Another TBB post featuring the most eclectic links around the web such as stock market bubbles, AI resistant jobs, unedited Elon Musk interview, Bangkok for Beginners, Mileslink, Social Security program, AI boom and AI hedge fund blowups, scam centers plague, best documentaries, Art Atlas map, Vietnam scams, the best photography and Thailand 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. And much more. Enjoy the weekend.
Blog Mission: To Educate. Entertain. Inspire. In That Order!
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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.
BLOG HOUSEKEEPING
This is truly a one man labor of love operation, enjoy it while it lasts.
I rearranged two blog sections and split them up, now listed as AI/TECH and SCAMS/CRYPTO. I am thinking to retire crypto related stories/links. Because, does anyone care anymore? We shall see, any feedback is appreciated.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
βWhat we achieve inwardly will change outer reality” – Plutarch
MUST READ GEMSΒ
For your deep reading over the weekend I recommend:
Why China got rich and India didn’t
PERSONAL FINANCE
As we are again at market highs, maybe this is a good read now: America is Great at Creating Stock Market Bubbles — and Shrugging Them Off.Β One day the bust will be the big one, but for now the pullback in AI-related stocks has been almost completely offset by gains elsewhere. Where we are these days:
We are heading into a danger area now, thanks to the money being poured into artificial intelligence. Estimates of $7 trillion to be spent on data centers in the next four years are enough to seriously damage the economy if productivity gains arenβt big enough to justify it.Β And the increasing use of debt financing means that if AI more broadly turns out to be a bubble, it could hit the financial system, too. That isnβt something the broader market could ignore.
Great article about all things Social Security. I have been asked before if I think this government benefit will be around in the future. And my response is that it certainly will. I think older people (say over age 50) should be fine but younger people will probably not get as juicy of a benefit. And we all know some painful adjustments will eventually need to be made at some point. And the longer we kick the can down the road these adjustments will get more painful. A few more things from my experience being a financial advisor for over 30 years. I generally recommend people wait until age 70 to claim their Social Security Benefits to lock up the largest inflation adjusted cash inflow for the rest of their lives. Unless they clearly need the money to live on and/or they have a grim medical diagnosis that comes with a limited life expectancy. That’s it. Of course everyone is different but in general I believe this is a good starting point/rule of thumb.
Morgan Housel had started a YouTube channel a while ago. And then stopped posting videos. But he is back and his videos are great and I highly recommend subscribing.
AI/TECH
Perfect headline?Β The AI Boom Is Transforming the American Economy Beyond Recognition.
Very deep dive on Larry Ellison:Β Larry Ellison Bet It All on the A.I. Boom. Will He Be the Face of the A.I. Bubble? Inside the 81-year-old billionaireβs risky, debt-fueled scramble to transform his data empire into an A.I. juggernaut. Is this whole tech AI field dominated by assholes or what?
So this young Leopold hedge fund kid blew up his fund last week. Because, you know, hedging (risk) was non existent. He wrote some AI manifesto a few years ago and then was given lots of money by rich dudes and he went ALL IN on AI stocks. AND leveraged up everything 3 to 5 times! And then, of course, the stocks started going south and he kept selling until he had to sell all public stocks to another hedge fund dude (Citadel’s Ken Griffin) to stop from going completely bankrupt. And all this happened while he was getting married. To the Chief of Staff of Anthropic’s CEO, how conveeeeenient. Anyway, he goes on X and posts this letter to his investors smh.
“Dear Partners, we let you down this month” [ LOL, yeah, no shit!]
“I will make it my mission to ensure that we learn the necessary lessons from this experience”. [Okay dude, sure., it’s all about winning LOL]
“While we could say much about how unusual the month was, we hold ourselves to a higher standard, irrespective of market conditions…We embrace volatility. But it should never jeopardize the fund.” [This is some very high level BS wow. I am screaming WTF inside!]
Update: Apparently, he somehow got enough big shots to again give him $400 million to start a new venture capital fund smh.
Two visuals for you: First, the AI resistant jobs, ranked (found HERE). I am surprised to see Senior Software Engineer ranked so high.
And blown away every day with the loads of billions spent on AI. Mind you, still being mostly paid by profits. But we now also have debt going way up to assist in this era (found HERE) and we all know leveraging can lead to, cough, blowups…at some point:
SCAMS/CRYPTO
You know we live in crazy times when we see headlines like this:Β The Billionaire Blowing the Whistle on Trumpβs Crypto Shop.Β World Liberty put $800 million in the presidentβs pocket. Justin Sun is alleging fraud.Β It is Justin Sun everybody, that dude who paid millions for a banana only to eat it. So, it could not happen to a nicer guy lol. Can you imagine Biden or Obama making billions from a crypto shop? Me neither smh.
