Another TBB post featuring the most eclectic links around the web such as the death of sincerity, Satoshi Nakamoto and Banksy identities revealed, AI tax, Artemis II photos, secret Greek beaches, more warnings against alternative investments, stop picking individual stocks already, the latest on the Iran War, the history of spreadsheets, 3d flight tracker, visiting Phrae in Thailand, the best photography links and of course always all of the most important developments in the crazy world of frequent flyer miles and points at the lower half of the post. And much more. Enjoy the weekend.
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This blog started way back in 2012 focusing on my crazy hobby addiction of traveling with frequent flyer miles, hotel and bank points. It has since evolved to curated posts featuring the best web content along with my commentary.
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BLOG HOUSEKEEPING
This is truly a one man labor of love operation, enjoy it while it lasts.
In case you missed it, I did publish my annual post: How I Burned 1,893,248 Miles and Points in 2025.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“We do not see things as they are. We see things as we are.” – Anaïs Nin
MUST READ GEMS
For some reason this article hit home with me:
The death of sincerity
Attention equals money.
When money is the primary metric, sincerity is the first thing to go.
If the culture values attention above all else, creators will do whatever it takes to get it.
In a world where everyone is performing, being yourself is the only way to stand out.
It’s a strategy that probably won’t make you super rich, but it’s the only one that lets you sleep at night.
If money was the primary metric in my blog it would not have lasted 13+ years. But I think I have been sincere and just being myself while not doing shit for the algorithms. And I sleep just fine. Unless it is Thursday night and wake up in the middle of the night to finish the Friday blog post for you!
PERSONAL FINANCE
For all market mavens out there picking stocks, here is one for you: Chekhov’s Gun.
From 1926 to 2025, there are roughly 30,000 publicly traded stocks in the data set.
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1926-2016: only 89 stocks accounted for OVER HALF of the $43 trillion of wealth created in the U.S. stock market.
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1926-2025: only 46 stocks accounted for OVER HALF of the $91 trillion of wealth created in the U.S. stock market.
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Simply owned for however long it was traded as a stock, what is the average return of a stock over the last 100 years? 30,621%
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What is the median return of the same? -6.87%
Most stocks stink. A small number have dragged everything else so far upward to simply average a 30,621% total return. If only a tiny fraction of stocks drive returns—and we can’t reliably identify them in advance—then concentrated stock picking becomes a low-probability bet.
Stop frickin’ picking stocks and thinking it’s likely to work out over the long run. It’s not.
There is overwhelming empirical evidence about the best way to invest, and if you are still picking individual stocks (or working with an advisor who does), you are operating at a significant disadvantage. The answer to the question — what is the best way to invest in stocks? — was hinted by Bachelier in 1900, and has been answered many, many times since.
Don’t fight the skew. Own everything.
End.
That said, getting alternative investments inside of 401(k)s feels very much like a solution in search of a problem, a distraction at best, and a payday for high-fee asset managers at worst. In terms of their underlying investment options, 401(k) plans have been headed in the right direction over the past few decades. That owes to fee pressure in the asset management industry writ large, the rapid uptake of index-fund-based target-date funds, and an increased awareness of idiosyncratic risks like employer stock and extreme asset allocations. Today, most 401(k) plan menus are dominated by boring, low-cost index funds and collective investment trusts (or such funds held inside target-date funds), and the benefits of that emphasis far outweigh any drawbacks. That’s because Morningstar’s research has consistently demonstrated a close connection between fund performance and expenses: The cheaper the fund, the better the odds it will outperform its peers, and in turn, the better the participant outcome. Allowing alternative investments, which are usually expensive and opaque relative to core fund types, would be a step backward for 401(k) menus. [Bold font for emphasis]
Interesting: Median Annual Property Taxes by State.
CRYPTO/TECH/SCAMS
The same guy who discovered the Theranos fraud, he now has named Satoshi, what do you think? Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? My Quest to Solve Bitcoin’s Great Mystery. Bitcoin’s creator has hidden behind the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto for 17 years. But a trail of clues buried deep in crypto lore led to a 55-year-old computer scientist named Adam Back.
Amazing to see to what extent some natural born assholes get to to separate vulnerable people from their money, speechless. Then again, not too surprised actually: Fake Cops, Fake Judges: The Hollywood-Style Scam Poised to Go Global.
