We let it wide open today, ask me anything, everything goes!
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I am taking a little mental break away from TBBing as I am finishing up some important work for the job that pays the bills around here. No, it is not this blog, come on!
Mile Nerd did a post recently answering reader questions in his own unique way. And maybe I do something similar here. Or maybe I answer in the comments. Or maybe I am just lazy and do this to get some hits to keep my amazing Alexa rankings lol.
Going in for the 100k Chase Sapphire Reserve card in a few hours, wish us luck! We may be there for a while…
And I leave you with this…
Check out my updated blog lists: Blogs I Love, Blogs I Like, Blogs To Ignore
TBB
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What is your main source for end of the post GIFs?
Cheers,
PedroNY
In order:
1)The Shirk Report Friday posts at the awesome Twisted Sifter.
2) Animated Gifs at: http://forgifs.com/gallery/main.php
3) Anywhere I find something TBB worthy surfing online through Feedly and Twitter mostly.
Posted a follow up question to my answer to your comment from yesterday. You mentioned “Amazon is my support”. Thanks again. So, where do you get your cc apps? If this blog you have been a loyal supporter of for so long…can not get any cc apps from you…just doing it for less than a Tall coffee at Starbucks per day is just not cutting it…because I would like to have a Venti AND a darn sandwich once in a while too for the amount of time I spend here…
Email me if not want to answer this publicly here. Just trying to get to understand what goes through blog readers’ minds
I do not click through anybody’s links, they are all directly through bank sites, with a browser (TOR) that does not store any cookies or history or IP address.
As for your links, I had my parents click through them before, and gotten approved, so you got $ that way as well.
Cheers,
PedroNY
Never heard of TOR.
Thanks for sending your parents here. You can rest assured they will never be pumped with an Amex Platinum 40k link 🙂
Edward Snowden made TOR a bit more known. I find it to be the best to get AMEX offers.
You must have had all AMEX sign up bonuses by now. Why do you still need TOR?
What ABC said 🙂
When will your biography hit the bookshelves? In lieu of that, how’d you end up where you’re at in life? In Michigan, your career, etc…
If any publisher wants to advance me some dough for my biography please step right up! As this will likely never materialize…we will have to wait for it 🙂
The second part of the question is great as I have been thinking of doing this and let you guys know where I am coming from and how I got here….So, I added to a draft post! I want you to know it is the first and only draft post in the queue! And the first question on it! So, you have TWO Firsts. Without a bot! #Respect
I think a small part of the reason the titan blogs prey on people new to “the hobby” outside all the obvious reasons, is that those of us several years in have to be really selective on the cards or links we apply with.
Whether it’s a targeted offer or something higher than the public offer (usually amex), or an offer with unique language (Citi) or just secondary banks that don’t show up through your links, sometimes it’s tough to get you the clicks…
This may not be PedroNY’s answer at all, but it’s definitely the reason you get 3-4 approvals off of me now compared to the 3-4 you used to get every 91 days.
Thanks Brenton. I think you nailed it with what has been happening across the board in this space. I can confirm it with my own churning activity as well. I am not seeing the banks lay off us a bit in any way…on the contrary, we have “gamers” enter conference calls with their own slides! (Amex)…
Amazon was a joke before. Right now, with Jet Blue, is just sad.
Maybe I should have started with Boarding Area…but then, I may have to share the same screen with Rene…so nope!
Thanks for the feedback.
You’ve met several of the bloggers on your ignore list, do you dislike them as much in person as your vitriol suggests online?
Hmmm, debating if I should make this the second question in the draft post I am going to work on. The answer may be disappointing to you all. I wanted this to be strictly about blogs and not personal. But it is so hard to separate the two as blogging IS personal. You know, when you add mothers in law and stuff too lol.