The Economist interviewed Elon Musk. And posted the entire interview online UNEDITED. I kept shaking my head with this guy. Do you remember the movie Natural Born Killers? If someone made Natural Born Assholes it would be about this guy. I am going to stop here before my blood pressure explodes. Because the non stop bullshit coming out of this guy is abundant (pun intended)…
Amazing investigative journalism here in this article: The mayor of Scamtown. Long read, you have been warned. These scam centers are a cancer that needs to be eradicated. So disgusted reading this what these scum are doing…
ODDZ & ENDZ
We all see in the news clips of trucks hitting bridges. Well, Wikipedia is on it:Β List of bridges known for strikes.
Some on the list I had not heard of, I am embarrassed: The 25 Best Documentaries of All Time, Ranked.
So, you think a nuclear war is just around the corner? I got you! You can now simulate it with this: Dystopian World — Nuclear Escalation Simulation.Β Have…fun?
Amazing photography: Mangrove Photography Awards 2026.
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TRAVEL
Amazing properties: 5 New Hotels in Vintage Buildings. The best one imho? It is the Hoshinoya Nara Prison. Yes, it is a converted prison.
A country just changed its official name: Nauru, the world’s 3rd-smallest country, changes its name to Naoero. Quiz time, how many people live in Nauru Naoero? Just 12,000 residents. Which makes it the third smallest country in terms of population size. Second smallest is Tuvalu and the smallest is Vatican City. You are welcome.
For art lover and blog reader Sam, this is for you: ArtAtlas. Interactive Art Map for Museums, Churches and Cultural Sites.
34 Worst Scams in Vietnam. Good to know as we are visiting soon.
The Top 10 Scenic Areas for Leaf Peeping in 2026 are:
Adirondacks, New York
Columbia River Gorge, Washington
Aspen, Colorado
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Bretton Woods, New Hampshire
Tunnel of Trees, Michigan
North Lake Tahoe, Nevada
The Berkshires, Massachusetts
Stowe, Vermont
French Lick, Indiana
THAILAND
Really good video: Bangkok For Beginners: The Complete Guide To Your First Visit (2026).
There is so much going on in Bangkok, if you are bored there is something wrong. There are several websites listing all the different events happening in Bangkok, I use this one: BKK Pulse.
Blog reader Christian had a question for me in the comments that I decided (with his permission) to feature and answer it here:
You seem to be spending a whole lot more time in Thailand and looking at potentially retiring there from your visa considerations. I donβt in any way disagree but am curious, why? I could see Malaysia or Greece due to where you and your wife started and obviously the USA since thatβs where you live and your kids as well. You (presumably) are in a position to retire in a bunch of places so Iβm curious as to what Thailand has that calls to you? I like the country myself but donβt feel the call of the siren song.
There are many aspects to this and I will try to keep it short. Which is not one of my strong points lol. Many expats in Thailand talk about catching the Thailand bug. It is that certain feeling that the country inflicts and reels you in. I must admit I definitely felt it. Heck, returning for the fourth year in a row in a few weeks! And I was the guy who I was against visiting the same place twice. Because there are so many places to explore in the world. I feel a sense of calmness in Thailand. Less stressed. Definitely associated with the culture, the “sabai sabai” way of going about life. Per Google AI:
The Thai phrase sabai sabai (ΰΈͺΰΈΰΈ²ΰΈ’ ΰΈͺΰΈΰΈ²ΰΈ’) translates to “relax,” “chill,” or “take it easy”. Repeating the root word sabai (which means comfortable or well) doubles the emphasis. It describes a stress-free mood, an easygoing situation, or a peaceful environment.
So, everything else is derived from that. And there is a lot more. I am going to run down just “a few” more reasons:
Thais are very kind and friendly and respectful and Thailand is rightly known as the “Land of Smiles”.
The Buddhist culture is very respectful and I prefer it than living in a Muslim country, Christian too lol.
It is a very safe country and health care is fantastic.
Bangkok is a huge international city and there is so much to do; I keep a very long list of things to do/visit/eat and I cross them out each time I visit and the list keeps growing.
Oh, the food, you can get any cuisine here and as I get older I love spicier dishes. My favorite Thai dish is pad krapow and I am also known as a curry addict. I am especially fond of Massaman curry, I never say no to it. I am beginning to really like khao soi (Northern Thailand cuisine) too.
Another very important factor is of course the cost of living. Our USDs go much further in Thailand of course. But not as much as they used to; this is why Vietnam has been gaining more tourists lately as Thailand has gotten more expensive. I can get an expert foot massage in Thailand at a fraction of the cost that it takes to get a crappy one in the US. I also get a lot of my sharp clothes from Thai tailors, again at a fraction of the cost when compared to the US. Also, condos…I could go on and on.
Bangkok is the perfect centrally located hub to use as a base to fly cheaply to some great beaches in the South of the country and many nearby SE Asian destinations. Including of course Malaysia being a short flight next door for my wife to be close to her family. And you know being very near an international airport is very important to me and Bangkok has two of them.
