Another TBB post featuring the most eclectic links around the web such as the Fed rate cut era begins, gaming algorithms, several birding links, beware of horrible investment products being sold to you, beware of hedge fund people, FTX’s Caroline Ellison goes to minimum security prison for only two years, we talk about hearing aids, huge bank and airline developments and much more and of course always all of the most important developments in the crazy world of miles and points. See you next next week, enjoy the weekend!
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This blog started way back in 2012 focusing on my crazy hobby addiction of traveling with frequent flyer miles, hotel and bank points. It has since evolved to curated posts featuring the best web content along with my commentary.
This is a one man labor of love operation, enjoy it while it lasts.
BLOG HOUSEKEEPING
This blog will complete 12 years of life on November 12. Going to Thailand on that day and going to take a break from blogging. Traffic and support clicks (credit card and coffee sales have been non existent) and lack of time to do promoting clearly show me that the time has come to move on. This is the intent right now, I may change my mind. Developing. To the few devoted readers who regularly comment and email me how much my content has meant to you, thank you for keeping my baby going.
If you have any suggestions on how to promote my blog without becoming a clickbait douche bag please let me know, I am all ears. Still thinking to try out posting much shorter posts every day for a week to see if it makes any difference. Anyway, enjoy my blog while it lasts and thank you for reading.
PERSONAL FINANCE
Jason Zweig of the Wall Street Journal with yet another gem of an article taking scammers to the woodshed: Solving the Mystery of an Investment That’s Too Good to Be True.Chasing the promise of a 17.1% return reveals nonexistent companies, illusory returns and unlicensed salespeople making absurd claims. Yet, people fall for stupid tricks like this every day, be careful out there!
One insurance agent told me he earned commissions between 9% and 12% on these products and that some agents may have earned up to 21%. Another told me he has sold about $2.4 million of the product this year. It “acts a lot like a [bank] CD does,” he said, largely because it is “backed up by Lloyd’s of London.” He said the investment produces its 15% returns partly because it is “the biggest purchaser of Obamacare policies…. What happens is, you buy a policy from the government, and they pay a certain percent every day, and it breaks even after seven weeks.” [I almost punched the wall, I need to control my anger you guys smh]
It gets worse after that and I needed to go for a walk. My question is, why are these people out there and not arrested yet?
Many years ago a prospect decided not to hire me and instead hire a hedge fund because my investment style was boring. I still laugh about it and wonder what happened to that guy. Maybe he hired this guy? Hedge fund mogul who helped topple Marissa Mayer sued by own mom for $13M: ‘World’s worst son’.
Pamela claims she begged her deadbeat son to settle the debts and stop “the hemorrhaging of cash” — with obligations to BofA totaling $75,000 a month, according to the filing. But Jason responded that he didn’t have the money, court documents show. “During one call, Jason’s counsel claimed that Jason was tapped out’ and was unable to cure such defaults, and the parties’ counsel discussed taking steps to promptly sell the property,” the documents state.
“It feels like I invested into the world’s worst hedge fund with the world’s worst son,” the frustrated investor added. “Meanwhile he is living it up in Miami.” He is a regular fixture on the city’s party scene and regularly flanked by his glamorous new partner, Hana, who is 10 years his junior. The money man is meanwhile locked in an ongoing row with his second wife, Julie, over the terms of their divorce and their four children.
![r/dataisbeautiful - Yesterday, the Fed announced its first rate cut since 2020 [OC]](https://preview.redd.it/yesterday-the-fed-announced-its-first-rate-cut-since-2020-v0-821r9hp2fspd1.png?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=ef6be940493f3df499065394479d608b0ef3fadc)
Everything is horrible and the US stock market is at all time highs. Again…
SCAMS/CRYPTO/AI/TECH
This New York Times article made a splash this week: The Hustlers Who Make $6,000 a Month by Gaming Citi Bikes. The bike-sharing program rewards users who help redistribute bikes around New York City. A few riders have figured out how to turn that into profit. Very similar to the travel hacking space I must admit.
When asked about this venture, some of them became defensive. “How are we cheating?” said one Angel in a baggy gray T-shirt, black athletic shorts and sneakers, who declined to give his name. “If Lyft wants something else, they can change the algorithm.”
Change the algorithm —–> LOL.
Molly White catches us up with all the latest crypto shenanigans: Issue 67 – Bug out bitcoin. And she leads with telling us that this was about to come down: Sam Bankman-Fried’s ex Caroline Ellison has been sentenced to two years in jail. I think the judge was fair here. Sending a message to everyone that if you cooperate as well as she did you can get up to 2 years in a minimum security prison where your family can easily visit you. The maximum was 110 years! And she can never profit from her story and, I am sure it is in the works, the Netflix special.
