TravelBloggerBuzz

An eclectic journey through the Travel Miles/Points blogosphere

Hilton Double Dip End, Choice Privilege Points, Airline Twitter, Robot Strippers, Millionaires

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We bring you the Hilton Double Dip end, learn about Choice Privilege points, airline Twitter teams, robot strippers, global Millionaires, register for an Amtrak promo, target some Kimpton hotels for the free IHG Visa anniversary night, the best roller coasters coming, when you invest $4.99 in bitcoin, travel to New Zealand and Hong Kong and shoot the breeze in the Blog Buzz section…

TBB Blog Mission: To Entertain. Educate. Inspire. In That Order!

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Hilton recently announced some changes, including the killing of the famous “Double Dip”. This blog post ponders the question “Does Double Dip’s death spell an end to occasional loyalty?“. I think this baby was dead some time ago, it’s just another company that affirms what should have been true all along “Those who spend more money with the company get rewarded.” Anyway, we at least get some intelligent stuff still out there in the blogosphere and as long as I am blogging, I am committed to bring it to you. I think #lookingatmyclicks&tryingtofindanylol.

In other news recently, after the longest integration ever perhaps, we can now book Kimpton hotels with IHG Rewards Club points and even use the Visa free anniversary night. Any Kimptons worth it to blow the free night? I hear the Surfcomber property in Miami is nice! Any others?

Just in case you were looking for a Choice Hotels Cheat Sheet on how to use its Privilege points.

Do you ride Amtrak’s Acela train? If yes, register for the 1-2-3 Free promotion!

Win a 3 night stay at a W hotel HERE (my link, I gain one entry if you enter with it).

Play a game with Accor Le Club and win some instant points. At the last game they had I earned 500 points #winning.

Interesting survey: How long do airlines take to respond to you on Twitter? Best? JetBlue. Worst? As expected, United by a mile!

A new Silk Road. You will be blown away…”China is investing billions in building pathways to Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East.”

Can’t wait for the Steel Vengeance, the BIG one, at Cedar Point this year! The 12 most anticipated roller coasters of 2018.

You will want to visit New Zealand after watching this awesome video, The Great Below.

HT: Kevin in the TBB comments: When you Invest $4.99 in Bitcoin. Mega LOL zone!

You know we are in robot revolution is when we now have robot strippers, smh!

Memories of the Future. Terrifying pictures of Hong Kong. I just love these!

Portuguese photographer Nuno Assis hong kong
Photo credit: Portuguese photographer Nuno Assis

Results of the annual airline rankings, courtesy of the Wall Street Journal. You can bitch all you want about Delta and how Skymiles suck but…And American keeps sinking, sad!

This is very cool: Visualizing the Global Millionaire Population.

Visualizing the Global Millionaire Population

The link has some other interesting facts. Among them, this gem: Most millionaires drive a Ford!

BLOG BUZZ

This section is for advanced level hobbyists and veteran blog readers & personal rants & stuff. For Best Offers credit cards, click HERE

I am on path to spend less time in this blog. I promised this before but I did not keep my word. I will now: No more TBB posts on the weekend!

Unless things change as every time I look at the lack of support clicks…it eats me up inside. And that’s just not very healthy. Enjoy this baby while it lasts, more changes coming in February!

If you have any ideas on how to make at least minimum wage here without selling my soul I am all ears!

With that long intro…

Not sure if you noticed but there is a SkyTeam MegaDO planned.

How to find Hyatt Points & Cash deals. Use corporate code 51440.

10 minute schedule change? Well, so what? It was not your fault! Demand a better flight for freeeee!

These plastic pumpers get all the clicks, obviously it works for them, sad!

Credit Card Conversions…it is what it is ALL about!

And I leave you with this…Don’t ask, we are not related! Just WTF!!!

Check out my updated blog lists: Blogs I Love, Blogs I Like, Blogs To Ignore

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Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.

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Comments

  4. Peteco says

    Is SC back?
    Great links.
    George, keep the spirit up. Your content may not be generating many conversions but it’s really original and there’s a group of people like me who really enjoy it.
    And I also enjoy Ingy’s interactions!

    • TBBTheDude says

      Thanks, if it was not for feedback like this this blog would have died a LONG time ago.

      Checking the TBB links action is demoralizing, they just dried up. Which goes to explain a lot about the direction of the hobby, it has nothing to do with all TBB readers living in basements lol. The fact is that my blog has not done what is required to pursue more eyeballs to create a bigger base. I just can’t do an MMS interview or link to blogs I despise. And I am paying a price for it. Which is OKAY as long as I got some clicks. But even when those few clicks dry up…something is REALLY wrong! This blog is running on my stubborn fumes pretty much. Or I am just beginning to be really bored about blogging and the “Hobby” in general.