We have friends in Bangkok already and our kids would love to visit. Also, I would love to host relatives and friends from the US and Greece and Malaysia as well.
The infrastructure (wifi and public transportation especially) is top notch in Bangkok enabling a high quality of life. I think it is second only to Singapore (which is of course one of the most expensive cities in the world).
Ideally, I would like to spend at least 3 months each in Thailand, Greece, USA and non stop travel, that is the goal for now. The next few years will be in flux as life gets a bit more certain in other ways, including perhaps our kids settling down somewhere. And, you know, grandchildren entering the picture may force some decisions as well. This is why I think getting the 5 year DTV Thailand Visa was a good decision that allows us wide flexibility.
You knew this was coming…It is very easy to requalify as World of Hyatt Globalist elite π
I could go on but I am going to stop now, hope that helps. There are a lot of US expats in Thailand, maybe too many as it has become a bit trendy lately.
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
So, here we go again…
We all know what has happened when Basic Economy entered our lives. It didn’t take that long for Spirit Airlines to go out of business and all the other discount airlines are struggling while they are trying to adjust. We all know that is best to avoid it and we realize this:Β Airlines Really Donβt Want You to Buy Their Cheapest Tickets.Β No-frills basic-economy fares have always had restrictions, but the list of rules keeps growing. The article has a good breakdown how each airline handles Basic Economy. And the author has some good advice at the end of the article:
Youβre probably getting the message by now: Brush up on all the restrictions before clicking βbuy,β especially if youβre booking several tickets. Those cancellation fees can eat up a big chunk of the ticket value.If you canβt live with them, bite the bullet and βupgrade.β Those are air quotes because we all know it isnβt a real upgrade. Itβs a deliberate upsell to what we used to think of as basic.
This is positive, always good to have new airlines bookable with miles:Β Itβs finally possible to book Oman Air flights with American AAdvantage miles.
Initially there were fears Amex was devaluing the Resy credits in a huge way.Β Amex Resy Credit Changes Are Now Live, Hereβs How to Check Eligible Restaurants. Actually, it does not appear bad at all. Only 214 restaurants (in over 10,000) appear to be impacted, as in not allowing $100 credits using the Amex Platinum cards. So, it is going to be okay you guys. I am typing this in the draft of the post on the day when we go out for dinner to a local Ann Arbor restaurant to use wife’s Resy $100 quarterly on her Schwab Amex Platinum card. We are treating a friend couple dinner and thank them for preferring to use my site’s credit card links. It is my intention to always put supporters first here.
Amex recently added Leading Hotels of the World LHW as a transfer partner. So we are all going to be checking at times the LHW properties to see if they can work out in our travel plans. So here is a map of all LHW hotels.
It is amazing what happened in the airline world in the last several years. We all remember how Spirit Airlines was the most profitable airline and then…it went out of business by not switching to a more premium product early enough to stop the bleeding. And we are all seeing moves towards targeting passengers who are willing to pay more for a better experience. Covid sure played a role in all this, life is too short to be flying squeezed like sardines you know. And this trend keeps going and, please sit down, we now have Allegiant Adds Free Drinks, Introduces New Class of Premium Seating.
Very unique and potentially very lucrative World of Hyatt promotion IF you happen to have stays coming up these locations:Β Hyatt Promo: Earn Up to 5 Category 1-4 Free Night Awards with Stays in Latin America and Caribbean.
So, if you were aiming to hit AA high elite status (probably by earning enough points from going crazy on some Citi AA credit cards) so you can brag about your upgrades to business class flying to Hawaii, well, you just got nailed: American Airlines Ends Economy-to-Business Upgrades on Some Domestic Routes.
TRAVEL REWARDS CREDIT CARDS
For ANY questions on travel rewards credit cards, contact me anytime at travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com
Some of us have more than one Priority Pass lounge card so it was always good to use them for the one free visit to a Chase lounge per year. And then, like clockwork lately, Chase takes another ax smh:Β Chase Sapphire Lounges Removing Priority Pass Access & Increasing Layover Time Allowed. Effective August 15, boo!
This card should only be considered by very loyal and frequent American Airlines flyers:Β Citi Refreshes American Airlines Executive Card ($695 Annual Fee & New Benefits). Out of all the banks, Citi does them credits the worse imho. Of course travel rewards credit cards almost always are worth to get the first year because of the big Signup Bonus (usually). But the signup bonus for the card is only 70,000 points and I would rather wait. But if you can’t wait let me know #hint.
You know, Bilt keeps doing this shit. Just imagine how much louder the bloggers would be if they were not accepting ads or sponsorships or invites to be wined and dined hey? BILT Erroneously Sends Some Users To Collections. I mean, this site accepted Bilt as a sponsor of a meetup even and the author still can’t bring herself to completely call them out, yikes:Β Huge Mistake: Bilt Sent Me (and others) to Collections. Oh sure, they are on it, as in trying to buy another celebrity to bring over to play a stupid game with the CEO so he can get some selfies with them @#*&! When they could hire instead one or two staff to strengthen the absolute worst customer service in this space.
