hey, i'm austin 👋
I fly way too fancy on credit card points, nerd out over the stuff in my pockets, and try to keep my money right.
I make YouTube videos about flying nice for cheap, the stuff I carry every day, and getting my money right. This is where the notes from those videos live — plus the links if you want to grab anything.
fresh off the notebook
Amex Blue Cash Everyday review: the boring card that's actually good
No annual fee, 3% back on groceries, online shopping, and gas, and zero mental effort. Here's who the Blue Cash Everyday is perfect for, the catches people complain about, and when you should get the Preferred instead.
Amex Gold review: the food card (and why you get it before the Platinum)
Three years with the Amex Gold. It's harder to justify since the fee went up, but between the 4x on dining, the credits I'd use anyway, and a retention offer every year, it still earns its spot. Plus the card-order rule that trips people up.
Capital One Lounge Las Vegas review: the move when the Sapphire Lounge waitlist is insane
The Sapphire Lounge in Vegas always had a waitlist, so I went to the Capital One Lounge instead. Three visits later, it's one of the best lounges for food I've ever been to, and I genuinely have zero complaints.
Capital One Venture X review: still the best-value premium card after the lounge changes?
My first travel card, now in year 3. Through every nerf it's still the most worth-it card I hold: 2x on everything, a $5 profit just for keeping it, and a retention offer every year. Here's the math and the one change that hurts.
Chase Sapphire Preferred review after the Hyatt nerf: still the best first travel card?
The Sapphire Preferred lost its 1:1 Hyatt transfers on October 1, 2026. I'd have kept mine otherwise. Here's why it's still the card I'd hand most beginners, and who should skip it.
Chase Sapphire Reserve review: I only got it because of a nerf (and it still pays for itself)
I never planned on paying $795 for a credit card. Then Chase nerfed the Sapphire Preferred's Hyatt transfers. Here's my honest math on which Reserve credits I actually use, and which ones are worth $0 to me.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant review: buying Platinum Elite for $650 a year
Why a Hyatt guy got the $650 Bonvoy Brilliant anyway: instant Platinum, the 5th-night-free trick, and an 85k free night I'm aiming at the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay. Plus how Marriott points got me upgraded on a flight home from Korea.
Park Hyatt Seoul review: worth every point (even though I spent half of it sick)
Two nights at the Park Hyatt Seoul for 25,000 Hyatt points a night, paid for with my Chase Sapphire Reserve bonus. The best hotel shower of my life, a breakfast worth getting status for, and an elevator system designed by someone who hates you.