Another TBB post featuring the most eclectic links around the web such as real estate investing, AI bubble talk, social media peak, Citi premium card woes, where ETFs stand in 2025, Congress is helping to hide fund fees, more crypto frauds, a horrific family tragedy, what comes next in Iran, how the rich travel, flight attendant fashion through the years, the best photography links and of course always all of the most important developments in the crazy world of frequent flyer miles and points at the lower half of the post. Enjoy the weekend.
TBB Blog Mission: To Educate. Entertain. Inspire. In That Order!
Support TBB by applying for CREDIT CARDS or Buy Me a Coffee or click on LINKS
If you like my blog please subscribe, share it, and forward it widely. It’s free and I NEVER sell or give away email addresses.
No clickbait. No ads. No algorithms. No sponsors. No AI. No Paywalls.
Follow me on Instagram and subscribe to my YouTube channel
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.
Due to new severe credit card affiliate restrictions, there will not be any credit card links in the body of the blog posts other than Capital One Bank and personal referral links going forward. You can always get to my credit card links by clicking on “CREDIT CARDS’ at the menu on the top of the homepage or the “We make finding a new credit card simple” banner on the right sidebar. Or, preferably, you can receive new offers in your email inbox by signing up to receive alerts HERE . Or just email me.
BLOG HOUSEKEEPING
This is truly a one man labor of love operation, enjoy it while it lasts.
Hello from Toronto, Canada!
Thinking to add a new section titled QUOTE OF THE DAY. Just singling out a quote I come across that of course fits the blog mission. Ok, how about starting with this one below and please let me know what you think, thank you.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Whatever you do, always give 100%. Unless you’re donating blood.” – Bill Murray
PERSONAL FINANCE
Over the years I was approached by prospects wanting to work with me as their financial advisor. And then they told me they are into real estate. I just can’t go there. Next time I am going to show them this article which lays it all out very clearly, pros and cons: Why a Traditional Investment Portfolio is Better than Real Estate. You make your own judgment. Ok, let me paste below all the cons the author lists which I agree with:
It’s Often Anything but Passive
Even after you buy it, you have to keep spending on it
It increases the complexity of your financial life
You’ve just complicated your taxes (and have to pay for that complication)
Real estate prices don’t actually grow all that much over time
You just increased your investment risk
It’s illiquid. Otherwise known as, you can’t buy groceries tomorrow with your property value today
You can’t just buy or sell small bits at a time. It’s all or nothing. That might not match up with your finances
This might be the wrong time, in your financial life, to receive more income
Most people don’t have the skills and experience to properly evaluate a real estate investment opportunity
This is a really good article about the state of the ETF industry: ETFs 2025: Cheap, Fat, Starving for Attention.
- Most ETF assets are in, and will continue to be in, cheap index-based products. This is, in many ways, the ETF’s great legacy for all investors: low cost beta.
- Despite that, new products are at such insanely high fees that the big revenue winners are likely not the firms you think of when someone says “ETF” at a cocktail party. Massive profits are being made.
- The incredibly permissive launch environment combined with coming share-class relief suggest we’re headed for an even bigger flood of new ETFs than the 600 new funds already launched in 2025.
Be careful out there, they are out to get you: Congress Thinks Hiding Fund Fees Is Good for You. Even if fund expenses seem to disappear, they’re still the biggest drag on your returns.
A bill passed by the House and pending in the Senate would authorize portfolios often used in retirement accounts to skip reporting the expenses of certain funds they may invest in. Poof! Just like that, annual expenses that can range from 3% to 18% or more would disappear from the standard disclosure of fees in the prospectus. You’ll still bear the cost, though, in your investment returns.
The first question on most investors’ minds is usually: How much can I make on this? Instead, their first question should always be: How much will this cost me? [We can not control performance but we can control the fees, maybe you should start there instead.]
Some stats and a graph that I came across last week that I would like to share with you:
The S&P 500 Index fell 20% from September to October 2018, 34% from February to March 2020, 25% from January to October 2022 and 19% from February to April 2022. So, get used to this and don’t freak out when it happens again. Because it will. Most people can’t handle this mentally, have a plan and process to follow when it happens.
