๐Ÿค‘ My Gift Guide, Latest Deals, Iceland Trip and Best Recommendations (11/23/24)


๐Ÿ‘‹ Hi Reader,

Hope your Saturday is off to a great start! Here's what's included in today's newsletter:

  • ๐ŸŽ My holiday gift guide (+ ways to save up to 25%)
  • ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ธ Video Highlights from our Iceland Trip!!!
  • ๐Ÿ’ณ New 4% cash back card
  • ๐Ÿ›๏ธ Latest gift cards deals (save up to 20%/$50)
  • ๐Ÿ’ฐ Free $40 from Rakuten
  • ๐Ÿงพ Are credit card rewards taxable? and more!

One small favor: if you enjoyed reading, please forward this newsletter to someone else who might too! And if that's you, make sure to subscribe here :) Thanks so much in advance!

Chris


๐ŸŽ My Holiday Gift Guide and Top Ways to Save

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The holidays are here, and Iโ€™ve rounded up over 80 gift ideas across tech, kitchen, clothing, healthcare, games, and more to help you find the perfect gift for everyone on your list. I'll also share tips on how I save 5โ€“25% on almost all my shopping.


๐Ÿ’ฐ Donate Stock/Crypto and Save $$$ on Taxes

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Save on taxes, maximize your impact, and help raise millions for charity by joining the Gains for Good Challenge today!โ€‹


๐Ÿ›ซ Travel, Points & Miles

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ธ Check Out Our All the Hacks Iceland Trip!

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Our trip to Iceland this year was so incredible that weโ€™re going to plan another trip (or maybe 2) in the Fall of 2025. We've put together this page with everything you need to know about the trip, including dates, planned itinerary, FAQ's and more.

๐Ÿงณ Our Iceland & Hawaii Trip Reports and Travel Tips

If you want to go deeper on Iceland, Amy and I did a full episode covering our trip to Iceland (with All the Hacks listeners + readers), as well as our recent trip to the Big Island of Hawaii (with our family).

๐Ÿ’ณ U.S. Bank's 4% Cash Back Card is Out

The โ€‹U.S. Bank Smartly Cardโ€‹, which offers up to 4% cash back, is finally open to applications. You earn 2% cash back on all purchases, with an extra 2% if you have โ‰ฅ$100k in a U.S. Bank Checking, Savings or Investment account. The main downsides are that the card does have foreign transaction fees and offers no sign-up bonus.

๐Ÿ›‹๏ธ New U.S. Airport Lounges

Many premium credit cards offer airport lounge access with free food, drinks, showers, and other perks. With all the upcoming holiday travel, here's some new lounge openings:


๐Ÿค‘ Latest Deals

๐Ÿ›๏ธ Latest Gift Cards Deals

Discounted gift cards are an easy way to save on holiday shopping. I've recently been finding some amazing gift card deals in the Pepper Rewards app (e.g. 12โ€“20% off Amazon, Samโ€™s Club, Nike, etc.) Plus, new customers earn $20 back after spending $200 in the first 15 days with a referral codeโ€”mine is 612342.

Additionally, here's a bunch of other deals you can take advantage of for your holiday shopping with expirations in parentheses.

Also, don't forget to check out these two great apps:

  • โ€‹CardPointers Pro to automatically activate your card-linked offers and always pick the right card. Use this link for 50% off.
  • โ€‹Savewise to find the best offers from 20+ different shopping portals. Use this link for 20% off.

๐Ÿ’ฐ Easy $40 from Rakuten

My default shopping portal is Rakuten, which also lets you convert cash back to points. Right now, Rakuten is offering $40 for new members after you spend at least $40.


๐Ÿ•ต๏ธ Great Finds

๐Ÿงพ Are Credit Card Rewards Taxable?

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Jasmine DiLucci was recently on Ep #200 to debunk tax myths, and one of the things we couldn't dive deep on was whether credit card rewards are taxable. Thankfully she put together this video that you might enjoy.

๐Ÿ“ Farewell From Morningstar Research VP

I really enjoy John Rekenthaler's writing, so I was sad to see him announce his retirement with this farewell letter. That said it was a great reflection on the U.S. stock marketโ€™s strong track record of growth and compounding. While John doesnโ€™t think future returns will be as impressive, he remains optimistic about the U.S. economyโ€™s strengths driving continued growth.

๐Ÿ” Shake Shack on Delta Flights

I'm excited to see that Shake Shack has partnered with Delta to offer their cheeseburgers as a first-class meal. I don't fly Delta much, but I'm very curious to see how the in-flight version compares.


๐Ÿ’ฌ Parting Thoughts

As always, thanks so much for reading! Iโ€™d love to hear your thoughts on todayโ€™s newsletter, and if you enjoyed it, please let me know why!

Chris

Chris Hutchins

Discover the latest and greatest hacks, deals and recommendations to upgrade and optimize your life, money and travel โ€“ all while spending less and saving more.

Read more from Chris Hutchins
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๐Ÿ‘‹ Hi Reader, Happy Saturday! Hereโ€™s a sneak peek of todayโ€™s newsletter: ๐Ÿค‘ 10 million points giveaway ๐Ÿฅ— The science of nutrition ๐Ÿ’ธ 3 ways to earn a free $40 shopping online ๐ŸŽ Latest gift card deals ๐Ÿ’ฐ 30+ card-linked offers for $5-200 back ๐Ÿ  Earn points on a home purchase ๐ŸŽ“ Maximize college savings and more! I really hope you enjoy reading, and please don't forget to forward this to someone who might enjoy it too! (And if that's you, make sure to subscribe here). Thanks so much! Chris ๐Ÿ’ฐ Donate...

๐Ÿ‘‹ Hi Reader, Hope your Saturday is off to a great start! Here's what's included in today's newsletter: ๐ŸŽ My holiday gift guide (+ ways to save up to 25%) ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ธ Video Highlights from our Iceland Trip!!! ๐Ÿ’ณ New 4% cash back card ๐Ÿ›๏ธ Latest gift cards deals (save up to 20%/$50) ๐Ÿ’ฐ Free $40 from Rakuten ๐Ÿงพ Are credit card rewards taxable? and more! One small favor: if you enjoyed reading, please forward this newsletter to someone else who might too! And if that's you, make sure to subscribe here :)...

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๐Ÿ‘‹ Hi Reader, Happy Saturday! Hereโ€™s a sneak peek of todayโ€™s newsletter: ๐Ÿ’ธ Tax strategies to save $$ and avoid audits ๐Ÿ›๏ธ Up to 15k extra miles for shopping ๐Ÿ’ณ 15+ travel card-linked offers ๐ŸŽ Gift Card deals (up to 44% off) ๐Ÿฒ Earn $25 on Dining with The Infatuation ๐Ÿ—บ๏ธ Secrets behind Google Street View and more! I hope you enjoy reading and please forward this to someone who might enjoy it too! (And if that's you, make sure to subscribe here so you don't miss out on amazing deals in the future)....