      If any reader wants to share something he/she wrote and fits the blog mission PLEASE let me know.

      I am going to miss you guys on the weekends but I REALLY need to allign the hours spent on this baby with…reality.

      As far as Ingy’s interactions go, you know I enjoy them too. I am the only blogger who keep him and his “legacy” alive. Maybe one day he will grant me an interview revealing info we all want to know now that his non compete with Internet Brands is over as there is no way they are going to invite him back 🙂 He emailed me, something about greedy bloggers, no idea what he was referring to, but we both finished our email exchanges with…. “Deeeeeeeep down, you are a good guy”…

      Snow day here, daughter is happy!

  5. TBBTheDude says

    So the Amex Hilton Ascend card will not be considered a new product…allegedly

    Hey Mileage Update, thanks a lot man! I am thinking to block you 🙂

  6. ABC says

    It would be nice to see a correlation between easy money and # of millionaires.

    Why go to Athens when you can visit a replica of the Parthenon in Lanzhou New Area (China).

    • TBBTheDude says

      This question would be retitled this way at MMS:

      Visit shithole countries for free with these travel rewards credit cards!!!

      • MileageUpdate says

        I hate the language “if its true”, but Haiti is a mess and while I hope they straighten in out I dont have a lot of confidence they will. How can 2/3 of the island of Hispaniola be such a beautiful country and Haiti be so poorly mismanged?

          • MileageUpdate says

            And I understand 100% why they want to leave Haiti. Especially when their govt cant create any stability.

        • Steve says

          There are many reasons why this has happened. A simplified version is: Haitians were former French slaves from a hundred different ethnicities and languages whose economic structures after independence were dictated by the economic and cultural conditions left to work with after they gained independence. The absence of any democratic history in addition to history of oppression as slaves led to brutal dictatorships and repeated coups and instability. This in turn led to the absence of a central force to provide for infrastructure in the later 200 years, such as electrical grids vs use of wood for fuel, and this eventually resulted in forest stripping, soil erosion, and vulnerability to climate disasters, such as hurricanes. In contrast, Dominicans were relatively homogenous people of Spanish descent and language who tended toward livestock farming and were able, fitfully, to establish and maintain some democratic institutions and economic stability, mainly based on tourism, and provide infrastructure and political unity that protected the environment and avoided the vulnerability to climate change experienced in Haiti.

          • ABC says

            And add historic independence debt to France for liberating themselves from slavery.

            ” The debt was ten times Haiti’s total 1825 revenue and twice what the United States paid France in 1803 for the Louisiana Purchase”
            The modern equivalent of $21 billion was paid from Haiti to France.

      • Anonymous says

        How they handle it:

        MMS: Visit shithole countries for free with these travel rewards credit cards!!!

        VFTW: You won’t believe this racist thing that happened on a flight to a shithole!!!

        OMAAT: Starting a crowd-fund so I can fly first class to shitholes and never leave my shithole hotel!!

        MPs: Which shitholes are the most family-friendly, and how amex cards can get your whole family there for free!!

        RP: Best shithole Delta flights!!

        Nerd: Why you shouldn’t go to shitholes

        Andy: How to exploit the Hertz->Choice->MGM->SAA transfer loophole to fly to a shithole round trip

        TiF: Best FarFlung Travel Destinations

    • Shithole Traveler says

      So many shit holes out there. Going back to the Philippines and despite all its natural beauty, it is just a shit hole. Definitely staying away again this year from any Central American shit holes. I’m glad I’m not the only one calling many third world countries by their correct name. I figured this many years ago.

        • Anonymous says

          I think we should start calling rump’s supporters here (ramsay, mileage update) #Shitholers!

          Also, I respectfully disagree–the ingy interactions aren’t good for anybody. If u think negative interactions are good or useful, well, u should look in the proverbial mirror and ask yourself why a healthy person would think that.

          • TravelBloggerBuzz says

            I am sorry but…they are very entertaining to me! We go back a loooong time. We are talking pre credit card sales commission days #hint

            I am angry about the shithole countries comment but we are dealing with Trump so it is not a surprise. Our President, how sad is that!

          • MileageUpdate says

            Anon- I think a little introspection might be a good idea after all that free pyschology

        • Sam says

          Buzz-

          Is that what the song “Norwegian Wood” was about (…or should I say, she once had me)?

  8. Phill says

    Bitcoin video was funny. I wonder what % of bitcoin millionaires moved out of basements and will be able to stay out of them in 5-10 years.

    Oh the joys of JFK. 8:30 AM scheduled take off so far all we’ve done is drive in a circle, return to the gate, and now on 20th or something awful in line to leave 2 hours after scheduled departure. I severely regret thinking AA why not I really need to burn those miles. I hate AA, rant over

  9. PedroNY says

    Great post today, thank you for blogging. I really appreciate your dedication and keeping up with great content.

