Another TBB post featuring the most eclectic links around the web such as the new investing rules, the AI jobs wipeout, drone trends, two 90k Chase Ink cards ending soon, avoid Medicare Advantage, more AI data centers, shocking “Why I Run” story, dark patterns and stagnant order, base to travel in Southeast Asia, the best photography 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. Happy Halloween!
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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.
This blog stays in business with clicks only from readers for credit cards and coffees. You can always get to my credit card links by clicking on “CREDIT CARDS’ at the menu on the top of the homepage or the “We make finding a new credit card simple” banner on the right sidebar. Or, preferably, you can receive new offers in your email inbox by signing up to receive alerts HERE . Or just email me.
BLOG HOUSEKEEPING
This is truly a one man labor of love operation, enjoy it while it lasts.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Never let others define what success means to you.” – Me
PERSONAL FINANCE
This happened again: Staying the Course Worked (Again). And it is kind of surreal really…
These were the total returns on a year-to-date basis as of April 8, 2025:
- S&P 500 -15.0%
- Nasdaq 100 -18.5%
- Russell 2000 -20.7%
- MSCI EAFE -3.5%
- MSCI Emerging Markets -7.8%
and…here are the 2025 year-to-date gains through the close on Monday October 27, 2025:
- S&P 500 +17.9%
- Nasdaq 100 +23.3%
- Russell 2000 +14.2%
- MSCI EAFE +28.8%
- MSCI Emerging Markets +34.5%
and never forget:
This is why it’s best to take the timing out of these decisions. Invest on a regular schedule. Create a portfolio that fits with your risk profile and time horizon. Set an asset allocation that you can stick with when stocks are rising, falling or going nowhere (because they will do all of those things eventually).
Like I said, we are living through an insanely surreal environment right now. We are almost a month into the government shutdown, AI money is being thrown in all around everywhere, inflation remains elevated, the job market is cooling fast, pockets of incoherent tariff related disruptions come daily, the poor population keeps suffering while the invested class is rolling in the dough and…I just can’t explain what’s happening. Therefore, I always go back to the investment plan and a disciplined process to make investment decisions. Because otherwise you can lose your mind. And pray everything works out in the end…and it usually does someway somehow. Speaking of that fast cooling job market: Tens of Thousands of White-Collar Jobs Are Disappearing as AI Starts to Bite. Or if you prefer a visual (found here):
The risks are elevated, no doubt about that. This is a great read, be careful out there: The Rules of Investing Are Being Loosened. Could It Lead to the Next 1929? A group of financiers is trying to convince the public to invest heavily in private equity and crypto — a risky gambit with some real 1920s vibes. Yeah, when Wall Street types start talking about helping the little guy, be very very afraid.
It is that time of the year again: Don’t make the wrong Medicare decision. Medicare’s open enrollment for 2026 is October 15 to December 7, 2025 or 3 months before you turn 65. And take into account the author’s warnings about Medicare Advantage:
1. A for-profit insurance company makes your healthcare decisions.
2. Prior Authorizations can stand between you and your care.
3. You’ll be limited to a network of providers.
4. Insurance companies profit more from Medicare Advantage.
5. Medicare Consultants get paid more to steer you into Medicare Advantage.
6. Employer-sponsored Medicare Advantage plans aren’t always what they seem.
If you don’t believe the Humble Dollar author above, maybe John Oliver can convince you. And make you laugh at the same time. Or cry: Medicare Advantage: Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (HBO).
SCAMS/CRYPTO/AI/TECH
I am starting to wonder if Charlie will ever see prison. Apparently, Chase Bank has been paying the legal bills along the way and, you know: JPMorgan Accuses Charlie Javice of More Fraud. This Time Over Her Legal Bills.
Technically, JPMorgan is expecting a refund from Javice for the legal bills. Last month, the judge overseeing Javice’s criminal trial ruled that she and Amar would have to pay around $288 million in restitution to JPMorgan, including the $115 million in legal fees. But she is only required to pay approximately 10% of her monthly earnings to cover the restitution, which is well in excess of her existing wealth. [Anyone want to bet she escapes prison and paying back almost all she owes?]
