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What is the most useful frequent flyer blog?

What is the most useful frequent flyer blog?

Old Mar 14, 2013, 8:24 pm
  #1906  
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
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Originally Posted by amolkold
Do they sell teas at office supply stores in China?
I dont know but they do sell tea (and a wide assortment as well) at OfficeDepot

http://www.officedepot.com/a/browse/...uggestedSearch
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Old Mar 14, 2013, 11:35 pm
  #1907  
 
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Originally Posted by ma91pmh
It also has other really "useful" tips like

Guard the pin - well these guys had access to regular cashier machines

Use cash - wow did they have Einstein write that one?
If you want to get technical, they were debit cards.
How exactly would cc's in us get cash advances? Do you have a signature thing on the atm or something?
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Old Mar 15, 2013, 6:09 am
  #1908  
 
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Originally Posted by yerffej201
If you want to get technical, they were debit cards.
How exactly would cc's in us get cash advances? Do you have a signature thing on the atm or something?
I know they were debit cards. Though same technology can be used on PIN based credit cards.

Yes here in the US you can have a PIN added to a credit card and you can then use it to get a cash advance at an ATM
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Old Mar 15, 2013, 8:26 am
  #1909  
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Originally Posted by Scottrick
All titles have a hook.
And some exaggerate reality more than others.
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Old Mar 15, 2013, 9:43 am
  #1910  
 
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Best blog is still up in the air but FM and Dan's are publishing good content.

Blog scene is getting annoying and worse by the day. Among the well established ones Jason Steele articles are by far the worst of them all. Don't get me wrong, if I had a blog I'd hire him too and get filler after filler of regurgitated "material" just to keep things rolling. Guy is a word ninja looking to sellout to the nearest outlet for a few bucks
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Old Mar 15, 2013, 9:52 am
  #1911  
 
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Originally Posted by ferrari_fan
Among the well established ones Jason Steele articles are by far the worst of them all. Don't get me wrong, if I had a blog I'd hire him too and get filler after filler of regurgitated "material" just to keep things rolling. Guy is a word ninja looking to sellout to the nearest outlet for a few bucks
^^^

Plus I wouldn't even call it well established... definitely not to the point of Gary or even Ben's blog I think... It's at this moment one giant advertising farm, trying to rope in as many marks as possible through tons of advertising deceptively dressed up as content. Too bad people still fall for it and give these people money to keep pulling the same sort of garbage on us.

Those people who have a real passion for flying and blogged about the joy of air travel (Gary, Ben etc) have earned the right to use affiliate links when they came along IMO. Otherwise those in the "boom" of bloggers entering the market post-introduction of affiliate links are just trying to milk as much money out of it as possible under the pretense of helping and deserve nothing but contempt.
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Old Mar 15, 2013, 9:59 am
  #1912  
 
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Originally Posted by belfordrocks
^^^

Plus I wouldn't even call it well established... definitely not to the point of Gary or even Ben's blog I think...
Oh I didn't mean that he is well established, but the blogs which are and hire him.
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Old Mar 15, 2013, 10:21 am
  #1913  
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You mean this guy? http://www.lifed.com/author/jason-steele
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Old Mar 15, 2013, 10:32 am
  #1914  
 
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Originally Posted by oliver2002
Sure, we needed help to locate him.
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Old Mar 15, 2013, 10:45 am
  #1915  
 
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Originally Posted by ma91pmh
I know they were debit cards. Though same technology can be used on PIN based credit cards.

Yes here in the US you can have a PIN added to a credit card and you can then use it to get a cash advance at an ATM
Originally Posted by ma91pmh
Or maybe your just not reading the news

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montre...-montreal.html
Still a bit unsure about duplicating chips and all that, but it seems like if you target cash advances you can have fraud both in US and Canada at the same rate. Fine.
But I still say it's safer in Canada for overall purchases. I'ma go block all cash advances now.
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Old Mar 15, 2013, 11:08 am
  #1916  
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Originally Posted by belfordrocks
^^^

Plus I wouldn't even call it well established... definitely not to the point of Gary or even Ben's blog I think... It's at this moment one giant advertising farm, trying to rope in as many marks as possible through tons of advertising deceptively dressed up as content. Too bad people still fall for it and give these people money to keep pulling the same sort of garbage on us.

Those people who have a real passion for flying and blogged about the joy of air travel (Gary, Ben etc) have earned the right to use affiliate links when they came along IMO. Otherwise those in the "boom" of bloggers entering the market post-introduction of affiliate links are just trying to milk as much money out of it as possible under the pretense of helping and deserve nothing but contempt.
Looking at the blogoshpere from the outside in, having just learned a lot more about affiliate links in this thread, it seems pretty clear that there are lots and lots of folks who are more interested in making money than pursuing their travel/points and miles passion. It would be interesting to see what would happen if affiliate programs disappeared tomorrow....how many of the hundreds of points and miles blogs would simply disappear? I suspect most.

I know I am naively anachronistic, but I do find the money-motivation aspect of what used to be a pure altruistic sharing of information to be depressing. I guess that just proves that I am turning into a cranky old man...HEY! GET OFF MY LAWN! Sadder still that it was Randy, that good old hippie, who sold our commune to evil corporate developers. Not that I blame him, mind you. To the contrary. But that certainly drove a lot of the notion that there was gold to be mined from providing services to the points and miles community.