Fun video about some VERY luxury credit cards. You know, Centurion, etc.: Are The World’s Most Exclusive Credit Cards Actually Worth It?
What are the best travel rewards credit cards to get NOW? Well, of course it is the two no annual fee Chase Ink business cards:Β Earn $1,000 (or 100K Points) With No-Annual-Fee Chase Ink Business Cards! The thing is, some of us (cough) are likely not allowed to be approved to get these two cards with the Signup Bonus, so sad. But if you never had them there is a good chance that you will be approved. By using my credit card links you support this “venture” to stay alive, thank you.
LATEST OFFERS:
NEW: AMERICAN EXPRESS Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant: 150,000 points AND $250 Credit after $6k spend in six months
NEW: AMERICAN EXPRESS Marriott Benvy: 125,000 points and $150 Credit after $5k spend in six months
Β CAPITAL ONE Spark CashΒ : $1,000/100,000 points AND $250 Travel Credit after $10k spend in three months
Β CAPITAL ONE Spark Cash Plus : $2,000/200,000 AND $500 Travel Credit after $30k spend in three months
CHASE Sapphire Reserve for Business: 200,000 Points Sign Up Bonus
CHASE INK Cash & INK Unlimited 100,000 Points Signup Bonus
100,000 CHASE Sapphire Reserve: $795 Annual Fee.Β Minimum spend $6,000 in three months
As High As 200,000 Points on the AMEX Business Gold after spending $15k in the first three months
CHASE Marriott Bonvoy Boundless: Earn FOUR Free Night Awards after $4k spend in three months
100,000 BANK OF AMERICA Atmos Summit after spending $6,500 in the first three months. And a 50% flight discount voucher
80,000 BANK OF AMERICA Atmos Ascent after spending $4,000 in the first four months. And a 50% flight discount voucher
85,000 BANK OF AMERICA Atmos Business after spending $5,500 in the first three months
75,000 CITI AAdvantage Business World Elite MasterCard
175,000 AMEX Platinum & 300k AMEX Business Platinum
75,000 CITI Strata Elite card
Due to credit card vendor restrictions, the only affiliate links I can place in the body of my posts are for Capital One cards. You can always email me at travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com with ANY questions.
Please help the small independent blogs like mine continue to exist by supporting us with your CREDIT CARD clicks, thank you!
BONUS OFFERS NOTIFICATIONS
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MY ACTION AND BLOG BUZZING
This section will start with some content geared to more advanced points and miles hobbyists. And then continue on with some items pertaining to my actions in this space and then end with some personal news. So, here we go…
Randy Petersen is back with another venture. He elaborates here:Β Randy Petersen on Why Frequent Flyers Need Someone to Read the News For Them. Sounds interesting. And it is something I have been doing here, I guess I was early lol. Don’t get me started about being early in monetizing though, I have clearly failed in that department. But this is what I do here with a twist. I curate the best web content out there, period. And I provide my expert (sometimes) commentary.
The average traveler doesn’t need more information. What they need is relevance. So Mileslink starts with one question: what do you actually care about? Maybe it’s American Airlines, premium cabins, and nice hotels. Maybe it’s status matches and lounges. Once we know that, we can throw away enormous amounts of noise before it ever reaches you. Reading less, but the right less.
The site is MilesLink.
I intend to check it out when I find time. If you do please write back with your experience. When I finally check it out of course you would get my sincere opinion here. Unless Randy wants to sponsor my blog so then I can “adjust” my opinion lol (no I won’t). I am sensing this new venture may be a feeder site to all the Boarding Area blogs?
I surpassed 30 World of Hyatt night credits so another free night cert landed in my account. I hate it that these certs expire in only six months, oh well. I have been keeping track of the spend on my personal World of Hyatt Visa to make sure I hold off a bit so I can get the six month expiration to last a bit longer. But again I was off by a few hundred dollars. And I scratched my head for a while wondering where I got my numbers wrong. I think I was counting on a refund when Chase is counting the whole purchase numbers. Again, I am not sure. I also picked another award, 2 more club access awards to give away to blog supporters. I also picked 2 club access awards when I surpassed the 20 night milestone as well, so I now have 4 of them. Anyway, with booked future reservations I will be at 59 night credits, short of 60 required for top Globalist elite status. And I possibly have a trip to Greece and my favorite Thessaloniki Hyatt property is always a treat, so one more year requalifying as a World of Hyatt Globalist elite member. Will this year be my last? We shall see what happens.
