Some link metrics from FTG
Jun 23, 2014, 5:15 am
#1
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Some link metrics from FTG
http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2014/...d-rewards.html
If the average signup bonus is 50K, then 750 million means he's gotten 15,000 affiliate signups since 2004. And if the average commission is $100 (or is it higher?), that's $1.5 million commission over the last decade.
Big business indeed.
When I started Frugal Travel guy in October of 2007, I wanted to share my knowledge of how to book discounted travel learned through Flyertalk with friends and family, and if the opportunity arose, generate some income from online advertising. That opportunity arose in early 2008 when I was the first travel blogger approved to offer the Starwood Preferred Guest card links on a travel blog. My first commission was under $50 for an SPG card and the number of readers generating discounted travel with credit card sign ups have grown from that date forward.
Just for fun, we went back and looked at the number of credit card applications approved through links on Frugal Travel Guy since its inception and used a conservative base number for the number of points or miles that would be awarded per application. Based on our calculations of approvals, I’m confident in saying that 750 million miles and points have been generated from credit card sign ups. And that’s only from folks using our trackable affiliate links, not the non-affiliate links we include. When you add in the non-affiliate estimate, I feel safe in assuming that over 1 BILLION MILES have been generated for travel from readers of the Frugal Travel guy blog. That is a whole lot of travel for taxes only and I’m so happy for all of you that have benefited from what we have been doing here.
Just for fun, we went back and looked at the number of credit card applications approved through links on Frugal Travel Guy since its inception and used a conservative base number for the number of points or miles that would be awarded per application. Based on our calculations of approvals, I’m confident in saying that 750 million miles and points have been generated from credit card sign ups. And that’s only from folks using our trackable affiliate links, not the non-affiliate links we include. When you add in the non-affiliate estimate, I feel safe in assuming that over 1 BILLION MILES have been generated for travel from readers of the Frugal Travel guy blog. That is a whole lot of travel for taxes only and I’m so happy for all of you that have benefited from what we have been doing here.
Big business indeed.
Jun 23, 2014, 6:49 am
#2
Join Date: May 2009
Location: South Park, CO
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http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2014/...d-rewards.html
If the average signup bonus is 50K, then 750 million means he's gotten 15,000 affiliate signups since 2004. And if the average commission is $100 (or is it higher?), that's $1.5 million commission over the last decade.
Big business indeed.
If the average signup bonus is 50K, then 750 million means he's gotten 15,000 affiliate signups since 2004. And if the average commission is $100 (or is it higher?), that's $1.5 million commission over the last decade.
Big business indeed.
Yeah that is big business...no wonder there are so many shill posts from the blogs that promote these links.
I wonder how many miles people missed out on by signing up through an inferior affiliate link pushed by a blogger, when a better offer was available?
Jun 23, 2014, 9:00 am
#3
Join Date: Oct 2006
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interesting that they point out they estimate a 3-1 ratio of CC apps for affliate vs non-affliate cards on their website. so clearly they push the cards that pay them cash (which has been an SOP on that site for years).
i don't begrudge anyone for making money. that doesn't anger me. But the phony "altruism" they offer up for running the blog always makes my eyes roll. The blog was started in october of 2007, and it was already shilling affliate cards by early 2008 (so a few months later). monitization was always the primary goal.
Jun 23, 2014, 9:07 am
#4
Join Date: Mar 2003
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i don't begrudge anyone for making money. that doesn't anger me. But the phony "altruism" they offer up for running the blog always makes my eyes roll. The blog was started in october of 2007, and it was already shilling affliate cards by early 2008 (so a few months later). monitization was always the primary goal.
exactly. I have a catch phrase for these bloggers that I'm constantly using, but posting it here would get me suspended.
Jun 23, 2014, 9:09 am
#5
Original Member, Ambassador: External Miles and Points Resources
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ding ding ding...
interesting that they point out they estimate a 3-1 ratio of CC apps for affliate vs non-affliate cards on their website. so clearly they push the cards that pay them cash (which has been an SOP on that site for years).
i don't begrudge anyone for making money. that doesn't anger me. But the phony "altruism" they offer up for running the blog always makes my eyes roll. The blog was started in october of 2007, and it was already shilling affliate cards by early 2008 (so a few months later). monitization was always the primary goal.
interesting that they point out they estimate a 3-1 ratio of CC apps for affliate vs non-affliate cards on their website. so clearly they push the cards that pay them cash (which has been an SOP on that site for years).
i don't begrudge anyone for making money. that doesn't anger me. But the phony "altruism" they offer up for running the blog always makes my eyes roll. The blog was started in october of 2007, and it was already shilling affliate cards by early 2008 (so a few months later). monitization was always the primary goal.
Being the hippie surfer dude he is at heart, he always conveyed a sense of altruism and communalism in his (at heart very capitalist) ventures. And he has been extremely (capitalistly speaking) successful.
So others have emulated that model, to varying degrees of success.
In fact, I have yet to see a P&M blogger break that mold and like, say, Perez Hilton, just say 'I am a business, help me get paid!' Although OMMAAT came darn close with his Residences fundraiser...which he then immediately ran away from.
