We bring you the old news of Chase beating Amex, outline all the AA elite benefits and how to requalify, a guide of gig worker taxes, travel to Poros Island in Greece, learn about the offshore business in the British Virgin Islands, the travel disruption deepens and a list of all waivers, that long dormant hotel monstrosity in North Korea may finally open, two fascinating pieces about the impact of international students in the US and the oldest companies still in existence, Erdogan is unleashing immigrants to Greece, learn about crazy ultra runners, awesome photography again, US Bank inflicts another devaluation and lots more, enjoy!
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MILES & POINTS
HOT CREDIT CARD OFFERS: Two new offers on United credit cards, a personal for 60k and a Business one for up to 100k miles. The IHG Rewards Club card offering 140k points too, highest ever. Other credit cards offers that stand out for now are the 100k Southwest Performance Business card, the 100k Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card and of course the 80k Ink Business Preferred. In addition, there are personal and business offers for the 70k Amex Delta Skymiles Gold, 100k Platinum and 100k Reserve credit cards. Available with my links. Lets move on!
With the continued Amex shenanigans, when it comes down to which premium travel rewards you get, my advice is to go for the Chase Sapphire Reserve instead of the Amex Platinum in most cases. But of course your circumstances may be different. This is why there is never an easy response to “what credit card should I get?” if you don’t inquire about goals, location, elite status aspirations, spending patterns, other cards on hand, application history, credit score strength, presence of cash emergency fund, online usage patterns and on and on. And you must always remember that blogs with a quick suggestion on what cards to get may be heavily influenced by the sales commission they earn—–>there is no doubt why the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is the most heavily recommended travel rewards credit card online! #hint #$$$
Speaking of Amex shenanigans, these guys are becoming totally ruthless in making sure they squeeze their own customers non stop: American Express Updates Terms To Prevent Abuse On Marriott Brilliant $300 Credit & Hilton Aspire $250 Credit.
Son completed the challenge already and has obtained American Airlines AAdvantage Platinum Pro elite status for the rest of the year. I recently sent him a link with all the AA elite levels and benefits. He still has not experienced an upgrade lol. One time he missed it by just…one!
The disruption in travel has been severe as I predicted here. I also predicted that there will be miles/points related promos coming which we are definitely not seeing yet as everyone appears to be freaked out and frozen in place. And this whole outbreak is causing travel companies to worry about survival…as the first casualty is in the books. If no relief, they’ll be lining up for bailouts next? So, these promos won’t be coming anytime soon until the outbreak is mostly over. Which may take a while it appears. So, here is a Master List Of Airline Coronavirus Fee Waivers, Including Latest Updates From American And Air Canada. What we are seeing is WIDE OPEN award space availability pretty much across the board though.
Looks like more cards from US Bank Soon To Launch Two New Altitude Cards.
TRAVEL
For Detroit based readers and anyone flying through Detroit, we have news: Chick-fil-A, Anita’s Kitchen open at Detroit Metro Airport’s North Terminal.
The never ending saga continues: Ryugyong Hotel: The story of North Korea’s ‘Hotel of Doom’.
If you ever visit the Greek island of Poros: 12 Exciting and Delicious Things to Do in Poros, Greece. I was here in my college years, seems like yesterday!
PERSONAL FINANCE
This may help some readers: A Gig Worker’s Guide to Filing Taxes.
The impact is huge! The Impact of International Students on the U.S. Economy. It was already bad with the Trump administration making things difficult. Add the corona virus outbreak and I won’t be surprised if some US colleges call it quits…
Another fascinating link! Where Are the Oldest Companies in Existence? The oldest company is in Japan, going strong since Year 578. This is no typo, there is no digit missing, yes Year 578, wow! The oldest company in Greece is a cafe/kafenio operating in an island since…1785! Oldest company in the US is a plantation operating since 1638.
ODDZ & ENDZ
This story The Second Career of Michael Riegels is long but it is a must read…if you are interested to learn how offshore tax havens work. The story shows the history behind how the British Virgin Islands came to be a hotbed of this and how this attorney Riegels got rich doing this. And how things changed after the financial crisis. When I started reading this…I could not stop. Definitely BestOfWeb material!
Greece is under siege now by immigrants attempting to enter through Turkey. The company is at a breaking point, the islands are way beyond capacity and local residents have absolutely had it. Turkey is playing geopolitical games and Erdogan may have completely lost it. Thousands of Migrants Attempt to Cross Into Europe From Turkey. The photographs show the human suffering, it is an extremely difficult situation.
No, I am not thinking to do an ultra marathon. Not anytime soon! But I have always been fascinated by how people can push themselves to achieve great things with their bodies. How ultrarunners are pushing the human body beyond all limits.
You may cry with this, you have been warned. The bond between a dog and a kid from birth onwards.
Amazing work: Surrounding Reality: The Superb Metro Cyberpunk Photo Manipulations Of KellaX.
BLOG BUZZ
We are now entering BLOG BUZZ, a section for advanced hobbyists and veterans of this fast imploding hobby and also a section where I go on and on about some stuff that happens in my life because it helps me feel better about myself.
Question: How long does it take to get AA miles credited from a British Airways flight (not AA codeshare) with the AAadvantage number attached to it?
This local WalMart was VERY well known in the Ann Arbor area MS community. RIP Walmart Supercenter in Ypsilanti Township is closing. It became increasingly unfriendly in recent times…but those early BlueBird days were sooooo good.
