Another TBB post featuring the most eclectic links around the web such as the enhanced self cult, retirement reframe, AI hate, Iran war end, 100k Chase Sapphire Preferred card offer, Medicare 101, active vs passive ETFs, sad SBF in prison, balloon racing family, rare diseases, best cities for staycations, the best hotel bars, chili peppers of the world, World Cup fever is on, 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.
Blog Mission: To Educate. Entertain. Inspire. In That Order!
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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.
BLOG HOUSEKEEPING
This is truly a one man labor of love operation, enjoy it while it lasts.
I am pleased to see the site refresh has been well received by almost every blog reader, it’s been a long time coming. I am always open to constructive feedback how to make this blog better for you.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish” – Euripides
MUST READ GEMS
Derek Thompson in his Substack posted an article that was another fascinating read that went over several topics dealing with health, alcohol, exercise, partying, self-enhancement, selfishness, loneliness, death, etc. Not going to excerpt anything, read the whole thing:
The Cult of the Enhanced Self
PERSONAL FINANCE
My main career (blogging is not it) is managing people and their wealth. And helping them get to that retirement chapter in their lives, you know, live the dream. It got to a point some time ago that financial worries are no longer valid for the most part. But of course you will always have people be afraid the money will run out. The main issue with retirement then becomes what comes next, the softer stuff. And this is a great article on the subject: Why Retirement Demands a Beginner’s Mindset.
For years, your value was tied to having the answers. Being a novice forces you to confront who you are when you don’t. Casey recommends a small reframe: stop calling it a retirement hobby and start calling it an experiment. “When you call something an experiment, the pressure drops. You’re not performing for something with a score or a grade. You’re just exploring.”
And there is more useful and practical advice, read the whole thing. And get comfortable in spending as well, the “number” will go down once you stop collecting a paycheck most likely and it’s going to be ok.
Really good comprehensive article on the subject, bookmark it or send the link to someone you care about who is entering this territory: Medicare 101: What You Need to Know.
Another reminder: Active Versus Passive ETFs: Why Lower Fees Still Win. Active ETFs are growing in popularity, but costs and diversification still make passives hard to beat.
I agree with the author’s conclusion:
“My view is that active ETFs are generally better than active mutual funds but not as good as the lowest-cost and most broadly diversified indexed ETFs.”
This chart got my attention, found HERE:
TECH/SCAMS/CRYPTO
Very long article on SBF: Sam Bankman-Fried’s Prison Experiment. This is the first time that I felt bad about this guy. Very briefly.
We talked about his new living arrangement, which is a six-person unit rather than the dorm-style setup he had been used to. I asked him what he’d tell the president if he had a direct audience. He replied that the president had been the victim of politically motivated prosecution and “he’s not the only one.” He praised Trump for unleashing the crypto industry and undoing Biden’s crypto-unfriendly policy of “regulation by prosecution.”
Because these days, as often predicted here, every convicted fraudster is trying for a pardon: Charlie Javice Has Been Seeking a Pardon From Trump After Defrauding JPMorgan.
Scary stuff. “Since You Arrived”. taken. You opened this page. It already knows the following.
Scammers are everywhere. In all kinds of countries and industries. And here is one from Great Britain who managed to blow billions in mobile homes: The Bankrupting of a Mobile Home Billionaire. Lenders poured money into a British caravan empire and made its founder very rich. They’re wondering where it all went. You will learn about caravan living across the pond and hopefully realize that private credit is not something you need or get near to. Amazingly, this guy is not in jail! And he is “coming straight to America” he says. So, remember the name Bob Bull. When you see it, run away fast!
AI
Trying to keep up with AI is not easy! Here are Five things you need to know about AI. From the MIT Technology Review. At SXSW London, our senior editor Will Douglas Heaven laid out how he’s thinking about AI in 2026.
1. Strictly speaking, I didn’t need to show up to give this talk.
2. AI is getting scary (for real this time).
3. A lot of people really hate AI.
4. AI for science is a very big deal.
5. AI is everywhere all at once.
You can automate all this crap now using AI smh: AI Influencer Generator. You read something online, do you think it’s real? Are you sure? You bet that whatever you read in my blog it is here because a human (me) used his judgment that it is worthy to be here. Period.
