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| Skyward Hong Kong picture (see link below) |
CAPITAL ONE 360 SAVINGS ACCOUNT
If you have an online savings account please skip this section now! Or if you absolutely despise affiliate/referral links it’s okay to skip this whole section!
If you do not have an online savings account, maybe you should consider opening one at Capital One bank. This is the former INGdirect company. I have had a few accounts here for many years and really love their website! No minimums, no fees, no hassles really. Interest on Savings Account is down to 0.75% now, they no longer pay the highest rate. But I have not moved my accounts, I still use them! There are others that pay higher rates (use ratebrain to look for the best rates).
The bank is running a promo and will give you $25 (and they give me $20) for opening a Savings account with an initial deposit of at least $250. New accounts for new customers only. Here is the info on the promotion
Please consider signing up from my REFERRAL LINK ($$$$$$):
If you do, do I need to tell you I appreciate it? Of course I do! I’ll buy you ice cream in Tampa FTU. Vanilla flavor of course lol.
Ok, this is the second affiliate link I pass to my readers in almost 5 months of blogging. The other one is the ebates referral link ($$$$$$$$). Please take it easy on me, I am very sensitive:-) I need to justify to the IRS that this is not a hobby so they do not disallow my tax deductions!
My policy forward would be to only do this for products I personally use and endorse! It will be hard for me to do this for Top Cash Back as my experience with them has been dismal!
I expect other bloggers to copy my practice of adding ($$$$$$) after their own affiliate/referral links. Mega lol!!!!!!!!
Ok, sorry about that. I got that email today from Capital One and I thought why not?
Ok, on with the show!
FROM FREQUENT TRAVELER UNIVERSITY
Top 10 Cliques of #FTUDC. From Points Summary. Hilarious.
Rapid Travel Chai gives us his presentation slides from Frequent Traveler University!. Great job! I actually learned something myself going through these even though I knew everything. Ok, that was a joke actually!
Million Mile Secrets summarizes nicely the session with the bank credit card execs at the Frequent Traveler University. Reading all the tweets and blog posts from the event confirms that these events are just an entertaining/networking/social fest for regulars:-)
MILES/POINTS
Loyalty Lobby has the actual letter from Hyatt Gold Passport to one of his readers telling him he complains too much. Wow!
Way too busy today…I need to find time to burn, burn, burn!!!
TRAVEL
Jumping from Mostar’s bridge. Video starts slow but only gets better! First seen at Gadling here.
Europe’s Tallest Elevator. From theCHIVE. It’s in Switzerland. Kind of weird but landscape around it is fantastic!
Skyward Photos Capture Hong Kong’s Architectural Verticality. From Twisted Sifter.
Banzai Pipe in the north coast of Oahu, Hawaii. Surfing Mecca!
Mileage Update passed this article to me which is super hilarious. Title: “Flier says he was detained over unflushed toilet“. You will laugh and shake your head about this guy who claims to be a “victim of in-flight profiing” and sues for $500k!
The World’s most dangerous road bridge? From A Luxury Travel Blog. This is the crappiest bridge ever…I can’t believe a vehicle is driving on it!!!
ODDZ & ENDZ
20 breathtaking and artistic martial arts action photos. Blog of Francesco Mugnai. Yes, breathtaking indeed.
The Amazing Latte Art of Kazuki Yamamoto. From Twisted Sifter. This is completely…well, kind of surreal. Art in the latte foam with a toothpick, wow!
Meet the Chechen who Saved Children from a White Terrorist. From Roads & Kingdoms. I found this a fascinating read. I just visited Norway and I saw lots of immigrants as the article mentions. The only violent thing I witnessed were of a few drunk Norwegians late at night tripping and breaking a bottle!
World’s 25 Best Restaurants for 2013. Maybe Gary Leff should run a contest asking readers how many restaurants on the list he has visited. The winner wins lemmon poppsyseed pancakes on a special delivery from Andaz 5th Avenue NYC hotel, yes!
