Another TBB post featuring the most eclectic links around the web such as the S&P 500 index returns, Milk.com domain mystery, Lebanon deep dive, the TreasuryDirect website sucks, amazing family office by the Nintendo former CEO, amazing bird photography, United goes crazy with new routes, the best Hyatt hotels to use Free Night awards and selected important developments in the crazy world of miles and points. See you next week.
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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
The experiment to post every single day this week continues. Why? To increase traffic and support clicks ( coffees sold and still non existent credit card sales ). I will reevaluate the blog direction afterwards. There will be no post over the weekend, I need a break!
Thank you for reading my blog. I always appreciate all feedback.
PERSONAL FINANCE
Remember when some years ago buying I bonds was the thing offering high rates. But the high rates were short lived and the amount you could buy was too small to deal with that government website imho: TreasuryDirect to Bond Buyers: Moving Your Money Could Take a Year. “Clunky website” may be too kind lol.
The resulting customer-service backlog is straining the Treasury Department’s antiquated system, which can require verified signatures and paper forms sent through the mail. People transferring securities from TreasuryDirect to third-party brokerages experience especially long waits because those requests are processed manually…
Even before learning about the delay, Janus had to print a transfer request form and get a medallion signature, a notary-style stamp to verify security transfers, before mailing it to the Treasury Department. [You want to get us financial advisors angry? Mention “you need a medallion signature” to us.]
The TreasuryDirect website has the feel of an earlier era of the internet. Until last year, customers entered login credentials by using a mouse to click keys on a keyboard embedded in the browser. [Lol]
She tells clients only to use the platform to purchase savings bonds like I bonds, which can’t be bought anywhere else, and Treasurys they plan to hold to maturity. Most brokers don’t have waiting periods so you can sell almost immediately after purchasing. [This is good advice. But let me make it better. Just avoid this website and consolidate your financial life. Because if you drop dead, your heirs will curse you when they are confronted with threats like “you need medallion signatures”!].
When someone tells me they put everything in the S&P 500 Index…
SCAMS/CRYPTO/AI/TECH
This link has absolutely nothing to do with scams. Or crypto and AI. But it goes all the way back in tech history when everything was so new and pure. The Million-Dollar Mystery of milk.com. The guy who bought this domain in 1994 still runs it. And he did it only because he did not want to change email addresses. So the writer sends him an email. And it is great what happens next. Oh, he has not sold it yet. 30 years later. Love it. Maybe when I am offered a bigly price for my blog I will say “nah, I do it for the love and the coffees lol”. Very educational piece about domain selling as well.
We discuss how a domain broker has an interest in predicting a high price, and how the deep-pocketed “right buyer” may not materialize. Mostly, though, Bornstein feels he makes plenty of money as a software engineer. “It doesn’t [all] have to be about money,” he says. [If my site was about money, it would have shut down in early 2013″].
Rather than enjoy a payday, he prefers to keep the site. He’s an engineer who loved that Usenet, a precursor to the internet, enabled him to meet people he’d never otherwise meet. He loved the early internet’s sense of possibility. “I would love it if my legacy was that milk.com [remained] the way the internet should be or should have always been,” he says. “If it’s not my personal domain, as long as it’s part of those old-school ideas about how the internet should be, that would make me happier.”
And this:
You like my blog? Send a link to someone please!
ODDZ & ENDZ
Hiroshi Yamauchi ran Nintendo for over 50 years and after he died the Yamauchi No. 10 Family Office was created. And the website is a MUST click. Just click it, you will not be disappointed.
Amazing photography in the 2024 Bird Photographer of the Year Competition.
TRAVEL
Long deep dive on Lebanon. Why post it in the Travel section when no one is going to be in the area with bombs falling every day? Well, I wanted to have at least two links in this section and ran out so I am inserting it here, it is a must read if you are interested how Lebanon came about: Why Could Lebanon Be Rich, but Is so Chaotic? The takeways per the author:
Lebanon is chaotic because it’s a unique mountainous region surrounded by sea, desert, and stronger powers:
The sea and mountains made it somewhat fertile, so it developed a population
The sea and its access to foreign powers made it a natural trading hub
The mountains allowed many different ethnic groups to survive for centuries
The surrounding superpowers have a vested interest in influencing or controlling the country, so they try to do that either directly or by supporting their favorite group
Since every superpower has different goals and follows different politics and religions, they support different groups in Lebanon, who end up in conflict
Not sure what United Airlines is doing but I’ll take it. I guess. United’s Wild Summer Schedule Shows How Different This Airline Is. Nuuk, Greenland with miles, let’s go!