Ok, let’s lighten the mood, how about some GrankGPT next. A human-powered, fully local and private AI solution. LOL.
IRAN WAR
Hopefully the deal holds, here it is: 14-Point Draft Memorandum Between the US and Iran. Reminds me back in the dot com era when “analysts” used to sell dogs by applying lipstick on them. Or maybe it was pigs? Update: “Shocked” to see Israel is not going along with it and VP Vance canceled trip to Switzerland smh.
Meanwhile, there is no doubt about this: The Iran War Permanently Altered the Global Economy.
The global energy order is being reshaped
China is a major beneficiary
Re-establishing trust will be difficult
The economy has been kicked onto a path of slower growth and higher prices
One of the most bizarre and definitely unintended consequences of this war has been this: For the first time, wind and solar generated more electricity than gas worldwide in April 2026. Rapid wind and solar growth is weakening the case for imported gas even during the latest energy crisis.
ODDZ & ENDZ
Taking a detour back to World War II. I had no idea that this had happened: Operation COTTAGE First Special Service Force, Kiska Campaign. So, there was an invasion to take back Kiska island from the Japanese, over 500 casualties. With only one remarkable fact…the Japanese had already abandoned the island!
Poor guy, can you imagine? Rare tick-borne virus nearly wiped out this N.J. man’s memory and his life. ‘People should know that it exists.’
There are lots of sports out there. Many are obscure. Such as this one: The Rise and Rise of Balloon Racing’s First Family. What a story, I had no idea so much goes into doing this. If you love learning new things you are in the right spot blog.
Though everyone refers to these competitions as races, they’re not, really. Judges don’t usually measure speed; they reward accuracy as the competitors try to drop their beanbags (a.k.a. baggies) on a target or maneuver their aircraft toward a specific destination. Pilots can earn as many as one thousand points per task and get penalized as many as five hundred for, say, launching from or landing in forbidden zones. Points are accumulated over the course of multiple days, at the end of which the champion is showered with champagne, awards, and money—most of which will likely go toward balloon upkeep and other costs.
TRAVEL
Interesting list: Best & Worst US Cities for Staycations (2026).
Nice list: World’s most beautiful restaurants of 2026 chosen by Prix Versailles. Maybe some are in Resy so we can use the $100 credits on our Amex Platinum cards you guys…
Going big on lists today: Forbes Travel Guide’s Best Hotel Bars for 2026. I have been to the Cavalieri in Rome and the Conrad in Tokyo on Hilton points of course #winning.
Maybe you are into chili peppers? Not the band. You can travel the world tracking them down, all 176 of them, have at it: Chili Peppers of the World.
2026 WORLD CUP
My miles hobby made my trip to the 2014 Brazil World Cup possible by the way, here is the trip report, I was blessed with unforgettable memories from it.
LOVING this World Cup, watching 4-5 games every day is awesome and a bit exhausting as well. But not having it any other way. Not sure about the expanded format, 104 games in total is a little…too many? But watching Cape Verde holding heavy favorites Spain to a goalless draw are just one of the moments that will be remembered for ever. Which was the only 0-0 game so far (as of publishing time) in this WC and if you bitch about this sport being boring because of the lack of scoring, stick with your baseball and leave us alone ok? 🙂 And Cape Verde’s goalie is also living a dream, what a sweet story: 40-year-old Cape Verde goalkeeper keeps favorite Spain to 0 goals at World Cup.
USA had its best World Cup performance beating Paraguay 4-1 in its first game. Can we keep this going in the 2nd game against Australia which also looked really good beating Turkey in its opener?
Because come World Cup time, you must begin to understand what it’s all about: The Country Where Fútbol Comes First.
LOVE this video: The Best 100 Moments in FIFA World Cup History.
And this one from the Asian Boss: Why Global Chaos Can’t Stop the World Cup.
This is me every four years lol:
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…
Got some ideas of some properties to burn a Free Night Cert here: Best Ways to Redeem Hilton Honors Points.
Apparently, we are not the only ones getting Bonvoyed lol: Hotel Owners Are Rebelling Against Marriott’s Loyalty Program. Owners representing nearly 1,000 hotels demand Marriott revise the rules of its popular Bonvoy program to them give a bigger slice.
