We bring you the details behind the secret Marriott Cobalt status, more on AA shutdowns, travel to Brunei, awesome pinball map, meet the Buenos Aires bank heist legends, learn more about stuttering, try to decide how to spend 100k United miles if you go for its business card, meet the new countries, prepare to survive in a ranch in the middle of nowhere, Africa is bigger than you thought, a hilarious 404 page, learn more about the plasma business, meet TikTok stars and their confused parents, learn how to status match and more!
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MILES & POINTS
Weekend miles and points action is always slow. This hobby is boring me to death lately…The only excitement is I have some miles burning to do ahead of me this year and also managing how to maximize the bang of miles/points haul for son who is doing some major travel for work starting this week.
The one offer in the Hot Offers above that stands out is the United Business card offering 100k United miles after a not low $10k minimum spend in the first three months. 100k miles can go a long way. I am not going to go on here how you too can have a business wink wink. Always do the right thing I say. I still remember the old days when banks were offering 25k signup bonuses. Which back in those days it was good for a domestic round trip. Amazingly, that is still in a way the baseline award after so many years! I also remember when the offers started to get higher than 25k, anyone remember those Citi AA cards offering 30k miles every 31 days? Who needed mailers to get shut down back then LOL. Oh yeah, lets get back to the 100k United Business card offer: Maximizing The New United Business Card. If you decide to get it please use my links, thank you! Lets save the Wednesday blog posts! 🙂
Ever heard of Cobalt status in the Marriott Bonvoy program? It is invitation only so don’t get your hopes up.
TRAVEL
My favorite school subject was geography and I really love posts like this! The world’s 9 newest countries and their paths to becoming independent nations.
Absolutely wonderful pictures in Three Days in Brunei!
I have posted before here some content about doomsday zealots living/working in bunkers preparing for the end of the world. One entrepreneur is taking it a step further and is starting a, wait for it, timeshare company and aims it for the middle class. I think the current corona virus outbreak is sure going to help business! Preparing For The End Of The World, On A Budget.
PERSONAL FINANCE
This is the 404 – Page Not Found of the Financial Times website, it is hilarious! My fav are:
Why wasn’t this page found?
We asked some leading economists.
- Liquidity traps – We injected some extra money into the technology team but there was little or no interest so they simply kept it, thus failing to stimulate the page economy.
Marxism – The failure of this page to load is a consequence of the inherent contradictions in the capitalist mode of production.
Speculative bubble – The page never actually existed and was fundamentally impossible, but everyone bought into it in a frenzy and it’s all now ending in tears.
Socialism – If you were to get the page you wanted you might get a better page than someone else, which would be unfair. This way at least everyone gets the same.
If you were ever interested to learn how the plasma business works, I have the article for you! And one family from Spain pretty much owns the market. Family Builds $3.8 Billion Fortune, One Pint of Blood at a Time. I bet bloggers would pump this up if they offered affiliate links, sad LOL.
ODDZ & ENDZ
Apparently, there are people who are really into pinball. If you are and you just need to get your pinball fix when you travel, I have a Pinball Map for you! You know you can travel there for free if you get some travel rewards credit cards with my links, right? Do you want me to start doing “69 reasons I love the card that pays me the fattest sales commission” blog posts? Yeah, I didn’t think so, there are plenty of other “expert” blogs out there that do that!
If you are interested to learn more about the subject of stuttering, this is a must read inspiring interview of Emily Blunt! How Emily Blunt’s Stutter Led Her to a Successful Acting Career.
The [lack of] information out there, or the way people misconstrue what it is, is the main issue. Because stutterers don’t feel understood. It’s not psychological. It’s not that you’re nervous, it’s not that you’re insecure, it’s not that you can’t read, it’s not that you don’t know what you want to say. It’s neurological, it’s genetic, it’s biological. It’s not your fault. There’s nothing you can do about it. Those are the messages I’m trying to get out there so that you’re not in a situation where you’re reading something and people think, Oh, he might not be a good reader. I’m sure you’re a brilliant reader. A huge percentage of people around the world, millions and millions of people, stutter.
Wow, what a bank robbery! They became legends and got caught only because of a jealous wife who thought her husband was having an affair, so Argentinian. The incredible thing is that after they came out of jail these thieves became legends and, you know, a movie is coming and several books. Only in Argentina I guess! The Great Buenos Aires Bank Heist. Enjoy!
If you ever get on each hot social media app you will not have time to go to the bathroom! I guess the latest hot one is TikTok. Behind that teenage TikTok star, there’s probably a very confused parent.
On TikTok, users share brief clips of themselves dancing, lip-syncing or jumping on trends and challenges that pop up on the platform through hashtags, such as making a broom stand on its own. Schaefer-Charlton rose to prominence on TikTok after posting a video of himself dancing on a toilet. [Dancing on a toilet??? WTF!!! Here I am getting beat up for whining to get 10 plastic conversions per month when…I could start my own TikTok video empire bwahahaha]
BLOG BUZZ
We are now entering BLOG BUZZ, a section for advanced hobbyists and veterans of this fast imploding hobby and also a section where I go on and on about some stuff that happens in my life because it helps me feel better about myself.
