Another TBB post featuring the most eclectic links around the web such as AI facts and risks, China’s long twilight, the best hotels, Amex great expansion, explaining bonds, problem gambling, most haunted hotels, the best multi day hikes, 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.
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.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“We are what we repeatedly do…excellence, therefore, isn’t just an act, but a habit and life isn’t just a series of events, but an ongoing process of self-definition” – Aristotle
MUST READ GEMS
Best read this week. When something is in this section I highly recommend to read it in its entirety, no excerpts for you.
The 26 Most Important Facts About AI and the Economy
PERSONAL FINANCE
This probably belongs in the AI section below. But since this stock market would not be anywhere near where it is at without AI I am adding it here: The Biggest Risk Everyone Already Knows About. And this should give us all some pause and make us realize the times we are in these days so enjoy them while they last…
And as the author correctly states at the end of the article…
It feels uncomfortable to say but the three most important words right now for every investor trying to handicap this market are:
1. I
2. don’t
3. know
Bonds are in the news lately so this is very relevant. It is the best explainer of what bonds are: Bonds Explained: What They Are and Why You Might Own Them.
We all hate paying taxes but when you compare us to other countries it is not even close: The World’s Most and Least Taxed Countries.
Morgan Housel in his last video titled Three Types of Intelligence talks about: New skills that become more important in an AI world, the cost of living, and winning the lottery.
AI/TECH
This article contains some sobering charts and numbers: AI and the Fall? of the Creative Class. America is Losing Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs in Media, Film & the Arts. How Much is AI to Blame?
America has lost more than 200k jobs in “creative” industries over the last four years, with roughly 50k lost within the last year alone. That makes for one of the worst stretches for media employment in modern US history, with similar job loss intensity and duration occurring only during the major economic recessions of 2001 and 2008. Yet there’s no generalized recession today—instead, this period of job loss coincides with the rise of AI systems that can compose wholesale novels, photorealistic images, soundalike music, and practically every other form of digital art, en masse and at extremely low costs. Is this the fall of the Creative Class?
We all must admit that this looks a little weird…
SCAMS/CRYPTO
I am anti gambling. And I am not going to change now. And articles like this shows how awful it is:I Deliberately Bet Like a Problem Gambler. And all these people pimping it, how shameful. Anyway, enough of my preaching. You know I use this site to do this by now, right? And it is a major reason why I have not quit yet.
Some of the older readers will remember the Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, the televangelist couple scamming millions out of their moron followers. If you ever gave money to them please leave now. The dude was sentenced to over 40 years in prison but did only 5. And then came out and did it all over again with another wife smh. He could not stop himself from selling fake Covid cures and other shit. And ranted non stop, even blaming hurricanes at Barack Obama. Oh, anyway he died finally: What Happened to Jim Bakker After the Fall of His Religious Empire? Inside the Late Televangelist’s Life and Crimes. RIH, just made that up, Rest In Hell. If you were offended my blog is probably not a good fit for you.
Back in the old days when a scandal like this made it to the front page of the Wall Street Journal, a resignation soon followed. Or a firing. Not these days, who knows, she may even get a promotion smh: Exclusive | ‘Honey Please’: Kimberly Guilfoyle Pushed Donor to Wire $100,000 to Her Amex Account. Text messages with a MAGA ally show her seeking funds and offering access to top administration officials ahead of her confirmation as ambassador to Greece. We may be living in an age of AI…and very close to that is grifting led from the very top, yikes. I guess her name is already preprinted on the pardon papers lol. Naturally, I find it sad that she spent so much on the Amex Platinum card (I am assuming that is the card she had…or was it the Black card?) earning just 1 point per dollar lol. I was going to do some excerpts and insert some pics of the text messages here but I I will be accused of being political. And I am really trying not to, really! Ok, just one, I can’t resist
ODDZ & ENDZ
Really thoughtful article for younger readers. So good actually I sent it to my kids: Playing the Wrong Game.
You have to understand that, for an online content creator, the ultimate sign of success is a huge platform. People like Tim Ferriss, Andrew Huberman, and Chris Williamson are examples of those who have won the game. These are the creators we look up to. They’re supposed to help us live better lives with their accumulated knowledge and wisdom. Yet, as far as I can tell, all of these men are unmarried and childless. I understand that not everyone wants to be married or have children, but now that I have both, I feel a bit deceived.
