Can you trust bloggers to give you the best offer?
Feb 28, 2012, 7:23 am
#31
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: NYC
Programs: Delta DM, SPG Plat, Hyatt Diamond, MTA Rust, Hertz Five Star something or other
Posts: 2,858
Glad they reopened this, because I wasn't able to defend myself when it was locked.
FWIW the offer that the OP is referencing is not one of my referral links. In fact, a reader emailed me the FT thread with the best offer and that's what I had posted.
I msged leftpinky last week to let him know this, but I guess accuracy isn't important so the OP has not been edited.
In any case, I know most of the other bloggers and we always strive to promote the best offers. We all pretty much have the same affiliate company and you wouldn't believe the amount of crap offers they ask us to promote. But for me, my integrity is tops and will do my best to make sure my readers are provided with quality information.
In the future, if anyone has proof of a public offer (note I do not promote most targeted offers if theres a good chance my reader won't qualify), please email me at tpg at thepointsguy.com and I'll update my post/page.
Safe travels!
FWIW the offer that the OP is referencing is not one of my referral links. In fact, a reader emailed me the FT thread with the best offer and that's what I had posted.
I msged leftpinky last week to let him know this, but I guess accuracy isn't important so the OP has not been edited.
In any case, I know most of the other bloggers and we always strive to promote the best offers. We all pretty much have the same affiliate company and you wouldn't believe the amount of crap offers they ask us to promote. But for me, my integrity is tops and will do my best to make sure my readers are provided with quality information.
In the future, if anyone has proof of a public offer (note I do not promote most targeted offers if theres a good chance my reader won't qualify), please email me at tpg at thepointsguy.com and I'll update my post/page.
Safe travels!
Feb 28, 2012, 7:57 am
#33
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Land of the parrots and parrotheads
Programs: Several dozen
Posts: 4,820
Like we say in the fraud biz - follow the money. Your bloggers are being paid for referrals so they cannot be assumed to be unbiased at face value. Do your homework before you jump on a blogger listed offer. That said, the bloggers for the most part are reputable folks and provide alot of information that is valuable to many, whether new information or aggregated information from other sources. Unlike the travel columnist of the newspapers of old, they are not salarymen (or salarywomen).
Feb 28, 2012, 8:11 am
#34
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,516
I would say that most bloggers provide a reliable information about sign-up bonuses - if they aware about better offer they tell it specifically. From my experience, only Dan from dansdeals.com usually does not post better offers - he usually provides his links and even recommends to apply for 3 cards simultaneously from the same bank (I think to get a maximum referrals). If you read his blog recently, he urges to apply for Continental card (25K sign up bonus) as fast as you can and does not say that if you do so, you will not be able to get a bonus for United Explorer card (50K bonus). For example, Darius from MMS explicitly tells not to apply for Continental card because of this.
Feb 28, 2012, 8:33 am
#35
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,737
Here's a great idea for a blog for someone who is knowledgeable about miles and points and wants to write about travel purely for the fun of it:
1) Create blog
2) Write about travel deals, points, etc..
3) Create referral links and banner ads
4) Donate every penny to charity
You could even put a donate button for people who don't want to sign up for credit cards but have found the blog helpful.
1) Create blog
2) Write about travel deals, points, etc..
3) Create referral links and banner ads
4) Donate every penny to charity
You could even put a donate button for people who don't want to sign up for credit cards but have found the blog helpful.
Feb 28, 2012, 8:38 am
#36
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Long Beach
Programs: HHonors Diamond, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 1,171
About two years ago I started reading the blogs on travel and leanerd a lot, I gradualy moved to FT after leaning a lot of the basics from the blogs. I am grateful that the blogs served as a segway into this greater pool of knowledge. I often refer my friends whom are starting out to some of the blogs to read through to get an understanding of the game, yes its all here on FT but if you have no knoweldge it is not as simple as just read. I will almost always after i find a new card i want to get look through the blogs i started reading, FTG and TPG and look if they have a link that is the same as i can get on FT and if so I will always apply through them. they offered me a great service gettign me into this game. and once i have done me research i will happily support them by using their links if they suit me.
Feb 28, 2012, 9:00 am
#37
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 1999
Posts: 24,153
Yesteryear the couple of folks who blogged didnt have all these CC apps on their site. When they did it was simply a way I believe for them to pick up a couple of bucks in order to have teh site pay its own way.
Then they saw the pot of Gold, and all of a sudden so did everyone else.So thier site went from being a heads-up info site to a For Major Profit site
There are some sites that wont mention a CC if they arent getting any $$ out of it, even if its the best CC out there. I understand that Best Buy wont tell you the store down the block is 10% cheaper. But BB never tried to make out that they arent in it for the $$$ and that they will keep you informed of the best deals.
The only way to know if say AA has the cheapest fare NY-LA is by using a site that will list all the Carriers or most of them, but AA doesnt lead you to believe they got your back and are looking out for You #1
Once the bloggers turned from trying to brake even to bringing in as much $$ as they can they lost me and I dont bother looking at them that often any longer.Nor will I use any of their links. I dont care for their Spin , no different then I cant stand COs Spin. Heck they are all saying the samething, I dont read 12 newspapers everyday, or watch every news channel , why read all these blogs
Whats sad is they started out on the right foot, but once the almighty Dollar came into play , most of them lost their way and purpose!