Of course I could not go even one post without another hit in this hobby: New booking restrictions on Qatar Airways Privilege Club.
TRAVEL REWARDS CREDIT CARDS
For ANY questions on travel rewards credit cards, contact me anytime at travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com
I had no ideas there were so many online restaurant booking outfits out there. And AMEX just keeps buying them, first it was Resy, then came Tock and now here comes The Fork.
Good to see Barclays still trying to become more relevant in this space. It recently did some updates in its card portfolio with Wyndham Rewards:
Introduced a decent new card: Barclays Launches New Wyndham Earner Premier Card – $395 Fee, 120,000 Points Bonus, And Some Credits.
and did several updates in the other cards: Barclays Refreshes Wyndham Personal & Business Cards – Increased Fees, Added Credits, Changed Points Earning.
If you are into Wyndham, knock yourself out I guess. Initial signup bonuses banks give out for us to apply are always worth the bang and you don’t have to keep the card long term. Definitely need to be more strategic these days with travel rewards credit card applications, the old days of never worrying about yet another credit card signup are over. I do not have any affiliate or referral links for Barclay cards, thank you for thinking of me though. On the other hand, all other cards appear to be okay, let me know how I can help.
CHASE SAPPHIRE PREFERRED REFRESH:
This card has become a no brainer for, well, almost everyone. Especially if you are new into this travel reward cards space and absolutely do not care about Hyatt points whatsoever. Let me explain why you should get this card. Well, most of my readers either have this card or can no longer get it again due to Chase Bank’s new severe restrictions eliminating us credit card miles/points enthusiasts. This IS a great card for someone starting out by the way. We all have it in my household and are now definitely keeping it. Because for just $95 dollars annual fee you get:
- No foreign transaction fees
- Primary car rental insurance
- $100 Annual Hotel Credit. (This is per cardmember year, rather than calendar year. Must be booked through the Chase Travel Portal.)
- Card earns at the following rates:
- 5x on travel booked through the Chase Travel portal.
- 3x on Dining/Streaming Services/online grocery (excludes: excluding Target, Walmart and
wholesale clubs) - 3x on Gas/EV
- 3x on Airbnb, VRBO, Plum Guide, HomeAway, Homestay.com, and Vacasa
- 2x on other travel
- 1x on all other purchases
- 5x on Lyft rides through 9/30/27. 5x on Peloton purchases of $150+ through 12/31/27.
- $120 credit once every four years for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS.
- One time offer (not ongoing): Complimentary Apple TV subscription for one year when activated by December 31, 2026.
- Transferable points (reminder: Hyatt transfers are 4:3)
- Complimentary DashPass membership ($120 value) for 12 months. Plus, DashPass members get a $10 promo each month ($120 annually) to save on groceries, retail orders, and more.
- Chase 5/24 rule applies to this card
and of course for just $5,000 minimum spend in three months you get 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points! Even if you did not do much with the points and just cashed them out for a penny per point, it means you pocket $1,000. For an annual fee of $95 plus all the goodies above, DO THE MATH! Of course, you can transfer the points out to travel partners like United or Southwest or Hyatt and get way more than a penny per point. Yes, it is a bit more work but it can make this card even more valuable.
There are many places online you can use to apply for this card. For the love of God, do not use the links from The Points Guy or any other big outfit pretending to be “in the hobby” when they are a big business selling plastic for the banks. Maybe prefer a small independent blogger who is into this for the love of the game and been doing it for decades and would still be here most likely if banks stopped paying bloggers to sell plastic for them #hint. Anyway, email me with ANY questions, thank you for the support.
LATEST OFFERS:
Heads up, new offers starting June 15!
CHASE Sapphire Reserve for Business: 200,000 Points Sign Up Bonus
CHASE INK Cash & INK Unlimited 100,000 Points Signup Bonus
100k CHASE Sapphire Reserve: $795 Annual Fee. Minimum spend $6,000 in three months
A whole bunch of new offers for Delta Skymiles, all expiring on July 15.
