better news, but unfortunately on the eve of #westcoastdo, I received an email from my credit card affiliate network that my Barclays credit card links will be deactivated Monday, November 10 at 12PM CT.  Shortly after noon, I will remove all Barclays credit card links from my blog.

Over the last year and a half, I have slowly and steadily lost all the great credit card links, from Chase, Citi, American Express, Bank of America, Discover, US Bank, and now Barclays.  With the loss of Barclays, I will only have links for secured credit card, which I wouldn’t recommend to my worst enemy.  The loss of credit card affiliate links is probably a result of very low approval numbers (I am too small for the banks to bother keeping) and the manufactured spending topics I often discuss probably didn’t help either.

It is kind of ironic, really.  When I started my blog in May 2013, I had all the great credit card links and none of the site traffic.  Fast forward to today, the situation has completely swapped.  In a few days, I will have no credit card links and much greater site traffic.  The timing was terrible, but also a blessing.   Continue reading →

a close-up of a logo

New Citi American Airlines Executive Card with Admirals Club Logo

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Good Thursday morning everyone, here are some random news articles for you.  Recently, I wrote about the newly redesigned Citi American Airlines Executive Credit Card (link) and commented on the fast that the new design did not have an Admirals Club logo on the card.  Over the weekend, I visited the Admirals Club in SFO and the front desk agent told me that Citi forgot to include the Admirals Club logo on some of their new Executive Cards.  I called Citi and they sent me a new card via FedEx Overnight.  Here is what the back of the card looks like with the Admirals Club logo in the upper right corner.  If you have the old-new Executive Card, you can call Citi and request a new-new Executive Card.

New AA Exec Back Admirals Club Logo

American Express is on a roll with their AMEX Offers.  I wrote about the new offers this week (post 1 and post 2) but apparently AMEX is still rolling out new offers.  The latest offer to grab my attention is the Marriott Hotels offer, spend $200+ and receive a $50 statement credit.

Marriott Hotels AMEX Offer

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OC Meetup Reminder, Apple Pay Success, and New Chime Card Promo for Old Navy

In-N-Out Logo

OC Meetup Reminder, Apple Pay Success, and New Chime Card Promo for Old Navy

Happy Friday evening everyone, hopefully your weekend is off to a great start.  For those of you in the Orange County, LA, or San Diego area, please join me tomorrow afternoon for burgers, fries, and top secret manufactured spending discussions at In-N-Out (after all, that’s what a hamburger is all about).  I will be outside on the tables wearing my Travel with Grant shirt, you can’t miss me!

  • When: 12PM – 2PM on Saturday, October 25
  • Where: In-N-Out at the Tustin District: 2895 Park Ave, The District, Tustin, CA 92782 (map)
  • Why: Talk miles and points with me and other locals (possibly share some secrets too)

No need to RSVP, just show up and join the conversation.

In-N-Out Address

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Random News: The New American (Airlines Credit Card from Citi) has Arrived, $60 Off Travelocity Hotels, $20 Off $25 Tabbed Out Bill, and 2 New AMEX Offers

AA American Logo

Random News: The New American (Airlines Credit Card from Citi) has Arrived, $60 Off Travelocity Hotels, $20 Off $25 Tabbed Out Bill, and 2 New AMEX Offers

Happy Friday morning everyone, here are a few random news stories for you.  A few days ago, Adam (Fly2Travel) shared a post about the new Citi American Airlines Credit Card redesign.  I love using my Citi American Airlines Executive Credit Card for lounge access and on-board shopping (25% rebate on food and drink purchases).  I called Citi and asked if they could send me a replacement card with the new design.  The representative was not sure what I was talking about (how could this be, I called the Citi AA Exec phone number?).  He didn’t really have a good answer, but said that if Citi redesigned the card, that all newly issued or newly replaced credit cards would have the new design.  He felt confident that I would get the new card design if I asked for a replacement card.  He thanked me for my loyalty to Citi and said he would FedEx the new credit card overnight.  I received the new credit card yesterday and it has no embossed letters or numbers and the credit card information is on the back of the credit card (the credit card number, expiration date, and CVV stayed the same).  I like that they added my AA number to the back of the card (previously missing from the old executive card), but I just noticed that the Admirals Club logo is missing on the new card (present on the old executive card to distinguish between primary card holders and authorized users, hmmm).

New AA Exec Front New AA Exec Back

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