Another hit as US Bank Devalues Flex Perks Rewards. Reader Tino left this comment which of course makes sense but credit card sales bloggers would not do posts on because they can’t sell the “fly for free…if you apply for these seven credit cards now, hurry!’ line.
When you can get a fee-free card that offers 2% cash back, why on earth is anyone still accumulating funny money that can only be redeemed at the issuer’s terms, which can be changed/eliminated at will?
As of late night yesterday, there have been zero credit card conversions in my site. I hate whining…but at this rate the Wednesday posts go poof next month. My site hits 10 every month, we continue the MWF posting until I run out of gas. I long gave up to be taken out by The Points Guy lol.
WTF is wrong with this guy?
And I leave you with this…
TBB
travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com
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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.
Good Gif!
The Delta award space is indeed wide open. And prices have dropped since Sunday. Time to rebook.
Lots of availability & good prices for AA miles too. I guess the airlines are just about to slash cash prices as well?
Stay healthy, folks.
If only gamers had any AA points left.
Buzz-
Congratulations on the (well deserved) breakthrough for TBB:
Richard Kerr’s TPG article on the virus has a linkback, not just a hat tip, to Travel Blogger Buzz. Wow!! I would provide a link to that story here, but I know if I did, you’d have to block me on Twitter.
Kerr even described TBB as “One of my biggest fans”.
So tell us: How big was the offer? What’s your title over there going to be-maybe “intelligence, Reality and Cynicism Editor”?
And where’s Drew?
Looks like your boys at Frequent Miler are pumping credit cards posts every day now. “Get to Maldives with 2 credit cards” sheesh! I think Greg and Nick are way ahead in the line of blogs to be acquired than whining George haha.
British Virgin Islands looks nice, can we get there using miles? Does that United island hopper deal get us there?
The AA miles for BA flights will post very soon, takes a few days, those two work well in Oneworld.
I predict the Altitude card gets annual fee up to $550 and adds one or two spending categories. Maybe Lyft as they still have money to spend apparently.
Thanks for blogging, indeed a fresh air in a sea of so much same old repeated shit.
Waiting for Dan at DanDeals to start pumping gas mask deals replacing the diaper deals soon!
Wash your hands folks!
Following up, your buddy Shawn just needs to pay his staff…I predict this one to be taken out by The Points Guy before Frequent Miler before…you 🙂
Miles To Memories: “United Business Card Review: Great Perks For United Flyers & A Massive Welcome Offer”
Good News today for the Buzz this morning. Market Down, must be happy and excited.
In my last few flights Avios posted exactly 48hrs after the flight.
I’m waiting anxiously for Alaska to accrue AA miles again (they said early spring) so I can credit there, as the Avios earning rates are pretty poor.
Short update, I may get to the comments later, sorry…with an average daily revenue of $2.03 in March this is worse than the stock market rout going on…you know, the market the phucking moron has been cheerleading for so long lol.
Is basic economy fares in AA covered by the waiver for March?
Shocked I got a link back from TPG and Richard Kerr. Maybe I should check my page views to see how much money that meant for ad revenue…oh wait, it is zero! You guys think this was the first tease before Brian Kelly calls me? 🙂
There is a positive about all this virus crap. Son is back home and his company just let everyone work from home until further notice so he is sticking around here. Good to have him home…
I need to run, got a lot of things to do…and avoiding to take a look at tickers, I suggest you do so too.
All fares are included, including Basic Economy.
@DML: There is going to be a lot that is wide open it appears!
@Nick: It certainly looks that way. Judging from the emails I get from cruise companies, they are practically giving cruises away right now. I think…some cruise companies will certainly go poof first.
@ABC: Ding, ouch 🙂
@Sam: Thanks for letting me know. I thought you were joking but you were not, it is true! I was beyond shocked. And then I went to check my blog stats (after years, I had forgotten how to do it, software had some upgrades and took me a while lol) and as of about 5 pm today I had, please sit down, ONE click coming from TPG. Woooohoooo, insert sad lol. I do read his posts by the way but please don’t tell anyone 🙂
Maybe this is the standard protocol before Brian picks up the phone before they acquire sites? Drop a link first? Well, as of 9 pm today still no call. I am not picky about the titles you know and I’ll say hi to Drew and remind him how he has now vanished from posting in “his” blog not once but twice! 🙂
@Mike: You are hot today…taking some shots, ouch. The DEL-LHR leg posted, waiting for the LHR-JFK leg to post, thanks.Lol on the DD gas mask deals! I listened to the latest MtM podcast…they need to pay staff over there so expect more posts selling plastic. Nothing pays better. I have not seen one since February 26 man!
@MU: You ok? I do not base my mood on daily market movements. Only phucking morons do that, come on!
Peteco: It was BA flight crediting to AA. Thanks for the BE waiver answer!
BREAKING: The two first cc conversions in March are in the books. Insider just emailed me to say that an emergency meeting was just called at TPG World Headquarters to talk about the two most urgent matters facing the company: 1) The impact of coronavirus in credit card applications/conversions and 2) How to compete with one man tour de force TBB!
Interesting read
“ Inside China’s All-Out War on the Coronavirus”
We are faaaaaaar behind the curve. I am shock that the US was rated #1 in preparedness for a pandemic. We are dependent on material from China to make more masks…. and we just got a functioning test….
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/04/health/coronavirus-china-aylward.html#click=https://t.co/PllEighRI1
https://twitter.com/abraarkaran/status/1236680328875474944?s=21
Good stuff, thanks.