TBB Archives - TravelBloggerBuzz

Inflation Numbers, Nvidia CEO Spectacular Fall, Gambling Addiction, Papua New Guinea, Traveling to Greece

TravelBloggerBuzz — Fri, 13 Nov 2026 11:50:54 +0000

Another TBB post featuring the most eclectic links around the web such as the 2027 inflation numbers, Nvidia CEO spectacular fall, gambling addiction, Papua New Guinea, traveling to Greece, what to ask aging parents, two very sad scam stories, how to handle money in Thailand, only the best photography 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!

Support TBB by applying for Credit Cards or Buy Me a Coffee or click on Links

No clickbait. No ads. No algorithms. No sponsors. No AI. No paywalls.

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.

I am back on the road next week. Actually in business class aboard Lufthansa and Aegean Airlines to Greece. Next Friday’s post may look a little different than what you have been accustomed to, we shall see as always.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Everything flows and nothing abides” – Heraclitus

PERSONAL FINANCE

Not all inflation is bad. Every year more of our taxable incomes gets taxed at lower tax brackets: The 2027 Tax Brackets Are Here. See Where You Land.

Speaking of inflation, we will have higher amounts to contribute to tax-deferred retirement accounts in 2027, heads up! I am not sure why this still gets me excited. Maybe it was habit doing it year after year every year and you won’t believe what happened next. Here we go:

The elective deferral limit for §§401(k), 403(b) and 457 plans increases from $24,500 to $25,500.
The catch-up contribution limit for participants aged 50 and over rises from $8,000 to $8,500, while super catch-up contributions for taxpayers ages 60-63 rises from $11,250 to $11,750.
The overall contribution cap for defined contribution plans climbs from $72,000 to $75,000, and the defined benefit plan limit goes up from $290,000 to $300,000.
The IRA contribution remains at $7,500. Taxpayers ages 50 and older can contribute an additional $1,100 to those accounts.

These are great questions to ask your elderly parents: The Mess We Leave Behind: 10 Questions to Ask Your Aging Parents Before It Is Too Late. You can say that this blogger you follow begged you to do it.

Lots of personal finance and life wisdom in the latest podcast by Morgan Housel again: The Value and Joy of Hard Work.

Can you believe that US may pass Greece? The World’s Biggest Economies vs. Debt in 2026.

AI/TECH

All the news were dominated by the extramarital affairs of Jensen Huang, NVidia’s iconic leather jacket wearing CEO. A $5.7 Trillion Face Plant. The spectacular rise and fall of Jensen Huang. How can a busy guy like this running the top company in the world have time to have not one but two affairs? And this…

In the end, Huang and the Nvidia board were still heeding the former CEO’s own advice, dispensed in a talk in 2003: “Corporate culture in our case is about intellectual honesty. Intellectual honesty to us means that we have the ability to be self-critical, that we have the ability to recognize we’ve made mistakes.”

Wait, as I was putting the final touches in this blog post, there are new reports there was a third affair with another Nvidia staff person, just wow.

This was written before the elections and the Nvidia CEO affairs became public: America Can’t Afford an AI Recession.

SCAMS/CRYPTO

What a piece of shit. At least he is in a jail in Georgia (the country) these days: The $300-Million Con Man. Greg Martel’s victims thought they were getting rich off Canada’s housing boom. Instead they lost everything. Will the notorious Ponzi schemer ever face justice? How can you do this for years is mind blowing. If you get a tip to get into an amazing opportunity, please run fast. I always wondered why lots of big scams come out of Canada. This article gives us the answer:

…we’re a country of stumbling enforcement, toothless penalties and endless opportunities for scammers to make off with their ill-gotten gains.

Enforcement responsibilities are fragmented between municipal and provincial police forces, as well as the RCMP and regulatory bodies. Police forces, especially smaller ones, often have insufficient expertise in the field. Larger ones are overstretched…Even when crimes are rooted out, they’re rarely penalized substantively.

In 2024, TD Bank pleaded guilty to money laundering after criminal networks spent years filtering drug-trafficking profits through the bank…In the United States, the bank received US$3 billion worth of fines. In Canada it was hit with a $9.2-million penalty. That was a record at the time. [$3 Billion vs $9.2 Million is just totally absurd, WOW!]

Yikes, taken to the cleaners by your own half-brother smh: The Comedian Who Was Fleeced to the Tune of $12 Million by His Half-Brother. As Dane Cook sold out arenas at the peak of his fame, he had no clue that a family member was emptying his bank account. Sometimes I have no idea what anyone is thinking when they write a $3 Million check to themselves and go cash it. As gullible and trusting some people may be with their money you just can’t not miss a $3 Million hole you know.

Now, Cook is discussing the betrayal and its fallout in a new documentary, “Funny Money.” McCauley was arrested a month after he cashed the check. Investigators found cash throughout his house, hidden in walls, containers of spaghetti sauce and a potted plant, according to authorities interviewed in the film. [In containers of spaghetti sauce, seriously?]

ODDZ & ENDZ

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know that I am anti gambling. Fiercely. This excellent article shows why, thanks to blog reader NickPFD for sending this one in: An NBA Player Got Hooked on Sports Gambling. He Became the Bet.

This is a hell of a story about two really rich guys with way too much time on their hands going after each other. Actually, it is one of them who has been a spectacular asshole over the years to everyone around him. And these are the type of guys lawyers absolutely love to bill around lol: Clash of the Titans. Harold Peerenboom and Isaac Perlmutter were both wealthy, brash and accustomed to getting their way. When they moved into the same luxury oceanside community, they quickly turned a minor squabble into a full-scale war, complete with poison pen letters, private investigators and multimillion-dollar lawsuits. Inside the absurd neighbour-versus-neighbour battles of the ultra-rich.

Arkivism is an independent index of the public domain — millions of artworks, photographs, illustrations and objects from the world’s great museums and archives, searchable the way you actually think about images. Enjoy!

Amazing photography: 2026 Photomicrography Competition.

Jumping spider (Salticus scenicus) with pollen by John-Oliver Dum

TRAVEL

This is one of those special posts that will totally blow you away. Well, it blew me away, not sure if this will apply to you, we are all different. It is about Papua New Guinea. And how some Australians in 1930 looking for gold just happened to run into a place where over one million people lived that had never had any interactions with the outside world. And you won’t believe what happened next. One of those special reads I loved to read in one go and eat up all the knowledge. Stay hungry my friends. Or thirsty if you prefer: why I can’t stop thinking about Papua New Guinea and what I think everyone should know about it. Same! I love sharing posts like this to educate us all.

If you are into aviation at all, THIS is a must click: Twelve Seconds Later. The first flight lasted twelve seconds. Everything else came later. Amazing how they put these websites together and so much you can do wow.

Interesting: 8 Gargoyles and Grotesques Hiding in Plain Sight. From Darth Vader to a mysterious vampire rabbit, these architectural oddities prove that even stone-faced creatures have a sense of humor.

Some blog readers may be visiting Thailand soon. Therefore, this is good to know: 14 Worst Money Mistakes Tourists Make in Thailand (Avoid These!).

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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…

Good one to bookmark: Points and Miles Sweet Spots by Program.

After a ridiculously long wait, finally Singapore Airlines comes out with these: The ‘World’s Best Airline’ is updating its business and first-class experience. They look nice but I am not blown away, for the record.

This came out of nowhere: Accor signs a partnership with Hard Rock Hotels. I have never stayed at a Hard Rock hotel. I have actually only been to a few Hard Rock restaurants and felt both times “what a tourist trap”. I guess more choices is a positive.

In my younger days I would definitely find a way to do this. These days? Yawn: BofA Rewards: Instant top tier GHA DISCOVERY status.

United is done waiting for Delta to take a lead on anything. They just go for it first to see where it all lands: United Restricts Access for Third-Party AI Agents. What happens if all airlines do this and shut out all our AI agents? Anyway, there is no way in hell I would send my AI agent to book a trip for me. Being a control freak has absolutely nothing to do with this, cough.

TRAVEL REWARDS CREDIT CARDS

For ANY questions on travel rewards credit cards, contact me anytime at travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com

My Amex affiliate credit card links are back, fyi.

Always a good reminder as we are nearing the end of the year: Year-End Credit Card Checklist for 2026: Travel Credits, Spend Reset, Application Strategy & More.

This is finally live now with Amex: American Express & Fanatics Announce Partnership – New Credit Card, FanCash Transfer Partner & More. Only participate if you don’t like to use your points for travel or hard cash and you absolutely love everything about Fanatics stuff. To make it more plain: Don’t use this! I think we will see more of these avenues to burn our Membership Rewards points for “Lifestyle” stuff. And I expect them the value of your points would not get better.

More choices, noticing a trend? Uber Launches New Parking Feature Powered by SpotHero. I guess we have more ways to burn the “free” monthly Uber cash in our Amex Platinum credits.

Bilt now going all in on another model selling to businesses. Hey, keep putting that lipstick on the pig to fool more investors to keep giving you their money. Until one day, you know, suddenly: Bilt Adds Lowe’s as Exclusive Home Improvement Partner: Earn 1X Point, Redeem Bilt Cash for Lowe’s HomeCare+. I fell for that when Bilt linked up with Walgreens, it only took a few days for my credit card to be compromised, coincidence? You think this company cares more about security when it can’t stop paying celebrities to have selfies with the CEO? I better stop now. So pathetic to see content creators pleading with their audience to get them to click on their affiliate links by fooling them “you gotta get into the Cash thingie before December 31!”. Like this is going to survive very long afterwards. Like so many other things smh.

Check to see if you were targeted for any of these: Chase Q4 2026 cobranded card spending offers with direct registration links.

NEW OFFERS:

We have a $2,000 American Express Graphite Business Unlimited card offer. After $50k in spend in the first six months, $295 annual fee. This is a straight up business cash back card. Only for high volume businesses that only want cash back.

We have an up to 80,000 Bank of America Atmos Rewards Ascent Visa Signature card offer. First 60,000 points and a $99 companion Fare after $3k in spend in the first three months. Plus another 20,000 points after $5k spend in total in the same first three months. Annual fee is $95.

LATEST OFFERS:

Death, taxes and new Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card offers: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Credit Cards Offer Up to 90K Bonus Points.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Cardmembers: Earn 90,000 Rapid Rewards® bonus points—after spending $3,000 within the first 3 months from account opening.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Cardmembers: Earn 85,000 Rapid Rewards® bonus points—after spending $2,000 within the first 3 months from account opening.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Cardmembers: Earn 80,000 Rapid Rewards® bonus points—after spending $1,000 within the first 3 months from account opening.

IHG One Rewards Premier Select: Earn 210,000 points after spending $5k in the first 3 months (ENDING 11/18/26)

IHG One Rewards Business: Earn 190,000 points after spending $5k in the first 3 months (ENDING 11/18/26)

IHG One Rewards: Earn 125,000 points after spending $2k in the first 3 months (ENDING 11/18/26)

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, 75k CITI AAdvantage Business, 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, 300k AMEX Business Platinum, 100k AMEX Gold, 200k AMEX Business Gold, 70k AMEX Hilton Honors (AND Free Night), 130k AMEX Hilton Surpass (AND Free Night), 200k AMEX Hilton Aspire, 80k CHASE United Explorer, 50k CHASE United Gateway, 50k AMEX Blue Business Plus and many more!

As of today, I have burned 1,042,287 miles/points year to date (after burning 1,893,248 miles/points in 2025 and 2,027,816 in 2024) and have 4,337,175 miles/points in the bank.

Reddit’s Which Credit Card Should I Get?

TBB’s Miles & Points RESOURCES Page

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.

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BONUS OFFERS NOTIFICATIONS

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MY ACTION AND BLOG BUZZING

We are going back to Greece to check on my mother, attend a memorial service and see a new baby in the family. See some old friends and hopefully attend a game or two of my beloved AEL FC soccer team in Larissa, my hometown. I burned 160,000 United Airlines miles to fly us Business Class on (again) Lufthansa Airlines to Frankfurt and onwards to Athens and then on Aegean Airlines to Thessaloniki. Working on a few details that could get our kids to join us. Until then I am going to hold off on booking a rental car and hotels. Maybe I try an Airbnb again in my hometown, we’ll see. So much to do until then, I can’t see myself doing another long post like this next week.

After my very short ordeal in trying to retire from my main job (blogging is not it!) I realize that I am just not cut out to be retired. I have always had issues with this. I realized trying this out that I will greatly miss taking care of my wealth management clients. Many of them have been with me for many years so trying to separate was extremely painful. Especially realizing that I will not be able to continue taking care of them. It is so much easier and healthier to continue doing what I am doing. And let natural attrition take its toll and stick with my pledge not to add new clients (which is not easy, I am turning away prospects every other week). And as time goes by I work less (and travel more). This was the plan all along by the way. Always placing clients first works out. If I had placed business first I would have sold to a PE backed firm showering me with ridiculous $$$ offers but then I would not be able to live with myself knowing that I sent my clients to an outfit that exists to maximize its profits from them. Wife is aboard and reiterated no new clients. So I guess I am on a very long path to retiring, doing what I love doing and staying mentally challenged along the way to stave off dementia.

My wife is back home after spending some time in Honolulu with son plus one. She is glad to be home and so am I. And…in less than a week she packs again to go with me to Greece. She is really turning into the retired nomad wife lol.

2026 SE ASIA TRIP RECAP

New additions in bold font below. I am starting to add YouTube video links, I have lots more coming. Almost nearing the end, next videos will be from Singapore before finally finalizing the 2026 SE Asia Trip.

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

AA Flagship Lounge in DFW You Tube Video

AA First Class DFW – HND

Sakura Lounge at Tokyo Haneda Airport HND

Sakura Lounge at Tokyo Haneda Airport You Tube Video

AMEX Centurion Lounge at Tokyo Haneda Airport HND

AMEX Centurion Lounge at Tokyo Haneda Airport HND Video

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.

