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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
![r/dataisbeautiful - [OC] US grocery prices since 2020](https://preview.redd.it/us-grocery-prices-since-2020-v0-a9h6elsj0wrh1.png?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=8d6d8fc688d72ab6f5653af0185c6cb7425d344a)
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.
TRAVEL
I LOVED this post, combining travel and geopolitics and sports and a country Kyrgyzstan we don’t see much from: I Went to Kyrgyzstan to Find China’s Silent Nomads. I think you will love it too. If not, please request a refund.
I check out these lists because, let’s be honest, they can be kind of fun. And this one caught my eye. And it comes from a more reputable source than most other lists we see frequently posted (and are often part of a marketing scheme). The Best, Worst, Most Underrated Cities in Each US State. For my own state of Michigan:
Best: Traverse City
Worst: Flint
Most Overrated: Ann Arbor (my hometown LOL)
Lonely Planet‘s 50 Best Places To Visit in 2027. Nothing that shocked me. Maybe Batang Ai National Park in Malaysia.
Fun link: 6 of the Most Unusual Road Signs Around the World. And this blog still has “Entertaining” in its mission. I never wavered from the blog’s mission to Educate. Entertain. And Inspire. But if you decided to apply for a travel rewards credit card and you went to The Points Guy to do so and not considered my site, please leave now. And repent lol.
THAILAND
If you are planning to visit Thailand for the first time, here is a video so you don’t make the same mistakes. The big one is trying to cram way too much in a short trip, this is a big country and getting from one place to another takes much longer than you think.
And this is good advice on what to do in the first hour after you land in Bangkok.
There was a lot of flooding this week in Bangkok. Rain kept coming down for days and the city drainage system was never in the greatest shape to begin with and it got overwhelmed: Bangkok’s WORST FLOOD in 15 years. And when the sun finally came up and the rain stopped the recovery was on fast: Bangkok is Back!
I suggested to some You Tubers why there are no videos on retirement care facilities in Thailand. And then suddenly I guess this very topic hit the You Tube algorithm and many content creators posted videos on this very topic. Here is one that I think it is worth sharing with you: Retirement Care in Thailand: 3 Very Different Options & What They Cost. I have had clients enter similar facilities in the US and the cost differential is massive. Maybe entering one of these facilities in Thailand for the last chapter of life could be the way to go? I see medical tourism being a growth industry, especially in Thailand.
When I am in Bangkok one of my go to hotels is the Hyatt Place Sukhumvit Soi 24. And across the street there is a Hilton and connected to it a Doubletree on Soi 26. And then I saw this: Hilton Bangkok Sukhumvit 24 & DoubleTree Sukhumvit 26 Hotels To Exit Hilton System On November 6, 2026. The two hotels will join the Melia hotel chain, boo! I have never stayed in a Melia hotel, you?
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…
The big news this week was Alaska Airlines announcing a LOT of changes, here is the press release straight from the airline: Alaska Accelerate 2026 Progress As We Build The Future. Alaska Airlines is a hell of a formidable competitor and it is probably driving Delta, American, United and Southwest crazy. The airline is also going premium in a big way. I find it pretty remarkable that all US airlines are all moving up, especially with Spirit’s death. I mean, even Frontier is moving up too. If a big recession ever hits, will they all regret totally abandoning the bargain fare discount crowds? Well, so far it appears this move makes sense as capacity is very high and consumers are willing and able to pay higher fares. And this is how you do a Media day and blitz everyone with many changes all at once (which won’t happen right away of course but over the next several years). Such as:
A summary of all the changes: Alaska Airlines Unveils New Lie-Flat Suites, Premium Cabins, Lounges, Debit Card and More.
More details on Alaska and Hawaiian Unveil New Premium Cabins, Lounges, and Long-Haul Enhancements
The time has finally come for Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards Members Can Choose How They Earn Elite & Award Points From January 1, 2027. Most of us will choose the miles flown method unless you (or your company) are buying many and/or expensive tickets from Alaska Airlines. The third option for segments flown will appeal to a very small minority of Alaska’s customers imho. And we can change our choice once a year, which is great.
Join four more new communities for interesting benefits and freebies. Below is an image showing all of them. Reminder: It is free to join a community. And register for these fun community challenges too!
Register for the latest World of Hyatt Promotion: Earn Up to 36k Points
Register for a promotion available only to American Express Hilton cardholders: One Stay, 10,000 Points
Register for the latest Wyndham Rewards promotion: Earn Up to 3 Free Nights.
It looks like Hyatt has ended the “Stay in a new hotel and earn 500 points” ongoing promotion and replaced it with a new offer that could score you more points: New Hotel Member Bonus Offer From World of Hyatt.