Fraud, #1 killer app for crypto smh: World’s oldest tortoise caught in viral crypto death scam. Where else but on Twitter X.
AI
Maybe I should get a new laptop with my blog’s profits. Oh wait, scratch that lol. You Can’t Escape the AI Tax.
So much money is going into the AI build-out that it is already reshaping the physical world. The data centers that are sprouting up across the United States are at least partly to blame for rising utility bills. And now people who may never have heard of Claude or asked ChatGPT for homework help will feel the effects of RAMaggedon. Hospitals have shelved plans to install touch screens that display medical charts and let patients order food, because the displays contain RAM, Rachael England, a manager at Vizient, a consulting firm that works with many U.S. hospitals, told me. Josh Bauman, the director of technology for a public-school district in Missouri, told me that if RAM prices keep increasing, his district may rethink buying a Chromebook for every student. For the foreseeable future, no one can escape the AI tax.
IRAN WAR
Last year it was the stupid tariffs announced on Liberation Day. This year the stupid Iran war, smh…
Obviously, this is a developing situation which changes rapidly.
A fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire shows cracks as attacks continue across the region.
Amazing video from Rick Steves: Iran 2009.
And if you are surprised by this development…what can I say? Trump Made a Deal That Gives Him Nothing He Wanted.
ODDZ & ENDZ
I am continuing my anti gambling rant: You don’t have to gamble for gambling to ruin your life. Such sad stats below:
Roughly half of men under 50 have a sportsbook account. 10% of men aged 18-30 have a gambling problem, compared to 3% of the general population
Americans legally wagered $167 billion on sports last year. In 2017, the year before the Supreme Court opened the floodgates, it was $4.9 billion. That’s a 3,300% increase in eight years. Ninety-four percent of those bets are placed online.
It looks like Banksy is now identified? In search of Banksy, Reuters found the artist took on a new identity. The British street artist’s identity has been debated, and closely guarded, for decades. A quest to solve the riddle took Reuters from a bombed-out Ukrainian village to London and downtown Manhattan — and uncovered much more than a name.
“I tell myself I use art to promote dissent, but maybe I am just using dissent to promote my art. I plead not guilty to selling out. But I plead it from a bigger house than I used to live in.” – BANKSY Time Out London, 2010
Definitive article about spreadsheets. Anyone here remembers VisiCalc and Lotus 1-2-3? Seeing like a spreadsheet. How the commercial spreadsheet reshaped America.
ARTEMIS II
There is so much crap happening on Earth. But above us there is so much good…
The Moon Fully Eclipsing the Sun
Artemis II Captures Spectacular Images of ‘Earthset’ from Deep Space
TRAVEL
Real-Time 3D Flight Tracker: Flight Viz. Wow, check it out.
Wow again, amazing link about the most remote island on earth Tristan da Cunha: The busies place you’ve never seen. Maybe this belonged in the Must Read Gems section above, click it.
This has everything I like, secret, beaches, Greece, avoid crowds #bliss: Secret beaches in Greece: lesser known sandy spots to avoid the crowds. A few of the islands listed I had never heard of even.
Obligatory Thailand link: Video from Phrae, Thailand. This YouTuber is visiting 30 small towns in 30 days all over Thailand. And I think I am in love with Phrae, I will try to visit it next time I am in Thailand later this year.
If you like to look at beautiful trees, I have a link for you: 2026 European Tree of the Year Winners.
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This blog started with a focus on miles and points and travel. It has evolved since then. Everything below deals with the hobby of collecting frequent flyer miles and points and maximizing your travel experiences. If you are not interested, you can stop here, thank you.
MILES & POINTS
So, here we go again…
It took a while but the disease of Basic Economy has now expanded to Business Class fares: Don’t Be Fooled: Basic Biz Class Fares are Bad for Consumers.
Why on earth would United, Delta – or any airline – sell business class fares for thousands of dollars apiece yet charge travelers for seat selection or lounge access? Because they can. And more importantly, because it’ll make the airline more money. Like it or not, unbundling business class fares is a clever move at a time when demand for premium cabin seats is sky-high and seemingly only growing. [Sad…for us]
More specifically, this is what United has done with them: United Adds Basic Business & Premium Plus Fares – No Changes To Award Flights For Now.
