High-end credit cards are increasingly embracing “lifestyle” perks, such as entry into exclusive events, credits toward pricey hotels and fancy gyms, even memberships to a chain of medical practices that offer same-day appointments. When you live in a major city with access to merchants that partner with credit card companies (and access to large airports),...

Shortly after the war in Iran began in March 2026, gas prices in my area rose seemingly overnight by almost $1 per gallon. The increase was so sudden and dramatic that my husband felt compelled to text me after getting gas under the new prices: “Had my first tank fill-up since … the war,” he...