Jun 23, 2014, 9:23 am
#6
Join Date: Jul 2011
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I just wonder, as a blogger, where the balance is. Now that United and Delta, soon to be joined by American no doubt, are fare-based in terms of earning mileage, I don't think anyone would argue that credit cards are the best method for big mileage balances.
If the above is true, and these blogs are all about helping people accrue the biggest mileage balance, then they should absolutely be talking about credit cards.
I think once a blogger makes the jump to offering credit cards it marks a delineation in audience from the FT crowd to the average joe out there in internet land, since most FTers would have already heard about the credit card deals out there. As a generator of content it's probably pretty tough to keep your feet in both camps.
(I don't run affiliate links on my blog, simply because I don't have the traffic yet to support it, but I 100% plan on having links if the opportunity arises)
Making any significant amount of money from the blog (if that's a goal) is almost impossible without the credit card links, is my only point. I started my blog for fun, but as it begins to take up more and more time (alongside my full-time job), I'd like to at least see a little income from it.
If the above is true, and these blogs are all about helping people accrue the biggest mileage balance, then they should absolutely be talking about credit cards.
I think once a blogger makes the jump to offering credit cards it marks a delineation in audience from the FT crowd to the average joe out there in internet land, since most FTers would have already heard about the credit card deals out there. As a generator of content it's probably pretty tough to keep your feet in both camps.
(I don't run affiliate links on my blog, simply because I don't have the traffic yet to support it, but I 100% plan on having links if the opportunity arises)
Making any significant amount of money from the blog (if that's a goal) is almost impossible without the credit card links, is my only point. I started my blog for fun, but as it begins to take up more and more time (alongside my full-time job), I'd like to at least see a little income from it.
Jun 23, 2014, 9:24 am
#7
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
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15 000 sign ups in 10 years is about 115 approved apps a month. Thats not much... isn't Chase or Amex threshhold for keeping you 30-50 apps a month?
So if you add Chase, Amex and Barclays together ~100 apps/month is the bare minimum OMAAT and VFTW have to do to stay on top of the game. I would fathom a guess that FTG and TPG do far more. The FTG stat is also probably not linear, but they probably had 20-30 apps aproved per month in the beginning and now trend some place in the 300s. Also pre Lehman the affiliate revenue must have been low, the market only really heated up after MBNA merged with BoA and left a gap in the market that Chase wanted plus Amex went retail after becoming a bank to get TARP money in 2008-09.@:-)
So if you add Chase, Amex and Barclays together ~100 apps/month is the bare minimum OMAAT and VFTW have to do to stay on top of the game. I would fathom a guess that FTG and TPG do far more. The FTG stat is also probably not linear, but they probably had 20-30 apps aproved per month in the beginning and now trend some place in the 300s. Also pre Lehman the affiliate revenue must have been low, the market only really heated up after MBNA merged with BoA and left a gap in the market that Chase wanted plus Amex went retail after becoming a bank to get TARP money in 2008-09.@:-)
Jun 23, 2014, 11:55 am
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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swag, business can be way bigger than your estimate, as oliver2002 suggests.
or even higher, and not much of a "guess" i dont think
other income includes this mentioned in linked blog post >
or even higher, and not much of a "guess" i dont think
other income includes this mentioned in linked blog post >
over 5,500 people have checked their credit score from one of our free credit score links
Last edited by Kagehitokiri; Jun 23, 2014 at 12:07 pm
Jun 23, 2014, 1:44 pm
#9
Join Date: Dec 2004
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http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2014/...d-rewards.html
If the average signup bonus is 50K, then 750 million means he's gotten 15,000 affiliate signups since 2004. And if the average commission is $100 (or is it higher?), that's $1.5 million commission over the last decade.
Big business indeed.
If the average signup bonus is 50K, then 750 million means he's gotten 15,000 affiliate signups since 2004. And if the average commission is $100 (or is it higher?), that's $1.5 million commission over the last decade.
Big business indeed.
Jun 23, 2014, 2:04 pm
#10
formerly known as Frugal Travel Guy
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Location: Greenville, SC
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Posts: 1,925
http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2014/...d-rewards.html
If the average signup bonus is 50K, then 750 million means he's gotten 15,000 affiliate signups since 2004. And if the average commission is $100 (or is it higher?), that's $1.5 million commission over the last decade.
Big business indeed.
If the average signup bonus is 50K, then 750 million means he's gotten 15,000 affiliate signups since 2004. And if the average commission is $100 (or is it higher?), that's $1.5 million commission over the last decade.
Big business indeed.
And don't you think 50k sign up average is high?
Jun 23, 2014, 2:19 pm
#12
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To me there is a huge difference between banner ads that are clearly paid image advertisements, and blog entries that serve is puff pieces that frequently give incorrect advice in the hopes of duping the reader for some affliate money
Jun 23, 2014, 2:53 pm
#13
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Where did you ever get this idea??
I'm an evangelist. The only thing I get from Flyertalk is pleasure reading about things that I'm interested in.
Jun 23, 2014, 5:06 pm
#15
Join Date: May 2009
Location: South Park, CO
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OK, so...let's say for the sake of argument it's an average 25K bonus. That just makes swag's point even more as it would divide out to 30,000 signups. Then, assuming a $100 average commission, that's some $3M in commissions since 2008 - or $500,000 per year on average.