I don’t know….I’l think about it. I am also trying to see if I can get a good juicy parody angle to this answer too. Be assured that none in the Ignore list will ever invite me for dinner on Thanksgiving 🙂
You could only follow one blog – about any subject – what would it be
Oh man…that is SO tough to answer. No way I can limit to one…just no way, it is unthinkable…but since you forced me…it will have to be Twisted Sifter as I just like to escape there going places, always so eclectic.
For miles and points blogs, if I was forced to follow just one, it will have to be, at this time, Doctor of Credit. It still does a phenomenal job of keeping readers well updated with what is going on in our space. I just continue to cringe when I see a link to a Titan blog leading readers there to be pumped beyond oblivion 🙂
Very difficult question…it is evolving always and #developing
This may be too personal to answer but I’ll ask anyway: Does operating this blog impact your Federal tax situation in any way? I have often wondered if some of your more “pumpy” posts have to do with creating credibility as a potential moneymaking business should an issue ever come up as your Schedule C is scrutinized. As you know there are some people who haven’t paid taxes in years because their businesses lose money on paper. Not to mention any names.
Hmmm…not sure I follow:
>>>>>>I have often wondered if some of your more “pumpy” posts have to do with creating credibility as a potential moneymaking business should an issue ever come up as your Schedule C is scrutinized
Blog showed an actual loss in its first two years but shows nice profits the last three which adds to my taxable income and therefore taxes!
Do my two posts about my trip to Iran come into play? Hell yes I deducted the cost of the tour! But not the actual mileage spent on flying Business Class on Turkish and Qatar 🙂
It is okay to lose money IF you are LEGITIMATELY actively trying to turn a profit! Losing money and not paying taxes for years is NOT going to cut it and you are just asking to be audited and then nailed….it is a matter of time.
Not sure if this answers your question at all because…I am not sure what you are asking exactly, p;lease clarify.
You answered my question perfectly and I’m sorry I wasn’t clearer. I wanted to be diplomatic and I guess I came off being vague. I have wondered from the beginning if you were blogging to set up a mechanism to write off travel. That would explain the tweets and posts asking for support of your links. To me, it’s like you don’t really care if you make money off the blog but you do want it to look like that’s your goal.
I hope you’re not seeing this as a criticism. I’m just trying to figure out your business model as it were.
>>>>>>>>>I have wondered from the beginning if you were blogging to set up a mechanism to write off travel.
This thought was certainly in my mind. You know, have my cake and eat it too! And I am doing it in a certain extent, Iran trip, Fincon conference, etc.
>>>>>>>>To me, it’s like you don’t really care if you make money off the blog but you do want it to look like that’s your goal.
Correct.
>>>>>>>>I’m just trying to figure out your business model as it were.
If I had ANY business model, I would be spending a huge amount of my time on learning about SEO, content management, affiliate stuff, kissing ass to the Titan bloggers, doing MMS interviews, paying tributes to the all mighty Boarding Area, even perhaps doing a guest post on Rene’s site (just kidding on that last one!). And of course pumping the crap out of all plastic offers, ANYTHING that can smell conversion, I would be up to it. And/or filling my site up with stupid ads that are insulting to me and never passing any chance to insert affiliate links in the body of the posts for shit I don’t even use or businesses that do not pass my smell test (very high threshold, I must admit). Or doing Facebook blog pages, Instagram fake pics showing my expertise, commenting on every blog I can find for the back
links, shamelessly working to grow my email list and then convert the crap out of them, and on and on and on.
