Another TBB post featuring the most eclectic links around the web such as Mag 7 tech stocks beating, insane AI debt levels, castles and Tiki bar maps, last week for 100k Chase Sapphire Preferred card offer, bubble talk, unknown risks, circus barker attention economy, AI influencing sales of crap, religious fundamentalists are dangerous, why ambulance rides are so expensive, tourism winners and losers, already missing the World Cup, the best photography and Thailand 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.
BLOG HOUSEKEEPING
This is truly a one man labor of love operation, enjoy it while it lasts.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“He who is of a calm and happy nature, will hardly feel the pressure of age” – Plato
MUST READ GEMS
As a World Cup fan since 1978 I am already missing it. And this fantastic article has put it all together why this World Cup was special:
29 Reasons We Loved the 2026 World Cup
PERSONAL FINANCE
Great read by Sam Ro at TKer: Known worries and unknown unknowns.
Never forget that there will always be something to worry about. It’s an inescapable reality of investing in the stock market…it’s a positive for investors that there are many things the market is actively worried about. It keeps the market in check and less vulnerable to stomach-churning price swings.
On the other hand, the most destabilizing risks are the ones people aren’t talking about. The unknown unknowns…Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do about these unknown unknowns. There’s no knowing what’s coming and when they’ll emerge (unless you’ve got some inside information). There’s also the possibility they’ll never emerge. The best we can do is understand that sometimes, things will come out of nowhere and send shockwaves through the markets. And given a little time, these things become another one of those more manageable risks that surface on many surveys for months. The good news is that the stock market has a long history of recovering from unexpected shock events, which means any drop in prices has proven to be a buying opportunity for long-term investors.
I think we in the wealth management industry are being asked this question the most: Overvalued, Bubble or Revolution? I guess time will answer this as it always does. In the meantime, we can confidently say that if you consider the US stock market over concentrated in less than 10 tech stocks, you have not seen how concentrated other countries’ stock markets are, ours is not even remotely close. In addition, the other certainty is that the current conditions definitely do NOT even come remotely close to the bubble of the dot com era. Yeah, I was there and that was even beyond insane.
Oh wait, the above was posted before yesterday’s tech wipeout: Magnificent 7 Loses $767 Billion as AI Skeptics Dump Tech Stocks.
Talking about bubbles, it looks like the one in South Korea already burst. With permanent scars of wannabe “investors” traders losing and, just like hopeless crack addicts, going to return to win it all back, yikes: ‘I couldn’t breathe’: South Korea’s frenzied stock trading exposes margin loan risks.
TECH/SCAMS/CRYPTO
Not sure this belongs in this section but it is my blog and don’t have any sponsors or ads so I can do whatever I want. So, I am adding it here because I can. Very interesting article: The Circus Barker Economy. I have been saying for a while we are living in crazy times with so many loud charlatans polluting our eyes and ears non stop 24/7 365. And they hawk all of the attention. At the same time, whatever they pump is still bullshit and they eventually and thankfully do crash out of our lives. And it is sweet justice when it happens.
Today, the greatest power in America rests with those whose strident tone is now paired with absolute ridiculousness. Put simply, what is now on offer is truly beyond belief. Moreover, it is in everything that matters: American culture, politics, and finance. Our Attention Economy has been taken to its extreme. People are shouting nonsense and no one even blinks. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t nonsense. Think Adam Neumann, Trevor Milton, Sam Bankman-Fried. Their stories were always nonsense. And the same was true of Michael Saylor. Circus barkers always yell whatever they have to draw a crowd. When the goal is attention – especially when paired with the loyalty, money, and power that now comes with it – truthfulness doesn’t enter the equation. If there is fragility in the markets (and in America more broadly) today, it is the growing likelihood that history rhymes – that the remaining circus barkers ultimately experience the same fate as those who went before them. Moreover, that history rhymes and they experience the same fate at the same time.
The grift is coming from the top and we don’t even blink at this shit anymore smh: Why Wall Street Firms Are Paying $100,000 a Month for a Fast Track to Trump Posts.
The new “Truth API” product from Trump Media & Technology will let firms pay for an even faster readout of the president’s posts. The company plans to charge $100,000 a month, or $60,000 a month if traders commit for years…
AI
If you have found yourself scrolling on Instagram clicking on some “expert” convincingly selling you something, you know, have you considered that it is most likely all BS and this person does not even exist? Meet All The Middle Aged Women Who Don’t Exist. They’re all gorgeous. They’re all “57.” And they’re all selling you NMN. Yikes!
