The Points Guy: We never accept free flights [merged TPG discussions]
#287
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP, mid-tier with pretty much everyone else
Posts: 873
The credit card companies are hugely invested in airline miles (Citi pretty much financed American's bankruptcy by purchasing billions of miles), they will continue to be involved at a significant level for the foreseeable future.
Ultimately if you want to fix loyalty programs you should get credit cards out of the game. But that will never happen.
Ultimately if you want to fix loyalty programs you should get credit cards out of the game. But that will never happen.
#288
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Programs: IAMAW Local 368/HAL 2 Star Mariner
Posts: 740
I accidentally posted this reply in the OMAAT thread when it was meant for the TPG thread here:
I should start up a rival blog called "The Honest Guy". The first post would be, "Points Bloggers Are Not On Your Side: First Class and Traveling Was Never and Will Never Be Free".
It would delve into:
1. Why points bloggers push credit cards so much
2. Why point blogger claims of "Free First Class travel" are bogus
3. How, in actuality, points bloggers fund their first class trips every week (Hint: It's not credit card points)
4. The devaluation of miles and lessening of redemption rates
5. The dangers of having too many credit cards and churning
etc.
The next post would be about getting into first class for cheap, not for free. Yes, there are still a few methods that don't involve jumping into an ocean trench of debt.
-LPDAL
I should start up a rival blog called "The Honest Guy". The first post would be, "Points Bloggers Are Not On Your Side: First Class and Traveling Was Never and Will Never Be Free".
It would delve into:
1. Why points bloggers push credit cards so much
2. Why point blogger claims of "Free First Class travel" are bogus
3. How, in actuality, points bloggers fund their first class trips every week (Hint: It's not credit card points)
4. The devaluation of miles and lessening of redemption rates
5. The dangers of having too many credit cards and churning
etc.
The next post would be about getting into first class for cheap, not for free. Yes, there are still a few methods that don't involve jumping into an ocean trench of debt.
-LPDAL
#289
Moderator: Hilton Honors forums
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Marietta, Georgia, United States
Posts: 24,996
#290
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP, mid-tier with pretty much everyone else
Posts: 873
I don't think a ton of people care how their trips are funded, honestly. A lot of people live vicariously through these bloggers and follow them mainly for the trip reports.
The amount of people that are insulted that these bloggers make money doing stuff like this baffles me, especially when they're sharing said comments and information on a website owned by a Venture Capital firm in San Francisco who will most likely start doing the same sort of monetizing as soon as they can.
The amount of people that are insulted that these bloggers make money doing stuff like this baffles me, especially when they're sharing said comments and information on a website owned by a Venture Capital firm in San Francisco who will most likely start doing the same sort of monetizing as soon as they can.
#291
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Airline nobody. Sad!
Posts: 26,062
The amount of people that are insulted that these bloggers make money doing stuff like this baffles me, especially when they're sharing said comments and information on a website owned by a Venture Capital firm in San Francisco who will most likely start doing the same sort of monetizing as soon as they can.
#292
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Programs: IAMAW Local 368/HAL 2 Star Mariner
Posts: 740
The amount of people that are insulted that these bloggers make money doing stuff like this baffles me, especially when they're sharing said comments and information on a website owned by a Venture Capital firm in San Francisco who will most likely start doing the same sort of monetizing as soon as they can.
-LPDAL
#293
Join Date: May 2009
Location: South Park, CO
Programs: Tegridy Elite
Posts: 5,678
I don't think a ton of people care how their trips are funded, honestly. A lot of people live vicariously through these bloggers and follow them mainly for the trip reports.
The amount of people that are insulted that these bloggers make money doing stuff like this baffles me, especially when they're sharing said comments and information on a website owned by a Venture Capital firm in San Francisco who will most likely start doing the same sort of monetizing as soon as they can.
The amount of people that are insulted that these bloggers make money doing stuff like this baffles me, especially when they're sharing said comments and information on a website owned by a Venture Capital firm in San Francisco who will most likely start doing the same sort of monetizing as soon as they can.
But it is a fair question for some readers on a blog that is selling the dream (illusion) of using miles and points to achieve travel aspirations. Some blogs mislead the reader as to the extent that "easy to earn" miles were used when that wasn't the case...simultaneously hawking affiliate credit cards to do so. (And the worst ones hide information about better signup offers not a part of their affiliate deals.)
It's not unlike weight loss advertisements where the spokesperson didn't really use the diet or pill (or didn't use it exclusively) to achieve their results - but the ad wants to give a different impression. Of course TV ads do at least have a tiny disclaimer at the bottom for about 2 seconds.
I'm sure there are a few, but I don't know that most people take any offense at making money with P&M blogs - I certainly don't. But they will call out shady or misleading information/tactics just like people will post reviews of bad experiences with companies, products, hotels, etc.
#294
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: DEN, or so it says...
