Archives for August 2025

Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers – September 2025 (Updated)

Posted on August 28, 2025 // 46 Comments

Updated September 2025. That space in your wallet or purse is valuable, and you should be the one to get that value. By being smart and picky, you can find offers worth $500+ for a single card, all to encourage you to apply and try it out. This adds up to thousands of dollars in extra income (over $5,000 in 2023). These are the top 10 credit card offers that I would personally apply for right now (or have already). Notable recent changes:

  • Added Delta 80k, CSR 125k, Atmos 85k, Hawaiian 80k, BarcAA noAF, JetBlue 80k, Aeroplan 85k, Amex Gold 100k.
  • Removed Bonvoy 185k, Hilton 100k+$100, IHG 5FreeNights, Marriott 5FreeNightsk.

This is a companion post to my Top 10 Best Business Card Offers. Small business bonuses are on average even higher than those on consumer cards.

Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card

  • 125,000 Ultimate Rewards points after $6,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
  • $300 Annual Travel Credit, plus a long list of other credits – They advertise “Over $2,700 in annual value”, which I dunno, but it does include Apple TV+, Apple Music, Lyft, DoorDash, StubHub, Peloton.
  • Up to $120 Global Entry or $85 TSA PreCheck fee credit.
  • $795 annual fee.

Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card

  • Limited-time offer: 80,000 Bonus Miles after $3,000 in eligible purchases in first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 10/29/2025. See link for details.
  • 80,000 Skymiles are worth at least $800 in Delta airfare with “Pay with Miles” option.
  • $200 Delta flight credit after $10,000 in purchases on your card in a calendar year.
  • First checked bag free on Delta flights ($70 value per roundtrip, per person).
  • $0 annual fee for the first year, then $150.
  • See Rates and Fees

American Express Platinum Card®

  • As High As 175,000 points. Find Out Your Offer. You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards(R) Points after $8,000 in eligible purchases in your first 6 months. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
  • Up to $600 Hotel Credits, up to $300 Digital Entertainment Credits, $200 Airline Fee Credits, up to $300 Lululemon credits, up to $400 Resy credits, up to $200 in Uber Cash via $15 monthly credits plus a bonus $20 in December, $209 CLEAR(R) Plus credit, $300 Equinox credit, up to $155 Walmart+ credit and more annually! Enrollment is required.
  • Up to $120 Global Entry or $85 TSA PreCheck fee credit.
  • Premium airport lounge access through the American Express Global Lounge Collection®. Enrollment may be required.
  • $895 annual fee.
  • See Rates and Fees

American Express® Gold Card

  • As High As 100,000 points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted. See link for details.
  • $84 Dunkin’ Credit. Up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express(R) Gold Card at US Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment is required.
  • $100 Resy Credit. Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express(R) Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. Broken down into up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment is required.
  • Up to $120 in Uber Cash annually, via $10 monthly credits (good towards Uber Eats or Uber rides in the US).
  • Up to $120 in annual dining credit at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment is required.
  • 4X points at restaurants worldwide on up to $50,000 per calendar year.
  • 4X points at US supermarkets on up to $25,000 per calendar year.
  • $325 annual fee.
  • See Rates and Fees

Aeroplan® Credit Card

  • 85,000 bonus points after $4,000 on purchases in first 3 months. See link for details.
  • Free first checked bags on Air Canada flights: one free checked bag for the primary cardmember and up to eight other travelers on the same itinerary.
  • Aeroplan 25K Elite Status benefits for the remainder of the first calendar year, plus the following calendar year.
  • Up to $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS fee credit.
  • $95 annual fee.
  • Subject to 5/24 rule.

IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card

  • 140,000 IHG Points after $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
  • Free Night after each account anniversary year (valued up to 40,000 IHG points).
  • $99 annual fee.
  • Subject to 5/24 rule.
  • Don’t like annual fees? The no-annual fee Traveler version also has a competitive offer with no annual fee.

Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Card

  • 80,000 American Airlines miles after $3,500 in purchases in first 4 months. See link for details.
  • First checked bag free on domestic AA flights ($80 value per roundtrip, per person).
  • $0 annual fee for the first year, then $99.

Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Red Mastercard

  • 50,000 American Airlines miles after any single purchase in the first 90 days. See link for details.
  • First checked bag free on domestic AA flights ($80 value per roundtrip, per person).
  • $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $99.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

  • 75,000 Miles (worth $750 in travel) after $4,000 in purchases within 3 months. See link for details.
  • 2 Miles per dollar on all purchases.
  • Up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck(R).
  • $95 annual fee.

British Airways Visa Signature® Card

  • 75,000 Avios after $5,000 in purchases within first 3 months. See link for details and redemption tips.
  • 10% off British Airways flights starting in the US when you book through the website provided in your welcome materials.
  • Free Travel Together companion ticket when you spend $30,000 in a calendar year.
  • $95 annual fee.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

  • 75,000 Ultimate Rewards points after $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. See link for details.
  • $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, 5x on travel purchased through Chase TravelSM, 3x on dining and 2x on all other travel purchases.
  • $95 annual fee.
  • Subject to 5/24 rule.*

Capital One Venture X Rewards Card

  • 75,000 miles (worth $750 to offset travel purchases, or transferrable to miles) after $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. See link for details.
  • $300 annual travel credit. Get up to $300 in statement credits when booking through Capital One Travel.
  • Additional 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary.
  • Priority Pass + Capital One airport lounge access.
  • Up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck(R).
  • $395 annual fee.