~~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

Standard X Bangkok Review

StandardX Bangkok YouTube Video

10 nights at the Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 1 for 45,000 World of Hyatt points total

Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 1 Review

Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 1 Room YouTube Short

Breakfast at the Hyatt Place Soi 1 YouTube Short

Bangkok’s Benjakitti Park

Bangkok Chinatown Food Tour

Strolling Chinatown YouTube Short

Padthai in Bangkok’s Chinatown Food Tour YouTube Short

Random Shots Around Bangkok

Bumrungrad Hospital Visits

9 nights at the Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 24 for 40,500 World of Hyatt points

Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 24 Review

Room Tour of the Hyatt Place Soi 24 YouTube Short

Breakfast at the Hyatt Place Soi 24 YouTube Short

Bangkok Coffee Culture

Bangkok Eating

At TRIBE Sky Beach Bar in Bangkok

Bangkok Cats

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

Saigon on Motorbikes YouTube Short

Saigon Food Tour on Motorbikes YouTube Short

Roaming the Streets of Saigon, Part I

Strolling City Hall Square With Ho Chi Minh Statue YouTube Short

Saigon Skyline

Saigon Fabulous Skyline YouTube Short

Roaming the Streets of Saigon, Part II

Visiting Saigon’s Central Post Office YouTube Short

Roaming the Streets of Saigon Part III

Walking at Night in Saigon’s Cho Lon Chinatown Video

Eating around Saigon

Park Hyatt Saigon: Lam Son Suite, Front, Lobby, Main Floor

Park Hyatt Saigon Lam Son Suite Tour Video

Park Hyatt Saigon Breakfast

Breakfast Park Hyatt Saigon Video

Park Hyatt Saigon Art

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

KROMO Hotel Part I

Junior Suite at the KROMO Hotel Video

KROMO Hotel Part II

ICONSIAM Mall Bangkok

On the Boat to ICONSIAM YouTube Short

Final Bangkok Post

1 night at the brand new Fairmont Bangkok ~~in a suite~~ using my lifetime Platinum annual complimentary night cert

Fairmont Bangkok Part I

Corner King Room at the Fairmont Bangkok Video

Fairmont Bangkok Part II

Breakfast at the Fairmont Bangkok Video

Fairmont Bangkok Part III

1 night at the Hilton Pattaya for 60,000 Hilton Honors points

Review of Deluxe King Room at Hilton Pattaya

Viral IG Reel from Hilton Pattaya Rooftop Bar

Hilton Pattaya Rooftop Bar Short Video on YouTube

Hilton Pattaya Part I

Hilton Pattaya Part II

Around Pattaya

Morning Aerobics on Beach Road in Pattaya YouTube Short

Hilton Pattaya Breakfast

Hilton Pattaya Breakfast Video

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 Garden View Suite Video

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 SIN

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

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Let me leave you with this:

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The post Inflation Numbers, Nvidia CEO Spectacular Fall, Gambling Addiction, Papua New Guinea, Traveling to Greece appeared first on TravelBloggerBuzz.

AI Stocks Meltdown, Elon Musk’s Endgame, 28 Years Long Walk, RIP Juan Atkins Detroit Techno Godfather

TravelBloggerBuzz — Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:18:56 +0000

Another TBB post featuring the most eclectic links around the web such as the AI stocks meltdown, Elon Musk’s endgame, 28 years long walk, RIP Juan Atkins Detroit Techno Godfather, inflation all over, celebrities doing gambling ads, world chocolate masters, Magnifica Air, only the best photography 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!

Support TBB by applying for Credit Cards or Buy Me a Coffee or click on Links

No clickbait. No ads. No algorithms. No sponsors. No AI. No paywalls.

BLOG HOUSEKEEPING

This is truly a one man labor of love operation, enjoy it while it lasts.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“The ballot is stronger than the bullet” – Abraham Lincoln

PERSONAL FINANCE

This felt like one of those really bad days from the past. I wonder how so many younger investors who have never experienced a sustained bear market will react: Stock market today: Dow plunges 1,800 points, Nasdaq enters correction in AI trade meltdown. Do NOT believe anyone talking about where the market will go next. So many charlatans, be careful out there.

Tax planning never stops. But since people procrastinate, we see more of this type of articles this late in the year ever year. Always. What You Can Do Now to Cut Your 2026 Taxes.

There is no perfect financial plan, all we can do is create enough cushion to be able to enjoy retirement without too much stressing over money: 4 Dangerous Assumptions That Could Hurt Your Retirement Plan. Counting on strong returns, low inflation, working longer, or an inheritance? Here’s why that could cost you.

These just in: The 2027 tax brackets are out. See what the standard deduction and SALT tax breaks will be.

Inflation Rates Around the World in 2026

AI/TECH

Another site to bypass paywalls: UnWall. Information is a right, not a privilege. No account, no paywalls, no ads. Paste a link. Read. Similar to Archive.is but better I think. Definitely the interface is much better. But now both can’t do this with Wall Street Journal articles, hmmm.

This guy maybe IS the Antichrist, WTF! The Gospel according to Peter (Thiel).

The difference is that Thiel is an uber-wealthy influencer with political power. The theological thrifting by which he has sewn together his own apocalyptic vision would at one level be seen as quirky but innocent if not for the fact that he is using that vision to set himself up as a godlike judge between the saved and the damned — one might almost say a kind of Antichrist. That’s what eschatology has always done, but few apocalyptic preachers have wielded the kind of power Peter Thiel does, and he doesn’t seem to view many of us outside his circle as worthy of salvation.

Long excellent fairly well balanced video: Elon Musk’s Endgame. This guest is fantastic imho.

SCAMS/CRYPTO

Yeah every time I see a celebrity with way too much money doing a commercial for these companies I have this very strong urge to puke: Do Celebrities Endorsing Prediction Markets Not Have Enough Money Already?

What those advertisers are selling doesn’t seem to matter a great deal to many of the people doing the endorsing. After all, if everyone is constantly shilling, then it’s hard to point to any celebrity’s payday as particularly egregious. Maybe that’s why so many people agreed to be in that Polymarket ad at the same time — safety in numbers. But as durably profitable as it has been for celebrities to arbitrage their fanbase’s attention and affection, they should remember that for it to remain so, people do still have to like them. Continuing to cheerfully feed regular people into gambling’s meat grinder might not be the safest bet.

No one is safe these days. Especially writers: The Lucrative World of Literary Scams.

ODDZ & ENDZ

What a story: She Was the DEA’s Premier Crypto Detective. The Clues Led Straight to Her Own Family.

Amazing: Moving Image Archive. Search anything and sit back and look at old clips.

Did you know there is an event titled: World Chocolate Masters? Now you know, wow.

Stunning photography: Drone photo award winners: Far-out landscapes. Ship recycling. Rugs, rugs, rugs!

It’s a mega-recycling effort: A crew of 60 men use blow torches and winches to break down a ship that had carried liquid natural gas. Tons of metal parts will be harvested to resell overseas. This photo by George Steinmetz, from the Bay of Bengal in Bangladesh, is the overall winner in the 2026 Siena Drone Photo Awards contest.

TRAVEL

Latest headache for the airlines is all the false bomb threats diverting flights and resorting to emergency landings. Looks like the Russians again, let’s cut the sanctions against them then smh.

I had never heard of this guy before. But last week he was everywhere online, hmmm: After 28 Years Walking Across the Globe, He’s Almost Home. Karl Bushby has walked 31,000 miles, crossing some of the world’s harshest landscapes. He plans to reach his mother’s house in England next week. We are all running from our problems, some for a very long time lol.

I had never heard of Magnifica Air before. The airline aims to tap both those private jet travellers who want to save some money, and those first-class flyers who want to step up to something more luxurious still. Not sure if this airline will come to life, very ambitious project: Magnifica Air’s all-business approach to luxury air travel is getting ready for take off. The website sure looks cool though. And it all sounds so amazingly premiumish…

Luxury Without Limits

Enter a new era of luxury air travel, where every detail is meticulously designed to elevate your journey. At Magnifica Air, we believe luxury is synonymous with personalization, privacy, and unparalleled service. Start your journey with us and discover the art of travel redefined.

For the record, Frontier’s fare revenue per passenger in the third quarter was $67.82. Same quarter last year? $39.74, only a whopping 74% increase. So yeah, no wonder some entrepreneurs came up with Magnifica.

This Mars picture wow:

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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…

Really JetBlue? Looks to me like a desperation move: JetBlue raises bag fees for third time in a year as fuel costs bite. And here is a reference post about how much each airline charges for a bag.

I always find myself in the United website for some reason: United MileagePlus Sweet Spots and Best Uses of Miles.

If I ever get back into the Citi camp again, it will be for this: How to Book Flights with EVA Air Miles … & Save Big on Lie-Flat Seats to Asia.

I need to study this and perhaps move on to a new award search tool: Best Award Search Tools: Flights, Hotels and Alerts Compared.

Lufthansa can not stop being so phucking annoying: Lufthansa Implements Mandatory TRAVEL ID Account To Complete Online Checkin. Come on!

TRAVEL REWARDS CREDIT CARDS

For ANY questions on travel rewards credit cards, contact me anytime at travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com

My Amex affiliate credit card links are back, fyi.

I think Capital One is starting to be known as THE bank that does NOT offer 1:1 transfers, come on! Capital One Adds Copa As 2:1.5 Transfer Partner – Launches With 30% Transfer Bonus.

NEW OFFERS:

Very interesting offer from Chase that is valid for just one week. Until November 11. Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless 200,000 Points + $100 Airfare Credit. Only $3k spend in the first three months for this $95 card. As of the time of this writing, this offer is not showing up on my own affiliate credit card links. When it does I am going to update my post and delete these two sentences.

This is an excellent offer by the way to haul in a boatload of Bonvoy points. Of course the past offer to earn 5 Free Nights was better. Debating now if I should go for this one. I mean, whether my wife should go for it. She is under 5/24 but not sure if she will get approved. Because she did have the Starwood SPG card many years ago. Qualifying for a Bonvoy card is spectacularly complicated if you did not know.

The 75k Citi Aadvantage Business card offer is back.

Chase now has a new World of Hyatt card to Earn Four Free Cat 1-4 Nights after $5k spend in the first three months. The SUB offers for the personal World of Hyatt have been consistently underwhelming imho.

LATEST OFFERS:

Death, taxes and new Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card offers: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Credit Cards Offer Up to 90K Bonus Points.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Cardmembers: Earn 90,000 Rapid Rewards® bonus points—after spending $3,000 within the first 3 months from account opening.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Cardmembers: Earn 85,000 Rapid Rewards® bonus points—after spending $2,000 within the first 3 months from account opening.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Cardmembers: Earn 80,000 Rapid Rewards® bonus points—after spending $1,000 within the first 3 months from account opening.

IHG One Rewards Premier Select: Earn 210,000 points after spending $5k in the first 3 months (ENDING 11/18/26)

IHG One Rewards Business: Earn 190,000 points after spending $5k in the first 3 months (ENDING 11/18/26)

IHG One Rewards: Earn 125,000 points after spending $2k in the first 3 months (ENDING 11/18/26)

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, 75k CITI AAdvantage Business, 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, 100k AMEX Gold, 200k AMEX Business Gold, 70k AMEX Hilton Honors (AND Free Night), 130k AMEX Hilton Surpass (AND Free Night), 200k AMEX Hilton Aspire, 80k CHASE United Explorer, 50k CHASE United Gateway, 50k AMEX Blue Business Plus and many more!

As of today, I have burned 882,287 miles/points year to date (after burning 1,893,248 miles/points in 2025 and 2,027,816 in 2024) and have 4,476,243 miles/points in the bank.

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MY ACTION AND BLOG BUZZING

I am very sad for the sudden passing of the godfather of Detroit Techno, Juan Atkins: Legendary DJ, techno music pioneer dies at 64: ‘A true visionary’. They say that the music you grew up with stays with you. I remember discovering this futuristic sound in the early to mid eighties after moving near Detroit for college. There was one local radio station with a DJ named Mr. Mojo. Who played artists way ahead of their time. And all these local kids making electronic music to stay off the streets and crack back in those days. One was Juan Atkins and I became obsessed with what he was creating. Many years later I got to meet him when many of us worked to bring the Detroit Electronic Music Festival DEMF to life in Detroit, where it all started. This festival is now called Movement with a huge worldwide fan base. Before it went totally commercial, back then we were all in it for the love of this music: Juan Atkins, Godfather of Techno, in 6 Crucial Records.

Not much going on, I have now secured both signup bonuses for my 80k Schwab Amex Platinum and my 210k Chase IHG Premier Select card. Son is based in Honolulu and is Gold elite with Alaska Airlines and is finding more uses for its miles. Therefore, he applied (of course using my link, it is a family business lol) for the 100k Alaska Airlines Atmos Summit card. Which is a no brainer. We will see if he will keep it after one year.

One of the reasons I am glad my retirement plans fell through is that I can continue putting spend on my cards for my business expenses. And of course getting to apply for business cards is much easier. Which of course did not keep me from doing it even when I was working at a company many years ago.

I am thinking to have my wife apply for the new Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card, the best ever offer for 200k Marriott Bonvoy points is only good until November 11. Yeah, I am thinking to add some Bonvoy points in my arsenal, you never know.

Inching slowly towards another year of burning at least 1 million miles/points. Currently at 882,287 year to date.

I am shocked about the US election results. Very pleasantly shocked I may add. I am proud of my fellow Michiganders of course. And I never had a blue rout in Texas in the cards. Hopefully the country can move on from the guy in charge. Who can’t stop talking about asses smh.

Some photos from wife’s long way trip back to the US as she is hanging out at son’s new apartment in Honolulu these days before she returns home to Michigan next week:

2026 SE ASIA TRIP RECAP

New additions in bold font below. I am starting to add YouTube video links, I have lots more coming. Almost nearing the end…

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

AA Flagship Lounge in DFW You Tube Video

AA First Class DFW – HND

Sakura Lounge at Tokyo Haneda Airport HND

Sakura Lounge at Tokyo Haneda Airport You Tube Video

AMEX Centurion Lounge at Tokyo Haneda Airport HND

AMEX Centurion Lounge at Tokyo Haneda Airport HND Video

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.

