Another TBB post featuring the most eclectic links around the web such as the future of AI, NFL scammer, Thailand travel changes, blog monetization, how states tax retirement, pensions replacement by country, GOP Ponzi schemes, maximum pressure on Iran, eight global pilgrimages, the Mob Museum, only 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.
Hi from Bangkok, my wife is joining me tomorrow and I am thinking to take a break from regularly blogging here. There will be a post next Friday. Probably a repeat of an older post. Or maybe another post like this one, let’s see what happens…
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“The intelligence consists not only in the knowledge but also in the skill to apply the knowledge into practice” – Aristotle
MUST READ GEMS
Best read this week, short and to the point. Thought provoking, what if they all came true? Actually, some of them are already taking place right in front of our eyes. Value your fellow human everyone. Blogger too, lol.
10 Brutally Honest Predictions on the Future of AI
PERSONAL FINANCE
With the recent bond market struggles, this saying comes to mind: “A bad year in the bond market is like a bad day in the stock market.”
If retirement is in your horizon, this is for you: Retirement Taxes: How All 50 States Tax Retirees.
Morgan Housel answers readers questions and here is his latest video getting into the now $40 Trillion National Debt issue and stuff like that…
Great visual: How Much Pensions Replace Your Salary By Country:
AI/TECH
AI is contributing so much enshittification that we are going to value humans a lot more going forward. And my blog is leading this insane fight. Ok, I would like to think so because it makes me feel better and gives me a reason to keep blogging. I am still waiting for a bonus like this but there is no way in hell I would go back to work for a big firm again: Ernst & Young Is Giving $100 Million in Bonuses to Staff for ‘Human Skills’.
This is great. Accidentally left the caps lock on and typed something, but can’t be bothered to start again and retype it all? Go here and with a few clicks you are done, you are welcome!
SCAMS/CRYPTO
This guy pretending to be an NFL player and his buddy pretending to be his financial advisor finally got busted. Which was a matter of time. It is amazing to me how they kept this charade up for so long. And how awful the videos are, I mean, they are so bad they are guaranteed to make you laugh. And we take laughing very seriously around here. See what I just did? Daejon Love Will Go Down As A Scammer For The Ages.
While this was going on, Love was also busy creating a false online persona for himself in which he was portrayed as a wealthy real estate investor and a member of the San Francisco 49ers. His now-deleted Instagram account was full of videos showing him living a lavish lifestyle and training to get ready for the NFL season. With all due respect to Love’s alleged victims, the videos are extremely funny. Many of them consist of Love simply wearing 49ers gear while working out in a public space. The best of the bunch is a clip of him wearing a 49ers helmet at the beach, running an absolutely awful route, and then catching a pass lobbed from a few yards away. [Did I say the videos are so bad that they are…hilarious?]
You know this was bad when even the Wall Street Journal can’t censor itself and just has to call it for what it is: A $140 Million Ponzi Fraud Is Haunting Georgia GOP Ahead of Midterms. For the record, there are wire fraud guilty pleas so these are not alleged:
Prosecutors said Frost IV used money raised in part for more than $5 million in “personal and sometimes extravagant expenditures,” including $230,000 to rent a Maine vacation home, $140,000 in jewelry, $20,800 for a Patek Philippe watch, $2 million-plus on credit-card bills and more than $570,000 on political contributions.
The latest monthly Ponzi Scheme roundup from The Ponzi Scheme Blog. The usual schemes as always. But this one was out there:
Kenneth Thom aka K$ aka K Money, 42, of New Jersey, was sentenced to 2 years in connection with a Ponzi scheme that defrauded approximately 66 investors out of $800,000. He held himself out as a financial “luminary” and “beacon of knowledge.” He only invested $350,000 of the investors’ funds and lost approximately 73%. [Added bold font for LOL emphasis]
ODDZ & ENDZ
Really good analysis on the latest in the stupid war no one asked for: Maximum Pressure on Iran Will Fail.