Citi Strata Premier Card

  • 60,000 points (worth $600 in gift cards, or transferrable to miles/points) after $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
  • 3X points for every $1 spent on Hotel purchases, Air Travel, Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas Stations, EV Charging.
  • Must not have gotten bonus from or closed a Citi Premier or Strata Premier card in the past 48 months.
  • $95 annual fee.

Bank of America Premium Rewards Card

  • 60,000 points (worth $600) after $4,000 in purchases within the first 90 days. See link for details.
  • $100 annual Airline Incidental Statement Credit.
  • Up to $100 credit towards TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee.
  • $95 annual fee.

Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card

  • 60,000 points (worth $600 towards travel) after $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. See link for details.
  • $50 annual statement credit with $50 minimum airline purchase.
  • $95 annual fee.

Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Card (Bank of America)

  • 85,000 Atmos points + $99 Companion Fare (must pay taxes & fees from $23) after $4,000 in purchases within the first 120 days of opening your account. See link for details.
  • First checked bag free on Alaska & Hawaiian (primary + up to 6 guests on same reservation). Must purchase flight directly using card. Worth up to $70 roundtrip per person.
  • $95 annual fee.

Hawaiian Airlines MasterCard

  • 80,000 Hawaiian miles after $2,500 in purchases within the first 90 days. See link for details.
  • Two free checked bags for primary cardmember on Hawaiian Airlines or Alaska Airlines flights booked directly with this card. Now includes sports equipment.
  • One-time 50%-off companion discount for roundtrip coach travel between Hawaii and North America on Hawaiian Airlines.
  • $99 annual fee.

JetBlue Plus Card

  • Up to 80,000 bonus TrueBlue points. 60,000 bonus points after $1,000 on purchases within the first 90 days and 20,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 within the first year. See link for details.
  • First checked bag free for the primary cardmember and up to 3 companions when tickets are purchased with your JetBlue Plus Card.
  • $99 annual fee, waived the first year.

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card

  • 3 Free Nights (worth up to 50k points each) after $3,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
  • Free Night after each account anniversary year (valued up to 35,000 Bonvoy points).
  • $95 annual fee.
  • Subject to 5/24 rule.

Hilton Honors American Express Card

  • 100,000 Hilton Honors™ Bonus Points after $2,000 in purchases within your first 6 months. See link for details. Limited-time offer ends 1/14/2026.
  • No annual fee.
  • See Rates and Fees

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card

  • 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy(R) bonus points after $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. See link for details.
  • Up to $300 in Annual Dining Credits, valid at restaurants worldwide. Enrollment required.
  • Priority Pass™ Select airport lounge membership. Enrollment required.
  • Automatic Marriott Bonvoy(R) Platinum Elite status.
  • Free Night Award upon card anniversary (worth up to 85,000 Bonvoy points).
  • $650 annual fee.
  • See Rates and Fees

If you pay off your balances every month, then you can join me and many others in funding a huge chunk of your annual travel budget with cash credits, points, and miles. I mostly use my rewards points on family trips – domestic economy flights, mid-range hotels, and cheap car rentals. If you have credit card debt, you should focus on paying that off first as the interest charges could offset most of the perks.

* 5/24 Rule? Certain Chase cards have a “5/24 rule” which is an unofficial rule that they will automatically deny approval on new credit cards if you have 5 or more new credit cards from any issuer on your credit report within the past 24 months (2 years). This rule applies on a per-person basis, so if you are new, you might want to start with those Chase cards.

Delta SkyMiles(R) Gold American Express Card: See Rates and Fees

American Express(R) Gold Card: See Rates and Fees

The Platinum Card(R) from American Express: See Rates and Fees

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant(R) American Express(R) Card: See Rates and Fees

Hilton Honors Card from American Express: See Rates and Fees

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers // Tagged:

Easy, Free Delta SkyMiles for Washington State Residents

Posted on August 28, 2025 // 2 Comments

seahawksBack again for new NFL season; Everyone must re-enroll. If you are a resident of Washington state and age 18+ (as indicated by your Skymiles account), you can register at www.12status.com and receive the following perks from Delta Airlines:

  • One mile for every yard the Seahawks throw on the field at regular and post season home and away games during the 2025-2026 NFL Season will be awarded in your Delta SkyMiles® account.
  • Priority boarding: 12Status Members will have the ability to board their departure flights at SeaTac during Group 5 from September 8, 2025 until the end of the Seahawks 2025-26 Season.
  • 12Status Members will receive an exclusive 12% discount at Seahawks Pro Shop retail stores on the 12th of each Seahawks in-season month.

There is nothing else you need to do to be eligible. This usually adds up to about 3,000 to 4,000 free Delta miles every year, so worth a quick reminder for WA residents. If you signed up for this last year, you still need to re-register again for this year.