Yeah, sometimes I get a bit discouraged as the clicks sometimes dry up which makes it tremendously idiotic to keep going so the few clicks I get keep me in business (cough) and make it at least worthwhile to me to justify this in my own head as it makes me incredibly inspired that, in this day and age of attention challenged online world, some readers talk and then TAKE ACTION with their clicks to support worthy bloggers. And it makes me equally happy to hear that a small independent worthy blogger who puts his/her readers first get some clicks instead of some pimping whore who keeps readers in the dark by purposefully hiding better offers for them or faking expertise in a hobby they heard about when…some other Titan was mentioned somewhere and finally decided it was time to start blogging to tell friends and family how to travel for free. I mean, take a look at the Friday MMS interviews! Which I have refused to do. Because my mother in law would not allow it 😉
I think it has to do with the bank restrictions in place for churning, more than anything. I would be happy to hit the minimum required to keep my cc banner site. Don’t ask me how much this blogging venture makes per hour. It IS a labor of love. After 4.5 years in it, looking back, if I had used my time in my own business I would have made infinite $ more. So, believe me (not Trump like) I am not doing this to get rich! I don’t need the dough anyway…a few nice dinners with Mrs. TBB and maybe a few family meals out would be awesome,sure! I just don’t want to be demoralized when I spend another chunk of my daily time on this and see NO clicks…that just bothers me. A LOT. It shouldn’t. But it does. I am weird. Anyways, if no cc money this baby will get the attention it deserves. Once a week mega rant…at best. I will miss you guys 🙂
As far as Twitter goes, that is all I know. I guess my pumping mode lol.
It is time for dinner. My printer is acting up big time!
RE: CC apps. Just speaking for me, have slowed way down and yesterday was in bank CSR app. First app in almost a year as I had cut WAY back. Serve dying, and then NW BUXX getting killed really affected my ability to MS.
Where I live the M.O. thing is almost completely dead and not a lot of opportunity. Finding new ways of organic spend has required creativity, to be sure!
I think I look forward to this blog the most when I open my morning batch of emails. #Thanks!
So…. a question? Hmmmm…. Which brand of convertible points/miles do you like the best…. and WHY? Not the reputed value, but deep gut why.
Thanks Carl…See my comment above. I agree with your assessment, it’s been kind of rough lately for legit easy ways to do the MS thingie. Unless you go way underground and have lots of time on your hands…which I don’t.
Chase UR points are by far the best for me. Mostly because I have no other way to generate United miles and I can always much more easily burn them there for trips to/from Greece and the occasional Hyatt. The strength of the partners through Thank You and Amex MR is just still not that strong. This may be different for someone else. We are all different with different backgrounds/circumstances/goals/constraints.
Thanks for the kind words.
FWIW–and I know this is a little corny—but I’ve taken to your “we are all different” phrase and made it one of my personal mottos…It works in so many circumstances. And I need to be better in reminding myself of it.
Thought about your comment at the gym today. I think you are right…that it works in so many circumstances.
And that made me feel a little better, thanks!
What retirement options do you recommend for people who want to have a “good” retirement (the ability to travel, cover rising health costs, etc)?
How do you “graduate” from flying economy to business/first class, when it seems like those tickets require more points? Where do you get the abundance of points when MSing seems to be dying? Only thing I can think of is constantly churning CCs for sign-up.
Same handle on flyertalk, so feel free to answer privately if you would like. Thanks.
Not sure “retirement options” is? Please clarify.
Yeah, cc churning has always been the most reliable way. And still is. And it is now very limited due to the increasing (it appears) bank restrictions. We keep hoping to get this turned around like in the past. But it is NOT happening…
@exoticfusion, allow me a chance to answer late (prolly nobody reading this now…)
It’s not about the money you make
It’s about the money you spend
Boxers, Briefs or Commando?
Briefs
briefs? I figured you for a thong kinda guy.
I am….when my wife wears them! 🙂
What does it take to be #1?
Or maybe this is a Q for ScottCastle.
A good bot?
What’s worse? Bloggers who scam their readers with crappy public deals, or bloggers who out good low-profile deals for publicity? And if the answer is both, what’s a blogger to do productively?
Hmmm….
I would say both…but if I had to pick one, it would be “bloggers who out good low-profile deals for publicity” unless they somehow are upfront honest disclosing that there are better cc offers out there but due to bank pressures they can not disclose them…lol.