Another website to research AMEX FHR hotel stays, looks interesting: Better FHR.
How long can Rove keep doing this? Rove Miles Adds Virgin Atlantic & Virgin Red As 1:1 Transfer Partners. Remember Mesa went poof shortly after it added SAS as a partner. If Rove could only add a legacy US airline #wishing. Oh wait, let me put my big time blogger hat on, click my Rove referral link you guys, be first lol.
By the time I published this post, only Alaska Airlines had not raised bag fees. Scratch that, here we go: Bagpocolypse: American, Alaska, United, Delta, and Southwest all raise checked bag fees. Wanna bet how fast the fees will decrease when gas prices go down? LOL.
This hurts: American Express Discontinues Lufthansa Lounge Access From October 1, 2026. Based in Detroit, I always looked forward to the Frankfurt Lufthansa lounges.
TRAVEL REWARDS CREDIT CARDS
For ANY questions on cards, contact me anytime at travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com
When this card first came out, it was one of the absolute worst airline travel credit cards in history. It appeared like the people in charge forgot to add several lines in the Benefits section or something, so weird. Anyway, it is now a respectable card I think: Barclays JetBlue Premier Credit Card Adds New Benefits, No Annual Fee Increase (Still $499).
NEW OFFERS:
Several excellent new credit card offers finally and have added expiration dates to some current offers, maybe this blog can sell a few to evade the ax? You can always email me to ask anything about these offers.
This excellent Capital One offer expires on Monday April 13, 2026: 75,000 PLUS $250 Travel Credit for the CAPITAL ONE Venture Rewards card. Yes, you can have this card while you hold the CAPITAL ONE Venture X card like I did. And I closed it 11 months out. At the very minimum you get $1,000 from it. For a $95 annual fee. All you need to do is “spend” $4k in the first three months. This card gives you 2 miles on every dollar, so at the very minimum you get 83,000 points plus $250 travel credit which could translate to $1,080. Or you can transfer the 83,000 miles to a travel partner and get more than 1 cent per point. I mean, if that is too much work for you why are you even here lol. Hmmm, maybe my wife should go for this card as well now that she has her own Venture X card. And she better use my link woohoo.
And these AMEX Hilton offers also end next week on April 15, 2026:
AMEX HILTON HONORS BUSINESS: Limited Time Offer: Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points plus a Free Night Reward after you spend $8,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors Business Card in the first six months of Card Membership. Offer ends 4/15/2026. Terms apply.
AMEX HILTON ASPIRE: Limited Time Offer: Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points with a Free Night Reward after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 4/15/2026. Terms apply.
AMEX HILTON SURPASS: Limited Time Offer: Earn 130,000 Bonus Points plus a Free Night Reward after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 4/15/2026. Terms apply.
AMEX HILTON HONORS: Limited Time Offer: Earn 70,000 Bonus Points plus a Free Night Reward after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 4/15/2026. Terms apply.
Amex is going all out on both Business Platinum and Gold cards!
As High As 200,000 Points on the AMEX Business Gold after spending $15k in the first three months
As High As 300,000 Points on the AMEX Business Platinum after spending $20,000 in the first three months
Excellent new Bank of America Alaska Airlines Atmos card offers as well:
100,000 BANK OF AMERICA Atmos Summit after spending $6,500 in the first three months. And a 50% flight discount voucher
80,000 BANK OF AMERICA Atmos Ascent after spending $4,000 in the first four months. And a 50% flight discount voucher
85,000 BANK OF AMERICA Atmos Business after spending $5,500 in the first three months
This great offer now ends May 20, 2026: Chase United Business Cards: 100,000 Point + 2,000 PQP Offers Or 115,000 Points.
200k CHASE IHG Business Premier: After spending $4k in the first three months for the first 140k points. Another $5k of spend (for a total of $9k) for another 60k points in the first six months, annual fee $99. For more info on it, click HERE.
25k CHASE Freedom Unlimited: After spending only $500 in the first three months, $0 annual fee. ENDING 4/30/2026.
175k AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Bevy: After spending $5,000 in the first six months, annual fee $250. ENDING 5/13/2026.
5 Free Nights AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business: After spending a total of $9,000 in the first six months, annual fee $125.
For more info click on these AMEX Marriott Bonvoy cards click here.
