Part 2 of the Japanese Jail saga. In January of 2020, I was arrested in Tokyo and spent four days in Japanese jail. This is the story of what happened, told in words and photos. For photos, view the full shownotes online at thedailychurnpodcast.com (02:51) - The Police (10:00) - The Contract (14:15) - The Jail (18:11) - Meeting Yonban (26:37) - Bre…

$750 Triple Cash, 120K Southwest & Ink bonuses, easier Amex incognito offers, Fidelity SPAXX hub accounts, Costco vs Vuori, Prime Day, Pepper & Kudos, Starbucks scams & wins, Marley Spoon 🪦, HelloFresh and much more! (02:29) - Credit Cards (22:30) - Banks & Brokerages (29:40) - Discounts & Freebies (41:59) - Meal Kits (45:34) - Final Tally --------…

In January of 2020, I was arrested in Tokyo and spent four days in Japanese jail. This is the story of what happened, told in words and photos. (02:12) - The Snowboarding Trip (05:45) - The Accident (10:36) - The Father (18:13) - The Arrest (30:02) - The Interrogation (33:12) - The Lawyer ------------------ 📬 Join the free newsletter for show notes…

Moviepass hacks, Resy Plat 15x offers, Kudos & Pepper coins, Robinhood $2K free margin, increased Upgrade and BofA bonuses, US Bank app-o-ramas, Paxlovid bots, free burgers & Starbucks, chicken pot pies and much more! (06:34) - Credit Cards (30:34) - Banks (32:58) - Brokerages (36:35) - Meal Kits (38:01) - Discounts & Freebies (58:21) - Final Tally…

US Bank quadfecta app-o-ramas, Amex 10x & Chase 7x dining bonuses, Robinhood 1% brokerage matches, free cellphone plans & $20 phones, Target Circle Card churns, Pepper YOLOs & Ibotta IPOs, new Wells Fargo & cashbackmonitor discoveries and much more! (01:39) - Podcasts (06:49) - Credit Cards (16:23) - Brokerages (18:34) - Banks (20:38) - Meal Kits (…

Final installment of the Big Churn series, exploring how to better optimize your retirement portfolio for maximum growth & longterm sustainability, and why Target Date Funds can delay your retirement and leave you retiring with less. (09:42) - Basic Concept (15:51) - Post Retirement Glidepaths (31:32) - Pre Retirement Glidepaths (48:23) - How To Im…

Tips for pulling up Amex 250K Business Plat, Robinhood IRA transfers & WeBull comparison calcs, min spend ideas & 10x dining, new award travel tools, Pepper app deep dive, Marley Spoon mealkits, free burgers and much more! (02:16) - Travel News (09:23) - Brokerages (19:58) - Credit Cards (37:24) - Banks (39:00) - Meal Kits (41:45) - Discounts & Fre…

Do you have friends or family who pay cash for flights? Are you manually searching and comparing award prices? This episode dives deep into my award booking workflow and compares new tools like PointsYeah and Seats.aero and why they have become an essential part of the process. (07:46) - My workflow (15:47) - Mastering domestic awards (20:39) - Tac…

Massive Robinhood & WeBull transfer bonuses, new Amex 10x dining referrals, Hyatt Destination stealth devals, Marriott & Hilton FNC strategy, Target $50 coupons, increased Upgrade Savings bonus, Pepper 10% GC discounts, and much more! (02:38) - Travel News & Updates (17:30) - Banks (21:44) - Credit Cards (41:49) - Brokerages (51:16) - Meal Kits (53…

Deep dive into the current state of ANA award bookings, new alternatives from Japan Airlines, why Cathay Pacific is the best JAL partner, plus tips for booking. (04:02) - ANA 2024 Update (16:22) - New alternative: Japan Airlines (24:44) - Why Cathay Pacific is the best JAL partner (29:47) - More Cathay Pacific Benefits (32:25) - Cathay x JAL Bookin…