    Happy Friday.

    Cheers,

    PedroNY

    • TBBTheDude says

      Thanks man…

      My dedication to keep up is…slipping…Which must be over due after more than 5 years, most other bloggers quit some time ago or post a LOT less 🙂

  10. Josh says

    I hope you don’t stop blogging, but I get it. I would think r/Churning would be a good audience since they tend to dislike bloggers, too. Your article on blogs appearing on MMS disappearing was gold. I would read an update every three months or so as more blogs probably shut down. Don’t know how much it would drive readership, but maybe try going through a few blogs and having a count of Total articles, articles on pumping plastic, and the percentage. For The Thought Leader, Kardashian posts can be its own category.

    • TBBTheDude says

      You know, I have been thinking to see what it takes to advertise there as that audience will be the right fit for my blog! Great minds think alike 🙂

      That MMS blog action recap was made possible by my daughter. Probably not going to happen again. She wants to go into Marketing at a Business school for college so I keep telling her she can be my “Social Media Director” or she can make up whatever title she wants and help me out but…too busy with dancing and making money teaching now. So so sad.

      The Kardashian posts keep coming so fast and alternating with credit card mega pumping posts with the occasional decent post now coming once or twice a month. It appears the thought leader is now being imitated full speed with Ben/Lucky…It is so sad to watch but I am sure their bank accounts are telling them otherwise…

  11. TravelBloggerBuzz says

    Heads Up:

    Josh’s comment made me actually do it as I was thinking about it for a while.

    Last hurrah trying to prevent me from going to 3 times a week posting is….

    Please sit down…

    I started an ad in the Reddit Churning forum. I have it maxed out at a low $ amount so I don’t lose my ass.

    Maybe I will get some new readers out of it. Ingy will let me know how my Alexa rankings go LOL.

    Maybe I do a post tomorrow welcoming them? I don’t know but I must go shovel the driveway again right now…

    Can’t wait for the haters to let me know how they really feel woohoo!

    In the meantime, as expected, the Travel thought leader, after some hideous Kardashian posts he now posts about, please sit down…

    Which is Better: Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve?

    I mean, what can you say?

    • Josh says

      One person can make a difference! Whether that’s a good difference or a bad difference remains to be seen. Waiting for OMAAT to post about one of the two Chase cards, too. Starting to believe that conspiracy theory about them both having the same ghost writer. Although, if it is the same guy, why would they make it so obvious and post the same garbage within an hour of each other? Do they need the money that badly that they couldn’t wait at least four hours to give the illusion of original writing?

  12. TBBTheDude says

    It is usually within minutes!

    It’s eyeballs. Which means money in Boarding Area. Plus, getting out as fast as possible enhances the “expert” branding…

    Once it becomes a business…they have to dance to produce the conversions before they lose the precious direct affiliate links…

    In the meantime, the travel thought leader VFTW posts:

    TSA Gave 19 Year Old Sorority Girl Full Pat Down Over Texas Tech Finger Guns Sign

    when Ben/Lucky at OMAAT gets the better one because, he’s got VIDEO!!!!

    Video: Jet Airways Flight Attendant Tries To Smuggle $500K On Flight

  14. Dima says

    Love the bitcoin video!
    Regarding schedule changes, it never hurts to try. I noticed my United award ticket flight changed by ten minutes recently so I called them and asked to cancel it because of the schedule change. No other questions were asked. I got my miles and money back and booked a different flight on Delta that will save me quite a bit on rental car costs.

    • Brenton says

      I owe you some applications, but in looking through your links (and pretty much all links anywhere) I’m only eligible for the BA card. I’ll keep an eye out next week for the Hilton cards though…

      • TBBTheDude says

        Are you saying that your credit is not the problem because you live in your parents’ basement? 🙂

        Thanks. Yeah, I bet the Titans have those new Amex Hilton card blog posts ready!

        I got 3 clicks from my reddit ad and it cost almost nine dollars…I swear, my blog is the only that not only not make any money (there are others) but it now LOSES money WTF!

        I have most of tomorrow’s blog post in. Super slow weekend in the blogs.

        Only TPG and MMS just keep on pumping and pumping, wow!

        VFTW has the best eight deals and he managed to post 14 affiliate links in the body of the post. Talk about expertise in online marketing #wow

        Watching the Steelers come back so they can go to New England and get whacked again lol.

        • Brenton says

          Unless I see a good synchrony Cathay offer or Banco Popular Lifemiles 60k in your links, the best case scenario (for you) is probably a BA approval or a barclay aviator (denied 3 times on that one last year!)

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