I did not apply again for the Amex Schwab Platinum. After repeatedly being shown the dreaded pop up jail message informing me that for some strange reason I am not eligible for the 80k Signup Bonus due to my history, cough. And according to my records it has been just over 7 years since I last had the Amex Business Gold card I decided to go for it since the Signup Bonus is “up to 200,000 Amex Membership Rewards points”. Of course, key words are “up to”. I have good news and bad news. The good news is that I did NOT get the pop up jail message, hooray! The bad news is I was offered only 100,000 Signup Bonus. I did not proceed. Only to receive an email by Amex thanking me for the application and they are working on it. Say what? I called back and this is getting to be the norm lately being confronted with Amex customer service that is just plain bad when it used to be top notch. It was over the weekend and apparently someone would call me back to discuss my application. I just wanted to withdraw it without getting a hit on my credit record. Anyway, I called on Monday and gently inquired that I would love to do this for 200k and the rep politely withheld himself from laughing too hard and conveniently suggested I apply again after 30 days.
Anyway, my efforts continue to get back in with Amex. My Amex Business Platinum annual fee hits September 3rd and I will be back from my SE Asia trip by end of September and I intend to cancel it. A few days before canceling it I intend to apply again for the Schwab Amex Platinum and proceed even without a Signup Bonus. Which you have no idea how it hurts just typing this lol. If I fail to get it, I guess I can get on my wife’s Schwab Amex Platinum as an Authorized User at $195 per year. For the record, my pay back in credits since getting the Amex Business Platinum card is as follows: $600 in calendar year 2024, $950 in 2025 and $1,100 year to date in 2026. Not too shabby imho.
I applied online for visas to Vietnam at the official Vietnam E-Visa website. The site is clunky, allow some time to do it right. My issues revolved around accepting the photos of ourselves and the passport pages. Do some googling (or ChatGPTing) around to see the workarounds. Apparently I had to send the files to Whatsapp and download them from there as that somehow strips the “scripts” in them and the system then allows their uploading. And, oh yeah, if you get stuck on a scroll down button that does not work you have to refresh the page and start all over again. You have been warned. Mine was approved, waiting the visa for my wife next (I applied for her a few days after me, I had to recover lol).
Our SE Asia trip is coming together with 31 hotel nights booked, see below.
I have been trying to book awards for my wife to Kuala Lumpur and she is getting anxious because she just wants to book a Turkish Airlines ticket again and be done with it. And I keep saying give me a few more days something will open up. Well, crickets so far. Especially with both Alaska and Air Canada Aeroplan miles which are both proved to be absolutely useless. Alaska is asking 130k miles for a one way business class flying Philippine Airlines through a short connection in Manila airport, nope. Then they jump to 255k miles.
Wait, Air Canada says hold my beer. I first got excited to see business class award for 102.5k miles. Yeah, “mixed cabin” was a concern but I thought maybe a short leg. But nope, we are talking only 2% is in Business Class. I want to lol here but I feel like crying instead. Most were in the same territory so I excluded “Mixed Cabin” from search results. And then boom, I get availability from 341.7k to 481.5k miles, are you phucking kidding me? And this is why credit card “experts” keep deluding the newbies how easy it is to fly for free. Nothing is for free and award space has gotten absolutely horrifically bad lately. I did use some Alaska miles in the past to fly on AA to New York City only for AA to bungle the last two trips so so much for that. I am finding some space with AA miles but it requires jumping through some hoops like switching from Haneda to Narita airports in Tokyo which is something that she will never ever do. So…a few more days.
The two changes in the always improving trip are in bold font below.
I did find me a business class award returning back to the US from Singapore. For 90,000 United miles. Ok, when you see that you know it is on United metal. And I intend to keep this as a place holder and do my best to avoid flying it lol. Because it requires a long layover in SFO (which is fine) but then the next leg to Chicago is in Economy. And landing close to midnight. Which will require me getting a hotel room at the airport and then find/pay my way to Detroit. Yeah, slim pickings all around, it is a sad state of award affairs.
I intend to focus on getting some more travel rewards credit cards after I get back to Michigan from SE Asia. I was thinking perhaps to go for an Alaska Airlines card, especially the one that earns 3x on all purchases while abroad. Or go for an Air Canada Aeroplan card. But judging from the horrific award availability and prices I am likely not going to bother. Probably going back to Citibank to create more American Airlines miles. At the end of the day, both United and AA are still doing much better in the awards availability department. At least in my case with my home base in Detroit, not being that flexible and not into starting/ending my trips elsewhere other than Detroit. I will let you know…if I am still blogging that is.
When I learned that the Fairmont in Bangkok is opening in 2026 I zipped quickly on the website to learn of the opening date. And it appears it opens September 1st. So, as a lifetime Platinum member from a legendary 2011 deal…I get to call a special VIP line and be greeted with “Welcome Platinum for Life member” which always sounds so sweet. Anyway, I do get a free night cert and two suite upgrades every year as well (and $100 in food vouchers and more). The rep could not attach the suite upgrade cert to the free night cert and had to contact the hotel. Things are always dicey with new hotel openings. It may very well get pushed back. But if it somehow comes through (she is supposed to call me back and I will update the post then) we will stay only one night in the Hilton Pattaya (which is more than enough). So I made a separate reservation with Hilton and if the Fairmont reservation comes through I will cancel my 2 night reservation at the Hilton Pattaya. Showing newbies how to get this done, you are welcome. You know what makes this amazing if it comes through? We will move on from the Kromo hotel to the Fairmont which is just 300 meters away, sweet!