90k AMEX Delta Skymiles Gold: Minimum spend is $5,000 over six months
100k AMEX Delta Skymiles Platinum: Minimum spend is $6,000 over six months
125k AMEX Delta Skymiles Reserve: Minimum spend is $9,000 over six months
90k AMEX Delta Skymiles Gold Business: Minimum spend is $6,000 over six months
100k AMEX Delta Skymiles Platinum Business: Minimum spend is $8,000 over six months
125k AMEX Delta Skymiles Reserve Business: Minimum spend is $15,000 over six months
There are three certainties in life: Death, taxes and always revolving new Chase Southwest credit card offers, the latest: Chase Southwest Personal Cards: 80,000-90,000 Points Signup Bonus.
- Southwest Priority ($229 fee): Earn 90,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Southwest Premier ($149 fee): Earn 85,000 points after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Southwest Plus ($99 fee): Earn 80,000 points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
150k AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business PLUS $125 Statement Credit: $125 Annual fee, minimum spend $8,000 in the first six months. For more info on the card’s benefits click HERE. (ENDING JULY 15)
125k CHASE Marriott Bonvoy Boundless + 1 Free Night: Minimum spend is $3,000 over three months.
185k CHASE IHG One Rewards Premier: $99 annual fee. 150,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first three months. And another 35,000 points after spending a total of $6,000 in the first six months. (ENDING JUNE 24)
125k CHASE IHG One Rewards Traveler: No annual fee. 90,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 in the first three months. And another 35,000 points after spending a total of $4,000 in the first six months. (ENDING JUNE 24).
As High As 200,000 Points on the AMEX Business Gold after spending $15k in the first three months
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
75k CITI AAdvantage Business World Elite MasterCard
175k AMEX Platinum & 300k AMEX Business Platinum
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. You can always email me at travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com with ANY questions.
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MY ACTION AND BLOG BUZZING
150,000 signup bonus for wife’s Schwab Amex Platinum card is in the bank. Always feels so good seeing that, it’s like crack, the addiction is so strong and lasting lol. Not that I have ever done crack by the way, just saying.
I burned 45,000 World of Hyatt points for my first 10 nights in Bangkok at the Hyatt Place in Sukhumvit Soi 1 in late August, so just 4,500 points per night when the cash rate is $81. I am not sure if I will keep this reservation. I have more nights to book in Bangkok. And I am still contemplating paying for 30 nights at the other Hyatt Place in Soi 24 for an average of about $68 per night to pretty much secure World of Hyatt Globalist elite status for another year. Which I am contemplating whether to go for it since the gravy train of free World of Hyatt points from Chase transfers is now severely wounded #developing.
I keep forgetting how we get one World of Hyatt night credit for each Globalist Guest of Honor award we gift. Which I usually do this with my son who is currently in Bangkok. World of Hyatt night credits so far is now up to 21. With four nights booked for the Saigon Park Hyatt and now another 10 at the Hyatt Place above, so easy 35. With more nights to book in Bangkok due soon. So, hitting 40 to get all the Milestone Reward goodies should be a matter of time. But do I go for 60? If Chase had never done the unthinkable (sever that 1:1 transfer ratio) I would go for 60 easy. You think I am struggling with this decision? Yes I am.
With wife’s retirement in less than a few weeks, travel comfort becomes a higher priority. And with Detroit being our home airport it looks like we will come around to flying Delta again. And this decision has absolutely nothing to do with Delta Skymiles which absolutely suck. But flying out of Detroit using American and United has become very sketchy after both airlines totally destroying our plans in several recent trips. Because due to not having many flights, in case of travel disruptions or mechanicals, getting rebooked on other flights is very inconvenient and sometimes causing trauma. So, with the final home renovation bills coming due soon and the opportunity to put some more bigly spend on a card, maybe my wife can go for an AmeX Gold card for 90k SUB and waived annual fee for the first year. It has been more than 7 years since we had this card by the way. Maybe I go for it too if Amex decides to give it to me, which is unlikely. Based on my history, boo.
I am laying low these days and looking forward to that elusive premium World of Hyatt card. I have not tried recently for the Schwab Amex Platinum card for me, I have been constantly getting the Amex jail pop up. But I will not give up lol.
Or maybe I take a shot for another Chase Ink no annual fee card for the 100k SUB. Just for giggles to test the Chase pop up system. Maybe I sneak under it #dreaming.
No other miles/points burning going on, too many World Cup games on TV, sorry not sorry.
