We visit again my favorite topic of miles and credit cards, IHG Rewards IT issues, learn how CVS attacks MS, touch on the Redbird buzz, travel on the Shinkansen bullet train, laugh at some awesome examples of travel wanderlust, look at some creepy abandoned places and I always bring you the best personal finance articles that will make you smarter and richer and more handsome!
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MILES/POINTS
The Top 25 Credit Cards – Mile Nerd
Frequent Flyer Miles & Credit Cards: A Cautionary Tale – Trips With Tykes Excellent read
Loyalty Lobby again was the first blog I saw post about some weird changes in the IHG Rewards latest promotion. That company (and its IT dept.) makes me shake my head. Hey good luck everyone getting your “free” nights and points, hope it works out for you!
Too bad CVS is limiting sales of prepaid cards to $2,000 per day. Looks like MS is under attack! I should have a giveaway of $25 gift card for predicting when credit card loading stops lol.
Blogs of newbies just discovering this hobby just keep coming and coming blogging about the same things like so many others. Zzzzzzz…..
I think I am done with Blog Buzz. I had all these ridiculous blog posts to make fun of but why waste my time? Doesn’t this picture portray what the “hobby” has become? If you keep supporting these businesses taking your money and your clicks to show you how to fly for “FREE” well maybe you are part of the problem. Maybe you just like to be pumped…
Email from reader T. about the Chicago Seminars “When I was new to this, it was interesting. Now it is just pathetic.” I am a straight shooter, it made me laugh 🙂
Mrs. TBB is completely exasperated trying to learn all the nuances about award searching, you know those FREE seats. I think she is done!
I spent two whole hours on blog monetization since Thursday, most I spent in many months! Changes coming but, as you know, very slow. Stay tuned. 2 year blog anniversary coming up. That is just WILD I am still standing! Never in a million years I would expect me to be going at it for a few bucks a day (on a good day)!
At a conference in Charlotte Tuesday through Friday this week. So posting would be lighter than usual I think. I don’t know. But cutting off all the Blog Buzz crap will make my life so much easier so I can devote some time to burning, I am over 3.7 million miles again. This is just wrong!
TRAVEL
Take a ride on the Shinkansen train in Japan celebrating 50 years with 0 fatal accidents. Sit back and enjoy, WOW! You can learn more about the train’s history here, this is fascinating stuff. I ‘d rather blog about this than to squeeze my brain to come up with yet more hideous headlines to sell more plastic!
31 Things People With Wanderlust Understand – Buzzfeed LOL. I can think of so many of you going through these, some are hilarious! Must click! Hey, I don’t like wasting your time but, you know, you practice personal responsibility whenever you click on a link online 😉
The 40 Most Breathtaking Abandoned Places In The World – Distractify Love me some creepy abandoned places.
PERSONAL FINANCE
8 Financial Rules That Apply To Everyone And Their Money Must read!
The 6 Most Costly Mistakes Individual Investors Make – Daily Finance Yep, these are pretty common. So, try to avoid them. #5 is the most critical one to avoid. If I had a $100 bill for every person/couple I met who called me too late. I am not a magician to perform miracles to get you to retire in less than 10 years and keeping your current standard of living, WTF!
Borrowing from 401(k) can cost more than you think – USA Today Yeah, please don’t do that!
And if there was not enough pumping already, this is another shot what followed after the epic Feedly shot I posted here yesterday.
Check out my updated blog lists: Blogs I Love, Blogs I Like, Blogs I Ignore
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TBB
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Waited for this moment so long!
Silver is pitiful once you have tasted Gold.
Buzz – thanks for the informative link on the Shinkansen.
We just got back from a 10 day trip to Japan (booked using pre-deval UA miles) and rode the Shinkansen extensively using the JR pass. We fell completely in love with Japan overall on our visit (this was our first visit to the country) and we did notice how efficient the cleaning crews were. The trains are just incredible, and the JR pass is a real bargain (we bought one-week first-class passes for ~$350 each, and felt like we got much more than our money’s worth), especially considering that Japan is not an inexpensive country to visit).
Echoing The Common Man… The Rail Pass is FANTASTIC! I’ve used that almost everytime I’ve been to Japan, getting the “Green Car” pass (First Class) is the best and I have never had a problem getting reserved seats. You can use it on the Narita Express to get you into Tokyo, the onward North to Hokkaido and West to Kyoto, Osaka and Fukuoka.