As an addict wouldn’t it be better to use BankDirect. You can even collect referral points! Sure there is a monthly fee but with the poor interest rates BD is a better deal if you have 10k+ collecting dust.
I use Bank Direct for my emergency cash fund! I use Capital One/INGdirect for short term saving. I basically park money there for estimated tax payments, property tax payments, wife’s familygift account, retirement account contributions, car purchases, Amazon Payments conduit, etc. The website WORKS great. Bank Direct website totally sucks, the referral is ridiculous and getting it from them is like pulling teeth, the $12 monthly fee blows.
I should have made it more clear on my post! I just don’t see Bank Direct as an ONLINE savings account!
I don’t need another online account, but, hey it’s free so enjoy the $20 Take Mrs George to Starbucks
Thank you, it’s already in my account, wow, that is super fast! If most readers actually read about what a good deal this is instead of complaining about me “selling out” we could all make a serious dent on Capital One Bank’s marketing budget:-)
Thanks again, much appreciated from me and Mrs!
We already know that TBB plans to ‘go to the dark side’ we have been teased and taunted with that long enough to know that deep down he wants to cash out (ka-ching!) and we’re supposed to sympathize because he’s going to ‘do it the right way’ and he ‘works really hard at this’ it is exhausting and he has so much going on.
That’s fine, lots of blogs monetize (click here, baby!).
But the whole idea of this blog was started in reaction against it, not surprising to see the beginning of it getting co-opted.
Which suggests so much of the credit card hate is just jealousy. As soon as someone sees a possibility of getting a little bit for themselves, they are no longer jealous, and it just makes sense “if it’s done right” (cough).
It’s still a great blog, if he wants to monetize it it’s his decision. No ones time is free. As a family man, I know the sacrifice he must make at times to keep up the site. Time is valuable, why vilify someone for making a few bucks for doing something they and you enjoy. I think there is a big difference between 39 random links and something tbb actually uses. I say take the frequent miler or MMS approach or heck use a donate button.
It’s still a great blog, if he wants to monetize it it’s his decision. No ones time is free. As a family man, I know the sacrifice he must make at times to keep up the site. Time is valuable, why vilify someone for making a few bucks for doing something they and you enjoy. I think there is a big difference between 39 random links and something tbb actually uses. I say take the frequent miler or MMS approach or heck use a donate button.
First, let me just say thank you for reading my blog and taking the time to comment! I invite all comments here. Taking the time to offer your opinion is an honor and I would never censor negative posts like so many other bloggers.
I was expecting more colorful language actually…that was not so bad:-)
Let me say a few things so you know where I am coming from:
If I wanted to join the dark side I would have done it a long time ago. I have not spent any time looking into the several ways of monetizing because I am busy enough with my life AND going through all the blogs to find the gems to feature here. I could very easily just mail it in (w/ cc affiliate links) as many other bloggers do.
I can not control if you sympathize or not. I actually don’t care! Nothing personal.
In my full time career I could rake it in if I wanted to. But I decided to keep it small by design and do it the right way. I sleep better at night this way. I started this blog because I was bored and wanted to have a voice. I wanted to contribute to the community and make it better. I think I have done a small part. You may not agree with all this and I respect that.
Let’s be real here folks! Blogging is a lot of work! I go through my Google Reader feeds all day long and star the posts I should take a look. Then I go through them all along eliminating many and keeping the ones who I find worthy of featuring. Then late at night I update the blog. This post was started around 11 am and finished about 2 am!
It is my 2nd attempt in FIVE months to make something to offset my expenses and are all over me for it! I “pushed” two products I am a BIG fan of, ebates and Capital ONE/INGdirect. Ebates have produced $5 for me so far, yippee!! I will forever tout ebates before Top Cash Back, for the record!
So….do you like my blog? How can I make it better? Should I spend hours bringing the content to you and be attacked again when I bring a lame attempt to make peanuts twice in 5 months? I have a blogging assignment in a national publication due in two days and here I am replying to an anonymous reader about my “dark side” (lololol)lame attempt. Sometimes I wonder why I bother. I should make a blog post about how this hobby actually harms addicts:-)
But, as I said, I enjoy having a voice and doing my thing.
