We show what happens when paying credit cards late, how Delta and Korean kiss and make up, travel to Terra Ronca Caves in Brazil, go on awesome train journeys, announce the Raiders-themed brothel coming to Las Vegas, get you some credit card spending bonuses and more!
TBB Blog Mission: To Entertain. Educate. Inspire. In That Order!
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The date the Virgin America brand will die be retired is December 31. Save me the fake tears Richard Branson!
In this hobby there are many ways you can screw up. Watch out when you close credit card accounts and then you find out you are months late in paying the annual fee. Bank of America does that more often than other banks imho.
For a while now Delta and Korean Airlines have been at each other’s throats even as they are both member of the Skyteam alliance. But it appears they will mend their ways. Lets hope so, cooler heads prevailed at last.
Complete Guide To American Express Platinum Changes For Both Personal and Business Cards. You’ll be hearing more about these…
12 of the world’s most spectacular train journeys. Very cool, I bookmarked this for the day Bankrate The Points Guy buys me out woohoo!
We all heard the news that NFL team Oakland Raiders will be moving to Las Vegas. So devastating to the team fans and the city of Oakland…I can not imagine! But…there is hope. Bunny Ranch Owner Plans Raiders-Themed Brothel. Okay, if you are a hardcore (pun intended) team fan you may not find this funny. But I do and it’s my blog and I can do what I want! The name of the brothel will be “Pirate’s Booty”…Ok, if that did not make you laugh yet…how about this? Players and team staff get 50% discount on all sex parties there. Can you get an AMEX offer like that? Nope, I didn’t think so!
Your personal finance fix of the day: Why Beating The Market Is An Uphill Skate. Best line: “Sadly, investors lose an awful lot of beta in their quest for alpha.”
The winners of Smithsonian’s 14th Annual Photo Contest. This photo blew my mind to pieces…
Brazil’s Terra Ronca Caves. Wow to infinity…Things you learn blogging away…
BLOG BUZZ
This section is for advanced level hobbyists and veteran blog readers & personal rants & stuff
You just have two days left to transfer your SPG/Marriott points to Southwest for its Companion Pass. If there was ever a worthy “last chance” headline…this is it!
For the record, I have never used my SPG points other than, gulp, SPG hotel nights! I could cut and paste a post urging you how to get ten nights for free selling you the Amex SPG credit cards, get my wife to pose like a moron holding the credit card I am selling…so I can make some money but I.Just.Can’t. But these bloggers can!<———-notice how they use the phucking exclamation point in their headlines. SellSellSell baby!
Some targeted Chase credit card spending bonuses. Maybe these become more common in the future me thinks.
Oh shit…Amex Platinum signup bonus, the official and affiliate one, goes up to 60,000 Membership Rewards points from the 40,000 one. You know, the one greedy pimping bloggers have been selling to their readers intentionally kept in the dark and converted like sheep! I bet TPG has sold thousands of this plastic…check out the new digs in New York City.
Breaking: We now have the 60k Amex Platinum links! Mercedes-Benz anyone…yeah I am sure the “experts” at TPG will tell you all about them lol.
Reader Alan Z. (stop laughing) sent me a link to this video with the Million Mile Secrets duo giving Valentines Day tips and told me this is on their website. Hmm, don’t know what to make of this. You know, a divorced couple is probably not the one to give these kinds of tips $justsaying #WTF!
Below is a pic (click on it to read it better) with yesterday’s mega plastic pump, each one containing numerous affiliate links! And here I am being accused of being such a hideous pumper myself while not even coming close to hitting double digits for two months in a row and in danger of getting kicked out of this program (while my other revenue source Amazon has gone way down because #JetBlue). Or maybe I like the trolls going nuts more, not sure. Too tired to comment on it, enough time spent on this stuff you guys…
It just hit me. In combination with a reader email that I am wasting my time against the pimping bloggers…realizing how much time I spend in this blog. You know, it’s been like this for a while 🙂 My hope is some newbie reads my warnings and gets it, you know, improving humanity and all. Or maybe I need to find another hobby. Do I just quit the negative stuff cold turkey? Can I even do it? Who will protect the newbies? Do I turn into an ass kissing blogger hoping the big boys link back to me for the clicks? This is my own moronic crusade and, besides, I still find it entertaining as hell…I mean, Valentine tips from a divorced couple, WTF! What do you think? This is not a lame blogger question to invite engagement, it’s a genuine request for feedback.