I did see Disclosure Day and I have mixed feelings about it.
Home renovation project is 95% complete. Maybe next week the ordeal is all over. Main floor looking really great and we love it. Considering how much we spent and what we could get in Thailand is, well, we are still coming to terms with that. But let’s not go there! Talk about inflation wow.
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HOT CREDIT CARD OFFERS:
100k CHASE Sapphire Preferred, 100k CHASE Ink Cash, 100k CHASE Ink Unlimited, 200k CHASE Sapphire Reserve Business, 100k CHASE Sapphire Reserve, 75k CITI Strata Elite, 75k CAPITAL ONE Venture Rewards, 100k CHASE Ink Business Preferred, 175k AMEX Platinum, 75k CAPITAL ONE Venture X, 300k AMEX Business Platinum, 80k – 90k CHASE Personal Southwest Cards, 200k AMEX Business Gold, 200k CAPITAL ONE Spark Cash Plus, 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 529,015 miles/points year to date (after burning 1,893,248 miles/points in 2025 and 2,027,816 in 2024) and have 4,233,893 miles/points in the bank.
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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Reading the old version. Just feels more personal and warm. I think I am first, but can’t tell as once I click on comments I end up with the new version. Just in case…. First!
Much good stuff and I agree about the CSR. Was gonna dump it but now it is a keeper! But I think all the points are gonna get moved to Hyatt before the deadline.
Thanks as always George and hope your house project is about done. Mine has been being painted and the guy says today he will finish. I’ll post pics on FB once done!
I think you are the only who still likes the old version. I think because you have been around here the longest. I heard from several readers for the first time, I think the refresh was a success. Son says this should drive readership higher and eventually $ clicks. Well, it appears unlikely but it is early 🙂
The house renovation project should finally be done next week, it’s taking a lot longer and a lot more $ than initially projected. Which often happens with these things. Good luck with yours too!
Hello from air Icelandic coming into Iceland. Coming from the 250th anniversary party for the Wealth of Nations at the University of Glasgow which in turn is celebrating it’s 575th.
Good times!
Thanks the posting!
Oh, enjoy Iceland! Going to visit there in the near future, something I have been saying for years now. It is easy to get there from Detroit so, you know, there is no challenge booking a trip there 🙂
A chapter in ‘The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech’s Hype and Create the Future We Want’
by Alex Hanna and Emily M. Bender talks about AI ‘boomers’ vs ‘doomers’ needing each other in a mutually lucrative grift, not really different from each other, and populated by the same types of people. That conference panel needs both of them to get attention, for example.
Hey Stefan, nice to see you here and taking the time to comment. Yeah, this AI thing…sure has been something to watch in real time. We’ll see what happens…I think at some point the reckoning will come in and…blow things. Of course no one can time stuff like this so I always recommend to diversify 🙂
No ETF for me this year, will be in BKK about 2 months earlier.
I will respond to the comments later, getting ready for USA vs Australia. Damn, our best player is out 🙁
So to keep track of my WC predictions, I am at 16/28…
Also, just scored a 3rd cc sale this month, thank you. And 0 coffees month to date lol. I think I need to reevaluate the TBB IPO plan you guys woohoo…At this point, all I want is a USA win and it’s all good.
Huh? No coffees? I got the note from the coffee people a few days to a week ago that I had been charged my scheduled coffee for you. Gonna have to look into this to make sure they aren’t scamming us both!
Oh, and as far as liking the old view because I have been here a long time, well, that is what happens because I am an Old Person! Haha! Heck, I still fondly remember Geocities with all their handmade website stuff that was so crazy and that was in the last century!
I’d be interested in an Atmos business link.
You got email, thanks!
Shoot, I posted this yesterday in an earlier blog post, my bad!
Czechia vs South Africa: It was, I think, the worst game of this WC. Would be fair if both teams go home soon to spare our eyes.
Switzerland vs Bosnia & Herzegovina: This game had the same recipe as the earlier game for the first 75 minutes…and then BOOM! 5 games for the rest of the game, only in the beautiful game.