What is “productively”? Bloggers’ goals are completely opposed to the hobbyists. They are out there to “succeed”. Hits, email lists, conversions, you know, “metrics” they work on them all day long. I don’t give a shit, I do my thing here, whatever happens, happens. I will get bored one day looking at my $1-to $2 per day…amazing it has not happened yet. Or I am just a masochist lol.
I like what DofC is doing. Made a conscious decision to avoid the alluring cc income and decided to go for the good content AND clicks. Seems to be working for him. This is the VERY long road to “success”. I don’t have the time for dat. I like FM’s way of monetizing and how he does his affiliate links…so, at the end of the day, you do what is good for your conscience and let the readers decide. I guess, even if I had direct cc affiliate links, I could NEVER pump the Amex Platinum 40k offer, I just happen to have a conscience. So, I get some crumbs with some apps and maybe a tall coffee per day with Amazon, (phucking Jet Blue, took away my Venti!).
Or maybe I decide to promote my site by spending three times the amount of time than I spend on content as I was told at a recent blogger conference. Which makes me vomit.
It’s a very difficult question to answer. Because everyone’s motivations are different. I obviously still like doing this, this is my baby. Like I said before, by far, the worst thing about doing this is seeing NO clicks in certain days or less than a tall coffee…phuck, I spend enough on tall coffees on Starbucks TBBing 🙂
At the end of the day I like myself in the mirror each morning.
It is what it is.
Life moves on.
Any chance of seeing you on BRT again………..?
I need more pizza although the owner of the pizzeria got whacked…………………..
Not going to BRT…Going to Portland either in June or September I think.
Yeah heard about what happened to that pizza guy, so sad.
WHO LOOKs BETTER IN A PAIR OF TIGHT FITTING SHORTS, ups or fedex drivers?
Both…out of habit seeing so many blog posts… 🙂
I know you hate a lot of the meetups like Chicago Seminars, FTU, etc. that are hosted by the titans. What regional or national meetups would you suggest? Thanks!
I will add this to the list of questions to answer in a blog post. It is the third one added, thanks.
What would be your favorite now-dead deal (e.g., the Mint, etc) to bring back (whether or not you participated at the time)?
If you had to pick an alternative job (your day job, not the blog) – any job in the world, what would it be?
Yeah my CC app rates aren’t what they used to be, either, due to all the changes and crackdowns. They haven’t stopped but just slowed down. With the kid out of the house now, of course, the wife & I don’t need quite as many miles & points for trips so that helps a tad.
Added those two too….Not sure abt that alternative job…never thought about it…may not keep it. Professional soccer player first comes to mind…
Wife’s CSR got 30 days notice. Which I thought it was very encouraging. But I still called. And it was denied. Apparently I had messed up my 5/24 counts!
Instead of being under 5/24 hoping the Gap card would not count or an AmexEveryday card approved on 3/9/15…I guess I was at 7/24 per Recon agent. When my Chase Credit Journey showed 5/24…so, what the fuck is going on! So I asked. Apparently I had totally forgotten about two other cards she had gotten getting her to 7/24. But why is the Credit Journey site showing 5/24. This is phucked up big time! Tried to get Recon supervisor, only taking a message to get back to me in 24-48 business hours…yeah, right.
Here we are willing to keep this card and Chase does not want us. No Authorized User cards that I know of. 3 of those 7 she no longer has. $45k credit line with Chase. She only has IHG and Ink Plus Visa open with Chase now. Ridiculous! So no 100k CSR for her, boo!
And now for the reasons I stopped tweeting this morning while at the Chase branch. There were some complications with the CSR app coming up in customer profiles…long story short, we were told to apply and then we can call in blah blah blah as the date of the app counts…Anyways, just started the app and get a frantic call by daughter the house is full of smoke, coming from the stove. Apparently wife forgot something on the stove as I was rushing her…Could have been deadly! But all good, just the house smells like smoke, opened windows, freezing our buns off! It would have been all worth it if she was approved. We went to another branch closer to an appt she had nearby. So kids…we could have killed our daughter for the 100k CSR bonus. This hobby can kill 🙂
I wish I had the chase sapphire reserve and the new ink card. And if you’re in a situation where you have a spouse who doesn’t love when you open new cards for them, I think the CSR is obviously a no brainer if you can get it.