Click this and watch in horror: Share of web articles written by AI or humans. For the record, this blog is 100% written by a real human being. Maybe you should forward it to your mother or other humans you care about and save them from AI written crap? Thank you!
This stat: There are about 5,500 data centers in the US, and in Germany there are 529,…
You like my blog? Send a link to someone please!
ODDZ & ENDZ
This is one of the best reads of the year imho. And you don’t even have to be a runner to “get it”. Why I Run. The article starts out this way and…please sit down as you read it, you have been warned.
Ten years ago, when I turned 40, my father posted a birthday message on my Facebook page that was visible to all of my friends and followers. I had a great life, he said: a loving wife, three beautiful children, a successful career. But all men’s lives fall apart at this age, he warned. He was 73 then, and was thinking of his own life and of his father’s. There is too much pressure and there are too many temptations, he said. He had entered a spiral at 40 from which he never recovered. He hoped the same would not happen to me.
This is, well, out there: Catalog of Dark Patterns. Discover a variety of dark pattern examples, sorted by category, to better understand deceptive design practices. Hall of Shame worthy, have fun. This blog uses none of this shit.
I love FOREIGN AFFAIRS because of articles like this: The Stagnant Order. And the End of Rising Powers, by Michael Beckley. We take a ride through history and try to figure out what comes next.
Forecasting is a perilous business. Demography can be measured, but technology and politics often surprise, and today’s certainties may look naive a generation or even a few years from now. What can be said with confidence is that for two and a half centuries, global politics was driven by the rapid rise of great powers, and the forces that made such ascents possible are now receding. That does not guarantee stability, but it does mark a profound shift: the familiar struggle between living and dying powers is winding down, and another story, its outlines still obscure, is beginning to unfold.
Interesting (found here):
![r/dataisbeautiful - [OC] Portion of Housing Units Built Before 1960](https://preview.redd.it/portion-of-housing-units-built-before-1960-v0-6cyeytqi6qqf1.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=d62931655583194f4df8942429de964113a6f5d0)
Amazing photography: Drone photo winners will amaze your eyeballs: From a high-up horseman to a holy river.
TRAVEL
I have featured several roadtrip related articles over the years here. Here is another one: Soak Up Fall Splendor on These 5 Western Road Trips.
Leaving for Thailand in a few weeks. For the third year in a row. This from a guy who never liked visiting a place twice. Because that would take away from so many places in the world to visit. Anyway, a big draw about Thailand is its location and proximity to so many places from world class airports: Why Thailand is the Ultimate Home Base in Asia.
Cool link: Map Shows the Hardest to Pronounce Town Name in Every U.S. State. For a long time after I arrived in Michigan I avoided the word Sault Ste. Marie because I had no clue how to pronounce it, this makes me feel better lol.
Follow me on Instagram please. Subscribe to my YouTube channel.
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
Here we go again.
Love how the author calls out perfectly them Delta Skymiles lol: How Delta Turned SkyMiles into the Clearance Meat of Airline Miles.
Good hotel points resource: How to transfer hotel points to another member – a guide for all major schemes.
In case you didn’t know: Ten Hilton brands don’t offer upgrades to Gold and Diamond members.
- Embassy Suites
- Hampton by Hilton
- Hilton Garden Inn
- Hilton Grand Vacations
- Homewood Suites by Hilton
- Home2 Suites by Hilton
- LivSmart Studios by Hilton
- Motto by Hilton
- Spark by Hilton
- Tru by Hilton
And here comes the third link from the Head for Points blog across the pond, a first: Which hotel schemes let you earn points and night credit when you book multiple rooms?
After bitching about the absurd back to back to back Hilton Honors devaluations: Hilton Backtracks on Some Recent Devaluations. A Hilton exec reads my blog perhaps. Keep this blog going folks, you know what to do, I am with you, gracias.
