Let’s go on a shorter wild ride through a fantastic summary of where we stand in the Frequent Flyer and Bank flexible points world, my thoughts on an initiative to get credit card revenue all to charity and then we make fun of the absolutely ridiculous ways to sell a mediocre credit card in a program that not many bother with (Marriott).
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Frequent Flyer Programs, Transferable Points and Competitive Pressure
Must read. Long but worth it. Hack My Trip continues to show its Boarding Area brothers and sisters what blogging should be about!
Saverocity Charitable Giving
I need to say a few things about this. I am not sure if the idea came from the TBB comments when someone suggested that I look into doing exactly this: Set up a system that gets us all travel rewards/cash back/blingwhores credit card applicants to apply through a system and we funnel all affiliate commissions to a designated charity! I think it is a wonderful idea but I hardly have the time and the expertise to pull off something like that. Besides, I am not in a position to do something to this scale with two young kids to get through college and keep up my day job and this thing monster I created called TBB 🙂
Well, it appears Matt at Saverocity will attempt to do this which is awesome of course! But I have some reservations/comments/suggestions:
- Some like to brag about their charitable donations. Therefore, I was very glad Matt touched on the “auditability” of such claims. This is a MUST!
- Doctor of Credit had some concerns about this being allowed contractually. I am sensing that the companies may have an issue with real numbers being discussed in the open. And we all know the charade going on in this space with so much non-transparency. So, I am not sure they will go for it.
- To Matt: Dude, you have a baby now and you are studying to be a CFP and running Saverocity, your blog, the other blogs and the Forum. And now this? You inspire ME! You make me look like a slacker here lol. Take care of the wife and the little one first of course!
- Here is my main concern: If this can be done it would be great, especially with the current idea of the readers picking the charities! It may lead to some dilemmas though…For example, a reader who uses the credit card links at Travel is Free or Frequent Miler or TBB (one day, one year, this decade?) may not use them as much since there would now be a way to do 100% good! Again, the 100% charitable intent can not be over stated enough! We all have heard horror stories (United Way, etc.) where execs were living it up thanks to unsuspected donors’ money! Ok, I lost my train of thought….Oh yes…I am afraid the good bloggers may get hurt and, oh the horrors, stop blogging and let the 24/7 pumping Chase-y blogs win. Of course hurting the pumping Chase-y blogs would be absolutely wonderful! Just thinking out loud…which has a tendency to get me in trouble, get called names and stuff like that.
Small Sample of the horrific credit card marketing blitz in one day!
The Best 50,000 (or More!) Miles and Points Credit Cards – Million Mile Secrets [Check out the pictures and how they are titled/tagged! And then you wonder why this blog is at the very top of Google searches? Masterful marketing. Maybe he should present about THAT in Chicago instead of earning miles! I still would not go to Chicago…just saying]
Rookie Wednesday: Q&A about Delta AMEX cards & the current state of the “rules” – Delta Points [The beatings Amex Credit Card pumps will continue…every day!]
Clock Ticking on Limited Time 70,000 Point Marriott Offer – Mommy Points [What? Have you no shame? The clock is ticking, really? Tick, tack….BOOM!]
Last Day to Get 70,000 Bonus Points + One Free Night with Marriott Card – Just Another Points Traveler [Last Day? You mean 70k is not coming back? Are you sure it is THE last day? Disappointing to see the shift in the posts and the fake urgency! I am expecting the first Boarding Area blog to say something like “Click on my link and you will be forever immune of Ebola” or something as preposterous!
Good Time To Take Advantage Of Marriott 70K Increased Sign-Up Bonus – One Mile at a Time [This reminds me of stuff written in bathroom doors…”For a good time call X”. Come to think of it, has this dude ever stayed in a Marriott? Oh wait, must be a big fan like the Club Carlson properties he used to make fun of but not as much after started getting paid selling the Club Carlson Visa.]
Should You Apply for the Marriott Premier Card Today? – Noob Traveler [Can you guess what was the answer? HELL Yes!]
Best Travel Credit Card Offers for August 2014 – The Points Guy [Always goes for more. Same as Million Mile Secrets. The top two popular blogs in this hobby business. Yep, there are MANY gullible people out there who just don’t know much! I mean, they are the ones who buy “food” at McDonalds and stuff from Walmart ( I mean, actual products okay, lol!]