Because we are encouraged to focus so much on ourselves. Men are told to “lock in” and women are told to “girl boss” it up. And there’s nothing wrong with these messages by themselves. But when you listen to them for too long you can end up missing out on one of the most meaningful parts of human existence.
Really good analysis here: China’s Long Twilight. Never forget that what appears to be arguments that make sense can still fail spectacularly in geopolitics. Just like so called market gurus making market predictions. Time always tells.
All this points to a United States that will soon experience the same kind of reckoning that China is undergoing today. But demographic crisis is not destiny. It is the accumulation of choices—whether to support families or dictate to them, welcome immigrants or wall them out, lift up the young or protect entrenched privilege. Under Xi’s rule, China no longer has the luxury of choice: it is walking into a dead-end, closed version of itself that will worsen its demographic decline. The United States, however, can still choose differently. [Well, VOTE then!]
Fascinating: Museum of Numbers.
Amazing photography: Winners of the 2026 Pure Street Photography.
TRAVEL
Another list and I have issues with it: The Best Hotels in the World. According to readers’ choices. And the four on the list I have stayed in were ones I would have never voted for. So, yeah yet another list with issues, happens often. What are these four hotels I stayed in and will never vote as Best? The Park Hyatt Bangkok and Park Hyatt Chicago and two Fairmonts, the one at Miramar in Santa Monica and the other one is the Frontenac in Quebec (which I really liked but not in a list like this). I can’t believe those two Park Hyatts were picked ahead of the one in Saigon.
Halloween is coming: The 27 Most Haunted Hotels in America.
You add a Hyatt midway and I am in! The best multi day hikes in the world (2026 edition). This is an extensive list, probably bookmark worthy.
Web cams around the world: World Watcher.
THAILAND
This looks cool: 1,200 Miles by Train, From Singapore to Bangkok. A writer takes a weeklong journey, from the island city-state to the Thai capital, in the final days of a historic rail connection. My wife wanted to take the train from Malaysia to Bangkok when she joined me last month. But I talked her out of it because it would be the first time she entered Thailand with the DTV Visa we both now have and I am not sure that would work out in a land border. Maybe next time.
In my recent trip to Thailand, after I landed I went straight to the Standard X in Bangkok. For one night due to a promotion and to also knock off yet another Hyatt Brand in its ongoing Brand Explorer promotion (stay in 5 different Hyatt brands, earn one Free Night cert). I made an Instagram post about my stay. And the other day the brand StandardX was gone and the hotel became Quro Bangkok Riverside, part of the unscripted by Hyatt brand. So if you want to stay in a StandardX to hit another brand you will have to fly all the way to Melbourne, Australia where there is the only one StandardX property left. So, it looks like Hyatt is going to kill this brand. I just checked the Hyatt app and I haven’t stayed in an unscripted by hyatt hotel yet, maybe next year. Which will take me to 14 brands so I need to find the 15th one soon to earn another Free Night cert.
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…
This site about lounges looks good: This Lounge. It bills itself as “the most accurate airport lounge directory in the world“. As I find the app Lounge Review annoying to use lately…
Speaking of lounges and how the industry is going upscale lately, we now have A $5,000 Private Lounge With BMW Tarmac Drop-off Is the New Airport Luxury.
And this is only going to spread, oh wait…
Washington Dulles International Airport got the green light from the airport authority in July to move forward with a private terminal project, awarding Ireland-based daa International a 20-year contract to develop and operate the facility. The contract is valued at $125 million.
Dang, and I thought flying First Class for free made me a big deal woohoo.
Ok, back to reality now. Weird promo: Southwest Is Giving Away Up to 10,500 Rapid Rewards Points. You need to hurry to get a chance at them 10,000 points and I gave up. Instead, I took the easy 500 for a tiny survey. Times 4. Or buy something online for $200+ and earn an easy 500 Southwest points. You know, toilet paper and/or paper towels always work, ends 10/12/26.
This is a good recap of what we could get other than flying and hotels. And I don’t mean toasters, please don’t ever do that for Pete’s sake: Experience Points: Book activities for no cash with these miles & points.
I enrolled us all in these Atmos Rewards Communities Are Now Live: Benefits for All 6 Groups. I like how Alaska Airlines continues to think differently.
Probably the most overdue move in the global airline industry? Close?: British Airways finally unveils A380 cabins, including updated Club Suite.
