We bring you the latest on the Iberia Avios deal, an important refugees perspective, visit the oldest hotel in Japan, look at the world’s biggest exporters, look at awesome nature photos, learn about investment truths, get your personal data from companies, an aviation World War II amazing story, dance in movies, what is like running one of the world’s most remote hotels, what running does to your brain and more freeeeeee!
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The miles and points actions over the weekend was pretty slow. Unless you went for the, please sit down, most ridiculous thing I heard recently, the “Deal of the Year” Iberia 9k Avios for any flight booked. Yawn…
What it is like running one of the world’s most remote hotels, the Qasr al Sarab: Creating Hospitality in an Inhospitable Place.
Pretty cool link: 10 Unusual Musical Instruments From Around the World.
At this link, you can request your personal data from 100+ companies.
Wow, dancing in movies, in just 1.05 mins!
What a Word War II story this is, wow! It involves airplanes for you aviation geeks. I had never heard of it, thanks TBB 🙂
What a great must read thread on Twitter about them refugees and immigrants, take a few moments to read it.
Your personal finance fix today is: 36 Obvious Investment Truths.
The Nature Conservancy 2018 Photo Contest Winners. Incredible!
The Oldest Hotel in the World is Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, a resort in Japan that has been INN business since 705 AD.
Another awesome link: Visualizing the World’s Biggest Exporters in 2017.
If you have not done this yet, and you have a La Quinta account (to be merged into Wyndham soon), you could get 1,500 points that could go 10% far into a free Wyndham night.
There are many reasons I did not go for the Iberia 9k per flight “deal of the year”. First, I have enough Avios still and miles/points in the bank. My travel patterns have changed and did not have a set way to burn them right away…which you must do IF this deal gets honored. Otherwise, you are a sitting duck and Iberia is in control and they can do whatever they want. This stuff used to excite me, not anymore. I would rather get a credit card with annual fee waived for the first year——->no money spent up front! And all the Titan bloggers calling this the “deal of the year” is absurd because you know they need to do this because it is their business SELLING travel rewards credit cards!
The Amex Hilton card offers are ending this week, prepare for more “Last Chance” and “Hurry” pumps all over the blogosphere. If you have been around the block in this hobby, getting the Chase Ink Business Preferred for 80k and the Citi AA Business Platinum for 70k should be up there. Of course we still have the 50k Chase Ink Business Cash and Ink Business Unlimited at 50k. Of course we have a blogger sale for the CSP, get your mother in law one too 🙂 I think my son is going to get the 2% on everything Amex Business Plus (no bonus, boo!) card to get him started with Membership Rewards point earning Amex cards in the near future. I could go on but some of you may call me out about whining or begging or…both!
I ran 7 miles yesterday. I have not run so long since my 40s! And I hit a new low in weight, now down 28.4 lbs since the shocking number at my physical about three months ago. When my blog gets “enhanced” soon I may continue running. Maybe it is true what they say about what running does to your brain. I always admired people who run marathons which I think it is impossible at this stage for me. Maybe I can do a half marathon if an ambulance is nearby in the last three miles lol. One thing for sure, you sweat buckets running which helps keep the weight low! #mindblown
I could go on and on about the World Cup! We had some memorable games. How Germany came back, the amazing Colombian performance, how we all cheered when Panama scored its first goal ever in the WC…losing 6-1 in the process to England lol…Only two games in each group are left and then get ready for the drama of the knock out rounds. I think we are going to see some favorites go home this week.
How about a song. Feel like Cuban music? And nice travel video with it is a bonus!
El Carretero – Eliades Ochoa – Buena Vista Social Club
And I leave you with this…
TBB
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Congrats on the 7 miles, George! Really great!
Indeed!
Does the Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan have a loyalty program?
You can run a half marathon. I went from nothing to running half marathon’s on trails at age 50, which are tougher than street runs. Some at night with headlamps!
Congrats on the weight loss and the running – going through this myself so I can identify, keep up the fight!
I went for a quick 2 mile run…Pfft, this is a warm up now. I was going to get to the gym but…ran out of time as I am getting ready to watch the first 2 World Cup games.
The blister is gone, phew! Soccer game tonight, we tie or win we get GOLD!
I don’t know what I am doing but I do like all the sweat from running———->helps keep weight off! Plus, I am starting to like the pain…
@Charlie: Looking for that post!
@DML: I doubt it 🙂
@Steve: Thanks for the inspiration. Not sure about trail running, with headlamps and all!
@BothofUs2: Another reason I am keeping the blog around is to…keep myself accountable and not find a way to get back to former habits…like eating anything in sight 🙂
Thanks to the reader(s) who somehow got Top CashBack with my link, I think opened new account? And $5 from Amazon on a Sunday is yuge…I see the Titans shaking right NOW! Lol.
Still sitting at 7 cc conversions this month, sad!
And, oh by the way, I have a great tip for you. If a bathroom in a restaurant is filthy you probably should not go eat there. I got this from the US President…who cares so much for all of us. What a phucking moron!
Don’t forget referral links for the BB+, George. Still 20k MR net if you can refer him.
Oh yeah I forget about them…
But I want to add one more conversion…trying desperately to hit 10 so I do not lose them plastic links and have to go down to once a week posting 🙂
Saudi Arabia saved faced and beat hapless Egypt in the LAST second of the game! And Uruguay just cruised to victory against the hosts Russia by 3-0, yawn…
Titans would make their weight loss journey into CC pumping posts somehow! Lol
I just never could get into soccer. But sounds like the fans have had a good time lately.