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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Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
Firstest!
Best bot ever!
Indeed!
In a land without bots, you would be First!
I stumbled on your blog a few months ago and have quite enjoyed reading it. You have useful information and some fun stuff too – which keeps it interesting. I look forward to reading your daily posts.
Started blogging as a joke in November 2012…and then it became like crack.
One day I will quit cold turkey…Until then, enjoy #developing
TBB, every morning I look forward to opening your blog post. If it’s every in the morning, like today, I don’t have all the added benefit of getting a good Ramsey or GringoLoco or Someoneelse comment, but maybe that means I’ll just come back again later….
I enjoy the sheer randomness of it: the mix of rants, commentary, finance, travel inspiration, and crazy gifs are so entertaining. Just right now, I’ve finished reading the post and have opened up SEVEN tabs from your links for further reading. Good stuff!
Keep it up, if you can. I know you are not getting much money out after all these years of it and I respect you more for that. There are very few bloggers out there like that that I follow: you, TravelIsFree, DoctorOfCredit, Loyalty Traveler. These guys all deserve *Respect*
TIF would not have stopped if he was earning what he should have #imho
DoC went for the volume…and is doing quite well in ‘display ads’.
LT gets a monthly check from Randy
A normal person would have quit doing this every day the way I have.
I am not normal.
The end is near…er.
Appreciate the kind words, enjoy the ride.
Even Ingy abandoned me…or has he? 🙂
Bluecat is still strange. Some things never change. 3 times a year is when TIF posts. But cat *respects* him the most.
Bluecat will *always* be strange!
Quality over quantity anytime, anonymous, anytime!
5th from Bangkok
Why don’t anyone else play like this?
It’s a TRAVEL blog!
Be sure to wear double protection, when frequenting Patpong 1, 2
Lol I was chiming in from Railay a couple weeks ago 😉
Random note for the kok: If you can land a rez at gaggan you should definitely go. No doubt about it
.
69th from my chair at my local Starbucks…with my eyes glazing over the numerous Amex Plat 60k links #itneverends
It’s lunchtime and there are only five comments? We need a controversial statement. Maybe along the lines of “the added benefits of the Amex Platinum more than compensate for the fee increase” but more trollish?
I use Uber so often in suburban Nebraska, that I feel like it more than justifies the extra $100. Now I have a “freeeee” dd 12 more nights a year!
Amex Plat personal or business, which one you need?
U know the answer…starts with ‘B’
If selling a 40k Amex Platinun is a felony, is selling a 60k one a misdemeanor? Discuss
On my third day in DC, making lawyers richer. Does that count as travel?
Do they take Amex? Here is the Amex Plat for 60k MR points! (Insert imaginary link)
Sit back…profit!
Hey, hope it’s business related lawyers!
Attention to detail at TPG office is impressive.
Anything to inspire the staff to come up with yet more ways to push the plastic product de jour…Sad!
George you asked for honest answers but do you really want that? Or do you want people to tell you they love TBB?
If being honest which is what you asked for then I think you should quit. You are not saving newbies. You ask people to click your links every day. If this is not fun for you then use your time in a more productive way for yourself. A few people love TBB but you can still entertain them on Twitter and have more free time in your life. Most of us stopped taking you and this site seriously years ago to be honest.
Quit before you lose your shitty links and look like an even bigger hypocrite. Based on your reader support, you’ve wasted enough time on this folly. They don’t support your efforts and you’ve become the laughing stock of the hobby. Nobody makes less than you including the true hobbyists, the few that are left
WTF was that all about?