Maybe finally the SEC is coming to bust these scammers: SEC Charges Multiple Individuals and Entities in Relationship Investment Scams.
This blog is not going to blog itself. I rely on my readers helping it grow as I don’t have time to do any promotion/marketing. Which leaves the content clean of intrusive sponsoring posts and stupid ads and stuff like that.
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ODDZ & ENDZ
I am not into birding. But if you or someone you know are into it, I have two MUST clicks for you:
Scientists Take Flight to Help Nearly Extinct Birds Migrate
You are welcome.
Years of running and listening to loud music/going to concerts has caught up with me. So, I read this with great interest and I am telling my kids to turn the volume down just like my mother used to scream at me lol: The Secret to Getting Men to Wear Hearing Aids. Too many people delay dealing with hearing loss because they think the devices make them look old. —–> Exactly!
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/e4/74/e4742c73-a49f-430e-9866-7262eb43a2f2/6_wespenbienenew_70.jpg)
TRAVEL
I am trying to cut down meat. But I guess I can’t say no trying the #1 burger in Michigan, it is only about a half hour east from my house, Miller’s Bar in Dearborn, Michigan: The Best Burger in Every State. It is cash only, which sucks because I like to earn miles/points in every purchase, naturally. But I will make an exception. Just once.
These look awesome: 7 Incredible Luxury Train Trips to Take.
When you wanna get away (wait, that is a Southwest Airlines slogan!) you can go to this place: I Stayed at This Coast Guard Station in the Middle of the Ocean. So Can You. The Frying Pan Tower is 32 miles offshore, way the heck up in the air, and the coolest vacation rental on earth.
The discount is now $60 if you sign up for ETF using code TBB below. You can be first!
SAVE $60 FOR 2024 THE EXTRAORDINARY TRAVEL FESTIVAL
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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 NEWS/PROMOS/CREDIT CARD CORNER/MY ACTION
Wow, there is a lot to cover today, buckle up.
GENERAL NEWS/PROMOS/NEWBIES/ETC.
This was fast! Transfer miles between Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines now.
Oh oh: Are Amex Membership Rewards transfers to Hawaiian Airlines dead? Already?
Southwest Airlines is under pressure making more changes: Southwest Investor Day Details: Assigned and Premium Seating, Two New Airline Partners, Getaways by Southwest and More. I like the seating changes, it was time. I love how the airline kept flying the two bags free. And hooking up with a partner Iceland Air (and another one next year) was a big surprise.
One of the most disappointing Hyatt promotions in recent years, just sad.
Lots of Shortcuts to Airline Elite Status with Status Match or Fast Track Opportunities.
None of us were targeted for this American Airlines promotion: American Airlines Earn Loyalty Points For AAdvantage Flight Awards.
Oh, a new Hyatt: Hyatt Unveils Plans for Hyatt Regency Samarafushi Maldives. And it looks amazing. I have not been to the Maldives yet. So, am I really an expert or what? 🙂
The trend British Airways (I think) started, it expands: JetSMART Adopts American Airlines AAdvantage As Its Frequent Flier Program. JetSMART is tiny so no big deal. Which airline will be next?
Careful about scams you guys, never let down your guard these days:
New Email Scam That Sends Your Name, Address, Phone Number & A Photo Of Your House
CREDIT CARD CORNER
I will indicate with NEW every new section as the rest is the same from the previous blog post.
Going to make this section much shorter because no one is clicking on my credit card links anyway 🙁
I am going to pick the top offer from the main three banks. For the old timers, you know where to find them the cards you want, thank you.
NEW: Why You Should (Or Shouldn’t) Add Authorized Users to The Platinum Card® from American Express.
NEW: Amex Everyday, Amex Every Day Preferred & Amex Cash Magnet No Longer Available. Online anyway. No one should shed any tears if these are wiped out from the Amex card lineup.
NEW: See if you qualify: [Targeted] Book With Chase Travel & Get Up To 20,000 Ultimate Rewards Points.
NEW: There is a new 100k CHASE Air Canada Aeroplan offer out there. It is really a 75,000 offer for a $4k minimum spend in the first three months. You get another 25,000 miles only if you spend a ridiculous $20k (but you do get 12 months to do so). You know where to find the card if interested. What is the one remarkable thing about this Chase card? It earns 3x on groceries.
