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In case you missed, I posted this yesterday: TBB Blog Buzz Section to Evolve
TRAVEL
Tiny British island in the middle of the Pacific: Pitcairn Island. Just 48 people live here. Fascinating pictures of this island we will likely never get to.
This is the new Intercontinental in Davos, Switzerland. Opening in a month. Looks amazing!
More incredible pictures in the 2013 National Geographic Photo Contest
Photo by @Glen Hush
I am sure you heard about those pilots landing a huge Boeing plane in the wrong airport. You can get the perspective of someone who has a pilot license “Wrong Airport Dude!‘ by Miles, Points and Mai Tais“. All I can so is shaking my head and wonder how can this be done. I also feel sorry for the pilots but…what thehell dudes!
I sincerely hope talking on cell phones is NOT allowed on planes!
MILES/POINTS
It appears Hyatt is honoring the “Diamond elite status as long as you are a credit card holder” offer. Great move Hyatt! More on Loyalty Lobby.
Frequent Business Traveler broke the story that US Air will leave Star Alliance on March 1, 2014. The odd thing is that the report states US Air will join Oneworld a month later. So, what happens in between huh? These dates are not sent in stone, best estimates at best 🙂 My gut feeling is that the switch will occur at once on April 1st or later. I retweeted this just after FBT posted the story!
I don’t really care much about what Peter Greenberg writes. But sometimes he writes something that I think it is quite educational and worthy to share with you. “How US Airlines Are Profiting from Your Frequent Flyer Miles“. Some of the statistics stated in the article are stunning!
Ancillary revenue will reach $42.6 billion worldwide this year.
US and Canadian airlines will sell miles worth $9.7 billion in 2013.
Miles are printed and sold for about 1.4 cents per mile to banks and many others.
Loyalty programs enjoy a higher valuation that airlines themselves (not surprising).
About 9.7 trillion frequent flyer miles exist that have yet to be redeemed. United expects about 25% of their miles to expire.
Are you a base member in Starwood and based in Asia? Stay one night, pay with a Mastercard and get SPG Gold status! Hurry, must stay by December 7, 2013!
I like the BigHabitat site and its take on reselling stuff. I usually do not get into this stuff as it can be time consuming and risky but no doubt there can be some big payoff if you know what you are doing! Here is a good rant against Office Max which I can empathize with! And here is a deal you can get 20% off gift cards!
Gary at View from the Wing is ALWAYS very cheery and optimistic about the loyalty programs. And he has to be as it is how he makes a living. He wrote that “Despite Devaluation, the Miles Game Goes On“. Of course it does, this space would not exist for so long if we could not get value out of the “hunt”.
BUT, in my own humble opinion, this time is different. We are down to three big legacy airlines plus Southwest (the rest are smaller players). Delta miles are a giant joke and United just killed your flat bed in Lufthansa among many other flat beds. When you burn 200k plus odd miles to fly your flat bed to Frankfurt would you be posting the pictures with the champagne and caviar? I doubt it 🙂 And I am very afraid the AA/US merger will make United’s devaluation look like nothing. I think effective 2016 we all start paying market rates when burning miles a la Southwest. Oh so I hope I am dead wrong!
“The game goes on but the game will go on in coach” – TBB [Just made that up, nice!]
Milenomics on whether to dump your United girlfriend: “United in 2014:Breaking Up is Hard to Do“. Good stuff.
ON MY MIND
Let’s see how the latest development at TBB goes…
ODDZ & ENDZ
Here comes more stuff from the “Invisible Man” Liu Bolin, the chinese artist.
Check out the face in this fish! Another picture brought to you at Twisted Sifter.
BLOG BUZZ:
Ok, it is not going away. I will post here stuff I find that is buzz worthy. I will usually ignore blog posts from the “Blogs I Ignore” (coming on December 1st) list unless something totally shocks me that makes it in the sections above!
Traveling Well for Less is adding affiliate links. Another one who is claiming the content is not going to change. I sure hope so but…What I found interesting was the blurb on FTC guidelines: “FTC guidelines say that disclosures should be clear and conspicuous and before any hyperlinks.”. The author admirably interprets it as “if an affiliate link is in a post or if I was compensated in any way, I disclose this at the top of my post….If there are no affiliate links in a post, but someone might think I get compensated, the disclosure will be at the bottom of the post.” I think this is indeed a great interpretation but I am not holding my breath it will followed by all blogs!
Miles to the Wild is 1 year old! Congratulations Tara!