TRAVEL REWARDS CREDIT CARDS
For ANY questions on travel rewards credit cards, contact me anytime at travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com
Got a United card? See what spending based promotion you get HERE. I think this is the former Mile Play promotion, now titled Extra Miles. You do you United.
Amex is not joking around: Amex Announces Major Centurion Lounge Expansion With Two New and Two Renovated Locations. Apparently the Newark Centurion lounge was not big enough at 18,000 square feet. So it will be delayed into 2027 and it will be 30,000 square feet. Which makes it the largest Centurion Lounge, wow. A new one is coming to London Heathrow’s Terminal 5 joining the one already at Terminal 3. And the lounges at Philadelphia and Houston are to be renovated and greatly expanded. Looking forward to visit wait in line.
The cancer dreaded pop ups spread, y tu Citi?
NEW OFFERS:
CHASE IHG ONE REWARDS
Chase has a major update of its IHG One Rewards cards. Courtesy of reddit: Chase Introduces New IHG Premium Card, Nerfs Existing Cards. Or read the summary from the Doctor of Credit: Chase Makes Changes To Existing IHG Card Lineup (Increased Annual Fees & More).
The new card is the IHG One Rewards Premier Select: $350 annual fee. Debut SUB of 200k points after spending $5k in three months. 10,000 points for adding an Authorized User. Anniversary Free Night Cert that can be redeemed for 60k IHG points. Redeem 3 nights, get 4th free. $200 statement credit after spending $250 in flights purchased directly with an airline. Up to $50 United TravelBank cash per year. $75 quarterly Food and Beverage voucher at IHG hotels. Earns total 28x at IHG, 6x on dining and all travel, including rideshares, 3x on everything else. Automatic 20 elite nights at the start of the calendar year. Earn 2 elite night credits after each $5k spend. 20,000 bonus points after $15k spend in a calendar year. Earn 5 elite night credits after $15k spend in a calendar year. Early access to reward night sales. $10 Instacart credit per month. $10 Doordash non-restaurant voucher per month through December 31, 2027. Up to $120 statement credit on Global Entry/TSA Pre/CLEAR. 30% on IHG points purchases. More on the card HERE.
IHG One Rewards Premier refresh: Annual fee has increased from $99 to $150. Increased SUB of 180k points after spending $3000 in three months. No longer grants automatic Platinum Elite status, only Gold Elite. Anniversary FNC value has increased from a 40k point free night to a 50k point free night. New $25 quarterly Food and Beverage voucher. New $100 statement credit after spending $250 in flights purchased directly with an airline. Automatic 15 elite nights at the start of the calendar year.
IHG One Rewards Business renamed from IHG One Rewards Premier Business: Annual fee increased from $99 to $200. Increased SUB of 190k points after spending $5000 in three months. Anniversary FNC value has increased from a 40k point free night to a 50k point free night. New $25 quarterly Food and Beverage voucher. New $100 statement credit after spending $250 in flights purchased directly with an airline. New $100 statement credit for Expensify purchases. Automatic 15 elite nights at the start of the calendar year.
IHG One Rewards renamed from IHG One Rewards Traveler: Annual fee remains at zero. Starting in 2027, fourth night free requires $5000 in spend per calendar year. Increased SUB of 125k points after spending $2000 in three months. Automatic 5 elite nights at the start of the calendar year.
CHASE UNITED AIRLINES ELEVATED OFFERS
Straight from Danny Deal Guru:
United Club℠: Earn up to 100,000 United MileagePlus bonus miles after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months
United Quest℠: Earn up to 90,000 United MileagePlus bonus miles after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months
United℠ Explorer: Earn up to 80,000 United MileagePlus bonus miles after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months
United℠ Gateway: Earn up to 50,000 United MileagePlus bonus miles after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months
LATEST OFFERS:
80K CHASE SOUTHWEST RAPID REWARDS PREMIER BUSINESS
For a very low $3k in minimum spend in the first three months for a business card. The annual fee is $149.
CAPITAL ONE Venture Rewards: 75,000 Points PLUS $300 Travel Credit
The $300 Travel Credit is for hotel stays and vacations. Plus 75,000 points worth at a MINIMUM $750, so we are up to $1,050 at least. For an annual fee of $95 for a minimum spend of $4,000 in three months. I mean, come on, do the math! Wait, there is more:
- Card earns 2x points everywhere (the equivalent of 2% everywhere)
- Card earns 5x points on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- No foreign transaction fees
- Visa Signature benefits
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
115K CHASE AirCanada Aeroplan
Note that you get 75k miles after $4k minimum spend in the first three months. And then additional 40k miles after a total of $20k spend in the first six months. Annual fee goes from $95 to $195. Learn more about the new offer here.
