We go on another wild run through the IHG Into the Nights Fiasco, learn about stopovers, watch videos of America’s great spaces and a hot air balloon in massive cave, check out some majestic wildlife photos, laugh at a guide of moving from India to US, learn more about common MythConceptions, and we go back to the roots of Blog Buzz, albeit trying to be kinder and gentler. Whatever. Like being kinder and gentler has helped this space become so less…pumpy!
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MILES/POINTS
Dealing with IHG Into the Nights Fiasco – Loyalty Traveler When Ric says “This IHG Into the Nights promotion is the biggest screw-up I have seen in my years of analyzing hotel loyalty promotions” you know something is not right over at IHG. I am staying the hell away! You were warned!
Best airlines to leverage free or low cost stopovers on paid tickets by region – The Flight Deal Solid content here. For a moment, I thought I was reading Travel is Free 🙂
TRAVEL
America’s Great Spaces in Timelapse – The Adventure Blog STUNNING. Sit back, dim the lights and enjoy!
Man Journeys to the Bottom of a 200-Meter Cave in First Ever Underground Hot Air Balloon Flight – Dashburst The size of this cave is more massive than your wildest imagination, wow!
The Winners of the 50th Annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year – Twisted Sifter These are beyond awesome.
Overall Winner – Wildlife Photographer of the Year
ODDZ & ENDZ
What it’s like to move from India to the US? – Quora (question) Hilarious!
Common MythConceptions – Information is Beautiful This is, well, beautiful!
BLOG BUZZ
Note: This section is for long time followers of this hobby and references to blogs/bloggers may not make much sense if you are new to this. You are welcome to stay and read it of course but if you do not get the jokes just remember this note!
You probably know I like to tinker with my blog and what I do with its content…So, let me try this now and try to just write what comes in my head. Obviously, hammering MMS here for making a post selling the Club Carlson credit card is, by now, beyond the waste of our time! I just mark some blog posts and make my angrily vitriolic comment because, well, as Rogert Ebert said…”condemning and helping”. As a long time observer of this quirky “community” I like to call out the absurdities and greed that has over taken it!
Bloggers could not hold back as soon as they got a hold of the Uber news that it may get to finally operate in Las Vegas. The very first blog post that served its referral link was…Delta Points. For the record.
That Chris Guillebeau dude who is everywhere online has now started doing “Top 5 Credit Card Signup Bonuses for Miles & Points” to unsuspecting newbies and takes them for a ride. “Why do you say that angry TBB you have nothing good to say?” I say that because the world’s “best” travel rewards credit card, the amazing Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard is in the Top 5, WTF! Top 5…unbelievable. Predatory for newbies? (talking to you Hans!) You be the judge. Now…hooooooooold on! You can catch this speaker at the next FTU event! Please take some time to congratulate him for including the incredible Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard in the top 5 for October. %$*%$#$#*!@#
Thank you The Points Guy for wasting your readers’ time telling them about the now expired AA Cadillac test drive promotion. I am sure the stuff was so busy massaging the new credit card links for the week to be on top of everything.
I am thinking about inserting each blog appearing in the MMS Friday interview in my Ignore list pronto. Why? Because I feel like the same interview happens every Friday. Some new blogger recently discovering you can travel for free using miles/points and deciding to blog all about it and join the other hundreds of blogs doing the same exact thing. Zzzzzzzzz
One Mile at a Time broke the biggest story of the year before everyone else! No more Dom Perignon in EVA Airlines Business class flights. Clearly this marks the most horrific development imaginable. I am thinking it is time to retire from this game and just cash in my miles/points stash for a bunch of toasters, big screen TVs and tablets. You will have to make do with Veuve Cliquot La Grande Dame 2004 champagne instead. Boooooooooo!
Mr. Deals We Like finally comes back and writes a post…about hotel beds not supporting his feet at the end of the bed or something like that. Deeeeeeep!
Hey Ink is Awesome FT thread. LOL. Guess who is the winner who pummels readers to oblivion huh?
I need to reduce the time I spend in Feedly…So much crap!
Check out my updated blog lists: Blogs I Love, Blogs I Like, Blogs I Ignore
Please pass my blog link to your friends and family if you think they will enjoy it too.
TBB
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First?
First Loser
I’ll never be first again 🙁
Quatro
Cinco de Mayo!
In a comment on Drew’s Sell Out post, Drew said “I have heard Daraius tell me multiple times that he doesn’t care to make more money.” The “Ink is Awesome” FT thread shows that MMS is by far the leader with 25 posts on the Ink Plus promo. So if MMS is not in it for the money, why so many posts on 1 card in a couple of weeks?
Drew also says he hasn’t noticed a decline in MMS’s content over the past couple of years. He’s either ignoring the facts or suffering some type of delusional disorder. After all, his conclusion is that the real sell outs are the haters and not the credit card bloggers who sell non-stop.
As I don’t read any blog that much (except for TBB of course), my family has decided to go back to using non-affiliate links for our credit card sign ups. It is ridiculous how much the banks pay their affiliate bloggers for conversions. Of course, that price is ultimately paid for by the consumer.