And I leave you with this…
Join over 2,000 TBB followers on Twitter @ FlyerTalkerinA2 and add TBB on Google+
Am I first? Can’t believe I even posted that.
BTW, TBB is my FAVE blog.
First in this brave new world. Or somethin.
Damn #3. Better read the article now.
First?
Aw crap all the other comments loaded right after I clicked “post comment”
The Teton National Park picture is awesome. You should take all the “breathing space” that you need, and keep up your “quirky sense of humor.” It is your blog, and as long as you enjoy writing it, that is all it matters. Thanks.
It is an awesome picture and, IMHO, everyone should see our own great national parks before stating that you haven’t lived (or traveled) with out experiencing Lufthansa FC, Singapore A380 suites or the Maldives. Just saying..
Everyone should get their own rubber ducky from the Frankfurt Lufthansa First Class Terminal before they can say they belong among true travel hackers…Just kidding.
Don’t you think you should be leaving a HT to the posts who content you just take?
For example I do recall that Point me to the Plane at BA talks about the SPG Gold offer. Any blogger who reads something from another blog and then posts about it SHOULD hat tip. Just because you get to call out all bloggers doesn’t mean you have the right not to link back…
just my two cents.
See this post:
http://boardingarea.com/pointmetotheplane/2013/11/21/free-spg-starwood-gold-status-after-1-stay/
I tend to agree if this was the case. But, um, kudos to Adam for finding a deal on Flyertalk that’s been known for six months now, I guess?
I’m not saying that I moved to a Starbucks in Singapore for a week back in June, though my evil twin might have done so.
My wife’s evil twin sister may or may not also have moved to a McDonald’s in KL the previous year.
On another TBB topic: Gary has a day job, too, so it’s not exactly right to say it’s how he makes a living.
I swear I had seen it before 🙂
Good deal and it was time for a reminder right?
Time for lunch here. Gyros or pizza….that is the question!
but you’re not sure whether adam read it from the ft thread or not. i’m fairly sure that george doesn’t have the time to go through ft and since he does read through all the rss i’d infer that george gets the info from the post.
but i guess if george says he’s seen it somewhere else, i’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.
One thing for sure: I spent less time on FT than I did these days compared to pre blog days. And that is true for several things in my life!
At the end of the day…there is little true ORIGINAL thinking going on these days. And FT still remains a source for many blog posts!
Thanks for giving me the benefit of the doubt 🙂
“Tiny British island in the middle of the Pacific: Pitcairn Island. Just 48 people live here. Fascinating pictures of this island we will likely never get to.”
If they only had a Hyatt there. We would go there all the time.
Regarding “Gary at View from the Wing is ALWAYS very cheery and optimistic about the loyalty programs. And he has to be as it is how he makes a living.”
I think it just comes naturally. Just the way is does for many sales folks. IF “any CC is better than a hole in the head”, you’ve set the bar really low.
Thank you! It seems like yesterday we were discussing how to make new travel blogs back on that mega-FT thread. I will always be grateful you recommended WordPress, it’s the easiest, most user-friendly platform I have ever worked with.
I would love to go to Pitcairn someday, would be an expensive trip to organize.
“The game goes on but the game will go on in coach” – TBB
I agree this is the way we are headed. But unless it’s a very expensive coach ticket to somewhere obscure I think lots of people are going to drop out of the game and just start looking for the cheapest fares.
Why? For “most” it’s about sign up bonuses.In this category, there are more points to be made in loyalty programs than in the Ben Bernanke led program . If I can get 40-50k in 5-10 programs by just spending $1-5k, it’s a great return and much cheaper than paying an airline ticket with hard earned cash. It is tough to earn more than $1k/yoy in sign up bonuses.
That picture of the guy chasing the wrasse… that was posted on TS with some clown saying “me and my buddy went diving the other day and got this picture”. Well if by the “other day” they mean 10+ years ago then maybe that is the case. I have a diving book that was published in the early 2000’s that has that exact picture on the cover. Just shows your beloved TS is just bullshit too! Kind of funny that you are publishing pilfered pictures from another blog that pilfers pictures.
Yeah George, your professional reputation could take a huge hit if it gets out that you regularly browse “The Chive”.
I would appreciate it if you kept it quiet lol.
The Chive is awesome, great comedic escape!
Actually, if you knew what kind of music I listen to you would think “The Chive” stuff is completely normal lol.
Thanks for the blog mention and the comment on the OfficeMax rant. I’m not sure where that anger came from…
Did you see this post by Rohan @ upgrd.com Calling for SMI/J to step down?
http://upgrd.com/aerospace/jeff-smisek-needs-to-step-down-as-united-chairman-and-ceo.html
I’m really surprised it didn’t make your blog!