This isn’t just aspirational marketing. It’s manufactured identity. Isabelle is not a woman with great genes. She is not a woman with incredible discipline. She is not a woman at all. She is a carefully engineered marketing avatar, designed to trigger the exact insecurities women in their fifties are already struggling with…then conveniently offer the solution. That’s not influencer marketing. That’s a grift. [Been calling this shit out for years here, please follow me on Instagram LOL]
Also, you know what they say about crises and bubbles bursting, right? It’s because of the debt. Oh, this (found HERE):
ODDZ & ENDZ
Wow, this site: Unsung. Season One introduces twenty remarkable people whose achievements, discoveries and acts of courage deserve to be better known. These are their stories. Remarkable people history forgot.
If you ever wanted to find out Why American Ambulance Rides Are So Expensive, well this is it! The unfortunately botched economics of emergency care.
Incredibly disturbing read. Beware of religious fanatics knowing all about what their God wants them to do. And stay the phuck away from them! The Demon Next Door. A growing number of charismatic Christians see themselves as waging a spiritual battle against the forces of Satan. Sometimes those forces are right across the street.
Amazing photography: The 2025 iPhone Photography Awards.
TRAVEL
I have some really interesting links for you today.
First, sorry to start out with one of these. Sort of good news about an airplane tragedy from back in 1952: Lost at Sea, the Pan Am Clipper Endeavor Is Found After Over 70 Years. Amazing discovery after so many years.
How about Castle Map? Yep, a map of castles around the world, all 2,435 of them.
What? You are not into castles? Fine, how about Tiki Bars? Here is Tiki Bar Passport, a treasure map for the world’s tiki bars.
Interesting visual: The Countries Gaining and Losing the Most Tourists. Saudi Arabia, really?
2026 WORLD CUP
Ok, this is probably the last World Cup section, I lied last week. And yeah, I am already missing it! America Is Going to Really, Really Miss the World Cup.
Here’s the good news: The next generation is inspired. The impact of this World Cup will be felt in years to come, by young men and women who watched Messi or Haaland or the quiet brilliance of Spain’s teamwork on U.S. soil and decided this was what they loved. Maybe they don’t become players, or come up with a solution to fix VAR, but they simply become fans. That’s the best possible outcome for a World Cup that turned out much better than anyone besides Gianni expected. It came, it saw, it occasionally flopped and writhed on the grass, but it truly conquered. America is now a soccer country—if we can keep it. [Amen]
Lovely: BBC FIFA World Cup 2026 Closing Montage.
Amazing photography with the Top 30 photos from the 2026 World Cup.
THAILAND
My wife was also just approved for the Destination Thailand Visa (DTV). So, we both now have this visa which allows us to stay in Thailand for up to 180 days at a time for the next 5 years. I qualified under the Workcation category and she qualified as my spouse dependent. Thailand always tinkers with immigration policies and it is rumored that the DTV visa is going to undergo significant changes and we expect to be grandfathered. Can’t wait to return next month!
I have done a lot of research about Thailand as I have been visiting every year since 2023. We will certainly spend more time in the Land of Smiles going forward. Feel free to ask me any questions and I will try to answer them in this section. Last year as we flew back to Bangkok from Koh Samui I had one of those special travel moments…it felt like we were going back home! You know that special feeling after you have been away for a while and then you return home.
I do scan the Bangkok Post once a day just to see what’s happening in one of my favorite cities in the world and in the country in general.
Really good video for first time visitors to Thailand: 10 Things Tourists Should Never Do in Thailand.
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…
Good warning with this post as I almost learned the hard way about this some time ago: When do Hyatt certs expire? Perhaps a day earlier than you think.
If you have a Hyatt certificate that’s due to expire soon, ensure it’s redeemed for a stay at least the night before its listed expiry date.
This could be a good addition for Citi. But don’t plan on it until it is final. Because we all know there is really no IT in Citi lol: JAL Showing As Travel Partner On Citi ThankYou Loyalty Partner Page – Transfers Incoming?
TRAVEL REWARDS CREDIT CARDS
For ANY questions on travel rewards credit cards, contact me anytime at travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com
This is absolutely hilarious: Does Your Credit Card Even Plunk? Metal credit cards are getting out of hand. Indeed! Goes to show at what stage we are in this market/travelrewards/loyalty space smh.
Barclays makes a card plated in 24-karat gold, an inactive version of which is listed on eBay for $199. Robinhood-card holders can upgrade the company’s steel Gold Card to a version made entirely of 10-karat gold.
If your credit-card company doesn’t offer metal versions, third-party vendors have stepped in to do the job for them. Metal-CreditCard.com will “upgrade” plastic credit cards by extracting their chips and placing them into steel cards. Engraven Card, another company that turns plastic cards into metal, finds particular success in custom designs that make explicit references to wealth. “I’ve upgraded welfare EBT cards to say Millionaires Club,” Travis Jean, Engraven Card’s founder, told me.