It’s ok for me to get shot down by other bloggers. Being a critic comes with that. I let things stand on their own and readers can make conclusions on their own, no arrows needed. Sometimes I read stuff and just shake my head to the point I am afraid it may disconnect from my body!
Thanks for the kind words about my blog, it means a lot to me.
Yes it is ridiculous how much bloggers get paid for conversions. What is more ridiculous is producing ridiculous content and ridiculously pumping their readers every day! My point has always been let’s help the ones who are producing good content and who are not pumping like crazy. Then again, those are the ones who possibly can not keep the most lucrative links…which is just a shame!
I am working on coming up with a tab for “friends and family” and loyal readers to help TBB out. And yes I know I will receive plenty of grief over it. Making $1.54 from Amazon over the whole weekend is just, well, even more ridiculous! So please be kind everyone 🙂 And if I turn into MV please make me go rot in hell 🙂
I know you don’t mind taking criticism from other bloggers (I think you might even enjoy it), but I wasn’t making any reference to your recent squabble with Drew. I was just trying to explain why I made the decision not to use affiliate links. The lure of money promotes deceitful behavior from bloggers and most certainly affects their content. Affiliate commissions must be a huge cost for the banks and there’s no way the banks would be paying it if they weren’t making money off the borrower’s mistakes (interest charges, late fees, cash advances, over the limit fees, not meeting the spend in time to get the bonus, etc.).
I’m sure you will get a lot of criticism for adding credit cards, especially from certain bloggers; but you have always said you don’t have a problem with the affiliate links, just the constant pumping. I’m curious what you will do though if the banks start pressuring you to sell more or you’ll lose your links. Aren’t there more profitable ads such as the ones found on Boarding Area and other websites? It seems that some bloggers like Seth are able to survive on just ad revenue, but maybe he has other income sources.
>>>>>I know you don’t mind taking criticism from other bloggers (I think you might even enjoy it)
I do enjoy it 🙂
>>>>>>The lure of money promotes deceitful behavior from bloggers and most certainly affects their content.
+1. Not all. And yes it definitely affects content. Whoever denies that is delusional!
>>>>>>>Affiliate commissions must be a huge cost for the banks and there’s no way the banks would be paying it if they weren’t making money off the borrower’s mistakes (interest charges, late fees, cash advances, over the limit fees, not meeting the spend in time to get the bonus, etc.).
Absolutely correct!
Yes, I abhor the constant pumping!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>I’m curious what you will do though if the banks start pressuring you to sell more or you’ll lose your links.
I am just now, after 2 years, learning more about this from the other side. Not sure where it is going to go or if it will ever get there. I have already deleted one email with info about cc’s I would never ever push even to my worst enemy. I am very mindful of the murky ground I am walking on…But at my pace probably not much will change…I actually want to see ingy go off on me one more time lol. So please judge me (like Drew says) on my content 🙂
>>>>>>>>>Aren’t there more profitable ads such as the ones found on Boarding Area and other websites? It seems that some bloggers like Seth are able to survive on just ad revenue, but maybe he has other income sources.
BA is taking advantage of the massive traffic they generate and its negotiating position to attract higher ad revenue. So pretty much every blog there makes some money from its traffic. I think my site could generate $300 to $400 per month there…no doubt so many go there because AT LEAST they generate some dinero this way.I probably could be fine with that I guess but I just don’t belong in a crowd…how can I criticize other BA blogs when I am inside? Besides, they get lots of swag and stuff like paid trips to BAcon, I have always paid my own way and refused any such offers. I believe Seth has other income sources. Many blogs in my Love/Like lists have cc ads and you wouldn’t know it unless you specifically looked for them. Maybe I can be like them. I just do not ever see myself as a pumper, just not my style. So far, it has been very educational…likely it is not going to last as my fuse is pretty short and….#developing
Bottom line, the miles/points blogging economics is all about cc conversions, NOTHING PAYS BETTER BY FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR! Therefore, the explosion in “experts” jumping into it.
So… In reading that “Ink is Awesome” thread… Or should it say “Ink Referral $$$$ are Awesome”… (Great analysis by Seth) I was thinking, this is but ONE CARD they were pumping, how many other cards did they pump at the same time or god forbid in the same post? Sad to see how low some of the travel blogosphere has devolved. Glad to see TBB above the fray! Go Amazon!!!
The data is based on the headlines. The cc pumping within each blog post is just insanely surreal. And yeah, MMS does not care about the money. LOLOLOLOLOLOL
Damn right I’m one of the best!
Where’s the like button?
I believe in this case it’s right here.
The toilet model needs to pull up his shirt.
Ha! I’d totally forgotten I had a best credit card links page. It’s looking a little forlorn these days…
This space refers to toilets quite often. I found an amazing link with toilets in a bunker of a WWII “leader”, amazing stuff. Still can’t believe that guy is considered an expert and had the audacity to make this card a Top 5…Autograph please at the next FTU. And then I get flak for daring to say presenting in these seminars next to these “renowned” experts is a good thing…There I go again being angry and all lol
See this is why TBB is such a valauable resource. I completely missed that Daraius told Drew that he doesn’t care to make more money.