100,000 United miles for one way Business Class from Detroit to Bangkok (via Chicago and Tokyo Haneda) flying United Polaris and ANA Air Japan
OR
110,000 American Airlines miles for one way First Class from Detroit to Bangkok (via Dallas and Tokyo Haneda) flying AA and JAL
1 night at the StandardX Bangkok for 7,500 World of Hyatt points
10 nights at the Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 1 for 45,000 World of Hyatt points
9 nights at the Bangkok Hyatt Place Soi 24 for 40,500 World of Hyatt points
4 nights in a suite at the Saigon Park Hyatt for 80,000 World of Hyatt points
2 nights at the KROMO Bangkok, a Curio Collection by Hilton property, on AMEX The Hotel Collection booking fully utilizing Amex Business Platinum $300 credit
1 night at the brand new Fairmont Bangkok in a suite using my lifetime Platinum annual complimentary night cert
2 nights at the Hilton Pattaya for 120,000 Hilton Honors points
2 nights at the Andaz Pattaya Jomtien Beach for 30,000 World of Hyatt points in a confirmed Garden View Suite
1 night at the Singapore Conrad Marina Bay on an Amex FHR booking mostly covered by the $300 credit Schwab Amex Platinum $300 credit
90,000 United miles for one way Business Class Singapore to Chicago O’Hare (via San Fransisco) flying United
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75k CHASE Sapphire Preferred,100k CHASE Ink Cash, 100k CHASE Ink Unlimited, 200k CHASE Sapphire Reserve Business, 100k CHASE Sapphire Reserve, 75k CITI Strata Elite, 75k CAPITAL ONE Venture Rewards, 100k CHASE Ink Business Preferred, 175k AMEX Platinum, 75k CAPITAL ONE Venture X, 300k AMEX Business Platinum, 200k AMEX Business Gold, 200k CAPITAL ONE Spark Cash Plus, 100k BofA Alaska Atmos Summit, 80k BofA Alaska Atmos Ascent, 85k BofA Alaska Atmos Business, 30k CHASE United Gateway, 100k AMEX Gold, 15k AMEX Blue Business Plus and many more!
As of today, I have burned 977,015 miles/points year to date (after burning 1,893,248 miles/points in 2025Β and 2,027,816 in 2024) and have 3,874,663Β miles/points in the bank.
Let me leave you with this:
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What would be your plans for accommodation if you are staying in Bangkok for extended periods? Have you toured any condos for 3 month periods and what are the costs like? What we like about Thailand is the vibrancy, it feels like everyone is trying to make something happen, they hustle but not in a scammy way. I think part of it might be down to a younger population who are eager to perhaps have a better life than their parents did. BTW Andaz Pattaya does a good beef massaman.
I have been looking at BKK condo videos for a while. But we are too far from committing to one year leases, which are highly preferred by landlords and they are priced accordingly. Are there condos offering 6 month leases? Yes, there are but they don’t get the pricing break with one year leases. And if you offer to sign up for 2 years you can drive a hard bargain. Rental market leans heavily towards tenants, supply and demand rules. And the supply is just abundant, many condos are sitting empty.
For stays up to six months they have the so called service apartments. They are certainly more expensive than leasing a condo but they can work great if you are not that price sensitive as they roll into the monthly rent some of the utilities. And cleaning the room a certain number of times weekly too. So, very stay friendly for sure.
The Hyatt Place at Soi 24 has a month long deal but I am pretty sure it does not cover the busy tourist season, November to January. Actually I think it ends September 30. 30 nights, 65,000 Thai Baht which is about $2,000 in today’s USD. And you get, you know, breakfast π
I agree about the vibrancy of Bangkok.
When I see massaman on the menu I gotta eat it.
Hope this helps.
Wow! Tons of reading this week! Thanks! What Vicky says above is how I felt when I visited Saigon and, to a slightly lesser extent, Hanoi back a few years. I have been trying to plan some travel but it just isn’t happening. I might be aging out of it or might have to plan shorter trips or even do tours. (I hate tours) Might even be time to just stay put and raise some chickens as I have wanted to do for many years.
Please keep the Scams/Crypto stuff as that section usually has stuff I like to read about. Though to be honest I read through pretty much every section.
We were talking about modes of traveling as we age. I still resist tours and cruises but I must admit they sound better they older I get.
We have a neighbor who raises chickens. I think it is the only house in the whole subdivision. Kind of strange in my area…but not that strange in Ann Arbor.
Thanks for the feedback on keeping the Scams/Crypto section.