~~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

Standard X Bangkok Review

StandardX Bangkok YouTube Video

10 nights at the Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 1 for 45,000 World of Hyatt points total

Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 1 Review

Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 1 Room YouTube Short

Breakfast at the Hyatt Place Soi 1 YouTube Short

Bangkok’s Benjakitti Park

Bangkok Chinatown Food Tour

Strolling Chinatown YouTube Short

Padthai in Bangkok’s Chinatown Food Tour YouTube Short

Random Shots Around Bangkok

Bumrungrad Hospital Visits

9 nights at the Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 24 for 40,500 World of Hyatt points

Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 24 Review

Room Tour of the Hyatt Place Soi 24 YouTube Short

Breakfast at the Hyatt Place Soi 24 YouTube Short

Bangkok Coffee Culture

Bangkok Eating

At TRIBE Sky Beach Bar in Bangkok

Bangkok Cats

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

Saigon on Motorbikes YouTube Short

Saigon Food Tour on Motorbikes YouTube Short

Roaming the Streets of Saigon, Part I

Strolling City Hall Square With Ho Chi Minh Statue YouTube Short

Saigon Skyline

Saigon Fabulous Skyline YouTube Short

Roaming the Streets of Saigon, Part II

Visiting Saigon’s Central Post Office YouTube Short

Roaming the Streets of Saigon Part III

Walking at Night in Saigon’s Cho Lon Chinatown Video

Eating around Saigon

Park Hyatt Saigon: Lam Son Suite, Front, Lobby, Main Floor

Park Hyatt Saigon Lam Son Suite Tour Video

Park Hyatt Saigon Breakfast

Breakfast Park Hyatt Saigon Video

Park Hyatt Saigon Art

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

KROMO Hotel Part I

KROMO Hotel Part II

ICONSIAM Mall Bangkok

Final Bangkok Post

1 night at the brand new Fairmont Bangkok ~~in a suite~~ using my lifetime Platinum annual complimentary night cert

Fairmont Bangkok Part I

Fairmont Bangkok Part II

Fairmont Bangkok Part III

1 night at the Hilton Pattaya for 60,000 Hilton Honors points

Viral IG Reel from Hilton Pattaya Rooftop Bar

Hilton Pattaya Rooftop Bar Short Video on YouTube

Hilton Pattaya Part I

Hilton Pattaya Part II

Around Pattaya

Hilton Pattaya Breakfast

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 SIN

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

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Let me leave you with this:

Happy Shawarma Day every day from the great state of Michigan, thank you voters all over the US!

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The post AI Stocks Meltdown, Elon Musk’s Endgame, 28 Years Long Walk, RIP Juan Atkins Detroit Techno Godfather appeared first on TravelBloggerBuzz.

Retiring Early, Binance Blows Up, Whale Museum, Bilt Revamps Again

TravelBloggerBuzz — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 10:58:11 +0000

Another TBB post featuring the most eclectic links around the web such as more people are retiring early, Binance blows up, new whale museum, Bilt revamps again, Top Advisor rankings scandal, Anthropic S1 and hacking reality, romance scammers to money mules, new age of reading, new US national park, life in the most remote island on earth, only the best photography 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!

Support TBB by applying for Credit Cards or Buy Me a Coffee or click on Links

No clickbait. No ads. No algorithms. No sponsors. No AI. No paywalls.

BLOG HOUSEKEEPING

This is truly a one man labor of love operation, enjoy it while it lasts.

With the recent blow up of my semi retirement plans starting in 2027, changes are coming to this blog. I have killed the Thailand section because I need to continue to align the time spent here with reality and have redesigned and cut most of the Credit Card offers section because no one clicks them. More changes are coming ahead.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“There is nothing permanent except change” – Heraclitus

PERSONAL FINANCE

Maybe this is why I am not retiring? Well, not really: What If This is the Worst Time to Retire? Or maybe my mission next is to make sure I retire all my clients, just a few left. Many people are retiring left and right. Just take a look at this:

Remember the recent scandal with the “research” firm Shook paying a Forbes staffer a cool $6 Million who helped it come up with Top Advisor rankings? Not shockingly, most of the rankings were dominated by the fat pockets of Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo. And the whole thing is already fading. I am starting to see fellow advisory firms showing off other rankings in Linkedin already. Anyway, do not forget this. Because we Forget at Our Own Risk.

The Forbes lists are broker-dominated, and I’m imagining that if somebody were to uncover the Shook finances, it would help explain why JP Morgan Wealth Management, Merrill Private Wealth Management and UBS Private Wealth Management are all prominently featured. It might show that even little Ameriprise was willing to drop in a few dollars when Shook’s hat was passed around.

In a rational world, nobody would ever again give credibility to any of these lists, especially the various ones published by Forbes.

We would also be skeptical of whatever we read in Forbes, on the theory that if the magazine accepts money in return for a chance to write articles or have your offices appear in a ‘top’ list, the entire editorial package is fatally tainted.

If I were a publication that insists on compiling stupid lists like these (am I being too harsh?), I wouldn’t touch the Shook organization with a 100-foot pole. [Shook recently announced that it is changing its name and is redesigning the method underlying how firms are picked for its Top Advisor rankings. And, of course, it is recommitting to continuing these rankings. Because, money.]

AI/TECH

The big news of the week was: Anthropic officially files for its public debut. The dollar amounts are staggering. You know what else is staggering? The company relies on just two customers, Microsoft and SpaceX, for roughly one fifth of its revenue. You want another staggering number? How about this: 85% gross margins.

Hacking incidents just keep coming: AI Is Changing Everything About Hacking. No One Knows What Happens Next. Everyone can throw out predictions but we don’t know what is coming next.

SCAMS/CRYPTO

I know of some clients who are dealing with this these days, among many other aging related issues as well: No iPad Till After Dinner, Mom. Seniors are spending more time than ever on their slop-filled feeds. It’s their adult children’s job to save them. As I have said numerous time in my blog, COVID changed everything. Or maybe it was the vaccine? Ok, bring on the vaccine conspiracy freaks out, my blog can use the views. Oh wait, I don’t have any ads.

This guy bribed his way out of jail and living the high life again: Inside a Billionaire’s Paradise With Crypto’s Most Powerful Ex-Convict. Changpeng Zhao, jailed in the United States for a financial crime and pardoned by President Trump, is now living a gilded life in the United Arab Emirates. Bill Clinton rightfully got slammed for pardoning Mark Rich. But when you put Rich against Zhao there is NO comparison! This is a deep dive on how this guy came about and his life right now. Money buys everything, especially in this US administration. Update: North Korea gets away with $3 billion from Binance. This just happened last night, amazing this shit happens in big companies like this. Oh, by the way, Zhao is not supposed to be involved with Binance at all from the plea deal he arranged. But there he is on Twitter pleading that every customer who lost money will be made whole, yeah right. And this is now the largest cryptocurrency theft ever.

Binance has estimated the total theft at $6.3 billion. At least $5.5 billion of these were liquid assets. Tether announced they had frozen at least $1.567 billion of the stolen USDT, and Circle has frozen around $800 million of stolen USDC. World Liberty Financial froze the $27 million in USD1 stolen by the attacker, and the Arbitrum ethereum layer-2 network froze an additional $30.5 million that had moved to its network. The attacker is estimated to have made off with between $2.4 billion and $3.3 billion.

This is out of control, imagine how much worse it will get with the help of AI: Romance Scammers Turned a Texas Man Into an Unwitting Money Mule. He fell for a beautiful woman online then found himself laundering cash for an international crime ring. ‘It wasn’t love toward the end.’ Be careful out there, especially with your elder parents/relatives. And, for crying out loud, try to use your brains more than the victim featured in the article smh.

ODDZ & ENDZ

Interesting link: Encyclopedia of Invisibility. What is it? The Encyclopedia of Invisibility is an object that includes information that has been deemed hidden or erased from history. Hope the Epstein Files will never appear here!

Maybe reading is not dead. Barnes & Noble bookstores are growing again. And it is all due to this man, management matters: The New Age of Reading. Alarm about declining interest in books is perpetual. But, as bookselling reaches unexpected heights, James Daunt, the chief executive of Barnes & Noble, thinks a different future is at hand.

Ok, this is really something that you have not seen anywhere, I guarantee it or your money back: The Restroom Archive. What is it about exactly? Since you asked:

The Restroom Archive is an ongoing repository of publicly accessible restrooms. Designed and built by Jake Welch, this archive aims to document the diverse qualities of these unique spaces. Everyone uses restrooms, yet as spaces, they are considered taboo and are rarely considered. There is perhaps no space in society that better captures the creativity and impertinence of humans when they know that nobody else is watching. Currently, 45 archivists have documented 214 restrooms in 94 cities across 14 countries.

Dazzling panoramic images from the 2026 Epson International Pano Awards.

“Center of the Cosmos” New York, USA Credit:Xuecheng Liu / The 17th Epson International Pano Awards Xuecheng Liu

TRAVEL

What a lovely article about Tristan, the most remote island on earth: Far, Far Away. Making a home on the world’s most remote inhabited island. I could never live there but I sure would like to visit one day. For those of you with a New York Times account, here is the direct LINK.

Only 220 people now call it home, down from a peak of 300 in 1993.

New museum opening in Norway on June 4, 2027: The Whale Museum.

Remember some time ago there was a cruise ship that was going to sail around the world for years. And then the ship kept getting delayed for repairs. I wonder what happened to it, it felt like a scam back then. Well, the ship did sail until one day last week the company ran out of gas and told everyone to disembark…in Cambodia: They Sold Everything to Live on a Cruise Ship. Now They’re Stuck in Cambodia. This couple had a You Tube Channel about it and there it was: Our Life at Sea Is Over After Two Years on Villa Vie Odyssey. The comments are, well, colorful to put it mildly.

Another one: Meet Chiricahua, America’s Newest National Park. The U.S. has named its 64th national park, Chiricahua, in southern Arizona. Here’s what to know about visiting this new national park and what the new designation means.

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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…

Must click, Travel Summary is back: I Rebuilt Travel Summary: Here’s What’s New. Most of these pages are to be bookmarked for reference. I added Travel Summary to the TBB Miles and Points Resources permanent page as one of the only four blogs I recommend.

It appears lately all airlines are trying to outdo each other to market to the same premium traveler. But it will take a while to get there you know: The Frustrating Wait for the Fancy Suites and Fast Wi-Fi Airlines Are Hyping. Travelers should curb their enthusiasm for promised upgrades to everything from lounges to seatback screens.

First, lets all please rise and pay our respects to the Southwest Companion Pass. Which is not going quietly. As in, you still have about a month or so to go for the last bang before we let it RIP for good. Unless you want to spend $140k on a Southwest credit card LOL: Southwest Companion Pass Complete Guide 2026.

Just in case anyone cares: Best Western Rebrands Under WorldHotels & WorldHotels Rewards.

This post came handy to me since I just got the Chase IHG One Rewards Premier Select card and now have about 230,000 IHG points to burn. Including a Milestone Reward to pick and these new to me food & beverage credits: How to redeem IHG food & beverage credits from Milestone Rewards & IHG credit cards.

Just a few weeks ago we were talking about how Hyatt’s StandardX brand was like a dead brand walking. With just one property in Australia left after the StandardX property in Bangkok rebranded (a few weeks after I stayed there actually). But, hold my beer: Hyatt Is Bringing Its StandardX Brand to Times Square With 1,800 Rooms and a Free-Fall Ride.

United is beating Delta in taking the lead to implement shitty practices. As in the the first with First Basic fares now, smh. Excuse me, the exact title is “First Base” fare.

TRAVEL REWARDS CREDIT CARDS

For ANY questions on travel rewards credit cards, contact me anytime at travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com

I have cut most of the real estate in this section listing credit card offers. Because no one clicks them except me it appears, sad. It appears the Amex affiliate links are back though so at least we have some progress.

Of course we need to talk about Bilt. And how it announced a total revamp of the ridiculously complex program. What is this, version 6.9b(i) or what? First, the facts:

2027 Bilt Program Updates – Reddit

Bilt is Revamping Credit Card Benefits for 2027 (Discontinuing 4% Bilt Cash for New Applicants & More) – Doctor of Credit

Everyone had something to say about them. And the best takes were in this post by Travel Summary: Bilt’s Annual “Screw With Bilt Members” Update Is Here (Bring a Spreadsheet). I share his views so I am just going to excerpt a few parts so I can move on:

Every time I read about Bilt, and that includes the posts I write about Bilt myself, I want to laugh. It’s the only popular program that makes you pull out a spreadsheet (or a pen and paper) to figure out whether it’s going to make you money or cost you money. That’s not a feature of a good rewards program; that’s a feature of a tax return (everyone’s favorite thing, right?).

So why is it “popular”? My opinion, and I’ll own it: I’m convinced the only reason it gets called popular is that a lot of the big names in the points and miles world either have a stake in the company, have been wined and dined by Bilt, or depend so much on credit card commissions that they’ll say whatever sells a card. I said something similar back in 2022, when the card was being “pushed” by people with a financial interest in it who didn’t say so, and nothing since has changed my mind.

What Bilt needs isn’t another round of tweaks. It needs to tear the whole thing down and start over with something a normal person can explain at dinner. Until then, I’ll see you at the next update, which judging by the timeline above is due sometime around February.

TBB Wisdom: I despise Bilt. I warned that the 4% Cash will not last and here we go. I also predict it is not going to make it the full year (2027). Business model still relying on suckers giving up money (thanks Wells Fargo) and daddy’s billions to allow the son CEO to keep blowing money on extravagant slick NYC headquarters and having selfies with any celebrity he can bribe to come over to play a stupid game. Richard Kerr is milking it too, I probably would too. Remember Mesa. These opinions are completely my own and have no basis is reality, I am just exercising my First Amendment rights (TBB Legal Dept request, lol).

When articles like this make it to the Wall Street Journal you know this is no longer a hobby: The Cat-and-Mouse Game Between Premium Credit-Card Firms and Points Junkies. Wait, we are now a subculture? A subculture of people obsessed with reaping rewards is prompting banks to adjust to their evolving tactics. And it quotes someone at The Points Guy who says that the banks may be on to us. Seriously? Coming from someone who is, in my own humble opinion, primarily responsible for marketing so much plastic that this traditionally quirky and private community has jumped the shark bigly and now it is payback from the banks against us. So, you know, friends don’t let friends read The Points Guy.

