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Buying cheaper COVID-19 rapid tests in Europe

I recently got back from Austria, Italy, and Switzerland. My travel companion said his friends were asking him to buy COVID-19 rapid antigen tests abroad because they were cheaper and more abundant there Unfortunately, they asked when we were already on our last stop in Zurich, Switzerland, so we didn’t check the other countries. Switzerland is known to be expensive (honestly, I loved Switzerland and didn’t feel that it was extraordinarily expensive compared to major urban cities in the US like SF or NY), but we went out to check the local pharmacies anyways. We were shocked to find that it actually was cheaper and more abundantly available than in the US. Here are some datapoints on what we found: Continue reading →

Using United Travel Bank funds with corporate discounts (e.g. FoundersCard)

If you’re like me, you freshly loaded up your United Travel Bank with your eligible Amex cards in the new year to use up the associated travel credits. Say you’ve also signed up for FoundersCard to get the discount on United bookings. United says that you can’t use Travel Bank funds to book when using corporate discounts, but is that correct? When I go through the booking flow on the web, that’s the case: Continue reading →

Practical tips for margin lending with Interactive Brokers

Recently I’ve gotten into margin lending as a form of leverage. Why would you want to do that? This great post from Mr. Money Mustache goes into how it works and some reasons why you might want to do it. But mostly, the interest rates are incredibly low (a base rate of around 1.1% which adjusts based on interest rates), so it’s a fast and cheap way to get liquidity to put to other uses. To me, I consider it safe as long as you aren’t using it to spend or invest beyond your means, and are just taking advantage of the low interest rates. For example, to get liquidity from your equity without selling it off and incurring capital gains taxes, or to get liquidity during a market dip to buy at the dip without selling existing equity. Personally, I am using margin lending to earn a much higher interest rate (19.5%) with Anchor Protocol, or the other day I needed to meet a capital call and funds were being too slow to transfer from other sources. Continue reading →

How to request reopening a US Bank credit card

Here’s a quick guide on how to request the reopening of a US Bank credit card that either you closed or was closed due to inactivity. Sorry, don’t think this helps if your card was closed because you got banned. 😅

Unlike other banks, US Bank is a little more old school and requires a written request to reopen a closed account. Here is what you need:

  1. Reopening may require a credit inquiry, but the account would be reopened with the same card number and same credit line, so it’s not considered a new account on your credit report, in case you are worried about 5/24.
  2. On your written request, include the following:
    1. Sentence requesting the reopening of your account.
    2. Account number (credit card number).
    3. Individual annual income.
    4. Other sources of annual income you would like to report.
    5. Monthly housing payment.
    6. For the above, rent or own?
    7. Signature, name, and date.
    Mail or Fax to:
    • Cardmember Service
    • PO Box 6361
    • Fargo, ND 58125-6361
    • FAX: 1-800-670-4834

    Pro-Tip: You can take your document to any US Bank branch and they will fax it to the number for you for free. If you would like to do it from home and don’t have a fax machine, I love using HelloFax (5 free fax pages when you sign up with my link). It’s simple and fast! Just don’t select the option to send it in high quality/color, because this sends them a fax containing a link to the document rather than faxing them the document itself. Continue reading →

PSA: California codes the Chase x Gopuff credit incorrectly

Update sometime in 2022 it now codes correctly for everyone even if it says Beverages & More, Inc, HOWEVER charges less than $10 no longer get credited. Must be over $10.

Update 1/25/22 – Chase and GoPuff still have not resolved this issue for Californians yet, it’s still showing up as BevMo and not getting credited back. Chase deflects the blame back to GoPuff, saying they cannot control how a merchant codes. GoPuff keeps saying they’ve passed the issue on to their engineers, but nothing has come of it in months. Continue reading →

Trip Report: Miraval Tucson Arizona, one year later

A little over a year ago, I went to Miraval Tucson Arizona for the first time (trip report here). It was before vaccinations, and my first time traveling since the pandemic started. A lot has happened in the last year, we have vaccinations now and even boosters. I was invited to go to Miraval again with a friend (second time for both of us) last week with the current BOGO deal that they run every year. We had an awesome time and it was a slightly different experience than before since I did different activities this time. Continue reading →

DoorDash Promo – 25% back for every restaurant receipt you send

DoorDash (my referral link) recently put out this promo to encourage people to text receipt photos in exchange for 25% back in DoorDash credits. I don’t think it’s targeted, but some people don’t seem to have received the email. I thought I’d put out a blog post since DoorDash sent another few marketing emails saying “We didn’t get much interest.” Surprising to me since it’s so easy to do! 😅 Continue reading →

Gopuff Review – $10/month free with Chase cards

Gopuff (my referral) has been working hard on marketing lately. I’ve been getting ads everywhere for them, and every time I walk past a BevMo (Gopuff acquired BevMo for $350MM in Nov 2020) I see a tent sign about Gopuff outside the entrance. I’ve seen Chase offers for them, and there’s currently even a targeted 99% off Boost up to $25 off in Cashapp for it.

Gopuff also recently announced a Gopuff x Chase benefit where you can get $10 credit per month per Chase card you have through 12/31/2023. Nearly every Chase card qualifies (except Amazon, it seems). The Ink cards also get the credit, even though it’s not officially on the list. Continue reading →

Applying for a Taiwanese Passport

I recently obtained my Taiwanese Passport (台灣護照) for the first time. Growing up in the US as a Taiwanese-American in a fairly Taiwanese area, I never really thought about my identity until adulthood, when I began to fully embrace my background. Obtaining my passport is milestone along that journey. Technically, I don’t have the full rights of a Taiwanese citizen just by holding a passport, the status is called a National Without Household Registration. It would require obtaining household registration and then staying in Taiwan for some period of time to gain those full rights. Also, technically due my parents being Taiwanese, I was always a national, and this is just officially establishing my identity. As the United States does not forbid dual-citizens, and claiming your Taiwanese passport is not the same as naturalizing, which would require giving up your original citizenship, this is possible. Continue reading →

Photo Report: SFO Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse

I recently checked out the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse in JFK and loved it so much (MilesTalk also went not long after me and seems to have felt the same way!) that when I saw the SFO lounge was also available with Amex Platinum, I knew it would be worth going to the airport early before my flight. I did keep expectations low though, since I knew it was smaller and it had less stellar reviews while it was a Priority Pass lounge.
Continue reading →

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