We bring you a great rant about bad blogging, a great graph w/ all airline mergers, visit the fall of the Berlin Wall & a great movie “Later That Same Life” and so much more you will be so impressed you will convince your mother in law to bookmark this!
TBB Blog Mission: To Entertain. Educate. Inspire. In That Order!
This site is ad free! You can support us by applying for CREDIT CARDS, please consider doing your shopping with our AMAZON AFFILIATE LINK and clicking/forwarding any of our REFERRAL LINKS. Or click on the ugly brown Amazon Banner on the right side, thank YOU!
On November 9, 2015 this blog had its 3 year anniversary! Thanks for keeping me company here and making this part of our life so enjoyable. I may whine sometimes but I hope I make it fun, even though I sometimes can get on our nerves lol. This little corner is my little escape and my voice in the wilderness in a hobby I hold dear, excuse me, The Hobby I hold dear. I have met many fellow addicts and it’s not only fun but an honor. I would do some type of giveaway but I ain’t got time for dat lol. Maybe later.
This whole blog miles & points space is a giant racket. The conflicts of interest are so embedded you start believing your own crap sometimes, that, you know, you are really doing it for friends and family to help them fly for free, which is the biggest misstatement eveh! Anyways, PointsCentric put into words what I was thinking all day long and some may have (rightly) perceived that I was angry. Like I said yesterday, if you don’t get angry about this stuff you must be a robot or a total newbie who is kept in the dark. I think this post is a must read:
There Was a Ton of Bad Blogging Yesterday
And don’t get me started about the AA 50k cards that “magically” were all of a sudden “discovered” by your favorite pumping machines bloggers! Also, the post would have been more meaningful to protect the public if it, you know, named NAMES! This is why TBB is a loner crusader fighting a worthy (but losing) cause 🙂
Ok, let’s continue with the education part of the TBB mission here. Another must read post about end of the year credit card analysis by Chuck over at Doctor of Credit.
Hurry, November 17 is the last day you can redeem your Arrival points for redemptions under $25. Effective this date, the minimum redemption jumps to $100 and the 10% bonus award drops to 5%. Hurts but not so much.
This is how we got to the final Big Three legacy airlines. Look at it and weep. I so miss those days where the upgrade was automatic and I always turned left and felt I was really special lol.
Blogging is a marathon. Three years is nothing in blog years. If someone has lasted so long, he/she must be doing something right or is a complete stubborn fool. Whichever way you look at it, this person is into it somehow. If not, the blog would not last so long. SO MANY blogs die because it is so *&^@ing hard! Anyways, I have no goals of making my blog the center of my world. But I have seen it change lives with colleagues. One of them is Josh Brown, aka The Reformed Broker, whose blog is now 7 years old! The guy built his growing business on his blog and Twitter alone. Amazing! He has a 7 year anniversary post which should be read by all wanna be Titan bloggers: After The Gold Rush Why am I focusing on educating bloggers and not showing newbies how to travel for free clicking my plastic links? Sometimes I wonder about that too. I am either a complete lunatic or maybe it just feels right to me at the moment I guess. Please no comments about the lunatic part lol.
How about the The 22 unhealthiest, unhappiest, poorest, and most unsafe countries on Earth. Bottom Five: Central African Republic, Afghanistan, Haiti, Chad, Burundi. Prognosis for a Hyatt there is very cloudy!
The disturbing truth about how airplanes are maintained today. Disturbing piece at Vanity Fair.
Photos from the fall of Berlin Wall. I love these pictures. I should scan some of mine when I was there in 1987…
This is kind of weird. And I like weird as you may have noticed. The Chinese Village of Long-Haired Rapunzels
Later That Same Life. This is just AWESOME. Back in 1977 this dude interviewed himself when he was older. Wow, so cool! You will be so amazed by it that you will enthusiastically click on my CSP link lol. Nobody has laughed so much at my expense than… moi!
And I leave you with this (HT: Pat from #travelcon2 in Las Vegas)
Thank you for making TBB a part of your life, I am honored! Help bloggers you appreciate & make a positive difference in your life by spreading the word about their blogs, emailing and commenting and using their few $ links.