If you do not like my blog, please let me know how I can make it better. Or just leave, nobody is making you read TBB.
My two pennies.
Thanks again.
I think many quite enjoy your blog. But it’s fair game to point out the irony in a block that started to criticize the monetization trend in the hobby now finding ways itself to monetize.
You’ve learned a lot about this whole blog ting since you started. It’s hard. It’s time-consuming. And it’s even harder and more time consuming to actually be GOOD (there are lots out there that aren’t good).
So you need to take that learning and apply it to your blogging, and your criticism.
You’ve praised Frequent Miler and obsessively, oddly praised the marketing schtick that MMS uses patting himself on the back (and even sticking in one of his inferior inferior links telling you not to click it, ka-ching) whenever he posts a credit card link that isn’t his own. Not sure why you did MMS’ method so much.
But I’m not so sure that MMS is any better than VFTW, MP, or Lucky. They all point to best offers, they all provide disclosure of financial relationship in every post.
Regardless, the focus should change from “which blogs are monetizing?” to “which blogs are doing a really good job, and of those which ones are transparent when they monetize and don’t actively stick it to their readers by deceiving them about their motives while pushing bad advice?”
In other words, there is a HUGE difference between on the one hand FM, Lucky, Daraius, Gary, Mommy Points and on the other hand FTG, MileValue with TPG probably somewhere in the middle though closer to TPG.
When you make that switch from blogger-bashing because there are credit card links, to bad-blog bashing, then some well-earned monetization won’t make you a hypocrite 🙂
We’re still waiting for your list of best blogs and worst blogs, it doesn’t have to be 10 of each and it can be just a work in progress….
Thanks for taking the time to comment, I really appreciate it.
Obviously I am doing horribly in the monetization department, I am at $1 per month (one ebates referral) in 5 months. This is not monetizing, it is quite embarrassing indeed! For the record.
I am not sure what you are saying. I started this blog because I was bored and wanted to have a voice. At first it was all pointing out the crappy blog content that exists and scummy affiliate link marketing practices. The time that took was insane and I could just not keep it up. Being threatened with lawsuits sure did not help either! I would love to go back on that mode (let’s all admit it, it was CRAZY fun indeed!) but would you all contribute to my legal defense fund at least? lol.
So, the blog morphed into the format you see today. It STILL takes a lot of time and the focus is more on sharing some eclectic links along with my commentary as an old veteran at this travel hacking/miles/points stuff.
I have the 1o of each blogs picked out but I do not want to go there…at least not yet because I do not know what commentary I should be adding and how incendiary I should make it. Why do you think doing THAT deserves well-earned monetization instead of what I am doing now? I do not follow the logic here, please enlighten me!
I have always been about the CONTENT! I never minded some monetization as long as it did not drive the content quality down.
I have made my points about MMS clear many times. I guess we have to disagree on this.
So, you definitely want me to go more on editorializing about other blogs’ practices. Ok. I thank you for the suggestion and will certainly take into consideration!
Thanks again.
Which blogger(s) threatened to sue you?
I will not reveal this here as I may get sued for it lol
Okay, first let me say wow. Very interesting pushing…. let’s do a critique of how good your pushing is:
Do you use these products? (Y) Okay, fair enough.
Would you have written about these products if there wasn’t affiliate links? Unlikely (N) Boo!
Are you using the FM benchmark (no links in post)? (N) Boo!
Are you mentioning that they are affiliate links? (Y) Yay!
Do you sound like MMS? (Y) Just kidding, this question doesn’t count 😉
So let’s see… 2/4
I put you about Tier TPG, but a lot of improvement that could be done. Bit disappointed here.
I laughed with your “Do you sound like MMS?”…Good one, thanks for the laugh!
I respectfully request to take out the “Are you using the FM benchmark?”! Why? Well, I am supposed to be moving to WordPress one of these days. It took me four months to add an “About Me” page here so I wasn’t going to start a separate page to drop these links in there. I plan to do so when I move to WordPress. Whenever that happens!