Then they saw the pot of Gold, and all of a sudden so did everyone else.So thier site went from being a heads-up info site to a For Major Profit site
There are some sites that wont mention a CC if they arent getting any $$ out of it, even if its the best CC out there. I understand that Best Buy wont tell you the store down the block is 10% cheaper. But BB never tried to make out that they arent in it for the $$$ and that they will keep you informed of the best deals.
The only way to know if say AA has the cheapest fare NY-LA is by using a site that will list all the Carriers or most of them, but AA doesnt lead you to believe they got your back and are looking out for You #1
Once the bloggers turned from trying to brake even to bringing in as much $$ as they can they lost me and I dont bother looking at them that often any longer.Nor will I use any of their links. I dont care for their Spin , no different then I cant stand COs Spin. Heck they are all saying the samething, I dont read 12 newspapers everyday, or watch every news channel , why read all these blogs
Whats sad is they started out on the right foot, but once the almighty Dollar came into play , most of them lost their way and purpose!
Feb 28, 2012, 9:16 am
#38
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 769
Glad they reopened this, because I wasn't able to defend myself when it was locked.
FWIW the offer that the OP is referencing is not one of my referral links. In fact, a reader emailed me the FT thread with the best offer and that's what I had posted.
I msged leftpinky last week to let him know this, but I guess accuracy isn't important so the OP has not been edited.
In any case, I know most of the other bloggers and we always strive to promote the best offers. We all pretty much have the same affiliate company and you wouldn't believe the amount of crap offers they ask us to promote. But for me, my integrity is tops and will do my best to make sure my readers are provided with quality information.
In the future, if anyone has proof of a public offer (note I do not promote most targeted offers if theres a good chance my reader won't qualify), please email me at tpg at thepointsguy.com and I'll update my post/page.
Safe travels!
FWIW the offer that the OP is referencing is not one of my referral links. In fact, a reader emailed me the FT thread with the best offer and that's what I had posted.
I msged leftpinky last week to let him know this, but I guess accuracy isn't important so the OP has not been edited.
In any case, I know most of the other bloggers and we always strive to promote the best offers. We all pretty much have the same affiliate company and you wouldn't believe the amount of crap offers they ask us to promote. But for me, my integrity is tops and will do my best to make sure my readers are provided with quality information.
In the future, if anyone has proof of a public offer (note I do not promote most targeted offers if theres a good chance my reader won't qualify), please email me at tpg at thepointsguy.com and I'll update my post/page.
Safe travels!
Also, you asked me not to post such things in the future and just email you. This short changes other users since it is important they realize the difference between their best interest and that of the blogger. This is a pretty important topic, I think and the response to the thread indicates this since referral bonuses are becoming more important.
Feb 28, 2012, 9:22 am
#39
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 769
I would say that most bloggers provide a reliable information about sign-up bonuses - if they aware about better offer they tell it specifically. From my experience, only Dan from dansdeals.com usually does not post better offers - he usually provides his links and even recommends to apply for 3 cards simultaneously from the same bank (I think to get a maximum referrals). If you read his blog recently, he urges to apply for Continental card (25K sign up bonus) as fast as you can and does not say that if you do so, you will not be able to get a bonus for United Explorer card (50K bonus). For example, Darius from MMS explicitly tells not to apply for Continental card because of this.
TPG does a great job, actually. As mentioned in the first post, his posts are generally very thorough and well researched. But I find his, and other bloggers, not crediting FT a bit ingenuous. When he had the Nordstrom/BA 36x offer, he posted it on FT pretty quickly. But when he posted something about FT either yesterday or this morning, he said his intern found it. Really? As if he doesn't read FT?
Feb 28, 2012, 9:26 am
#40
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: HNL
Posts: 781
This offer is the current best in my opinion. It has been discussed here and here.
Again, I would not suggest that you have tried to mislead anyone but now you know there is a better offer out there.
Feb 28, 2012, 9:50 am
#41
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,516
This was actually a recent post by TPG and he said it shouldn't matter if you have the CO card in terms of getting the United bonus, but evidently you're saying that's not true?
TPG does a great job, actually. As mentioned in the first post, his posts are generally very thorough and well researched. But I find his, and other bloggers, not crediting FT a bit ingenuous. When he had the Nordstrom/BA 36x offer, he posted it on FT pretty quickly. But when he posted something about FT either yesterday or this morning, he said his intern found it. Really? As if he doesn't read FT?
TPG does a great job, actually. As mentioned in the first post, his posts are generally very thorough and well researched. But I find his, and other bloggers, not crediting FT a bit ingenuous. When he had the Nordstrom/BA 36x offer, he posted it on FT pretty quickly. But when he posted something about FT either yesterday or this morning, he said his intern found it. Really? As if he doesn't read FT?
