The Daily Churn

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(21:32) - FTX fiat @ 7.9%(23:58) - Voyager USDC @ 9%(27:32) - Gemini GUSD @ 6.9%(29:26) - Stocks vs crypto(32:22) - Parking $10K vs $100K

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(27:40) - Alternative strategy #1 (hardball)(29:34) - Alternative strategy #2 (semi-hardball)(31:23) - Alternative strategy #3 (going public)(34:36) - Other tips & thoughts------------------Listen to Part 1 of the story: Ep 30 - Carvana vs DealershipsJoin the newsletter for show notes, links, and updates: thedailychurnpodcast.com

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, mealkits offers)(20:57) - Cellphones (Visible)(21:52) - Selling a used car (Carvana vs. CL, FB, OfferUp, etc.)(26:42) - Buying a new car (car dealerships...

Detailed breakdown of November churns across banks, brokerages, credit cards, cell phones, and cashback sites.(0:37) - Banks (Chase Bus, Lili, Treasury Bonds)(6:38) - Brokerages (Charles Schwab, Nadex)(8:44) - Credit cards (SW Premier)(10:53) - Cell phones (BB, Costco, Visible)(14:45) - Cashback (BeFrugal, Rakuten)(18:52) - Final tally ($2,012)

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

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(52:35) - Final Tally------------------

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) - Cellphones (Visible, iPhone 14)(26:22) - Final tally ($904)------------------Join the newsletter for show notes, links, and updates: thedailychurnpodcast.com

Detailed breakdown of October churns across credit cards, bank bonuses, brokerages, and cell phones (plus a bonus Ventana review).(1:59) - Credit cards (Amex BP, SW Performance & Premier)(3:19) - Some thoughts on BGs(8:46) - Chase & holiday season(11:46) - Banks (Key, PNC, Discover)(14:13) - Brokerages (Nadex)(16:03) - Cell phones (Best Buy T-Mobile)(19:49) - T-Mobile workarounds(26:14) - Final Tally ($1,980)(27:51) - Ventana Big Sur (aka churner mecca)

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 (Fidelity, Varo, Voyager)(41:16) - Mealkits & cashback (Factor75, Gobble, Blue Apron, SunBasket, Rakuten, BeFrugal)(51:09) - Cellphones (Visible)(51:41) - Final tally ($3,416 + 106K UR + 25K Cap1)

Brief walkthrough (and free download) of a Google Sheet template for tracking credit card churns, plus some tips for managing the "back office" work.(2:13) - Google Sheet template + sample data(3:48) - Status and Due Date columns(5:13) - Use a reminder app (eg. Google Keep)(7:35) - Autopay and Bonus columns(8:53) - Notes column(9:58) - Bank bonus and LeanFIRE sheets

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 cards (CIU, Venture X)(27:31) - Cellphones (Costco, Visible)(31:49) - Misc (Cigna, mealkits, Rakuten, Dell)(39:47) - Final tally ($1,245 + $3,300 cashback)

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) - Crypto (high-yield stablecoins, gemini, USDC)(44:47) - Credit cards (Venture X, Hyatt Biz)(45:55) - Mealkits (Daily Harvest, Freshly)(49:23) - Cashback (Rakuten, BeFrugal)(51:08) - Cellphones (Visible BYOD)(55:31) - Final tally ($812)

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 (Greenchef, Gobble, Hellofresh, SunBasket, Factor75)(25:27) - Honey (Kitchenaid mixer

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 RuinRisk 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)(23:02) - Westin Kona mini-review (Marriott travel cert, Amex offers)(28:47) - Brokerages (Nadex)(29:06) - December tally ($647)(29:36) - 2021 tally ($10,497 + 150K Amex + 125K UR)(32:04) - Bonus: podcast recap

In-depth walkthrough of the various iPhone deals available from Costco, Best Buy, and Visible, as well as strategies for reselling on Swappa.(1:11) - Costco $300 BYOD offer(1:44) - T-Mobile $20 Talk & Text only plan(3:17) - Costco $720 BOGO iPhones(5:59) - iPhone Pro Max selling above retail(8:07) - Best Buy's crazy iPhone trade-in values(12:30) - Caution re: Flex Reseller policy(15:11) - Unlock trick using prepaid ATT sim(17:03) - Requesting unlocks from TForce(18:37) - Mistakes I made on the BB deal(22:10) - Swappa rundown(24:49) - BFMR address formatting ideas(27:09) - Visible offer extended(29:10) - $1 Boost mobile SIM cards

In-depth guide to churning Visible and other MVNOs to qualify for discounted phones and super discounted (even free) monthly plans.