Very interesting development: Amex no longer automatically linking Membership Rewards accounts. Why did Amex decide to do this now? Hopefully it is just a tech glitz. But would they copy what Chase did with the Chase Sapphire Reserve restricting 1:1 transfers to World of Hyatt only to these cardholders while all others get relegated to suckier transfer ratios? It sure has that “feel” to it. We are past long held taboos in this space I am afraid. Chase started a big move downwards with breaking that 1:1 transfer ratio, which had held steady for ever.

The last travel rewards credit card I added to my collection was the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card. My site is not here to maximize revenue with pumping you my affiliate credit card links non stop. As so many other businesses have been doing for years. With the recent banking restrictions I am still shocked not many of these outfits have quit and moved on to sell something else yet. Anyway, I could be scoring more dinero if I would just pump marketing pieces non stop like this: 29 Benefits of the IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card. That’s just deep. I mean, 29 grabbed your eye balls’ interest, right? Nine of them are regular travel and purchase protections you get with every card, smh.

Citi is showing some signs of life: Citi Adds Copa Airlines as 1:1 Thank You Transfer Partner. Then again with Citi you never know.

Citi refreshed its Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard and the Citi / AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard cards: Citi AAdvantage Card Changes Coming January 24, 2027. Please note that there are no changes for the no-fee MileUp card, Citi AAdvantage Globe or the premium Executive card. Annual fee for both cards goes up from $99 to $150. And some new benefits that are lukewarm at best imho, read the link for the full list.

NEW OFFERS:

Death, taxes and new Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card offers: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Credit Cards Offer Up to 90K Bonus Points.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Cardmembers: Earn 90,000 Rapid Rewards® bonus points—after spending $3,000 within the first 3 months from account opening.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Cardmembers: Earn 85,000 Rapid Rewards® bonus points—after spending $2,000 within the first 3 months from account opening.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Cardmembers: Earn 80,000 Rapid Rewards® bonus points—after spending $1,000 within the first 3 months from account opening.

LATEST OFFERS:

IHG One Rewards Premier Select: Earn 210,000 points after spending $5k in the first 3 months (ENDING 11/18/26)

IHG One Rewards Business: Earn 190,000 points after spending $5k in the first 3 months (ENDING 11/18/26)

IHG One Rewards: Earn 125,000 points after spending $2k in the first 3 months (ENDING 11/18/26)

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, 100k AMEX Gold, 200k AMEX Business Gold, 70k AMEX Hilton Honors (AND Free Night), 130k AMEX Hilton Surpass (AND Free Night), 200k AMEX Hilton Aspire, 80k CHASE United Explorer, 50k CHASE United Gateway, 50k 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 4,498,740 miles/points in the bank.

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TBB’s Miles & Points RESOURCES Page

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MY ACTION AND BLOG BUZZING

I woke up at 2.30 am Thursday night to finish this blog post. This will not happen again going forward. I renewed the blog domain for one more year but I am determined to align the time I spend here to be more in tune with the business reality. As in, this blog has sold just two credit cards in the past two months and one was mine LOL.

The plan was for me to semi retire as of 1/1/27 from my main job and then travel a lot more (Greece, Thailand and all over the world). Well, it did not happen. Retiring is hard in my business. I have been independent running my own boutique wealth management firm for many years and I have a very strong connection with my clients. I thought I had found a colleague who will take care of them but he had a change of heart. It was a very costly (in terms of time and money) lesson. But also very educational as I have become reenergized with what I do (hugs and tears saying goodbye prematurely to clients can do this to you) and, you know, I am perfectly fine now going back to the original plan. Which is to stay at it and work less as time goes by, letting natural attrition take over. I just need to get my operations even more streamlined and fully on the cloud so I can continue the travel. I mean, I took more than 5 weeks recently for our fourth year in a row SE Asia trip (details/links below). The stress which needs to be reduced to help out with health in general (and peripheral neuropathy to be more specific) will come from the ridiculous time I spend on this blog.

So expect to see the blog becoming shorter. And I am going to try harder to not bother with links that are not must click ones. What appears here I want it to be a short oasis of the most amazing eclectic reads that you can hopefully come across only in my blog. Instead of this super long rambling weekly post that tried to cover way too much.

Now on the points and miles world. Look, the game has completely changed over the past decade or so. For the worst. With more restrictions coming at us, it is not looking good. It is taking more effort and time to be scoring the way we used to back in the day. To the point that we are coming closer and closer to wonder if all this mental bandwidth required is worth it. The Chase credit card lifetime restrictions hurt along with the breakage of the 1:1 points transfer ratio. Enter 5/24 and 3/24 restrictions on top of that. And all other banks are continuing to fight back against the hordes of newbies who discovered this hobby online from some expert marketers like The Points Guy or numerous influencers in YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. So, going forward I am going to focus on consolidating/simplifying my own game to create more quality time focusing on health, serving my clients and travel with fully retired wife. The way it should be of course. Succeeding online was never my intention. Blogging for 14 years is a crazy feat by itself, it is an eternity in web time.

And vote!

2026 SE ASIA TRIP RECAP

New additions in bold font below. I am starting to add YouTube video links, I have lots more coming.

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

AA Flagship Lounge in DFW You Tube Video

AA First Class DFW – HND

Sakura Lounge at Tokyo Haneda Airport HND

Sakura Lounge at Tokyo Haneda Airport You Tube Video

AMEX Centurion Lounge at Tokyo Haneda Airport HND

AMEX Centurion Lounge at Tokyo Haneda Airport HND Video

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.

~~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

Standard X Bangkok Review

StandardX Bangkok YouTube Video

10 nights at the Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 1 for 45,000 World of Hyatt points total

Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 1 Review

Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 1 Room YouTube Short

Breakfast at the Hyatt Place Soi 1 YouTube Short

Bangkok’s Benjakitti Park

Bangkok Chinatown Food Tour

Strolling Chinatown YouTube Short

Padthai in Bangkok’s Chinatown Food Tour YouTube Short

Random Shots Around Bangkok

Bumrungrad Hospital Visits

9 nights at the Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 24 for 40,500 World of Hyatt points

Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 24 Review

Room Tour of the Hyatt Place Soi 24 YouTube Short

Breakfast at the Hyatt Place Soi 24 YouTube Short

Bangkok Coffee Culture

Bangkok Eating

At TRIBE Sky Beach Bar in Bangkok

Bangkok Cats

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

Strolling City Hall Square With Ho Chi Minh Statue YouTube Short

Saigon Skyline

Roaming the Streets of Saigon, Part II

Roaming the Streets of Saigon Part III

Eating around Saigon

Park Hyatt Saigon: Lam Son Suite, Front, Lobby, Main Floor

Park Hyatt Saigon Lam Son Suite Tour Video

Park Hyatt Saigon Breakfast

Park Hyatt Saigon Art

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

KROMO Hotel Part I

KROMO Hotel Part II

ICONSIAM Mall Bangkok

Final Bangkok Post

1 night at the brand new Fairmont Bangkok ~~in a suite~~ using my lifetime Platinum annual complimentary night cert

Fairmont Bangkok Part I

Fairmont Bangkok Part II

Fairmont Bangkok Part III

1 night at the Hilton Pattaya for 60,000 Hilton Honors points

Viral IG Reel from Hilton Pattaya Rooftop Bar

Hilton Pattaya Rooftop Bar Short Video on YouTube

Hilton Pattaya Part I

Hilton Pattaya Part II

Around Pattaya

Hilton Pattaya Breakfast

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 SIN

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

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Let me leave you with this:

Every Bilt cardholder

Some of the links are behind a paywall. You can try to read them using Archive.is.

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Cheap ETFs, AI Bubble Or Not, Flying Tesla Roadster, Amex Platinum Credit Changes

TravelBloggerBuzz — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 11:40:01 +0000

Another TBB post featuring the most eclectic links around the web such as the cheap ETFs, AI bubble or not, the flying Tesla Roadster, the Amex Platinum credit changes, haunted cemeteries, elderly care experts, best bridges, every lighthouse in the world, 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!

Support TBB by applying for Credit Cards or Buy Me a Coffee or click on Links

No clickbait. No ads. No algorithms. No sponsors. No AI. No paywalls.

BLOG HOUSEKEEPING

This is truly a one man labor of love operation, enjoy it while it lasts.

There will be changes to the blog starting in 2027 because the present format/structure is not sustainable.

On the personal front, I was planning to enter semi retirement in my main job (blogging is NOT it) starting in 2027 but the colleague planning to take over 3/4 of my firm had a sudden change of heart so therefore I am not retiring. Whoever said retiring is hard was right on. I elaborate more about how it will impact the blog going forward in the MY ACTION AND BLOG BUZZING section of the blog.

Serenity now…

The 17th Epson International Pano Awards Running on Salt Aerial. Dead Sea, Israel. PhotoCredit:ShimonPerlstein

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Be a free thinker and don’t accept everything you hear as truth. Be critical and evaluate what you believe in” – Aristotle

PERSONAL FINANCE

Must read: Your ‘Cheap’ ETF Costs More Than You Think. The costs of many popular funds have barely budged even though assets have soared. I have been in the wealth management industry for a long time. And I have been a huge fan of broad based Vanguard ETFs all along. When you can pay 0.03% for, say an S&P 500 ETF while you have an S&P 500 ETF from another company that costs substantially more than that for the same stocks…you are being taken advantage of. Unless that advisor makes it up on service…yeah, I doubt it. Be careful out there!

It’s that time and be careful if this applies to you: Shopping for Your 2027 Medicare Coverage Is Extra Important Now. Be sure to read your mail this fall — big changes to prescription drug plans and Medicare Advantage provider networks are coming, and could cost you more.

Another link that deals with aging. Something that we are all hopefully going to experience. Because the alternative being buried six feet under is much worse! These Professionals May Be the Best Kept Secret in Elder Care. They can arrange a move to a senior living facility, deal with Medicare and Medicaid, recommend doctors, drive a client to the dentist, and much more. They used to be called geriatric care managers by the way. And about ten years ago they rebranded and are now known as aging life care managers. Their association’s website is here: AgingLifeCare.Org. Which includes a directory as well.

AI/TECH

Interesting quotes: 100 leaders call their shot on work and AI in 2027. I predict most of them will be wrong.

I enjoyed this video. You take an AI fan boy and a guy betting against it and let them go at each others’ throats: Is There an AI Bubble? A Debate. I actually follow the AI guy on Substack and I like the other guy’s arguments better but his delivery is so arrogant.

This is great! SynthID Detector. Identify AI generated media.

SCAMS/CRYPTO

I am adding this one here in this section to mess with some of you Elon fan boys: The incredible flying Tesla Roadster is just for show. It’s OK to marvel at the stunt — it’s pure spectacle. If you are going to bitch here please read the article first. If you were one of the people who paid $50,000 for a deposit back in 2018…lol. Then again, you probably got tired of waiting and bought one of the few hideous Cybetrucks.

Since we are on the subject of Elon, this is a fun interactive site: Spend Elon Musk’s Money. You can always spend some on some obscure blogger blogging away for the love of the craft since 2012.

ODDZ & ENDZ

If you are going to read one article in this post, make it this one. The triumph of science born from a family’s own tragedy. I can’t spoil this more, it will shock you: The Family Plan. When a little girl in Iowa was diagnosed with a rare incurable disease, her parents and their community came together to help her. They wound up making medical history.

Wow, another shocking story. What a psycho! Our mothers have a great impact on us. But this guy? Prepare to shake your head in disbelief what this guy did, just wow: A death, a plagiarism scandal and a quest for revenge: the bizarre tale of Otto Z. After his mother died, Otto became convinced he’d been wronged by the forensic investigators – and that one of them was a fraud. The truth was even stranger.

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know that many things fascinate me. Including architecture. And this is great: The 10 Best Bridges in the World.

TRAVEL

Halloween is coming: The 13 Most Haunted Cemeteries in the US.

This guy travels for cheese, really! The man hiking the world in search of rare cheeses. Fascinating post. And I like cheese too.

Another list: Lonely Planet’s Best 25 Places to Visit in 2027. This list is just all over the place. Maryland, seriously?

Amazing, every lighthouse in the world.

Amazing Photography: Winners of the 2026 Epson International Pano Awards.

THAILAND

My near future plans to rent a nice condo in Bangkok are on hold for now. This video shows how far your USD can take you in the land of smiles: The Cost of Living Like the 0.1% in Bangkok (Is Less Than You Think). Great info on living costs and visas too. And from my own research, never buy real estate in Thailand.

As you know I fell in love with Thailand. So much that I started a separate section for it in my blog. Especially, Bangkok. And I am not a city boy. But there is something about Bangkok. The YouTube authority on this city is Bangkok Pat, here he is being interviewed and tells his story since he landed there for the first time back in 1999: 27 Years in Thailand…”What Happened to Bangkok”. I highly recommend subscribing to his YouTube Channel by the way.

Follow me on Instagram and Subscribe to my YouTube channel

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…

We are all still feeling the after effects of Spirit Airlines going under. Which happens a lot in the very volatile and unstable airline industry. But when this happens another airline usually absorbs the fallen one. But not this time. For the first time since Pan AM was shuttered, Spirit Airlines is being slowly and methodically cut to pieces. And it is a fascinating process I must admit. For the dirty details, please see: Where Does Spirit Goes When It Dies? Behind the scenes with the skeleton crew that’s figuring out how to unwind every last bit of the airline.

Losing Spirit has a direct correlation to this sadly: Airlines Are Charging More than Ever to Avoid Basic Economy.

What was previously a $60 or $70 upcharge to book a standard economy fare on domestic roundtrip flights just a few years ago is now regularly $100 or more on most major U.S. carriers, according to our recent review of domestic fares. Flying over to Europe, Asia, or beyond, you can safely expect to pay $240 or more to avoid basic fares …Add it all up, and more passengers are booking standard economy tickets … and with these increases, they’re paying more than ever for it. I’d bet that easily offsets whatever revenue airlines “gave up” from change fees.