Passive investment management (or indexing to keep it simple) has skyrocketed in popularity in recent years. Why? It is because investors just got fed up paying much higher fees to hot shot active fund managers to…underperform. And continue doing so, beware:
SCAMS/CRYPTO/AI/TECH
Great news, this is a big hit on the phucking scammers: DOJ seizes $15 billion in bitcoin from massive ‘pig butchering’ scam based in Cambodia. Time to start pig butchering in reverse, yes!
Sometimes I go to a local taco joint. And I see a crypto ATM and I always wondered who the hell uses it. And now we know: Crypto crime scene How the companies behind crypto ATMs profit as Americans lose millions to scams. Can’t believe these companies are operating out in the open taking advantage of so many people.
“These machines are nothing more than conduits for fraud and criminal activity. Period,” said New Jersey state Sen. Paul Moriarty, who sponsored a bill in his state to outright ban the machines. “There’s no other use for them, because if you wanted to buy cryptocurrency you could buy it somewhere else for less.” [True, you can now buy crypto ETFs or at Coinbase if you want.]
Let’s go with a fun tech link next: 11 Oddball Technology Records You Probably Didn’t Know. Certainly did not know most of them and I bet you do not too.
Well, not that surprising it has come to this, sad: ChatGPT will soon allow erotica for verified adults, says OpenAI boss.
Sometimes I wonder what is going on with all this money going round and round, sure looks bubbly. At the same time, there is so much talk of “AI bubble” out there that it probably will lead the market to keep it going. You know, contrarianism and all that. Maybe, nobody knows what will happen in the short term, so focus on the long term to keep your sanity.
You like my blog? Send a link to someone please!
ODDZ & ENDZ
This is one of the toughest reads I came across lately. How do you get through this unimaginable tragedy? I have no words: A Stranger Shattered Their Lives. At First, They Didn’t Know Why. A family reckons with the devastation left behind after a former N.F.L. player showed up on their property. Maybe I should not have read it, it is still bothering me. Especially this part:
But the agony followed them away from home, too, where people often ask them, “Do you have children?” Sometimes they say yes, they have two, and they are waiting for them in heaven. Other times, when they don’t want to make someone feel uncomfortable, they do something that feels so wrong. They answer, “No.”
Excellent Foreign Affairs article on what comes after the clerics in Iran: The Autumn of the Ayatollahs. What change is coming to Iran. Lays out some possible scenarios. We really have no idea what will come next. I like the final paragraph and I paste it below:
The Islamic Republic’s tenure has amounted to a lost half century for Iran. While its Persian Gulf neighbors became global hubs of finance, transport, and technology, Iran squandered its wealth on failed regional adventures and a nuclear program that brought only isolation, all while repressing and wasting its greatest source of wealth: its people. The country still has the natural resources and human capital to rank among the world’s leading economies. But unless Tehran learns from its mistakes and reorders its politics, its trajectory will remain one of decline rather than renewal. The question is not whether change will come, but whether it will finally deliver a long-awaited spring—or merely another winter.
Amazing what can grow deep in the oceans: 8 Bizzare (and Terrifying) Deep-Sea Creatures. One of these links that may give you nightmares, you have been warned.
This is just sad, we are hurting…ourselves: Nearly 20 Percent Fewer International Students Traveled to the U.S. in August. The data shows the steepest decline in August international student arrivals since the pandemic.
Experts say a sustained drop in the numbers of international students could diminish American competitiveness in science and engineering. Nearly three-quarters of international students who receive a doctorate in science and engineering stay and work in the country after they graduate, and over 40 percent of all doctorate-level scientists and engineers in the U.S. are born outside the country. The newly instituted $100,000 fee for H-1B work visas is likely to further reduce the flow of STEM workers.
Maybe there is hope?
Amazing photography from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest. South African wildlife photographer Wim van den Heever has been announced as the overall winner with a ghostly image of a rare brown hyena in a deserted diamond mining town.
TRAVEL
It’s getting confusing out there so this is a good primer: Premium economy, business and first class explained.
My blog is beach friendly, so here we go: The Right Crowd-Free Beach for Every Month of the Year. Which one is your favorite?
