Another TBB post featuring the most eclectic links around the web such as the new normal of negativity, what if AI gets everything right, the blog era is dying, what it is like working in a megayacht, tax changes ahead, the power of having a long term investment horizon, hearing aids and some vision from the US Secretary of State, landing a plane after the pilot is incapacitated, a new site to choose airline seats and of course always all of the most important developments in the crazy world of miles and points. See you next next week, enjoy the weekend!
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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 is a one man labor of love operation, enjoy it while it lasts.
BLOG HOUSEKEEPING
We are back to a mega Friday post bringing you eclectic material to single out and consume when you find the time for it. My blog is not for people having attention span issues. This is why I blog once a week now (tried posting daily and blog traffic went down!).
Goal remains to aim to educate and entertain and hopefully inspire you. If that does not happen, you should not be here. I want intellectually curious people reading my blog…and benefiting from it. And please let me know either way, thank you.
PERSONAL FINANCE
You may have noticed I am an optimist and always look at the positives. And fight back on the constant negativity which, you know, sells way better than being positive. Sadly. We have it so good here in the US that sometimes I wonder what the hell is happening out there. Of course, there will be market corrections and crashes, it’s the price we pay for superior long term investment returns. Anyway, long intro, good post here about this: The New Normal of Negativity.
Our share of economic growth relative to the biggest developed nations continues to rise
Productivity is increasing at a faster rate too
We are basically energy-independent
And dominate the world’s financial markets
We’re the richest, most prosperous nation on the planet and there’s not a close second (sorry China)
Wages have grown faster than inflation for most Americans
The United States has by far the fastest growth in the G-7
The bottom 50% have seen their wealth nearly double in recent years
US household balance sheets are in excellent shape
Let’s hope we don’t self destruct. Take a stand on November 4, VOTE!
Here we go, sometimes inflation is good lol: IRS announces higher standard deduction, new tax brackets for 2025. The standard deduction for joint filers becomes a cool rounded $30,000 next year.
The Secure Act 2.0 law brought many changes in the present retirement and tax landscape. And many are coming online gradually. Starting in 2025, workers aged 60 to 63 can boost annual 401(k) catch-up contributions to $10,000 — or 150% of the catch-up limit — whichever is greater.
Starting in 2025, workers aged 60 to 63 can boost annual 401(k) catch-up contributions to $10,000 — or 150% of the catch-up limit — whichever is greater.
Another wonderful discussion with Jonathan Clements and Christine Benz: “Life is Full of Small Pleasures”. Jonathan continues to give back educating us all about what we should be doing now instead of when we get hit with a terminal cancer diagnosis like him. And inspire us to lead a life without regrets.
Stop looking at your portfolio so often. It is such a waste of time. Have a plan that aligns with your investment horizon, review and rebalance at set intervals, keep costs low and don’t make stupid tax moves. And keep it simple, you don’t need expensive exotic illiquid shit you don’t understand anyway. And hold through the storms, easier said than done in real life. So, good graph here, anything can happen short term.
SCAMS/CRYPTO/AI/TECH
This article probably does not belong here. But I am sticking it here because I can do what I want in my blog. Who died and left the US $7 Billion? It was the biggest estate-tax payment in modern history, but no one knew who made it. Then an anonymous phone call pointed to one man. Articles like this I find fascinating. My blog is just a vehicle sharing with you what I read, hope you find them as fascinating as I do. If not, it is okay, my blog is not for the masses for sure.
This is a deep long dive on AI by Anthropic’s CEO Dario Amodei, who I always found to be a lot more down to earth than the typical AI company CEOs out there who prioritize cheerleading and raising money. I could be wrong about him of course, time will tell. Take some time to read this and imagine if everything happens turns out to be right. “How AI Could Transform the World for the Better“. The key word is “could”.
This blog is not going to blog itself. I rely on my readers helping it grow as I don’t have time to do any promotion/marketing. Which leaves the content clean of intrusive sponsoring posts and stupid ads and stuff like that.
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ODDZ & ENDZ
Sobering article about how the blogging era is ending with another one biting the dust: Ribbonfarm is Retiring after 17 years. I am here for almost 12 years. Yet another one who moved on to Substack, which is something I have been thinking to do. Not sure what prevails after this era but it is sure not looking good, God help us.
For a couple of decades, public social media, with blogs serving as a sort of network of fortresses scattered across that feudal landscape, was where the world happened. A public, grand sort of world. It wreaked havoc too of course, but a grand sort of havoc. The maturing cozyweb phase we’re in right now, while it has its own intimate charms, to be found in the warren of discords, slacks, and group DMs we all inhabit these days, lacks the raw grandeur of the public social media era.