My clients in Columbus, Ohio are super happy by this, about time! The Columbus Region Goes Nonstop to Europe With New Lufthansa Service to Frankfurt, Germany Beginning May 27.

The Cranky Flier again correctly blogs about what is happening with Southwest Airlines. We are talking about a complete unparalleled transformation. But, come on, why did they have to take the fun culture out of this too? Southwest’s Use of Language Eliminates the Fun.

Gone are A-List and A-List Preferred as status levels. Those were more playful, like you’re a star on the Southwest red carpet. But now? You’ll never guess what they’re going with.

Silver. Gold. Platinum. [LOL]

Today, it seems that Southwest wants to use language as a way to bolster the belief that it is no longer the fun airline it used to be. The words suggest the opposite, that Southwest is trying to be more like everyone else. Customers might see it, but Southwest can be sure employees will. And while many may not luv it, they will end up taking it to heart. That’s something that just didn’t need to happen.

Many years ago we could burn Hilton Honors points in the Scandic hotels in Scandinavia. And it was a great value. Then the partnership ended. And out of the blue it appears to be back again? Kind of? It is confusing what will be the final result of this revived partnership: Hilton & Scandic Sign Strategic Agreement: Loyalty Partnership Coming + Scandic Begins Developing Hilton Brands in the Nordics.

I thought Bilt had this one already, zzzzz: Bilt Adds JetBlue as 1:1 Transfer Partner. Warning: JetBlue stock is now under $3 per share, having lost 50% of its value in the last 6 months. Sure acts like a dead man walking to be executed. Or it could be a deep value gem IF it can recover.

Good reference, how IHG, Hilton and Marriott do this: Fourth and Fifth Night Free Hotels: How To Book With Points.

United, despite having a CEO who just can’t shut the phuck up, is continuing to do pretty good things operationally speaking. Not only in the air but on the ground as well: United Opens New Concourse at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. This place now has the largest United lounge, at 54,000 square feet, wow.

I will be shocked if this turns out to be a good deal. I predict it will be the equivalent of burning your points for a toaster. And around here in TBB land we have a saying, don’t ever use your points for a toaster lol. Hilton Becomes First Major Hotel Brand to Offer Digital Solution to Pay with Points. Actually, first really? We could be paying with points checking out of Accor hotels for a while now.

Really good update on what business class awards we can book these days: 12 Biz Class Seats You Can Book With Points.

TRAVEL REWARDS CREDIT CARDS

For ANY questions on travel rewards credit cards, contact me anytime at travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com

I don’t usually post anything involving rumors. Unless it comes from a very reliable source. As noted here last week, that Amex rumor nerfing the FHR hotel credit did become true this week. It does suck that there is now a 2 night minimum for FHR stays too, no doubt about that. But, you must admit that you are likely not that shocked as this was way too beneficial for us (and costly for Amex). Bottom line for us having the Schwab Amex Platinum card is that we make up the $895 annual fee just by adding up the Schwab, Resy Dining and Lululemon credits alone #winning. So this blew up online and everyone posted about it. And the absolute BEST post was from old friend Omar at Travel Summary. Who took many years off and this space is glad to have him back as I always really enjoyed his superb writing. So, if you are going to read one article about this topic, make it this one:

Amex Platinum’s Hotel Credit Now Needs Two Nights, and the Card Lost Its Edge

I had never heard of this company, is it hurting for PR or something? I guess if you are in these six big US cities with its offices you can try it? Definitely not a benefit that makes you go “I gotta have me the American Express Business Platinum Card now”: New American Express Business Platinum Benefit: Free Membership To ZO Clubhouse & Studio (Lounge/Coworking).

You apply for an Amex card and, well, if you are not approved you can check here what the reason was: Application Status.

NEW OFFERS:

100k Bank of America Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards Summit Visa Infinite Card after spending $6k in the first 3 months

Comes with a 25,000 point Global Companion Award. Annual Fee is $350. Earns 3x on Alaska/Hawaiian purchases, dining and foreign transaction purchases. 8 Alaska Airlines lounge passes and 8 WiFi passes every year. Free checked bag for cardholder and up to 6 people on same reservation. Waives award booking fees. 1 status point per $2 spent. 10,000 points annually. Exclusive signature cocktail or elevated drink in the lounge for cardholders who like to be elevated and exclusive lol. You can earn a 100,000 point Global Companion Award after $60k of spend. TBB Wisdom: For repeated appliers who have bandwidth, what are you waiting for? For normal people, this is a great card if you spend considerable time abroad, 3x on everything wow. No credits per the traditional couponing sense. But you take the 25k companion award and the 10,000 points awarded annually and you can in a way recover most of the annual fee. Add the checked bag savings and overeating/overdrinking in the lounges and boom! The free wifi so you can read my blog in the air is an additional bonus. More HERE.

80,000 Bank of America Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards Ascent after spending $5k in the first 3 months

Annual fee is $95. Free checked bag for cardholder and up to 6 people in same reservation. Earns 3x on Alaska Airlines purchases, 2x on gas, cable, streaming services and local transit. And some other minor benefits, more HERE.

75,000 Bank of America Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards Business after spending $4k in the first 3 months

Comes with $99 Companion Fare. Annual fee is $95. Same free checked bag for cardholder and up to 6 people in same reservation. Earns 3X on Alaska Airlines, 2x on gas, EV charging, shipping and local transit.

For the record the first two cards above have affiliate links but the business card is not an affiliate offer. There is a dedicated place on the website for the affiliate card offers. I am always available via email if you have any questions.

CAPITAL ONE Venture X Business Card: Up to 300,000 bonus miles and a $1,000 Capital One Business Travel Credit. Spend $40,000 in the first four months and earn 150,000 miles. Spend $120,000 in the first four months and earn an additional 150,000 bonus miles as well as a $1,000 Capital One Business Travel credit to use toward purchases made through Capital One Business Travel.

TBB Wisdom: Obviously, you can haul in a massive amount of miles with this one. Unfortunately, it comes with a massive spending requirement as well. Probably suited to business owners and dedicated manufactured spenders. We all have the personal CAPITAL ONE Venture X card in my household and love it by the way.

50k AMEX Blue Business Plus after $5k spend in the first three months. This is a a no annual fee Amex card earning 2 Membership Rewards points per dollar on everything on up to $50k purchases per year.

50k AMEX Blue Business Cash after $5k spend in the first three months. This is a a no annual fee Amex card earning 2% Cash Back per dollar on everything on up to $50k purchases per year.

LATEST OFFERS:

IHG One Rewards Premier Select: Earn 210,000 points after spending $5k in the first 3 months (ENDING 11/18/26)

IHG One Rewards Business: Earn 190,000 points after spending $5k in the first 3 months (ENDING 11/18/26)

IHG One Rewards: Earn 125,000 points after spending $2k in the first 3 months (ENDING 11/18/26)

United Club℠: Earn up to 100,000 United MileagePlus bonus miles after spending $5k in the first 3 months

United Quest℠: Earn up to 90,000 United MileagePlus bonus miles after spending $4k in the first 3 months

United℠ Explorer: Earn up to 80,000 United MileagePlus bonus miles after spending $3k in the first 3 months

United℠ Gateway: Earn up to 50,000 United MileagePlus bonus miles after spending $1k in the first 3 months

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

AMERICAN EXPRESS Hilton Increased Credit Card Signup Bonuses (Up To 200,000 Points) AND Free Night Cert

AMERICAN EXPRESS Marriott Bonvoy Business 100,000 Points + Free Night Certificate (Up To 50,000 Points)

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

75,000 CAPITAL ONE Venture X

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BONUS OFFERS NOTIFICATIONS

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MY ACTION AND BLOG BUZZING

So, I have a lot of notes to cover here…

The minimum spend on my new IHG One Rewards Premier Select card is done and 210,000 IHG points are already in my account (200,000 Signup Bonus plus 10,000 for an Authorized User card I requested recently for my daughter and it has not even arrived yet). The 200,000 Signup Bonus points posted when I hit the minimum spend and the 10,000 points for the AU card posted when I requested it online. I am waiting now for the points based on the spend as the statement just closed yesterday and should have nearly 230,000 points shortly. I have been doing this for so long and it still never fails how awesome it feels when these points hit my account. I had driven my own IHG One Rewards account down to 0 points recently. Coming back I must admit that the website looks really nice, everything is laid out very intuitively. In addition, I booked a RT Delta flight for the Christmas holidays again and the $200 credit appeared the very next day. Strangely, no annual fee hit my Chase account yet.

I am going to hit the minimum spend on my new Schwab Amex Platinum card sometime this weekend so I expect another 80,000 Amex Membership Rewards points to be added to my bank vault when the statement closes on November 4. With the spend I expect a bit north of 92,000 points #winning. I only had the card a few weeks and I have already booked about $290 in credits with many more on the way.

My wife has left Malaysia and flew on Air Asia X to Taipei, Taiwan. She is now there and spent her birthday with our daughter who traveled there after her visits to Hanoi, Vietnam and Hong Kong. I gifted my daughter an expiring Hyatt Free Night Cert and I booked her at the funky Episode Daan Taipei hotel. I couldn’t get her to stay at the Grand Hyatt, not available on the night she landed in Taipei. But now they are all kind of stuck there due to the mother of all typhoons that is passing through. I told them to prepare for flight interruptions and they should be checking their emails/texts. I have a feeling I will be doing lots of travel agent type activities for them over the weekend. Of course let’s all pray that they are safe. Typhoon Champi looks really bad.

While my wife was back home in Malaysia, she did some domestic tourism and I am very slowly posting some pics in Instagram, more to come…

Ipoh, Malaysia

She has booked a flight on Delta flying Korean to Honolulu at the end of the month. After she goes on a Taiwan tour with her friend and former Ford coworker who is originally from Taiwan. Well, I am not so sure those plans will survive the typhoon interruption. Due to my own recent professional developments I may take a week and join her and our son in Honolulu, he now has a spare bedroom for us to stay. We’ll see if this happens. But I did book her to fly back to Detroit on Southwest and finally used about $160 of Southwest credit we have been carrying forward for years. At this point she is becoming the true travel expert and valuable TBB team member lol.

I had the second dose of my Shingles vaccine. And wow was it strong! It knocked me out for a whole day. But all was good after that.

I do watch a lot of YouTube videos, mostly to keep up for material for this blog. And I am starting to get it. The ones who want to make it are slaves to the algorithm. There are some YouTubers who are known for one thing and then they just keep posting the same shit over and over and over. They can not change the topic because that throws off the algorithm. So, you know, they become slaves to it. I don’t give a shit about algorithms, it is really liberating actually. Also, it helps when you realize that with the new YouTube monetization requirements my own You Tube channel will likely never get monetized. Oh, I gained three new subscribers bringing my subscribers tally to 115, only 885 to go to hit just one of the 2 requirements for monetization LOL. It sucks but it is what it is. Same with this blog. I do my own thing. I have been doing my own thing since birth I think.

Another thing I notice on You Tube is how trendy it has become to make a stupid face on the video thumbnails. I mean, you see so many just out competing each other to look progressively stupider. I was going to do a collage of some fine examples. But I ain’t got time for dat. I am already spending way too much in this blog.

I watched both documentaries on Elon Musk and Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos fraud. Well, just to warn you the Musk documentary is 4 hours long! And I don’t think I learned anything new about this horrible person. On the other hand, the other documentary was intriguingly and fascinatingly weird. I had no idea about Elizabeth’s husband who outshines her in weirdness, wow. Not for everybody, I can see people hating it after watching it. But I really enjoyed it, I see an Oscar here. And it does have a few hilarious scenes. But it is mostly disturbing how disturbed this couple is. And omg the lying smh.

I don’t need the money from this blog. But the shocking facts of what has happened in the last few years are below. This is on top of the severe Chase banking restrictions on credit cards, more restrictions on credit cards from the other banks continue, the loss of affiliate Amex links (they are supposed to be back…any…day…now) and of course the “compliance” conditions to have affiliate credit card links on the body of the blog posts that are so severe I chose not to bother (at this point, I can only have direct affiliate credit cards links from Capital One in the body of my posts). So, basically this is why the last two months this blog has sold 2 credit cards only and one of them was mine, it just boggles the mind LOL.

Revenue from 2024 to 2025 went down 22%
Revenue from 2025 to 2026 is projected to be down another 59%!

I just need to align what this blog brings in to the amount of time and stress it adds to my life bringing it all to you. Having said that, yes I do enjoy it and if I didn’t I would not keep this up for almost 14 years straight. But it is now costing me money and it will show a big loss for 2026. And, you know, this hurts my ego. Actually, do you know what hurts my ego more? Seeing all these open positions at The Points Guy Inc with each one paying over $100k per year plus benefits and here it’s me bringing (I think) better content (minus all the credit card pimping of course) and hitting that number is a fantasy 14 whole years into it, WTF! Ok, I feel better now. I elaborated more on this replying to a reader who was afraid I may paywall everything behind a Substack account. I will quit before that happens, we all like freeee 🙂

I am going to shut up now, thank you for allowing me to vent in my own blog. Who needs a therapist when I can do it here for freeeee woohoo.

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: 65

2026 SE ASIA TRIP RECAP

New additions in bold font below. I am starting to add YouTube video links, I have lots more coming.

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

AA Flagship Lounge in DFW You Tube Video

AA First Class DFW – HND

Sakura Lounge at Tokyo Haneda Airport HND

Sakura Lounge at Tokyo Haneda Airport You Tube Video

AMEX Centurion Lounge at Tokyo Haneda Airport HND

AMEX Centurion Lounge at Tokyo Haneda Airport HND Video

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.