Metal-CreditCard.com’s founder, Vincent Torres, told me something similar: “The plunk factor of dropping a full metal card on the table, it changes people’s perspective of just who you are.” (Torres recently wrote a book titled How a Metal Credit Card Transformed My Life.) [If you are having issues holding your laughter here, I am with you! Maybe someone tell Vince he can sponsor my blog, Plunk me, woohoo.]
Rachel Tyers, another credit-card influencer, first made it big on Instagram when she posted a video explaining how to apply for the mirrored card from American Express. The video has 3.6 million views, and she’s since made videos of herself using scales to compare the weight of credit cards and testing which are scratch-resistant or show fingerprints. [3.6 Million views, WTF!!! So many people online just clicking on random stupid shit wow].
And so, the designs keep coming. Cards that light up, are made entirely of glass, and even contain jewels have already been manufactured for clients by CompoSecure. Revolut is hoping to soon bring its Ultra Card, which arrives encased in a transparent picture frame, to the United States. As for Robinhood, Rao has an idea for how to outdo his past products: a card in Vantablack, one of the world’s blackest coatings. “It’s going to be epic, but I haven’t figured out how to do it yet,” he told me. [You won’t believe how depressing reading this article was for me. Maybe I need to walk away from this space to preserve my sanity…]
Samsung is coming out with its own Galaxy credit card earning 3x on purchases with Samsung Wallet. First, I am glad to see more competition out there. Second, 3x uncapped? Yeah, right. 3.2,1…
100k CHASE SAPPHIRE PREFERRED (ENDING 7/3026 at 9 AM!):
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. This IS a great card for someone starting out by the way. We all have it in my household and are 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 card member 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.
Help support the blog to continue by choosing to use our credit card application links. Email me with ANY questions.
LATEST OFFERS:
CAPITAL ONE Spark Cash : $1,000/100,000 points AND $250 Travel Credit after $10k spend in three months
CAPITAL ONE Spark Cash Plus : $2,000/200,000 AND $500 Travel Credit after $30k spend in three months
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
125k CHASE Marriott Bonvoy Boundless + 1 Free Night: Minimum spend is $3,000 over three months. ENDING SOON!
As High As 200,000 Points on the AMEX Business Gold after spending $15k in the first three months
Elevated AMEX Hilton card offers END 7/29/26
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
I made an Instagram post with an update from the 2026 Ann Arbor Art Fair and attending a local wedding.
Is it just me? But not that much exciting stuff happening lately in this space. It is time for so many opportunist online creators who only came in to this space to sell plastic to finally buzz off and find something else to sell.
I am going to watch The Odyssey one of these days. We were taught all about the Odyssey in school growing up in Greece.
We are really enjoying our renovated house and we absolutely love the new kitchen. And tomorrow we are having a big retirement party for my wife expecting close to 40 people. And we really wanted to make food and gathering all around the new island counter the hub center of it all. Because, you know, friendships and all. So yes, we spent a lot of money and it was all worth it.
Our SE Asia trip is coming together with 31 hotel nights booked, see below. I added, for reference, my one way business class award from Detroit to Bangkok in bold font. Hard to believe I managed to get one more epic trip with my miles/points #winning.
100,000 United miles for one way Business Class from Detroit to Bangkok (via Chicago and Tokyo Haneda) flying United Polaris and ANA
1 night at the StandardX Bangkok for 7,500 World of Hyatt points
10 nights at the Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 1 for 45,000 World of Hyatt points
9 nights at the Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 24 for 40,500 World of Hyatt points
4 nights in a suite at the Saigon Park Hyatt for 80,000 World of Hyatt points
2 nights at the KROMO Bangkok, a Curio Collection by Hilton property, on AMEX The Hotel Collection booking fully utilizing Amex Business Platinum $300 credit
2 nights at the Hilton Pattaya for 120,000 Hilton Honors points
2 nights at the Andaz Pattaya Jomtien Beach for 30,000 World of Hyatt points in a confirmed Garden View Suite
1 night at the Singapore Conrad Marina Bay on an Amex FHR booking mostly covered by the $300 credit Schwab Amex Platinum $300 credit
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HOT CREDIT CARD OFFERS:
100k CHASE Sapphire Preferred (ENDING 7/30/2026 at 9 AM!) 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, 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 777,015 miles/points year to date (after burning 1,893,248 miles/points in 2025 and 2,027,816 in 2024) and have 4,089,764 miles/points in the bank.
Let me leave you with this:
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Nice party! Nice looking kitchen!
Thanks for the links!
Again the thing-ee right above says there are two comments but I only see one from DML. Very odd. Thanks again for another great collection of reading! This will fill a fair amount of time over the next couple days! The kitchen does look excellent!