The best thing Washington can do at this point is to stop acting without thinking. And U.S. policymakers need to dwell more on lessons from the past. Military and economic pressure did occasionally shape Iranian decision-making. Pressure helped push Iran to temporarily pause its nuclear program during George W. Bush’s administration and, later, to accept the JCPOA. But pressure did not topple the Islamic Republic, make the United States safer, or improve the lives of ordinary Iranians; in fact, the U.S. pressure strategy likely deepened Iranian civilians’ hardship…Forty-seven years of prioritizing pressure culminated in a costly war that revealed the limits of what that approach can accomplish. It would be a silver lining if the Iran war’s failure forced a reckoning in Washington about the United States’ preconceived notions about Iran and the well-worn playbook that has led to this morass.
If you are into fish, I have the link for you: Fish Families of the World Gallery.
Amazing photography: Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026 Finalists.
TRAVEL
Interesting list: Challenge Your Mind and Body on These 8 Global Pilgrimages, From Lagoons in Peru to Mountains in Japan. With the latest flood catastrophes around the world, maybe we will all be screening for locations that are nowhere near any conditions that may lead to floods? I don’t know about you but after watching the Nepal videos my interest in visiting has waned. Which is of course awful as the country will need so much more help going forward.
The US State Department has a map of travel advisories, which I think it is pretty cool to look at.
UNESCO has posted the 2026 List of New Inscribed Properties. And they are amazing. Like Mt. Olympus in Greece near my hometown. I think visiting the ones in South Sudan and the Republic of Congo will have to wait though.
Did you know there is a Mob Museum in downtown Las Vegas? Now you do. And it’s very cool actually.
THAILAND
Hello from Bangkok, I have more on my trip in the MY ACTION AND BLOG BUZZING section below.
A few years ago Thailand expanded visa free stay from 30 to 90 days to citizens of almost 100 countries. Well, apparently there was a lot of abuse so they decided to change course and revert it back to 30 days. And now we have an effective date this goes live, it is September 15, 2026. This impacts US citizens as well so if you were planning to visit Thailand soon this may impact your plans: Thailand Reduces Visa-Free Stay To 30 Days & Limits Its To 60 Nationals From September 15, 2026.
If you were looking to retire in Thailand and you are under 50 years old, you basically have two options: The Destination Thailand DTV Visa and the Privileges (formerly known as The Elite) Visa that is a lot more expensive targeting people who can obviously afford it. Think of the Privileges Visa as the equivalent of a Golden Visa type that you may have seen mentioned elsewhere. Learn more here: Early Retirement in Thailand: How to Do It Before You Turn 50.
One thing you will realize in Thailand is that they keep changing the rules. So effective August 31 we have changes with the DTV Visa. Which makes us getting it last month geniuses, hold the well deserved applause you guys. Two major requirements are added going forward: First, you must apply from the country you are a citizen of or hold residency. And must provide a clean criminal record report. There was a lot of abuse in the former requirement. With applicants shopping around for the Thai Embassy or Consulate that was deemed “easy” for DTV approvals. The second requirement makes a lot of sense because you don’t want criminals entering your country but it does add an additional hassle to the whole process for sure: Thailand’s DTV is Changing: New Rules & Re-Entry Scrutiny.
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 reference post: Do This For Every Hotel Booking: A Warning About Cancellation Policies.
I am trying to figure out Rove, looks like it has legs? Rove Launches Its Biggest-Ever Platform Expansion With New Mobile App, Dining Rewards, Instant-Earning Gift Cards, and Rebuilt Hotel Experience. Wait, there is more: Rove Adds Copa Airlines ConnectMiles as 1:1 Transfer Partner + 40% Transfer Bonus. If you don’t have a Rove Miles account, do I have a link for you? Yes I do: My Rove Miles Referral Link.
With Spirit Airlines out, it did not take long for Frontier to do this smh: Frontier Devalues Loyalty Program.
There are some on this list I was not aware of: 10 Incredible Hyatt Hotels You Can Book for 12k Chase Points or Less. Hi to the author Christine, still bringing it after all these years.
If you have a hotel stay coming up you should scan this list: Current Hotel Promotions.
The transformation of Southwest Airlines continues: Southwest Confirms Airport Lounges & New Premium Card. What I found intriguing is the tie up with Chase and its lounges and it will be so interesting how this develops, stay tuned.
