AI Consultant & Tech Strategist Building smarter AI-driven systems for modern businesses đź“Š Insights from real-world data DM to [email protected]
New York USA
Joined January 2025
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Liam AI retweeted
Most Marriott Bonvoy members are sitting on points they’ll never use.
Not because they don’t have enough. Because they don’t know the tricks.
Award stays of 5 nights come with a night free. Points can be combined with cash. Award nights can be booked before you have enough points. Points can be transferred to more than 40 airlines. And the same hotel can cost far fewer points on a different date.
A points expert who’s booked hundreds of free hotel nights told me: “Bonvoy points are worth way more when you know how to use them, and way less when you don’t.”
8 ways to get more free nights from Marriott Bonvoy. Most members have never used one.🧵👇
A woman paid $12 a month for AppleCare+ for 3 years.
That’s about $430.
She never filed a single claim. She felt covered, so she never asked whether she needed it.
Her cousin, a former Apple Store technician, looked at her bill over dinner.
“You’ve paid $430 to protect against a screen repair that costs about $130 at a good local shop. And you’ve been carrying a case and a screen protector the whole time. You paid twice to protect the same phone.”
“But what if I drop it?”
“Then you pay the fee. Most people never do.”
He didn’t tell her to cancel. He told her to run the math first.
He showed her the 4 situations where the plan pays for itself, and the 3 where it’s just a monthly bill with a logo on it.
She canceled that night, and started putting the $12 into a savings account instead.
Here’s the full math 🧵
The 3 Situations Where It’s Just a Monthly Bill
And this was the second list.
1. You already use a good case and a screen protector, and you’ve never broken a phone. You’ve lowered your own risk and you’re paying again to insure the remainder.
2. You have $500 to $800 in savings you could use for a surprise repair. A repair fund can beat insurance for careful owners. If nothing breaks, the money is still yours.
3.Your credit card or carrier already covers part of it. If you’re paying for loss or theft coverage you already have, you’re paying twice.
If this sounds like you, the monthly plan is the easiest one to cancel. It can be stopped whenever you choose.
Do the math before you cancel. Check what your credit card covers. Make sure your phone is backed up. Make sure Find My is on.
And if you cancel, put the $12 somewhere you can see it.
A repair fund that grows is a better feeling than a bill that disappears.
The woman who paid $430 didn’t make a mistake.
She made a choice without checking the math.
AppleCare+ isn’t good or bad. It’s a tool for a specific problem.
Here’s the one-minute version.
A cracked screen: AppleCare+ costs about $29. Apple’s price without it is $329 to $379. A local shop often charges $80 to $280.
A $600 to $800 “other damage” repair: AppleCare+ is about $99. Without it, you’re paying out of pocket.
A lost or stolen phone: only the Theft and Loss version covers it.
A battery: about $99 to $119 on its own.
If you’re careful, protected, and have a cushion, a repair fund can beat the plan.
If you’re hard on phones, carry a Pro Max, or couldn’t absorb a $700 surprise, AppleCare+ is usually worth it.
Whichever way you go, decide on purpose.
Save this thread. Look at your last 12 months of phone costs this weekend.
And retweet the first post so someone else checks the math before they renew.
Liam AI retweeted
A guy drove 25 minutes to Costco every Saturday morning.
Spent $340 on average per trip.
Felt like he was doing the responsible thing for his family’s budget.
His neighbor, a former supply chain analyst, looked at his last 3 Costco receipts.
Then looked at current Amazon prices for the same items.
“You are spending $340 at Costco for items that total $229 on Amazon Subscribe and Save. Plus you are spending 2 hours and about $8 in gas driving there and back. Your Saturday Costco run is costing you $120 more than it needs to every single week.”
He looked at him.
“That cannot be right. Costco is always cheaper. That is the whole point of the membership.”
“Costco is cheaper than retail grocery stores on most items. It is not always cheaper than Amazon Subscribe and Save. Those are two completely different comparisons. Most people never make the second one because they assume the warehouse club wins automatically. It does not. Not on everything. Not even on most things when you factor in Subscribe and Save stacking.”
“So when does Costco win?”
“Fresh food. Certain proteins. Rotisserie chicken. Produce when you can use it before it turns. Gasoline. Tires. Optical. Pharmacy. Travel. Those categories Costco wins by a significant margin and Amazon cannot compete.”
“And when does Amazon win?”
“Household consumables. Personal care. Vitamins. Cleaning supplies. Pet food. Paper goods. Anything with a long shelf life that qualifies for Subscribe and Save. Amazon wins on most of those when you stack the discounts correctly.”
He looked at the receipts on the table.
$340 every Saturday.
For 3 years.
On a shopping pattern that could have been $229.
“How long have you known this?”
“Since my first week analyzing retail pricing data. The membership fee, the gas, the bulk packaging psychology, and the warehouse atmosphere are all designed to make you feel like you are saving money. Sometimes you are. Sometimes you are not. Knowing the difference is worth more than the membership fee every single year.”
They spent 40 minutes reorganizing his shopping list.
His following Saturday Costco trip: $112.
His Amazon Subscribe and Save order that replaced the rest: $94.
Total: $206.
Down from $340.
Every single week.
Here is exactly which items belong at Costco, which belong on Amazon, and how to split your shopping list to save the most money on both: 🧵
6.The Real Apology
Instead of:
A casual "sorry!" after missing a real deadline.
Try:
"I missed your deadline and created extra work for you. Here's the fix, and how I'll prevent it."
When a delay truly costs someone, a specific apology fits. Say it once, then fix it.