I agree with the N and Boo on the 2nd one! I did it because Capital ONE Bank DOUBLED the bonuses! And frankly I need some income to offset my expenses to justify me deducting the crap out of all my expenses for this venture (including trips, yes!). $5 is just not going to do it! If I was an IRS agent I would burn me lol.
I think you are unjustifiably and unfairly super wrong to put me “about Tier TPG”. Come on, please tell me you ar joking. I have two super low ridiculous referral links of two products I am a BIG fan off in five months of blogging and you are putting me in the same territory with a blogger who has elevated the credit card affiliate link to a MEGA art form (do a simple google search, he is always Number 1)! Remember, one credit card aff link, just one, will produce a lot more income in five months of pouring my heart in this. Just ONE. And I have not gone there….
You anonymous are way off imho.
What if I entered one US Barclays Arrival card in September? Would that make me go above Tier TPG.
So wrong, so wrong. Please come to your senses folks!
Nobody clicked the Capital One Bank link by the way. I am just not good at this monetizing stuff.
I am tired. I need to finish some blog stuff for my other gig and here I am wasting my time defending myself I am way below tier TPG.
Pure insanity!
I bet other bloggers who I like to rip on sometimes here are reading these comments and are laughing uncontrollably with the accusations thrown at me and the efforts to defend myself.
Is this how Milevalue felt to say phuck it I am going all out bi&ches:-)
I must admit the biggest benefit of blogging is the laughs it has provided me!
Oh by the way, I have tried several online banks. The Capital ONE/INGdirect still has the best website BY FAR.
Ok, fair enough, so that means I must move off wordpress and then I can add links in the post? 😛
I just think your affiliate link is so irrelevant to the content and the direction of your site and it sticks out like a sore thumb.
If you need income to offset your expenses why don’t you add a donate button? I’m sure there’d be more clicks than your affiliate link. I dare you to get chase bold links. 😛
Oh, and that was a typo, I meant [above] Tier TPG 🙂
Completely respect your comment and how you want to write your posts. Just my two cents. If you want revenue do it better!
I wanted to get my readers’ reaction mostly. I got it. There will always be readers who disagree with any monetization aspect. I get that. For the most part, judging from the silence, most appear to be okay with it.
Why do you think the Capital One Bank/INGdirect is so irrelevant? It is a free $25 for a GREAT website and decent interest rate. Everyone in this hobby should have an online savings account. Works great with Amazon Payments too:-)
Of course it stuck out like a sore thumb, it was by design to judge reaction.
For some reason I always had issues about a “donate” button. Sound like begging to me. Reminds me of…Chris Elliott:-) I never gave this serious consideration ever. Maybe I should…It just never felt right to me. I think the FM method would be best if I ever get there…
>>>>>>>”If you want revenue do it better”.
Ok, how? Other than the donate button? Any ideas? I am about to drop some money on a web designer! I don’t mind the hours of labor…going negative $$$$ really bothers me!
The CapitalOne sticks out because it’s not relevant to what your direction from what I’ve been reading ever since you started. The title under TBB is “an eclectic journey of the miles and point blogosphere.” So from what I understand you comment on blogs. But that link you’re putting out has never been discussed in the blogs. Maybe it’s just me but it seems like the affiliate link is affecting the content.
And if you are going negative, why not move back to blogspot or wordpress. No hosting costs, no money to be earned. The way this is continuing, it seems like there’s going to be more [tacky] pu$hing of $tream$ of revenue like that. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
I don’t judge, but maybe you should focus more on your direction, get those lists of best/worst blogger/practices up, stop worrying about going negative in money. If you kick the viewers in the ass and they go adios(as I’ve seen one comment already), then you ain’t got any viewers to milk!
Ok this is strange… I thought I would be directing this to someone else who pushes links very poorly but then they deleted my comment. 🙁 Anyways, rant over, you’re forgiven. 😛
I like to share some links from blogs I find worthy. I do have an eclectic taste…I think. Sometimes I comment on blogs. In the initial stage of this blog it was all about commenting/ranting on other blogs. I toned that down; just so much material to rant on, I could be doing it 24/7:-)
For the record, I am still in BlogSpot. I am supposed to move to wordpress at some point. I move very slow.