Detailed breakdown of September churning efforts across bank bonuses, brokerages, credit cards and misc categories.

Tips and tricks for maximizing National's amazing Executive status for free upgrades and discounted rentals.

After 8 years and $25K+ of free flights, some thoughts and tips on securing companion pass for 2022/23.

Detailed breakdown of August churning efforts across credit cards, bank bonuses, brokerages and misc categories.

After a decade of earning and churning Hyatt status, an in-depth look at maximizing this incredible loyalty program.

Special episode on churning strategies that can help attain and sustain FIRE (financial independence / retire early).

In-depth walkthrough of Interactive Brokers $1K stock + $200 cash bonus offer, plus tips for transferring assets over.

Detailed breakdown of the past month's churning efforts across credit cards, bank bonuses and brokerages.

Is Swagbucks worth your time? Some thoughts and tips on how to approach Swagbucks without losing your mind.

An amazing tool for bank bonuses, this dives deep into the payroll setup and tax implications of using Square & Gusto.

After 100+ meals delivered across HelloFresh, Sunbasket, GreenChef and HomeChef, some tips and lessons learned.

In-depth analysis of HMBradley's unique deposit requirements to help reach and maintain 3% on $100K with less effort.

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 ACATS transfer(10:40) - Buffer for tier qualification(11:38) - Transferring cash via ACATS(13:52) - Joint & individual accounts------------------

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, TradeStation, Public, Stockpile)(41:08) - Cellphones (Visible)(42:21) - Cashback, mealkits, free food (Vital farms, Smirnoff, Venture X, Ibotto, Rakuten)(52:15) - Final tally ($2,400 + all the free foods

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

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

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------------------

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) - Mealkits (HelloFresh, Home Chef)(23:00) - Freebies (Omni, RedCard, Starbucks, Amazon, TopCashBack)(32:58) - Final tally ($4,687 + 107K MR + 50K UR)------------------

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.com

Black Friday haul

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 Reduction(26:24) - Churning retirement------------------

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 Venture X, BofA UCR, CIP)(21:11) - Banks (C1, Ally, Upgrade)(23:07) - Brokerages (Wells Fargo, Robinhood, MooMoo, WeBull)(29:08) - Discounts & Freebies (VZW & Netflix, Clear, QVC, Amex, Lowes, Marriott, Amazon, Starbucks, Chipotle)(40:31) - Final Tally ($4,180 + 270K UR)------------------

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

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, Mint)(18:12) - Mealkits (Green Chef, HelloFresh)(20:41) - Freebies & Discounts (Peloton, Target, Turbotax, Sugarfina, Chase offers, Doordash, Apple Music, SiriusXM, StudentBeans, Dell, Starbucks)(32:47) - December tally ($3,135 + 416K points)(34:08) - 2022 tally ($32,454 + 981K points)(44:36) - Bonus: Podcast stats

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 CCR & UCR, CIP, CIU, CIC)(30:41) - Banks (USB, Cap1, Ally, Fidelity, Keypoint, Upgrade, Laurel)(38:10) - Brokerages (MooMoo)(39:35) - Cell Phones (Verizon, iPhone 15 Pro)(46:22) - Meal Kits (Rakuten, Daily Harvest)(50:05) - Discounts & Freebies (Dell, Petsmart, McD, Wendys, BK, Costco, Peloton)(57:03) - Final Tally ($2,988 + 300K UR + 150K MR)------------------

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

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

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 Breadmaker

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, I-Bonds)(22:36) - Brokerages (Wells Fargo, UNest, Ally, Save, MooMoo)(31:23) - Discounts & Freebies (Kroger 4x, Amazon, Peloton, DPs)(36:55) - Final tally ($7,835 + 40K points)------------------

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 Simplifi for churning(21:48) - Simplifi quirks------------------

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------------------

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)(22:36) - Brokerages (MooMoo, UNest)(27:50) - Hacks, Freebies & Discounts (Apple, McDonalds, Chick-fil-A, Amazon)(32:23) - Final tally ($1,410 + 195K Points)------------------