A bunch of links to try to see if you are targeted for any of these Hyatt Targeted Promotions: 2x Elite Nights, Points Back When Redeeming Free Night Awards, & More.
Both of these lounges opened this week, a day apart: Delta & Amex Both Open New Lounges At Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC). They both look very nice, well done. If you have lost count, this is Amex Centurion Lounge #31. Hey Chase, eat dust, lol.
Southwest continues to behave like a legacy airline now. So, naturally, here we go: Southwest Airlines Getting Into Airport Lounges. And it is going to be in Honolulu HNL. Which is a really great gesture to all Hawaiian Airlines customers and island residents. But I wonder if it is the only airport they could find space available that sealed the decision. Still, this is going to be so weird. You know what will be even more weird? I read somewhere that Marriott is thinking to get into airline lounges, WTF!
Looking forward to some of these new Hilton properties, especially the Conrads in Athens and Corfu and Kuala Lumpur. Along with the Waldorfs in London and Kuala Lumpur. Also a Hilton Resort in Chania in Crete and Langkawi, Malaysia. Also, maybe I hit the new Canopy in Bangkok (never stayed in a Canopy yet): Hilton’s Most Anticipated 2026 Openings.
Speaking of new hotels and Kuala Lumpur, here is a really detailed review of the new Park Hyatt in Kuala Lumpur. Which comes really handy because I may have a night or two at the end of my upcoming trip that I could stay here. The views look amazing from the second tallest building in the world, I mean, you can wake up and look down on to the Petronas Towers, wow. Rooms and breakfast look great as well. Very concerning though that it is starting to show wear and tear already so soon after opening. And no lounge! It is a Category 5 property and costs 20,000 World of Hyatt points per night. Maybe I burn my last Globalist confirmed suite upgrade here…before I earn all the goodies when I cross the 40 night credit threshold that is.
Condolences to many hobbyists, you knew this day was coming: Vacasa and Wyndham Rewards Ending Their Partnership, Check Important Dates.
It has been kind of painful lately with the killing of deals and devaluations. Let’s end it with a positive development: Good News: United Slashes Award Rates on Partner Airlines.
TRAVEL REWARDS CREDIT CARDS
In case you missed this: Reminder: New Chase Sapphire Reserve Credits & Benefits Are Now Live.
Good resource: Master Guide to Credit Card Applications: All the Rules You Need to Know, Bank by Bank.
After Citibank made the front page of the Wall Street Journal, they made amends after the disastrous introduction of its new premium Strata Elite credit cards. And I warned here last week how it may even screw this up. Well, here we go: Citi Unexpectedly Shuts Down Some Strata Elite Cards. This is soooo like Citi. Speaking of Citi, why this sudden attachment to credits from Turo? Turo, really, come on! Citi Adds $180 In Turo Credits To AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard.
Banks continue to make it difficult to us playing this game: Capital One Adds Terms Combining Venture & Venture X Cards Signup Bonus Eligibility (48 Months). If you were thinking to apply for a Venture X, read this first. Every bank is out to get us these days. Why? So many credit card pumpers spreading out the benefits of this hobby, we need to get them to go sell something else for this hobby to survive #sad.
Wells Fargo has always been on the marginal side in the travel rewards/cash back space doing some occasional moves to be taken seriously. It does have a few good credit cards but other than that, not much. I guess it is good to see them trying: Wells Fargo Adds JetBlue As 1:1 Transfer Partner. Also, JetBlue is always trying, I see the airline is starting First Class and will even open its first lounge too.
After Southwest issued a debit card, here comes United Airlines To Launch Rewards Debit Card. Airlines can’t get enough plastic, I guess they are now going after the Dave Ramsey people who despise credit (good for us, you do debit you).
Pretty good video with info on applying for Capital One credit cards: HUGE Updates to Capital One Venture X rules. MUST Watch Before Applying. 2026.
Not many changes in the offers listed below, just added the new 85k Southwest personal card offers, 90k Citi AAdvantage Globe card, and now the 90k Chase Ink Cash and Unlimited cards along with all Bank of America Alaska Airlines cards are “ending soon“.
