TravelBloggerBuzz

Predicting Stock Market Bubbles, The Money Queen, AI Global Cybersecurity Gap, Best Hiking Trails, Seattle Trip

Fri, 15 May 2026 06:34:35 GMT

Another TBB post featuring the most eclectic links around the web such as predicting stock market bubbles, the Money Queen, AI global cybersecurity gap, the best hiking trails, our Seattle trip, US stock market average annual returns, the current state of AI, winners and losers of the Iran war energy shock, shocking African funerals, why airlines continue to go bankrupt, world’s busiest airports, 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. 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.

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BLOG HOUSEKEEPING

This is truly a one man labor of love operation, enjoy it while it lasts.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“In the stock market, the most important organ is the stomach. It’s not the brain.” – Peter Lynch

MUST READ GEMS

There is so much bubble talk these days. And I get asked this question a lot: “Is it a bubble?”. And Jason Zweig over at the Wall Street Journal answered it in the best way possible, must read:

Why It’s So Hard to Spot a Stock-Market Bubble

The whole article is a must read. You can skip everything else if you are pressed for time and just read the articles in this section. If I were you though I would not skip much in this once a week blog post. But I am biased I guess.

Just a few gem quotes:

If the stock market’s a bubble, that’s dangerous. If you’re positive it is—or isn’t—a bubble, that could be even more dangerous.

…bubblespotting is a lot harder than it seems. If identifying a bubble were easy, then we all could do it. And, if we all could do it, then a bubble wouldn’t form in the first place.

The real danger of bubblespotting is believing you can do it…But stocks aren’t a toggle switch that you flip on or off. Few investors should have either all or none of their money in stocks. The future is rarely certain enough for that. Now is a good time to make sure you’re diversified, holding not just the S&P 500 but smaller stocks and international stocks as well. You should also check whether you can rebalance—trimming some winning assets, such as large U.S. stocks, to add some recent laggards like bonds. Also be on the alert for any signs your financial adviser is sure we’re in—or not in—a bubble. They don’t know any better than you do.

PERSONAL FINANCE

In investing you hear a lot how stocks return 8% to 10% annually on average. The key word is average. Actually, returns can and do usually vary all over the place almost every year. On average, you almost never get returns between 8% to 10%! Check out the chart below with annual returns of the S&P 500 since 1950. In fact, only just four years returned between 8% and 10%, that’s it. It is actually just six years that had returns between 5% and 10%. Found HERE:

CRYPTO/TECH/SCAMS

This article had a strong impact in me. No, I am not into farming. But this guy had a really big following on YouTube and one day he decided he had enough and posted a goodbye video. It must be so hard to do this. I have been contemplating the end here and I guess I am just not quite there…yet? Signing off in a world of what’s next.

We live in a world of such duplicity, lies, greed and avarice that seeing everyday people do everyday things is such a nice break…These creators become a quiet, steady presence in your life…They’re the opposite of the announcement economy…Someone is just trying to grow something and be honest about how hard it is…When that disappears, you lose a small refuge. Worth a moment of sadness. Near the end of his final video, Pete said two words. “I’m sorry.” He knew people relied on that rhythm. He felt the weight of leaving. He carried it. That’s character. [Well, I sure don’t have hundreds of thousands of readers and no income stream so it should be easier to end my blog I guess. But yet, I don’t want to walk away from all nine of you lol]

One of the biggest fraudsters out there still free is going to go for what fraudsters in this grifting age do. And that is ask for a pardon of course: Jho Low, Fugitive Behind 1MDB Scandal, Seeks Pardon From Trump. Malaysian financier recently submitted a pardon request, some 10 years after he disappeared amid a $4.5 billion scandal.

Anyone can be anything they want online. Some time ago a blog reader had a quote that went something like ‘on the internet, nobody knows you are a dog’ with a picture of a dog tweeting away. And they can just make shit up selling fake expertise and, wait for it, become influencers. Meaning, they go on tricking innocent victims who fall for their shit. And here is another one who developed a marketing machine calling herself the Money Queen smh: Who Trusts The Money Queen? Amanda Frances made millions helping women manifest their dream lives. Some former clients think they just funded hers.

She regularly drops new video courses with names like “Turning Shit Into Gold,” “Become a Money-Making Coach,” and “Money Mentality Makeover,” her foundational course, which she values at more than $26,000 but can be yours for just $2,999. “Spend as though you are supported, make purchases as though more is available for you, buy things as though you are a wealthy woman,” Frances writes in Rich As F*ck. [Vomited after this quote in the first few paragraphs and after I went through the article I swear I must have lost at least five pounds! Look, you can read my blog for free and I guarantee you will get way ahead of these victims falling for this shit]

AI

Great piece in the MIT Technology Review: Want to understand the current state of AI? Check out these charts. According to Stanford’s 2026 AI Index, AI is sprinting, and we’re struggling to keep up. Yes, check out the charts.

The Us and China are nearly tied

AI models are advancing super fast

But the way we test AI is broken

AI is starting to affect jobs

People have complicated feelings about AI

Governments are struggling to regulate AI

I have been getting some very sophisticated scam emails lately. And I have no doubt they are all AI generated. I think this is only going to get worse, so brace yourselves: The global cybersecurity gap deepens as AI-powered attacks surge. Restricted access to powerful defensive AI tools like Anthropic’s Mythos leaves some companies, central banks, and nations more vulnerable than others.

AI-driven cyberattacks are surging because models can now weaponize software vulnerabilities within hours of their discovery.
A massive global shortage of cybersecurity professionals is compounding the risk of an “AI bugocalypse.”
With the interconnected nature of the global digital economy, leaving smaller institutions and nations vulnerable means that no one is truly safe from the cascading effects of a breach.

In 2018, the median time from a vulnerability being disclosed to the first exploitation was 771 days, so organizations had over two years to fix it. By 2024, that window had reduced to four hours; last year, most exploited vulnerabilities were weaponized before they were even publicly disclosed.

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IRAN WAR

Must read imho: The Winners and Losers of the Iran Energy Shock.