Programs: UA1K/RCC, Avis CHM, NWA Plat, SPG Plat
Posts: 2,885
I noticed that TPG is being pushed a lot on Facebook, in the same way Amazon and other companies are pushed.
Personally, I don't really care what they do and how. I just don't get the "selfie" mentality.
"Here's a picture of me in my first class seat, here's a picture of me holding a drink, here's a picture of me with a piece of dried macaroni in my hand,.."
Maybe there's a narcissistic aspect surrounding it that I fail to understand. It's not like there's a compelling story behind the picture...
I found the whole video to be pathetic, sad and disgusting up to a point since I don't want to watch people eat. Or maybe I should get with the program and film myself at In-n-Out tomorrow and push a credit card while I'm at it.
Personally, I don't really care what they do and how. I just don't get the "selfie" mentality.
"Here's a picture of me in my first class seat, here's a picture of me holding a drink, here's a picture of me with a piece of dried macaroni in my hand,.."
Maybe there's a narcissistic aspect surrounding it that I fail to understand. It's not like there's a compelling story behind the picture...
I found the whole video to be pathetic, sad and disgusting up to a point since I don't want to watch people eat. Or maybe I should get with the program and film myself at In-n-Out tomorrow and push a credit card while I'm at it.
#295
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP, mid-tier with pretty much everyone else
Posts: 873
I noticed that TPG is being pushed a lot on Facebook, in the same way Amazon and other companies are pushed.
Personally, I don't really care what they do and how. I just don't get the "selfie" mentality.
"Here's a picture of me in my first class seat, here's a picture of me holding a drink, here's a picture of me with a piece of dried macaroni in my hand,.."
Maybe there's a narcissistic aspect surrounding it that I fail to understand. It's not like there's a compelling story behind the picture...
I found the whole video to be pathetic, sad and disgusting up to a point since I don't want to watch people eat. Or maybe I should get with the program and film myself at In-n-Out tomorrow and push a credit card while I'm at it.
Personally, I don't really care what they do and how. I just don't get the "selfie" mentality.
"Here's a picture of me in my first class seat, here's a picture of me holding a drink, here's a picture of me with a piece of dried macaroni in my hand,.."
Maybe there's a narcissistic aspect surrounding it that I fail to understand. It's not like there's a compelling story behind the picture...
I found the whole video to be pathetic, sad and disgusting up to a point since I don't want to watch people eat. Or maybe I should get with the program and film myself at In-n-Out tomorrow and push a credit card while I'm at it.
#296
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: London
Programs: BA, VS, HH, IHG, MB, MR
Posts: 26,871
TPG is only being pushed to you on FB. Their ad targetting is amazing which makes it incredibly cheap.
If you charge commercial rates for your advertising (which I don't as I don't have a sales team) you may well be paying less to FB per click than you would be earning in ad revenue from the page they land on, even assuming they immediately navigate away.
If you charge commercial rates for your advertising (which I don't as I don't have a sales team) you may well be paying less to FB per click than you would be earning in ad revenue from the page they land on, even assuming they immediately navigate away.
#297
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 8,460
If you replace bloggers with trip reporters from this forum, I, in particular have been asked over and over again to the point of severe annoyance how I fund my own trips (29, trip report 30 is in the works) and have started ignoring / reporting comments like that because in actuality they do not have anything to do with the report itself. It is an issue. Who cares how I funded it? Just read the report and enjoy it...
#298
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: PSM
Posts: 69,232
People here kvetch incessantly that the "travel" blogs are just CC-pushing schmucks. And then they kvetch when those sites try to actually be like travel blogs.
Some people will never be happy. Unless they're able to kvetch here, I suppose.
#299
Join Date: May 2009
Location: South Park, CO
Programs: Tegridy Elite
Posts: 5,678
If you replace bloggers with trip reporters from this forum, I, in particular have been asked over and over again to the point of severe annoyance how I fund my own trips (29, trip report 30 is in the works) and have started ignoring / reporting comments like that because in actuality they do not have anything to do with the report itself. It is an issue. Who cares how I funded it? Just read the report and enjoy it...The reason they ask why I can afford what I post on here is irrelevant anyhow.
Again, who cares if you write the truth on a piece of paper or on FlyerTalk, it's still the truth, no matter how many semantics games one may play to abrogate themselves of any personal responsibility.
-LPDAL
Again, who cares if you write the truth on a piece of paper or on FlyerTalk, it's still the truth, no matter how many semantics games one may play to abrogate themselves of any personal responsibility.
-LPDAL
#300
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Charlotte, NC, USA | CLT, formerly LHR & AMS (with just a bit of PSP)
Programs: BAEC Gold, Hilton Diamond, BonVoy Titanium, (soon former) Caesars7*, (former) Wynn Black, HR "Icon"
Posts: 8,172
Very few can actually take kvetching to an "art form level," I come from that family.