I know how he feels-it’s the same with me and sex. I really don’t care that much any more if I have sex. A whiule back, I realized how selfish I was being, and now I only have sex to bring joy into the lives of women. It makes my heart glow to see what it means to them. Maybe not quite like getting 70k UR points for an Ink sign-up bonus, but then you don’t have to wait 18 months to see me again.
Good to see there are people looking out for other people. It’s all about giving back.
Karen’s comment and yours look like Gems to me!
“all about giving back”? A prominent blogger told me sometime ago it’s “all about conversions” 🙂
Buzz, thank you for your advice on BABA a couple of weeks ago. I know when you said MAYBE, you really meant YES (but don’t blame me if it goes down)……………….Coffee is on me if we ever meet!
Remember, you don’t have a profit until you book it 🙂
I’ve just returned from a weekend at a luxury all-inclusive with 100 Mommy Bloggers, and looking at their review posts made me hold MMS up as a beacon of light. Blogs with words like “savings”, “frugal”, and “coupon” in their names gave glowing write-ups to the property (which I’ll admit was lovely) without bothering to mention that A) the room they stayed in cost $1400/night per family in low season and B) we got an over 90% discount. One post I read said that the all inclusive aspect made it “ideal for families on a budget”!
I don’t want to even imagine what TBB what have done to me if I had tried such a stunt…and I would have deserved it.
Yeah I saw some of that. And that hotel does look lovely 🙂
There are 100 Mommy Bloggers?!?
—FQF
Lol.
Pretty sure you didn’t say you got a 90% discount. You just said you got a “convention” rate. That was no convention, more like a junket/familiarization trip. But you’re right that the worst Points and Miles bloggers look like saints compared to the advertorial content of your average commercial Mommy Blog.
And also, I know the US airline lounges have really lowered the bar on liqour, but if Tanqueray/Bombay/Absolut are on the “top shelf” of your liquor store, I suggest you find a new liquor store. 😉
I was comparing to “bathtub”, which is under the shelf. . I went back and added “heavily”. Thanks for the motivation to clarify.
Yeah, the more time I spend in mommy blog land, the more I think miles & points credit card land is actually pretty ethical. To be fair, I think plenty of the mommy blogs aren’t doing it to be underhanded – many just come from a place of blogging on the side while they stay at home with their kids without understanding (or even knowing about) disclosure rules. But for the ones who regularly attend blog conferences and the like (where lawyers and accountants give presentations on things like this), they need to do better.
>>>>>>> miles & points credit card land is actually pretty ethical.
say whaaaaaat?
When I attended the financial blogger conference in 2013 I was a little taken aback from so many looking for any afilliate income they can get their hands on….throwing them links in blog posts was as natural as drinking coffee in the morning, It was kind of surreal for me. It’s a really tough tough world online to make any serious income from blogging unless you are either a) insane b) abhor pumping c) take a really long term view of this or d) all of the above. I think I am at d but trying to outlive c lol
Let Drew alone. The guy clearly is running out of ideas how to make a buck on his great site,
the only solution left is joining the so-called “friends”. He doesn’t want to be seen as part of TBB.
So he makes a loud 180, “I love those guys, they are so friendly and nice”. Seriously?
They are a bunch of liars and sellouts. Period. They will make anything to make more cash
as it’s still possible – surely not for long. They know that, he knows that. The whole credit card
game is gonna end soon. So pump, pump baby. I can bet $100 they see the income dive.
There is much less so-called newbies than we think. Most of the readers have all the cards they
can ever get. They will never admit that, but the golden times are over. Leave those poor
guys slowly fade into the darkness George.
I am not so sure if this will end anytime soon. We are talking about US Banks here, they are different animals 🙂
The key is to keep hooking newbies….they have so many cards to get. I should have started a site Travel Newbie Buzz instead huh!
It’s a tough world online. I should do that post about warning new bloggers before they start their own blog to tell “friends and family” how to travel for FREE.
I would rather see Drew succeed than the ones in my Ignore list…any day every day. And I would not fault him at all for joining Boarding Area. The economics behind that move make great sense. #reality
Thanks for sharing the hot air balloon video, Croatia looks beautiful (judging by the landscape and cave only). You should do a “where are they now post” looking at the Friday Interview blogs. Don’t forget, I was interviewed last July 🙂
You ‘re welcome.
For the record: You were not interviewed…you just answered the same questions every one else answers 🙂
Damn, I knew I should have registered PumpMyRide.com when I had the chance, that would make one awesome, transparent ass travel blog. I’d just make the card pumping ads take the most real estate on the page, relegating the “content” to a couple sentences (Look left and click my links) on the right hand side.
PumpMyRide.biz just doesn’t scream “Travel Expert” like the .com version… how the hell am I supposed to make money now? With a real job? Eff that.
“ass travel”….Sounds like a niche to me, go for it! Better niche than most other blogs out there! 🙂