Canada vs Qatar: I could not help but feel so sorry for Qatar. Talk about a disastrous game since the opening whistle. And that horrific injury, I must admit, I didn’t initially think it was that bad. Not sure running up the score was classy but then again we have the goal differential rules. I wonder what the two coaches said after the game. I think Qatar can redeem themselves by winning their last game against the Bosnians…because if not, this brutal beating will be forever remembered. And it came against a team that won its first WC game ever.
Mexico vs South Korea: Frankly, I was expecting a better game. It all came down to a goalie mistake sadly. And that save by the Mexican goalie in stoppage time is likely going to be remembered for ever. I think the Koreans will beat the South Africans in the last game and advance. Because clearly they have a very good team. And I feel bad in advance for all the Mexicans when their team goes down, you know, it’s coming. I like both teams and would love to see them go much farther in the tournament.
Today’s games & my predictions:
USA 2 – Australia 1: Can you feel the excitement building? Can the US team put together another brilliant performance like it did against Paraguay? We all sure hope so. But it won’t be easy against the physical Aussies. I will take a tie here but obviously prefer a win to seal first place.
Scotland 0 – Morocco 2: The Scotts will go down fighting. But, you know, fighting helps but skills prevail. Nevertheless, their fans will have a great time in the stands drinking to oblivion…
Brazil 3 – Haiti 0: Haiti played well in the first game. Brazil needs the three points to avoid dangerous eventualities and I think they’ll come in and take care of business today.
Turkey 1 – Paraguay 1: The loser goes home. Well, maybe. With the expanded format, even losing the first two games does not automatically send you home. But clearly, this is the game they both want. And they will go for it. And expect casualties. With 11 pm start, I need extra caffeine earlier in the day to stay up. And I will!
So, did 3/4 yesterday, not too shabby. So, 19/32. If only Turkey had score one goal I would be 4/4 for the day and 20/32. Maybe I have a future in a consulting role with Kalshi?
USA looking strong. The Scotts always give everything and with some luck they could have come out with a tie. I think Brazil, as predicted, took care of business while Haiti has showed it belongs in the WC. Poor Turkey, they just keep shooting blanks, OMG! Paraguay escaped with 3 points in this one and the coming Australia vs Paraguay game will be classic. I highly recommend ambulances to be standing by to carry casualties to the hospital. Will be interesting to see how USA approaches the final game against Turkey that now wants to play for its dignity.
Today’s predictions:
Netherlands 3 Sweden 0
Germany 1 – Ivory Coast 1
Ecuador 2 – Curacao 0
Tunisia 1 – Japan 2
Today I learned you can get a red card for covering your mouth.
Last four posts at The Points Guy:
The best Chase credit cards to add
The best credit cards for online shopping (!!!!)
Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business
If you get your credit cards at TPG, please leave now.
I’ll be the voice of reason here and ask why do you need Hyatt Globalist? What are your fuzzy travel plans for 2027 that may actually benefit you to have that status? If Hyatt Place is where you are thinking about don’t even bother. Do you think you might need addiction treatment for your habit of going for every sign up bonus? Maybe you need to think more about how to redeem the points you actually have before they actually have very little value.
BTW if you are looking for trips to Asia are you examining the possibilities of going via Australia and onto Asia from there? Reason I ask is there always seems to be seats on QF if you look regularly as given the drop from Australian tourists going that way Qantas has had to change their attitude somewhat. Also explore the option on United on the new route that is coming up SFO to Adelaide I think. I am sure there will be seats on that one for UA FF. Can always score a seat from Sydney to Singapore on BA as well and from November can fly Finnair from Melbourne to BKK, they release 1 business class seat every day from what I have seen
I’ll take a shot at answering the Globalist question – although I am in no way answering for George, just a general rejoinder.
Globalist has been and currently is the best attainable elite status in the big 4 hotel chains. I’ve been a Globalist since Globalist started and I have held or am holding high status with the other three chains.
As someone who sees the way Hyatt is rapidly devaluing their loyalty program I’m looking at other options. The problem is, if you plan ahead then it’s extremely difficult to abruptly change course and not try to reach Globalist for this year. I’ve had around 80 nights a year with Hyatt the last couple of years but with the way things are going I’ll be constantly lowering that number over the next few years. Next year I think I’ll have my final year attaining Globalist. I suspect that I’ll realistically be somewhere around 20-30 nights in a few years but intend to utilize the value of Globalist for this year and next. This isn’t some sort of illness, it’s getting value from a program. As the value will lessen, so will the time and money I’m willing to put back into the program.