I have a personal interest in this subject, sadly. In Praise of Hearing Aids. Millions of Americans who could benefit from them don’t use them. Why not? Actually, I am trying a pair since yesterday #developing. Also, my custom orthotics are in fabrication and should arrive next week. See what happens when you overdo some things you love like running and live music concerts?
From US Secretary of State Antony Blinken: America’s Strategy of Renewal. Rebuilding Leadership for a New World. Whatever dude, how about forcing some policy instead of always reacting incrementally? Ok, don’t want to turn this into Geopolitics which had its own Section here sometime ago.
So, let’s look at some birds instead: Tadpoles steal show in wildlife photography contest.
TRAVEL
I had a nightmare about this many years ago. The pilot was incapacitated and I had to fly the damn plane. I did have a 10 minute run on a Lufthansa flight simulation facility many years ago and I crashed while landing lol. Anyway, what an inspiring story: ‘Not today’: The twin miracles of Palm Beach.
Did you ever want to travel the world and make some really good money? And put up with a lot of crap? What It’s Like to Work on a Megayacht? Very interesting interview from someone who did this.
Seat Guru has become unusable since it is no longer updated. So, to choose airline seats I now use SeatMaps. Which I now prefer than Aerolopa. Ok, I use both and sometimes I even go back to Seat Guru to triple check lol #addiction. I have added both to the TBB Travel Resources page.
The discount is now $60 if you sign up for ETF using code TBB below. You can be first!
SAVE $60 FOR 2024 THE EXTRAORDINARY TRAVEL FESTIVAL
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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.
Well, the amazing 90k CHASE Ink Business Unlimited card signup bonus ends by 7 am on November 7. This is my personal REFERRAL link. And here is my own review of the card below:
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 lower at $6,000 in the first three months. Don’t use this card abroad as it has a foreign transaction fee. 0% APR for the first 12 months, in case you need it. 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. You can redeem for cash back at a minimum $900. Or, preferably, if you have a CHASE Sapphire Reserve card, 90k points can be worth $1,350 (1.50 cents per point). Or if you have a Sapphire Preferred or an Ink Business Preferred card one point can be worth 1.25 cents, so $1,125. Of course, don’t forget to add the value for the points you earn doing the $6k minimum spend as well, you are going to net a minimum of 99,000 points so always do the math. 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 and sometimes Southwest. Available from my favorite bank links HERE.
Citi introduced a new transfer partner, I Prefer hotels at a surprisingly generous 1:4 ratio. And then many online tried to see what we can get and the website is a big fail, so beware.
In case you still have any: The Best Ways to Use Avios in the Americas.
This contributes to attracting ad revenue from clicks and, more importantly, getting you to click on credit card affiliate links. And give it time and it will be 6 or 5 soon, sad. The 7 Best Business Class Award Sweet Spots for Flights to Europe.
Credit card signup bonuses, our bread and butter in this space, are getting super lame. You know things are bad out there when the last SUB is this going from $200 to $250: Capital One Rebranding SavorOne Cash Rewards Card To Savor Cash Rewards Card. After a very low $500 spending requirement in the first three months. I hope Capital One continues this push to get rid of this super confusing “One” thingie across all its cards. Still trying to figure what the hell they are trying to do with this brand, maybe a Savor Venture X is coming next? This can be a good no annual fee card that can complement a 75k CAPITAL ONE Venture X in the Capital One ecosystem as it earns 3% on dining, groceries and entertainment and streaming. Don’t fall for the 8% earning as it is only on Capital One entertainment purchases. And kind of avoid the 5% earning on hotels and rental cars booked in the Capital One travel portal. Everything else earns just 1%, so avoid using this card for non-bonus categories. If you want to apply for the card to support the blog and become the blog’s second credit card sale this month, please click: $250 Cash Bonus CAPITAL ONE Savor Cash Rewards Card. If anyone has insights into this bank’s future plans for this brand, please let us know in the comments.
This post probably got gazillions of clicks. And probably more ad revenue than my blog brings in a month! Anyway, I think the Doc can afford to do a blog facelift, it makes my blog look almost average lol. Oh, this one about a new premium card from my favorite bank. I have no doubt that this is coming eventually and can’t wait to get both cards and it will be convenient to sacrifice the Ink Business Preferred cards at that time #hint. I am a sucker for 150,000 points Signup Bonuses, what can I say? Or maybe it is addiction, it is a fine line woohoo.