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Alaska Airlines Atmos Promos ($25/$50, 15% Off, Free Miles, Targeted)

Posted on August 26, 2025 // 1 Comment

(Sorry for the server issues, I’m not sure why the bots are attacking me!)

Alaska Airlines is putting out a bunch of different promotions for its new Atmos Rewards program, which is the new name for what replaces both Alaska MileagePlan and HawaiianMiles. Each of these has some restrictions.

Join Atmos Rewards with new account, get $25 or $50 off a new ticket purchase. (Hat tip to DoC.)

  • $50 off for California and Hawaii residents only. – “*This offer is valid for new Atmos™ Rewards signups by residents of California and Hawaii. Eligible new members who join Atmos Rewards via this offer page between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025 will receive a discount code valid for $50 off a new ticket purchase on Alaska Airlines. Discount code will be deposited into the new member account within 72 hours of enrollment.”
  • $25 off for all other US residents (not HI/CA). – “*This offer is valid for new Atmos™ Rewards signups by U.S. residents, not valid for State of Alaska, California or Hawaii residents. Eligible new members who join Atmos Rewards via this offer page between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025 will receive a discount code valid for $25 off a new ticket purchase on Alaska Airlines. Discount code will be deposited into the new member account within 72 hours of enrollment.”

Sign up for promotional texts, get 15% off flight discount. (May be targeted but worth a shot, as you can always text STOP later, Hat tip TyC of SD.)

  • Text FLY to 252752 by end of 8/27 for a 15% off code. Sign up for Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines promotional text messages before Wednesday, August 27, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. PT, we’ll send you a discount code for 15% off a flight. Your code will be delivered via SMS on Thursday, August 28, 2025

Your 15% off* discount code is just a text away
Consider this the best welcome gift: When you sign up for Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines promotional text messages before Wednesday, August 27, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. PT, we’ll send you a discount code for 15% off a flight. Your code will be delivered via SMS on Thursday, August 28, 2025.

It’s simple: Text FLY to 252752 to opt in today, and be first in line for exclusive deals like this.

*Restrictions apply. Discount code provides 15% off published coach base fares available at alaskaair.com. Discount does not apply to taxes, fees, or surcharges. First Class fares and select Economy Class fare types are excluded. Valid only on flights operated by Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines within North America, excluding service to or from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska (SCC). Discount is limited to published fare routings and subject to market availability; certain origin or destination cities may not be eligible. Flight schedules vary and service may not operate daily. Offer does not apply to codeshare flights. Blackout dates and additional travel restrictions may apply.

Free miles for living near select West Coast soccer/football clubs. Live within a 75-mile radius of one of these teams’ market and get 100 free Atmos points for each goal scored at a home game. You must register at the proper link. Ex. 13 home games x 2.66 average in 2024 = 35 goals = 3,500 points, not bad. (Hat tip Upgraded Points.)

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Atmos Rewards Ascent Visa Review: 85,000 Bonus Points + $99 Companion Fare

Posted on August 25, 2025 // 4 Comments

The Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature Card is the one of the new refreshed Alaska Airlines cards in the new combined Alaska–Hawaiian ecosystem. Formerly the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Card, and still issued by Bank of America. Here are the current highlights:

  • 85,000 Atmos points + $99 Companion Fare (must pay taxes & fees from $23) after $4,000 in purchases within the first 120 days of opening your account. This is a special improved inflight offer, and you can try promo code 108021 if needed (this was obtained personally on a flyer given from an Alaska flight in August 2025).
  • Annual $99 Companion Fare. Get a $99 Companion Fare (must pay taxes and fees from $23) each account anniversary after you spend $6,000 or more on purchases within the prior anniversary year. Valid on all Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines flights within North America booked on AlaskaAir.com.
  • First checked bag free on Alaska & Hawaiian (primary + up to 6 guests on same reservation). Any cardholder who purchases Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines airfare with their card, and up to 6 additional guests traveling on the same reservation, may check their first bag free.
  • Preferred boarding. Enjoy priority boarding on Alaska now (Hawaiian boarding benefits rolling out this fall).
  • 20% back on all Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines inflight purchases. Eligible in-flight purchases include food, drinks, and Wi-Fi.
  • Earning structure. 3X points on eligible Alaska Airlines & Hawaiian Airlines purchases; 2X points on everyday categories like gas/EV charging, local transit & rideshare, cable and select streaming services; 1X everywhere else.
  • Bank of America relationship boost. 10% bonus on points from purchases if you have an eligible Bank of America® or Merrill® account.
  • Status via card spending. Throughout 2025, earn one status point for every $3 spent on purchases, up to 30,000 status points total.
  • No foreign transaction fees.
  • $95 annual fee.

Bottom line. The Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature® offers a unique set of perks for Alaska Airlines customers (along with Hawaiian Airlines in many cases), including free checked bags for more than just the primary cardholder and the “famous” $99 Companion Fare is still here as well.

I don’t receive any commission for this offer. I will be adding this offer to my ongoing list of Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //

Hawaiian Airlines MasterCard Review: 80,000 Bonus Miles + Two Free Checked Bags

Posted on August 25, 2025 // Leave a Comment

The Hawaiian Airlines World Elite MasterCard is still going to be around after the Hawaiian/Alaska merger, although as of 10/1 Hawaiian miles will be converted to Atmos points. This card offers special perks on Hawaiian Airlines, which will still run as a separately-named airline after the merger. Here are the highlights.