IMPORTANT: [Rumor] Some Banks (Possibly Chase) Might Limit Business Card Applications to EINs. This will really hurt if it becomes reality, it feels like all the banks are out to get us!
NEW OFFERS:
Southwest always has new offers it appears, here we go again: Chase Southwest Personal Cards: 85,000 Points Signup Bonus. For $3k minimum spend in three months.
90k CITI AAdvantage Globe Card
New card: CITI AAdvantage Globe Card Launches With 90,000 Points Bonus ($350 Fee). So, if you are in this hobby you look at this and you ask yourself: Can I get a lot more value out of 95,000 miles (90,000 Signup Bonus plus at least 5,000 for unbonused spend) for $350? The answer is probably yes so that’s that. Now, is this card a keeper? I doubt it, unless you are an American Airlines flyer who flies it often but not enough to make the premium Citi AA Executive card worth it. I was never a fan of these mid-tier cards for some reason. It’s like you go all in…mid way. Since it is a new card you won’t get turned down for applying because you were not eligible for it.
The minimum spend to earn the 90,000 AA miles is $5,000 within the first 4 months of account opening. The card earns 6x on AAdvantage Hotel bookings, 3x on AA purchases, 2x on restaurants, 2x on rides and rails and 1x on everything else. First checked bag free and preferred boarding. AA companion certificate (after the first year) for $99 plus fees and taxes. $240 credit on Turo at $30 per quarter, $100 credit on inflight purchases, $100 credit on Splurge (up to two merchants from 1st Dibs, eligible AAdvantage Hotels, Future Personal Training, or Live Nation). 4 Admirals Club lounge passes every year. $120 Global Entry/TSAPreCheck every four years. No foreign transaction fees. If you are looking for a link please email me.
These two offers stand out and they are back!
Two NO ANNUAL fee cards from CHASE, the CHASE Ink Business Cash and the CHASE Ink Business Unlimited, for 90,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points for $6,000 minimum spend.
The 90K CHASE Ink Business Unlimited card is back. This is a NO ANNUAL FEE business card that earns 1.5x on everything, unlimited. The minimum spend required to earn the Signup Bonus is $6,000 in the first three months. Don’t use this card abroad as it has a foreign transaction fee. Chase may advertise this card all over the place as a cash back card but it does pay the Signup Bonus in 90,000 Chase Ultimate Reward points. Of course, extended warranty, purchase protection and primary CDW when renting a car for business purposes also apply. All these goodies for no annual fee, wow! Needless to say you don’t have to book travel in the Chase travel portal to get the travel values above. You can transfer your points to airline and hotel partners and possibly get even more more value than what you can get at the Chase travel portal, assuming you do have one of the cards mentioned above (Sapphire Reserve or Sapphire Preferred or Ink Business Preferred). But that requires a little more legwork from you to transfer, find availability, book award trips, etc. I like to transfer to Hyatt, Air Canada Aeroplan, United and sometimes Southwest. (ENDING SOON)
The 90K CHASE Ink Business Cash is a NO ANNUAL FEE card. The card now offers the 90k Signup Bonus after $6k spend in the first three months. It earns 5x on office supply stores and internet/cable/phone services on the first $25,000 and 2x on gas and restaurants on the first $25,000 and 1x on everything else unlimited. Don’t use this card abroad as it has a foreign transaction fee. I usually go to Office Depot and buy gift cards of the stores I usually shop at, hello 5x Amazon! You can transfer your points to airline and hotel partners and possibly get even more more value than what you can get at the Chase travel portal, assuming you do have one of the cards mentioned above (Sapphire Reserve or Sapphire Preferred or Ink Business Preferred). But that requires a little more legwork from you to transfer, find availability, book award trips, etc. I like to transfer to Hyatt, Air Canada Aeroplan, United and sometimes Southwest. (ENDING SOON)
EXPIRING OFFERS:
We now have the refreshed AMERICAN EXPRESS Platinum & Business Platinum Cards ($895 Fee, 175k/200k Bonus, Many New Credits).