It is kind of weird that in the scramble for more oil…renewables are winning. And China…For now at least, we shall see what happens from here.

Unless they have large stores of oil and gas, the best way for countries to become energy independent is to invest more in renewables, such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric energy. And the state that dominates the supply chain for these technologies is China. Beijing has invested hundreds of billions of dollars in building up large clean energy firms, and these companies are now exporting their wares across the world. The United States, by contrast, recently abandoned investment in clean tech and redoubled its spending on fossil fuels that few countries want. Beijing, then, may emerge from the war in Iran as its winner—and Washington as its ultimate loser.

And shocked to learn this about Pakistan:

Pakistan is not as dependent on fossil fuel imports, largely thanks to an explosion in renewable energy. The share of Pakistani power that comes from solar energy went from under three percent in 2020 to over 32 percent by the end of 2025, one of the fastest energy transitions anywhere in the world.

ODDZ & ENDZ

Very important article for youngsters who had everything provided by their parents and never really felt the existential dread needing to survive: The Job You Don’t Love Might Be the One That Saves You.Why purpose doesn’t have to start at work and what the “wrong” career can quietly build for you. My purpose after college was to find a job that will get me a green card to stay in this country. And after suffering through seven tax seasons in a suffocating environment such as the ~~Final~~ Big Four (formerly Big Eight) CPA firms I found my purpose I guess starting my own boutique wealth management firm. And the knowledge and experience (and money set aside) suffering for seven years was invaluable so embrace the suffering youngsters 🙂

I have posted about how crazy funerals can get at some African countries some time ago. But this article gets deeper and you will be shocked: How funerals keep Africa poor. Why the poorest people in the world spend fortunes burying their dead.

A modest, mid-level funeral in Ghana costs about $5,000 U.S. dollars; a “befitting” one can easily cost $15,000 or $20,000. And all this in a country with a median income of about $1,500 per year.

and then the article dives deeper, much deeper.

We play this kind of trivia in the car during road trips: The Animals That Kill the Most Humans. #2 was tricky indeed.

Amazing photography: 18 silly finalists from the Comedy Wildlife People’s Choice Awards.

Credit: Warren Price / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards

TRAVEL

Excellent article on the subject: Why airlines are always going bankrupt.

In the last century we’ve groped toward stability through government-approved cartels; then dismantled them; then approved their tacit reinstatement through private contracts; and now the empty-core syndrome has at last raised the question of direct government ownership of a major airline. We’ve admitted to ourselves, by now, what we’re still not able to say aloud: that there’s no such thing as a competitive equilibrium for the airline industry. The only question that remains is who is going to be left holding the bag.

Check out 25 of the Best Hiking Trails Worldwide. Which one is your favorite? Need to do Machu Picchu and Petra while I can.

Obligatory Thailand link: 20 Surprising Things About Thailand Most People Don’t Know Before They Visit. I was surprised I did not know some of them.

The World’s Busiest Airports. When you look at the 106.3 Million passenger number next to the Atlanta Airport (easily #1 on this list) you go wow…

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This blog started with a focus on miles and points and travel. It has evolved since then. Everything below deals with the hobby of collecting frequent flyer miles and points and maximizing your travel experiences. If you are not interested, you can stop here, thank you.

MILES & POINTS

So, here we go again…

Good info to know if you are renewing your US passport in the near future: My Online Passport Renewal Only Took 2 Weeks (Full Timeline & Process).

Register for the latest Choice Hotels promotion HERE. Stay two and get enough points for a $50 gift card for gas. Actually, it is 8,000 Choice points so definitely go for the points here. Then again, with the price of gas these days, it does make sense to market this for the gas indeed.

Bye bye Asiana Airlines: Asiana Brand Will Disappear & Merge Into Korean Air On December 17, 2026. Tough loss for Star Alliance, good pickup by Skyteam Alliance.

TRAVEL REWARDS CREDIT CARDS

For ANY questions on travel rewards credit cards, contact me anytime at travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com

The enshittification of all things Chase towards its credit card holders continues to amaze us, negatively sadly:Chase Sapphire Preferred Ending 10% Anniversary Bonus.

My kids still have this card, it was their first one when they turned 18: Discover It cards moving to Capital One 7/27/26; more bonus spend categories, Capital One Offers access, & more. Nothing received yet, wonder when this card will appear in their own Capital One portal next to their Venture X cards.

Interesting info on where Citi is going: Citi’s Investor Day Gives Clues on Credit Card Direction. Then again, we are dealing with Citi here, who knows if they even know where they are going lol.

In its face, this is positive: American Express Adds $300 ChatGPT Business Credit To Business Cards Platinum & Gold. But after you read the fine print you realize you need to spend more to earn it so pass and go Claude maybe. If Chase cared to improve the Sapphire Reserve…never mind.

Spoke too soon about the positive change above: American Express Business Gold To Lose FedEx As Flexible Business Credit Option ($20 Per Month).

LATEST OFFERS:

I will make this section increasingly smaller. Because my posts are too long and nobody clicks on these links anyway…

150k AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business PLUS $125 Statement Credit: $125 Annual fee, minimum spend $8,000 in the first six months. For more info on the card’s benefits click HERE.

150k CHASE Sapphire Reserve: $795 Annual Fee. 150,000 points after spending $6,000 in the first three months. Lots of benefits and credits and earning multipliers.

185k CHASE IHG One Rewards Premier:$99 annual fee. 150,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first three months. And another 35,000 points after spending a total of $6,000 in the first six months.

125k CHASE IHG One Rewards Traveler: No annual fee. 90,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 in the first three months. And another 35,000 points after spending a total of $4,000 in the first six months.

150k CAPITAL ONE Venture Business: $95 annual fee. 75,000 miles when they spend $7,500 in the first 3 months, plus an additional 75,000 miles when they spend $30,000 in the first 6 months. Two separate $50 credits: travel credit and advertising/software credit. 2x on every purchase and 5x on hotels and rental cars booked on the Capital One travel portal. $120 Global Entry/TSAPreCheck credit. Shockingly, this card will NOT report to personal credit bureaus.