The CEO who got Goldman Sachs into consumer credit cards probably left with a multi million dollar severance package is still there. Because that was obviously a disastrous fit. Anyway, boom: Apple and Goldman Sachs ordered to pay more than $89 Million for Apple Card failures. Did this person work at Delta, look at the mega BS wording here, wow!
“Apple Card is one of the most consumer-friendly credit cards that has ever been offered. We worked diligently to address certain technological and operational challenges that we experienced after launch and have already handled them with impacted customers,” Nick Carcaterra, vice president of Goldman Sachs corporate communications, told CNBC. “We are pleased to have reached a resolution with the CFPB and are proud to have developed such an innovative and award-winning product alongside Apple.”
You wanna get to Australia? Looks like Brisbane (airport code is BNE) is the way to go: This is the Cheapest Route to Get to Australia. We are talking under $1,000 cash fares and, please sit down, Delta Skymiles under 40,000 round trip in economy from LAX and, gulp, under 145,000 Skymiles one way in Business class!
Newbies: If you are going to pull out a credit card to buy something you should always be thinking to get back some kind of rewards. And of course always pay off credit card statements each and every month as long as you are alive. And you should be thinking every dollar you charge you are going to get back at the very least 2%. There are many credit cards out there that do this: List of Credit Cards That Earn at Least 2% Cash Back or 2X in Rewards. Some of them, like the card from Alliant Bank that gives you 3% cash back in the first year and then 2.5% going forward. And you never hear about it from the bloggers in this space! Why? They don’t earn a sales commission selling it.
Do you know how bad it is in exciting new credit card signup bonuses? Other than the $50 increased SUB of the Capital One Savor card above, bloggers are now pumping the higher 100k CHASE IHG Rewards Traveler card. This is the no annual fee IHG basic card. It used to be 120k, maybe wait for that to return? If you are an IHG regular, the IHG Rewards Premier credit card is a better deal, even with its $99 annual fee. Whatever, come on Chase, let’s get back to the juicy higher SUB groove to replenish our points bank!
I am learning about the YouTubers that rule this space. It is a whole new ecosystem out there. I cringe when I see these guys try to expand into personal finance. If you are getting your education on YouTube and TikTok, I don’t know, maybe you don’t know what you don’t know. Who said that? I think it was that Rumsfeld dude in the Bush W administration back in the day. And the video thumbnail is a big business. And apparently making a stupid face is huge apparently. This guy has over 211,000 subscribers and I have 34 lol. Then again, I rarely post videos and these guys do a really good job producing and editing videos. Anyway, like I was saying, what the hell is it with these faces? Is it the clickbait equivalent on YT? Come on! And do you think these guys will still be around doing this if there were no credit card sales commissions involved? I can’t wait to get to Thailand and try to get away from it all you guys.
I get into my action items below after this from your sponsor, just kidding!
Please help the small independent blogs like mine continue to exist by supporting them with your CREDIT CARD clicks, thank you!
I am SHOCKED Capital One has kept this 75k Venture X offer for so long, there is no way in hell this will survive in 2025, hurry!
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.
Click on my TOP CREDIT CARD OFFERS to see a DETAILED explanation of the features of these cards.
Here are my four TOP CREDIT CARD OFFERS as of today:
The #1 offer right now is the 60kCHASE Sapphire Preferred with $300 statement credit
The #2 Top Offer is the 75k Capital One Venture X card. It is amazing what you get for FREE with this card!
The #3 Top Offer right now is the 90k Chase Ink Business Unlimited card. ENDS 7 am on November 7.
The #4 Top Offer right now is 75k CHASE Ink Business Cash card.
Learn more about these offers HERE.
It took 48 days for the streak of no credit card sales in this blog to end. So please excuse me a little trying hard to get sale #2 above ok? There has likely been at least one more, a Capital One Venture X sale which I hope it shows up before the year ends as Capital One reports sales to us very irregularly and covers activity from months ago, it is really weird.
Son is on a business trip to Singapore. He flew on Korean Air Honolulu to Seoul to Singapore, HNL-ICN-SIN. In Business class. Glad to see all the miles were correctly credited to his Alaska Airlines account at 100%. So, he is now at about 38.5k elite miles and he will be requalifying as MVP Gold elite when he crosses the 40k mark. It should happen in the return flying Business class on JAL to Tokyo and then he flies on Hawaiian Airlines back to Honolulu. He likes the Westin in Singapore. It was the best location for him and he apologized for picking it because he knows how much I despise the Marriott Bonvoy program. I looked to see if there are any Bonvoy promos going on, nope.