AMERICAN EXPRESS Hilton Increased Credit Card Signup Bonuses (Up To 200,000 Points) AND Free Night Cert
All four of them now come with a FREE Night Cert. As of now, I don’t get a credit for using all my Amex credit card links so please email me for a personal referral link instead. Amex cards should come back again I have been told.
American Express throws some higher 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
CHASE Sapphire Reserve for Business: 200,000 Points Sign Up Bonus
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
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.
Please help the small independent blogs like mine continue to exist by supporting us with your CREDIT CARD clicks, thank you!
BONUS OFFERS NOTIFICATIONS
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Elevated Card Offer Notifications
All you have to do to receive these free notifications is:
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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 have been trying to get the Charles Schwab American Express Platinum card for the past year or so. Every time I got the dreaded pop up jail message telling me no signup bonus for me. Only for me to withdraw my app and try it again. Rinse and repeat. All along while having the Business Amex Platinum card. Which I was not going to keep any longer as the credits are vastly inferior to the personal Amex Platinum cards. So I closed the Business card finally at the end of September after I returned from my long SE Asia trip. So when I applied again earlier this week I expected the same result. Only to be shocked when I was approved. So, another 80k Amex points will be on their way to me after I do the $12k spend and I have six months to do so. This keeps my decades long streak alive never getting a credit card without a big signup bonus. Granted, 80k signup bonus is nothing to celebrate but after receiving 0 signup bonus offers for the past year I will take 80k any day.
If I was denied again I was ready to sit down and ponder whether to go back to the Sapphire Reserve card. Probably with an upgrade offer on my Sapphire Preferred card. Why? To diversify and of course get back on the 1:1 transfer ratio to Hyatt. But I can’t use enough of the credits on the Chase side and I can more than make up the $895 cost of the Amex Platinum cards. Having another credit simply for parking all our investments with Schwab makes it a no brainer. Same with my wife, yes she is scanning the Resy restaurants to visit every other day lol. What is shocking is that the second day I had the card the Schwab statement credit was already credited to my account, wow.
I applied at the same time for the new Chase IHG Premier Select card, see above for details. App went to review so I waited. 3 days later I get a call from a nice Chase rep who verified a few numbers on my application and then asked to shift some of my credit lines and I gladly accepted to take $20k from my Sapphire Preferred card’s credit line. I asked to expedite it but rep said they don’t do that for branded cards, boo! My annual insurance bill is due October 16 and it will take 5-7 business days for me to receive the card so I should make it to score a fat 200k points, boom. Yeah, this is an addiction. And yeah I am not over 5/24 because I have slowed way down and been focusing on business cards lately. Well, no Chase Ink cards it appears will be in the menu going forward, so sad. Of course I used my blog’s link to get this card and it is already credited as a confirmed sale. First credit card sale in October, I am always first here lol. If only one more applies I can double the revenue growth from last month and get back on the TBB IPO track you guys. Update: The 20 elite night credits you get automatically holding this card hit my IHG account the very next day Chase approved my application (and I don’t even have the card on my hands yet). I guess I hit the first Milestone Reward level already and can choose one of the three: 5,000 points, 2 food & beverage rewards or a confirmed suite upgrade in 90 days. All righty then, I just placed a reminder to myself to choose the suite upgrade on January 2nd, 2027, hooray.
I managed to hold myself back from dealing with yet another bank. As I am trying to simplify my life. But with the future lack of having endless stream of Chase to World of Hyatt points it is probably best to add another hotel program’s points in my arsenal. So, here comes IHG One Rewards again. I should soon have north of 220,000 IHG points to burn somewhere where it makes no sense to use some other hotel’s points. Or free night certs. Or bank credits, etc.
My Instagram page is doing great as I have gained several hundred followers. All because of one reel video I took at the rooftop in the Pattaya Hilton, strange how this online thing works. I posted it and then my IG blew up. And it is still attracting views and likes and followers, nearing 1,000 wow. On the other hand, I keep losing email subscribers because the Mailchimp campaign formatting is totally messed up so I am pausing it for now until I figure it out.