PS. If your kid is still interested in a study abroad… Check out JCMU (Japan Center for Michigan Universities) has scholarships for all students enrolled in MI universities…
My favorite part of Chicago Seminars was listening to Marathon Man speak. He is a very smart and very funny guy. His stories kept me laughing the whole time. I even won a prize this time in the charity auction 🙂
@ Vinay: WOW. We are not worthy…How does it really feel? lol
@ The common man: Thanks, fantastic feedback on the JR pass! This is definitely a benefit of blogging…learning from readers!
@MrNice: Thanks for the confirmation about the rail pass too! And for the JCMU scholarships!
@ Grant: Still sad he showed up there…I will get over it.
I defy a single whore blogger to post that Ink Plus 70K is still alive on the Chase website now that their precious affiliate links have expired.
OK, I’m SHOCKED. Gary Leff is about to post it.
From Deals we like “For those that woke up this morning saying “Shoot! I meant to apply for the Chase Ink Plus card before I went to sleep last night”,”
Please shoot me.
I finally deleted my RSS feed from boarding area.
I am so sick of the Ink Plus card right now I am thinking of finally starting that pet sitting business I always aspired to!
You’re coming to Charlotte? If you have any free time, let me know and we can grab lunch.
Landing Tuesday at 12.01 pm. Will be at Westin downtown for 3 nights. Best day will be Tuesday! Wednesday/Thursday too hectic. Friday conference ends at 1 pm, flight is at 6 pm…so that may work too.
Can I use Uber at the airport?
I was just taken out to the woodshed by Drew 🙂
http://travelisfree.com/2014/10/20/whos-really-sold-out-in-this-game/
Wow
You deserve it for ever being a MMS cheerleader. Sorry George.
I knew I will pay for it one day…
I apologized it for it.
Last 5 days my ads have brought in 23 cents…Hey hating sells!
This is just a weird “hobby” 🙂
Any truth to the rumor Jim Jones was working to refreshment stand, and had a special on Kool-Aid?
As someone correctly pointed in comments in original article, Drew seems to have a Stockholm syndrome(wonder what one weekend can do).
Drew mixed up people with their blogs and I am sorry to predict but very soon he’s going Mile Value/MMS way.
I have posted a follow up comment there elaborating on that exact issue people vs. blogs(businesses).
If my blog ever went down MV/MMS path please let me hear it you guys.
But I intend to test the limits soon #mysterious #hints 🙂
Thanks for the mention. Slightly relieved I didn’t get into trouble by blogging about miles & points. But sure I will step in it another time in the future.
Ok, you are safe 🙂
We shouldn’t spare the ones we love. MileNerd puts his BigCrumbs aff link out there with no disclosure in today’s post. I’m not inclined to buy Amex cards at only 2% back; this special is a big yawn.
Thanks to P in a previous post for the suggestion of a points-earning debit card for day care expenses. Will look into it.
Like, not Love 🙂
Need to step away or pour my soul (hateful vitriol according to some) in my blog tonight. But I got a soccer game, showdown for 3rd place. And then I gotta pack!
Could someone explain how/why Lucky was supposedly banned from United?
I am sure some will tell you in person…
Apparently, he is never allowed on a UA plane ever again. But hey, AA is just awesome 🙂
It’s pretty funny that Drew is defending MMS.
MMS might be a nice guy but is definitely a scumbag for paying Drew to write a whole series on Lufthansa and than claiming that he spent “hours and hours researching”
Can’t bite the hand that feeds you, right?
Ughh, that was another fine practice that we are supposed to just shut up about it because someone is nice (he is)?
Anyways, I had a great soccer game with my Gasping For Air soccer team tonight, I scored 2 goals in the 2nd half and then we gasped to the end to hold the tie 2-2. The point got us Bronze as the top two teams are in a league of their own!
So, what happened to the 75 posts that VFTW had on Ink Plus from the past month?
All gone!
Yep, I was just finishing that line in my blog post coming up in a few minutes. It’s like THE WIPEOUT lol!
“2 year blog anniversary coming up. That is just WILD I am still standing!”
And I’m SO HAPPY you’re still here! Bravo!