The best offer available on this card is often the one they announced in-flight. The application asked for a six-digit promo code, but if you don’t have one from a flight, reportedly it is your flight number. I just tried “001234” and it worked fine, and I’ve even used “000000” when the application page accepted it and got the bonus. A recent code from a flight that a reader sent in was 014929.

  • 80,000 bonus miles. 80,000 bonus HawaiianMiles after spending $2,500 on purchases within the first 90 days.
  • One-Time 50% Off Companion Discount for roundtrip coach travel between Hawaii and North America on Hawaiian Airlines.
  • $100 annual companion ticket discount each year for roundtrip travel between Hawaii and North America on Hawaiian Airlines.
  • Two free checked bags (primary cardholder only) on Hawaiian Airlines or Alaska Airlines flights booked directly with this card. Now includes sports equipment. Worth up to $140 roundtrip.
  • 3X miles for every $1 spent on purchases made directly from Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines.
  • 2X miles per $1 spent on gas, dining, and grocery store purchases, and 1X mile per $1 spent on every other purchase.
  • No foreign transaction fees.
  • $99 annual fee.

Bottom line. The Hawaiian Airlines World Elite MasterCard offers a unique set of perks for regular customers of Hawaiian Airlines, including free checked bags and companion ticket discounts.

I don’t receive any commission for this offer. I will be adding this offer to my ongoing list of Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //

Coin Flip Challenge: The Importance of Bet Sizing and Surviving Volatility

Posted on August 24, 2025 // 3 Comments

In the book Missing Billionaires, Victor Haghani and James White argue that through the power of compound interest, there should be many more billionaires around – simply through time, even with modest investment performance. The reason why there are “missing” billionaires is not because they didn’t find the optimal asset allocation, it’s due to making poor risk decisions and/or excessive spending (and then taking big risks to keep the fun times rolling).

For example, one simple way that you can lose money even with the odds in your favor is poor bet sizing. The authors created the Elm Wealth Coin Flip Challenge in order to teach this interactively. In the game, the coin is altered such that you know it will come up heads 60% of the time, and tails 40% of the time. If you know anything about gambling in the real world, you’ll know this is a huge advantage! Dramatic movies about card counting and the MIT Blackjack team involves edges of only ~1%.

You get $25 to wager, and you can bet any amount you have. Can you build your stack up to thousands of dollars? Try for yourself, first with just your intuition. You’ll soon discover that it’s harder than it looks! Too little a bet, and the needle doesn’t really move much even on the good swings. Too big a bet, and you can’t survive the bad swings. It’s quite easy to dwindle quickly down to zero. After that, as Warren Buffett has stated, “Anything times zero is zero.”

Nowadays, we all have a 24/7 casino lurking in our pockets. With ads constantly telling us we can get rich with crypto, stock options, and sports betting, I think it’s very critical to teach ourselves and our kids about these concepts like odds and betting. Warren Buffett once bought and installed slot machines in his own house, to teach his kids about the one-armed bandits. Investing done right with proper risk management is a positive-sum game with excellent odds for the investor. Crypto speculation, aggressive use of stock options, and sport betting are only excellent for the “house” and I fear will create a generation of missing wealth. The next wave of volatility will come soon enough.

Filed Under: Investing, Tools & Calculators //

Capital One 360 Savings Class Action Settlement Thoughts

Posted on August 19, 2025 // 8 Comments

Capital One settled a class action settlement involving alleged deceptive marketing because it kept the interest rate on customers with deposits in their older “360 Savings Account” lower without closing them, while simultaneously marketing a new “360 Performance Savings Account” at a higher interest. Many people in the older accounts either thought they were the same or thought they were getting the higher, marketed interest rate. Anyone who had an original “360 Savings” account between 9/18/19 and 6/16/25 is included in the settlement.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau estimated that Capital One avoided paying $2 billion in interest by not automatically converting each 360 Savings account to a 360 Performance Savings account. Meanwhile, the settlement amount is really $300 million, with another $125 million earmarked for higher interest rates in the future for the older accounts.

Via this NYT article, you can see charts of both the different interest rates (above) and what would have happened to a single account with $10,000 balance (below).

I just received my postcard regarding the settlement, and the main takeaways are:

  • The cash payments will be related to the historical account balances in the older, low-interest accounts. There is no evidence to submit. For me, that is probably very little if any. However, they do have a provision to perhaps distribute any leftover funds pro-rata, so who knows.
  • I should still choose an electronic payment, because if the amount is less than $5, they will not be sending paper checks and will only send the funds to you via electronic payment. I usually prefer Venmo.

Random side-story! During a jury duty stint years ago, a personal injury lawyer once spent time to explain to us the details of the infamous “I spilled McDonald’s hot coffee on myself” lawsuit. To make it very brief, it was a specific McDonald’s location that decided to speed up its morning rush by making extra, extra hot coffee (180-190°F) and portioning it into cups ahead of time so that in theory it would stay hot for longer. Coffee made under normal, industry-standard operating procedures would not be that hot (135-140°F). 190°F is hot enough for instant 3rd-degree burns requiring skin grafts. To summarize, the details matter.