50k CAPITAL ONE VentureOne Business: No annual fee. $4,500 minimum spend in first three months. 1.5x on every purchase and 5x on hotels and rental cars booked on the Capital One travel portal.

As High As 200,000 Points on the AMEX Business Gold after spending $15k in the first 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

75k CITI AAdvantage Business World Elite MasterCard

175k AMEX Platinum & 300k AMEX Business Platinum

75k 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.

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MY ACTION AND BLOG BUZZING

I have not done much other than trying to keep up with everything going on. And continuing to pay the crew working on ~~wrecking~~ renovating our house. It is coming together, aiming to finish everything by mid June. Sadly it is going to interfere with the World Cup starting June 11.

The miles and points/travel hacking hobby is dying. The recent devaluations by Hyatt and Air Canada Aeroplan hurt bigly. But the change that hurts the most and is slowly settling us all into a new reality is the restrictions on getting cards from Chase bank. So the transfers to United and Hyatt will slowly vanish. And we are all going to pay for travel going forward. If you are one of those non normal people who are heavily into this by screwing around with advanced “techniques” (that have gone underground) you are also impacted because finding the award space previously plentiful (or at least tolerable) is just much harder. In a way, it is kind of liberating just looking at the prices in Google Flight alerts you set and say “you know, I can afford that” instead of torturing ourselves trying to book using our miles. Chase is huge so the bank doesn’t care and is now pushing the knife on our backs deeper.

Many creators are also pivoting. Simply because the revenue from credit card sales is going down. Both total volume sold and per credit card. We all know many former hobbyists who went on to work at The Points Guy (and almost everyone has been let go or moved on from there). I think the only one left in that joint is Mommy Points. But you know what is the ultimate sign of this hobby running its course? Seeing former hobbyists going to work in companies that directly run rewards programs. And they are inflicting the pain on us from within while having the audacity to think they are still one of us (looking at you Richard Kerr at Bilt) and bracing for the hurt over at Air France Flying Blue who just hired Tiffany Funk from One Mile at a Time to be its CEO. Kiss goodbye to the sweet spots in that program by the way, it is a matter of time. Anyway…

I haven’t seen a movie lately, I look at what is showing and I just lose interest.

The Detroit Pistons imploded in Game 5 against the Cleveland Cavs at home after losing a 9 point lead in the last three minutes of the game. Likely going down at Cleveland in Game 6. Great season but…

We had a wonderful time in Seattle with our daughter over Mother’s Day weekend. Both Delta and Alaska Airlines flights were just fine. Two nights at the Hyatt Regency were fine and then moved to The Thompson for one night. I used two Free Night Certificates and 15,000 World of Hyatt points for the three nights. Because…this is what I do. For a little bit longer I guess. Both great locations. Free parking as Globalist is great. The stays were fine, no suite upgrades and just nothing spectacular. I did not even bother taking pics or videos for Instagram and YouTube, just not cut out to be a frequent poster there I guess. I spend enough time producing this blog to post once a week. At some point I will post some pics on Instagram. When I get to it. After staying in two Thompson properties (the other one in Chicago) I realize I am just not a fan of this brand. And I am no fan of Kimpton hotels in the IHG program. And W in Marriott Bonvoy. Let me keep going and add Andaz to this list (my wife loves Andaz by the way). In all these brands I have had consistently bad or subpar experiences. It is what it is.

Just a few pics from the Seattle trip.

The Thompson hotel is just steps away…

Lovely outing at this park

Amazing views in the Ebey’s Landing hiking trek

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Check out my page listing my affiliate links HERE including Rakuten and Top Cash Back and Rove Miles and more.

HOT CREDIT CARD OFFERS:

150k CHASE Sapphire Reserve Business, 150k 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, 75k CHASE Sapphire Preferred, 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 421,515 miles/points year to date (after burning 1,893,248 miles/points in 2025 and 2,027,816 in 2024) and have 4,173,657 miles/points in the bank.

TBB’s Miles & Points RESOURCES Page

Remember, you are NOT allowed to ever carry a credit card balance!

Let me leave you with this:

I have become my dad lol

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Feel free to contact me anytime at travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com, all feedback is very appreciated.

George

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Wall Street Traps, AI Distorting Everything, Hantavirus Cruise Nightmare, Missing Spirit Airlines

Fri, 08 May 2026 04:29:16 GMT

Another TBB post featuring the most eclectic links around the web such as Wall Street traps, AI distorting everything, Hantavirus cruise nightmare, missing Spirit Airlines, investing during uncertainty, AI hyperscalers spend binge, Vladimir fraudster gets busted, more magical Artemis II photos from NASA, more on the sub-2 hour marathon triumph, 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. And much more. Enjoy the weekend.

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 and share it

No clickbait. No ads. No algorithms. No sponsors. No AI. No paywalls.

Follow me on Instagram and Subscribe to my YouTube channel

BLOG HOUSEKEEPING

This is truly a one man labor of love operation, enjoy it while it lasts.

First big life change revealed: My wife is retiring from Ford Motor Company, her last day of work is June 30, 2026. Not going to make a difference here in the blog, unless she applies for an open internship position. The job interview will be intense because blog management is only looking to hire the best. My kids say I laugh at my own jokes, it is true lol.

More changes coming soon. The blog will stay on someway somehow but going to be different, stay tuned.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Always beware the man who stops digging for gold and starts selling maps to the gold mine”

MUST READ GEMS

One of the best photo collections I have posted here in my own biased opinion:

Photo contest finalists tell stories of the planet’s natural wonders and the people who study them

Two Atlantic puffins perch on a grassy cliff at the Dyrhólaey Peninsula, overlooking the ocean and the iconic black sand beaches of Iceland’s South Coast. PhotoCredit:EmilyCheng

PERSONAL FINANCE

Great read: How Not to Invest During Times of Uncertainty. Especially two really bad ideas that always pop up during such times, market timing and portfolio concentration (on what’s currently hot).