I still need to garden my reservations for the return trip on Turkish Airlines in December from Kuala Lumpur. Update: I tried calling Air Canada and I pray to God I don’t have to call them in case somethings blows up in the reservation. And daughter’s round trip Seattle-Bangkok I booked for her with Amex points. And still need to book flights for us two from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur. Maybe book a rental car in Hua Hin for four days. Other than that, the trip is coming together nicely and getting excited to get out of Dodge. Hey, work hard and travel in style baby!
I should transfer some Amex Membership Rewards points to Hawaiian and then to Alaska Airlines. I keep saying to do this but I don’t. I am not sure what is holding me back.
When you read this I am heading to the airport to fly to Washington DC DCA. Going to cheer my wife and some friends who are running the 2024 Marine Corps Marathon this weekend. I wish I was running it too. But I continue to do physical therapy and just got a call my custom orthotics are in and should have them in time for the Thailand trip. We are staying at the Arlington Hyatt Centric for three nights. Which gets me to 39 World of Hyatt elite night credits. If I calculated my World of Hyatt Visa spending correctly, I should be getting another 4 elite night credits to get me to 43. Another milestone reward will be reached when I go over 40 elite night credits. Which gets me another Globalist Guest of Honor Award and a choice of 5,000 points/$150 FIND Experience credit/Suite Upgrade. I guess I am hooked on this elite thingie on Hyatt you guys. Counting my Hyatt Place Bangkok, Hua Hin Hyatt Regency and Kuala Lumpur reservations coming up it gets me to 69 🙂 I may try to burn the Guest of Honor award on son’s award reservation in Hua Hin Hyatt Regency to get me to 70 and another milestone reward…and on it goes.
Took Mrs. TBB out to a fancy restaurant for her 36th birthday. Always wanted to try Cafe Cortina. Everything was great. Until the bill came and then we were both like, ok, it was good to try once lol. Also, they need to train the staff to take better pictures.
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MILES & POINTS
HOT CREDIT CARD OFFERS: 90k CHASE Ink Business Unlimited (ENDS NOVEMBER 7), 75k CHASE Ink Business Cash, 75k CAPITAL ONE Venture X, 75k CHASE United Business,60k CHASE Sapphire Preferred AND $300 Credit, 150k AMEX Business Platinum, 200k CAPITAL ONE Spark Cash Plus, 150k CAPITAL ONE Venture X Business, $1,000 Cash Back CHASE Ink Business Premier, 80k CHASE Southwest Performance Business, 15k AMEX Blue Business Plus and many more!
Learn How To Apply HERE to support the blog. Or email me if you have any questions about any cards, I’m happy to help, thank you!
As of today, I have burned 1,859,617 miles/points year to date (1,148,286 in 2023) and have 4,240,414 miles/points in the bank. Some do drugs, I do miles lol!
Remember, you are NOT allowed to ever carry a credit card balance!
Let me leave you with this:
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Feel free to contact me anytime at travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com, all feedback is very appreciated.
George
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Nick @ PFD says
Sometimes I miss the blog and forum ecosystem of the 2000s; it had an amateurish, chaotic charm and more diversity than today where a handful of platforms cover everything. RIP.
And FYI election day is November 5, not November 4, which I know because November 5 also happens to be my 20th wedding anniversary. Time flies!
GeorgeTBB says
I know what you mean. Exactly how Twitter was for several years until the Elon fiasco.
Oh shoot, did not realize it was November 5, thanks. And Happy Anniversary, I hope you enjoy it. I will be up watching TV and hoping it is not a repeat of 2016.
Oh, I gotta pack!
Nick @ PFD says
Oh, and regarding that 2% credit card list: the Synchrony 2% card is the only one I’m aware of that automatically gives you the 2% back every statement. There are no hoops to jump through.
GeorgeTBB says
Good to know, thanks.
DML says
If you were flying into IAD you could try out the Capital One lounge. I keep the Venture X just for that! The card pays for itself and that is such a spiffy lounge.
The credit card YouTubers are mirth inspiring.
Yes, election day will be interesting!
Thanks for the links.
GeorgeTBB says
Have not been to that CO lounge yet. I guess I will have to settle with the Centurion on Monday 🙂
Thanks for always taking the time to comment, helps a lot to keep my blog baby going.