Hilton Honors just recently introduced Diamond Reserve, an elite level above Diamond, which was the highest elite level for a very long time. And then, hold my beer: Hilton Launches Yet Another Tier? Meet Black Diamond! This is what happens when Hilton gives away status simply by holding an Amex Hilton credit card. I am not sure this will actually happen but, you know, when there is smoke (and a pic) there is usually fire:
I am not a Marriott Bonvoy fan but I must admit I really enjoyed the history of Marriott in this article: Marriott International: The Hotel Empire, Powered by Points. It all started back in 1927 with, wait for it, root beer! The very first store was the first A&W franchise east of Mississippi and had just nine seats at a counter. They soon also started selling chili and hot air tamales and named this concept “Hot Shoppe”. The first hotel did not come until 1957 actually. And the rest is history and it is fascinating what transpired in the decades to follow. The article then gets into the company’s business model and leaving the final section to show us all how important the points (and the banks buying them) are to its success.
Also, for us in this hobby, the glorious hotel hacking days started to disappear when this event happened, hard to believe it has been 10 years already wow: 10th Anniversary of Marriott’s Starwood Acquisition. This, along with Delta’s acquisition of Northwest Airlines, to me at least, are two of the darkest days in this space. Thank you for understanding, we had it so good back in those days. Oh well, life changes and we evolve with it.
TRAVEL REWARDS CREDIT CARDS
For ANY questions on travel rewards credit cards, contact me anytime at travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com
I agree with this former Spirit Airlines executive, who was there in the airlines’ glory days from 1996 to 2006: Airline Credit Cards Are Messing Up the Whole Industry.
Airlines sell miles to banks by the billions, and for some carriers, that revenue exceeds 10 percent of their top lines. American Airlines, for one, sold $6.2 billion worth in 2025. But the money, however important, is almost beside the point. What matters more is that these programs function as collateral, giving the biggest airlines access to inexpensive capital that their smaller rivals can’t match. [Bold font added for emphasis]
The passengers who lose out under the current rules are the ones Spirit used to serve — price-conscious leisure fliers who are less likely to carry those cards and who now also pay more because Spirit is no more. [Sadly, right on.]
I think out of all the Alaska Airlines media day announcements the most intriguing were these: Bank of America Points Will Soon Transfer to Alaska Atmos Rewards … & More Banks Are Coming. I guess it is nice to see Bank of America getting into this along with the other banks having points that can be transferred to travel partners, starting with Alaska Airlines. Will the transfer ratio be 1:1? I hope so but my gut feeling is it won’t be 1:1. Maybe the 1:1 ratio will be preserved only for a premium Bank of America card? Which is similar to what Chase did with the 1:1 transfers to World of Hyatt from only the Chase Sapphire Reserve going forward (ouch, that still hurts!). To take this to a higher level, Alaska Airlines revealing that there will be more transfers from “select global financial institutions” is those four words that are exciting and intriguing at the same time. Which ones? Will there be more credit cards in addition to Bank of America? I mean, I think the Alaska Airlines executives are up to something here. And, not to miss this in the avalanche of developments, the Business card is going to be retooled as well in the 4th Quarter of 2026.
Having said that, I have not found a decent way to burn my Alaska Airlines miles and I wonder why they have such a good reputation for good value. The only few times I burned Alaska miles was to fly on American Airlines flights at a very low cost of miles but American proceeded to totally mess up my last two flights with them. I am sorry, flying business class to SE Asia burning 130,000 or more Alaska Airlines miles one way is NOT a good use of them. So I keep them looking for a decent award. Looking back, transferring them into Alaska from that short lived Amex to Hawaii Airlines loophole was probably not a good idea, oh well.
The Bilt fanboys still can’t pretend the cards are great and had to admit that this sucks: Bilt To Cut Hyatt Transfer Rate From 1:1 To 4:3 (Live 1/1/27). The only question was when this will happen and not if. Frankly I am surprised it lasted this long. So, the big winner is Chase Sapphire Reserve here and now the only way to transfer to World of Hyatt 1:1.
US Bank retired the Leverage cards and introduced two new business cards: Business Essentials and Business Essentials Plus. Click on the link if interested to learn more. My interest? Zzzzzzzz.
The pain from Chase and a vicious attack in the business model of so many content creators (including yours truly) is continuing: Chase 3/24 Rule Is Now In Effect, Replacing 5/24.