MY ACTION
I posted not one but two videos in my YouTube channel:
Huntington Beach Hyatt Regency Resort & Spa Suite Walkthrough and Beach. If you do not subscribe, Mrs. TBB will resign lol.
Sunset in front of the Huntington Beach Hyatt Regency Resort & Spa.
And, also, I made these posts on my Instagram page from our Huntington Beach Hyatt Regency Resort & Spa stay last week:
I burned 207,000 Air Canada Aeroplan miles for two Business Class tickets returning home in early December from our Thailand/Malaysia trip. We are flying Turkish Airlines from Kuala Lumpur to Istanbul and on to Detroit. Nice long layover in Istanbul and looking forward to return to the magnificent Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge. Maybe we can do that free city tour this time. The tickets are refundable. I could have spent 175,000 Air Canada Aeroplan miles but no refunds in case something happened. And oh dear God, I sure don’t want to be calling Air Canada ever! The only downside on this itinerary is that both flights are on the old Boeing 777-300ER planes.
So, you do get a Turkish Airlines confirmation code but was unable to pick seats. Asked around and a friend suggested to call Air Canada and ask the rep kindly to pick the seats. I got through quickly (phew!) and the rep first tole me to call Turkish. And then I kindly and very gently asked her to try to pick the seats and she was shocked she was able to. At least I managed to get two side seats together and avoided the dreaded three seat configuration in the middle, yikes. Most importantly, the times are perfect allowing a full day and 4 pm late checkout at the magnificent Kuala Lumpur Grand Hyatt, can’t wait.
I have United award reservations for our daughter to join us in Thailand over Thanksgiving week but I will be cancelling them when I find something better to book on the Amex travel portal using my Amex points now that I have almost 400k, after the recent 270k+ haul from the Amex Business Platinum card recently. Also, $400 credits are in the books ($200 Dell and $200 United Travel Bank) lowering the annual fee pain to $295. #Developing
Thinking to get a Hawaiian Airlines card from Barclays. If they let me back in to their fold. #Developing. Because Hawaiian miles will soon be able to can be turned into Alaska Airlines miles. Update: I thought about it and I pass. Again. Sticking with my trusty Chase relationship and I don’t want another bank to come between us lol. Especially a bank like Barclays that can be extremely frustrating to do business with. Not that the bank is likely to approve me anyway as I closed my AA Aviator card not too long ago. And I like it having one less bank to deal with. We’ll see what happens. Hopefully that angle transferring Amex Membership Rewards points to Hawaiian opens up again, maybe I should have jumped at that. Congrats to everyone who did it, the risk paid off. Of course this assumes Alaska Airlines just sits and does nothing seeing millions of miles flowing in…
Our beloved 2011 Ford Edge will be given to a friend today and we are finally down to two cars in my household. This car lasted way longer than anyone predicted.
Can’t wait to see Megalopolis, the new Francis Ford Coppola film. The reviews are not that good brutal but I don’t care. I saw The Substance, the new movie with Demi Moore who still looks great. It started very promisingly but then it just started going down and down only to end with some moronic crap.
ADVANCED
Very good advice in this piece: Before you book award travel, watch out for these pitfalls. As I have always said, earning is easy, burning is not!
Amex just continues its “enhancements”: American Express/Hilton Tighten Aspire Resort Credit. Actually, if you like Hiltons, the Amex Hilton Aspire premium card still remains a great value if you can take advantage of all the credits and none of the other premium cards do it for you. This is the actual list.
It is nice that Wells Fargo keeps trying to compete in the travel rewards bank space. The more competition, the more we benefit: Virgin Atlantic Flying Club & Virgin Red Now Have New Points Transfer Partner With Wells Fargo. This is a step in the right direction. But soooo many more steps needed to make it a competitor to Chase, Amex or even Citi.
No longer posting blog stats. Because they are too embarrassing frankly.
MILES & POINTS
HOT CREDIT CARD OFFERS: 90k CHASE Ink Business Unlimited, 75k CHASE Ink Business Cash, 75k CAPITAL ONE Venture X, 75k CHASE United Business, 150k AMEX Business Platinum, 200k CAPITAL ONE Spark Cash Plus, 150k CAPITAL ONE Venture X Business, $1,000 Cash Back CHASE Ink Business Premier, Three 85k CHASE Southwest cards, 5 FREE Nights with AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business, 15k AMEX Blue Business Plus and many more!
As of today, I have burned 1,763,957 miles/points year to date (1,148,286 in 2023) and have 4,288,480 miles/points in the bank. Some do drugs, I do miles lol!