The wealth effect is spreading among the wealthy my friends: Your Wealthiest Friend Has a Private Concierge. The services, which can cost more than $50,000 a year, make impossible dinner reservations and finagle special treatment. In certain circles, they’ve become a common luxury. Some of these amounts these people are spending are at lol levels. Such as:
For up to $75,000 per year these firms will book impossible-to-get dinner reservations, procure your child’s birthday present or personally courier your beach wardrobe from England to the Maldives over the holidays…
Concierge services vary by size and level of service. Knightsbridge Circle, a boutique firm that charges $50,000 a year plus an initiation fee, has only 120 members. But others, like Quintessentially and Velocity Black, have thousands. Banks like Wells Fargo, Capital One and Chase offer subscriptions to such services, either in-house or through third parties, as a perk to high-end customers…Firms make money through annual subscription fees: $12,000 to $44,000 for Quintessentially; $3,100 for Velocity Black plus a $900 initiation fee. They may also receive commissions through hotel and other travel bookings.
Very cool: Flight attendant fashion through the decades, in stunning photos.
Obligatory Thailand link: NEW Bangkok Mahanakhon I-Tilt World’s First 65-degree tilting experience. This looks terrifying. And I am staying in this building soon at the new Standard hotel (part of Hyatt) before moving on to the Bangkok Park Hyatt.
Follow me on Instagram please. Subscribe to my YouTube channel.
This blog started with a focus on miles and points and travel. It has evolved since then. Everything below deals with the hobby of collecting frequent flyer miles and points and maximizing your travel experiences. If you are not interested, you can stop here, thank you.
MILES & POINTS
Here we go again.
Really nice breakdown of all these different bank hotel programs. That we will all need to get more familiar with: Credit Card Hotel Collections That Offer Elite-Like Benefits Without Needing Elite Status.
Register for the new Marriott Bonvoy promo HERE. It is titled “Celebrate 2025 with 2,025 bonus points. Plus, 2,000 more on stays with Marriott Bonvoy® Outdoors.” And of course it sucks.
The latest United Airlines Mile Play promo. And with these lower your expectations.
This is an actual enhancement…if it works as intended: Rove launches Loyalty Eligible hotel stays; earn both Rove Miles & hotel points. These are actual real news that bloggers should be blogging about. Instead of them again and again falling for the regular Bilt marketing department BS “leaking” Rakuten deals and oh boy, wow, can you believe it the company will offer points for mortgages…one day. When that happens bloggers will be flooding the zone about it again. And this is why you get a lot of PR lol. Also, Bilt loves taking companies for a ride, first it was Wells Fargo, now it is Matt Ishbia who owns United Wholesale Mortgage and, please sit down, a few NBA teams, like the Phoenix Suns lol. Amazing how these guys keep fooling sources with deep pockets, truly remarkable skills.
I have tried to take advantage of this twice and both times the tiny fine print shut me down, so you have been warned. This post explains all the “conditions”, so good luck to you: How to Claim a Free Hotel or city Tour With the Turkish Airlines Stopover and TourIstanbul Programs.
JetBlue keeps fighting the good fight in the incredibly competitive airline industry. And, like almost all airlines (looking at you Southwest), it keeps catering to richer customers to compete. Which it translates to making more money with the banks. Anyway, it will finally debut two lounges so its premium credit cardholders can finally use this benefit lol. And it has just introduced interesting “enhancements” to its TrueBlue program for 2026. Which continues the “higher elites get more, lowly elites get less” mode just like all other airlines.
Good read on how Southwest Airlines has evolved over the years: Southwest Enters Its Leisure Era. Speaking of Southwest, have you seen the new completely redesigned interior of its Boeing 737 MAX planes yet? You will soon. It looks really cool and we will finally get power ports, personal device holders, adjustable headrests and new paint/lighting/carpet. And of course tray tables with dual cup holders and very soon free Wi-Fi as well. And wait, there is more…the airline is also looking to add lounges (which means a premium credit card is coming). It will be interesting to see the quarterly earnings report next week to see how this transformation is working out, there has to be a lot of dough from those seat and bag fees that are starting to make a difference. As I said above, all airlines are now catering to people with more money to spend on travel.