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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 experience. If you are not interested, you can stop here, thank you.
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Good reference post: Citi ThankYou Rewards Complete Guide.
Decent list, I loved the Grand Hyatt Berlin so close to the Berlin Marathon start line: Best Category 1-4 To Redeem Your World of Hyatt Free Night Awards. Which is your favorite? I have two of these certs to burn, they never end #firstworldproblems.
I think this is great at only $18 per person: Uber Is Launching a Shuttle Between Manhattan and LaGuardia Airport.
Spirit Airlines is fighting to stay alive. Do you remember when in BC (Before Covid) times it was one of the most profitable airlines? Oh my, how things change in this ultra competitive industry. Maybe the government should have let them merge with Jet Blue.
And of course, here goes SAS adjusting the million mile promo it announced already lol: Confusion over SAS’s crazy ‘one million bonus miles’ promotion as criteria tweaked.
I am going to garden my reservations…tomorrow.
I am just dropping this here for completeness purposes: Bilt Rewards Adds Accor & TAP Air Portugal As Transfer Partners. Zzzzzzzz. Oh, I was not invited again to the bloggers this company keeps wining and dining so think about that when you are about to get another travel rewards credit card.
Oh, speaking about credit cards. Day 37 without a single credit card sale here just wow smh. Posting daily is exhausting. Coffees sold are doing very well this month, the best ever actually, thank you. I am going to reserve judgment about the blog direction when I see the traffic stats from this week.
Closed wife’s Freedom Flex card. We have no more Freedom Flex cards in my household. We’ll lay low, allow time to pass and…wait for a juicy promo #rinseandrepat.
In a spirited performance in London, the Greek national soccer/football team beat England 2-1 and dedicated the win to their fallen player who was found dead in his home’s swimming pool two days ago in Athens.
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.
The #4 Top Offer right now is 75k CHASE Ink Business Cash card.
Learn more about these offers HERE.
Going to end this section with any credit card offer that expires within the next two weeks:
AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business card: Oh, it is back! Up to FIVE free nights again. I am no fan of Marriott Bonvoy but hey, five free nights is five free nights you guys. Each Free Night Award certificate has a redemption level up of to 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, expire after one year and can be topped off with points for up to 15,000 additional points per night. The annual fee is $125. The minimum spend is $8k in the first six months. Earning structure is 6x on Marriott purchases, 4x on gas stations, cell phone bills, restaurants and shipping and 2x on everything else. You get 15 elite night credits, Gold elite status AND a Free Night Award cert at each card anniversary. Having Gold elite status earns an additional 25% bonus points on Marriott stays, 2 pm late check out and if the planets align with the moon a shocking room upgrade. No foreign transaction fees. 7% discount on rooms and premium internet access. Offer ends 10/16/2024.
MILES & POINTS
HOT CREDIT CARD OFFERS: 90k CHASE Ink Business Unlimited, 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, 5 FREE Nights with AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business, 15k AMEX Blue Business Plus and many more!
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As of today, I have burned 1,859,617 miles/points year to date (1,148,286 in 2023) and have 4,213,180 miles/points in the bank.
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George
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I can’t believe I posted every single weekday this week! And content quality did not go down in my own biased opinion.
This is not sustainable.
Enjoy the weekend.
First!
I was impressed! I rarely comment anymore but I stopped by because of your comments on Treasury Direct. That is indeed a challenging website.
I still have I Bonds from back in the day when Discover Card (?) gave you miles for buying them. They were issued on paper. Then came Katrina, the bonds were forgotten about and then lost. Earlier this year, I found them, they had more than doubled in face value, and Treasury Direct made it sound like it was a good idea to have them converted into electronic bonds. So I did. It was a real saga, but mostly because the post office did not deliver them for months. Des anybody know what that was about? I could track them, and they didn’t leave Louisiana for weeks on end, but they wouldn’t tell me why– only that they would be delivered after a “delay.” Eventually, they were delivered, and they are now electronic bonds but …so stressful. it did not help that Treasury Direct does not answer the phone, so I did not know what to do when the bonds were delayed for so long. Now I’m wondering how hard it will be to cash out.