Carl Pietrantonio says
Woot! Lots of good reading in this one. That’s keep me going over the weekend. Gotta sit down and finally start planning some travel. Getting the spend done on my shiny new Hawaiian card (Didn’t get the use once deal, but 2k ain’t too tough to do)
I got my Jabra 300 Hearing aids early this year. They are pretty good and no need for me to deal with rip-off “Audiologists” that exist only to sell overpriced aids. Great support from the company and they have helped me a lot when I go out especially. Hope whatever ones you get help out, too!
I liked the daily posts, but I understand that is even more work. The big Friday posts though, that keeps me interested through the weekend as I have time to read stuff.
Mainly, George, thanks again for doing all this for us readers. I truly appreciate it.
GeorgeTBB says
I got Oticon brand, first day was kind of weird I must admit. Doc says it is expected. Will give it more time, I just need it in social settings where there is background noise. Small quiet environment I am good. Definitely #developing And the cost, omg. Had to dip into the HSA for this one. Where I have large gains, time to cash in a little I guess, thanks Biden.
No way in hell the daily posts are coming back, still shocked traffic went down. Message was loud and clear on that. Now if I sell 10 credit cards before I get canned I may reconsider it #fantasy
Thanks for the support. When Elon Musk gets nailed and the spineless Tesla board gets a spine and contacts Ford for a merger and you hear in the news of it and the new name is Fordesla….I got your back. And all nine of you core supporters!
Carl Pietrantonio says
Saw this in today’s feed of my comics and I had to share! It may not be Educate, Entertain, or Inspire, but it made me think of what you always say near the top so thought you might (I hope!) get a laugh out of it.
https://www.gocomics.com/andertoons/2024/10/25
GeorgeTBB says
Yeah, good one. I keep repeating but I am not sure it is resonating. Oh well, oh phuck, here we go with the first AA flight delay.
GeorgeTBB says
AA with another flight delay…oh boy.
David says
Hey Buzz,
It’s been a busy day for the kid, and I finally got a minute to browse your post for today.
Brilliant!
First, Happy 29th or 36th to your wife. And good on ya’ for supporting her and all the others in the marathon.
Next, there’s a reason I love spending time in Italy. All that great food, and barely puts a dent in the wallet. It’s truly great to be fortunate enough to earn American Dollars. I took a look at the menu of Cafe Cortina(looks delicious)…I love traveling in Italy.
Shout out to Nick@PFD,
Congratulations on your 20th wedding anniversary!
Have a great time in DC, but have an even better time in SE Asia, I’m definitely looking forward to a trip report, and want to hear more about the conference.
Good luck with the healing Buzz!
GeorgeTBB says
Thank you David and hi from the nation’s capital. Really hope it stays intact in a few weeks!
If you think Italy is cheap…you may feel like you can buy all of Thailand
Arlington Hyatt Centric is definitely a bad value at 15k per night. No upgrade, room is smaller than my kitchen! Breakfast was average and no server ever came by, just inexcusable service. I guess we pay for location. Will not return here next time, disappointing and makes me wonder why I try to requalify as Globalist. Anyway, enjoying all the vibes with so many Marathon runners here. So weird not running. But also kind of fun, no nerves whatsoever.
Catch some pics on Instagram for now, catch you later.
Christian says
Happy 36th to the missus.
It’s really annoying that there are no BOA or Barclays credit card links available through your links as I’m trying to use them for applications. I’m working to get P2 some Alaska/Hawaiian miles while the getting is good, then Barclays AA but none of them show. Sigh.
Anonymous says
You have no idea how annoying it is for me too! And on top of that my Chase links have been kind of neutralized, I can not link to them like I can for Amex and Capital One. I can’t even have a link leading to the cards and I can only hint readers for “my favorite” bank links…this whole charade about banks doing compliance is, you know, mega BS. But if you have the volume they are not as strict…so there you go.
Anyway, Washington DC is nice, lots of runners, love the vibe, should be a good day tomorrow, have four of us doing a marathon (two for the first time), one doing a 10k and I am doing spectating. But I did participate in the carb loading Italian restaurant feast to support them lol.
Oleg Petrovich says
Thanks for the insights, this post covers so many interesting topics! I’m curious though, with all the talk about AI and its potential impact, how do you think it will influence the travel industry? It’s fascinating and a bit alarming to think what changes might be ahead for travelers. I’ve stumbled upon world-prices.com for checking prices in various countries, but it’s hard to say if the information is accurate. Anyone else used it before for trip planning? Keep sharing these diverse topics, they make for a thought-provoking read!