Another two thoughts: With all the lounge competition, where do airlines keep finding space to build them? And get used to more lounge access restrictions and overcrowding you guys.
TRAVEL REWARDS CREDIT CARDS
Required reading for us in this hobby. Yet another mainstream media article calling us churners out, so sad: They Each Own 50 Credit Cards. Should You? A growing number of Americans are making thousands by exploiting credit card reward offers. Every single article like this one leads to more restrictions on us hobbyists. Which leads to the continued devaluation of what we do. Congrats to the people for getting quoted in the New York Times but when you try next to book that business class award and you can’t find shit or it now requires double the miles/points what you last spent on it…maybe look in the mirror?
“It’s a hobby for people that enjoy reading the fine print,” Mr. Khor said. A typical churner loves squeezing the last dollar out of every deal, even if that requires several hours of spreadsheet management each week. [True]
“The amount you can eke out of it is ridiculous,” she said. “I still have ‘pinch myself’ moments all the time.” In addition to the cash — five figures each year, she said — her churning supports annual vacations to Japan, Florida and Hawaii. [Also true. And, with all due respect, STFU!]
Churning isn’t for everyone. The hobby requires cash upfront, since unlocking a sign-up bonus usually requires customers to reach a spending threshold. One wrong step can wreck your credit score and lead to a hefty interest charge. [True, this hobby can destroy you. It is not for most people. Definitely not for NYT readers, stop it.]
Churners say such tricks are growing harder to find. Whenever a moneymaking technique becomes too popular, businesses close the loophole, or go bankrupt. As a result, many people keep their techniques secret so they can remain profitable for longer. [Sadly very true. And articles like this sure do not help!]
Wait, there is one more from the mainstream media. This one from the front page of the Wall Street Journal taking Citi to the woodshed: They Signed Up for Citi’s New Premium Card. It Turned Into a Nightmare. Strata Elite cardholders say they were shut out of their accounts without explanation for weeks. Absolutely nothing surprises me anymore regarding the vast dysfunctionality of this bank. The customer service due to its crappy IT systems is making dealing with it a very unpleasant experience. So, if you go in expecting that…it is okay because this bank has the best earning cards out there. Yep, it all started with this:
Across the country, Citi Strata Elite customers say they have been locked out of their accounts for weeks, unable to make purchases or redeem rewards that cost an annual fee of $595. To unlock the cards and rewards, the bank is requiring customers to submit an income-verification form from the Internal Revenue Service…So far, some cardholders say, Citi has declined to prorate the annual fee to account for the weeks they were unable to use their cards. They say the bank has also refused to extend the bonus window.
Citi has been dealing with deeper structural problems. Since 2020, regulators have pressed the bank to fix its operational systems, which remain poorly integrated after years of acquisitions. [Yeah, really!]
Check and do this by using the link in this post: How To Unenroll From Amex Pay Over Time (And Why You Should). And then wait…for the time when Amex will give us thousands of points to re-enroll. Probably one of the top three easiest ways to earn points in this space.
Oh boy, here it comes soon: Coinbase’s Upcoming Amex Card With BTC Cashback: Everything We Know So Far. It will be very interesting to see the final details of the card when it comes out. Such as the signup bonus, earning structure, fees, etc. I think many younger people will go for it #staytuned.
Capital One sure makes it so much easier to do this: Combining Capital One Miles With Someone Else.
I still can’t believe I haven’t sold one of these cards in months, come on! 90,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points for two no annual fee cards, what iz your holdup? Ink Business Cash vs Ink Business Unlimited: Which $900 Bonus is Best for You? I say both lol.
