Alaska Cards Improvement

I love Alaska cards.

They’re easier for me to get than most, I’ve had dozens of them, and the miles are extremely valuable. They also come with a companion discount code…it’s the best part of the card other than the miles. Pretty simple – for around 100 bucks, you can bring a companion along on an Alaska flight in economy. It’s a feature that has saved a lot of us money through the years. And now for those who never find good flight options with this airline…this code will also work on Virgin America flights. Thanks to reader Nitin for sharing this helpful information.

With all the devaluations in recent years, Alaska miles are more useful than ever. As long as the card continues to be this easy to churn, I plan to keep racking up this currency.

Gift Cards At Staples

Through Saturday, get 20 bucks from Staples when you spend $300 in-store on Mastercard gift cards. As always, this is intended for nerds with Inks. And if you’re looking to spend money at Staples, you might also want to look in the direction of Gap gift cards (20% off).

 

Tech Issues

The short version? I moved hosts, the new one sucked, and I’m now trying to get everything back to the old one.

The longer version? I’m going nuts trying to figure this out. Good chance I’ll either have a drinking problem, a nervous breakdown, or a week-long bout of maniacal laughter very soon.

(I know last week’s posts disappeared. Hope to have this all fixed very soon. Shoot me now.)

 

25 Bucks From Amazon And Amex

Reader Joan reached out to share that this one is working again. Do you have an American Express card you get Membership Rewards points from? If so, it should be a pretty easy $25 from Amazon. I wouldn’t loiter…if you’re interested, move quickly because there’s no telling if it will be around all day. Have a great weekend, nerds!

 

No More Plastiq Posts

This is far from an exact science.

Sometimes I avoid posting too much about companies that kind of suck (see: Uber’s treatment of drivers and their CEO with issues).

Other times I post too often about an unspectacular company because I really respect the people there (see: Rocketmiles and their overly high prices).

It’s just not an exact science when it comes to in-between deals.

All anyone can do with a personal blog is follow their own radar. For me, integrity is a big one. You guys know that. I respond best to people who are real (and have very little patience for bullshit artists). No matter what it is, just be upfront and honest. I wouldn’t even criticize a sellout blogger if he was direct and said, “I’m in the business of selling credit card links more than helping people. I’ll find any way possible to sell a credit card.” I’d actually respect a guy for being that honest about what he’s doing.

My point is this…

Plastiq dropped the ball one too many times. And they just weren’t accountable enough for my taste. I heard from another reader who made a payment that didn’t arrive at its destination (not the first time we’ve heard a story like this).

Mistakes happen but Plastiq tried to pass on the blame. Long story short…I don’t like it and I’m not comfortable posting their promos anymore. If you continue to use them, it won’t be with my recommendation.

P.S. I’m old. If I forget about this in a few months, someone please remind me.