I also blame Tim Ferris...obviously a lot of the current crop of bloggers picked up his book at the airport and are trying to put it to practice.

Oh well, FlyerTalk is still here for those of us who don't care for free information being re-packaged and sold for a price.

For the rest, did you know that INK Bold has no foreign transaction fee!? Sign up TODAY! Or at least pay to come to my seminar so I can tell you more about how you should use my affiliate program!

Step right up! Get 'em while they're hot!
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Old Mar 15, 2013, 12:39 pm
  #1917  
 
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Originally Posted by oliver2002
A fine example of some of my earlier work in the general personal finance sphere, although I no longer contribute to that site.

I have never been called a word ninja, but I will take it as a compliment. And when you guys do have a blog, and you think you can afford me (not $50 anymore, please!), feel free to contact me.

Look guys, I presume all of you work for non-profits and live a life of poverty and contemplation, but this is what I do for a living. I also have a degree in history, a commercial pilot's license, and a bazillion computer certifications as well. But you know what, I enjoy writing for blogs more than I liked being a computer systems administrator or even flying airplanes for money. I love being a freelance writer and not having to answer to a boss or put in face time at an office.

Like many, I have been laid off before, and it was not fun. Freelancing is a diversified income stream that offers me and my family more security than I had with a single full time job. I am very thankful for the opportunity to do what I enjoy and earn a living at it. Also, I love taking off early and going for a bike ride.

If my clients make money off of affiliate links or other advertising, good for them. It is no different than if I worked at newspapers, television, radio, magazines, or any other media that has advertising. And please don't give me crap about my writing being compromised by affiliate revenue, as I personally don't earn any of it as a freelance contributor.

I am not ready to go back to my desk job, or be a commuter airline pilot or something else out of any objection to affiliate links. And put this in perspective; there are no serious moral or ethical issues here. I am not selling deadly weapons, cancer causing products, or anything that hurts people or the environment. It is just financial product, and I try as hard as I can to offer sound financial advice when I write about these products. A million times I have written that people should not to get a reward card if they ever carry a balance or if they will spend more money to earn rewards.

And finally, if nothing I write is new to you, and you all already know everything there is to know about everything, I guess you are not my target readership, but thanks for reading anyways!

Now it is time for me to take a bike ride, its over 70 degrees here in Denver!
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Old Mar 15, 2013, 2:20 pm
  #1918  
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
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Originally Posted by kokonutz
Looking at the blogoshpere from the outside in, having just learned a lot more about affiliate links in this thread, it seems pretty clear that there are lots and lots of folks who are more interested in making money than pursuing their travel/points and miles passion. It would be interesting to see what would happen if affiliate programs disappeared tomorrow....how many of the hundreds of points and miles blogs would simply disappear? I suspect most.

I know I am naively anachronistic, but I do find the money-motivation aspect of what used to be a pure altruistic sharing of information to be depressing. I guess that just proves that I am turning into a cranky old man...HEY! GET OFF MY LAWN! Sadder still that it was Randy, that good old hippie, who sold our commune to evil corporate developers. Not that I blame him, mind you. To the contrary. But that certainly drove a lot of the notion that there was gold to be mined from providing services to the points and miles community.

I also blame Tim Ferris...obviously a lot of the current crop of bloggers picked up his book at the airport and are trying to put it to practice.

Oh well, FlyerTalk is still here for those of us who don't care for free information being re-packaged and sold for a price.

For the rest, did you know that INK Bold has no foreign transaction fee!? Sign up TODAY! Or at least pay to come to my seminar so I can tell you more about how you should use my affiliate program!

Step right up! Get 'em while they're hot!
I still don't like why links are so bad though. If you want to read those link posts that are junk, whatever. Not my problem.

Why is everyone here is concerned with the repackaging of "information" into a link post like JSteele? If you don't like it don't read it. If the readers are stupid enough to think it's good stuff and into clicking that's their problem.

Obviously the market will shrink once the links go away, but that's another story.
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Old Mar 15, 2013, 2:40 pm
  #1919  
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Originally Posted by yerffej201
I still don't like why links are so bad though. If you want to read those link posts that are junk, whatever. Not my problem.

Why is everyone here is concerned with the repackaging of "information" into a link post like JSteele? If you don't like it don't read it. If the readers are stupid enough to think it's good stuff and into clicking that's their problem.

Obviously the market will shrink once the links go away, but that's another story.
From my perspective only, it's depressing because the points and miles game used to be about sharing a passion and having fun. Now for many it is about marketing and money.

Probably some nerds out there feel the same way about ComicCon, etc.
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Old Mar 15, 2013, 2:49 pm
  #1920  
 
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Originally Posted by kokonutz
Sadder still that it was Randy, that good old hippie, who sold our commune to evil corporate developers. Not that I blame him, mind you. To the contrary. But that certainly drove a lot of the notion that there was gold to be mined from providing services to the points and miles community.
Of course, Randy didn't start down the miles path, including FT, out of altruism for the good of mankind - it was a money-making effort for him as well. (As is his latest business venture of Milepoint.)
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