Not many changes in the offers listed below, just added expiration dates for the 120k Chase Southwest Performance card (10/22/2025) and all the IHG One Rewards cards (10/23/2025)
NEW OFFERS:
Citi now offers the 100k Strata Elite card after $6,000 minimum spend. This is Citi’s premium card at a $595 annual fee. $300 annual hotel credit, $200 annual Splurge credits, $200 annual Blacklane credit, 4 annual American Airlines Admirals Club lounge passes, Priority Pass Select membership and $120 Global Entry/TSA Precheck credit. Earning structure is: 12x points per dollar spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com, 6x points per dollar spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com, 6x points per dollar spent at restaurants on Citi Nights purchases, Friday and Saturday from 6 PM – 6 AM EST, 3x points per dollar spent at Restaurants any other time, 1.5x points per dollar spent on All Other Purchases. Points can now be transferred out to American Airlines. This card is a Mastercard. There is a $145 discount off the annual fee if you are a Citigold customer or have a Private Client relationship (requires over $200k with Citi). Citi Private Clients get the first annual fee waived. Citi is not an easy bank to deal with so beware. If you are looking for a link please email me.
Amex just came in with elevated offers on all four Hilton Honors cards, they all END 1/14/2026:
– Honors: 100,000 points after $2,000 spend in six months
– Surpass: 155,000 points after $3,000 spend in six months
– Aspire: 175,000 points after $6,000 spend in six months
– Business: 175,000 points after $8,000 spend in six months
And Chase just elevated this offer:
Chase Marriott Boundless 125,000 Points + Free Night Certificate (up to 50,000 points) after $3,000 in six months
These two offers stand out and they are back!
Two NO ANNUAL fee cards from CHASE, the CHASE Ink Business Cash and the CHASE Ink Business Unlimited, for 90,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points for $6,000 minimum spend.
The 90K CHASE Ink Business Unlimited card is back. This is a NO ANNUAL FEE business card that earns 1.5x on everything, unlimited. The minimum spend required to earn the Signup Bonus is $6,000 in the first three months. Don’t use this card abroad as it has a foreign transaction fee. Chase may advertise this card all over the place as a cash back card but it does pay the Signup Bonus in 90,000 Chase Ultimate Reward points. Of course, extended warranty, purchase protection and primary CDW when renting a car for business purposes also apply. All these goodies for no annual fee, wow! Needless to say you don’t have to book travel in the Chase travel portal to get the travel values above. You can transfer your points to airline and hotel partners and possibly get even more more value than what you can get at the Chase travel portal, assuming you do have one of the cards mentioned above (Sapphire Reserve or Sapphire Preferred or Ink Business Preferred). But that requires a little more legwork from you to transfer, find availability, book award trips, etc. I like to transfer to Hyatt, Air Canada Aeroplan, United and sometimes Southwest. Available from my favorite bank links above.
The 90K CHASE Ink Business Cash is a NO ANNUAL FEE card. The card now offers the 90k Signup Bonus after $6k spend in the first three months. It earns 5x on office supply stores and internet/cable/phone services on the first $25,000 and 2x on gas and restaurants on the first $25,000 and 1x on everything else unlimited. Don’t use this card abroad as it has a foreign transaction fee. I usually go to Office Depot and buy gift cards of the stores I usually shop at, hello 5x Amazon! You can transfer your points to airline and hotel partners and possibly get even more more value than what you can get at the Chase travel portal, assuming you do have one of the cards mentioned above (Sapphire Reserve or Sapphire Preferred or Ink Business Preferred). But that requires a little more legwork from you to transfer, find availability, book award trips, etc. I like to transfer to Hyatt, Air Canada Aeroplan, United and sometimes Southwest.
Attention all you Southwest Companion Pass lovers and seekers:
Chase Southwest Business Performance Card 120,000 Points Signup Bonus (Companion Pass With Single Card Signup). $299 annual fee. $10k minimum spend in 3 months. If you time this right, you can earn the Companion Pass for all of 2026 AND 2027! Offer expires 10/22/2025 by the way. So if you apply in early October you can get the bonus posted in early January 2026 and boom!
Chase Aeroplan 100k Bonus Points. $95 annual fee. 75k points for $4k spend in 3 months. Additional 25k points for $20k total spend in 12 months.
EXPIRING OFFERS:
We now have the refreshed American Express Platinum & Business Platinum Cards ($895 Fee, 175k/200k Bonus, Many New Credits).
The Signup Bonus offers remain the dreaded “Up to 175,000 points” for the personal card (most getting 80,000). And a solid 200,000 points for the Business card.