Check out my updated blog lists: Blogs I Love, Blogs I Like, Blogs To Ignore
I think you got your blogs messed up – you talked about Points with a Crew but linked to Points Centric?
The funny part about AA business card is that I wrote about it last week when I found that it would be getting the double miles at gas stations. Thought that would have generated a little interest then but apparently not! 🙂
Oh man, you are right! It was a long day yesterday and those two blogs have a very similar “feel”. I even congratulated PWAC about his coming appearance to TBB. Oops. I am losing my mojo. Just way too much going on this week.
I remember reading your post about the AA business card. You are right 🙂
What I find hilarious is VFTW’s responses in the PC post trying to justify the inexcusable. Like I said, you are so deep in it that you justify…anything!
I don’t know George. The comments seemed reasonable. It’s trendy to hate on gleff but he has one of the better blogs.
He didn’t slip in a single card link into his coverage of Hyatt cash and points or Guest of Honor (or for that matter most posts).
Give the guy some credit, not every post is a home run but his batting average is pretty good. He makes money off of credit cards but the disosure is excellent, he usually has the best offer even when it doesn’t benefit him, and like him or not he’s wicked smart.
I agree with most of your list but I still find VFTW to be a must-read.
In a sea of crap I guess it may be one of the better blogs…I have been reading him since day one and today’s “thought leader” is a shadow of what once was. Oh, it all started to go downhill…I will let you guess when 😉
My point was: If you are going to do a blog post about Hyatt (and it is usually a raving post, can you recall one that was anti-Hyatt?) at least a mention of the card is a must. All day Monday and a newb would think that Hyatt does NOT have its own card. And, yep it’s coming, IF the Hyatt card paid can you NOT doubt that ALL will mention it? In addition, the very next post of his was, amazingly, the newly rediscovered American Airlines Citi cards for, omg, 50k miles.
The dude has been screaming anti TSA, pro Libertarian, pro pancakes, takes pics of others in Maldives & comments on how THEY spend their vacation and, most importantly, has been raving about how bad revenue based mileage is and there is no stopping it #sowrong
One thing I give him: Tenacity and work ethic, WOW!
I get his emails. I scan the headline. I read maybe one out of ten. I never click on the cards, I click on mine 🙂
My 2 cents since you asked for it.
Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment, I sure appreciate it!
George you have been around this hobby (not THE hobby) longer than I have. And you have your own idiosyncratic take, which is why I read you sometimes.
That can also blind you. You are complaining about a single post with blacked out faces from a year and a half ago. Let go of it man!!!
And when was the last photo of pancakes? How many times this year or even last?
I did a little bit of research (well, google) and Gary mentioned the Hyatt Visa more times this year than the Hilton Reserve card. And I see him mentioning cards that do not pay him all the time.
Yeah, he is more libertarian than I am but I guess I am kind of libertarian, live and let live, too so I don’t mind so much.
No way his blog belongs in a list of those to avoid alongside TPG, MMS, PMM or whatever. It is a must-read even if it isn’t a must-agree!!!
Thanks for hearing me out and keep on keepin’ on.
I am not complaining about a single post. There are MANY, I just don’t have the time man 🙂
Pancakes is junky food. #barf I am pancaked out. He stopped posting about them ever since I ranted against that shit 🙂
Dude, listen to me. VFTW used to be in the TBB LIKE Blog List, yes true! Then at some point, the blog had a decisive turn. I am betting it was at the time banks ordered these Titans “hey, you give us 100 apps every month or we cut your balls off”. And THAT was the moment the blog went to shit. My opinion of course but, like you say, I have been around this insanity for almost 20 years now, I think I know what I am talking about. It’s a non stop plastic pumping feast ever since. Same with Ben/Lucky at OMAAT, I remember the kid when he was in diapers scamming United!