I was quoted in the media that people should not bother, it is not worth the potential hassles dealing with this website. It is like dealing with Lifemiles customer service when something hits a snag 🙂 There is no reason/rationale about some of the practices involved with them, best is to avoid.
I remember those days with Discover, I was tempted. But keeping financial life consolidated and simple is very important to me and clients. Provides clarity 🙂
Thanks! I should definitely consolidate…
Lost 2 more email subscribers today!
Ok guys, this is too much to take after posting every day this week.
Good morning Buzz,
Friday already?
My vote is for once a week, or whenever you feel like it.
Have a great weekend and thanks as always for your post!
There is no way in hell I will go back to daily posting.
Thank you for being one of the nine big supporters.
I’ll vote with David!
Thanks for the link to the bird photos. Wow.
I always find a use for the Hyatt free night awards. If I have
a crazy early morning flight out of SFO, the Hyatt Regency
at the airport is certainly better than taking a chance driving
from the east bay in the early morning. I’ve lost that gamble. Ouch.
There are modest Hyatts close enough to the universities I visit, Chicago
and Eugene.
Thanks for your efforts!
I have two certs now, I better look at expiration dates so I don’t have to rush to use them. Which happens and every time it does I say ‘this will not happen again’…and it does!
I think that Hyatt list sucks for the most part. It must be written by someone with children that lives in the US. Tokyo Bay? Grand Cypress Resort? Hyatt Places?
Mine would include: Ambassador Chicago, Regency Seattle, Hôtel Reisen, I haven’t stayed at the Regency Cologne but the location is outstanding, Regency Yokohama, and that’s just the 4s.
A lot of value in the 3s as well, especially international.
It wasn’t the greatest list, sure. But every list is subjective. There were a few in it that I was not aware of. I like yours too, burned some points for daughter to stay at the HR in Seattle in August, she really liked it a lot.
Forgot to mention, if you can be in Sedona AZ during the week, and not in the heat of summer, the Hyatt Residence Club is great value for cat 4 certs
Good to know. I was in Phoenix at a conference man years ago. It was the conference center. I remember I opened the door and that heat wave hit me, it felt like a nuclear blast. It was in mid July I think.
Taking some time off to reevaluate the blog direction this weekend. Losing 4 email list subscribers and 3 Instagram followers still looking for one freaking cc sale since September 4th is finally reaching my threshold of pain. When normal people finally making a change.And now you guys think posting daily is too much…which of course it is. I will see what the traffic numbers are on Sunday or Monday morning. I have deleted about 10 links from the queue. I will become like Francis Ford Coppola just keep cutting scenes and editing what the final masterpiece will look like. Yeah, right. I am just not cut out for online glory, it is obvious. Too much fakery and everyone keeps kissing Gary Leff’s ass. Out of so many readers, not even a single credit card is just sobering and I feel insulting. Maybe I am too emotional about this because I care. Anyway, I am spending way too much time online lining up material for this blog to Educate.Entertain. And Inspire. For 12 very long years and the message I hear loud and clear now is “yeah, go ahead”. Nobody unsusbcribes and unfollows and stays aways from cc clicks if they really cared.
Having a gathering tonight at my house, maybe I drink some wine. Cut a few more links from the queue tomorrow while watching my hometown team go for the 4th win in a row to stay first in the division alone trying to win promotion in the Greek First Division. And then talk to my niece and do some client portfolio stuff. And hit the gym. And then it is all day Indian wedding on Sunday.
Thanks for the support to all nine of you.
Well, *I* do not think you post too much whether it is every day or a big one on Friday, but I also feel your pain. As far as people dropping, well, that happens to every blogger, not that it makes you feel better. Maybe a newsletter whenever you feel like sending out one? On a subscription model? I dunno, but I sure have gotten a lot out of your blog, and I *do* appreciate all your efforts!
Good news for Carl today, decided to send that 4506t to Barclay and just a bit ago got my notice of approval on the Hawaiian Airlines card. Wish I coulda got it through you though. 70k (72, really) after 2k in spend! Then them points will head off to Alaska Airlines!