In this case, one of the problems was that “360 Savings” and “360 Performance Savings” were basically identical. There was no other “plausible deniability” reason for them to have the new account, other than to disadvantage their existing customers. With other banks, they will often tweak something so that the two accounts are a little bit different. Maybe the minimum balance changes, so they are targeted “higher balance” accounts which are thus cheaper to manage (and justify a higher interest rate). Maybe one will require a direct deposit or recurring transfers, again justifying a different interest rate.

Nearly every consumer financial company takes advantage of behavioral tendencies like forgetfulness or inertia. Checking account overdraft fees. Credit card late payment fees. Auto-renewing subscriptions for Netflix on down. Charles Schwab made over $9 billion in “net interest income” in 2024, which was basically half of their total revenue. Guess what uninvested cash in your Schwab brokerage account earns? 0.05% APY.

Filed Under: Banking //

Lower Expense Ratios (Still) Predict Higher Performance

Posted on August 17, 2025 // 3 Comments

The reason that low-cost index funds continue to grow in popularity each year is simple – they make you more money! If Wall Street could figure out how to make you more money reliably with their sheer skill and then charge you for a little sliver of that skill, then of course they’d prefer to do that. Passive funds took their market share as a result of merit, not marketing. Chart above via Yahoo Finance.

Jeffrey Ptak of Morningstar continues to share the most recent evidence that costs matter. In this Morningstar article, he shares a chart (see above) of “Average Forward Net Excess Return” sorted by fee grouping over 5-year rolling periods.

What I found buttresses Russ’ original findings and subsequent research he’s done on the topic: Expenses excelled at predicting funds’ performance. To illustrate, here are funds’ forward average excess net returns (versus their average peer) over all rolling five-year periods between Jan. 1, 2005, and Dec. 31, 2024, sorted by fee grouping.

In his personal Substack, Ptak shares a similar chart over different time periods of 1-year to 15-years.

The relationship is very clear. Sure, there are a few outliers (although hardly any consistent outliers over time), but as a whole, you absolutely do not “get what you pay for” with fund and ETF expense ratios. On the whole, the more you pay in expenses, the worse the performance you get in return.

Filed Under: Investing //

Air Canada x Chase Sapphire Reserve 5,000 Point Flight Reward Certificate

Posted on August 14, 2025 // Leave a Comment

Air Canada is offering Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders a free 5,000 Point Flight Reward Certificate, which reduces the costs of your award flight redemption by 5,000 points. You must be enrolled in Aeroplan, register on the site by 8/18, and they will send it to you within 14 days. The certificate expires a year after delivery into your account.

I don’t know if I’ll use it, but I registered as it lasts an entire year. (I’m assuming that Air Canada strike will be resolved soon enough.) Another potential valuable perk if you recently picked up the Chase Sapphire Reserve again as I did, along with all its other perks. I’m still working my way through them all, turning off my old subscriptions and starting them back up as paid by Chase. By the way, that 100k+$500 offer is supposed to “end soon”.

The fine print:

‡ To be eligible for this offer your Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card account must be open and not in default and your Aeroplan account must be in good standing at the time of registration and fulfillment. Only members who register between August 5th at 12:01:01 AM EST and 23:59:59 PM EST on August 18th are considered eligible for this offer. Register for the offer by entering your First Name, Last Name, Aeroplan Number, and the last 4 digits of your Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card and click “Register Now”. The offer is only available to the primary cardmember of the Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card account and only one 5,000-point flight reward certificate can be earned per Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card account. The First Name and Last Name of your Aeroplan account must match the First Name and Last Name of your Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card account. Flight reward certificates have no cash value and cannot be exchanged or refunded. For the purposes of this offer, the expiry date of the Flight reward certificate is 365 days after the day that the flight reward certificate is deposited into your Aeroplan account. The flight reward certificate can take up to 14 days to be deposited into your Aeroplan account from the time of registration. For the purposes of this offer, only one Flight Reward Certificate can be earned per Aeroplan account. Chase is not responsible for the provision of, or failure to provide, the stated offer.

Filed Under: Credit Cards, Deals & Offers //

Pet Deals: Amazon $30 Credit w/ $100+, Chewy $30 Gift Card w/ $100+ Purchase

Posted on August 13, 2025 // 6 Comments

Competing pet offers are back. Chewy and Amazon tend to have their pet sales at the same time. Keep in mind that each retailer has a different list of “eligible” items, so hopefully the brand you use is on at least one of their lists.

  • Amazon: $30 credit when you spend $100 on eligible pet items. Must be “sold by Amazon.com”. Over 1,000 qualifying items. Limit one usage per customer. Promotional credit will be automatically added to your account 30 days after shipment. Promotional credit expires at 11:59 p.m. (PT) on December 16, 2025.
  • Free $30 Gift Card w/ $100 purchase at Chewy. Use promo code STOCKUP. Limit 1 use per order, limit 3 orders per customer. Free eGift card added at checkout with qualifying purchase and automatically added to your Chewy account after your order ships. (Arrives faster than the Amazon credit.) Valid through 8/17/25.

