This week, we'll cover how to stop overthinking and start deciding, two ways to save on gas: 7-Eleven & Amazon, $11,000+ in bank & brokerage bonuses, up to 1,000 points via airline shopping portals, get $200 cash back on a $500 Melio payment, card-linked offers worth $900+, the current state of U.S. housing, and more!

Advertiser Disclosure

Want to learn to stop overthinking and make better decisions? This week, Derek and I discuss how optimizing can go wrong, a coin flip trick for making decisions, journaling as a superpower, how your actions might reveal what you actually want, and so much more.

📺 Watch or 🎧 Listen

📋 My Past Week

We just wrapped up a 10 day trip to Japan with the whole family and I have so many things to share that it's going to need its own episode. While this wasn't our first trip to Japan, it was the first time we've taken the kids, and I think it might be the most kid-friendly travel destination we've ever been to. More to come soon!

🤑 Latest Deals

⛽ Two Ways to Save on Gas: 7-Eleven & Amazon

With gas prices surging lately, here are two ways you could save.

• ​7-Eleven​: Stack multiple promo codes to save up to $1.41/gallon. Text SAVE, FUEL, FUEL30, STARSWIN, and DEAL separately to 711711, then redeem through the 7-Eleven app or enter your phone number at the pump. Military, first responders, teachers, and students can save an extra $0.05 via ID.me verification in the app. FYI these codes probably won't stack for long.
• ​Amazon Prime Fuel-Up Fridays​: Through 5/29, Prime members save $0.20/gallon (double the usual discount) on one fill-up every Friday at bp, Amoco, and participating locations. Activate once at ​amazon.com/fuelsavings​ and redeem via the earnify app. Amazon Family households can double-dip with separate earnify accounts for up to $48 in total savings.

💰 $11,000+ in Bank & Brokerage Bonuses

Bank bonuses are a great way to earn some easy cash, so here are some worth checking out.

Brokerage

• ​Up to $1,000 from J.P. Morgan​: Open a Self-Directed Investing account by 7/21 and transfer a qualifying amount and maintain the balance for 90 days.

Bank (Personal)

• ​Up to $5,000 from HSBC​: Open a Premier Checking account by 6/30 and deposit or invest $150K-$1M+ in new assets and complete the qualifying activities.
• ​Up to $1,600 from Raisin​: Open a new account with promo code FRESHSTART before 4/30 and complete the qualifying activities.
• ​Up to $900 from Chase​: Open eligible checking AND savings accounts before 7/15 and complete qualifying activities.
• ​$500 from BCU Credit Union​: Open a new checking account before 5/15 and complete the qualifying requirements.
• ​Up to $400 from First Commonwealth Bank​ (Select States): Open a new checking account with promo code FCB400, make 10 debit card transactions, and deposit $2K+ within 60 days.

Bank (Business)

• ​Up to $1,200 from U.S. Bank​: Open a new qualifying business checking account before 6/30 with promo code Q2BUS26 and complete the qualifying activities.
• ​$400 from Truist​ (select states): Open a new small business checking account before 7/9 with promo code SB26Q2CHECKING and complete the qualifying requirements.
• ​$200 from Live Oak Bank​: Open a new business checking account before 4/30 and complete the qualifying requirements.

💸 Get $200 Back On a $500 Melio Payment

​Melio​ offers businesses an easy way to pay vendors with a credit card when they don't offer the option themselves. They do charge a fee, but right now, ​Melio is offering $200 cash back​ when you make a $500 payment. If your business has an upcoming bill to pay, it's a solid deal.

🛍️ Cash Back Shopping Portal Bonuses: Earn Up to $125

Last week I shared a sign up bonus for ​Rakuten​ where you can earn a $50 bonus after a $50 purchase. Two other cash back shopping portals are offering similar bonuses right now.

• ​$50 bonus from RebatesMe​​: When you sign up and earn $10 in cash back within 90 days.
• ​$25 bonus from TopCashback​: When you sign up and earn $10 in cash back within 180 days.

🔗 Card-Linked Offers Worth $900+

Here are some card-linked offers I found this week with expiration dates in parentheses.