I never regretted placing these two blogs in the Ignore list. Yes, they don’t belong in the same “category” than the others in that list but they DO belong. I am more pissed off that they used to be the best. And then tasted the money and they both have lost all touch with reality and the common man. Common sense just escapes them now and they believe their own crap. Like that guy who sold way too soon who trolls my site, he will say we are just “angry’s”. Or maybe it is a whole different Inception-type level of perception.
I call it like I see it. No BS. I get things wrong sometimes, sure.
Again, these are personal opinions and I respect yours. We just disagree. Not the end of the world. I just happen to have a blog and unleash jackass-ish (lol) thoughts.
Jose, stop Bogarting that Joint!
Jose, did you just say Gleff is “wicked smaaaaart”, yes he knows how to read what other wrote and rewrite about it in his own words (and loves to pat himself on the back about it). YES, He is the thought leader on inflight cookies. But most of all he is a shameless shill of credit cards that pay him handsomely if he manages to get you to signup (whether you really need them or not) with his links. Now put the Joint down Jose, it is too early in the day for those shenanigans…..yours truly, Ramsey and friends. PS Thank a Veteran today for their Service.
Jose == Disgruntled Cookie Pudge?
First to be second
You.Are.An.Original!
I think you started your blog right about the same time I did. Can’t believe it’s been three years!
I disagree with your characterization of blogging as “so *&^@ing hard.” I don’t think it’s hard; I think it’s a grind. I’ve found that being a stubborn, obsessive jackass is an asset in dealing with the grind aspect of things, though…
3 years man, wow! It’s all been a blur 🙂
I did not finish my thought, I meant to say ““so *&^@ing hard for such little payoff for the amount of work that goes in it”
I have described such names before….Jackass, I always laugh when I hear this word. Jack and ass. Love the English language 🙂
You’re babies! TDM is 4 years 11/1 but I skipped the navel gazing this year.
Agree with Nick. Having opinions is easy- getting them down in a post while life swims by is the challenge.
This week it appears I am swimming with sharks all around me trying to escape 🙂
Interesting reddit thread re: Arrival+ devaluation . . . https://goo.gl/khRydc
Hmmm, interesting. Thanks.
I know I am not grandfathered for sure 🙂
Those airline lineage charts should read from top to bottom, not bottom to top. It’s awkward as is because a) readers of English are trained to read top-to-bottom and b) family trees usually place ancestors above descendants. The chart also has at least one error in that none of the four companies listed (Air California, Reno Air, TWA, and TransCaribbean) became American Airlines, as suggested by the illustration.
The DoC made me think, “of course; how couldn’t I have seen that?” with the first paragraph under Strategy here: http://www.doctorofcredit.com/maximizing-ihg-bonuses-the-no-annual-fee-ihg-card-review/
I’ll probably switch that part of my earning strategy as a result.
Harvson3, I’ll bite, how did TWA not become American? During the integration of the 2, I wore an American Airlines uniform while onboard a TWA plane (sporting AA livery) working along with other TWA crew, while getting paid at the very much higher AA rate. This is before June 03 of course, when they told 20,000 of us to not let the door hit you in the ass on the way the the unemployment line … they lived up to the SkyNazi nickname that’s been floating around for 40 years……FYI another error OZARK had nothing to do with USAIR.
Thanks guys, you are the best. You are like my quality control dept around here 🙂
That IHG post, I remember reading about it but not too close. Makes sense I guess. If I ever burn that free night right after the anniversary/renewal comes along, I could be doing this in the future.
Ramsey, if you read the chart in the way that genealogy trees are supposed to work, the chart suggests that Reno Air, Trans Caribbean, TWA, and Air Cal all joined together to create American Airlines, which was not the case. It suggests that AA didn’t exist contemporaneously or before those four airlines, which is not the case.
There was an AA that existed before it swallowed up those four airlines, which is not indicated on the chart. In addition, the chart doesn’t give Allegheny Airlines as the predecessor of US Air. Whoever made this chart can go jump in a lake.
In response to your other note: when I was in college my parents bought me a student pack of five one-way tickets on TWA to fly to and from school. I remember St. Louis fondly.
Click on http://travelbloggerbuzz.com/credit-cards/ and click on the link or banner!