TMobile Keep & Switch shenanigans, better Capital One offers, Amex Platinum retention strategy, Robinhood unlimited 1% and 3% transfer matches, increased Upgrade and M1 referral bonuses, HelloFresh 75% mailers, and much more! (00:00) - January Update (05:15) - Credit Cards (23:47) - Brokerages (38:50) - Banks (44:01) - Cellphones (47:46) - Mealkits…

December churning recap & 2023 earnings breakdown, plus a bonus recap of podcast listener & subscriber stats, along with a special announcement! (06:22) - Credit Cards (15:44) - Banks (21:55) - Brokerages (22:41) - Discounts & Freebies (27:58) - Final Tally (December) (29:07) - End of Year Tally (38:26) - Bonus: Podcast Recap 🤓 ------------------ 📬…

Deep dive into the fascinating world of Roth IRA loopholes for early retirement, tips for optimizing income to reduce taxes & maximize ACA benefits, plus common mistakes to avoid. (0:00) - Why Roth IRAs are amazing (7:38) - Roth IRA Basics (10:32) - Roth Conversion Ladders (25:10) - Common Pitfalls & Examples ------------------ 📬 Join the newslette…

Black Friday haul 😤, major Hyatt & Avis news, 190K Amex Biz Plat hacks, tips for Southwest recons, increased Venture X bonuses, Kona mini trip report, HelloFresh free box codes, ACA silver plan updates, and much more! (01:45) - News & Updates (ACA Silver Plans) (04:08) - Award Travel (Hyatt, Avis, Hawaii, Premier Collection) (09:42) - Discounts & F…

First in a multi-part series on churningFIRE, diving deep into early retirement hacks that make FIRE more attainable, and why having a churning mindset is particularly useful. (0:00) - Intro to churning healthcare (6:40) - How ACA actually works (9:57) - Health plan tiers (11:05) - Subsidy #1: Premium Tax Credit (18:17) - Subsidy #2: Cost Sharing R…

Redcard churns are baack, new Capital One & Sapphire lounges, Southwest companion pass season, Amex incognito offers, Robinhood transfer bonuses, almost-free Netflix premium, CLEAR hacks, cheap Mario and much more! (00:59) - News (RedCard, Wyndham & Vacasa, C1 lounge, Sapphire lounge, BofA Day) (08:48) - Credit Cards (SW, Amex Gold & Plat, Biz Vent…

Where to find them and which ones to join, how taxes work, what a typical order flow looks like, plus risks and workarounds for avoiding common pitfalls 🤓 (02:58) - Basics of buying groups (04:33) - Why use buying groups (06:44) - Typical order flow (07:39) - Buying group taxes (11:59) - Which buying group to join (13:38) - Why BuyForMeRetail (18:0…

Airline status matches and Globalist hacks, new bonuses from Morgan Stanley & Chase Inks, BofA app-o-ramas, new iPhone 15 Pros, Rakuten mealkit moneymakers, burger crawls, free peloton water bottles, and much more! (01:43) - News (Prime day, Globalist hacks, Delta fiasco, Churning podcasts) (11:49) - Credit Cards (Brilliant, SW CP, MS Plat, BofA CC…

Deep-dive into the unique features that make Ally and Fidelity the best hub accounts for churning bank and brokerage bonuses. (3:54) - Ally $200 checking bonus (4:45) - Ally savings account (6:16) - Ally transfer limits & volume 🚀 (7:40) - Ally scheduling & automation (9:17) - Ally same-day ACH transfers (12:19) - Ally quirks (13:30) - Fidelity $10…

Another blockbuster month, with bonuses from US Bank & MooMoo, new offers from Ally & Fidelity, CC spend from buying groups & Kroger, updates on Save, Chase ACH & I-Bonds, freebies from Amazon & Peloton, and much more! (00:34) - Intro (03:52) - Credit Cards (Marriot 5N, P3, CIP, BFMR) (13:33) - Banks (US Bank, Fidelity, Boss Money, Ally, Chase ACH,…