~~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

Standard X Bangkok Review

StandardX Bangkok YouTube Video

10 nights at the Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 1 for 45,000 World of Hyatt points

Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 1 Review

Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 1 Room YouTube Short

Bangkok’s Benjakitti Park

Bangkok Chinatown Food Tour

Strolling Chinatown YouTube Short

Padthai in Bangkok’s Chinatown Food Tour YouTube Short

Random Shots Around Bangkok

Bumrungrad Hospital Visits

9 nights at the Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 24 for 40,500 World of Hyatt points

Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 24 Review

Bangkok Coffee Culture

Bangkok Eating

At TRIBE Sky Beach Bar in Bangkok

Bangkok Cats

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

Saigon Skyline

Roaming the Streets of Saigon, Part II

Roaming the Streets of Saigon Part III

Eating around Saigon

Park Hyatt Saigon: Lam Son Suite, Front, Lobby, Main Floor

Park Hyatt Saigon Breakfast

Park Hyatt Saigon Art

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

KROMO Hotel Part I

KROMO Hotel Part II

ICONSIAM Mall Bangkok

Final Bangkok Post

1 night at the brand new Fairmont Bangkok ~~in a suite~~ using my lifetime Platinum annual complimentary night cert

Fairmont Bangkok Part I

Fairmont Bangkok Part II

Fairmont Bangkok Part III

1 night at the Hilton Pattaya for 60,000 Hilton Honors points

Viral IG Reel from Hilton Pattaya Rooftop Bar

Hilton Pattaya Rooftop Bar Short Video on YouTube

Hilton Pattaya Part I

Hilton Pattaya Part II

Around Pattaya

Hilton Pattaya Breakfast

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 SIN

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

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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, 50k 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 4,700,054 miles/points in the bank.

Reddit’s Which Credit Card Should I Get?

TBB’s Miles & Points RESOURCES Page

Let me leave you with this:

Some of the links are behind a paywall. You can try to read them using Archive.is.

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The post Cheap ETFs, AI Bubble Or Not, Flying Tesla Roadster, Amex Platinum Credit Changes appeared first on TravelBloggerBuzz.

Triple Tax Free HSAs, Data Center Boom, Tinder Date to Singapore Prison, Southwest Airlines Transformation Continues

TravelBloggerBuzz — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 11:46:03 +0000

Another TBB post featuring the most eclectic links around the web such as the triple tax free HSAs, data center boom, from a Tinder date to Singapore prison, the Southwest Airlines transformation continues, heroes holding up the Internet, Math gets blown up by AI, when anesthesia goes wrong, most haunted places, the very first travel blog before Google existed, 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!

Support TBB by applying for Credit Cards or Buy Me a Coffee or click on Links

No clickbait. No ads. No algorithms. No sponsors. No AI. No paywalls.

BLOG HOUSEKEEPING

This is truly a one man labor of love operation, enjoy it while it lasts.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“The measure of a man is what he does with power” – Plato

PERSONAL FINANCE

You see this during bull markets. It is frustrating seeing these wizards act like this but you must understand that it is ok and not let it bother you. Because it happens in EVERY bull market. And this one has been going strong for a while so this behavior is normal. But I must admit I could not stop shaking my head by some of these “players”, see for yourself: At Robinhood’s Mecca for Risk-Loving Traders, Everyone Has a Tale of Getting Rich. The stock market is back at records. These everyday Americans are one reason why.

“The trend is always going to be up and to the right,” said Sara Brescia O’Rear, a former pharmacist who retired in her 40s thanks to her investing success. “I’m willing to take on risk because I know it can pay off.” [Pretty sure Sara will start a YouTube channel sharing with the world her investing wisdom…the one with the bold font I singled out for you, LOL.]

Markese Johnson said he never considered buying stocks until well into adulthood, when a childhood friend started showing him the ropes while Johnson was serving in the U.S. Army. His lucky break came when he bought several thousand shares of cloud computing company IREN when its share price was roughly $4. The stock is now trading around $35. “It’s helping me live a lifestyle I never dreamed I would live,” he said. Now, Johnson said he can afford experiences that once felt out of reach, like vacations to the Dominican Republic, or courtside seats to a Washington Wizards game. “I want [my children] to see you can build wealth the right way,” he said. [If building wealth the right way is betting bigly on an individual stock that is trading under $5, I am Batman! And yeah, having your children watch you blowing it on expensive vacations and tickets for courtside NBA games is most likely harming them for the rest of their lives smh…]

Alexander Bittan made millions betting on Tesla shares back in 2017 and has been a fan of going all-in on just a few stocks ever since. Most of his investments are still tied up in a couple of tech names. “If you have a couple high-conviction names, that’s all you need to become extremely wealthy,” he said. “But you have to be right.” [Riiiiiight…]

James Chen, who was born in China, lost his job about a year and a half ago and decided to focus on investing full time. Since then, he has made about five times his former salary trading options and stocks like Alphabet, Tesla and Robinhood. “In the past, my goal was to make it in corporate America,” he said. His new aim? “Trade myself into the new American dream.” [Good luck!]

…in 2024, Colin Edsman bet half of his savings on a stock trading for less than a dollar a share. A year later, the company, mineral provider United States Antimony, saw its share price climb into the double digits. Edsman made more than $13,000—and has made several similarly successful trades since. “I’ve never relied on luck,” he said. “I figured I could make my own.” [Dude, maybe start your own hedge fund, you have IT.]

In March 2020, Lance Zakrzewski put every dollar he had into the market, even taking early withdrawals from his retirement account, to plow more money into tech and dividend-paying stocks. His net worth tripled during the monthslong rebound that followed. The steady gains in his portfolio have allowed for some splurges, like the nine-day Caribbean cruise he booked for him and his mother, Kitty Zakrzewski, once Hood Summit wrapped. Zakrzewski said he is somewhat concerned about the market’s reliance on a handful of AI companies. But should stocks suddenly tank, he has a plan. “Probably just buy more.” [Everyone has a plan until, you know, what Mike Tyson once said. And for crying out loud, NEVER do that!]

I think the Wall Street Journal should do an update on all these people who were quoted in this article one day. Just to see what actually happened. And I hope they did look at some evidence. Because in this age of influencing social media and mind numbing grift maybe reporters should not take shit people say seriously. Unless the plan all along was to show the absurdness of all these quotes above.

I think Health Savings Accounts HSAs are great. If you have been reading my blog, this is nothing new of course. Triple tax free goes a very long way. But, HSAs have a flaw. As in when you die (or the spouse who had inherited it from you dies) all tax benefits go poof: Your HSA Needs a Succession Plan.

If your spouse is the designated beneficiary of your HSA, the HSA becomes theirs after your death, and the tax benefits continue. They can continue to take tax-free withdrawals for qualified healthcare expenses. But if a person other than your spouse inherits the HSA, the account is actually less attractive than the other key account types I mentioned before. That’s because an HSA inherited by a nonspouse beneficiary effectively ceases to be an HSA upon the account owner’s death, and all of its tax benefits go away at that time, too. Moreover, the nonspouse will need to include the inherited HSA amount in their income and pay taxes on it.

So, spend your HSA! I am doing my best to do so as we have been contributing the maximum for many years (and investing aggressively) and now we can’t spend enough lol. Also, investing in your health always pays dividends. In case you forgot about how good the HSAs can be, here you go: How to Get All the Tax Benefits From Your Health-Savings Account.

AI/TECH

We owe a lot to these people: The people holding up the internet. Billions of phones run on code looked after by a handful of people. We counted them from the code itself. I had no idea about this, shocking actually.

It does not look good for them but, you know, things happen and may evolve differently: What Will Happen to Indian IT? The past and future of the “world’s back office.”

The before and after map comparisons will blow you away: What the Data Center Boom Looks Like From the Sky.

If my major in college is Math, I would be very concerned about my future job prospects: ‘Breathtaking,’ ‘Devastating’: Mathematics Reels After New OpenAI Release. Hundreds of new A.I.-generated findings moved the frontiers of higher math in a single day — dispelling any doubt that the field is forever changed.

SCAMS/CRYPTO

Some years ago I blogged here about a guy who had figured out a way to trick online streaming platforms using AI and generated gazillions of clicks. And made millions along the way. And, well, he is going to prison for 18 months plus 2 years of supervised release and forfeiture of $8 million, who is laughing now? A.I. Music Fraudster Who Drew Millions in Royalties Is Sentenced to 18 Months.

ODDZ & ENDZ

This was an article that blew my mind and thought about it for days. Especially because one of my clients is an expert in pediatric anesthesia. Amazing resolve by the parent to stick with this to discover what went wrong with her child. And amazing how the story changed along as time passed. Thank you science. Maybe sit down when you decide to read this: When Anesthesia Goes Wrong. A teenage boy went into surgery for a broken arm and emerged with brain damage. His mother was determined to figure out what had happened.

Amazing interview of a Russian living in Singapore. Who went on a Tinder date and, well, then all hell broke out. He was accused of rape and jailed for several years in Singapore while pursuing appeals of his case. And amazingly he was eventually acquitted, what a story: From a Tinder Date to Singapore Prison.

Amazing photography: Annual Winners of Small World in Motion. Nikon’s Small World in Motion encompasses any movie or digital time-lapse photography taken through the microscope.

Sometimes you click on a site and you just marvel what your eyes are seeing and wonder how did they build this? This is one of those sites: Units of Measurement Map. Click and if you don’t go wow I will give you an immediate refund!

More amazing photography: Comedy wildlife photography award finalists 2026.

Out of Water: A little sunbird enjoys a spa day after finding a natural "bathtub” in a bright red banana blossom in Vietnam." width="649" height="432" />

Photo Credit:Thong Duy Vu – Out of water

TRAVEL

This site tracks weekend flight prices: Every weekend from ______ for the next 12 months, color-coded by price. Looks interesting and they asked nicely.

Halloween is coming, boo! 20 Most Haunted Places in America—and the Ghosts You Might Meet There. I don’t know if I will ever manage to stay at The Stanley Hotel because I still have nightmares from the first time I watched The Shining. And I bet you did not know that the Honolulu HNL airport is haunted, supposedly.

This is cool: JetsFly. Every business jet in the air right now, on a 3D satellite globe. And we can put the code on our sites by copying just one line of code. When you guys finally roll in applying for credit cards with my links and get TBB Inc on an IPO path…I will install this code here so you can see where my own jet is, LOL.

Wow, loved this story: Still On Its Way to Cleveland. Nine months, 25,000 miles, one phone cord, and the kindness of strangers. Travel blogging two years before Google existed, wow. Here is the original site with the family adventures back in 1996-97: Blondins’ Assignment America.

Another site I love, maybe you will too: Railpass. Click on Random and the sites takes you for a train ride looking out the window, enjoy.

I am blown away when I see these human pyramids in Spain, amazing concentration and photography: Human Towers. And finally some photos showing what happens when they fall…

Photo Credit:Emilio Morenatti / AP Members of Colla Joves Xiquets de Valls fall during an attempt at the Human Tower Competition in Tarragona on October 4, 2026.

THAILAND

So Thailand changed the visitor visa exemption policy from 60 days to 30 days. Which can be extended for 30 days at an immigration office for a fee of 1,900 Thai Baht (about $57 USD). But there is another tourist type visa that may be a better fit for you if you are traveling to Thailand and expect to also travel to nearby countries as well. It is the Multiple Entry Tourist Visa METV, good for up to six months. Or the Single Entry Tourist Visa SETV if you plan to stay only in Thailand for up to six months: Thailand Tourist Visa 2026 : SETV vs METV.

Thailand has lots of holidays, this video runs through them all: Thailand Ruins Other Trips | 2026 Holidays & Festivals You NEED to See.

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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…

Southwest came out with so many changes this week that makes our heads spin. Has there been such a transformation of an airline so fast in the history of aviation? I would argue no. It appears someone flipped a switch suddenly and management decided we are out with the old and we are going to go premium…just like every other airline. The stock price has rewarded them so far, climbing from the mid $20’s to about $40 per share. Will this succeed? Who knows, we will find out as it all plays out. Here are all the announcements straight from Southwest: Rapid Rewards^® is becoming even more rewarding in 2027. At the bottom of this page there is an extensive very good Q&A section that will likely answer any of your questions.

I mean, where to start? You can do a basic run through of all the changes in this post: RIP: Southwest Axes Companion Pass Shortcut With New Rapid Rewards Status Tiers. And can we all please rise and observe a moment of silence for the Companion Pass? The one hack that has survived for so many years is finally dead. Well, it continues to exist but the days of easily obtaining it with a credit card signup (or two) are over. There is a very brief window in the next month and a half that you can still get it but starting in 2027 you can kiss it goodbye. Unless you spend $140,000 on a Southwest credit card that is LOL.

Upgraded Points did a really good job covering all the Southwest news. For the record, this blogger was not invited to be wined and dined by Southwest in its big press event. You know, no one invites me to these things, I wonder why. Anyway, to learn more about the changes check out these posts:

Southwest Revamps Rapid Rewards Status With New Platinum Tier and Milestone Rewards

So, A-List becomes Silver elite, A-List Preferred becomes Gold elite, new Platinum elite enters the picture. Forget Companion Pass Qualifying points, they are history. Everything elite status related is going to be based on Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) or flights: Silver at 35,000 TQPs or 25 flights, Gold at 65,000 TQPs or 50 flights, Platinum at 140,000 TQPs or 100 flights. The big change is this: As of January 1, 2027, every Southwest Rapid Rewards card will earn 1 TQP per $1 spent on eligible purchases.

These are the key benefits available for each tier:

Silver: Free Preferred or Standard seat selection when booking, upgrades to Extra Legroom seats within 48 hours of departure (subject to availability), Group 1 boarding, 1 free checked bag, and 40% bonus points on qualifying flights
Gold: Free selection of any seat at the time of booking (including Extra Legroom), boarding before Group 1, 2 free checked bags, 60% bonus points, and 2 complimentary premium drinks per flight
Platinum: Unlimited Companion Pass trips, boarding before Gold members, 3 free checked bags, 120% bonus points, and the same seat and drink benefits available to Gold members

What stands out is Platinums getting unlimited Companion Pass trips.

Southwest is also adding Milestone Rewards at 20,000 TQPs or 15 flights (2,000 points or 2 preferred seat certs) and at 95,000 TQPs or 75 flights (Three Companion Passes).

There is more: More Ways To Use Southwest Coming in 2027: Partner Flights, Seat Selection, and Rental Cars.

The thought of using Southwest points to fly internationally was a fantasy before this airline transformation began. Well, starting in 2027 we can burn Southwest points to fly on Icelandair, China Airlines and Etihad! Just typing this made me shake my head, wow. Of course, no celebrations because we have no idea what the award rates will be. We can also use points on rental cars (don’t do that) and seat selections.