“The way this is continuing”. Come on, please give me a break. 99.9% of my material is no affiliate/referral link. If this is “kicking my viewers in the ass” how do you define what other bloggers are doing???? Please don’t compare me with them:-)
You will never be censored here (unless it is spam or just vulgar). Censoring is North Korea like!
Thank you for your forgiveness!
But while they other bloggers push credit cards which is related to what they’re doing which is miles and travel. Of course some of the poorer ones (who I will not mention here) write a lot of bs, but then the better ones have posts with links which actually pertain to what they’re talking about. I can’t say the same for your site.
You went from blogger basher to nice pictures from around the world to I won a sponsored virgin to ebates and now this with money signs everywhere. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$
I’m glad you don’t censor comments though.
I appreciate the feedback. I think it is a little harsh. I think the nice pictures from around the world have been a part of my blog since day one. I admit in the beginning it was a lot of blogger bashing. Look my trip on Virgin Atlantic was NOT sponsored!!! I won a legitimate RANDOM contest on Twitter and I will get the 1099 form to prove it! I do have the letter if you want to see it. I liked it but I would never pay to fly them! I actually did NOT like the famous Upper Class, their flat bed felt like a tight prison cell or something! I will do a complete trip report…when I find time. I hope to get it in before 2013 ends, lol.
The $$$$$$ is a NEW patented disclosure practice and I want to see who else will imitate me (I predict NOONE). Readers HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW that there is a financial relationship involved if you click on a link! I fully disclosed that with FIVE DOLLAR SIGNS. Doing that has a directly Inverse effect on how many readers click on such links. And that is perfectly fine. Do you want me to NOT say anything? Or bury the disclosure in tiny print in a place no one will bother look? Or in smaller print at the bottom of the post? I give me a 10 for FULL disclosure practices.
At the end of the day, I have added my Capital One 360 and ebates referral links a few times in FIVE MONTHS of blogging. And I get this crap when others keep repeating the same old churning challenges, same old ways how to get a business credit card, same old repeatadnauseam Chase links, and on and on and on.
I have made $25 in five months. Why don’t you ask how much your favorite bloggers made? Oh wait, they can’t tell you! When consumers are not aware of full transparency someone GETS SHAFTED! My 2 pennies.
Thanks again for the support:-)
One final fact to add: I am a very happy user of both Capital One 360 and ebates!
Back to reviewing blogs for tomorrow’s blog update!
I despise censoring so much!!!!!!
The video of the National Airlines cargo 747 crashing is very disturbing.
I have that Starred in my Google Reader. I will try to get to it. Estimated time of getting to it may be 1 am…or 4 am or 10 am.
#doingmybest
I have an ING Direct for years now when they had great interest rates. The only thing I do with them today is the ability to ACH money from one account to ING and then to another bank account for free. Don’t have to write a check.
The best checking account that you should push though is the Charles Schwab checking account (No ATM fees domestic or international (they refund), no foreign xaction fees (so pull out money at the spot rate.) You can’t beat that for a travel checking account.
I am aware of Charles Schwab checking account. But I have a HUGE problem with Schwab. When I opened my own firm Arseholes at Schwab were so above me (and let me know) that they basically said “do not bother, we don’t deal with noobs”. I have never given them a dime since then and I never will. Bastards.
Same thing with AAA when in college I got a 5 over speeding ticket & they more than tripled my insurance premium. I honestly thought it was a mistake. It was not. I told them to stick it their know what. I must admit I drove my car for about two months without insurance at the time, shhhh.
Sorry to see this blog self destruct itself. Must say the warnings were coming early on. You are a model of what the blogging world doesn’t need.
One less blog to follow. Adios.
Thank you for the goodbye. Bon voyage.
All I can think of is…imagine if I had a Chase Ink Bold affiliate link instead:-)
One of my all time favorite songs is “The Model” by Kraftwerk. You reminded me of it, gracias!