Walkthrough of how the lucrative but confusing Kroger Fuel Points rewards program works, including tips for both casual and higher volume methods of maximizing the program. (00:34) - Kroger overview (06:28) - How the Fuel Points program works (10:37) - Casual shopper usage (13:57) - Higher volume usage ------------------ 📬 Join the newsletter for s…

By far the biggest month to date, thanks to massive bonuses from Wells Fargo and MooMoo, along with Gateway, Oxygen, Upgrade, UNest, Amazon, and many more! (1:31) - News (Private Discord, MGM/Hyatt/MGM, PD TV, Kroger, Hanscom) (8:07) - Credit Cards (Ink Preferred, IHG) (12:21) - Banks (Wells Fargo, Gateway, US Bank, Upgrade, Oxygen, Laurel, Save) (…

Exciting news on a new Deal Alerts feature, along with a detailed breakdown of $1,410 + 195K worth of churns in June, including the massive MooMoo referral bonus, new Chase Ink Preferred offer, RedCard news, Prime Day & more! (1:43) - News (Deal Alerts, Target RedCard, Prime Day, Dell, Marriott, Costco) (10:57) - Brokerages (MooMoo, UNest) (18:04) …

Most of us are out of practice, and bad at it. Like public speaking, it's often avoided. So where do people go wrong, what can you do to improve, and how do you apply it to real-life scenarios, like hotel check-ins? (0:00) - Why ask for more? (5:06) - Attitude & Approach (7:58) - Four types of people (12:43) - The Goldilocks Zone (14:13) - Four mag…

Redeeming Marriot Bonvoy free night certificates in Hawaii, the new I-Bonds rate and alternative 5%+ options for parking cash, an easy hack for half price pet food, why we're transferring all of our brokerage accounts to Fidelity, plus much more! (3:04) - Award travel (Bonvoy Hawaii) (8:19) - Credit cards (Marriott Boundless, IHG Biz, Amex Biz Plat…

Back in the swing of things in April, tackling brokerage bonuses from Wells Fargo, Ally, Fidelity, MooMoo, plus big SUBs from Chase Ink, IHG & Marriott, US Bank and Gateway, along with some easy churns from Oxygen, Target, and Amazon. (2:11) - Wells Fargo / Vanguard saga (11:52) - Other brokerages (Vanguard, Fidelity, Ally, MooMoo) (16:55) - Banks …

Full recap of churns from Jan, Feb and March, including big bonuses from Huntington, Wells Fargo & Chase, plus deals, discounts & freebies from Hellofresh, Target RedCard, Amazon, Wendy's & more! (1:52) - Banks (Huntington, Live Oak, Laurel Road, DCU, Wells Fargo, US Bank) (9:25) - Brokerages (Moomoo Invest) (12:17) - Credit cards (Chase Inks, IHG)…

Kicking off Season 3 with a deep dive into the hidden McDonalds rewards app secret menu, which includes insane deals on Big Macs, large fries, and breakfast sandwiches that can be churned EVERY DAY. Disclaimer: please don't eat McDonalds every day 😶 (1:06) - Podcast update (4:32) - What's up with McDonalds? (7:46) - How their app actually works (11…

End to a massive year, including big bonuses in December from Morgan Stanley and Public, along with a breakdown of all 2022 churns, plus a bonus recap of listener & subscriber stats from the podcast. (2:08) - Credit cards (MS Amex Plat, Chase Inks) (8:28) - Banks (DCU, Laurel, Upgrade) (12:50) - Brokerages (Public) (14:39) - Cellphones (Costco, Min…

Update on exactly how to open this confusing (but lucrative) card, including new methods involving Preferred Savings accounts, Active Assets Accounts (AAA), CashPlus engagement bonus & fee avoidance, and a walkthrough of two simple options for qualifying 👊😤 (0:00) - What's the deal with this card? (7:11) - tldr: Preferred Savings ftw (9:12) - Activ…