The Signup Bonus offers remain the dreaded “Up to 175,000 points” for the personal card (most getting 80,000). And a solid 200,000 points for the Business card.
125k CHASE Sapphire Reserve/200k CHASE Sapphire Reserve for Business
Chase raised the Signup Bonus to 125,000 from 100,000 points. The minimum spend is $5k in the first three months. As with all cards, you know what to do to help the blog, thank you. You can read a lot more about the Sapphire Reserve cards HERE.
Citi now offers the 100k CITI Strata Elite card after $6,000 minimum spend. This is Citi’s premium card at a $595 annual fee. $300 annual hotel credit, $200 annual Splurge credits, $200 annual Blacklane credit, 4 annual American Airlines Admirals Club lounge passes, Priority Pass Select membership and $120 Global Entry/TSA Precheck credit. Earning structure is: 12x points per dollar spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com, 6x points per dollar spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com, 6x points per dollar spent at restaurants on Citi Nights purchases, Friday and Saturday from 6 PM – 6 AM EST, 3x points per dollar spent at Restaurants any other time, 1.5x points per dollar spent on All Other Purchases. Points can now be transferred out to American Airlines. This card is a Mastercard. There is a $145 discount off the annual fee if you are a Citigold customer or have a Private Client relationship (requires over $200k with Citi). Citi Private Clients get the first annual fee waived. Citi is not an easy bank to deal with so beware. If you are looking for a link please email me.
American Express just came in with elevated offers on all four Hilton Honors cards, they all END 1/14/2026:
– Honors: 100,000 points after $2,000 spend in six months
– Surpass: 155,000 points after $3,000 spend in six months
– Aspire: 175,000 points after $6,000 spend in six months
– Business: 175,000 points after $8,000 spend in six months
And Chase just elevated this offer:
Chase Marriott Boundless 125,000 Points + Free Night Certificate (up to 50,000 points) after $3,000 in six months
30k CHASE United Gateway
One of my favorite no annual fee keeper cards. Just $1k minimum spend in the first three months. Earns 2x on United purchases, gas stations, local transit and commuting, 1x on everything else. You get expanded award availability and 2 free checked bags after $10k spend in a calendar year. 25% off in in-flight purchases. No foreign transaction fees. Many spend based promos with this card from personal experience, there is always a spend based promo going on, they never stop, love it.
75,000 Points + $300 Travel Credit CAPITAL ONE Venture
If you value simplicity, this card earns 2x points everywhere (and 5x on hotels and rental cars booked on the Capital One travel portal) with a $95 annual fee. No foreign transactions fees, Visa Signature benefits and credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.
CAPITAL ONE Spark Cash Business Card $1,000 Signup Bonus With $10,000 Spend
The card has its annual $95 fee WAIVED for the first year. No annoying credits to deal with, it just earns 2 points everywhere. And you can earn 5x on hotels and rental cars booked on the Capital One travel portal too. And when you have a Capital One Venture X or the Venture card above, the $1,000 can be turned into 100,000 miles.
CITI Strata No Annual Fee 30,000 Thank You points
CHASE Aeroplan 100k Bonus Points. $95 annual fee. 75k points for $4k spend in 3 months. Additional 25k points for $20k total spend in 12 months.
Two new 100k offers on CHASE United business cards Ends November 5, 2025
Please help the small independent blogs like mine continue to exist by supporting them with your CREDIT CARD clicks, thank you!