125k CHASE Sapphire Reserve/200k CHASE Sapphire Reserve for Business
Chase raised the Signup Bonus to 125,000 from 100,000 points. The minimum spend is $5k in the first three months. As with all cards, you know what to do to help the blog, thank you. You can read a lot more about the Sapphire Reserve cards HERE.
30k CHASE United Gateway
One of my favorite no annual fee keeper cards. Just $1k minimum spend in the first three months. Earns 2x on United purchases, gas stations, local transit and commuting, 1x on everything else. You get expanded award availability and 2 free checked bags after $10k spend in a calendar year. 25% off in in-flight purchases. No foreign transaction fees. Many spend based promos with this card from personal experience, there is always a spend based promo going on, they never stop, love it.
75,000 Points + $300 Travel Credit Capital One Venture
If you value simplicity, this card earns 2x points everywhere (and 5x on hotels and rental cars booked on the Capital One travel portal) with a $95 annual fee. No foreign transactions fees, Visa Signature benefits and credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.
Capital One Spark Cash Business Card $1,000 Signup Bonus With $10,000 Spend
The card has its annual $95 fee WAIVED for the first year. No annoying credits to deal with, it just earns 2 points everywhere. And you can earn 5x on hotels and rental cars booked on the Capital One travel portal too. And when you have a Capital One Venture X or the Venture card above, the $1,000 can be turned into 100,000 miles.
CITI Strata No Annual Fee 30,000 Thank You points
Two new 100k offers on United business cards Ends November 5, 2025
The IHG One Rewards offers below all now END 10/23/2025.
- Chase IHG One Rewards Premier: 165,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Chase IHG One Rewards Traveler: 2 Free Nights + 40,000 Bonus Points after spending $2,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months from account opening. Each Free Night is valued at up to 50,000 points.
- Chase IHG One Rewards Premier Business: Earn up to 200,000 Bonus Points. Earn 140,000 Bonus Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months from account opening. Plus, earn 60,000 Bonus Points after spending a total of $9,000 in the first 6 months from account opening for a total of 200,000 Bonus Points.
Please help the small independent blogs like mine continue to exist by supporting them with your CREDIT CARD clicks, thank you!
THIS CARD STILL PAYS FOR ITSELF:
The 75K CAPITAL ONE Venture X card has a minimum spend of $4k in the first three months. If you like simplicity and looking for one (premium) card, I highly recommend this card (and yes, I have it myself!). It has an annual fee of $395 but it comes with an easy $300 statement credit for travel booked on its own travel portal, essentially turning it into a $95 annual fee card. But wait, there is more! On each card anniversary you earn 10,000 points essentially making it FREE! Every dollar of spend earns 2 points and flights booked on the travel portal earn 5 points per dollar. You get access to Capital One and Plaza Premium airport lounges and a Priority Pass Select lounge membership and, this is important, you can add four authorized users FOR FREE who can also have their own Priority Pass Select airline lounge membership and, this is BIG, they can bring in unlimited guests with their FREE Priority Pass card! You can transfer your Capital One points to up to 18 Transfer Partners. No foreign transaction fees. Free Hertz President’s Circle rental car top elite status. Cell phone protection and PRIMARY rental car coverage. Awesome seats at baseball stadiums for just 5k points each. And lots more.
Here are my three TOP CREDIT CARD OFFERS:
90K Capital One Venture X
90K Chase Ink Business Unlimited
90K CHASE Ink Business Cash
BONUS OFFERS NOTIFICATIONS
Would you like to be automatically notified every time a card comes out with (or is about to remove) an elevated welcome offer? If yes, I highly encourage you to sign up if you haven’t yet. And when you apply for a credit card from a link in these emails you help support the blog.
Elevated Card Offer Notifications
All you have to do to receive these free notifications is:
1. Click on the link above
2. Create an account
3. Subscribe
MY ACTION AND BLOG BUZZING
We are in Toronto this weekend for the 2025 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon. Wife and friends are running it and I am cheerleading…again 🙁 And looking forward to three nights at the Toronto Hyatt Regency in a confirmed suite booked months ago, thanks to 45,000 World of Hyatt points. And Globalist elite status of course. This stay should get me to 37 night credits, inching towards 60 to requalify as Globalist #winning.