Wait, there is more: Southwest Reveals New Icon Lounge and Design Details.

Southwest lounges now have a name: Icon. You know, I like this name. And they look good…in pictures. The first four lounges are under construction and expected to open in late 2027 in Austin AUS, Baltimore BWI, Honolulu HNL and Nashville BNA. Seven more lounges will follow. That is 11 lounges from 0! All the lounges will have a golden-hour inspired bar. Just the thought of Southwest passengers lining up around those poles before boarding to sipping champagne in full service bars is shocking. And brace yourselves for the new premium Southwest Rapid Rewards Icon card soon to come that will grant you lounge access I am sure. Maybe you can use my links to get it? #Hint. Any predictions on what the annual fee will be? I am going for $499.

Finally, Southwest is expected to be the first airline to roll out Starlink in all its flights by late 2027.

Got all that? This space is never boring!

United came out with the new rules how to achieve elite status for 2027 and the trend towards universal revenue based earning mode is pretty much complete now: United Is Changing How You Earn Elite Status in 2027. I think it is also becoming easier to understand by taking at least one of them three letter acronyms out completely. And of course it kept the minimum 4 United or United express flights requirement to qualify for any Premier elite status level. If you had elite status this year you will get a leg up on next year’s with United crediting your account at 5% of the requirement. Anyway, it has become even harder to qualify for United’s top 1k elite level going forward.

The airline is getting rid of Premier Qualifying Flights (PQFs) as a way to earn status. Going forward, elite status will be based on Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) only. That means how many flights you take will no longer help lower the PQP requirement.

Image found at Loyalty Lobby.

This may apply to you. If it does, this is very helpful: How to get free checked bags on United flights that are booked with partner miles.

I eat out a lot. And I always try to hit some restaurants that earn me some miles. Especially if I need to keep some miles from expiring, being close to hitting a level for a particular award or sometimes there are decent promotions. Such as one I am doing now for my daughter’s American Airlines miles account being close to 40,000 miles and doing a promo to hit 3 restaurants to earn 600 bonus miles (on top of the regular miles earned per dine). Hey, I am going to eat somewhere so might as well feed my miles addiction as well lol. So, this is a good reference to be aware of: Eat out, earn more: Guide to card-linked dining programs for airlines, hotels & more.

As blogged about recently, Hyatt is phasing out its partnership with American Airlines. And it is linking up with Air Canada Aeroplan (with Delta Skymiles coming in 2027). If you have not done so yet, you can link your World of Hyatt account to your Air Canada Aeroplan account HERE. After you link the two accounts, you can then REGISTER to earn 1.5 Aeroplan miles per $1 USD spent in Hyatt stays through February 14, 2027. No catch, we are talking FREE miles for doing something you were going to do. Free miles are the best miles lol. In addition, Air Canada Aeroplan announced a status challenge for World of Hyatt Globalist and Explorist elite members. Which I am passing like most of you. But it is still good to see the two companies partnering more…

Register for the latest Hilton Honors promotion HERE: Register now and earn 3,000 Bonus Points each time you stay at one of Hilton’s 1,000+ luxury, lifestyle, resort, or all-inclusive hotels. Plus, earn 1,000 Bonus Points on every other stay in the Hilton portfolio. Register and stay between October 15 and December 31 to earn.

If you have been here for a while, you know that I like to make fun of Delta’s marketing speak. I mean, take a look at this press release: Feel like the only one: The next era of Delta One is here. I have never seen such a collection of pompous fake BS in one web page, just wow. While you shake your head when you see stuff like this below, remember that the actual seats in these routes are the absolute worst. Like they are contemporary with the dinosaur age. Delta, you never fail to make me grab a shovel…Notice that no one puts an actual name behind this, it is written by a “Staff Writer” lol. Ok, just the opening paragraph to get a feel of what comes next in the press release:

Today, Delta unveils the next era of Delta One — an investment that elevates dining, hospitality and rest. Informed by two decades of customer insights and backed by the airline’s largest investment to-date — building upon more than $1 billion invested in fleet — the refined Delta One was meticulously designed, spanning thousands of touchpoints and delivering an unmatched journey.

Sometimes I come across a place that just leaves such an impression on me that I gotta ~~have~~ stay in it. And I think this Hilton in Crete, Greece is it: Inside the New Hilton Chania Old Town Resort & Spa in Crete, Greece. Wow, looks amazing. In-room sauna? Check. Private plunge pool? Check. Huge balcony with amazing view? I am picturing myself waking up and drinking my coffee there already.

Rove just continues adding transfer partners, next one up is JetBlue and the transfer ratio is 1:1. And it comes with a 20% transfer bonus through November 14, 2026. So, for full disclosure, I am still waiting for some Rove miles since my online purchase on July 15. And a blog reader recently used my link, he got his miles and I sure haven’t (yet?). So, keep these in mind and if you still want to get started with Rove, please use my Rove Referral Link, thank you.

Hyatt finally gets its members to share points online instead of emailing a PDF form and…waiting. And it is very straight forward, here is how it works on its website and the app. Interestingly, there is now a cap both ways of 525,000 points transferred per calendar year. Be aware that both accounts must be open for at least 60 days. Transfers can be done once per month and up to only six times per year. It is all handled by Points.com, which is strange. Finally, any member can buy up to 55,000 World of Hyatt points in a calendar year for themselves and up to another 55,000 for other members collectively.

TRAVEL REWARDS CREDIT CARDS

For ANY questions on travel rewards credit cards, contact me anytime at travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com

I needed some more content in this section so I am taking the editorial liberty to add a link here how to get the Companion Pass one last time (hurry!) and how to do it going forward starting in 2027: Southwest Companion Pass Is Now Harder, More Expensive To Earn.

I will not be surprised if this rumor turns out to be true. Rumor: Amex Platinum Could Add $250 Airbnb Experience Credit.

The same source also says the current Fine Hotels + Resorts credit could be rebranded as a broader “Lodge Credit” that would also work with certain Airbnb luxury stays.

Because in its present form the $600 ($300 every 6 months) hotel credit with the personal Amex Platinum cards is just too lucrative (for us cardholders). FHR requires only 1 night reservation so it is pretty easy to find one that does not require much cash out of pocket. This will become much harder if Amex changes FHR reservations to 2 nights minimum. And the added Airbnb benefit will most likely leave much to be desired. Don’t forget that the 2 night The Hotel Collection reservation requirement will remain the same. And I think it is going to become the go to benefit for us because it will be easier to squeeze the value out of this credit going forward. Even if the hotel credit was taken away I think, in my case anyway, I can still make up more than all of the $895 annual fee for the card. Heck, just the Resy, Lululemon and Schwab credits recovers my annual fee fully, so all the rest of the credits are pure profit…ok, kind of.

NEW OFFERS:

50k AMEX Blue Business Cash after $5k spend in the first three months. This is a a no annual fee Amex card earning 2% Cash Back per dollar on everything on up to $50k purchases per year.

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 (ENDING 10/26)

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

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

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 Marriott Bonvoy Business 100,000 Points + Free Night Certificate (Up To 50,000 Points)

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

75,000 CAPITAL ONE Venture X

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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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…

My new IHG One Rewards Premier Select card finally arrived yesterday. Just one day before my annual insurance invoice was due, phew. Minimum spend met, waiting another 200,000 IHG points. Plus 10,000 for getting my daughter an Authorized User card (to be closed after the points are deposited). Plus at least 15,000 for the minimum spend. So expecting close to 230,000 IHG points to add to the vault. I am going to claim the $200 airline credit for the annual holiday pilgrimage airfare to New York. I have up to 90 days to claim the 20 elite night credit IHG Milestone Reward already in my account. It is down to 5,000 IHG points or a confirmed suite upgrade. How does the suite upgrade work with IHG, can it be attached to any suite online easily? Or do I need to call?

We have all been predicting the death of the Southwest Companion Pass for ever. Looking back, it was the best deal in this space for so long it feels like losing a member of the family or something. Sending condolences to everyone who has had it for many years, we know how you feel. But in case you want to go for the last hurrah, you know the Southwest Business Performance credit card is now up to 80,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points signup bonus. And guess where you can find it? #Hint.

Taking my time to meet the minimum spend on my new Schwab Amex Platinum card, maybe by late November. If not, December for sure. I was hoping to go under 4 million miles in the bank. But I am back up to 4.5+ million now with at least another 300k coming from the new IHG Premier Select and Schwab Amex Platinum cards. There is a small chance I may get to Greece late next month/December but I can not commit to it yet. Looking to travel a lot more starting after April 15, 2027. I will be making an announcement here when everything is set, stay tuned.

Wife is looking after her elderly mother back in Malaysia while reconnecting with old friends and classmates. And doing domestic tourism. While my daughter has definitely inherited my travel genes and is roaming mountains in Vietnam and then Hong Kong. To be followed in Taipei where she meets up with her mom to celebrate her birthday. I am home alone working my butt off to set up my life to be able to travel more starting in mid 2027. Which will likely mean more time to devote to this blog and hopefully I can get its finances straight away to stand by itself covering its costs.

I may go to see both documentaries this weekend, the one about the weirdos Theranos Elizabeth Holmes and Musk.

We are seeing an avalanche from airlines and hotels pursuing premium type travelers. And having a credit card to enjoy some of the benefits that we enjoyed without one is now becoming a requirement. And revenue based earning and now burning is pretty much becoming standardized. And the devaluations? Oh dear, we don’t even flinch anymore. So, having said all that, is this hobby still worth it? Well, it sure is worth much less than it used to be! As long as banks will shower us with high Signup Bonuses for doing very little (actually, minimum spends have all gone up too!), why not? It is like free money. And we all like freeeeee. But, on the other hand, we need to be able to burn them without killing ourselves. And this burning part of the equation is getting to a point where many are at the point “phuck it, I am out, all cash back baby”. And I can empathize. But I am not there…yet?

We recently added a family wedding at the Singapore St. Regis. And it reminded me of another family wedding from back in 2018. Not at St. Regis, lol.

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: 65

2026 SE ASIA TRIP RECAP

New additions in bold font below. I am starting to add YouTube video links, I have lots more coming.

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

AA Flagship Lounge in DFW You Tube Video

AA First Class DFW – HND

Sakura Lounge at Tokyo Haneda Airport HND

Sakura Lounge at Tokyo Haneda Airport You Tube Video

AMEX Centurion Lounge at Tokyo Haneda Airport HND

AMEX Centurion Lounge at Tokyo Haneda Airport HND Video

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.

~~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

Standard X Bangkok Review

StandardX Bangkok YouTube Video

10 nights at the Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 1 for 45,000 World of Hyatt points

Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 1 Review

Bangkok’s Benjakitti Park

Bangkok Chinatown Food Tour

Random Shots Around Bangkok

Bumrungrad Hospital Visits

9 nights at the Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 24 for 40,500 World of Hyatt points

Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 24 Review

Bangkok Coffee Culture

Bangkok Eating

At TRIBE Sky Beach Bar in Bangkok

Bangkok Cats

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

Saigon Skyline

Roaming the Streets of Saigon, Part II

Roaming the Streets of Saigon Part III

Eating around Saigon

Park Hyatt Saigon: Lam Son Suite, Front, Lobby, Main Floor

Park Hyatt Saigon Breakfast

Park Hyatt Saigon Art

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

KROMO Hotel Part I

KROMO Hotel Part II

ICONSIAM Mall Bangkok

Final Bangkok Post

1 night at the brand new Fairmont Bangkok ~~in a suite~~ using my lifetime Platinum annual complimentary night cert

Fairmont Bangkok Part I

Fairmont Bangkok Part II

Fairmont Bangkok Part III

1 night at the Hilton Pattaya for 60,000 Hilton Honors points

Viral IG Reel from Hilton Pattaya Rooftop Bar

Hilton Pattaya Rooftop Bar Short Video on YouTube

Hilton Pattaya Part I

Hilton Pattaya Part II

Around Pattaya

Hilton Pattaya Breakfast

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 SIN

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

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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, 50k 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 4,528,252 miles/points in the bank.

Reddit’s Which Credit Card Should I Get?

TBB’s Miles & Points RESOURCES Page

Let me leave you with this:

Wow, shocking. I blame our phones and Covid, you?

Some of the links are behind a paywall. You can try to read them using Archive.is.

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The post Triple Tax Free HSAs, Data Center Boom, Tinder Date to Singapore Prison, Southwest Airlines Transformation Continues appeared first on TravelBloggerBuzz.

AI Facts and Risks, China’s Long Twilight, Best Hotels, Amex Great Expansion

TravelBloggerBuzz — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 10:13:33 +0000

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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No clickbait. No ads. No algorithms. No sponsors. No AI. No paywalls.

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.

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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.

Customers of PS, formerly known as The Private Suite, can bypass the main airport terminal entirely and go through a separate security check for departures or through a dedicated US Customs and Border Protection screening on arrival. Travelers can pay for access to the “Salon,” a shared lounge limited to those 21 and older, or for a fully private room.

The all-access membership costs $4,850 a year, and each visit then costs $895 a person for the Salon or $3,650 for a group of up to four in a private suite. Non-members can pay $1,295 a person for a visit to the Salon, but they have to sign up for the waitlist and can only get in if the location has space that day. Once inside, food, drinks and most amenities are included, though tipping is encouraged. [You all need to start clicking on some credit cards so I can be important enough to be invited here and, wait a minute, the first reader who reaches 200 credit cards with my links, I will bring you as a guest, imagine all the Insta likes LOL)

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 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

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

AMERICAN EXPRESS Hilton Increased Credit Card Signup Bonuses (Up To 200,000 Points) AND Free Night Cert

AMERICAN EXPRESS Marriott Bonvoy Business 100,000 Points + Free Night Certificate (Up To 50,000 Points)

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

75,000 CAPITAL ONE Venture X

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MY ACTION AND BLOG BUZZING

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

AA Flagship Lounge in DFW YT Video

AA First Class DFW – HND

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.