No way was I wasting time and money on the Iberia deal. It might be good for some folks but not for the masses the way the Titans and Friends made it seem.
The thought leader already had a post yesterday about the 69 ways you can get the BA Visa with his links.
Today, it is the Citi Premier card…
And people bitch about my begging and whining…
smh
Going to Buffalo Wings for the next two games
IRAN plays Portugal. I am with Iran of course. If they somehow win (LONG shot) they are in the 2nd stage and they make HISTORY. This lifts nations and sometimes starts wars too lol.
Soccer is soooo boring that countries only score one goal in Decades in a 6 to 1 effort is news.
America gets this one right.
Sure but the world cup is about national pride. And it’s more exciting than the Olympic games or world war III.
Just back from Buffalo Wings. Tacos only $4!!!
The two games going on simultaneously were some of the most dramatic games…It was pure BLISS!!! Iran was soooo close to knocking out pretty boy prima dona Ronaldo they almost tasted it in the 94th minute!!! And Morocco almost beat Spain.
I am so pumped up right now that I dont even care if I lose my links…
🙂
The deal of the year letting you pay $$$ for Avios that expire this year was so ridiculous that I thought I was dreaming. I know most things have gone underground in this hobby, but it can’t really be this bad, can it?
OK, people, what’s with all the Iberia hate? Let’s crank the numbers, shall we?
1. I got 9 tickets for $30 each AI. Should yield me 72K Avios.
2. An RT in J btw JFK and MAD is 68K Avios plus about $200 in fees and taxes. And it’s a great seat, too!
3. Took me about 1 hour of my precious time.
4. Now, I put the purchase on my Prestige card and will get the partial credit, but that’s beside the point.
4. Here’s a question: who’s gotten so jaded that $470 all in for a transatlantic Business Class seat is not a good deal anymore?
Well, since you asked:
1. First, a “good deal” is not a deal of the year.
2. The miles expire this year. A deal of the year already has a pretty significant restriction.
3. Do you really think everyone can benefit by finding award space to exactly where they want to go by the December 1? A deal of the year certainly implies so.
4. It’s a “good deal”, not the deal of the year.
Going with Raj on this one…
And all this assumes Iberia sticks by it…
Just book it right away when the miles post….
This is not going to have a good ending me thinks…
I’ve never called it a deal of the year. But 0.3 penny per mile? I’d say it’s more than just “good” in my book, and I’ve never bought miles.
And they have 68K TA sweet spot. What exactly am I missing here?
Can everyone benefit? Yes, absolutely. No need to fly to Europe, domestic AA can work out too.
Will everyone benefit? Hell, no. Some will forget and let them expire. And, like I said, it’s probably a precursor for the upcoming devaluation.
It’s a risky business, this hobby. 🙂
Has there been THE deal of the year? Or last year? I don’t remember.
I liked Windbag’s take on it, linking to it tomorrow.
There will be pushback from Iberia no doubt about it. Will likely honor it but they are drafting plans to the next devaluation as we speak my inside sources are telling me 🙂
I feel for the staffer who likely lost his/her job. This “community” (so weird to have bloggers at TPG talk about that lol) is probably responsible for many of them over the years, SAD!
Mommy Points with another glorious report of yet another Hyatt property…Is she getting paid by Hyatt? If not, someone get her a job there, come on!
Awesome game with my Gasping For Air team, undefeated champions, GOLD baby!
Looks like my cc links will be toast. And so will TBB in its current form, super bad. I mean, super sad!
I am so pumped for Nigeria to crash Argentina out of this World Cup today. Hope we get to witness it.
What a heroic performance by Iran yesterday, still blown away by it.
On the basis that you’d more than double your money redeeming for hotels (albeit sacrificing points / status benefits on the stay) you can’t really fault the logic.
If you are a points-deprived European this makes sense.
<I am so pumped for Nigeria to crash Argentina out of this World Cup today. Hope we get to witness it.
When I don't have a skin in the game, I love to support an underdog, too. But I also want to see a great game, so the Rojo's incredible shot made me happy. Sorry George 🙂
Sadly the favorites continue to advance.
Yeah, hate it. Want to see tears of JOY in a smaller team instead of tears, the usual kind, again.
Both Iran and Nigeria almost tasted the GLORY…
Yeah, both Argentina goals were great. But other than that…the team is ready to collapse imho. France will NOT roll over 🙂
almost, almost counts
Thank you for the “free” 1500 LaQuinta points to then transfer to Wyndham points tip!! I stayed at the Wyndham all inclusive in Playa del Carmen this past January and it was pretty good! Not 5 star but it was clean and the beach was large and the sun was shining, way better than up North where I live!
Good to know about that one in Playa del Carmen
Amazingly, this appeared in so many other blogs “suddenly”. Nobody HT’ed my blog. Most HT’ed the original blog…which is fine. The Points Guy staffer did not HT anyone…she finds amazing things hey?
The pumpiness in selling the Amex Hilton cards is in FULL MODE again…
Just in:
Less Than 24 Hours Remain for up to 300k Hilton Points in Limited Time Offers – Point Me To The Plane
a few clicks here but no cc conversions…Looks like the ride is almost over, sad!