GeorgeTBB says
Hyatt Centric Arlington is disappointing and the best location for the Marine Corps Marathon. Posting some pics on Instagram. All got medals, they listened to my coaching. Wonderful Marathon, would love to come back next year to get my own medal if my feet are healthy. Heading back today and AA asking for volunteers, in at $450. Too old to volunteer for $150 or $300 lol.
Sunday night blog traffic email showed another decrease. I stopped posting on Twitter linking to the blog so that may have something to do with it I think. Lools like my blog sputtering to the end you guys while the levels of shifty clickbait and slick videos from newbies dispensing self serving conflicted ‘advice’ is unrelenting. While struggling to pay the costs bringing a quality weekly post here…is this the future of the internet? I mean, take a quick peak at all the hideous clickbait shit travel thought leader is dishing out lately and so many imitating/linking/kissinghialsass…
Hope the DCA CenturionnLounge is not too long…skipping breakfast at the Hyatt Centric, it is so uninspiring. Police arrested someone here yesterday, git exciting. Apparently, she never paid her bill and they had enough!
GeorgeTBB says
Glad to be home. Missed first class upgrade by only three this time. And got in early which is shocking.
Catching up on some action around the blogosphere. And some of these YouTubers, just watched a guy who is probably older than me telling his thousands of subscribers about a top offer out there and, please sit down, the phucking Kimpton password that has been around longer than the Southwest Companion Pass? And in same video name drops The Points Guy not once, but twice. I am telling you guys, the YouTube miles and points community are just something else. Another one, with even more thousands of subscribers, just got his first business card….Phuck meeeeeeee.
Who am I and what am I doing here?
Did a longish review of the Hyatt Centric Arlington and sent it to the Hyatt Concierge folks. Other than the location, that was just not Hyatt and certainly not up to Globalist par. The cherry on top was having three cops come in while I was eating the very average breakfast and escort out a “guest”…You know, having my mouth full with scrambled eggs and three cops with their hands on their guns politely (yes) telling the subject to just come out…and oh boy, did she take her time. Became a spectacle, only took one pic, should have taken a video and sold it VFTW Gary and I could make more money for the blog than I have in the past several months..oh super sad lol at me.
Back to base, reporting for duty. Gathering some good stuff for Friday post.
Looks like, officially, this blog may end the month with just one credit card sale. Going to cry in bed next…
GeorgeTBB says
Thanks to the reader who got a card with my links, you were second! So much better to see that than seeing another day of nothing you guys. I am catching up and have queued up some amazing finds for the Friday post.
Peteco says
Great content as always George. It’s appalling to see those influencer peddling crap to the newbies. I know you have 34 followers but you don’t have to act like an idiot and make stupid thumbnail to rip off anybody, so there’s that. I’m still keeping the Venture X I got with your referral last year. I used PP lounges with wife and 3 kids probably 10+ times, killer deal. Let’s see how long it lasts. Also PP lounges are surprisingly good in many foreign airports, without lines and half decent food. I see you talk about AS earning. I’ve been crediting to AS my transcons and South America flights and making 50% more than AA, never looking back. Keep th good fight.
GeorgeTBB says
Thank you. I have a killer post tomorrow. And it could be the longest ever. I am surprised the 75k CO Venture X deal is still alive! You’ll never see me do a stupid face thumbnail pic because, first, I don’t know how to do it lol. Yeah, PP lounges abroad are so much better than the US. So, Korean Air miles posted to Alaska very fast at 100%. But JAL and Hawaiian have not posted yet…two days later. Son is anxious and he should be. Told him to triple check 🙂
The YT miles and points “creators” is something else, wow. I still can’t get over the fact one of them posting the phucking Kimpton password like it was the #1 find smh.
On another note, son has been wanting to take a shot with individual stocks. We went in on Peloton at $3.60, more than doubled now. Maybe I should a members only stock club LOL. Of course I won’t say anything about my losers woohoo.
If we had a dollar for every political ad/text/mail/etc our eyes have seen…omg, five more days for this insanity to end.
GeorgeTBB says
Remember Julian who used to write for Frequent Miler, his column was the Devil Advocate or something like that. And then of course got hired by The Points Guy. He left (like so many others) to pursue his own thing. And he came up with the Google extension Points Path for award searching. It is free. Of course, this is where TPG training comes in. He has been emailing with amazing deals, like credit card affiliate links non stop ever since I fell for it to install it. And just got one today pumping me with almost 20 Amazon affiliate links for phucking packing cubes smh. Probably making more from just one email than I make here in months. This space is something…