You may wish to try to stack your Chewy purchase with a cashback shopping portal. Many offer new customers bonuses if you make a qualifying purchase, including Swagbucks ($10 bonus), MyPoints ($2 bonus), Rakuten (formerly eBates) ($30 bonus currently, varies), TopCashBack (varies, but often has the highest cashback %), and BeFrugal ($10 bonus). So you could sign-up and stack this deal to trigger the bonus. I have cashed out of all of these in the past.

Here’s a picture of our 4th-most expensive kid:

Filed Under: Deals & Offers //

Vanguard Letter: Choose an Automated Cost Basis Method (MinTax Warning)

Posted on August 12, 2025 // 2 Comments

Vanguard has been sending out letters to clients with SpecID as their default cost basis tracking method. This letter has caused a lot of confusion. My understanding is that they will no longer let you use SpecID for automated sell transactions, and so you will need to pick a different default cost basis method. Here are possible examples of automated sell transactions:

  • Automatic Withdrawal Plan (AWP), automatically redeems shares from your Vanguard fund account and transfers the funds to your bank account on a regular, recurring basis. Per Vanguard, this service is “ideal for IRA shareholders who are age 59½ or older and want to draw income from their IRAs”. But I’m assuming this works on taxable accounts as well.
  • Vanguard’s free automatic RMD service, which takes out exactly the amount of required minimum distribution each year.
  • Vanguard Digital Advisor and Personal Advisor, which manages and may sell shares to rebalance your portfolio for you.

This change makes intuitive sense as how would Vanguard know which tax lots you want to specify if it’s an automated sale? How did they even do it in the past? I am guessing you have to tell them within a certain window of time.

However, for manual sell transactions, you can still use SpecID and specify exactly which tax lot you want to sell. I don’t have any automated systems set up, so I am not concerned about this change. I will note that Vanguard now only allows SpecID on market orders, and not limit orders. I don’t really understand why this is the case (as long as you don’t have multiple limit orders outstanding), but it is what it is.

Here is the full text of the letter:

Action needed: Choose an automated cost basis method

Dear Vanguard Investor:

We noticed you’ve selected specific identification (SpecID) as your preferred cost basis method for certain holdings in your account. While you’ll still be able to use SpecID for individual transactions, we’re updating our preferred cost basis settings to include these automated methods only:

• FIFO (first in, first out)
• MinTax (minimum tax)
• HIFO (highest in, first out)

This change will take effect in August 2025. If you don’t select one of the automated methods as your preferred cost basis method by then, we’ll automatically set your default to FIFO. You can update your preferred method anytime by logging in to your account at vanguard.com or by contacting Vanguard. This update won’t affect any pending transactions.

Why are we making this change?
SpecID requires you to manually identify specific lots for each sale or transfer, which makes it incompatible with automation. In some cases, such as automatic distributions, IRS rules may default your trade to FIFO if SpecID instructions aren’t provided by the settlement date, which could potentially result in unfavorable tax consequences.

By switching to an automated method, you’ll still have the flexibility to use SpecID at the time of a transaction, while also benefiting from having additional automated options beyond FIFO.

To leam more about cost basis methods and your available options, please visit vanguard.com.

What’s changing on the website?
Your online experience will remain the same. You’ll continue to select your preferred cost basis method on vanguard.com. You can still choose SpeciD when placing a trade or requesting a transfer by updating the cost basis instructions at the time of the transaction using our website or app.

If you don’t update your default from SpeciD to an automated method, we’ll set it to FIFO per IRS rules. Open orders won’t be affected.

If you do have automated sales, which option should you choose? As Vanguard states, each method has its own sets of pro and cons. First, I think it is very important to understand that the “MinTax” algorithm does not guarantee that you end up with the minimum tax owed! It’s a very crude algorithm with the following priorities:

Our system prioritizes your tax savings by selecting to sell securities in the order listed below:

Short-term capital loss from largest to smallest.
Long-term capital loss from largest to smallest.
Short-term zero gain or loss.
Long-term zero gain or loss.
Long-term capital gain from smallest to largest.
Short-term capital gain from the smallest to largest.

This means that MinTax will choose to trigger a $1,000,000 long-term capital gain before a $1 short-term capital gain, simply because the tax *rate* (percentage) is the same or lower on the long-term capital gain. Meanwhile, the absolute tax incurred may be very different – see this real-life example that created a large unwanted tax bill. Mentally, I think of the name as “MinTaxRATE” and not “MinTax”.

Some folks may want to consider the HIFO (Highest In, First Out) method as it minimizes the total capital gains amount, but doesn’t take into account short or long-term holding periods. But again, every situation is different. If you don’t tell Vanguard anything, then FIFO (First in, First Out) is the default, which may create some large capital gains since they will be selling your oldest tax lots. I’d pick MinTax over FIFO.

I will probably choose HIFO, just as the backup setting with no plans to actually use it. I personally don’t like automated selling systems and prefer SpecID as I have complete control as to how many gains I want. For example, sometimes you have some tax brackets to fill, and you may actually want more capital gains in a certain year. Perhaps you have a lot of carryover losses and want to offset them.

