Privilege jail — Blog

A credit card person

After four years, my Yamaha CP88 keyboard is finally paid off. Why did it take so long? Well, Guitar Center allowed me to open a store card to spread the high initial cost over four years with zero interest. Of course I am going to take that arbitrage opportunity. That lump sum has instead been growing in my investment account.

You offer me free money, I am going to take it every time.

I recently had to buy new tires for the M2. For the occasion I opened a new credit card with Capital One. The company is offering a signing bonus: $200 cash back on a $500 spend within the first three months of account opening. There’s also zero interest for 15 months. That’s just easy money. I paid for the tires on the card, got the $200 as a statement credit, and will pay the amount in full sometime early 2026.

Buy now, pay later - splitting payments over four equally small ones - services like Klarna and Afterpay are showing up more and more on online checkouts. I’ve not use those services before, but if I ever need to split a large payment and take the zero interest arbitrage, it’s an easy decision. Heck, even my bank - Chase - offers a program to split large credit purchases over time, with introductory zero interest offers.

Of course, in order for me to “profit” from these credit opportunities, there has to be a loser on the other side of the trade. And it isn’t Guitar Center, Capital One, or Klarna. The loser is their other customers, the ones who are not paying the balance before interest (and back interest) starts accruing. It’s the credit debtors subsidizing the profiteers.

After paying off the new tires, I will never use that Capital One card again. Therefore, they will never recoup that initial $200 in startup bonus. Not from me directly, anyways.

Right to privilege jail, right away.

Non participation trophy

This YouTube video showed up on my feed. It explains two corporations now dominate the American ski resort market, and it’s made the ski experience terrible. High prices, long lines, and poor working conditions.

I’ve a suggestion: don’t participate.

There’s obviously zero incentive for the companies to change operations when there are still lines. If the high prices aren’t enough of a deterrence, then surely a poor experience should? Perhaps sunk-cost fallacy is in play here. A skier isn’t likely to turn back at the sight of the long line, after paying hundreds for a pass, plus the cost of getting to the mountains.

Nothing is going to change if consumers don’t move with their feet and vote with their wallet. McDonald’s didn’t (re)introduce a value menu until enough customers stopped customer-ing. (That’s me!)

Anytime I read about corporations doing this horrible thing or that, I simply go back to: don’t participate. None of us are entitled to anything, other than what’s listed in the United States Constitution. Credit card companies being evil with their interest rates? Don’t get a credit card. So what if Vail has ruined the ski experience? Don’t go! You’re not entitled to a ski weekend.

It’s fine if skiing becomes an exclusive province of the rich. Some things in life just aren’t meant for the lower classes. I would love to buy another Porsche 911. But because I cannot afford one (fuck you, inflation), it’s not for me. I also can’t afford to stay at a Grand Hyatt when I travel. So I don’t.

I know. Right to privilege jail. Right away.