Have a good weekend and enjoy. Sounds like a great line-up of activity!
You are definitely one of the nine, thank you. When my blog gets discovered I will make you all nine rich! But for some strange reason I am beginning to doubt this will ever happen lol.
Don’t know how to do this techie stuff. Substack newsletter route is possibly an option. But I have to learn a new platform and build an audience. And this marketing/promotion shit that is so required in today’s bleeding Google led algorthms ways…I am just not cut out for. No wonder almost all independent bloggers go in the wayside, I am shocked I am still here! I don’t need the money, it is ego mostly at this point and covering the costs and maybe sparing a few nice dinners every month with the Mrs who tolerates my blogging ways you know.
Good job on the Barclay card, you started to dance, might as well hurt them taking the miles 🙂
I love the more frequent posting but I’d rather see you doing once a week than nothing at all. JMTC.
The chart on investment returns is interesting, although it kinda seems like cherry picking. Do you really think REIT’s are a good way to go compared to S&P index funds? I’m looking at starting to diversify into REIT’s but I don’t know which to choose. Any general thoughts or suggestions? Apologies for intruding on your day job.
>>>>>>Do you really think REIT’s are a good way to go compared to S&P index funds?
Hell no! But it was “shocking” enough to illustrate that what comes into vogue in investing usually does not stick.
I use the Vanguard REIT Index VNQ. Sparingly. All clients are homeowners with almost every single one owing them outright. So the home equity has grown a lot. And eventually they will access it (or heirs will). So not a big fan of allocating much at all in REITS and certainly not these days. Every other real estate vehicle I have looked sucked. As in liquidity and costs issues. And oh boy there have been mega shit that was tried on a few clients in a very smooth way, think limited partnerships of some kind. One of those ended up in jail #notshocking
I was going to reply to the comments on Saturday morning. In my early morning coffee web run through I do out of habit and trying to stop. No losses of email list subscribers and Instagram followers, YouTube subscribers stuck at 34. The streak from hell goes on with no cc sales, now Day 38! Thanks to Paul for the three coffees, you are one of the nine who give a shit.
So, one of my daily stops is MilesFeed and I am hit with this from View From The Wing:
“How a Lesbian, Accused of Having Drunken Sex With a Man on American Airlines, Got Her Lifetime Ban Reversed”
which probably made from ads alone more than what this blog brings in months combined…
Ok, I need to step away, brew more coffee, actually do some work that pays the bills and feeds my family and get ready to watch my hometown soccer team from the stadium a mile away from our family home. I guess the plan to sell this blog and buy that team for my last life project is not working out…LOL
Enjoy Saturday and stay healthy and thanks to Paul!
Goooooooooooooool, up 1-0 at minute 4 wow!
https://www.skai.gr/tv/live
Hope you take heart in the fact that many out here appreciate what you do but don’t want more emails and don’t do youtube/Insta/TikTok/etc for the most part. Also, many of us have had the so-called one-per-lifetime cards :::cough::: and also might jump on some cards that aren’t referrals. That said, we think of you when we do apply for cards that are offered via your site…it’s just that it’s at a far slower pace than in a previous decade. We don’t get cards from view from the ka-ching or its backslapping ilk because we ain’t fools. You are speaking mostly to the choir, the cognoscenti as it were. The megablogs with the clickbait are hoping to reap conversions from the unknowing hordes who think TPG et al is an authority. They don’t link to you because they don’t want their readers to be as educated about these subjects as yours are; it will mean that their readers won’t fall for such stunts as applying for a card when there is a better offer available.
A sucker is born every minute on some of those other blogs, but that doesn’t happen here. Your goal of educating/entertaining/inspiring us is working, and has been working all along. But unfortunately it’s not as lucrative as not having a conscience about the info you deliver.
Thank you, George, for having a conscience.
Your comment made my day, thank you so much!
If it wasn’t for comments like this, the occassional cc conversion and some cofees this blog would have ended years ago.