Filed Under: Investing, Retirement //

Best Interest Rates Survey: Bank Accounts, Treasury Bills, Money Markets, ETFs – August 2025

Posted on August 10, 2025 // 3 Comments

Here’s my monthly survey of the best interest rates on cash as of August 2025, roughly sorted from shortest to longest maturities. Banks and brokerages love taking advantage of our idle cash, and you can often earning more money while keeping the same level of safety by moving to another FDIC-insured bank or NCUA-insured credit union. Check out my Ultimate Rate-Chaser Calculator to see how much extra interest you could earn from switching. Rates listed are available to everyone nationwide. Rates checked as of 8/10/2025.

TL;DR: Savings account interest rates are mostly stable (maybe a tiny bit lower on average) with one at 5% APY but most struggling to stay above 4.00% APY. Short-term T-Bill rates at around 4.3%. Top 5-year CD rates are ~4.25% APY, while 5-year Treasury rate is ~3.8%.

High-yield savings accounts*
Since the huge megabanks still pay essentially no interest, everyone should at least have a separate, no-fee online savings account to piggy-back onto your existing checking account. The interest rates on savings accounts can drop at any time, so I list the top rates as well as competitive rates from banks with a history of competitive rates and solid user experience. Some banks will bait you with a temporary top rate and then lower the rates in the hopes that you are too lazy to leave.

  • The top saving rate at the moment: HUSTL Financial at 5.00% APY (no min), a division of Vantage West Credit Union, member NCUA (and thus not a fintech). No direct experience with this one; wonder how long it will last? The “good/excellent” savings rate zone appears to be roughly 4% and above. CIT Platinum Savings is now at 4.00% APY with $5,000+ balance. There are many banks in between.
  • SoFi Bank is at 3.80% APY + up to $325 new account bonus with direct deposit. You must maintain a direct deposit of any amount (even $1) each month for the higher APY. SoFi has historically competitive rates and full banking features. See details at $25 + $300 SoFi Money new account and deposit bonus.
  • Here is a limited survey of high-yield savings accounts. They aren’t the top rates, but a group that have historically kept it relatively competitive such that I like to track their history. I’d call this the “okay/good” zone of 3.50%+.

Short-term guaranteed rates (1 year and under)
A common question is what to do with a big pile of cash that you’re waiting to deploy shortly (plan to buy a house soon, just sold your house, just sold your business, legal settlement, inheritance). My usual advice is to keep things simple and take your time. If not a savings account, then put it in a flexible short-term CD under the FDIC limits until you have a plan.

  • No Penalty CDs offer a fixed interest rate that can never go down, but you can still take out your money (once) without any fees if you want to use it elsewhere. Marcus has a 13-month No Penalty CD at 4.15% APY ($500 minimum deposit). Farmer’s Insurance FCU has a 9-month No Penalty CD at 4.25% APY ($1,000 minimum deposit). USA USALLIANCE Financial CU has a 11-month No Penalty CD at 4.20% APY ($500 minimum deposit).
  • Eagle Bank has a 12-month certificate at 4.40% APY ($1,000 min). Early withdrawal penalty is 90 days of interest.

Money market mutual funds
Many brokerage firms that pay out very little interest on their default cash sweep funds (and keep the difference for themselves). Note: Money market mutual funds are highly-regulated, but ultimately not FDIC-insured, so I would still stick with highly reputable firms.

  • Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund (VMFXX) is the default sweep option for Vanguard brokerage accounts, which has an SEC yield of 4.22% (changes daily, but also works out to a compound yield of 4.30%, which is better for comparing against APY). Odds are this is much higher than your own broker’s default cash sweep interest rate.
  • Vanguard Treasury Money Market Fund (VUSXX) is an alternative money market fund which you must manually purchase, but the interest will be mostly (100% for 2024 tax year) exempt from state and local income taxes because it comes from qualifying US government obligations. Current SEC yield of 4.24% (compound yield of 4.32%).

Treasury Bills and Ultra-short Treasury ETFs
Another option is to buy individual Treasury bills which come in a variety of maturities from 4-weeks to 52-weeks and are fully backed by the US government. You can also invest in ETFs that hold a rotating basket of short-term Treasury Bills for you, while charging a small management fee for doing so. T-bill interest is exempt from state and local income taxes, which can make a significant difference in your effective yield.

  • You can build your own T-Bill ladder at TreasuryDirect.gov or via a brokerage account with a bond desk like Vanguard and Fidelity. Here are the current Treasury Bill rates. As of 8/8/25, a new 4-week T-Bill had the equivalent of 4.36% annualized interest and a 52-week T-Bill had the equivalent of 3.92% annualized interest.
  • The iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF (SGOV) has a 4.24% SEC yield (0.09% expense ratio) and effective duration of 0.10 years. SPDR Bloomberg Barclays 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF (BIL) has a 4.16% SEC yield (0.136% expense ratio) and effective duration of 0.15 years. The new Vanguard 0-3 Month Treasury Bill ETF (VBIL) has a 4.21% SEC yield (0.07% expense ratio) and effective duration of 0.10 years.

US Savings Bonds
Series I Savings Bonds offer rates that are linked to inflation and backed by the US government. You must hold them for at least a year. If you redeem them within 5 years there is a penalty of the last 3 months of interest. The annual purchase limit for electronic I bonds is $10,000 per Social Security Number, available online at TreasuryDirect.gov.