But the thing about people actually slowing down to get is kinda ridiculous in my opinion. So let’s say you value the 100,000 points near $2k. Whatever your reason, you do. In December alone of last year I did the following:
Amex Platinum Ameriprise – worth $400 in airline incidentals – used on WN CP for positioning
Amex SPG Business – 35,000 points worth probably $700+
Chase IHG MC – 85,000 points worth $425+
Chase United Business – Denied (I had no idea it was a 5/24 card)
Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select – 50,000 miles worth $750
BOA Alaska – 30,000 miles worth nearly half of a Cathay pacific First flight from ORD-HKG with a stopover and then on to Dubai in business for free. So let’s say I’d pay $1500 for that flight, because I probably would, so this card is worth ~$660
So I lost out on the reserve, but got just under $3k out of those cards, and can do something very similar in April.
I can see 2 you are not getting again (lets not go to the 7 year thingie now), and 3 of the 4 you may wait a while. And BOA not sure every how often that is now, losing track.
Like I said earlier, we are all different.
I have 3.5 million and I have no trips planned other than Ft. Lauderdale on Spirit, it does NOT count lol.
I am just thankful the house did not burn down today!
Why don’t you do blog giveaways like the Mighty MMS? Mr Bow-tie is giving away 6,000 *six thousand* DL miles this week! (!!!!!!) Those are worth, what, $8 if you are “lucky” (NOT Lucky)?
SMH
I’ve done the leave the oven on thing a couple of times. Febreeze kills the smoke smell eventually. Glad everyone is ok fine.
#TBBon
Not going to bother you with 6k DL miles or Southwest drink coupons.
I have given a few things away before. If I find something worthy I may do it again. There is a lot of work to get these done right. Besides, if I go over 500 subscribers…Mailchimp wants more money lol.
I give back when I can, such as BRT, party at my house, San Diego reader meetups, tickets to concert to a reader.
I am losing my touch…how can I lose track of wife’s two cards? If I knew that, I would have kept her home with no smoke smell that the house is infected with still!
Unrelated to the travel space and some general q about “financial advisory space” When should Joe Shmoe consider talking to a financial planner? Who’s the median client in that space?
What’s the most common thing that Joe “knowitall” may have missed in the financial space?
Not easy to answer here, I added them to the list that one day I may attack. If I am still around that is…So many Joe “knowitalltypes” around, especially in this hobby!
You are clearly not a fan of the Emily pics, since the divorce they seem to have become the new norm (I gather from your tweets, and browsing thru it to confirm once.) So I am wondering your theory on who is running the show over there and thusly having Emily photos on virtually every post. Which of these theories do you think it is:
A: Darius is doing most the post and putting her pics for some reason.
B: She is doing the post and posting pics of herself.
C: Staff is doing everything and there are simply more pics of her to choose from.
D: Other… let us hear it in your reply.
I don’t know for sure but If I had to pick one from your choices it would be:
C
I think D is out doing coaching sessions with a Chopra dude and E is out hunting for a new man and the hired stuff bust their butts pumping their readers…
Again, I am guessing.
I agree with answer C, but leaning to B (Emily taking over) a bit, witness the London posts. I think Darius is mostly out, or at best phoning it in. I don’t look at it often, but it does seem much more insipid since the buyout compared with before.
Who will win the 2020 presidential election?
Oprah!
3.5 million points and miles! I don’t generally see you talk about how you earn yours. So, what are your most common ways of earning points and miles? MS? Sign-ups only? Reselling? Referrals?