To all:
@You’re a Moron is Ingy…Told you all he is still around….reading every day, most loyal reader EVER, been here since Day One!
For the record, he said I will quit after three months. LOL!
@Anonymous: Nope, not Ingy or Rene. And John always posts his name. So, we have a new one who knows how to use VPN 🙂
Thanks for taking the time to comment. Seriously. I actually would love to have people tell me my blog sucks so I can quit…easier 🙂
The only non entertaining factor is the $. Everything else is…priceless. Responding to trolls is very entertaining to me, so thank you!
Thanks for reading you guys…When TPG buys me out I will have a party and you are all invited woohoo!
In a less harsh way I agree with the last 2. If this doesn’t work for you then quit. Of course people who comment here will support you but there are not that many people outside of that who care.
John,
Why are you so persistently negative man?
For me to keep posting it must be working…in a certain way.
All Greeks whine, it is part of the culture. Preferably sitting in a cafe in a gorgeous beach drinking and eating and hailing against the capitalist pigs sucking their blood 🙂
What? You asked for honest opinions but then you only wanted to hear how great TBB is. Anonymous post was right. If it works for you then keep doing it. But don’t act like you are doing a great service. You beg for clicks as much as anyone.
I meant this in general:
>>>>>>>>>Why are you so persistently negative man?
We aren’t talking about puppies and ice cream. I am “negative” with you because I do think you are a good man but you are so hypocritical here it’s crazy. I’m sure you are a great father, husband, and financial planner. But you are selling on a blog that is specifically anti-selling and act like anyone who says anything is angry or a troll. It’s weird.
I’m able to be positive about many things including many involving you.
I do not remember you ever posting any positive things. Only when you have negative things to say. If it is positive it only revolves when I go off on an anti Bush or Trump rant, at least we agree there 🙂
Look man, I have made it very clear. I am perfectly okay with some crumbs here and fighting my own crusade because the amount of time I spend for your entertainment/education/inspiration makes absolutely no sense to any normal human being! Especially doing it for 4.5 years straight posting almost EVERY freaking day. This blog is not a hobby blog, it has not been after the first three months (my trial period when most quit, Ingy was WRONG!). A hobby blog is posting occasionally, I post every freaking day while going through thousands of blog posts in Feedly to bring out the true gems for my readers.
Do I whine too much? Yes. I know it and I don’t like it. But, I don’t know, it helps me cope with it. Brings out the trolls (looking at you Ingy) which entertains the hell out of me and gives me a reason to…keep going. Yeah, I know, it makes no sense.. I make no sense. I am a weird guy. I get obsessed periodically with things. This is another one. That has lasted longer than everyone around me, including me, ever thought it will last.
I said again and again, the most thankless task of this blog is pouring your soul into it (because I do not like to phone it in like some other “experts) and seeing ZERO clicks…sets me off. Yeah, not healthy and I see the day that I will have had enough. And you know what? I will miss you guys the most!
At the same time, it would be perfectly fine for me if someone said “Hey George, I clicked on X’s blog link to show my support”..That makes ME equally happy because only this way good bloggers can keep going. If not, they give up and/or go to work for Bankrate at swanky offices like TPG’s or have to photograph Emily omg.
My 2 cents…
At the end of the day, Ingy was right on one thing: Nobody forces you to read any blog.
Thanks for the comments, I do appreciate and read them all.
When I fold it, I hope I can have as the final post a few pics of you and Ramsey in a ring fighting bwahahahahaha
George actually you focus on the negative if there is any mix of positive and negative. I have said many positive things about you. I think you are very smart, are a charismatic person, and are a good man. But this blog is not some community service and it is very hypocritical. So you should only do it if you want to do it for you. I don’t mean this as an insult but I if you deleted it then other than a handful of regulars nobody would care that much. People would be fine with the 10,000 other options. There are other blogs out there where the bloggers have more integrity btw.