We have decided that rather than stop travelling we will use our money to smooth our path when necessary. For example last trip to Bangkok we booked the Fast Track service through the Park Hyatt. Was it an unnecessary expense, without a doubt. But something nice about arriving at the C gates facing a 15+ minute walk to immigration and having a buggy collect you and whisk you through immigration. Once they have collected your bag itβs straight out the front door and into your waiting car which is sitting there. In more difficult places to plan like Egypt we will use a guide all the way to remove the stresses involved, same with trips to Africa though they are likely to be private or semi private tours.
We are starting to do the same. One of these days we will buy a business class international ticket but, you know, with miles in the bank…we are not there yet lol.
I arranged a car services my first time in Bangkok in 2023 via the Hyatt Regency. The ride was great of course but, after learning more about the airport and rides to/from it, it was clearly overpriced. I haven’t looked into the Fast Track service at BKK. I am very interested in arranging transportation in Saigon’s airport with the Park Hyatt as we are landing there for the first time and want to make the 4 night excursion special.
Booked another award to BKK and canceled the United one, more details below sometime later today Sunday.
We used the hotel car service when we stayed at the PH Saigon probably 10+ years ago. Using the hotel car service is something we choose to do when we arrive at an unfamiliar city. There is something nice about someone smoothing out all the possible bumps in the road. Advantage of the hotel car is they know you are coming and no hanging around front desk to check in, whisked upstairs to your accommodation for check in procedures etc. And if it is a special trip it is certainly worth spending the $s even though you know in your brain you donβt need to be spending that money we always justify it by telling ourselves we are helping the local economy.
Thanks for the art link, Buzz. Iβll put that to good use.
As soon as I saw it I knew it was TBB worthy. Because you will like it π
You outdid yourself with the links today! I started to read one rather long
post but I’ll have to finishing over weekend.
Thanks for everything!
I changed how the blog post comes together. To reduce time/stress producing it.
I have added some links early in the morning each day. To cut down on the ridiculous spree that happens each Thursday all day and Friday early morning to publish before Friday 8 am.
Well, it did not work. The post became even longer and my time/stress certainly did not go down.
So, it is what it is.
Hey Buzz,
I concur, great post today. I for one still enjoy the crypto scam section. Good to know your enemies right?
Lots of assholes highlighted today. I have no idea why they think they may be immune to everything that’s going on with our planet.
Lame Hyatt promo again. Used to love spending a week at the Ziva Puerto Vallarta watching the whales from their great beach. But the points required these days for a place that desperately needs a renovation is completely absurd.
I’m also very appreciative of the posts regarding SE Asia as I’m definitely thinking along the same lines you are. Spending a few months there in the winter, a few months in Europe when it’s not on fire and some traveling.
All comments from the TBB clan are welcome, love to hear travel tips on places I have not been.
Carl, if you ever get the chance to go to Scilla or Otranto I’ve got a couple restaurant recommendations for you. I loved reading about the restaurants with the plates, had never heard of that before.
Thanks again Buzz, have a great weekend
It has been years since Hyatt offered a promo that was not lame.
Thanks for the feedback and the support as always, enjoy the weekend too.
Hey Dmitri, thanks for the recommendations on Scilla and Otranto. Send them on, please! Almost made it to Otranto one time but plans changed. I am completely unfamiliar with Scilla but will look into it and of course I love hearing about new restaurants to try and perhaps there is a plate or two in those places for me to score!
Hey George. If you by some chance have a Cap1 Savor referral could you email it to me?
You got mail, thank you!
Hmmm, β wait until age 70 to claim their Social Security Benefitsβ, while male life expectancy is only 76. Thatβs on average only 6 years on SS. Makes more sense for women.
Thailand has βbit trendy latelyβ for the last ~30-40years ( minus CoViD). The 2004 tsunami was among the worst natural disasters to hit Swedes (in Thailand).
On SS at age 70: My advice to claim at age 70 is as a starting point. All my clients are in good to great health and all think they get a decent shot to live a good life past age 85. And certainly past 81 to 83, which is the “break even”, again in general. They all certainly do not need the cash and I throw it back to them while of course doing some scenarios if a spouse is around. And it allows higher withdrawals in their 50s and 60s to live it up in a way when much younger while having the peace of mind of locking in a big lifetime check at age 70. Hope this clarifies it.
On trendy Thailand: I was mostly referring to the subject in YouTube videos. All these vloggers tend to copy each other. They are algorithm slaves basically. And after Covid the Thai vlogger “expert” has been posting “I escaped America and moved to Thailand and live on $____ per month/a luxury condo with rent $___ per month” and blah blah blah. And suddenly, you now see the following wave: “Thailand is not the same, moving to Vietnam” blah blah blah.
I knew it was bad for the Swedes at the tsunami but worst, really?
Added another reason why I like Thailand to the post:
The infrastructure (wifi and public transportation especially) is top notch in Bangkok enabling a high quality of life. I think it is second only to Singapore (which is of course one of the most expensive cities in the world).