5 Great Airline Credit Card Perks – Frugal Travel Guy Post by Ariana, the Managing Editor of FTG. Wait, back already? Must be a final article. Pump it girl!]
Chase Freedom Eliminating 10% Bonus and Other Changes – Million Mile Secrets [ Must be reading TBB, so quick on writing these developments!]
Travel Challenge: Bangkok – Frugal Travel Guy [SE Asia Template #13. Insert Barclays Card. Sell sell sell]
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First!
Second!!
3rd
Enough with the stupid first second third nonsense. Are you all that childish?
Can’t speak for the others, but I’m very childish.
You belong!
+1
It’s not a final post. I know that you’ve always had a boner for Ariana, but your recovering travel blogger will still be messing up her credibility by posting infrequently on FTG. That affiliate money is just too hard to give up especially now that her affiliate links are gone.
Thanks for playing along this silly game guys.
P: Relax, we like to get in touch with our inner child in here. Are you that pissed off you missed that awesome Marriott offer or what lol!
@ FFHigh: Boner? Really? WTF! More coming on FTG, the #1 embarrassing site of this whole space in my opinion. And it got even worse, if that was remotely possible, after she left. Stay tuned!
Proud sixth today. I wonder how this person Helix manages to keep coming first almost daily. Grr. I strongly suspect some kickbacks here. May be some panera coffee or what :).
I feel that we all MUST feel childlike every day for some time at least. It is such a psychological healer that nothing else can come close to. Forget booze etc etc. If every man can get to that childlike innocence, enthusiasm and let go, this world will be much better place to live. All these fightings day in and day out are due to people that have become cold hearted and live in their egos. I am not saying that let us all stop growing up. We grow up in values, wisdom and intelligence by going back and searching and finding the child within us. It is tricky but achievable. Hope next time P comes first so that some one stops Helix carnage somehow.
George – this is a warning. I am going to change my name to Jack Bond with a secret code number 711 (pun intended) and start spying you at your favorite panera bread to see what kind of kickbacks are going on between you and your readers, and report them in this forum :). Just imagine the background music and all those stuff. Haha. Having a good laugh.
So…sounds like you are out to kill deals too? 🙂
Ok. How about entering in to a kickback with me for not letting out the kickbacks with other readers 😉
Frequent Miler just blew me away with his ethics today. When all other pumpers out there (including those making tons of money through credit card pumping) shamelessly promoted national car rental “one two free” offer without disclosing that clicking and registering through their links will earn them 300 points, FM was the only one to analyse the pros and cons of the deal and never ever displayed his personal link and posted his link as a response to one of the comments there. This is true ethics. Hats off, FM. It is because of guys like you, Matt and the like, this blogging world is better.
Bloggers make a deliberate choice to pump for the money. Sadly most people who click on their links are clueless. Life is unfair 🙂
Which bloggers did this? And which ones didn’t? NAME NAMES.
OMAAT, Mommy points, MMS as far as i have seen. If one clicks on the links in their posts, they get 300 points as a referral. Did they mention about it in their posts?
If I did that I could be in my computer all day long and schedule my bathroom breaks…
I do what I can to provide some entertainment, some education, rarely some inspiration.
Thank you for the support 🙂
I am not clueless and I signed up for the promotion through someone (don’t remember who now) and had no idea someone got 300 points. I then today saw someone post it in a conga and realized it did give someone something, and of course I could not then join the conga because I already had signed up. Grrr….so it is just not OK to not post what you get with these links. Full disclosure is not that hard.
It’s all about personal responsibility 🙂
It is. Had I known the full details I would have certainly referred my husband with my link. But no, I signed both of us up with the link I didn’t know was a referral link. This is just a small thing, but it is illustrative of the much bigger things that are also hidden.
Warning/Heads up/: I am going to have my referral link in next Buzz post. #pimpingittothemax!
Exactly. I too realized my mistake only after clicking and registering one of the links. I could have used TBB or FM link but that unethical blogger got mine without my knowledge. Lesson well learnt. I am never ever going to click ANY link going forward from any of these bloggers (except those i trust).
I will say that it is a tough thing with disclosing links, even ones like this. There is always going to be the sense that, if the writer is getting something out of this, is it really that good of a deal. Just human nature.
Now, I am not saying that to excuse non-disclosure. In fact, I am always very clear with what links give me a referral and which ones do not (and did not link mine in the National post for the very reason that I did not want people thinking I wrote that one just to get points).