The good old days of loyalty are long gone and are not coming back. It’s been so long since I was using dirt cheap fares on Northwest Airlines to achieve Platinum (that was the top status back then lol) and earn insane amounts of miles that were then used to fly up front all over the world. It’s been a constant and never ending move towards the revenue based model for over ten years now and counting. Even Carnival has jumped on this secular trend: Carnival Cruise Lines Launches Carnival Rewards. With the obligatory marketing “this is good for you” BS language of course smh. And enhanced with a credit card which is also becoming standard as well.
TRAVEL REWARDS CREDIT CARDS
For ANY questions on travel rewards credit cards, contact me anytime at travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com
This United Airlines practice of linking award availability and discounts available with United credit cards is one of those moves that is becoming the norm out there. I think Delta started the discount linkage and United added the award availability and…keeps running with it: Biz Class Availability for United Cardholders: Solid, But No Slam Dunk. Even with a United card it is becoming ridiculously hard to “fly for free” up front. Bloggers and YouTubers who keep tricking readers how they can too fly for free sipping Krug and eating caviar in First or Business class (and not telling then what a bitch is to find and book these award flights) should be arrested for deceptive advertising and things of that sort.
LATEST OFFERS:
Finally, we have some NEW offers! American Express throws some new signup bonus features for Amex Delta cards.
- Personal offers:
- ($0 intro fee, then $150) Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card: as high as 80K bonus miles + $250 statement credit after $3K spend over six months. (YMMV)
- ($350 fee) Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit Card: as high as 90K bonus miles + $300 statement credit after $4K of spend.
- ($650 fee) Delta Reserve SkyMiles Credit Card: two round-trip Delta Comfort Flights + 50K Bonus miles after $10K of spend. Flight certificates good for Lower 48, Puerto Rico or U.S. Virgin Islands, 21+ day advance purchase required.
- Business offers:
- ($0 intro fee, then $150) Gold Delta SkyMiles Business Credit Card 90,000 miles after $6,000 in spend within the first six months
- ($350 fee) Platinum Delta SkyMiles Business Credit Card 100,000 miles after $8,000 in spend within the first six months
- ($650 fee) Delta Reserve Credit Card for Business 200,000 miles after $20,000 in spend within the first six months
AMERICAN EXPRESS Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant: 150,000 points AND $250 Credit after $6k spend in six months (ENDING 9/30)
AMERICAN EXPRESS Marriott Benvy: 125,000 points and $150 Credit after $5k spend in six months (ENDING 9/30)
CHASE Sapphire Reserve for Business: 200,000 Points Sign Up Bonus
CHASE INK Cash & INK Unlimited 100,000 Points Signup Bonus (ENDING SOON)
100,000 CHASE Sapphire Reserve: $795 Annual Fee. Minimum spend $6,000 in three months
As High As 200,000 Points on the AMEX Business Gold after spending $15k in the first three months
CHASE Marriott Bonvoy Boundless: Earn FOUR Free Night Awards after $4k spend in three months
80,000 CITI AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard
175,000 AMEX Platinum & 300k AMEX Business Platinum
75,000 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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BONUS OFFERS NOTIFICATIONS
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Elevated Card Offer Notifications
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MY ACTION AND BLOG BUZZING
This section will start with some content geared to more advanced points and miles hobbyists. And then continue on with some items pertaining to my actions in this space and then end with some personal news. So, here we go…
I recently saw a post by One Mile at a Time about how the site is adding paid subcriptions. And I was going to ignore it but not before catching the first comment posted by a Dan, which I found hilarious:
“The site’s ad load has made it increasingly unreadable. Not sure why I’d start paying to deshittify it rather than visit less.”
But wait, there is more. He followed it up with this post that went much deeper: An Honest Conversation About Blog Monetization, Making Money Online. Which does contain many true statements about how much tougher it has been to keep blogging and make money at it.
For the record, this blog of mine has also suffered lately and now is bleeding profusely. Whatever comes in does not even cover the costs anymore. It is totally insane for me to still be here 14 years later! And yet here I am. Without placing any ads on your eyes or lying through my teeth on sponsored posts for shit I can’t really stand and pretending I love them only to get paid. Subscription model? I thought about it but I still don’t want to restrict anyone from reading my content. I have no staff or interns or AI agents helping me out. All I ask for is for my readers to consider using my credit card affiliate links, buy me a coffee once in a while and remember to use my few referral links. And of course share my blog with others who will benefit from it as much as you do. If you don’t benefit from it why are you here? Anyway, if you were thinking to start a blog or a YouTube channel in this space, DON’T. Unless you are insane…
Ok, let’s get back on track here…
I am now at 44 World of Hyatt night credits after the 10 nights stay at the Hyatt Place Soi 1 Bangkok posted without a hitch. You know, World of Hyatt posts the stays always on time, I don’t remember a single time I had to fight for a stay to post. Unlike Marriott Bonvoy from what I hear.