THIS CARD STILL PAYS FOR ITSELF:
The 75K CAPITAL ONE Venture X card has a minimum spend of $4k in the first three months. If you like simplicity and looking for one (premium) card, I highly recommend this card (and yes, I have it myself!). It has an annual fee of $395 but it comes with an easy $300 statement credit for travel booked on its own travel portal, essentially turning it into a $95 annual fee card. But wait, there is more! On each card anniversary you earn 10,000 points essentially making it FREE! Every dollar of spend earns 2 points and flights booked on the travel portal earn 5 points per dollar. You get access to Capital One and Plaza Premium airport lounges and a Priority Pass Select lounge membership and, this is important, you can add four authorized users FOR FREE who can also have their own Priority Pass Select airline lounge membership and, this is BIG, they can bring in unlimited guests with their FREE Priority Pass card! You can transfer your Capital One points to up to 18 Transfer Partners. No foreign transaction fees. Free Hertz President’s Circle rental car top elite status. Cell phone protection and PRIMARY rental car coverage. Awesome seats at baseball stadiums for just 5k points each. And lots more.
Here are my three TOP CREDIT CARD OFFERS:
90K Capital One Venture X
90K Chase Ink Business Unlimited ENDING SOON
90K CHASE Ink Business Cash ENDING SOON
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
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3. Subscribe
MY ACTION AND BLOG BUZZING
We will be coming back to New York City/New Jersey for the Christmas holidays and I see daughter burned some Chase Ultimate Rewards points to get there from Seattle and then back to Seattle from Detroit. I guess dad needs to cover her flight from New York City to Detroit. Only missing flights me, the family travel concierge, needs to take care of is to fly wife and daughter back to Detroit.
Progress on my award bookings for the upcoming Thailand/Malaysia trip arrangements. I managed to book our flights back from Kuala Lumpur. I found and burned 100,000 United miles to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok to Frankfurt on Thai Airways and then to Detroit on Lufthansa. It is a day later than I wanted but I’ll take it. This may even allow me to burn some World of Hyatt points to stay one night or two at the new Park Hyatt in Kuala Lumpur. I also burned 55,000 United miles to fly my wife a week later on the exact same route as me but in economy. This is a place holder for now in case a business class seat opens up. Both of these I found myself when I did my usual rounds of checking American/Alaska/AirCanada/United (in that order). Points Yeah did not alert me about these, it just keeps alerting me of some really awful routings involving United miles. American/Alaska/AirCanada award availability continues to be absolutely zilch/shit. I am not going to renew my Points Yeah membership, maybe time to try another award search service.
The only flights missing for the Thailand/Malaysia trip is to get my wife over to Bangkok, we are now down to three weeks out. And of course I need to get us over from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur, I guess I just need to get this one out of the way, probably on AirAsia, no panicking at all for this segment.
When I called Amex a month or so ago to inquire about any retention bonuses on my Amex Business Platinum card, I was told to take a hike. I then asked if there are any retention bonuses on my two other Amex cards, the Hilton Surpass and the Business Plus. I knew the answer for the Business Plus card would be absolutely not. And then I was surprised to get a retention offer on the Hilton Surpass. 6,000 Hilton Honors points for $1k spend before December 21, 2025. LOL. I thought maybe Amex is messing with me or intentionally trying to insult me or something. Anyway, I took it as the greedy maximizer that I am and the points just posted. As soon as I crossed that $1k spend. Amex has always been great to post these bonuses right away.
I am going to give the 125k Amex Schwab Platinum one more shot tomorrow November 1st to see if I can escape the dreaded pop up telling me I get no signup bonus. I am considering taking it without the bonus. Which is completely shocking to me. Because this is what I live for in this hobby. Or maybe I try again when more than 30 days lapse between apps when I get back from my trip in December. I will update what I do in the comments of this post over the weekend. I am also thinking to go for another Chase Ink Business Unlimited card for 90k points since they are ending soon. 90k Chase Ultimate Rewards points for a no annual fee card is insane. This is a business class ticket to Asia pretty much and up to four nights in one of the two great Hyatt Place hotels in Bangkok. Come on!
I think the pace of earning vs burning will now be flipping over to burning with devaluations and bank restrictions continuing at a faster pace. I need to rethink everything and be a lot more selective. I am finally past the mental stage “I fly for free” aiming to never pay for airfare and lodging (which I had accomplished for years). Maybe stop sweating the small domestic flights and just aim to burn my miles/points exclusively on international business class tickets. While we still can that is. What we need in this hobby to flip it back into our favor is a recession. And I am sad to admit this because many people get hurt in recessions.