So, now we are at a point where, because of lack of disclosure, people are wary of any link in a post. On the other hand, they feel it is just pimping if there is a disclosure of a link in the post because of the link(s). Still, always better/right to disclose.
I tend to disagree with Charlie. If these bloggers have so much time to ensure that they include their personal links without the knowledge of the reader, it is not just non-disclosure due to any other reason. It is just plain simple greediness to get what they could from posting something without caring about their readers. If they do this for half a day free car rentals for one successful click, how do I trust them for anything else hoping that these people will give good advice? That too credit cards? #oncegreedyalwaysgreedy.
Miles Professor has a GREAT take on Ritz Carlton offer, maybe her best work!
Yawn…
Probably saw my post about this card directing to the post by Lazy Traveler.
Needs filler between credit card pumps 🙂
Gotta hand it her on this one – damn good post! I don’t care where she heard about the actual 140k offer, very new original idea she had with it that I will probably do myself. Sad to see all those bitches pimpin’ Marriott in comparison.
Definitely a “deposit”…working on that negative balance 😉
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_F5GxCwizc
Some similarities to the cc/blogger relationship….
Some? 🙂
Amazingly that Marriott card is still out there…
So all these bitches who were blogging “get it NOW, clock is ticking, etc” of course they will apologize….or, better yet, go beserk again on the next promotion with a deadline.
Get mad, get even, click my ridiculously low $$ generator TBB Amazon link
LOL
Wow, that is very impressive by Howie actually having a travel challenge that involves flights that are direct 700 mile segments, and actually having a non-affiliate link in there too
Just one problem….time travel hasn’t really been invented yet
Maybe it would’ve been more useful to push the non-affiliate credit card back when the non-affiliate card actually offered the amount you’re using in the post?
FTG – Helping you see the world at prices you can afford, so long as you have a Delorean
*are NOT direct 700 mile segments
Where is our friend, stevesucks? It is boring without him 🙁
He is so angry all the time, he belongs here! 🙂
I thought he was a master comedian as whatever he writes is absolutely hilarious 😉
Will post something special about FTG tonight, found it…on Flyertalk 🙂
Who cares about what is going on the the “blogosphere” or who posts first in the comments?
I am trying to figure out what “gravatar” Ramsey will use next!
I say it will be Louise “Weezy” Jefferson…
Mr. Bean
Gary Busey
Back to the Original Ribs-lovin’ Ramsey!
ramsey with a burger beret by Matisse for your enjoyment, lads.
Very bunny, Ramsey!
While some may have to ketchup with what you have done, I relish the idea that it really does cut the mustard.
Well done!
OTR shut down. One of the better writers out there. Too bad.
Yep. Will be in Buzz post for sure!
This is a good calculated publicity stunt by Saverocity. Wasn’t making much on the links and removed them trying to get publicity for the whole “no links” thing. Now he’s figured out that the publicity from charity will bring him more traffic and money than the links no one was using to begin with. Love how these Barclay links blogs become all “martyr” like. No one ever seems to pay attention to how well the sidebar advertising traffic pays around here.
Noted.
But given the state of things, isn’t allowing a bit of self-promotion a small price to pay for people like you and I to have a third choice beyond a) let a blogger have the conversion reward, and b) let the bank keep the amount of the conversion reward?
It’s a rhetorical philosophical question.
And when it comes time I’ll probably divide the conversions I generate between bloggers I think deserve something, and Saverocity’s charity framework, provided I’m comfortable with the choices given.
Do you have anything better than trolling to offer?
Actually, I was making a lot from the links. I just stopped because I thought it was wrong, I have explained that. If I wanted to pimp I could probably make a good enough living from them, which is why I think it will be awesome to give that all away. We are approaching 500,000 page views a month now on Saverocity, from which I could make very good money even from ‘Barclay’ links.
My ‘sidebar’ revenue is about $200 per month, from which I pay out… more than $200 per month to keep things running.
Why not post with your real name/agenda?
500k page views per month, wow?
No wonder you never gave me a serious offer to join Saverocity. At this rate you would start an initiation fee lol. Besides, if I get there the banks may not want to deal with you. One thing I can guarantee you….the comments will be UP 🙂
I tried to give you a serious offer, we were just cash flow poor after the PF Digest acquisition.
Timing it right has been the story of my life 😉
At 500k you should w
Don’t leave us hanging like this!
I think he was just saying that when you g
You b