@your a Moron @Anonymous @John..same guy?………….we like this folly, why are you here? Seems like you guys are the angry time wasters. Go read TPG or MMS, they are just fab-u-lous.
help please
DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT A PHANTOM DEPOSIT/PAYMENT IS, and why it is bad? serious question
almost forgot….Mama June is NEVER going to be HOT, no matter how much weight she loses. IMHO
I have seen the Phantom Deposit/Payment thingie before but I can not remember where, I am serious! Now this is going to bother me all day…
At the end of the day, I wonder what the phuck is wrong with people reading blogs they despise? This is seriously phucked up, wow!
The 2nd comment…come on, was it really necessary?
Just my medical opinion on Mama J, guess i just clicked on too many baiting headlines of Mama June is not hot. I would like to apologize to Mama June if she was offended.
No offense taken! Carry on, Ramsey.
@John:
Not sure why I can not reply up there…Anyways:
I only focus on the negative in the BLOG BUZZ section. And my #1 negative is the horrific never ending promotion of credit cards every freaking day every freaking post with multiple direct cc affiliate links. Yeah, I hate it. Maybe it is a personal thing or flaw. Or an obsession.
In a certain way, I see my blog as improving humanity. Ok, stop laughing. It helps educate, entertain, inspire. Since day one. It brings smiles to people, makes them smarter, rarely inspiring them. You will be surprised how many emails/messages I get containing “Oh, I had no idea about ____ (Titan)”. My thesis on the cc pimpization post is the most viewed blog post. By far. So yeah, you may not agree about the impact of my blog, we just disagree on this issue. Oh well…
Blogs die every day. And life goes on. And this will continue.
You have a special way of being negative…with your zinger about integrity. I think you are way off or something is wrong with you. I can be accused of many things but my integrity? Wtf, really? None of your “10,000 options” would spend the amount of money/number of hours posting daily for so long. Actually, having said that…my blog is sort of like community service…for prisoners with the only difference being…prisoners make more money LOL.
At the end of the day, it is the internet. Haters and trolls come with the territory. I am still here laying it all out being as direct and transparent and straight with you all. If you do not like it, go read the other 10,000 options. Hope you support them in a meaningful way if you want to keep them.
I still think my idea of you and Ramsey in a rink fighting with me as the referee is funny as hell. And we can do it for charity lol. Now excuse me I gotta finish the post for tomorrow.
Wrong again. Selling on a blog that criticizes bloggers for selling is the definition of a lack of integrity. And yes there are other bloggers that post daily and don’t sell. And yes you always focus on the negative here. Any criticism legit or not becomes labeled a troll or an angry. The fact that you think this is improving humanity actually sounds crazy. Who do you think this inspires? Do you actually believe that?
Dude, you spend so much time here, let me finish tomorrow’s post, Jeesus!
We disagree.
Show me one blogger that posts daily and does not have a reliable revenue source stream. Cut and paste type blogs don’t count.
I like to share the gems I find worthy and link to them and praise them. Since day one. For me to say I focus on the negative is just seriously messed up.
I do admit I have focused negatively on the Titan blogs because I think they are the cancer that has led to the demise of this hobby. So I give you that.
I am being a little snarky on the humanity thing, come on. But maybe one day I will post the NUMEROUS emails/messages I have received showing me the difference and impact I have on people’s lives. You don’t see these so I excuse you. If I didn’t get any of these at all…I would have quit a long time ago. So, thanks for reading and the support. I am sure you have been supporting this blog and the other 10,000 blogs cough.
George when it comes to yourself, throwing facts at you is like throwing rocks at a ghost. You don’t hear it. If you don’t know which blogs on your own like love lists have more integrity than you than you shouldn’t be writing those lists.
Integrity is subjective.
So you think whatever you like and you are not going to change your mind. Oh well, c’est la vie. Lets move on.