NEW OFFERS:
CHASE IHG ONE REWARDS
Chase has a major update of its IHG One Rewards cards. It introduced a brand new premium card and refreshed all the other versions. Same mode, higher annual fees, more spending, more coupons, less benefits/earning, big Signup Bonuses. 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. Anniversary FNC that can be redeemed for 60k IHG points. $75 quarterly Food and Beverage voucher at IHG hotels. Earns 28x at IHG. Automatic 20 elite nights at the start of the calendar year. Early access to reward night sales. $200 statement credit after spending $250 in flights purchased directly with an airline. Up to $50 United TravelBank cash per year. $10 Instacart credit per month. $10 Doordash non-restaurant voucher per month through December 31, 2027. 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. United TravelBank has been removed? 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 qualifying activities (90K after spending $5,000 on purchases and 10K more miles with an authorized user, both completed in the first 3 months from account opening).
United Quest℠: Earn up to 90,000 United MileagePlus bonus miles after qualifying activities (80K after spending $4,000 on purchases and 10K more miles with an authorized user, both completed in the first 3 months from account opening). NEW! For the first time ever, elevate your MileagePlus Premier status before the end of the year with 500 PQP after first purchase with the Quest card.
United℠ Explorer: Earn up to 80,000 United MileagePlus bonus miles after qualifying activities (70K after spending $3,000 on purchases and 10K more miles with an authorized user, both completed in the first 3 months from account opening), plus $0 annual fee for the first year.
United℠ Gateway: Earn up to 50,000 United MileagePlus bonus miles after qualifying activities (40K after spending $1,000 on purchases and 10K more miles with an authorized user, both completed in the first 3 months from account opening).
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. If the aim is to get the Companion Pass make sure you apply around Oct 15 to make sure the 80k will post in January 2027 so it can last you two full years. 6,000 points anniversary bonus. 3x on Southwest purchases, 2x on gas and restaurants on the first $8,000 per anniversary year, first checked bag is free, and some other flying related benefits. No foreign transaction fees. Spend counts towards A-List elite status.
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
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.
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 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
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.
Please help the small independent blogs like mine continue to exist by supporting us with your CREDIT CARD clicks, thank you!
BONUS OFFERS NOTIFICATIONS
Would you like to be automatically notified every time a card comes out with (or is about to remove) an elevated welcome offer? If yes, I highly encourage you to sign up if you haven’t yet. And when you apply for a credit card from a link in these emails you help support the blog.
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
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…
I am holding no American Express Platinum cards right now. It is weird. I will be applying again for the Schwab version of the Amex Platinum card. I expect to be popped up with that dreaded message that I am not getting any Signup Bonus. Until I apply again later on.
I am trying to simplify my life. And holding back on applying for more credit cards. But it is hard you guys. Anyway, I am letting some time go by to improve our 5/24 Chase numbers. For the cards that are remaining without once per lifetime restrictions that is. It is a new era. Needing to be very strategic with our credit card applications, not just the type of cards and offers but also timing.
I need to find time to sit down and apply for one or two cards as I have my big annual insurance bill to pay in a few weeks. I really like the new IHG One Rewards Premier Select premium card. The $350 annual fee can easily be offset with the no brainer $200 airline credit and $100 automatic deposit to the United Travel Bank. And gorge on food/beverages during at least one stay, maybe two at $75 a pop. And we get 200,000 IHG points AND a Free Night. I mean, do the math. But do I really want to get back on IHG? Or are there better Signup Bonuses out there? Is it worth burning a 5/24 slot? Will that premium Hyatt card ever come out and will be sacrificing getting approved for it because I just now applied and went over 5/24? Are we already there? Grrrrr, this used to be so easy applying without thinking lol. Remember those apporama days hitting 5 or 6 cards at a time? If you do, you know how I feel and thank you for sharing our mutual pain.
Been a while but finally got a spending offer on my own United no annual fee Gateway card: Spend $7,000 and earn 4,000 United miles. No I won’t. Unless I decide to forego applying for new cards so I guess this is the next best thing, TBD.
I had an expiring Hyatt Free Night certificate. And I offered it to my kids, first priority. Second? TBB blog readers who do support this blog, hint. My kids are suffering from something known as travel bug. Maybe it runs in the family? My daughter is going on a short trip to Vietnam, Hong Kong and Taipei. Ideally, I tried to use the Hyatt Free Night Cert in Taipei but World of Hyatt is doing shenanigans. As in, plenty of available rooms for cash and absolutely none of them standard rooms. Which means the cert can not be applied. So, I used it for the Hyatt Centric Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong but I am monitoring the situation in Taipei to jump on it when I see a Standard room become available. Which does not look likely at all.