We have an incredibly strong instinct to act and to do ‘stuff’ – don’t just sit there, markets are moving! For investors that often means trying to make predictions about what happens next. While the urge to do this can feel irresistible, it flies in the face of the evidence about what is likely to work for us over time.

Being diversified means owning things that are performing poorly and that, in certain environments, we should expect to perform poorly. It is incredibly difficult for investors to embrace this idea – we just want to hold the good things that have been working.

The sense that markets are unusually uncertain is the time when behavioural discipline matters most, but also when we are highly likely to abandon it. Market timing and portfolio concentration feel right, but really they are just the easy options that make us feel good, while being very unlikely to work.

Needless to say I agree 100% with the above. So, diversify!

Lots of good sensible advice in this as well: Wall Street Trap. Remember, Wall Street is not your friend.

For almost 100 years, the data has been clear that stock-picking is counterproductive.

Over the past 10 years, fewer than 15% of funds benchmarked to the S&P 500 managed to beat the index.

…the accuracy of Wall Street prognosticators is approximately zero.

[many of the new funds]…funds were overpriced to the point that their expected return was actually a bit below zero. How were they able to market such an inferior product? Henderson’s hypothesis was that the fund companies designed them to be intentionally as complex as possible in order to exploit individual investors.

CRYPTO/TECH/SCAMS

Remember when I posted about this guy who managed to scam a Mexican billionaire? And I wondered out loud why is this guy still out free. Well, justice caught up with him and is now behind bars: Lender Who Used Astor Family Name Is Charged With Fraud. Vladimir Sklarov, who operated under several identities, offered loans to company founders who had wealth locked up in stock.

This guy is a piece of work smh:

In spring 2021, Sklarov, a Ukrainian-born American, negotiated terms to extend a $115 million loan to Ricardo Salinas Pliego, one of Mexico’s richest men, the Journal previously reported…Sklarov, calling himself Gregory Mitchell, and another man, calling himself Thomas Mellon, allegedly told Salinas Pliego’s representatives that the Astor family would be funding the loan from an entity called Astor Asset Management…Astor on its website said it was built on the highest principles of John Jacob Astor, the German-born fur trader who was credited as America’s richest man when he died in 1848…The loan to the businessman was secured with around $450 million worth of stock. Sklarov paid Salinas Pliego the proceeds of the loan from the stock, which he sold without telling the Mexican billionaire, the grand jury alleged. Sklarov and others then kept the remainder of the proceeds, according to the indictment…The money was sent to multiple accounts controlled by an unnamed co-conspirator, according to the indictment. From there, it was sent on to Sklarov, Sklarov family members and others.

His first big financial success came from his role in an alleged Medicare fraud, and he later said he turned $1 million into $60 million by investing in real estate…Names of companies he used to advertise the lending included Bentley Rothschild, Cornelius Vanderbilt Capital Management and Shearson Lehman.

Mind blowing graph showing: Battery costs have declined by 99% in the last three decades, making electrified transport a reality.

Another amazing investigative article on New Orlean’s Car Crash Conspiracy. High-speed accidents, crooked lawyers, and poor people desperate for cash—it was the kind of scheme that could have been cooked up only in the Big Easy. Definitely in a different league than the Vladimir dude above.

AI

Yes you were not mistaken. The money spent on AI is mind blowing: What I Learned about Hyperscalers’ AI Spend.

The four biggest hyperscalers reported earnings this week. Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, and Alphabet collectively told investors they will spend roughly $700 billion on capital expenditures in 2026. That is nearly double what they spent in 2025. Three of the four raised capex guidance during this week of reporting. Only Amazon held its number, and only because it had already published a $200 billion forecast in February 2026

The headline says hyperscaler capex is roughly doubling. The platform shift to a new tech stack is real. AI revenue is growing fast. None of that is wrong. What is also true is that funding is increasingly off the balance sheet, that supplier relationships are being prepaid, that lease commitments are being deferred for as long as accounting rules allow, and that a meaningful portion of the AI revenue and AI investment gains are flowing in a circle through the same small set of AI labs. The platform shift is real. AI engineering is real. So is the financial engineering. Let the good times roll.

This is pretty much what is going on these days: AI Is Distorting Practically Everything About the Economy.

Until recently, artificial intelligence was a welcome tailwind for U.S. growth. We’re beyond that now. AI is more like a hurricane-strength weather system making itself felt across the entire economy. It is distorting the stock market, profits, the speed and composition of economic growth, trade and even our moods—especially about the job market.

AI thus feeds the disconnect between what the data say and how people feel. It lifts the spirits of businesses and investors, while doing the opposite for ordinary workers.

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IRAN WAR

This is turning into an absurd mess. So, phuck it, the answer is to laugh (instead of crying):

Hegseth and Patel Iran Press Briefing Cold Open – SNL

Colin Jost and especially Aziz Ansari are just perfect impersonating Hegseth and Patel! And they sum up the Iran war so well too.

ODDZ & ENDZ

Interesting: Slang Dictionary. Hard to keep up with the younger crowd with some of these slangs. I never heard of these below:

almond mom – a mother who pushes her daughter to be skinny, through diet

41 – a nonsense expression used by teens

choppelganger – a less attractive version of someone or something

Amazing: Magnified Sand. All about sand, wow.

The world is still stunned about this: Sabastian Sawe, Adidas and the Sub-2 Hour Marathon. Also, the article gets into the shoes and more, enjoy.

Take the time splits for Sawe’s marathon run…they are mind-boggling:

a pace of 4:33 per mile (the record for one mile is 3:43 and he kept the pace 26x)
or 2:50 per kilometer (he did it 42x)
his 100m pace was 17 seconds (which he did 422x)
he was faster in the second half (59:01) as compared to the first half (60:29)
the average speed was the same as Kipchoge’s at 13mp/h (21km/h)
the average men’s marathon time for 5km is ~30 mins (Sawe’s 5km pace was 14:10 mins, which he did ~8x)
the world record 10km track run is 26:11 (Sawe’s 10km pace was 28:19 which he did ~4x)

Amazing dump of over 12,000 photos: NASA Releases Thousands of Unseen Artemis II Photos.