~~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

Standard X Bangkok Review

10 nights at the Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 1 for 45,000 World of Hyatt points

Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 1 Review

Bangkok’s Benjakitti Park

Bangkok Chinatown Food Tour

Random Shots Around Bangkok

Bumrungrad Hospital Visits

9 nights at the Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 24 for 40,500 World of Hyatt points

Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 24 Review

Bangkok Coffee Culture

Bangkok Eating

At TRIBE Sky Beach Bar in Bangkok

Bangkok Cats

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

Saigon Skyline

Roaming the Streets of Saigon, Part II

Roaming the Streets of Saigon Part III

Eating around Saigon

Park Hyatt Saigon: Lam Son Suite, Front, Lobby, Main Floor

Park Hyatt Saigon Breakfast

Park Hyatt Saigon Art

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

KROMO Hotel Part I

KROMO Hotel Part II

ICONSIAM Mall Bangkok

Final Bangkok Post

1 night at the brand new Fairmont Bangkok ~~in a suite~~ using my lifetime Platinum annual complimentary night cert

Fairmont Bangkok Part I

Fairmont Bangkok Part II

Fairmont Bangkok Part III

1 night at the Hilton Pattaya for 60,000 Hilton Honors points

Viral IG Reel from Hilton Pattaya Rooftop Bar

Hilton Pattaya Part I

Hilton Pattaya Part II

Around Pattaya

Hilton Pattaya Breakfast

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 SIN

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?

TBB’s Miles & Points RESOURCES Page

Let me leave you with this:

Just ran into this old pic of me flying Air Berlin

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.

You can also support the blog to help cover the costs of running it and keeping it free by donating via Paypal:

The post AI Facts and Risks, China’s Long Twilight, Best Hotels, Amex Great Expansion appeared first on TravelBloggerBuzz.

Leveraged ETFs, AI Bleh, Wealth Seminar Scams, Bangkok Floods, New Chase IHG One Rewards Offers

TravelBloggerBuzz — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 11:06:17 +0000

Another TBB post featuring the most eclectic links around the web such as leveraged ETFs, AI bleh, wealth seminar scams, Bangkok floods, new Chase IHG One Rewards offers, Amazon rainforest, grocery prices, the Bitcoin believers, endless museums and dengue, travel to Kyrgyzstan, 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!

Support TBB by applying for Credit Cards or Buy Me a Coffee or click on Links

No clickbait. No ads. No algorithms. No sponsors. No AI. No paywalls.

BLOG HOUSEKEEPING

This is truly a one man labor of love operation, enjoy it while it lasts.

Welcome to the team to the new intern!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” – Albert Einstein

MUST READ GEMS

Best read this week. Well, this is not a read. It is a superb interactive experience through the Amazon Rainforest. In a sea of AI slop, fake rage and “shocking” crap catering to algorithms maybe to preserve your sanity you need to travel to:

Amazon Rainforest

PERSONAL FINANCE

Excellent advice here, I agree with everything: Financial Lessons. Must read. All of it, no excerpts.

Good advice again by Jason Zweig. If you are ever pitched a leveraged ETF or you are inclined to buy one, read this: You’re Not Tough Enough to Earn These Huge Returns.

In my view, buying a leveraged fund and holding it for the long run is appropriate only for people who can spend the rest of their lives in a sensory-deprivation tank. Maybe decades of floating in darkened silence would insulate you from the sheer terror of losing most of your money over and over and over again.

Otherwise, forget about it.

Do not forget that in 2026 you can deduct some charitable donations even if you take the standard deduction: Big Beautiful Bill packs big tax changes for 2026 charitable giving.

The new deduction — which would apply to your 2026 federal income tax return that’s filed in 2027 — is limited to $1,000 for single filers and $2,000 for married couples filing jointly, per year.

US grocery prices since 2020. Yikes.

AI/TECH

This has not happened here and as long as I am driving the bus I will not allow any AI slop to appear: Now Entering The Era of Bleh. Airbrain, AI and the homogenization of knowledge work.

This vision of the future, in which as much work as possible is outsourced to AI, promises the ability to move faster, iterate more quickly and require less human staff. But nothing in life comes free. For companies that indiscriminately push the “AI for everything strategy,” real-world consequences lurk. Because when every company in an industry leverages essentially the same single brain indiscriminately, competitive differentiation erodes. The value proposition of companies paid for solutions only they can provide collapses. And how and where value is generated shifts in ways that fundamentally change the landscape of human work. And it threatens to impact everyone.

This is great. You probably have different bookmarks doing some of these utilities. But this site, Normal Tools, combines them all in one URL. Yes, I bookmarked it. And I love that everything stays on the browser. The tagline is: “Open a tool, do the thing, leave. No account, no download, and nothing between you and the answer.” You are welcome.

SCAMS/CRYPTO

Scammers are horrible people by definition. And those doing it in the name of Jesus are first in line for Hell. This story made me sick to my stomach: The Gospel of High Yields: Inside Tim Tebow’s Favorite Wealth Seminar. Life Surge pairs Christian celebs with hard-sell pitches. Some attendees ended up deep in debt. Buy that course to get rich for Jesus smh.

For as little as $20, attendees get a full day of Christian celebrity speakers, uplifting preaching, worship music, and advice they are told will transform their finances. Throughout the day, members of the audience are offered opportunities to enroll in three days of “impact classes” for $97. Those who attend then have the chance to enroll in “SurgeU”—a series of courses promising to “surge your resources and influence through real estate and trade—for Kingdom impact.” SurgeU doesn’t come cheap: Packages range from about $10,000 to $40,000. Should you want to enroll but lack the cash, Life Surge connects you with a third-party lender. [And the article reveals a lot more after this paragraph near the beginning. Sometimes you wonder what the hell are these people thinking buying these courses but, you know, still…selling this shit is wrong.This gets my blood boil. Ok, no more excerpts before I harm myself. Wait, I just hoped they used the right travel rewards credit card to buy these courses lol. Sorry I could not resist…]

Oh yeah, the Bitcoin cult at their own conference: The People—OK, the Men—Who Still Love Bitcoin. The cryptocurrency has become a sort of emotional tether for a specific type of lost boy. I went to Las Vegas to learn why. Author reports from the conference and all the attendees believing in the dream to get rich. But for that to happen new believers must always be coming in because when that stops we all know what happens next. Frankly, I am shocked it has not happened yet.

This is only getting worse as the numbers are exploding. Watch out for your elderly loved ones: Scammers Pretending to Be Grandchildren Are Robbing the Elderly. A made-up family emergency. A desperate call. And a fraud designed to make you believe every word. Such a sad article, my heart goes out to the victims. And this shit is only going to get worse with AI.

The September 2026 summary from The Ponzi Scheme Blog has arrived. Nothing out of the usual scamming ways in this one.

ODDZ & ENDZ

Amazing: The Endless Museum. Walk through Wikipedia. Every article is a room. Every link is a doorway. Pick a subject and see where it takes you.

Texas Monthly does it again, what a story: Husband. Father. Prisoner. When his ex-wife abducted his sons and fled to Russia, David Barnes did what any father might do—he tried to save them. Now he’s the one who needs saving. The marriage from hell! Spend some time with the person before you marry him/her, WTF!

I had never heard of this before: The assassination of the world’s only openly gay imam. Muhsin Hendricks knew that his liberal approach to Islam put his life in danger. This is what courage is, so much stupid religiously driven hate in the world. RIP and hope justice prevails and yeah it’s likely not happening, so sad.

Getting dengue fever can be really bad news. And here we have: Global Dengue Surveillance. To keep tabs on it as it happens…

Amazing photography: 2026 Bird Photographer of the Year Contest.

Henley Spiers, “Sunball Rocket.” Northern gannet, Shetland, Scotland, U.K. Perfectly captures this blog’s monetization direction LOL

TRAVEL

Interesting list: The Most Unique Camping Spots Across the US.

Listen to devoted art lover and blog reader Sam who is in his mid 50’s at heart 😉 Could That Museum Visit Help You Live Longer?

Amazing stats: Ranked Countries With the Most Lakes.

Key Takeaways

Canada has nearly 880,000 lakes, accounting for 62% of the 1.42 million lakes in this dataset.
Canada alone has more lakes than the rest of the world combined, followed by Russia with 201,240 and the U.S. with 102,519.
Canada has 4.4 times as many lakes as Russia, but only about 1.3 times as much total lake area.

These are the world’s most extreme stays, I think I’ll pass as I am no longer as adventurous I was when I was much younger lol. If you stayed in any of these please comment.

THAILAND

Hello from Bangkok, I have more on my trip in the MY ACTION AND BLOG BUZZING section below.

This short video explains the latest changes traveling to the kingdom: Thailand Cuts Visa-FREE Stay | Who Lost Access? NEW ENTRY RULES 2026.

Follow me on Instagram and Subscribe to my YouTube channel

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…

Well, this came out of nowhere really: Hyatt Ends Partnership With American Airlines, Announces New Partnership With Delta Airlines. The initial tie up between AA and Hyatt was great but it had deteriorated to a degree that almost no one noticed any longer. And I expect the same with Delta, which is notorious for suppressing any real value out of its frequent ~~flyer loyalty~~ spender program. Also, what the hell are all the AA executives doing these days? Or, more specifically, what the hell is the AA Board of Directors doing? It is clear the airline is lacking any clear direction right now and it is just…sinking. Maybe in a few years United’s Kirby will pick it up for a few peanuts if the current trends continue lol.

You know I am not a fan of Marriott Bonvoy. And its latest promotion must be one of the absolute worst in the history of the program smh: Earn up to 4,500 Bonus Points on Stays of 2+ Nights — We’ll See You There [No, you won’t lol].

Bad promo from World of Hyatt but infinitely better than every Bonvoy promo out there: 2x on Thompson stays.

TRAVEL REWARDS CREDIT CARDS

For ANY questions on travel rewards credit cards, contact me anytime at travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com

NEW OFFER: Capital One Venture Rewards: 75,000 Points PLUS $300 Travel Credit

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

NEW OFFER: 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. Here again we have another discount on awards simply for being a cardholder, at 15%. And card adds an easy $100 statement credit, if you fly on Air Canada. You also get 25k elite status simply for being a cardholder which has a few small benefits flying on Star Alliance (United Airlines, etc.). The Pay Yourself Back benefit remained. The 3x on groceries and dining will now go to 2x. So a mixed bag I guess. Almost every credit card is great for the first year SUB. Keeper? Hmm, that’s debatable. As always, it depends. Learn more about the new offer here.

NEW: American Express Hilton Increased Credit Card Signup Bonuses (Up To 200,000 Points).

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.

NEW: American Express Marriott Bonvoy Business 100,000 Points + Free Night Certificate (Up To 50,000 Points)

LATEST OFFERS:

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

AMERICAN EXPRESS Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant: 150,000 points AND $250 Credit after $6k spend in six months (ENDING 9/30)

AMERICAN EXPRESS Marriott Benvy: 125,000 points and $150 Credit after $5k spend in six months (ENDING 9/30)

CHASE Sapphire Reserve for Business: 200,000 Points Sign Up Bonus

CHASE INK Cash & INK Unlimited 100,000 Points Signup Bonus (ENDING 9/17)

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

75,000 CAPITAL ONE Venture X

Please help the small independent blogs like mine continue to exist by supporting us with your CREDIT CARD clicks, thank you!

BONUS OFFERS NOTIFICATIONS

Elevated Card Offer Notifications

All you have to do to receive these free notifications is:

1. Click on the link above

2. Create an account

3. Subscribe

MY ACTION AND BLOG BUZZING

Really excellent analysis over at Flyer Talk on One Mile at a Time‘s latest way to monetize his readers. Clearly I have a lot to learn as I keep trying to focus on content only and not on how to take money from you guys smh.

No time for more, just traveling so see below. Ok, let’s get back on track here…

Our SE Asia trip is ~~coming together~~ on, business class flights and 31 hotel nights booked, see below.

New additions in bold font below. I am adding Instagram links as they happen during my trip (no YouTube video links yet, I guess I am just not much of YouTube material). Including travel related pics from the different locations:

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

AA First Class DFW – HND

Sakura Lounge at Tokyo Haneda Airport HND

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.

~~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

Standard X Bangkok Review

10 nights at the Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 1 for 45,000 World of Hyatt points

Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 1 Review

Bangkok’s Benjakitti Park

Bangkok Chinatown Food Tour

Random Shots Around Bangkok

Bumrungrad Hospital Visits

9 nights at the Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 24 for 40,500 World of Hyatt points

Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 24 Review

Bangkok Coffee Culture

Bangkok Eating

At TRIBE Sky Beach Bar in Bangkok

Bangkok Cats

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

Loving the Park Hyatt Saigon. The service is absolutely the best and restored my faith on this brand. The art around the property is phucking amazing. Sadly, the gym and swimming pool are closed due to renovation. Actually there is a temporary gym but I have not been there yet because I have been distracted by the breakfast again, which is lovely. Great suite even though we like more of a modern vibe. But the service from everyone here is what clearly makes this a special stay. Perfect location. We did a great food tour on motorbikes and we survived it lol.

Saigon Food Tour on Motorbikes

Roaming the Streets of Saigon, Part I

Saigon Skyline

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

2 nights at the Andaz Pattaya Jomtien Beach for 30,000 World of Hyatt points in a confirmed Garden View Suite

1 night at the Singapore Conrad Marina Bay on an Amex FHR booking mostly covered by the $300 credit Schwab Amex Platinum $300 credit

90,000 United miles for one way Business Class Singapore to Chicago O’Hare (via San Fransisco) flying United

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,100k CHASE Ink Cash (ENDING 9/17), 100k CHASE Ink Unlimited (ENDING 9/17), 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, 30k CHASE United Gateway, 100k AMEX Gold, 15k AMEX Blue Business Plus and many more!

As of today, I have burned 887,015 miles/points year to date (after burning 1,893,248 miles/points in 2025 and 2,027,816 in 2024) and have 4,094,893 miles/points in the bank.

TBB’s Miles & Points RESOURCES Page

Let me leave you with this:

Oh oh

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.

You can also support the blog to help cover the costs of running it and keeping it free by donating via Paypal:

The post Americans’ Net Worth, AI Killing Us All, Extreme Stays, My Thailand & Vietnam Trip appeared first on TravelBloggerBuzz.