80k CHASE World of Hyatt Business: After spending $10,000 in the first three months, annual fee is $199. For more info, click here. Highest ever offer as well, with higher minimum spend though. ENDING 4/30/2026.
75k CITI AAdvantage Business World Elite MasterCard
CURRENT OFFERS:
75,000 Capital One Venture PLUS $250 Travel Credit (ENDING 4/13/2026)
125k CHASE Sapphire Reserve/150k CHASE Sapphire Reserve for Business
175k AMEX Platinum & 300k AMEX Business Platinum & 200k AMEX Business Gold
75k CITI Strata Elite card
Due to credit card vendor restrictions, the only affiliate links I can place in the body of my posts are for Capital One cards. For the rest, you know what to do. You can always email me at travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com with ANY questions.
Please help the small independent blogs like mine continue to exist by supporting them with your CREDIT CARD clicks, thank you!
BONUS OFFERS NOTIFICATIONS
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MY ACTION AND BLOG BUZZING
The 30,000 United miles for the signup bonus on the United Gateway card for my wife are in. And saver award availability for her locked in through all of 2027. The card has been resting comfortably in the sock drawer until a spend promo appears. Which should be any day now.
The Hilton Free Night from spending $15k on the AMEX Hilton Surpass card is already in my account and have a year to decide where to use it.
And another Hyatt free night also landed in my account for also spending $15k on the CHASE personal World of Hyatt Visa card. I had been carefully throttling and monitoring the spend on both of these cards to get these free night certs credited at a later date to make sure the full year expiration will be adequate to use them.
So, I decided to join my wife and daughter in Seattle to celebrate Mother’s Day. Well, I have a flight booked to Seattle but no flight booked back to Detroit yet. I burned 15,000 Alaska Airlines miles to fly on Alaska metal on the nonstop Detroit-Seattle flight. RT flights are around $500 and could use my Capital One Venture X $300 travel credit. But I did not like the times, especially on the return and I am kind of too old to fly red eyes these days. So I monitor the flights while having both Google Flights and PointsYeah alerts. Actually the 15k Alaska Airlines award came through a PointsYeah alert. So I may keep PointsYeah I think.
I had 2 Hyatt free night certs expiring in early June 2026. Therefore, I decided to use one of them and then burn 15,000 World of Hyatt points for 2 nights at the Category 4 Hyatt Regency Seattle in Seattle. And then one night move to Category 5 The Thompson Seattle next to Pike Place to use my Cat 1-7 free night cert. I am not too fond of The Thompson properties but the location can not be beat. My son loves the Category 5 Grand Hyatt but I made an executive decision to go with The Thompson. We’ll see if son can join us again.
Note to reader Carl: If you are around and can make it down to Seattle, let’s meet at last. I am sure my daughter will have a busy schedule for us, maybe sometime on Sunday or early Monday, contact me. Actually if any other blog readers want to join we can have a small meetup; always love to connect with blog readers!
Losing access to Lufthansa lounges with Amex Platinum cards is a big loss. I always relied on accessing Lufthansa lounges in Frankfurt since I fly the Detroit – Frankfurt Lufthansa route every year. And also going to Thailand/Malaysia I like to connect in Frankfurt. Not that I am a fan of the Frankfurt airport, I find its design ridiculous. But there are only a few Priority Pass lounges and the best one is outside security so being able to enter a Lufthansa lounge for a quick shower is a game changer. Maybe I do not renew my Business Platinum card and finally say no and kick my Amex Platinum card addiction. Because, let’s face it, domestically the Centurion lounges are always packed and the lines can be horrendous. And maybe this way Amex will finally let me get approved for the Schwab Platinum card as it has been giving me the dreaded pop up jail message every time I tried applying for it. Maybe Amex will approve me if I no longer hold the business Platinum card?
For the trip to Thailand and Singapore (for a wedding) later this year we were thinking to hit Bali and Vietnam. But not going to do both so leaning towards skipping Bali. And now have to decide to book some Hyatt in Vietnam before the next World of Hyatt devaluation hits shortly. Leaning to leave beautiful Hanoi for another time. And just go to Saigon to get it out of the way and I guess I go with Park Hyatt Saigon and blow a World of Hyatt Globalist confirmed suite upgrade? We tend to like modern properties and the Park Hyatt is definitely not modern. But the location appears to be ideal for say 4 nights? Also, Danang looks tempting but leaning to leave that for a separate trip in the future. Decisions, decisions. Love your input if you care to share.