This is a must read on the AA mailers situation imho: American Airlines Shutdown My Account – Forget What We Thought We Knew. Very interesting. Isn’t there some lawyer out there with some time in his/her hands to take this up for the AA members who were caught in this massacre when they were mostly innocent standbys? Key word is “mostly”, which is subjective of course. Good luck and be careful out there! I have no dog in this fight. And no heartache at all. I do avoid getting shut down, I am all for the long term folks. Can you spell stamina? 🙂
Heads up on anyone using Kiva. I received an email by them with this warning, WTF!
Based on your current account settings, if you have enough funds to lend but haven’t made a loan yourself after 90 days, the funds in your account may be auto-lent for you. The first auto-loans from this new setting will be made on May 21st. Please note that auto-loans will also include our standard 15% optional tip to help cover the cost of the loan.
Son has a Radisson Blu stay coming up and I had to get his long dormant Club Carlson Radisson Rewards account active again…as the password had expired (years ago lol). Consulting StatusMatcher, he sent in a few screenshots of his Gold Marriott Bonvoy account in an email to StatusMatch@radissonhotels.com and now waiting to see the Gold status appear in his account. Also got him enrolled in the quarterly promo which is sadly stay (not night) based with the first payout starting with the second stay. We shall see…
Amazingly, no current Marriott Hotels promo going on, boo! I consult this Frequent Miler page for the current hotel promotions.
Looks like we are going to cancel my wife’s trip back to Singapore and Malaysia this April due to the corona virus. This means I need to burn them expiring Singapore Airlines miles very quickly!
And I leave you with this…
TBB
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We’re stepping back from an upcoming trip to France. The virus jumped 5,000 miles to Milan over the weekend and we want to see a few more cards before heading over there.
I dread calling my mother, she will be freaking out by now…And I think that pretty much ends the chances of her visiting us in May.
We picked a great time for a conference in Japan! Israel just shut the door for non-citizens coming from Japan. Huh. The handling of the cruise ship was not awe inspiring.
All on Delta miles and refundable if we have to bail. Good reason for Platinum status.
Regarding the cruise handling…oh yeah, WTF was that!
In times like this, yeah Delta Platinum status sure comes in handy.
your son is better off using an OTA (hotels.com). Why even bother with Club carlson…….. what’s next, La Quinta points? Some points are just hard to burn. I still have 6 figure with Club Carlson. Try the Dosh app, sometimes I get 10-20% in cash back. Turns out cash it a pretty flexible currency. I value mine at 1.2x!
Whole team traveling together so they are booked by Travel Dept. Main criterion is location closest to company office, so sad for us 🙂
“What’s next, La Quinta points?” – LOLOLOL
I think we are going to see that this Coronavirus or Covid or whatever, is going to be the big Black Swan event people have been worrying might happen. Dow off 84 a bit ago and I think this week is going to be a bloodbath, the worst since the Great Recession started out.
Travel is being upended all over the world and economies are gonna be clobbered.
When stuff like this happens…people extrapolate and become Nostradamus types. At the end of every day and each day, nobody knows what will happen with daily fluctuations in the stock market.
I always felt that the economic hit will be substantial and was in a WTF mode seeing the market appearing to be unaffected by it. I guess maybe they all came back to their senses. Or maybe by Tuesday we are going back to normal…whatever normal is these days LOL.
I feel useful again, been piling up some cash for a while looking like a moron, may start putting some of it back to work…
I wish my son would not be traveling to India this week and I can’t believe they are letting them go. And I think my mother will not be visiting me in May from Greece…
Thanks Donnie for cutting money from CDC….We are still on track for this guy to kill us all, SAD! I wonder who will blame for the 401ks he will not mention if the correction takes hold 🙂
True, I am also acting like a Nostradamus, but I read a lot (How I found this blog to start with) and I have a hunch, “bigly”, this this is gonna get a lot worse before it gets better. Kinda been hoarding a bit more cash than my FA wanted me to, but it will be a little while before I start buying again.
I hope your son stays healthy and safe and I agree, this is NOT a good time to travel, especially in Airplanes where you breath everyone’s air for hours.
This is another of those “May you live in interesting times” kind of times, where interesting does not necessarily equal good!
@CARL, Jim Cramer has been BALLS ON ACCURATE (My Cousin Vinny reference) on this lately. He save the Ramsey Family Fortune and also has great unbiased take on Politics.
Keep your powder dry and get ready to get back in the market!
I can only hope that this is a lesson for Tim Apple et al. You need to diversify your manufacturing basis. Don’t bet all your chips on communist China.
Super busy day for me. Buying that is.
My standard line to clients: “We may be looking stupid in the short term, we are in it for the long term”. Their standard response: “We have been expecting to hear from you, go ahead”.