Jam-packed episode covering huge bonuses from Huntington, Upgrade and Chase, plus holiday deals & discounts from Amazon, Target, Wayfair, HelloFresh, Green Chef, Visible, Mint and more! (2:29) - Banks (Huntington, Laurel, Amex, Juno, Upgrade) (14:06) - Credit cards (BofA, Venture X, Chase Ink, MS Amex Plat) (19:10) - Black Friday (Liam Neeson x Bre…

Full review of Simplifi, an app that's useful not only for personal finance & budgeting, but also for keeping track of all your credit card, brokerage, and bank account churns in one place. (0:00) - Why use Simplifi (2:55) - How Simplifi works (4:22) - Simplifi vs Mint (5:39) - Simplifi vs YNAB (8:57) - Simplifi vs Personal Capital (10:14) - Using …

One of the biggest months so far, with massive bonuses from Upgrade & Public, Chase Ink 90K matching, mealkit deals from Home Chef & HelloFresh, plus an (almost) free 55-inch Omni TV on Prime Day. (1:07) - Update on Morgan Stanley (3:51) - Credit cards (Upgrade, Chase, Amex) (12:31) - Banks (Chase, Juno, Laurel) (17:42) - Brokerages (Public) (19:48…

Full review of this amazing brokerage transfer bonus from the Public stock app, including brokerage churning strategy, partial vs full ACATS transfers, using cash to meet tier requirements, and joint account eligibility. (0:00) - Why this bonus is amazing (4:33) - ACATS transfers 101 (8:38) - Strategy for brokerage bonuses (9:32) - Partial vs full …

All the churns from September, including an easy triple stack bank bonus from Upgrade, MS from Gate City, credit cards from Chase & BofA, plus mealkit deals from Blue Apron & HelloFresh. And new this month, a recap of all the freebies – free shake shack burgers, movies, private VPNs and more... whew 😮‍💨. (1:27) - Banks (HMBradley, Gate City, SoFi, …

Conclusion to the 5-hour car dealership negotiation saga, along with ideas on alternative negotiation strategies that may yield better results, plus tips for your first visit to the car dealership & common pitfalls to avoid. (0:00) - Back at the dealership... (21:53) - The three circles of dealership hell (26:56) - Things we would do differently (2…

Exciting news on a new live churn tracker, along with a detailed breakdown of churns in August. (0:08) - ⚡️ Churn tracker [beta] (1:59) - Banks (Juno, US Bank, Albert, Chime, Amex Biz Checking) (9:47) - Credit cards (WF Biz, Chase Inks, Amex Gold) (14:30) - Brokerages (Nadex, Public) (16:44) - Mealkits (Freshly, HelloFresh, Rakuten) (22:55) - Cellp…

Comparison of online and in-person options for selling a car, along with a play-by-play of 5 hours spent negotiating a car purchase at a dealership (plus some tricks to watch out for 👀). (1:57) - Online sales (5:36) - Private party marketplaces (8:43) - Issues with selling privately (20:01) - Carvana vs other services (24:38) - Buying a car (then v…

Massive month thanks to a couple huge bonuses posting, plus some painful lessons learned buying and selling a car in the current crazy market. (1:14) - Banks (WF biz + personal, Chase biz, Huntington biz, First Tech, Albert, Juno) (15:46) - Credit cards (WF biz, US Bank Triple Cash, Chase Ink Unlimited) (18:17) - Cashback (Capital One VRBO, mealkit…

Walkthrough of six different services for employer direct deposit, ranging in cost from free to paid, plus some tips & datapoints to help maximize reliability. (2:06) - Square (9:34) - Chase (14:17) - Wise (25:33) - Astra (29:56) - Brex (31:52) - Melio ------------------ Join the newsletter for show notes, links, and updates: thedailychurnpodcast.c…