I keep track how I use my Amex credits. For the record, on my Amex Business Platinum card I have received $600 in credits in 2024, $950 in 2025 and $550 so far in 2026. Obviously, going forward, if I keep the card that is, I would have to find a different way to capture the $200 airline credit as the United Travel Bank loophole has been eliminated. For my Amex Hilton Surpass cards, I have enjoyed some meals using the $50 Hilton quarterly credit and have received $200 in 2024, $150 in 2025 (I missed a quarter and I still feel awful about it lol) and $50 in 2026 to date (no worries, I will never miss another quarter ever again!). Especially now that I found an amazing deal at a Hilton property somewhat nearby that has 50% during Happy Hour and my wife can’t wait to return to it (me too!).
I was there when the University of Michigan won the college Basketball national championship back in…1989. We did it again and this time I fell asleep after halftime LOL. Anyway, very exciting: Video tours you through euphoric Ann Arbor as thousands celebrate Michigan’s national title.
Home renovations are going well, there is progress every day. Kind of exciting to see the place get transformed slowly.
World Cup is starting in mid June. At the present rate with just one credit card sold and no coffees sold month to date, the writing is on the wall and this blog will evolve to its next phase.
Final Instagram post from the 2025 mega family trip to Thailand and Malaysia: Lufthansa Business Class Frankfurt to Detroit.
Follow on Instagram and YouTube if you want to see more from the recent Thailand/Malaysia trip, I am slowly posting them there.
Check out my page listing my affiliate links HERE including Rakuten and Top Cash Back and Rove Miles and more.
This blog ends when my 2nd credit card vendor kicks me to the curb due to “low sales volume”. Or the latest three month accounting below turns to all red, whichever happens first. Until then, enjoy my blog if you read this far.
Blog Revenue Full Disclosure:
February:
Credit card sales: 1 Buy me a Coffee: 22
March:
Credit card sales: 4 Buy me a Coffee: 7
April to date:
Credit card sales: 1 Buy me a Coffee: 0
HOT CREDIT CARD OFFERS:
150k CHASE Sapphire Reserve Business, 125k CHASE Sapphire Reserve, 75k CITI Strata Elite, 75k AND $250 Travel Credit CAPITAL ONE Venture Rewards (ENDS 4/13/26), 100k CHASE Ink Business Preferred, 175k AMEX Platinum, 75k CAPITAL ONE Venture X, 300k AMEX Business Platinum, 200k AMEX Business Gold, 200k CAPITAL ONE Spark Cash Plus, 75k CHASE Sapphire Preferred, 200k AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant, 175k Marriott Bonvoy Bevy (ENDS 5/13/26), 100k BofA Alaska Atmos Summit, 80k BofA Alaska Atmos Ascent, 85k BofA Alaska Atmos Business, 30k CHASE United Gateway, 100k AMEX Gold, 15k AMEX Blue Business Plus and many more!
As of today, I have burned 266,515 miles/points year to date (after burning 1,893,248 miles/points in 2025 and 2,027,816 in 2024) and have 4,236,868 miles/points in the bank.
Remember, you are NOT allowed to ever carry a credit card balance!
Let me leave you with this:
Some of the links are behind a paywall. You can try to read them using Archive.is.
Thank you for reading my blog. If you enjoy it please forward it to a family member or friend. Or Buy Me a Coffee, thank you!
Feel free to contact me anytime at travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com, all feedback is very appreciated.
George
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Apologies to the email list subscribers for the typos in today’s blog post. The TBB editing department (short staffed and unpaid but always highly motivated to maintain top quality) missed some and ran out of time before the email went out at 8 am. They have now been fixed in the web version only.
Thank you DML for the only sale this month, I told you that you will be FIRST, enjoy the Atmos Ascent card.
Ah … Good morning! You’re welcome!
Alaska Airlines has direct flights to the west coast from DCA. Those might be more relaxing than traveling on the Delta hub/spoke system.
Thanks for the wonderful links today!
WOOT! Yes, I will VERY likely (on purpose) be around on/near Mother’s day! Let’s make plans for sometime around there for a meet-up. I can get to Seattle in a couple or so hours driving or by light rail. Soon as I saw the sentence you were heading to Seattle I was charged up.