BONUS OFFERS NOTIFICATIONS
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Let me leave you with this:
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Feel free to contact me anytime at travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com, all feedback is very appreciated.
George
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Thanks for the weekend reading!
The scams are so predictable in structure but so novel in the details.
The hearing aid link hit home!
Have to agree Barclays are beyond painful to deal with. Hate to say that their CSR seem to be particularly dim and unhelpful but that could be due to just the way Barclay’s like it. They don’t seem to realise that life exists outside the borders of the USA and when we moved they could not change their system to recognise a foreign address. I hang in with them just for the Emirates card as who doesn’t want to fly Emirates first.
Greetings from soggy North Carolina! Charlotte avoided the worst of Hurricane Helene but it sounds like it’s pretty bad out in the mountains.
I’ve thought about that Frying Pan Shoals hotel but the thalassophobia keeps me away…
Wow, the mountains are actually worse than I feared. Some are calling it a thousand year flood. Just tragic what happened to Chimney Rock, such a nice area. https://www.reddit.com/r/NorthCarolina/comments/1fr17c7/chimney_rock_before_after/
Neat! Lots of good reading for my weekend! I got the Jabra Enhanced 300 OTC Hearing Aids early this year and they work pretty damned good. The company also offers very good telephone assistance as well.
I understand about taking a break/stopping the blog. It is obviously a lot of work and I am sorry I have been remiss lately in not sending a few coffees your way. I’ll try to do that when I get back upstairs to my desk. Feeling a lot better now that I am over the pneumonia and also past Monday having almost a quart of liquid removed from around my left lung. No pain and good relief so yay Health care this week!
I applied for the Hawaiian card (Personal) last Friday and it went pending. Called this week to reconsider and was told I have to wait for a form to come in the snail mail about tax info, etc. First time I have ever run into that with a personal card. Barclays is definitely difficult. I have two other cards with them with a total 34K credit line and asked couldn’t I just move some? Nope. I suspect being retired and heading towards 68 years old next year contributes to whatever risk factors they think I might have.
Anyhow, finally feeling good enough to start thinking of some travel planning. Been a tough year health-wise.
Whether you continue blogging or not, I do hope you will do something that keeps you and us readers/friends in touch. Thanks for all you do, George!
I’ll try to respond tomorrow.
@ Carl: No worries abt coffees, I would like others to support entities they want to keep around. At less than 64 cents a day here since September 4, the message is clear.
Just took a quick peak at Boarding Area blogs and the clickbait shit there just keeps coming…I guess it pays for them smh.
Enjoy your Friday, go outside.
@ DML: Thanks for always taking the time to comment. Yeah, I could do a separate Substack about Scams. Add one abt Personal Finance. And then another one with quirky odd stuff. And keep this baby with Travel and Miles/Points. And….no way, I can do that myself. So, this blog stays until I hit the wall which is supposed to come around November 12 🙂
Checking out the hearing aids soon, first the MRI today to make sure my head is okay. Whatever I get, it must look cool. Yeah, that dementia thingie scared me.
@ Vicky: Yeah, Barclays is a piece of work. And I think I am going to stay away, I have enough miles for a while 🙂
@ NickPFD: We all hope you weather (hmmm, this word came out but it is probably not appropriate!) this hell of a hurricane. One of my clients lives in your state, they are currently cruising in Europe trying to hit that 4% withdrawal thingie in retirement/..hope their house is still standing. And yours!
@ Carl: Thanks again for the 5 coffees, I replied to you there with this:
“Thank you again, when my blog is discovered and bought out with gazillions I will pay you back times 1000x 🙂 ”
To all: Do you want to make 1,000x, invest in TBB Lol. Much better than Las Vegas, lotto tickets, crypto (eventually), Nigerian princes, etc.
Thanks for the hearing aid recommendation. Whatever I get must look cool. I just need to get over the fact that the Atlantic article spells out. I am coming to terms with this and I am ok with it now, especially after reading of the severe consequences ignoring it.
Re: Barclay tax info crap. Oh boy, it may take a while to get and then to send back and for them to process. And it may take some phone calls. Everything is difficult with this bank. At least with US Bank all the reps are pleasant to talk to. Barclay reps tend to be way up on the ludicrous scale. I am staying away from it…even though my DNA is screaming to get a Hawaiian card to turn to Alaska miles. Tough to resist taking from banks lol.
Take care of health, prioritize it. Nothing else is more important.