Feb 28, 2012, 9:56 am
#42
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: HNL
Posts: 781
Feb 28, 2012, 10:25 am
#43
Formerly known as iahsumr
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 520
Exactly. I have read a couple examples of people getting both bonuses after 7/19, but the terms of the United card do read that you can't, so just be aware of that risk if you go for both. (Though oddly the CO card doesn't seem to have those terms).
To be more on topic of the thread, I don't know that you should trust all bloggers, or trust no bloggers. There are many miles and points bloggers who talk about credit cards, and everyone approaches it a little differently. I know I would never link to an inferior offer if I was aware a better offer existed. That said, none of us know everything about every card at every second, so mistakes can happen. However, the majority of bloggers that I know and communicate with do try very hard to research and promote only the best offers, at least in their posts.
As has been pointed out, there is a business element to many (though not all) of the blogs most of us read on a regular basis, but that doesn't mean that it is good business decision to promote sub-par offers. In addition to it not making good long-term business sense to promote lesser offers, many of these bloggers actually are nice guys (and gals) who really do want to help people get the best deal they possibly can.
Do your homework to compare offers on various blogs and forums, but in my (albeit biased) opinion, many bloggers aren't the evil empire looking to trick unsuspecting folks into signing up for an offer that provides a smaller sign-up bonus than another publicly available offer. If that is the opinion you have of a blog that you read, I recommend reading a different site. There are plenty to choose from, and obviously some are able to do a better job staying current on the top offers than others.
Blogs certainly aren't perfect (at least I know mine isn't), but when they operate in conjunction with forums, such as Flyertalk, everyone wins by having tons of free miles and points information available at their finger tips.
I have read a couple examples of people getting both bonuses after 7/19, but the terms of the United card do read that you can't, so just be aware of that risk if you go for both. (Though oddly the CO card doesn't seem to have those terms). To be more on topic of the thread, I don't know that you should trust all bloggers, or trust no bloggers. There are many miles and points bloggers who talk about credit cards, and everyone approaches it a little differently. I know I would never link to an inferior offer if I was aware a better offer existed. That said, none of us know everything about every card at every second, so mistakes can happen. However, the majority of bloggers that I know and communicate with do try very hard to research and promote only the best offers, at least in their posts.
As has been pointed out, there is a business element to many (though not all) of the blogs most of us read on a regular basis, but that doesn't mean that it is good business decision to promote sub-par offers. In addition to it not making good long-term business sense to promote lesser offers, many of these bloggers actually are nice guys (and gals) who really do want to help people get the best deal they possibly can.
Do your homework to compare offers on various blogs and forums, but in my (albeit biased) opinion, many bloggers aren't the evil empire looking to trick unsuspecting folks into signing up for an offer that provides a smaller sign-up bonus than another publicly available offer. If that is the opinion you have of a blog that you read, I recommend reading a different site. There are plenty to choose from, and obviously some are able to do a better job staying current on the top offers than others.
Blogs certainly aren't perfect (at least I know mine isn't), but when they operate in conjunction with forums, such as Flyertalk, everyone wins by having tons of free miles and points information available at their finger tips.
Feb 28, 2012, 10:32 am
#44
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 496
To be honest, I trust most bloggers but I will do more researches before making any decision regarding credit card offers. If, after some researches on my own, I find that my favorite blogger has the best offer, I will go back and use the referral link of the blogger. It is fair, right?
Feb 28, 2012, 11:29 am
#45
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Long Beach
Programs: HHonors Diamond, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 1,171
I dont understand the mindset of "I want the best deal most points, but I dont want anyone else to make any money off of me" Why would you want to limit what someone can make from a referal. i would be glad to know that a blogger was to get 300 from a link. i'm looking to get the best deal out there, what is wrong for paying for experience and knowedge. I guess i am one fo the few out there whom looks for quality and dont mind that sometime quality costs just a little more.
If you dont like what the bloggers are saying tune them out, when FTG was posting once a week about the Amex platnuim with a 450 fee, i would skip reading those days because that card was not the best fit for me, but i did not say he keeps posting about this horrible card i will never read again. i simply waited until the next day to see what new information might comeout.
why are there so many anti americans on this board whom are concerend with someone taking a hobby and making it into a bussiness, its the american dream. I think its that people are mad becasue they were fooled into thinking that blogs were there to help them like a non-profit and have resentment that they were fooled, I say get over it. blogs are teh new capitolism, and i for one am proud to support inovation and capitolism
If you dont like what the bloggers are saying tune them out, when FTG was posting once a week about the Amex platnuim with a 450 fee, i would skip reading those days because that card was not the best fit for me, but i did not say he keeps posting about this horrible card i will never read again. i simply waited until the next day to see what new information might comeout.
why are there so many anti americans on this board whom are concerend with someone taking a hobby and making it into a bussiness, its the american dream. I think its that people are mad becasue they were fooled into thinking that blogs were there to help them like a non-profit and have resentment that they were fooled, I say get over it. blogs are teh new capitolism, and i for one am proud to support inovation and capitolism