Long time reader. Sorry, I haven’t commented in a while.
I would agree with the Social Security at 70. However, as a college prof in healthcare management and an immigrant from Western Europe, I have a very hard time wrapping my head around the crappy healthcare system and the horrible life expectancy in the US compared to other comparable countries.
Take Japan, Switzerland, Western Europe, it’s all in the mid 80s. In the US, it seems very common for men not to make it past 75. Even politicians and actors who supposedly have better access than regular people do not seem to live longer.
Point well taken. I am flying across the world to get me caring health care at a fraction of the cost here in the US. I think the US avg is skewed due to the meth (and Covid) deaths slightly. Then again, you know, like all drivers, we (and my clients) are not average π
Massaman is my favorite Thai dish! I love it so much I learned how to make it. It’s actually pretty simple, just requires a lot of ingredients. This is the recipe I use with a few modifications: https://lifemadesimplebakes.com/homemade-massaman-curry-5/
Question for you: our oldest goes off to college this weekend and I’m naturally thinking about summer vacations next year. Given that your kids have been through this, is there a best time for a family vacation when the kids are in college? Should you try to snag them for that week right after finals or what?
Thanks for the recipe, I passed it along to my wife who is in charge of that department. Because I can’t cook anything at all, I just eat π
When kids go to college they just did things on their own in their own schedule. We are not as cool as we used to be at that age lol. I find it easier I think after they start working if they work remotely. As they could arrange before hand to spend, say a week around Thanksgiving, in Thailand with us. Other than that, college Spring Breaks could be good only IF you propose to them an amazing free trip π Starting with the sophomore to junior year they are likely doing the internship thing (VERY important, both my kids got full time job offers after internships) so the week or two before the internships start is also a great time. On the other hand, putting together awards is so much easier π
US Bank has just entered the building…
Will respond to comments tomorrow…too much going on and need to focus on other things that pay the bills…
Unless something else comes into the picture…I need to cancel one of these awards. And I am torn…
AA award:
DTW-DFW on AA First Class on 737-800 flight departs at 5.41 am
3.20 hrs connection at DFW
DFW-HND on AA First Class on 777-300ER
11 hrs connection at HND
HND-BKK on JAL Business Class on 787-9
arrive at BKK at 5.45 am
Aeroplan award:
DTW-FRA on Lufthansa Business Class on 787-9 departs at 4 pm
3.5 hrs connection in FRA
FRA-MUC on Lufthansa Business Class on A321
4.15 hrs connection in MUC
MUC-BKK on Thai Airways Business Class on A350-900
arrive at BKK at 6.05 am
AA award: 100,000 miles vs Aeroplan award 118,500 (fully cancelable)
-I am concerned with AA getting me from DTW to DFW the most, have had AA screw up my last two trips super badly.
-Would rather not depart at 5.41 am but it’s ok. With Aeroplan award I do gain mostly a day of work by departing for the airport many hours later.
-Never flew AA First Class to Asia. Have flown Lufthansa Business Class DTW to/from so many times. Never flew Thai Airways Business Class on the A350. Flew JAL Business Class before Covid.
-Love spending hours in lounges. It appears HND lounges are way better than the much shorter connection times in FRA and MUC.
-Both get me to BKK almost at the same time, early in the morning, immigration should be a breeze.
Maybe AA forces my hand by canceling either flight lol.
Leaning towards giving AA a chance here. Mostly because I have not been able to use my AA miles in so long. But I can be easily convinced and am sure Lufthansa will get me to MUC on time to not miss the Thai Airways to BKK.
Halfway through the month and this blog has sold just one credit card. Which matches the number of credit cards sold in July.
Coffees sold in July: 21
Coffees sold month to date: 0
There will be a post this Sunday.
And most likely announcing a break from blogging, maybe I repeat some olds posts and I will focus on enjoying my time away in Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore. I may post a few pics in Instagram and when I remember I take and post some videos.
Keeping my baby here is unsustainable. Which was obvious of course but recent banking restrictions is just making it really a loss operation. And I am not even counting my time, sad lol.
Rian here from BKK Pulse. I noticed a few readers finding the site through this post and wanted to come say thanks in person. Seeing others using it to plan their Bangkok time is the best kind of endorsement. And you’re right about sabai sabai; that feeling is half the reason the site exists. There’s always something on in Bangkok, most people just never hear about it. See you in Bangkok!
Thanks for the email and the comment Rian. Love BKK Pulse and I use it myself. And I only link to sites I use and like, period. Maybe that is why I always turn down sponsorship requests…because I don’t think much of the ones reaching out trying to buy me lol.
See you in Bangkok next week.
I’m confused how long haul trucking is so at risk to AI. Then there is a link to which bridges AI hits. I have GM Supercruise and so far it is pretty good on highways as long as I don’t go through Deadman’s curve in Cleveland or need to exit at an interchange.
I am just confused with AI over all.
Have you driven a Ford lately? π