Looks like Jim Cramer is still taking money away from people selling his crystal ball. Never forget what he did to people screaming to buy Bear Stearns LOL.
Going out to run…go bigly on that guys…and wash your hands 🙂
George which Blog do you recommend as a better read Rene’s Points or Mighty Fares? Also, how dare MilesFeed list both of them before Travelbloggerbuzz.
FYI I read on the Ethernet that you pal Ramsey has been suffering from severe Depression for the last two weeks. I wondered why he was not around here lately to brighten my day. Apparently he sold all his stocks 2 weeks ago on fears spread by Cramer and then was sick as the Stock Market raced higher on the likely hood of Trump defeating Sanders. Hopefully when he wakes up this morning and reads the WSJ and checks the Market, he will snap out of his deep depression.
Ramsey if you read this…..GET WELL SOON………we all miss you around here!
Fears of the Virus spread by Cramer
Listen to Clint Eastwood Rams 😉
Get well soon Ramsey
Thank you John, thank you Huell….love you both. God Bess….all is well here, feeling much better today but it is tough knowing that others are suffering and dying. Praying for them.
FYI George, Huell and I go back to 2005. We both met as volunteers during the Hurricane Katrina cleanup and rebuild. Best 3 months of my life.
George, if Bloomberg were to get elected I will not have a problem with that. Although I am not happy with his flip flop on STOP AND FRISK. That was a great policy that worked! Perhaps if it was implemented earlier I would not of been robbed at knife point twice or my wife would of never had a gun put to her head (robbery 9 am in the morning, LGA parking lot) when we lived in N.Y..All the assailants did fit the profile.
He is not my choice but I will not whine and bitch like a sore loser mean spirited Lefty does. I will accept the will of the people.
Does he have a chance? Can you buy an election? People say he is too short, too NY, too rich, too Jewish, too boring, too Conservative, too hypocritical, too insincere, too short.
When you have Mike vs Donnie…well, the answer is easy. And yeah,he is MUCH richer than Donnie, no doubt about that.
watching Lil Mike destroy his own campaign is almost as good as watching the Democrats run these sleazy Socialists for POTUS
So Im the bad guy who doesnt want socialism? Ill wear that one like a badge of honor.
you are not alone
MU, do you think ABC wears his Man Bun on top or in back? Obviously he wears it too tight and it affects the blood flow to his brain.
I finally get to contribute to Pocahontas’ fourth place finish on March 3rd. #NotaBernieBro
As for the Man Bun, I barely have enough hair for the clip on.
I lost all respect of her after the way she went after Mike..and never let up. Desperation move to stay alive…she is done in a week imho.
If not for Liz where do I get muh free stuff? Is Bernie my only option to get something for nothing?
You should have been a farmer, you blew your chance to get money for freeeeeee!
Damn socialists…
Bwahahaha
why do u think some socialism is okay and its not all bad? Farming is simple, even you phucking moron candidate thinks so
I wasn’t worried at all about the Coronavirus until Trump tweeted “ The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA…Stock Market starting to look very good to me!“
Ok, time to load up on water, cans, gasoline and guns.
I used your link for the CIP, dude. Thanks for all you do!
Thank you! My favorite type of comment after taking a beating in the markets today:) You may be Conversion #9 this month…At this rate, I wonder when TPG will send his Mergers & Acquisitions team to buy me out.
Last line was a joke, I am laughing 🙂
Seriously, thank you.
Why is Nick at Frequent Miler dressed like Roger Stone with those hats? Reminds me of Mafia and Godfather movies.
Got any real tips Alan H.?
Approval finally came through for CSP, so now you have two cards from my fam approved through your links in January.
Love your content.
Thank you!
Breaking: Pointchaser Ariana gets taken out and sells (probably crawls) to TPG. No more MS play by play posts, thank you Jesus…or Allah or whoever!
All for the love of the hobby you guys…
Oh boy, let the fun begin
Time for your daughter to update the blog list.
I should add a section “Sold out to TPG for the love of the hobby” 🙂
“Leo” commenting at Pointchaser:
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How ironic – most of your posts could use a good editor reviewing them… not to mention a good vetting for content!
All those really bad MS posts…. Remember when you wrote multiple posts recommending people sell to The Plastic Merchant WHILE he was already bouncing checks and heading toward bankruptcy? Or when you actually ENCOURAGED people to make structured deposits because you didn’t know what it was? Or the time you berated a WM clerk and bragged about it online?
I assume you’ll be editing the Oh-so-subtle credit card plugs on TPG? How perfect!
Have fun hanging with Brian Kelly! Maybe you can hand out TPG awards to Marriott and Chase!
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LOLZ, she is a fraud
What about Ingy?
According to her, PC blog stays up and when she can get it in her bandwidth to get Ingy back writing again she will do it. Yeah, right. The pressure will be high to produce at TPG to justify her very nice salary.