TRAVEL

I remember when Covid started a colleague was quarantined in one of the first cruise ships that was caught at sea with Covid rampaging aboard. I remember how horrific it all was. I still think about that when people mention cruises. And then, it is hard to imagine happening again. Hold my beer: The Horror of a Hantavirus Cruise. I just hope experts can get a handle on this because, you know, we’ve been here before and this particular virus is no joke. It is the virus that killed Gene Hackman’s wife by the way. I think I may put Antarctica off the future plans. Because ships leave from Argentina where this outbreak probably started. A lot unfolding, it certainly has a similar feel to the first reports of Covid cases, doesn’t it?

More horrors revealed here, some YouTubers are on board, this was an experienced group of travelers paying $29,000 per person for this cruise: The 33 day ‘Atlantic Odyssey’ That Turned Into a Hantavirus Nightmare.

Welcome: UNESCO names 12 new Global Geoparks. Greece gets one and Malaysia two, nice!

For my aviation geek readers: 15 innovative, wacky airplane seat designs. Which one is your favorite?

All of us travelers will miss Spirit and the low fare competition it contributed in this super competitive industry. Until it lost the battle sadly: I’ll Miss Spirit and the Haters Will, Too. The demise of the low-cost airline, the butt of plenty of jokes, will leave all travelers worse off. Especially in my home airport in Detroit. If you were caught in this, this may help: Spirit Airlines What To Do Next: Rescue Fares, Chargebacks, Points, Credit Cards & More.

Follow me on Instagram and 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

So, here we go again…

Alaska Airlines keeps growing in methodical slow and steady ways, I am impressed. Well, I am flying them this weekend so give me a few days to confirm these initial positive feelings ok? Alaska Airline’s First-Ever Europe Flight Takes Off – Here’s What It Was Like in Economy.

I predict this is the next shoe to drop: Why suites are now the sweet spot inside World of Hyatt.

Us in this travel hacking hobby are natural born deal hunters. So, here you go: The Ultimate Guide to Birthday Deals: Restaurants with Free Food & Discounts.

Happy 13th birthday to Grant and his Travel With Grant blog. Hard to believe we are both still around blogging away and…has it really been that many years since that Phoenix meetup, wow!

One of these days I am going to start using Rove, after I get that first Rove referral lol: Rove Adds Aeroplan As 1:1 Transfer Partner + 25% Transfer Bonus.

TRAVEL REWARDS CREDIT CARDS

For ANY questions on travel rewards credit cards, contact me anytime at travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com

These are great…if you can get them that is: American Express Charles Schwab & Morgan Stanley Platinum 150,000 Points Bonus.

LATEST OFFERS:

I will make this section increasingly smaller. Because my posts are too long and nobody clicks on these links anyway…

150k CHASE Sapphire Reserve: $795 Annual Fee. 150,000 points after spending $6,000 in the first three months. Lots of benefits and credits and earning multipliers.

185k CHASE IHG One Rewards Premier: $99 annual fee. 150,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first three months. And another 35,000 points after spending a total of $6,000 in the first six months.

To learn more about these IHG new offers above, please click HERE. The Premier card offer is great that comes with a Free Night cert every year that can be topped off.

50k CAPITAL ONE VentureOne Business: No annual fee. $4,500 minimum spend in first three months. 1.5x on every purchase and 5x on hotels and rental cars booked on the Capital One travel portal.

Amex is going all out on both Business Platinum and Gold cards!

As High As 200,000 Points on the AMEX Business Gold after spending $15k in the first three months

As High As 300,000 Points on the AMEX Business Platinum after spending $20,000 in the first three months

Excellent new Bank of America Alaska Airlines Atmos card offers as well:

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

75k CITI AAdvantage Business World Elite MasterCard

175k AMEX Platinum & 300k AMEX Business Platinum & 200k AMEX Business Gold

75k CITI Strata Elite card

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MY ACTION AND BLOG BUZZING

Will be in Seattle over the weekend to celebrate Mother’s Day with our daughter. And looking forward to meet long time blog reader Carl, one of the joys of this blog.

I deleted two Spirit Airlines miles accounts from my Award Wallet. The life simplification continues lol. For the record, there were no miles in either account.

When we get to Bangkok and Singapore and Vietnam later this year, thinking about hitting Krabi for 2-3 nights too. Any hotel recommendations? Or areas to stay in? I guess taking boat tour(s) to nearby islands is a must…

It didn’t take long but the next United Gateway card spend based promo appeared yet again. This time is to spend $3.5k in the months of May, June July to earn 1,750 bonus miles each month. And if done all three, then earn another 10,500 miles. So, it works out to 1.5 miles per $1. I registered for it but I don’t think I am going to do it. I can get 2 points on my Capital Venture X card or Ames Blue Business Plus. I would be all over this promo up to last year by the way. This year? Not feeling it anymore.

The enshittification of this hobby continues. The Aeroplan business class awards are going from 70k+ to 93K on June 1st. Of course we all know the mega Hyatt devaluation on May 20. And airfare prices keep going way up. You may say, well, miles/points can go further. But award availability is getting absolutely destroyed too. I hardly get any emails from PointsYeah anymore based on my alerts I have set. And Chase has cut the gravy train that made unlimited generation of its points. And Amex does not like me anymore. I mean, I think the only credit card my household got this year was the no annual fee United Gateway card for my wife. Because I guess I was bored.

I am going to try again for the Schwab Amex Platinum card, especially now that the signup bonus went to 150k from 80k. But I have no doubt I will get the pop up jail message denying it to me, it has happened numerous times, so sad. I may have my wife apply for it, just to see if she gets the same popup. I think she had the regular Amex Platinum many years ago, before Covid for sure. But she won’t keep track of the credits. So I will have to do it. I am used to this. After I come back from Seattle I will give it another shot.