Plus thanks for a LOT of good and interesting reading to do over the next couple days in today’s post! It already started out as a good day and now this news! Plus it is a gorgeous sunny day today! Yay!
See ya soon!
Hello from Da Nang, smoke season in Chiang Mai was the best it has ever been in early March, only to be horrifically bad in the latter half of the month. No rain in the forecast either but at least a little wind to clear out the worst air on the planet.
I’m going to be staying at the 2 wink hotels this trip in DAD for extended stays, so I don’t have to live at the Rio for 60 nights to get my globalist status back for next year.
Checking out the Greece beach post, I noticed a place I had been: Alimia, Iraklia. Iraklia has like 150 permanent residents. I’m not even sure there’s daily ferry service. And all the locals gather at the post office/coffee shop/grocery store/bar to sip Ouzo in the evening, so you for sure feel like an outsider when there. Hiked a loop around the island one day so that took me to their hidden beaches. Maybe I’ll get back to that part of the world next spring before all the tourists show up.
Have fun at the Seattle Regency, they put me up in an executive suite when I stayed there last. I had just come back from Alaska and hadn’t shaved in a few months so probably gave the guy checking me in a heart attack that he was giving a suite to a drifter off the street. Serendipity that I got a thank you from the guy in charge of the seattle hyatt’s that I had left a top review of the olive hotel and mentioned I was staying the next night at the regency. Suddenly my upgrade went to the top of the list! If you catch it on a clear day you’ll have view of Mt. Rainer and even the Olympic Mountains on the other side of the sound.
The secret Greek beaches looks great. I was kind of hoping there would be one on Naxos since my wife liked it so much we’re going back there next September.
Your comment about Rove has me a little concerned. I have about 250K Rove points and now I’m thinking about whether to shift them somewhere like Lufthansa or JAL.
I presume your Hilton links are not NLL? Otherwise I may look at one. Still trying to figure next year out, particularly with the upcoming Hyatt value massacre.
View From The Wing: “Passenger Touched A Flight Attendant’s Buttocks,…”
This from a blog so many other bloggers link to. While not even a single one links back to me, including my annual miles & points burning summary posts. After I repeatedly link back to them. There is something fundamentally wrong here.
I was going to shut my baby down. Then DML’s Credit Card sale came through, the only revenue this blog has earned in 3 weeks running, WTF!
Taking a break from here after this, need time to recover smh.
And thank you to the same 10 people who take the time to comment. I will respond eventually.
It is Greek Orthodox Easter tomorrow so Happy Easter to those who celebrate…
Tomorrow UofMichigan Big House Stadium 5k run, and then dim sum afterwards, you all enjoy the weekend.
AA, Alaska, JetBlue, United, Delta, and Southwest raised baggage fees. Starbucks, Panera made changes and Subway gutted it’s program. And then the BIG one, McDonalds destroyed the reward chart. It’s a select club, the fat Epstein class, and we’re not in it!
@ DML: The few Alaska Airlines flights I had I had a really good experience. And looking forward to two more to/from Seattle next month. I could be on Delta but, you know, cost more…WAY more.
@ Carl: Yeah, looking forward to meet you finally in person. I have no idea about our schedule, too soon. This will clear up the closer we get, I’ll let you know.
@ bob: Yeah I know about the air in Chiang Mail, I read the Bangkok Post daily 🙂 Let us know how the Wink hotels are. Wondering if I should burn a Confirmed Suite Upgrade for just 2 nights at the Seattle Hyatt Regency, leaning not to.
@ Christian: I have absolutely no information about Rove, just my gut feeling. Which has proved wrong in the past! I doubt my Hilton links are NLL, no idea, Amex does not like me 🙂 It does not matter as I can’t remember the last time my site sold an Amex card, sad lol. I have a feeling the Globalist good days are coming to an end 🙁
@ ABC: Actually, I saved a link about the McDonalds changes to elaborate further how this hobby is no longer what it used to be. My local grocery store had a loyalty program, $5 off every $200. And then suddenly last week I noticed no more points, they just killed it, it now only has coupons in the app that I must choose before I used them at checkout, why bother anymore. Same with Starbucks, I no longer buy using the app, I just pay with a cc…And so it goes…I think this industry just got too successful for its own good and…is on a descent.