The TOP BEST OFFER PICKS as of 11/11/2015 are (please let us know of any corrections needed!):
Chase Sapphire Preferred for 40k Ultimate Rewards points (hold for higher bonus starting on Nov 16)
Barclaycard Arrival Plus™ World Elite MasterCard for 40k points
CLICK ON BUTTON “Show More Results”
Citi ThankYou Premier for 50k ThankYou points
British Airways Visa for 50k Avios (and up to 100k points for mega min spend)
Starwood Preferred Guest Amex for 25k SPG points
CLICK ON BUTTON “Show More Results”
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select MasterCard for 50k AA miles
Citi Prestige Card 50k ThankYou points (if u hurry you can get TWO $250 airline credits for $450 fee!)
CLICK ON BUTTON “Show More Results”
Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve Card 2 free weekend nights
You can bring up a specific bank’s credit cards by doing the following:
Click on “CARD TYPE” on top
You can then click on “Cards for Business” (Chase Ink Plus, SPG Amex Business, etc)
Or click on the specific bank name:
Citi
Chase
Barclaycard
American Express
Bank of America
Capital One
Discover OR
Mastercard
Visa
etc
Sometimes there may time limited promotions going so you can give it a try by:
Click on “TOP OFFERS” on top and then click on “Better Offers With CardMatch“. Secure transmitting of personal info, no credit check!
Thanks for supporting the site.
To the guy who messes with me clicking on a Secured card, come on man…this is NOT the MMS or FTG site…
LOL
Cant believe they left off Western Airlines!!! The OOOOONLY way to fly!
Blasts from the past….
I came to the US on a TWA flight. Feels like yesterday. Look at me now, fat, overworked, with two kids and a mortgage. Oh wait, that final one may not be around. But it may hurt my credit score and churning extraordinariness bwahahahaha
Buzz you said you were going to be debt free soon. What about the kids education cost, I know they are smart but there must still be some cost that scholarships will not cover. How are you handling that, just curious………………………….I think I was working that flight from ATH to JFK you came in on. It was a 747 right, and you were sitting in the coach non smoking section, ordered the chicken, watched the inflight movie, didn’t buy anything from Duty Free if I recall correctly.
Dude, that was you? Thanks for the extra rolls of bread I kept bugging you about, you were nice about it. I have never EVER bought anything from Duty Free, sorry nothing personal 🙂
Nice post, thank you. I came on a PanAm flight to US, now got two kids and a mortgage, not overworked, and keeping the weight off. I thought last year you dropped 25-30 lbs., no? What’s going on?!
Best,
PedroNY
I am not overworked at all actually…which allows me to TBB lol. Thinking of placing “no new clients” notice on the website again to prevent people bothering me in January as every year all these New Year resolutionists come out of everywhere!
Oh the mortgage will be killed very soon. I called today and they need two business days to prepare it and send it by US mail or fascimile. I asked what the hell is that, they said “fax”. I said, excuse me what? And the date must be two weeks ahead, no bank holiday or weekend. Messed up. Definitely doing it, I don’t care about my credit score and churning implications #sosick
Yeah, gained back about 5 lbs lately but no worries….just had a few eating binges here and there. I am good.
I remember landing in Detroit late at night and seeing all the lights in the city and thinking “Oh man, where the hell am I?”. Amazing fun run. And, naturally, my favorite phrase:
“This is only the beginning”.
Present.
Suggestion — Make credit card linking post more concise, simple, direct, etc.
Keep up the good work ! ! !
Dude,
I am not allowed to have direct links. I am not allowed even to mention a bank in the body of a blog post while I have the link that sends people to the Credit cards page where they have to click on a banner or a link to take them to the credit card page where they have to keep clicking to find the darn card they want to apply for!
It blows! And this is the most concise way it can be done as linking directly to these is NOT allowed.
My way of having credit cards here is the POOR blogger’s way. The Titans keep pumping and direct linking in almost every freaking post because they…must or they lose them. It’s just the way this racket works.
You now know why I barely get any clicks 🙂