• AllTrails: ​50% back​, up to $40 (7/5)
• Delta Vacations: ​$200 off $1,000​ (6/30)
• DirecTV: ​$50 off $100​, up to 2x times (4/30)
• DISH Network: ​$85 off $85​ (5/15)
• Marriott: ​$150 off $375​ (6/22)
• Rover: ​$50 off $100​ (6/30)
• Turkish Airlines: ​$200 off $1,200​ (6/30)
• Viator/TripAdvisor Experiences: ​8% off​, up to $125 (4/30)

Please note that some of these offers are targeted, so I recommend using ​CardPointers Pro​ (get 30% off ​here​) to automate them.

🎯 Target: 20% Off Car Seats and Strollers

​Target's trade-in event​ is back from 4/19 to 5/16. Bring in any old car seat, stroller, or other qualifying gear and get 20% off a new one. If you've got kids (or are expecting), this might be worth checking out.

🛫 Travel, Points & Miles

🛍️ Up to 1,000 Points via Airline Shopping Portals

Both the ​Alaska Airlines​ and ​United​ shopping portals are running promos right now. Alaska is offering ​500 bonus Atmos Rewards points ​when you spend $100 through 4/17, and United is offering ​500 bonus MileagePlus miles​ when you spend $100 through 4/15.

📰 Amex: New Referral Limit, Member Airfares & More

Here are three notable updates from Amex this week.

• ​Amex Caps Referrals at 5 Per Year​: As of 4/8, referral bonuses on each Amex card are capped at 5 per calendar year​. This could be better for some cards (5 referrals at 30K each on the Platinum = 150K, up from the old 100K cap) but worse for cards like Hilton or cash back, where the effective earning ceiling drops.
• ​Amex Launches Platinum Member Airfares​: This is mostly just a rebrand of the old International Airline Program, which offers ~10% savings on premium cabin fares with 30+ airlines through Amex Travel. That said, I've noticed some domestic discounts on economy flights (e.g. Delta), so it could be worth a look.
• ​Amex to Lose Lufthansa Lounge Access on 10/1​: Platinum and Centurion cardholders will ​lose access to Lufthansa Lounges.

📣 New Airline, Hotel and Points Promos This Week

Business Class Award Deals

• 🇵🇱 Poland: From ​70K Aeroplan points​
• 🇶🇦 Qatar Airways: From ​70K Avios points​
• 🇬🇧 United Kingdom: From ​23K Virgin points​

Hotel Promos

• IHG: ​15% of award bookings​ at new and revamped hotels listed ​here​ with expiration dates for bookings.
• Marriott Bonvoy Escapes: ​Up to 20%​ on stays booked with promo code QRI before 4/12 and completed by 5/3.
• Preferred Hotels: ​2,500 bonus points per stay at new properties​ booked before 6/30 and completed by 9/30.
• Wyndham: ​5K bonus points + up to 25% off 2+ night stays​ at Caesars Rewards properties. Book by 4/30 and stay before 9/1.

Airline Promos

• Delta: ​Earn 1 MQD per $1 spent toward status​ on hotels, vacation rentals, and car rentals. Book by 5/18 and travel by 9/30.
• United & Air Canada: ​Free reciprocal Wi-Fi​ for loyalty members.
• Virgin Atlantic: ​​​​Rove has added Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Red as ​1:1 transfer partners​​.

💼 Every Major U.S. Airline Has Now Raised Bag Fees

All five major U.S. carriers have now hiked checked bag fees amid surging jet fuel costs. ​Southwest​, ​Delta​, and ​American​ all bumped first bags to $45 and second bags to $55, joining JetBlue and United. American went further by adding an extra $5 surcharge on basic economy bags starting 5/18 and stripping elites of complimentary upgrades on basic economy fares. However, co-branded cardholders and elites still get free bags across all airlines.

🕵️ Top Finds

🏠 Is U.S. Housing Starting to Crash?

If you're thinking about buying a home, Nick Maggiulli​ wrote ​this article​ about the current housing market. He highlights that 75% of major metros saw real home price declines last year, new home sales are at their lowest since late 2022, and cancellations are at record highs. His take is that we're unlikely to see a full crash because homeowners have so much equity built up, but a slow deflation is very much on the table.

⛽ Interactive Gas Price Map

The New York Times put together an ​interactive map showing gas prices based on where you live in the U.S.​ It lets you compare prices across regions and even down to the county level. It's a fascinating visualization, even if the price disparities are a bit uneasy to look at.