My wife stayed behind and is tending to her elderly mother in Malaysia. On the way back she is going to stop in Taipei to join a girlfriend and former coworker for a local tour and meet up with our daughter to celebrate her birthday. Then she will go to Honolulu to visit our son before eventually making it back to Michigan. Hey, this is the retired life lol. I am taking steps to join her next year. More on those news will be announced on the blog soon.
The days of traveling for free or next to nothing are over. We will be prioritizing comfort and speed going forward. Trying to find award space is becoming a really unpleasant and way too time consuming task. And when you find some award space it is pitiful. And don’t talk to me about Delta @$%&*!.
Speaking of Delta, maybe we can fly direct from my home airport of Detroit to Athens hooray: Delta Adds New Nonstop Routes to Venice & Athens. At 185,000 miles coach one way LOL.
If you were thinking to start a blog, DON’T! You add the continuing and severe banking restrictions impacting in a hugely negative way the number of credit cards sales and the disappearance of Google search and you get horrific numbers like this below.
SEPTEMBER 2026 BLOG REVENUE REPORT:
Credit Card Sales: 1
Buy Me A Coffee Sales: 2
So, to the reader who accused me of credit card pumping…LOL!
I can’t believe I am still here…
2026 SE ASIA TRIP RECAP
New additions in bold font below. I am adding Instagram links as they happen during my trip ( YouTube video links coming). Including travel related pics from the different locations.
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
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.
OR
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
10 nights at the Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 1 for 45,000 World of Hyatt points
Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 1 Review
9 nights at the Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 24 for 40,500 World of Hyatt points
Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 24 Review
At TRIBE Sky Beach Bar in Bangkok
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
Roaming the Streets of Saigon, Part II
Roaming the Streets of Saigon Part III
Park Hyatt Saigon: Lam Son Suite, Front, Lobby, Main Floor
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
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
Viral IG Reel from Hilton Pattaya Rooftop Bar
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 credit 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 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 4,196,529 miles/points in the bank.
Let me leave you with this:
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:
This site may receive compensation for sending traffic to partner sites. Travel Blogger Buzz and Your Best Credit Cards may receive a commission from card issuers. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not necessarily include all financial companies or all available financial offers. The editorial content on this page is not provided by any of the companies mentioned, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone.
Good morning Buzz,
Gold for the desert rats, maybe.
Thanks for the great post, I’m definitely interested about spending more time overseas.
Great pic by the way, all of them.
Have a great weekend
Oops,
And welcome to the new intern
Just a heads up Buzz, the scammers/grandchildren link goes to the bitcoin story.
Hope it’s not just me…
Now fixed.
David, thanks for the heads up on the wrong link. Looks like the intern missed it 🙂
And now I can’t fix it because:
WordPress Login Temporarily Disabled
You are seeing this message because your site has recently been targeted by attackers attempting to gain access to your WordPress Dashboard. In order to protect your site your WordPress Login page has been temporarily disabled.
This tech stuff is driving me crazy. And the Mailchimp formatting is so phucked up I can’t even…Cost me one arm and one leg to reformat the blog look. I need to find a techie to fix the Mailchimp issues…and I don’t have time for that and I sure don’t want to continue paying out of pocket to keep my baby going. Actually, I am thinking to kill the email list subscribers. Come here or don’t bother. I am going to lose more so what? It will save the Mailchimp monthly fee and I really don’t want to show a loss. Because, well, that just hurts my ego too much lol.
Can you all confirm the email you received today, via Mailchimp, looks like shit?
Hiya George! Hey, thanks for sending me the old version after all! But when I click to comment, it transfers over to the new version. So now I can read the old version (which I like) and then comment via the new version! Wild times!
Lots of goodies as always here and I sure do appreciate the work you do to send this to us! Thanks as always!
I am so confused, can you forward me the email you got with, I guess, the old version? I really have no clue what versions are there lol.
I’ll send the email back to you in a moment.
BTW, This link leads to the Bitcoin article, not the one mentioned:
“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.”
Oh, missed the part above about not being able to fix the article. Sorry!
Marking DML tardy…
My hometown of Charlotte is both best and most overrated. Woo hoo!
Funny to see neighboring Gastonia as worst, it’s not so bad; it just has a reputation as Charlotte’s redneck cousin. But maybe it’s because of the time people confused it with Switzerland: https://www.ncrabbithole.com/p/gastonia-switzerland-tik-tok-viral
Haha, thanks for the Gastonia/Switzerland comment Nick.
Buzz, I’m hoping Mailchimp gets sorted, sounds like a pain in the ass. Maybe there’s a format
of some kind(I pay little attention and don’t know squat) whereby we could communicate and read the links that any of the TBB fan club would like to post…if it sounds ridiculous I stand by my earlier statement regarding squat diddly.
Have a great weekend everyone