I am now up to almost 1.8 Million miles/points burned year to date. And I am finally under 4 million miles/points in the bank. Update: Wait, I just booked on the app the Park Hyatt in Kuala Lumpur the final 2 nights before I return back to the US. And I applied my last Globalist confirmed suite upgrade to get us into a Park Suite. Depending on developments on the ground in Kuala Lumpur I may not keep this one. Or change it to one night, we shall see. So, I am now up to 1,827,748 miles/points burned year to date and “only” 3.8 Million in the bank.
Instagram followers and YouTube subscribers are inching up, at this rate travel brands will contact me for sponsorship opportunities no doubt. I mean, with 83 81 YouTube subscribers I can’t wait for the offers to come when my channel crosses 100 subscribers LOL. And never forget to Like and Subscribe 🙂
Instagram post about eating around Toronto last week.
First YouTube short from Toronto Marathon
Second YouTube short from Toronto Marathon
Another blogger quitting, Scott over at Travel Codex. Thanks for the memories Scott, your son looks adorable. Sadly, the blog will be taken over by a Kyle. Who has apparently been posting at Live and Lets Fly. Let’s just say I have now deleted this blog from my Feedly list, so long. I outlasted another old timer lol.
No movies lately, just not a single one that is good enough for me to go, sad.
Last pic from the Toronto Marathon weekend, from a 6 time Marathoner to official Marathon cheerleader/photographer/coat holder:
I DO have a separate page listing my affiliate links HERE for: Rakuten and Top Cash Back and more. These get one click a year in total, sad lol.
I am giving myself a challenge to average 5 credit card sales and 15 Buy Me a Coffee sales per month. If I can’t even hit these low targets after almost 13 years of blogging I am out. We now have:
August:
Credit card sales: 8 Buy me a Coffee sales: 22
September:
Credit card sales: 2 Buy me a Coffee sales: 18
October:
Credit card sales: 7 Buy me a Coffee sales: 12
HOT CREDIT CARD OFFERS:
200k CHASE Sapphire Reserve Business, 125k CHASE Sapphire Reserve, 100k CITI Strata Elite, 175k AMEX Platinum, 90k CHASE Ink Business Cash (ENDING SOON), 75k CAPITAL ONE Venture X, 90k CHASE Ink Business Unlimited (ENDING SOON), 100k CAPITAL ONE Spark Cash, 200k AMEX Business Platinum, 200k CAPITAL ONE Spark Cash Plus, 75k CHASE Sapphire Preferred, 30k CHASE United Gateway, 100k AMEX Gold, 75k CAPITAL ONE Venture Rewards, 100k CHASE Air Canada Aeroplan, 15k AMEX Blue Business Plus and many more!
As of today, I have burned 1,827,748 miles/points year to date (2,027,816 in 2024) and have 3,797,921 miles/points in the bank.
Remember, you are NOT allowed to ever carry a credit card balance!
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.
George
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Good morning! Thanks for the terrific links.
Well, I’m actually thinking of renewing my Chase Sapphire Reserve. I needed to book a flight to a place Delta doesn’t go. Yes, I was surprised! So I used the Chase travel portal and got about two cents / point for a couple first class tickets. That’s better than the old one and a half
cents /point rate. If you are pooling all the Freedom Flex earnings from the quarterly offers that’s quite good. And I swapped Deezer for the Apple Music. I think I can make this work.
The trick is Chase is upping the rewards for first / business class tickets.
If the CSR works for you, go for it. We’ll see how these 2 cents deals last. Never heard of Deezer.
Yes, I am running late. Not feeling good this morning. Lots to read over the weekend and as always, thanks very much! Starting to re-think some of my now-old thoughts on some of my cards and already have canceled two cards this week that I was keeping for basically no reason. This hobby keeps changing and in many ways not for the better but I also keep changing as I get older (69 next March) and the way I want/am willing to travel also changes. Such is life, right?