Just got back from my 30-year college reunion. A friend told me he was at the airport recently and needed some reading material for a trip and he happened upon a book by… The Points Guy. He’s now started up with doing credit card offers… He told me, “Wow, I should have gotten into this stuff when you were writing about it all those years ago!”
Lol…Imagine discovering this in mid 2026 from TPG of all places.
Well, maybe he’s better off. Maybe he would have ended up spending too much time on Ashley Madison and a divorce. Some end up doing cocaine. Others pretend they are going bald to earn 20k skymiles. It’s a gateway drug.
I still get those mailers from that outfit curing baldness! Easy 20k Delta Skymiles, forgot the name, one of the oddest social interactions, they were on to us lol.
Would love to see interviews of the old timers like MMS and Emily, I miss them #notreally
My wife and I stayed at the Seattle Hyatt Regency the year before last in September. The location was so-so but the hotel was decent enough. As a Globalist I got a solid room with a decent view. Neither my wife nor I were really sold on Seattle as a city (although we loved Portland on the same trip) but would be agreeable on staying there again for future visits.
Thanks, I set up my daughter there for a few days before she moved into her rental place in Seattle and she liked it. I think I am going to save the confirmed suite upgrade. I need to book the PH Saigon soon, just need to see how to fit it in…I don’t have a good feeling about the upcoming WofH massacre.
I expected it and it came through. A denial on my wife’s Capital One Venture rewards card app, the one expiring today, 75k points plus $250 travel credit. She got her Venture X in early December and was expecting the “too many cards” message blah blah bla. Instead, it was “another Venture signup bonus for her? No way” message…And she would have been Second here 🙂
PH Saigon suites are lovely. They’re not the largest suites around but they are tasteful and very comfy. My wife said that the towels there were like tents because they were so huge (but still fluffy) and the breakfast is really impressive. we want to return but haven’t had the chance yet.
I tried to buy some coffees today but the cards errored out. I’ll try again. Just a small appreciation for all your work. Presuming I can make this happen.
I tested the Buy Me A Coffee and everything appeared normal…but I stopped at the cc inputs. Hmm, maybe that is why I haven’t had a coffee sale for a long time? Can someone else test this please? Thanks for thinking of me, this is becoming like dying slowly here, only on cc sale this month and absolutely nothing else (thanks DML!). And now even my best customer (my wife, lol) is getting denied.
This is what happens when 0% is dedicated to promotion/marketing around here. On the other hand, I have some amazing links finds to share with you all on Friday…I need intervention to quit this blogging for nothing addiction of mine!
I just recently got a note that my automated Buy a Coffee thing went through so I guess part of that system is still wo0rking. Unless of course it conked out since that went through.
You know it will be first, you for the coffee and DML for the ccard.
Maybe the Coffee vendor is about to kick me out first?
So many bloggers have moved on…I will be the LAST one to go 🙂
Which card would you use for $12k of spend coming up considering:
1.No new cc to work on minimum spend!
2.No current spend based promos!!
3. Need to get Amex back in my camp (defeat popup jail).
Fall back is always 2x CO VentureX.
But maybe use Amex BPP for 2x and help #3 above?
Or use Amex Hilton Surpass? 3x (but way lowly valued Hilton Honors points). Will that make any dent on #3 above?
Or even use 1x Amex Business Platinum if that will indeed help #3 above?
No personal Hyatt visa for more elite night credits, I should be ok to requalify as Gobalist again most likely.
Decisions, decisions…
Biz + so you get 2x per $
Yeah,leaning towards it. I wish I had an Amex insider telling us how to crack the popop jail code…
I have a really nice blog post coming tomorrow. Still stuck at 0 coffees month to date, maybe they shut me down already.
Just got a note that my monthly coffee was gonna get charged. It’s a set one so you can always count on that one at least.
Shocking: 2nd credit card sale of the month, an Amex Hilton Surpass, covers one month of Mailchimp email list service. Thanks to the reader who got it, please let me know who you are, I am keeping track of the supporters. For the day my blog is discovered so I can share with you all #wecandreamyeswecan
Hi George happy to support your hard work !
Thank you! Marked you down in my long sales sheet where I keep track of the supporters. So when TBB.ai gets to IPO, I will take care of you 🙂