Detailed breakdown of churns in June, along with an update on booking ANA, plus a primer on recent events surrounding Celsius, Voyager and crypto as a whole. (3:08) - Banks (Affinity CU, Teachers Federal CU, Chase Biz, Huntington Biz, Citi Biz, US Bank Biz) (10:09) - Brokerages (Nadex) (10:47) - Rakuten (Personal Capital) (14:24) - Mealkits (Greenc…

Biggest month so far, harvesting bonuses from banks, credit cards, brokerages, crypto exchanges, mealkits, cashback, and cellphones. All the churns! (1:12) - Credit cards (CIU, VentureX, USB Connect, Go, WF Biz) (10:16) - Banks (WF Biz, Chase Biz, Chase Personal, Albert, SoFi, Fairwinds, SCU, Chime, Huntington) (38:06) - Brokerages & crypto (Fideli…

Ideas on best places to park your cash to stay on top of inflation, including banks, bonds, and crypto exchanges. Plus a primer on stablecoins and avoiding collapses like Terra & Luna. (2:16) - SoFi & Ally @ ~1% (4:40) - HMBradley @ 3% (7:25) - Current @ 4% (8:30) - I-Bonds @ 9.62% (12:15) - Stablecoins 101 (15:08) - What happened with Terra & Luna…

Another big month packed with bank churns (and fails), along with more crypto, bonds, and brokerages. Plus cellphones, mealkits, cashback, and lots of free food. (0:56) - Banks (Monifi, Astra, Wells Fargo, Chase, Fairwinds, Service CU, OnJuno, SoFi, Albert, Chime, Current) (27:07) - Crypto, bonds, brokerages (I-Bonds, FTX, Voyager, Gemini, TradeSta…

Step-by-step guide to using AMEX points to secure one of the best value premium cabins, plus booking tips & tricks gathered from 50+ hours of research, phone calls, and experimentation. Brace yourselves, this one goes DEEP 🤓 (0:00) - Why ANA? (4:52) - ANA booking basics (10:58) - Advanced techniques (20:43) - Other quirks with ANA (32:39) - Booking…

Another busy month churning banks, treasury bonds, credit cards, mealkits and cellphones, plus updates on some MS opportunities and high-yield stablecoins. (0:54) - Banks (PSECU, Current, Fairwinds, HMB) (5:13) - Gifting treasury bonds (9:48) - Crypto stablecoins (Voyager USDC, Gemini GUSD) (16:58) - Brokerages (Feb MS, Stockpile) (21:27) - Credit …

Massive month in February with lots of new bank accounts, some interesting brokerage opportunities, crypto, easy MS, mealkits, cellphones, and cashback. (2:52) - Banks (PSECU, Affinity, First Tech, Fairwinds, Monifi, Albert, Current, Chime, Huntington) (25:13) - Bank tally (16 new accounts) (28:40) - Brokerages (Titan, TradeStation) (41:15) - Crypt…

Bonus episode of an interview I did recently on another show, Risk of Ruin. I talk about leaving the work world behind in favor of early retirement, how churning fits into leanFIRE, my time in Japanese jail and our homesteading plans. (0:00) - Intro (3:27) - Risk of Ruin ------------------ Risk of Ruin podcast on apple & spotify. ------------------…

Season 2 - Detailed breakdown of January 2022 churns across credit cards, banks, brokerages, cell phones, and misc categories. (1:15) - Credit cards (Southwest, Venture X, mealkits) (12:48) - Banks (Kabbage, FNBO, HMBradley, I-Bonds) (21:29) - Brokerages (Nadex) (23:17) - Cell phones (Visible) (24:15) - Misc (Cigna) (26:40) - Final tally ($1,085) -…

Season finale! Detailed breakdown of December churns along with a final year-end tally for 2021, plus a bonus recap on how the podcast is doing and some lessons learned making the show. (1:13) - Cell phones (iPhone 13, Boost, Visible) (8:36) - Bank updates (Chase Biz, HMBradley, I-Bonds, Lili) (18:37) - Credit cards (SW Performance, Hyatt Biz) (23:…