Before the 10 night stay I had just a one night stay at the Bangkok Standard X property for 7,500 World of Hyatt points. Why? Well, to take advantage of a promotion to earn 2,000 every two nights (for a maximum of 8,000 points to be earned) that became effective only starting with the second stay. In addition, I also earned one more brand for the ongoing Hyatt Brand Explorer promotion (a free night cert after every 5 brands) as well which got me to 13 brands. So, when the 10 night stay posted the 8,000 World of Hyatt promotion points also posted with it. Like clockwork.
Ever since I got to Thailand I have not gotten a single email from PointsYeah on my award alerts for my flights back to the US in about three weeks from now! The state of business class award availability just continues to suck bigly…
Our SE Asia trip is coming together on, business class flights and 31 hotel nights booked, see below.
New additions in bold font below. I am adding Instagram links as they happen during my trip (no YouTube video links yet, I guess I am just not much of YouTube material). Including travel related pics from the different locations:
110,000 American Airlines miles for one way First Class from Detroit to Bangkok (via Dallas and Tokyo Haneda) flying AA and JAL Business Class
Sakura Lounge at Tokyo Haneda Airport HND
AMEX Centurion Lounge at Tokyo Haneda Airport HND
JAL Business Class flight from Tokyo Haneda HND to Bangkok BKK
For a trip report on the flights getting me to Bangkok please see the first comment in this post.
OR
118,500 Air Canada Aeroplan miles for one way Business Class from Detroit to Frankfurt to Munich on Lufthansa and to Bangkok on Thai Airways [Canceled, went with AA above]
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
Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 1 Review
9 nights at the Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 24 for 40,500 World of Hyatt points
Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 24 Review
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
1 night at the brand new Fairmont Bangkok in a suite using my lifetime Platinum annual complimentary night cert
1 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
90,000 United miles for one way Business Class Singapore to Chicago O’Hare (via San Fransisco) flying United
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HOT CREDIT CARD OFFERS:
75k CHASE Sapphire Preferred,100k CHASE Ink Cash (ENDING SOON), 100k CHASE Ink Unlimited (ENDING SOON), 200k CHASE Sapphire Reserve Business, 100k CHASE Sapphire Reserve, 80k CITI AAdvantage Platinum Select, 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, 30k CHASE United Gateway, 100k AMEX Gold, 15k AMEX Blue Business Plus and many more!
As of today, I have burned 887,015 miles/points year to date (after burning 1,893,248 miles/points in 2025 and 2,027,816 in 2024) and have 4,075,711 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.
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Good morning!
The links were particularly good today. My son goes to Las Vegas frequently so I’ll point
him to the Mob Museum! He’s already done the Clown Museum so this will be a treat.
The State Department travel map is fascinating. I knew about “travel advisories” but
I had no idea that the map existed. I wonder how often it changes.
And of course the monthly ponzi update!
Hope you are having a great time!
Thanks for all the good stuff. Was starting (again) to finally plan some travel both domestic and abroad but the ol’ ticker is acting up again so stuck here some more for more tests and maybe treatment. Starting to wonder as I approach 70 next year if the end of zipping around the globe is nearing. Not too cheered up about it.
Thanks for the Ponzi stuff. I am always amazed at how much loot these people can get from folks. Glad you are enjoying Thailand and don’t worry about posting, just write us with whatever you feel like when ever you feel like. It’s just good to hear from ya!
Redemptions of the kind we all like are certainly getting harder to get that is for sure. I can not believe how few redemptions we have made in 2026. From my monitoring it seems like you either have to grab something the day of release or lurk and get it last moment. Like Carl, our travel plans continually get derailed by health issues which continue to arise. As Carl says, enjoy Thailand and don’t worry your adoring fans here will be waiting for you download when you have time.