There are innumerable options for when hotel status juice is no longer worth the squeeze. We haven’t gotten there yet with Hyatt but the writing is on the wall. Do you think it’s a bad idea for members to get what benefits they can while the opportunity exists?
@ Vicky and Christian: Thank you for your feedback, you both make some valid and great points. We are all different. I think what we agree on is that the value of the World of Hyatt points has gone down and the future outlook is not promising at all.
I have no definite travel plans for 2027. This is the way I operate lately. But what is almost certain is that I will have more time to travel more. Which should lead to Hyatt stays to enjoy the Globalist goodies which are still better than the other chains.
Getting to Asia via Australia never crossed my mind, interesting idea.
In the meantime, all the stocks from the major hotel companies have tripled since Covid by the way. And they are trying to squeeze even more profits from the loyalty programs. Guess on whose expense? Ours AND now the hotel property owners who are wondering whazzup with all that $$$. So I think by having us reevaluate our options does not matter to the hotel companies. And the hotel space is turning into what happened to the airline space, where free agent has been the way to go.
Nevertheless, the addictive part of, you know (remember the giraffe “do you know who I am?” joke), is still there and we are in the very slow process of getting rehabilitated lol.
Also, any resorts in Curacao after we visit Cape Verde? #worldcup
36 down, 68 more games left, hang in there everyone!
I think this WC is turning out to be one the best ever imho. First, let’s all observe a moment of silence for Tunisia’s national catastrophe that has befallen them with the absolutely worst showing in this WC. For the love of Allah, I mean, can just something NOT go wrong here? When you do down 2-0 to the Japanese in the first 10 minutes the hole that you must dig out from is just, well, impossible. And then, oh dear Allah, you now find the awful position having to face Netherlands in your last game which is going to look to run up the score board, YIKES! I hope Tunisia salvages something and have the ball just once bounce their way. I still think this Japan team is special and will go a long way, we’ll see.
Ivory Coast blew it by letting one German sub score twice near the end. Looks like this team still has a mental problem in the WC after losing to those Greeks in the last minute to get knocked out of the first round of the 2014 World Cup, ok I just had to mention that
I wonder if all those right wing politicians in Germany shut the phuck up seeing all these immigrants continue to bail them out? Ok, don’t go there!
I have said that Sweden should have never made the WC. And Netherlands made sure it proved my point. I think Japan will also destroy Sweden in the next game. Should make it a very interesting duo of final games which will be taking place at the right time, have your two monitors handy!
Also, super happy with Curacao managing to hold Ecuador scoreless. I mean, come on Ecuador, WTF! Another national catastrophe indeed. The only 0-0 ties in this WC so far have been two of the most memorable games with tiny Curacao and Cape Verde holing Ecuador and (especially) Spain blank. With both of their old goalies having the game of their lives which which is now part of WC legacy, LOVE it. You could tell Ecuador players were super nervous. May I suggest to the Ecuadoran coach to sit his assdown and stop moving up and down, he did NOT help the situation. Heck, I was nervous watching him smh! Anyway, is he fired yet?
Today’s game predictions:
Spain 2 Saudi Arabia 0
Belgium 1 Iran 2 (NCAA like upset time baby lol)
Uruguay 4 Cape Verde 0
New Zealand 1 Egypt 1
I am now 21/36, for the record.
Approved!
Thank you! When it shows up it will be cc sale #4 this month. Up from 1 cc sale in May…I mean quadruple sales increase! Is TBB the Nvidia of blogs? Is TBB IPO going to be oversubscribed in such a scale that will make SpaceX look like peanuts? TBB agent can’t keep up with all the inquiries from VCs lately…Ok, we can dream around here lol.
Today marks the beginning of 5 World Cup games per day, the final games in each group, two in each group playing at the same time so having two monitors is essential. Starting Sunday the elimination games start and the dramatic fireworks are only going to unparalled levels. This is like watching 6 Superbowls every day #hitme WC remains the best show on earth. And then it was just announced that Trump will attend the Final and award the trophy……phuck me, can’t wait until this guy is out of our lives omg!