We learn about miles/points valuation, learn about the new AMEX Business Platinum Card Benefit & Delta Card Offers, we travel from Almaty to Tashkent, marvel at some awesome travel photos and at the best photos of 2014, check out Internet Maps and more!
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“Could I be getting better value out of my miles/points?” – Travel Is Free After going through so much wording you get a few nuggets that I totally agree with. As in:
“There is nothing wrong with simplicity” Simplicity in our lives is way under appreciated and undervalued!
“anyone can get a free two week vacation each year.” Not going to argue this one either. Click my…oops, got carried away there for a sec 🙂
“Value is not determined by the price tag of the hotel, it is determined by how much money you’ve saved.” Yes, yes, yes!
“This is my problem with the absolute values given to miles and points and it’s why I don’t do it. It’s at best crappy mathematics.” Miles/points valuation blog posts bore the hell out of me!
“There is no one size fits all solution” Yep.
“No one can tell you what your aspirations should be, and if that was the case, we’ve certainly lost all imagination.” I have always said that people should use miles and points to make them happy because…they earned them!
“How about to see the places you’ve always wanted to see? That’s what this is all about and don’t forget it.” Yep.
“Some how I got off track…” Blog would be even better if this did not happen so often! #constructivecriticism
American Express Adds Free Inflight Wifi Passes As A Benefit On The Business Platinum Card – Doctor of Credit Nice summary of all the recent Amex (positive) changes and explanation of how this new inflight wifi pass benefit works (which was first reported HERE at Tagging Miles). Most importantly you should check out his post about how to get the Amex Business Platinum Card for 100k Membership Rewards points. So when you see other bloggers push their own affiliate offers for the card earning just 40k MR points you make sure you tell them that they SUCK! Since we are trying to be positive around here we are going to save the “You Suck!” for the TBB Blog Buzz post next Sunday. Care to guess who made a post announcing this benefit and selling the affiliate 40k offer? Hint: The blog is “HUGE” 🙂 For heaven’s sake, do NOT use my 40k link! Since we are at it, Doctor of Credit also wrote about the new Amex Delta offer offering 50k Skypesos AND a $50 statement credit for both personal and business cards.
Almaty to Tashkent : What Not to Expect on a Long-Haul Train Journey Through the Former USSR – Yomadic Babushkas, vodkas, bribes, bunk beds, overnight train rides in nowhere…Love it!
Travel photographer of the year 2014 winners – in pictures – The Guardian WOW!
Best photos of the year 2014 – Reuters OMG, there are some very strong pictures here, viewer discretion advised! You have been warned!
40 maps that explain the internet – Vox These are incredibly educational!
Easy Ways to Think About Hard Finance Stuff – Motley Fool This is good, really good, stuff!
And I leave you with a pleasant gif…
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First
Second, thanks for the links George. Like I mentioned on twitter it’s going to be interesting to see who posts about the 100k offer and who doesn’t mention it when talking about the gogo inflight wifi benefit.
Let’s hope the positive amex changes keep on coming. Although it’s probably only a matter of time before the marketing department gets reined in.
Interesting? We all know which pimps will “forget” to pimp the 100K link. Just about everyone in BA. #contemptible
I liked William’s calling of VFTW on Twitter.
btw – thanks for the link!
Disappearing disappointing 3rd
Fourth… Is it worth even commenting?
If Amex made the “Amazon Prime” benefit a permanent feature of the Platinum Card (instead of just an occasional signup promo), that would probably get me to seriously consider keeping it and paying that hefty annual fee. Prime + Gogo + airline fee rebates + the other benefits, you’d pretty much break even vs. trying to get all that on an individual basis.
Aw, George. Did you stop reading my blog? 🙂 I was the first one to post the non-affiliate Delta offer! Gonna go cry now :sniffsniff
Greetings! Anybody get any decent Set Your Sights offers from IHG? Apparently I have done too many paid stays because my offer would require NINE nights plus a IHG Vacation Club stay… So I will be sitting this one out. Bummer, because my Into The Nights offer was pretty easy and posted without any weirdness.
@ United1k: Congrats. First first?
@ William Charles: We are sensing Amex is back trying to fight Chase…and I like it!
@ P: With almost 100 blogs in Boarding Area, the law of big numbers you know 🙂
@ Spencer F: Disappointing indeed.
@ Shaun: I think it is worth it, yes.
@ Erik: I agree with you. Will likely be canceling it too. I feel sorry for readers who get the card with just 40k MR points…
@ Charlie: Oops, looks like I missed it. I am sure it happens a lot with just the staff of one around here. I added all the DofC stuff late on Sunday night after I came back watching the movie “Birdman” and got lazy. Sorry. And you are right.
@ Hua: Mine sucked. I need to do 4 nights for 50k pts (and one of them needs to be at a HI resort or HI Club vacation property). Looks like I am sitting this one out too again. Glad to hear you had no issues with the Into the Abyss promo 🙂 Just noticed Mrs. TBB’s offer is for 3 nights. Thought about it for a moment as I do have 2 PB nights booked and then have a 4 night business stay in San Diego in late January where i have booked a very convenient Four Points by Sheraton hotel on SPG points. Thought for a moment canceling the award stays and rebooking on IHG for this promo but seems complicated and requires cash outlays and the 50k haul is just not as lucrative to make me jump through the hoops. Besides, I don’t want to get into the IHG customer service hell and track them down for missing stay credits/points. Nice to see these promos but the days of FFN promos is long long gone 🙁
@Hua – my Set your sights sucked as well – 8 nights, 1 international, 1 Vacation Club, 2 weekend stays (2 nights each). Heck – it is cheaper to buy the points than it is to do these stays!
I will have to say that my Dad’s Into the Night promo worked well and he has 2 free nights for next year.
Wow, your offer is absurd! I wonder how IHG comes up with these targets…wow!
Great post, thanks for keeping it up, enjoyable to read and concise and to the point.
Cheers,
PedroNY
You are welcome.
TBB site made $1.22 yesterday. I guess I am not going to be HUGE 🙂
Haha oh well, I used your link to buy a Bluetooth keyboard the other day. I hope it makes a meaningful contribution to your bottom line!
It takes a village 🙂
Read that Yomadic post a few days ago, and I think he is hands down the best travel blogger out there. Just the cool, random and obscure things. Thanks for the suggestion!
Only travel blog in the TBB Love list!