
Update 3/17: DailySteals just added new stock in iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S at under $200 (Verizon + Fully GSM unlocked). Compare with Swappa.
More and more people are being scared away from paying $1,000+ for a new smartphone as they realize that every September there will be another one that is a bit newer and shinier. I think the absolute amount that the iPhone improves each year is getting smaller and smaller. If you’re not committed to staying on the bleeding edge, why not save some bucks?
I recently took advantage of the special pricing on iPhone battery replacements on my iPhone 6, and it definitely made a difference in speed (and of course battery life). They performed the battery swap in the Apple Store in about an hour while I shopped elsewhere. This made me think about what the current best value would be for an iPhone (functionality/price).
My choice as of mid-2018 is the iPhone 6S Plus. They currently start in the $220 range, compare prices at sites like Swappa (person-to-person) and DailySteals.com (refurb deals). You have Touch ID. You get the bigger 5.5-inch high-resolution “Retina” screen for easier reading. From a superficial perspective, it’s really hard to tell it apart from an iPhone 7 or 8 (especially with case). The speed is adequate, even if you update to the current iOS. Of course, this assumes that you add a new battery ($29) direct from Apple. (You even get a physical headphone jack!)

Urbanr is an apartment rental website that allows renters to pay rent to landlords using a credit card. Urbanr accepts all Visa, MasterCard, and Discover credit and debit cards. The 1.5% transaction fee can be paid by renter, paid by the owner, or split evenly between them (owner pays 0.75% and the renter pays 0.75%). The owner/landlord must sign up on the service first to accept payments (direct deposited to their bank account).
The Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card is the new co-branded card from Chase and the newly-merged Marriott/Starwood/Ritz-Carlton rewards program. The current bonus is 75,000 bonus Marriott Rewards points after spending $3,000 in 3 months. Here are the card highlights:
Barron’s has released their
Interest rates are rising. Rate-chasing is becoming more worthwhile again. Here is my monthly roundup of the best safe rates available, roughly sorted from shortest to longest maturities. Check out my
Amazon Prime has announced the following price increases to $119 per year:
If you’ve already done a free trial of Audible.com and gotten some free audiobooks… Amazon might like to offer you another trial with 


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