May I offer a possible silver lining to these devaluations and the big one looming on the horizon. This hobby has become increasingly popular brining lots of newbies in to the fold. Is it possible that these devaluations may force the casual player out because the redemptions are more difficult. If that happens, I don’t see it as a bad thing. More opportunities for the rest of us.
@ It’s me: Congrats, it’s an exclusive club 🙂
@ Sam: You missed it by…that much 🙂
@ Grant: #3 still gets a medal!
@ Rich: Man, you are slower than me lol. Tough to believe so many were aiming for first #speechless
@Nguyen: I agree, thanks a lot.
@TBB Contributor: Valid point! I always aim to give proper HT and links and aim to do so to the blog I saw it FIRST! Here is what happened with the AsianStarwood Gold story! I messed up where I saw it first (and I saw it in different blogs!). Maybe I thought it was not worthy to feature and then changed my mind….I don’t remember. Late at night I again saw it in Mile Nerd’s blog and did not want to link to it as I am certain I saw it somewhere else. Hey, why don’t you give him some crap too. Oh wait, he does not allow comments 🙂
My Feedly is a zoo, too many blogs to keep track of. Trying my best to keep doing this right. I need to mark blogs with the asterisk even if I think the blog post has a small chance of making it here. I messed up on this one to keep my marked Feedly list to…manageable levels.
I am pretty sure I did not see it first at pointmetotheplane….but I could be wrong.
We are not perfect.
Thanks for the feedback and keeping me in line, I appreciate it!
Did he finally run out of people to interview?
The barrel is officially fully scraped?
I would be very surprised if that is the case.
Spoke too soon 🙂
I always take a look around the site. The cards are all lined up there of course and the disclaimer goes:
“Dovertime.com is not currently an affiliate of any of the products reviewed on the website. It should be noted that Dovertime.com is actively seeking affiliate marketing and will continue to be engaged in the blog for profit motives.”
I think MMS can have Friday interviews lined up for a very long time…
In other news, I decided to go for pizza for lunch today!
No, prolly just too lazy to even mail in fluff posts.
My favorite today? The Willie Nelson meme! Brilliant!
So true what he is saying, so true 🙂
@Anonymous: I seriously thought about adding a Hyatt reference to the Pitcairns island entry 🙂
@ Tara: I remember the times back in that FT thread. We have come a long way, we are STILL standing! I agree the game is changing…fast. I even got me a DiscoverIT card 🙂
@ ABC: It has always been about the signup bonuses 🙂 Still value in this of course just not as lucrative as it has been and the pace of devaluations increasing. When award programs go all revenue based the First Class trip to Maldives will cost 1.5 million points lol.
@ Miles Abound: I enjoy Twisted Sifter site. I saw the pic there. I featured it with a link to it. I thought it was an excellent picture and worthy of sharing. I have no idea about the background to it and I frankly don’t care. I just thought it was a beautiful fish face, nothing more, nothing less. I liked your first post on Manufactured Spend and looking forward to reading the rest and yes I will likely feature them here. I am still waiting for a response from Hyatt, fyi. Thanks, have some more coffee 🙂
@ Big Habitat: You are welcome. Rants are healthy 🙂
@ Justin: I did not see this before I clicked on Publish. I saw it this morning on Twitter and saved it for review. It’s in the queue…it’s always a long queue lol.
@ Scott: I hope you are right. But it may keep them around as they don’t know much better by getting a “free” ticket burning 50k Delta miles to Orlando. I think the end game is near with planes so full and so many miles (airlines are addicted to selling this crack) floating around —-> revenue based awards like Southwest does. All I am saying is that the true aspirational luxurious trips for almost nothing will be an endangered species soon. I hope I am dead wrong on this! For the rest of us where destination matters and do not mind “roughing it in coach we will be just fine, there will always be loopholes and fine print to dig into and capture the upsides 😉
by the way you should improve your support tbb page. you have no disclosure there at all other than saying it’s a referral link. you need to have one of those ominous
“this site maybe comepsnated by +__________. the banks have not comissioned this., etc.”
I think I make it very clear what is the benefit to me and the reader for EACH specific referral link. Not sure I can make it even more clear!
Yeah, I should probably add something else on top too. Also note the footer disclosure too. Thanks!