I gained two subscribers over at YouTube, now at 74, feeling the momentum you guys lol. It must be this short video with sea turtles from Kefalonia, Greece. Which has become my most viewed video nearing 1,000 views. I guarantee you have not seen sea turtles like these. And then I added a second video this week! Cave of Drogarati Cave in Kefalonia, Greece. I think I am done with videos from the last trip. I need to be taking more and be more disciplined in uploading. So I can monetize my YouTube channel before I claim Social Security woohoo.
Award availability to get wife to Bangkok along with getting us both to Detroit from Kuala Lumpur has been absolutely atrocious. I mean, it does not exist. Yes we need to be flexible in this hobby, sure. But I don’t like positioning flights in general. Because when I fly back I just want to get home and vice versa. So, starting/ending in Detroit sure does not help. But still, come on! What my eyes have seen is absolutely ridiculous and instead of getting better as we get near the dates we need to travel is getting worse. No, I am not going to burn 600k miles to fly business class with four stops with total trip duration 57 hours.
Anyway, what makes it even more frustrating is the only ticket I am finding decent availability is the one I am already ticketed on. So I canceled my 100k business class award United award to fly to Washington IAD and then on United Polaris to Frankfurt getting on Thai Airways to Bangkok. Since I tried Polaris earlier this year on my trip to Greece I booked me another 100k United business class award to fly on Lufthansa to Frankfurt and then on Thai Airways to Bangkok. And getting there 7 hours earlier and skipping one stop #winning. I easily canceled the first award and got my 100k United miles back, love how this works and we are done with those stupid fees. Anyway, still looking for 3 tickets to do left. I may book economy awards as place holders for now and then hope to finally book us on business class awards later and cancel the economy awards or even jump on a reasonable business class fare. Yeah, pay for it #wow. What is happening to me lol. #developing and #staytuned.
The day I leave for Thailand is the 13th annual anniversary of my blog. And this will definitely be the year this business will show a loss. I get psychic rewards from blogging but there is a point that I should move on and you guys find someone else online; most likely it will be on YouTube and not a blogger, we are a species in danger of extinction. We are going to miss other I know but it has to end…one day. I have repeatedly asked here we all need to support causes we want to stick around to do what they do. Otherwise, enshittification keeps eating everything, Resist!
I add a personal or travel pic when I post in Instagram about a new blog post. So here is a pic from Argostoli street in Kefalonia, Greece.
I DO have a separate page listing my affiliate links HERE for: Rakuten and Top Cash Back and more.
I am giving myself a challenge to average 5 credit card sales and 15 Buy Me a Coffee sales per month. If I can’t even hit these low targets after almost 13 years of blogging I am out. We now have:
August:
Credit card sales: 8 Buy me a Coffee sales: 22
September:
Credit card sales: 2 Buy me a Coffee sales: 18
October to date:
Credit card sales: 4 Buy me a Coffee sales: 5
HOT CREDIT CARD OFFERS:
200k CHASE Sapphire Reserve Business, 125k CHASE Sapphire Reserve, 100k CITI Strata Elite, 175k AMEX Platinum, 90k CHASE Ink Business Cash, 75k CAPITAL ONE Venture X, 90k CHASE Ink Business Unlimited, 100k CAPITAL ONE Spark Cash, 200k AMEX Business Platinum, 200k CAPITAL ONE Spark Cash Plus, 75k CHASE Sapphire Preferred, 30k CHASE United Gateway, 100k AMEX Gold, 75k CAPITAL ONE Venture Rewards, 120k CHASE Southwest Performance Business (ENDS 10/22/2025), 100k CHASE Air Canada Aeroplan, 15k AMEX Blue Business Plus and many more!
As of today, I have burned 1,507,212 miles/points year to date (2,027,816 in 2024) and have 4,098,576 miles/points in the bank.
Remember, you are NOT allowed to ever carry a credit card balance!
Let me leave you with this:
Some of the links are behind a paywall. You can try to read them using Archive.is.
Thank you for reading my blog. If you enjoy it please forward it to a family member or friend. Or Buy Me a Coffee, thank you!