Some more posts from Instagram, please follow if you are not following yet:
I was asked recently about the best hotel view in my travels. Undoubtedly, it is at the Lake Louise Fairmont. It is my favorite place, maybe one day I return with grandkids. Meanwhile, here is the trip report from this legendary trip in courtesy of my new at that time Platinum elite status with Fairmont President’s Club.
Wife is doing domestic tourism in Malaysia while tending to her elderly mother these days. Took a day trip to nearby Kuala Lipis.
My second best view from a hotel? It is the Intercontinental in Hong Kong, now a Regent.
BLOG REVENUE REPORT:
September Credit Card Sales: 1
September Buy Me A Coffee Sales: 2
October Credit Card Sales: 1 (mine, lol)
October Buy Me A Coffee Sales: 15
2026 SE ASIA TRIP RECAP
New additions in bold font below. I am starting to add YouTube video links, I am slow.
So to recap:
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
AA Flagship Lounge in DFW YT Video
Sakura Lounge at Tokyo Haneda Airport HND
Sakura Lounge at Tokyo Haneda Airport YT Video
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
At TRIBE Sky Beach Bar in Bangkok
Final post from Bangkok until the return from Saigon
4 nights in a suite at the Saigon Park Hyatt for 80,000 World of Hyatt points
Saigon Food Tour on Motorbikes
Roaming the Streets of Saigon, Part I
Roaming the Streets of Saigon, Part II
Roaming the Streets of Saigon Part III
Park Hyatt Saigon: Lam Son Suite, Front, Lobby, Main Floor
Flying Vietnam Airlines and Saigon Airport
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 night at the Hilton Pattaya for 60,000 Hilton Honors points
Viral IG Reel from Hilton Pattaya Rooftop Bar
2 nights at the Andaz Pattaya Jomtien Beach for 30,000 World of Hyatt points in a confirmed Garden View Suite
Andaz Pattaya Jomtien Beach Part I: The Grounds
Andaz Pattaya Jomtien Beach Part II: Garden View Suite & Fitness Center
Andaz Pattaya Jomtien Beach Part III: Breakfast
Andaz Pattaya Jomtien Beach Part IV: Swimming Pools, Beach & Eating/Drinking
Roaming the Streets of Singapore, Part I
Roaming the Streets of Singapore, Part II
1 night at the Singapore Conrad Marina Bay on an Amex FHR booking mostly covered by the $300 Schwab Amex Platinum $300 credit
Singapore Conrad Marina Bay Part I: King View Room, Lobby & Main Floor, Swimming Pool
Singapore Conrad Marina Bay Part II: Breakfast
Singapore Conrad Marina Bay Breakfast Video
Singapore Wedding at St. Regis Singapore
Singapore Changi Airport Video: Waves
Singapore Changi Airport: Jewel Waterfall
90,000 United miles for one way Business Class Singapore to Chicago O’Hare (via San Fransisco) flying United
Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge in Changi Airport
United Polaris Singapore SIN to San Francisco SFO
The Club Priority Pass airport lounge in San Francisco SFO
Follow TBB on Instagram and Subscribe on YouTube
Check out my page listing my affiliate links HERE
Or go to Rakuten and Top Cash Back and Rove Miles and Gondola
HOT CREDIT CARD OFFERS:
75k CHASE Sapphire Preferred,75k CHASE Ink Cash, 75k CHASE Ink Unlimited, 200k CHASE Sapphire Reserve Business, 100k CHASE Sapphire Reserve, 80k CITI AAdvantage Platinum Select, 75k CITI Strata Elite, 100k CAPITAL ONE Venture Rewards (AND $300 CREDIT), 100k CHASE Ink Business Preferred, 175k AMEX Platinum, 75k CAPITAL ONE Venture X, 115K CHASE AirCanada Aeroplan, 300k AMEX Business Platinum, 200k AMEX Business Gold, 50k CHASE United Gateway, 100k AMEX Gold, 15k AMEX Blue Business Plus and many more!
As of today, I have burned 817,815 miles/points year to date (after burning 1,893,248 miles/points in 2025 and 2,027,816 in 2024) and have 4,525,754 miles/points in the bank.
Reddit’s Which Credit Card Should I Get?
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.