I understand the smooth operators do not link to me because of what you say. But when the very few blogs I keep recommending and linking never linking to me and instead linking to these mega smooth multi million dollar businesses….well, that just SUCKS. Miles to Memories managed to mention my blog once in their podcast but they just could never bring themselves to link to me, unbelievable. I unsubscribed and deleted them trom my recommended blog list. So must stale info, I guess they are focusing on YT. Like so many out there these days.
>>>>>>>Your goal of educating/entertaining/inspiring us is working, and has been working all along. But unfortunately it’s not as lucrative as not having a conscience about the info you deliver.
I think you get me. Thank you so much.
12 years almost into this. Day 39 of not even a single cc sale. Never happened before, it is the streak from hell. I will post next week. If you don’t see a post here before Friday, check on Friday. And dedicating my next post to you.
I will try to respond to the comments later today on Sunday before we head out to attend an Indian wedding.
It is 7.30 am today Sunday and I see the travel thought leader posted another gem:
“Kamala Harris Chocolate Bar on American Airlines? Passenger’s Surprise Highlights Vanishing Inflight Politics This Year”
And OMAAT has already posted three blog posts already this morning!
Anyway, my hometown soccer team won easily 3-0 at home yesterday, we are 4 wins in 4 games and everyone is ecstatic, hope it continues. This is the year to win promotion to the First Division or bust.
Right on Buzz, great to hear about your team.
Hang in there young fella, the support team is behind you all the way…all 9 of us (ridiculously bold of me to assume I’m in the group).
I realize it must be incredibly difficult to weed through the bs regarding other “travel blogs”. I can’t stomach any of that crap.
What I mean to say is, we truly appreciate all your efforts and we all look forward to the day we strike it rich as your loyal supporters!
Have a great week, best to the family Buzz
You are definitely one of the 9, probably one of the top two, thank you!
Last week traffic stats are in and…they are actually little down. And I am shocked! So much for posting daily, not happening anytime soon ever again. I was going to post tomorrow a shorter Tuesday type post but with the credit card no sale streak now reaching 40 days I changed my mind. I should be here on Friday.
Gardening my reservations today. My flight to Thailand is a complicated one. Jetblue marketed ticket with 2 long legs on Qatar (have exit rows). And I am trying to figure out where and how to change my JetBlue number to which airline. I can use AA miles and really have no need for JetBlue or Qatar Avios. And I am AA Platinum Pro. I had a horrible phone experience with a JetBlue agent after being on hold for almost half an hour, useless. As is their chat feature.
Thanks Christian.
I am still shocked I had less blog traffic after posting daily last week!
The streak from hell without a single cc sale goes on to Day 41.
Is this what it felt like when Drew from Travel is Free vanished? I ‘ve been focusing on more important stuff other than Educating/Entertaining/Inspiring. Trying to knock out some required CPE credits too so I don’t have to worry about them in Thailand.
I have some material, I am being a lot more eclectic, I will try to post on Friday.
Noticing many YTubers are now pushing anything they can get, Rakuten, shitty software….I think the lack of a convincing cc promo is spreading casualties online.
There will be a blog post here tomorrow, back to the long format posting once a week until November 12 as the mother of all no cc conversions streak hits Day 43!
This blog is closing in on its spectacularly long life you guys. A whole calendar goes and the end arrives, 13 more days to go.
Enjoy the post tomorrow. I am tired.
Nobody has ever offered to buy aztravelguy.com from me. Never really got it off the ground though.
I did have someone want to buy arizonaguy.com – a guy who had coloradoguy.com and was moving to Arizona. I declined.
I own a handful of other domains that I also have yet to do something with though I always “intend to start.” I am also friends with someone who owns wackynoodle.com and he was always waiting for a buy offer or trademark infringement letter from the brand of pool noodles using that name.
I own Fordesla.com, it is my lifetime buy of lottery tickets.
If Tesla goes down and Ford comes back strong, a merger could work. I actually had a dream one night that this happened! And for the next few days I tried to come up with a name that had a domain available. And I came up with Fordesla. So, if it happens…I am buying all these bloggers to kill their blogs to save the online world.
Did the Colorado guy offer you something or just wanted it for peanuts? It is a really strange market out there.
I believe in Fordesla. I used to tweet to the Ford CEO to get together with Elon…before Elon turned into a weirdo that is.
I am keeping the domain. It is my only chance to score a suite at the Detroit Lions Ford Field. For life 🙂