Feel free to contact me anytime at travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com, all feedback is very appreciated.
George
You can receive each blog post by entering your email address below and then clicking on SUBSCRIBE below, no spam ever!:
This site may receive compensation for sending traffic to partner sites. Travel Blogger Buzz and Your Best Credit Cards may receive a commission from card issuers. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not necessarily include all financial companies or all available financial offers. The editorial content on this page is not provided by any of the companies mentioned, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone.
Comments (12)
The YouTube video of the cave is really something!
When I read the Times piece on the credit card churners I thought “what pikers!” … Gracious … I got to remember Mommy Points and your close friend Rene “points” …
Thanks for the links!
Checking in but traveling and no time to read. I will save this for tomorrow afternoon or ASAP! Thanks as always for the great stuff, George!
I didn’t know you did YouTube, you have another subscriber! Maybe I’ll spring for a CapOne card soon. Always enjoy your writing and links!
Flying cars are here! https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/cars/i-test-drove-a-flying-car-get-ready-theyre-here-257b0ecf?st=f6VjSf
Does anybody have any advice for filling out FAFSA other than to get it done soon? My oldest is a high school senior and I was wondering if there are any SECRET INSIDER TRICKS that prompted people to start blogs so that they could share tips with friends and family.
Hi from the Starbucks inside the Toronto Hyatt Regency. Bonus it accepts US gift cards. Heading to breakfast next.
Nice property and nice suite. Great location. But the bathroom is very small, Best Western caliber. I think we will manage but still, takes away from the Globalist experience lol. Service is really outstanding so far, kudos to the front desk guy for fetching two umbrellas to help us with the rain walking to a Vietnamese restaurant to have dinner with wife’s nephew who moved here a month ago.
Gotta head to Greektown to find a place to watch my hometown soccer AEL FC team play a home game against the top Greek team with a budget probably 20x ours. And what a game to start with our new coach,God help us!
I will get to the comments when I can. Thanks to the reader who got the business Chase Sapphire Reserve card and breaking yet another streak from hell. And thanks to a reader for the coffee pleading for me to continue. Wonder if he forwarded my blog to his loved ones if he likes it so much.How about you? 🙂
Drove to Toronto, traffic here is hellish, took 7 hours WTF.
You all have a great weekend.
America Needs a Mass Movement—Now
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/11/autocracy-resistance-social-movement/684336/?gift=N–2bNqbgZMH–ioBiW6_NPDfo7IcQsxdlQLKxLw4hM&ref=newsletter.weeklyfilet.com
I agree George. Award seats appear to have vanished. Trying to book to Tanzania and back is, well diffecult, Coach is readily available, but 14 hrs in Y? Not an option. No mention of this online other than a single seat to somewhere.
Leaving Toronto later today. Almost skipped breakfast at the Toronto Hyatt Regency…three mornings and I never got my water glass filled without asking, not once, I mean, come on!
@ DML: There is a much better cave next to that one in the video. But the line was way too long so we skipped it. And we also missed Fteri beach too 🙁
@ Carl: Ok Carl, no worries, there will not be a quiz 🙂
@ Jennifer J: Thanks a lot, my YouTube production skills are non existent and it shows lol. Thank you, and good luck with the Capital One app…ya just never know what will happen with this bank.
@ NIck: No idea about FAFSA, I am past that stage. Just two more clients’ kids left to get to the promised land 🙂
@TheResistance: If I was back in the US I would be participating in the No Kings massive demonstrations too. The Canadians are with us 🙂
@JohnnieD: Yeah, it has not been as bad in a very long time. We are nearing the point where to cross that thin threshold line to keep this hobby alive or move on 🙁
Unusual trip report: a 1400 km snowmobile trip in Labrador.
https://newfiebullettadventures.wordpress.com/2017/03/25/snowmobile-trip-to-nain/
Unusual indeed and really cool. And cold!
Oh man, the hits keep coming in this hobby: https://www.instagram.com/p/DQE8WnrjJTt/?igsh=NTBuMTJzbHl4NHU3
Fits the link tomorrow awarding this airline the #1 slot 🙂