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This site may receive compensation for sending traffic to partner sites. Travel Blogger Buzz and Your Best Credit Cards may receive a commission from card issuers. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not necessarily include all financial companies or all available financial offers. The editorial content on this page is not provided by any of the companies mentioned, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone.
Congrats on finally getting the Schwab card Buzz!
Say it ain’t so…another silver or gold perhaps for the desert curmudgeon.
Great post today, lots to catch up on for the weekend.
The Bakker lot…eeeesshh, I remember that story, gross, barf.
On that note, have a great weekend.
Almost forgot to mention your obsession. Flying to Australia for 1 night credit, funny Buzz.
Good morning!
Lots of weekend reading …
I didn’t realize that Bakker started again with a new wife! I hope to be able to forget that …ignorance can be bliss.
I’m late to the party today. In Lynnwood WA for 2 days as that is the nearest USA Tesla dealership to check on some stuff with the car. Good news is nothing to worry about, it’s just showing age (It’s a 2025). Staying at a Residence Inn. Not bad, not great, crappy pillows. I wish Hotels (in general) would up their pillow game as it is my most common complaint.
Congrats on the plat! Hope all is well with you and I’ll be diving in and out of the blog over the next couple days!
The website formatting is great, BTW!
Hello from Wellington. A high speed burn from ICN-HKG-SYD-WLG the past week. Still early spring here so temps are in the 60s when the sun is out. but supposed to get down into the 50s next week. Totally didnt bring enough winter clothes!
Fun fact, I grew up in the town where Heritage USA was located. It is basically a giant neighborhood now. The building they were selling timeshares to everyone at has still not been fully constructed after all these years. It and the remnants of the theme park have probably changed hands at least 5 times since I lived there. It is now own by a church, at least for the theme park, not sure who owns the tower.
Re: 1,200 Miles by Train, From Singapore to Bangkok…funny they never mentioned the violence at the border of Malay and Thai. 11 gas stations got bombed the month that the author was making the trip. Guess bad for whomever paid for their trip to mention that fact.
Wow, BIG thanks to the blog reader who bought 50 coffees! By far the largest coffee purchase in the history of the blog. Moves like this keep me here blogging away. This is like another seed round before IPO baby 🙂
@ David. Not flying to Melbourne to hit another Hyatt brand, I am done with it. Barely as it switched less than a month after I stayed there, phew. I am shocked I finally got the Schwab Platinum finally.
@ Carl: So 2025 Tesla and it is already an old car? 🙂 Last time I was in a Residence Inn was many years ago with the kids and brother in law’s kids. Had won a sweepstakes by Southwest that had RT tickets for 8 to Orland, I think 4 nights at a Residence Inn next door and tickets to Sea World next door. Kids loved it playing with their cousins. Never returned to a Residence Inn since then I think. I stopped that automatic email with the messed up formatting. And I just sent one with the link to it. I know some like to read the blog post in the email, oh well. I have already been losing subscribers because of the horrendous email formatting so doing it this way I may lose less of them lol. One day I will set up the automatic one. I DID find that code with that walking man pic so it will never show up again…if I take the risk to restart it.
@ DML: There are some deaths that you do not feel sorry at all. This Bakker dude was one of them.
@ bob: Get some warn clothing in New Zealand. Good point on the Thailand Malaysia border violence. Seems like they don’t mess with civilians though? I may hit Hat Yai before I make it up to Chiang Mai next year. Or make it to Hanoi, daughter landed there today. Bangkok will be the base. Working on it.
My bad! I did a typo. The Tesla is a 2015, not 2025. Can’t see a way to edit the original comment though.
Thanks everyone for the StandardX reminder in Melbourne. Just booked a night for next week before they get around to changing it to whatever. Plus on an airline double status credits, they are begging me to go.
I’ve got the train between KL and Singapore on my list to do but also had heard bad things about the Thai side.
I think now it goes beyond travelling with pillows, what is this ridiculous trend of not having fitted bottom sheets on king size beds and stretching a flat queen size so as soon as you roll over the sheet is untucked. I can’t deal with it.
Enjoy grabbing the StandardX brand before it goes extinct. Down to one property I am just not seeing any future for it. I have not noticed the trend you are referring to in hotel bed sheets, hope you manage 🙂
I’m pretty sure this is the best FIRE post of all time: https://www.reddit.com/r/leanfire/comments/1x4kqdg/has_anyone_considered_going_to_prison_temporarily/
Innovative yes. BEST? Not so sure 🙂