I’ve been wanting to go to the Pitcairn Islands since I read this obituary in the NYT this summer. What an unbelievably fascinating subject (and place). You can tell the obituary writer was having so much fun telling his story.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/24/world/asia/tom-christian-descendant-of-bounty-mutineer-dies-at-77.html?_r=0
WOW, what an obituary! And I almost missed marking the story (to take a closer view at it later on). I am SO glad I did. What fascinating history about this island and its people!
Deep down, what I really dig about blogging, is the opportunity to learn about things I would likely not have the opportunity if there was no blog and the need to be constantly looking out for entertaining/educational/inspiring thing to share with my readers. I would have likely NEVER learned about this place if it was not for TBB.
And thank YOU for sharing this!
Ok, since TBB won’t do it anymore, I will. FTG lists the ‘best credit cards for low spenders’ and includes their link (ka-ching!) to the Barclaycard Arrival World MasterCard. That’s an $89 annual fee card and rebates 2.2% for travel. But a low spender would be better off with the Fidelity Investment Rewards American Express which is 2% cash and no annual fee (a low spender will not gain enough from the extra 0.2% to justify the fee). FTG, look our for your readers much?
I really only see VFTW, FM and OTR mentioning the Fidelity card. I don’t think you can have a discussion of cash back or travel rebate cards without it.
True that. A pimp’s gotta do what a pimp’s gotta do. Spread awareness to stop people from falling for these cheap tactics from businessmen who are now collectively lower than used car salesmen.
This blog really should list out all the best CC offers for easy access for newbies and veterans alike. George needs to find time to maybe add this feature.
Yep, Fidelity card should be mentioned in every post. With the continued miles/points devaluation and horizon appearing darker you just can no longer ignore 2% cash back. I bet you would see a lot more of it if there was an affiliate link for it 😉
I did my best for over a year to highlight such practices. I am exhausted. I have more important things to devote my time to….that have been neglected for a while, sorry.
Do you need a fidelity investment account or just an online brokerage account with fidelity to get the 2% card?
I believe any regular investment account at Fidelity will do. So, this means you could open up an account online and park some money in it. Not sure what is the minimum if any to avoid fees. Anyone else know?
I am a miles/points guy, it is what I do. Never got aboard the pure cash back cards. The only one I got was (not really true cash back) the Capital One Venture card during the 100k promo and scored them points for a cruise to Caribbean.
But the game is changing…So I just got me the DiscoverIT card and the Arrival card…
At this rate I will be adding Fidelity 2% cash back in my next app fest 🙂
I’m thinking of getting the best cash back card from every bank…
I have a brokerage account and a smartcash account (i.e. free ATMs worldwide and bill pay – used to be called smartcash but I think they changed the name). If you move money into your brokerage account you get the 2% benefit. Then one more click to move it over to the smartcash account.
Hey Matt of Saverocity, maybe you could do a post about this – the smartcash card is a new one for me and we may all be looking at cash back cards more and more as this game changes more and more!
That 2% benefit moving money sounds awesome 😉
I have been banned by Fidelity some years ago when I churned accounts for the signing bonuses 🙂
My go to card is the Barclays’s Arrival. Trying to get it up there to pay for 3 nights in Oakland (transiting) and car rental to Maui next April. I have this obsession to have airfare and hotels and car rentals all paid for with no cash out of pocket 🙂
George,
I think gleff makes his living from his credit card links. I think his day job is something that he does for xtra dough. 😉
Extra dough and many many many miles 😉
Love the Willie quote. 🙂
Me too 🙂
I think Matthew Klint is a really good blogger. I wish he would write more. And I wish he wouldn’t push the inferior US Airways affiliate offer.
I had the exact same thoughts. You know how I feel about bloggers who push that card—–> Leads me to believe 1) they think about their own pocket first or 2) they are clueless if they don’t know about the better offer.
I was going to share that post…until I saw THAT!
I have to say – it is embarrassing when TPG has the staff he does and he is the LAST blogger to talk about the United deal. Seriously – it’s one thing when he always posts airline news 3-5 days later than everyone else, but a deal like that posting just before it closes? I can tell you that the only reason he mentioned it all at that point is so he can shop his name around again for media coverage about the deal and show that he did actually have some things to say about it. The post was more like a press release than anything else. /end rant 🙂
I absolutely agree. On Twitter I “ranted” about that and we had a debate why the site was so late. We all concluded they are just all busy doing SEO, PR, and editing/adding/deleting cc links.
What is sad is some of its readers probably got way too frustrated so late in the game…
Sigh…
Get ready for Small Business Saturday bombardment. Just got the reminder in email from AEX.
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