Have a great weekend, George!
We all change/evolve man. We raised the issue of turning my home office into a bedroom so we can avoid going up and down the stairs at some point…damn aging! We decided not to because we are not there…yet 🙂
My former hometown is on that map of hard-to-pronounce names! If you’re ever in Delaware, it’s pronounced “New-Ark”, not “New-Urk” like that place in NJ.
Yeah, that Sault in Sault Ste Marie is pronounced like Sue 🙂
Nice and very large bunch to go through.
Do you have may Ink cards? I thought Chase was tightening things down a lot but if not I may look at an application through your links for P2. I’m 6/24 due to trying to get a lot of Atmos miles so I’m sidelined for a bit.
Down to one Ink card each right now. Have been closing them in the past few years slowly and steadily. I think I can lob one in and see what happens. Fully expecting that this bank will put roadblocks on my species lol. Maybe I get that pop up thingie, who knows.
Nice roundup — love the variety. Quick question: with the two 90k Chase Ink offers ending soon, any advice on timing applications if I’ve opened a card in the past 24 months? Also curious if the AI job losses you mentioned are concentrated in specific roles or industries.
For Ink cards it does not matter as much if you have or had opened another Ink card. Well, it used to be that way but things lately, from the streets, say that the bank has tightened it up. So, you won’t know if that is the case until we apply and see what happens.
Many of AI related job losses appear to be in software development…which is ironic indeed. I feel for the kids who went for computer science to become software engineers because that it where the money…was. Remember “Learn to Code” mantra?
Applied again for the 125k Amex Schwab Platinum. Via incognito Chrome. Got same dreaded pop up again:
In determining eligibility, we considered your history with credit card balance transfers, your history as an American Express Card Member, the number of credit cards that you have opened and closed and other factors.
Would you still like to proceed?
Note: Your application will be considered withdrawn if no action is taken on this page.
I withdrew it and now will apply again sometime in December leaving a full 30+ days of no Amex apps.
This 125k offer ends 11/12/2025 by the way.
Will keep my Amex Business Platinum for now and regroup in December. Kitchen remodeling $ will need to be spent sometime starting in January so it was probably best to let it go. I will try to put some spend in the meantime in my Hilton Surpass to see if it helps.
I will apply for the 90k Chase Ink Business Unlimited this weekend. With my links of course, maybe I am first 🙂
Hello from Nelson, NZ, the sunniest city in all of New Zealand. An early spring here with temps in the upper 60s and lows in the 40s. Spent last week in the southern most capital of the world, Wellington and holy cow the weather there is crazy. 2 wind warnings, 1 with the majority of the city shut down, thunder, lightning, and hail. It was wild. Touring the South Island for the next month-ish before heading back stateside for Thanksgiving.
One thing to note about the PH KL, that “2nd tallest building” is a bit gamed by their use of the giant antenna at the top. If you go by the “building” part it is shorter, don’t get me wrong it’s still a tall building but seems a bit like “compensating” for some inferiority.
Nelson sounds wild, enjoy the rest of your trip.
Good note on the PH KL. Booked it for 2 nights with confirmed suite upgrade. May add another night in KL and thinking to take advantage of that Amex FHR benefit before I lose it by 12/31.
Scott down, wow. Fond memories of early FD days ;-D
George, bravo for keeping on keeping on. So much well-curated stuff.
Also love the convenience of stopping by here when I haven’t had a chance to get to DoC, etc., knowing you’ll have the low down on whatever is going on at the moment.
So you are an educator, entertainer, inspirer–and a time-saver.
Thank you for the kind words, much appreciated.
This thing started to save readers time for going through all miles/points stuff. And it stuck through this theme for at least a few years. Then it evolved. And keeps evolving. And one day it will evolve to oblivion. Until then, enjoy it while it lasts 🙂
Rove added Lufthansa Miles & More as a transfer partner. Some big guns in the manufactured spending world are already salivating about LH First Class bookings…