I still have not done it. Spend my cash for business class fares that is. Because, you know, I am the miles guy and I fly up front for free. Anyway, with the current dreadful situation in this hobby I keep looking at the cash fares and I know I am getting closer to pull the trigger. Because I can. But, you know, it is so hard lol.

Many bloggers in this space make a living out of this hobby. And it is in their own self interest to keep hyping you about it to keep you involved. Don’t fall for it. The value is steadily getting too distorted to stay in it. I can tell you this because I have a good job that pays the bills and thank God I do not rely on this blog for anything other than psychic rewards. This is what happens when so many flood this hobby, led by opportunistic bloggers who suddenly discovered (how much banks pay them to push plastic) and wanted to share to the world how they fly for “free”. Don’t get me wrong, it has been a hell of a ride and we should be grateful. Also, these bloggers also keep pumping crap like this to get the $ clicks:

View From The Wing: Video Shows Rental Car Returned With Spaghetti On The Seat

If you click on shit like that you don’t belong here in my blog, please leave.

The Detroit Pistons finally won a playoff series. After going down 3-1 to the Orlando Magic and scaring us all. Cleveland Cavs are next and we are up 2-0 already yeah!

The trailer for the new movie The Odyssey looks epic!

I finally got around to posting a video of the room we had in The Shinola hotel in Detroit. It was an AMEX FHR stay for the $300 credit, the $100 dining credit and the other FHR benefits.

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Check out my page listing my affiliate links HERE including Rakuten and Top Cash Back and Rove Miles and more.

HOT CREDIT CARD OFFERS:

150k CHASE Sapphire Reserve Business, 150k 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, 75k CHASE Sapphire Preferred, 200k AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant, 175k Marriott Bonvoy Bevy (ENDS 5/13/26), 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 371,515 miles/points year to date (after burning 1,893,248 miles/points in 2025 and 2,027,816 in 2024) and have 4,206,464 miles/points in the bank.

TBB’s Miles & Points RESOURCES Page

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

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Petty Tyrants, AI Uncertainties, $Trump Coin Club, Marathon History, 150,000 Chase Sapphire Reserve Offer

Fri, 01 May 2026 07:04:02 GMT

Another TBB post featuring the most eclectic links around the web such as petty tyrants, AI uncertainties, $Trump Coin Club, sub 2 hour marathon history, 150,000 Chase Sapphire Reserve offer, college cost facts, financial advisor compensation methods, software eating itself, Iran war energy crisis spreading, losing a daughter, best luxury hotels in US National Parks, most walkable cities, 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. And much more. Enjoy the weekend.

Blog Mission: To Educate. Entertain. Inspire. In That Order!

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No clickbait. No ads. No algorithms. No sponsors. No AI. No paywalls.

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BLOG HOUSEKEEPING

This is truly a one man labor of love operation, enjoy it while it lasts.

This blog is my own crusade to do my part to fight rampant enshittification on the internet. I bring to you handpicked web content worthy to pay attention to. Because nothing matters more than what you pay attention to.

Thank you to everyone who reads my blog, I am grateful you chose to stop by here in my little corner of the web that acts as my outlet for personal creativity and keeps me busy and out of trouble. When I find some time I hope I can upgrade the look of my blog because I know it sucks. And also upgrade the look of the email to subscribers. One day I promise…

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“He who has overcomes his fears will truly be free” – Aristostle

MUST READ GEMS

This is very important:

The Rise And Fall of ‘Petty Tyrants’

History shows that bad leaders can successfully undermine democracy — but the story always ends the same way.

These images will blow your mind:

Winners of the GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2026

PERSONAL FINANCE

A few college related links for you, there is plenty of great stats in each post:

Average Cost of College & Tuition

Financial Aid Statistics

The average in-state student attending a public 4-year institution and living on-campus spent $27,146 in academic year (AY) 2022-23.

The average private, nonprofit university student living on campus paid $58,628 in AY 2022-23; $38,421 of that cost went toward tuition and fees.

I have been a member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors NAPFA for almost thirty years. It was this renegade tiny group of financial planners proud to be fiduciaries who banned any compensation that did not come directly from the clients. Fee Only compensation defined us. We swore off ANY sales commissions and believed in fully transparent compensation. Paid ONLY by the clients. Anyway, after many years the brokers, insurance and annuities salesmen and all sorts of other species looking for that big sales commission started confusing the public that they too are somehow fiduciaries and now they are compensated by fees. But fee based. Which is a bunch of crap because in that way they get paid by fees AND allow themselves the juicy sales commission by selling you the fancy and totally unnecessary and incredibly expensive (hey, someone has to pay that sales commission to them!), yikes. So, if you are looking for a financial planner these days, I recommend the following:

Must have CFP (Certified Financial Planner)

Independent Registered Investment Advisor RIA

NAPFA member

Comprehensive financial planning advice

CPA or Enrolled Agent (EA), offering integrated full tax planning & preparation

Here is a resource with what questions to ask prospective financial planners you are interviewing: Financial Advisor Comparison Tool. For more consumer resources, please check HERE.

Most people spend more time planning a vacation than finding a financial advisor. Our industry has a bad reputation because it is filled with charlatans out there hunting for their next victim. Take your time finding one, it is probably one of the most important decisions of your life.

Good luck finding one these days. For the record, I am in the back end of my career and not looking for new clients.

Fee Only still matters today. By one of the co-founders of NAPFA:

“In the early years, we were simply trying to do the right thing. Fee-only compensation is a logical concept for anyone who stops to think about it. Would you rather have your financial advisor focused on their personal compensation, or on your well-being as an investor? Fee-only financial planning is straightforward. It removes the product incentive and keeps the focus where it belongs — on the client.”

To learn more if interested: The Radical (at the Time) Concept That Led to Client-First Financial Planning.

More than 40 years later, their core insight remains relevant: How an advisor is paid can influence how advice is delivered. For investors seeking advice that prioritizes their interests, the pioneers of fee-only financial planning left a simple message that still resonates today: When advisors are paid directly by their clients, the relationship starts with clarity, transparency, alignment and trust.