I am still here. I have developed a kind of unhealthy addiction with my blog baby. I need intervention, let me get to November 12 and then see what happens. The same three people did 10 coffees this month which does not even cover the Mailchimp email list fee alone. No credit card sales since September 4th, the last day the amazing 120k Chase Ink Business Preferred expired. Clearly, so many other places to sell plastic out there and they cultivate the 0/24 newbies starting out. And my audience is more advanced and they tend to be over 5/24, some of you lol/24.
You all have a great weekend!
I hope you blog at least occasionally after Nov 12. You deserve a break, but maybe blog once a month or so rather than disappear forever.
I don’t see me pulling a Drew (from that Travel is Free blog) who did that and then went to work for The Points Guy. I have the domain locked for several years by the way. But when the 2nd cc vendor pulls my links, coffees sold will not cover a fraction of the low costs to run this operation. Which ensures losses when I file my taxes. And the IRS will have an issue with that confusing this business with my hobby. As long as I can show a profit after deducting my credit card annual fees and some travel expenses while ensuring getting paid for at least my own households’ credit cards I will still around in some shape or form. But continuing to do what I do with such low level feedback/response is unsustainable.
I saw Megalopolis. And I am confused lol. Coppola left his final art work for us to judge and a clear message in the end. Not sure it worked but Apocalypse Now was initially ridiculed. So I will leave it at that.
Just listened to a podcast with Richard Kerr, of the Points Guy and now Bilt. What does this guy have to do with travel hacking other than hurting them is beyond me. Anyway, I never got an invite to a Bilt wine and dine event. But he did say this which does not inspire confidence on the future direction of my blog. I should have started TikTok (yikes) and joined Instagram this year lol. And having 34 YouTube subscribers probably means I will never wine and dine on Bilt’s dime socializing with them other content creators gorging on free food and drinks and then glorifying Bilt ad naseum…
RK: “With the rise of Instagram and TikTok points and miles creator, we have seen a complete outflow in the blog and writing space”
Not one but two WSJ artilcles today poorly written about this hobby with quotes from an assortment of mega clickbait Boarding Area bloggers…
Thanks to T for the one coffee. I almost raged quit this morning after the weekly stats showing the worst traffic ever (this happens when I post once instead of twice) but that coffee gave me hope to maybe post tomorrow…Still wavering about it though, we shall see.
No credit card sales since September 4 LOL.
You all have a great week.
Unfortunately I think the short posts are the way to go now. I just saw a newer site that advertises you can read their post in 5 minutes or less, and has a post each day. Maybe you could have the quick summary and a link to read more details if you want them? I love to read, but I have to say I feel like I never have time to read all the stuff I want to read now. We all have such busy lives. And I do really appreciate the sites that will have links to specific points in their articles incase you are only interested in one area. When I write I am way to wordy and go into more detail than needed, so it’s a struggle for me as well. I do treasure your posts and often find helpful or enlightening info in them!
Thank you for the kind words, much appreciated! Feedback like this has kept me going, it is not the conversions lol.
You make great points which I am slowly coming around to come to terms with. I think it is the way life is changing. Certainly taking into consideration and I just need to get over the fact that it will not be a worthy post. Because this is the way I am wired, quality comes first. When successful bloggers just post every hour or even more it sure puts things in perspective.
Anyway, I intend to take a break when I leave for Thailand. And reevaluate everything. 12 years blogging is kind of unreal these days. But the site is struggling to even pay for its costs, let alone compensate me. Which is frankly embarrassing after 12 years!
Thanks again.
Just a DP: got the Barclays Hawaiian personal card, cute Hawaiian motif, $99 for 70K AS miles with one purchase (with code).
Barclays rarely plays well with others–including moi–so this was a surprise.
Of course the flip side of the coin, as we know all too well, is that Chase will happily punish me for my audacity.
The game remains a crapshoot. Intermittent reinforcement keeps some of us in the sport (well that, and a lie-flat seat).
Glad your lungs have cleared up, Carl.
Enjoy the sanuk in Thailand, Buzz!
Great DP. I almost pulled the trigger as well. But I don’t have enough confidence Barclay will cooperate so I tabled this move until after Thailand. Who knows what the landscape will be at that point.
And yeah, I don’t want to ever get into Chase’s bad side, I am so protective and cherish that relationship 🙂
Yeah, crapshoot indeed. “Intermittent reinforcement” —->Perfect term! I feel after Covid this is what it is with me. And if I didn’t have the blog to attend to the reinforcements would have been more intense lol.
Thanks.