I could use a link to the best four wheeled suitcase…
http://www.airfarewatchdog.com/blog/9767246/why-you-should-buy-a-four-wheeler-suitcase-and-other-confessions-of-an-airline-baggage-thrower/
Hey, if posting a link or two helps you be legit with the IRS, go for it. Your content all the rest of the time makes up for it. If it is any consolation, my son likes his Cap One account 😉 .
Nice try with the suitcase link;-)
I have been sending my son $15 every month for years now into his own ingdirect account. With some gifts the kid has almost $4k now. When he gets a job I will make him open a Roth IRA account!
ET TU BUZZ, ET TU
Thank you Ceasear:-)
I’ts been down hill for your blog since the video of the male model falling.
I need to play that again….EVERY time I play I can’t stop laughing!!!
Just kidding I love that sh**!
I know, me too:-)
Lots of chatter at FTU about which blogs are in the airlines’ virtual pockets, so to speak. No one seems unbiased to many of us. Also so not impressed with FTU, I was like the guy on the phone in the link cuz I knew everything shared there just from reading FT. No plans to attend a second event. But most people seemed to know cc’s and not airline rules or how to use their points.
“No one seems unbiased to many of us”
Maybe you’re the one that’s biased?
At last years FTU at LAX I learned absolutely nothing from the sessions. I thought the “secret” sessions were ridiculous! These are great for newbies. And for others like me it is just an opportunity to see old friends and socialize/network. Hate paying the fee for the privilege.
@anonymous I am biased in that I never take a blogger’s opinion to be true. I don’t know what your point is here.
Holy Crap that video of the Cargo 747 crash is the most surreal thing I think I have ever seen. Something i thing i have dreamed of but to see it happen for real, no special effects. Most amazing video ever.
Yes I am getting to it!
Excellant timing-offering a cash bonus to open an online savings account the day the Bank Direct deal goes sour. Since all changes are some blogger’s fault, I imagine they try to blame you for that one.
I get enough good reading here that I might use that link. After June 1, that is.
I have been crazily busy today…What went down with the Bank Direct deal?
http://boardingarea.com/blogs/viewfromthewing/2013/05/01/new-mileage-earning-restrictions-on-bankdirect-checking-accounts/
Yep, got it. I mention it in today’s post coming up!
I don’t mind the link, but I’m not getting in on the deal. We have enough bank accounts.
We must live on opposite planets, George; I’ve had no problems with TCB and Schwab, yet Capital One has frequently been a pain to deal with.
BankDirect, IMHO, was never a good place to park money that could be getting a better long-term return elsewhere. Also, I don’t know that we’ve ever had that much liquid cash just hanging around.
In other travel blog news, that guy at Saverocity keeps making sense. I just might go take his survey.
And from all the FTU posts, I gotta say: TPG’s puppy is adorable. Emily better watch her back, lest the puppy start Vanna-White-ing VR cards.
harvson3
No problem at all on not getting in on the deal!
I have this weird quirks in my personality. Once I have a very bad experience with something I get unusually…goofy about it and won’t sponsor that company. TCB, Schwab, AAA and now Delta have joined my avoidatallcosts companies! My interactions with Capital One bank so far has been great. It appears they kept most of the ingdirect intact. They decreased the interest a bit but that was expected. Having a whole cruise paid with their 100k deals from two years ago was awesome. I still have the Sony card with them…It is in my drawer somewhere!
I have parked my emergency cash fund at Bank Direct for years. No reason to keep more than $50k there anymore. Still makes sense for people having $50k sitting around.
Yeah, that Saverocity guy makes a lot of sense. He is mixing up the personal finance angle with the travel hacking aspect of it. I was thinking of doing that when I was looking to start my blog. I decided against it as I did not want to damage my other “brand”:-)
I hear you about Miles. Cutest puppy ever. Naming him Miles was a genius move too! Sometimes I want to criticize another affiliate link bomb from TPG but think of Miles and I…change my mind:-)
Emily: Are we in installment #36 of the Maui trip yet? 🙂