CRYPTO/TECH/SCAMS

This one is more about AI than software and I made an executive decision to place it here. It is amazing the speed of decisions in this venture when it is only run by just one human lol. Software Eats Its Own. A grim overview of what is taking place lately…

The people who build software are busy wiring up the machines that will build software in their place. Call it automation. Call it augmentation. Call it whatever makes you sleep. What it actually is, is software industrialization, happening right in front of our eyes.

Writer gets invited to party with billionaires at a Jeff Bezos retreat and you would not believe what happened next. Actually, what happened was he never got an invite to one of these parties ever again lol: What I Learned About Billionaires at Jeff Bezos’s Private Retreat. For the richest men on Earth, everything is free and nothing matters.

The latest Ponzi Scheme Roundup for April 2026 is out. It’s the typical stream of fraudsters promising the moon, crypto crap, etc. But once in a while we get gems like this:

Vincent J. Camarda, 62, pleaded guilty to charges that he ran a Ponzi scheme as an investment officer. He is the ex-CEO of A.G. Morgan Financial Advisors and used investor funds on plastic surgery for himself and luxury goods. [Thou shalt not steal…even if you are that ugly to do it for plastic surgery, come on!]

Taino Lopez aka Tai, 48, was sued by the SEC on charges that he was running a $112 million Ponzi scheme. Tai is a YouTuber who sold get-rich-quick advice courses. [You Tuber selling get-rich-quick advice courses…it’s a dead giveaway!]

Grifting era smh:

AI

Excellent recap where we stand in AI and pondering what happens down the road: Our Uncertain Uncertainties. It begins like this below and it gets better, enjoy:

Even the experts inventing AI don’t know what will happen next. Is artificial general intelligence even possible? Can scaling continue? Will we need massive compute centers to make AI, or can we do it with a mere 25 watts like we do in our brains? What will humans do as AI gets smarter? What does the future of the economy, of warfare, or civil society look like?

I may have posted this before, this is not a good trend: AI Articles Have Overtaken Human Written Ones.

You like my blog? Send a link to someone please!

IRAN WAR

We are doing okay here in the US, thanks to our own oil. But the world is suffering, this is very well made: See How the Energy Crisis is Spreading Across the World.

Doing okay I mean as far as no shortages are involved. But costs are another (painful) matter. Ever since this war started I spent over $65 to fill up my car. It was mid $70’s a few times before it went down to about $65 for the next two weeks. I filled up my car yesterday for $85, the highest ever, thanks Biden.

ODDZ & ENDZ

This is one of the most devastating articles I have read: On Losing a Daughter. It clearly belongs in the MUST READ GEMS category but I really did not want to place it there because it will make everyone who reads it way too sad. I hope no one feels this kind of pain, you have been warned. Think twice before you click ok?

The people we were died at the exact moment our child did

Can you imagine you run a marathon under 2 hours? And, please sit down, still lose by 11 seconds! Feel so sorry in a way for the guy who came in second. Sabastian Sawe breaks two-hour barrier to make history in London Marathon. As a (former) marathon runner, when you contemplate what it takes you just shake your head in disbelief!

Imagine running 100 metres in under 17 seconds – and then keeping that pace up for another 26 and a bit miles (42km).

I like art. This is what it looks like when a photographer decides to take photos of EVERY single object in the house and put it up in this website: KATALOG. You have never seen anything like it, I guarantee it. Creativity at its very best. I see my blog as art…

As a soccer fanatic (my #1 sport, by far) and World Cup diehard, I absolutely loved this article about the last country on earth to field a national soccer team and play in a game: Marshall Islands. The Wayfinders. The Marshall Islands’ first national soccer team discovers what “home” can mean—on a field in Arkansas.

Under normal circumstances, you’d expect a team shut out 4-0 to be disheartened, especially one built up so much over the last several weeks. And yet nothing about the atmosphere suggested failure. Even as the clock wound down, seven players subbed in within the last 14 minutes, each getting a brief chance to play for their country. The crowd poured down the bleachers and stood at the front railing, cheering on the team that had given it their all. “Marshall Islands!” the announcer yelled as the crowd burst into cheers. “Give it up for your first national team playing their first international match!”

TRAVEL

Very handy hotel list: 15 Luxury and Boutique Hotels Near U.S. National Parks. These look nice!

Nice list as well, I think I guessed them all right before I checked the article out: 6 Tiny Countries You Can Walk Across in a Day.

Liechtenstein
San Marino
Tuvalu
Nauru
Monaco
Vatican City

When you next visit Amsterdam, maybe you should add the Embassy of the Free Mind to the list of places to visit? Take a tour of the online catalogue to see its digitized books. Love the expression Free Mind by the way, it brings up the other expression, Free Your Mind and YourAss Will Follow woohoo.

The World’s Most Walkable Cities

Seoul at #1. And many Scandinavian cities.

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This blog started with a focus on miles and points and travel. It has evolved since then. Everything below deals with the hobby of collecting frequent flyer miles and points and maximizing your travel experiences. If you are not interested, you can stop here, thank you.

MILES & POINTS

So, here we go again…

I think if you just read Frequent Miler, Doctor of Credit and my blog you would cover most of what you need to know in this hobby…

United has been in the news a lot lately. Actually, it is more like the CEO of United Airlines is. With a huge piece in the Wall Street Journal: United’s Card-Counting CEO Made a Huge Bet—and It’s Paying Off. This industry sure attracts some characters. And this guy has been on a wild streak lately. Like, did we really need to know this?

Before he started in the airline industry, and long before he was the CEO of United Airlines, Scott Kirby was a serious gambler. He taught himself to count cards, raking in money on trips to Atlantic City and Las Vegas. To this day, he brags about getting kicked out of casinos all over the world. He’s still on the banned list in hotels up and down the Vegas Strip. With its CEO trolling American Airlines, his former employer who dumped him, .non stop.