  • “I Bonds” bought between May 2025 and October 2025 will earn a 3.98% rate for the first six months. The rate of the subsequent 6-month period will be based on inflation again. More on Savings Bonds here.
  • In mid-October 2025, the CPI will be announced and you will have a short period where you will have a very close estimate of the rate for the next 12 months. I will post another update at that time.

Rewards checking accounts
These unique checking accounts pay above-average interest rates, but with unique risks. You have to jump through certain hoops which usually involve 10+ debit card purchases each cycle, a certain number of ACH/direct deposits, and/or a certain number of logins per month. If you make a mistake (or they judge that you did) you risk earning zero interest for that month. Some folks don’t mind the extra work and attention required, while others would rather not bother. Rates can also drop suddenly, leaving a “bait-and-switch” feeling.

  • OnPath Federal Credit Union (my review) pays 7.00% APY on up to $10,000 if you make 15 debit card purchases, opt into online statements, and login to online or mobile banking once per statement cycle. Anyone can join this credit union via $5 membership fee to join partner organization. You can also get a $100 Visa Reward card when you open a new account and make qualifying transactions.
  • Genisys Credit Union pays 6.75% APY on up to $7,500 if you make 10 debit card purchases of $5+ each per statement cycle, and opt into online statements. Anyone can join this credit union via $5 membership fee to join partner organization.
  • La Capitol Federal Credit Union pays 5.75% APY on up to $10,000 if you make 15 debit card purchases of at least $5 each per statement cycle. Anyone can join this credit union via partner organization, Louisiana Association for Personal Financial Achievement ($20).
  • First Southern Bank pays 5.50% APY on up to $25,000 if you make at least 15 debit card purchases, 1 ACH credit or payment transaction, and enroll in online statements.
  • Credit Union of New Jersey pays 6.00% APY on up to $25,000 if you make 12 debit card purchases, opt into online statements, and make at least 1 direct deposit, online bill payment, or automatic payment (ACH) per statement cycle. Anyone can join this credit union via $5 membership fee to join partner organization.
  • Andrews Federal Credit Union pays 5.50% APY (down from 6%) on up to $25,000 if you make 15 debit card purchases, opt into online statements, and make at least 1 direct deposit or ACH transaction per statement cycle. Anyone can join this credit union via partner organization.
  • Find a locally-restricted rewards checking account at DepositAccounts.

Certificates of deposit (greater than 1 year)
CDs offer higher rates, but come with an early withdrawal penalty. By finding a bank CD with a reasonable early withdrawal penalty, you can enjoy higher rates but maintain access in a true emergency. Alternatively, consider building a CD ladder of different maturity lengths (ex. 1/2/3/4/5-years) such that you have access to part of the ladder each year, but your blended interest rate is higher than a savings account. When one CD matures, use that money to buy another 5-year CD to keep the ladder going. Some CDs also offer “add-ons” where you can deposit more funds if rates drop.

  • Mountain America Credit Union (MACU) has a 5-year certificate at 4.25% APY ($500 minimum), 4-year at 4.20% APY, 3-year at 4.15% APY, 2-year at 4.00% APY, and 1-year at 4.15% APY. Early withdrawal penalty for the 4-year and 5-year is 365 days of interest. Anyone can join this credit union via partner organization American Consumer Council for a one-time $5 fee (or try promo code “consumer”).
  • Lafayette Federal Credit Union (LFCU) has a 5/4/3/2/1-year certificates at 4.28% APY ($500 min). Slightly higher rates with jumbo $100,000+ balances. Note that the early withdrawal penalty for the 5-year is a relatively large 600 days of interest. Anyone nationwide can join LFCU by joining the Home Ownership Financial Literacy Council (HOFLC) for a one-time $10 fee.
  • You can buy certificates of deposit via the bond desks of Vanguard and Fidelity. You may need an account to see the rates. These “brokered CDs” offer FDIC insurance and easy laddering, but they don’t come with predictable early withdrawal penalties. Right now, I see a 5-year non-callable brokered CD at 3.95% APY (callable: no, call protection: yes). Be warned that both Vanguard and Fidelity will list higher rates from callable CDs, which importantly means they can (and will!) call back your CD if rates drop significantly later.

Longer-term Instruments
I’d use these with caution due to increased interest rate risk (tbh, I don’t use them at all), but I still track them to see the rest of the current yield curve.

  • Willing to lock up your money for 10 years? You can buy long-term certificates of deposit via the bond desks of Vanguard and Fidelity. These “brokered CDs” offer FDIC insurance, but they don’t come with predictable early withdrawal penalties. You might find something that pays more than your other brokerage cash and Treasury options. Right now, I see a 10-year CDs at 3.85% (non-callable) vs. 4.27% for a 10-year Treasury. Watch out for higher rates from callable CDs where they can call your CD back if interest rates drop.

All rates were checked as of 8/10/25.

* I no longer recommend fintech companies due to the possibility of loss due to poor recordkeeping and lack of government regulation. (Ex. Evergreen Wealth at 5% APY is a fintech.)

Photo by insung yoon on Unsplash

Filed Under: Banking, Deals & Offers, Investing // Tagged:
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