>>>>>>>Show me one blogger that posts daily and does not have a reliable revenue source stream. Cut and paste type blogs don’t count.
Still waiting…Mile Nerd comes the closest but he takes the weekends off, two weeks over Christmas/New Years holidays, and my daily content is at least 10x lengthier..so there.
You can go on and on about “integrity”….I stick with just the facts.
Why would you spend so much time commenting on a blog owned by someone without integrity is just bizarre! Only…Ingy would do such a thing. It’s just…weird.
Why? Because we are in the middle of an argument man. The same reason you are answering so fast. Quit calling everything weird when it has to do with criticizing you. MN makes no money and never sells. Post length and weekends have nothing to do with that. DOC has no affiliate links and never sells. He could have made millions. You never had that option. On and on. There are multiple bloggers who don’t criticize other blogs for selling and then Beg readers to click their links. Those would all be examples of integrity. You can have the last word. I’m done trying to explain facts to someone who doesn’t want to hear them.
I love MN. I would invite him over to my house any day. But, I am guessing here, I spend infinite amounts of time daily in my blog than he does in his.
DoC started out attempting be like them Titans. But he took my advice to go a different route (by avoiding affiliate links) and bank his business model on click volume and the advertising revenue that can come from that. He is obviously making enough to keep going and the buyout offers he has been offered sure allow him a nice exit strategy down the road. I have linked to him numerous times…his blog would be on the Love list instead of the Like list if he was not linking to View From The Wing so often.
At the end of the day, you would find a way to bitch me thinks.
I will always have the last word because it is my blog.
Tomorrow’s BLOG BUZZ section will be short dear readers. Blame John.
I am hungry, going for tacos.
Last!
(1) Today’s post was definitely entertaining and educational.
(2) Today’s comment section? *Not so much.
(c) Tomorrow’s another day, EoQ, and Fri-yaaaaaaaaay!
That is allllllllllll…
*Exception note for Bluecat’s comment mentioning me. *bows*
#TBBon
Yeah, sorry about the comments section today…
I better start doing a better job ignoring 🙂
better to ignore. you’re funny and random tbb but gotta keep it real you got schooled.
Thanks Anonymous for your support.
No tacos. Went for lentil soup and gyros, both were phucking amazing!
Lol man interesting comments section gotta say. John has some points but contradicts himself at times and his logic doesn’t make sense.
Though one point that I don’t get why you don’t bring up when people accuse you of being hypocritical and selling is
that sure you sell and ask for clicks but you are so blatant about it. You also don’t post links to inferior offers unlike the big blogs. I mean that’s the end of argument. It’s so out there and obvious that you would think if John actually was trying to constructively criticize rather than troll, he would realize that.
Oh well, keep doin what you do big fella
Oh btw just read article about Chobani founder and CEO it was in Fast Company. Wow what a fuking legend.
Gnite
george has the most nonsense logic there is. ask saverocity matt and phil from milesbound. they laugh right in his face. john was right about the no integrity. good luck with that dinner invite to mn and doc. cant see them showing up for that. people here say troll because they have no other words. like trump saying fake news. weak.
@ SB: Thanks for the support. I enjoy this back and forth with haters. And traffic explodes. If I put real effort in monetizing that I would not whine and sell so much 🙂 Trolls and haters come with the territory, it’s all good. I need to finally read that article abt the Chobani dude!
@ selling….blah blah. I like both British guys. But I am still waiting to hear of an example of a blogger who posts daily without making a dime…Still waiting….
Folks, the BLOG BUZZ in tomorrow’s post is so short because I spent way too much time in my comments. Shit, the bandwidth in my replies is probably most of what the bloggers mentioned above in inane comments blogged about this past week lol.
Can you imagine what these guys will do if I went rogue? Like all the guys in that Feedly shot I take in the past few days. See the one tomorrow, it’s all Amex Plat and SPG with hundreds of direct links, never ceases to amaze me…
To all haters: Bite me. Thanks for the “support” lol.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9QOYYq3GkE