There is no doubt that he has managed the airline very well and profits are rolling in and the stock price has more than doubled. So, no argument there. And, after copying every move by industry leader Delta Airlines, it is making a serious run to unseat them from the top. And then, boom: United CEO’s Statement About American Airlines Merger Idea He Has Floated. I agree with this blogger’s conclusion below by the way:

It seems that Mr. Kirby has some serious beef about his previous employment at American Airlines, where he was basically shown the door, and now he is on a revenge tour. There have been a couple of features about Mr. Kirby in the US media over the past week, and based on the excerpt I have seen, he comes across as a card-counting psychopath who probably should not be running an airline, but he is. He should drop his fixation on the issues he personally has about his previous employment at American and move on.

After the awful (for us in this hobby) updates from World of Hyatt and the new award charts now having FIVE different higher award levels (up from three), maybe the company should have taken a breather and not chosen to go along with its annual update of hotel award categories? Well, no mercy (for us), here we go, it is a new reality starting May 20, 2026: Hyatt Award Category Changes & “Dynamic” Awards Live On May 20, 2026. 112 hotels went up 1 category and 24 hotels went down 1 category. So, make some bookings now like I did booking the Park Hyatt Saigon for 4 nights for 80,000 using a Globalist elite Confirmed Suite Upgrade. Some of my thoughts going through the hotel category changes:

Are there any category 1 hotels in the US left?

There was just one Cat 1 hotel left in Michigan, the Hyatt Place in Flint, not anymore. Not only that, even the Hyatt Place in Windsor, Ontario went to Cat 2. No more mattress running nearby, so sad.

My favorite Hyatt property in Greece, the Thessaloniki Hyatt Regency also went up to Cat 3 from Cat 2. It was Cat 1 for years up until the last few years or so, boooooooo! Not only that, even the Grand Hyatt in Athens went to Cat 4 from Cat 3.

All Columbus, Ohio properties appear to go up 1 Cat. I sometimes stay there when I visit clients.

Wait, there is more. I was looking forward to visit the Hyatt Regency in Kuantan Malaysia but that one also went up one category to Cat 2.

The 5th Avenue Andaz in NYC going to Cat 8 from Cat 7 is a sad joke.

The Frequent Miler does a Hyatt devaluation deep dive. Yeah, it’s bad.

Maybe I should add a DEVALUATIONS section? Here we go, they never stop:

Air Canada Aeroplan Flight Rewards Changes Effective June 1, 2026 – Miles Required Up By Max 67%!

LifeMiles Strikes Again: Another Devaluation Pushes Award Deals to the Brink

As I have been doing this the past four years traveling to Thailand and Malaysia: Best ways to get to Asia using points and miles.

TRAVEL REWARDS CREDIT CARDS

For ANY questions on travel rewards credit cards, contact me anytime at travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com

Whenever I hear Wells Fargo in our space, I automatically think ugly duckling. But it is getting better I guess: Wells Fargo adds Cathay Pacific as a transfer partner.

From blog reader Carl, watch out!

My AAdvantage cards just changed from Barclays to Citi. THE VERY NEXT DAY I got fraudulent charges on one of them, including the Buy Me A Coffee charge. All my monthly small subs and charges were on that card, and now in the middle of changing them all. Watch your AAdvantage card charges closely!

Yes, this bank is just getting worse: Chase Points Boost is becoming a Points Bust: Some redemptions now only 1.15 cents per point.

And just when you think it is time to say goodbye to the Chase ecosystem and pick another one…and you take a look at Citi and its cards that always came with excellent earning mulitpliers. Well, again, Citi says hold my beer lol: Citi Ending Points Sharing Between People On 5/16.

Another site to check out: Pointauctions. Looks a little better than the other one I had here last week.

I think Amex is trolling Chase and showing them how to do it in this space: Amex Gold Card Adds New and Enhanced Benefits. Meaningful positive benefit changes: 5x on Amex Travel, Hertz Five Star Status and updating of the dining credit with the addition of Buffalo Wild Wings (yes!) and Wonder (what is that?) and the deletion of Goldbelly (wtf was that?) and wine.com. So, with Five Guys and Buffalo Wild Wings there is no excuse not to use your $10 dining credit every month with the Amex Gold card.

But wait, maybe the Chase execs looked at the dwindling numbers of the Sapphire Reserve and finally realized they must do something? Drum roll please…

CHASE SAPPHIRE RESERVE NEW HIGHEST EVER 150K OFFER

The minimum spend is $6,000 in the first three months. The annual fee is $795. The card earns:

8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel, including The Edit
4x points on flights booked direct
4x points on hotels booked direct
3x points on dining worldwide
1x points on all other purchases

Bunch of credits, the easiest are the straight forward $300 travel credit, free Apple TV and Apple Music subscriptions, along with Priority Club lounge membership and entry to Chase Sapphire Lounges. And then a whole bunch of harder to use credits, such as $500 on The Edit hotels, $300 Stubhub, $120 Lyft, $300 dining, $300 DoorDash and many more. For a complete list of all the benefits of the card please click HERE.

If you have never had this card you are eligible for it.

Is it worth it? Look, for bloggers in this space, it is ALWAYS worth it for us lol. Because we get paid by the banks to sell their product. Do I think it is worth it? For the signup bonus and some work to squeeze some of the credits? Hell yes. For this card to be a keeper after the first year? Hell no. But we are all different, learn more about it, ask some questions if you have any and make an educated decision.

Why are cards with fat signing bonuses almost always worth it? Because 150,000 points means $1,500 in cash or statement credit alone. Of course if you transfer 150,000 points out to an airline or hotel you can burn them there for a lot more than just a penny per point. But you say, you have to pay $795 annual fee. Correct. Ok, do the math, $1,500 minus $795. Of course I am pretty sure you can use some of the credits this card gives you like the super easy $300 travel credit. If you can not use $300 travel credit per year why are you even here reading this section of my blog? And I am certain you can use more of the card’s annual credits. So, the math gets better!

For the record, you can support the blog if you obtain travel rewards card with this blog’s links. Never hesitate to ask questions in the comments or email me.

LATEST OFFERS:

You can always email me to ask anything about these offers