Best blogs for beginners?
 

I know, this is the worst question ever, and there's a chance this thread will go down in a vicious wall of flames. But I know it would be useful info for me, and I suspect for a good number of other people here, too.

There are a few people in my life who know what I do, and how I afford to travel far beyond my means. There are always others who ask about it out of curiosity, or out of (legitimate) concern that I'm driving myself into the poorhouse. Depending on the person and the situation, my answer may vary from "we mainly use frequent flyer miles" to something a little more in-depth.

The problem that I (and probably everyone else) run into are those who decide it's a great idea, and want to do it themselves. I don't have time to talk people through every step of the process, nor do I want to. More importantly, for most people, I actually discourage them from really getting into it - many people don't have the time or willpower to do it correctly, and will end up getting themselves into trouble.

I've never really looked at any of the blogs - are there any that are actually good, reasonable sources of information about how churning works? Not the ones that say "Apply for every card, every day! You'll get all of them, and I'll get rich off referrals! It's all super easy!". I'm talking about sites that you could give to someone, let them read over them, and have the basic info they need to decide if churning (on any level) is for them, and what's involved. Having a site or two like this that we could point people to could save all of us a lot of time.

Obviously, FT is the place to come for all the real info, but not only do we not need a ton of noobs wandering around here, but I think explaining FT might take longer than explaining churning.

Frugal Travel Guy is certainly geared toward beginners. whether it is the best is certainly subject to opinion (and I am sure you will get a few).

My own advice is to never rely on just one blog nor just one source of info.

Million Mile Secrets is good for beginners, and others. He explains things in an easy-to-follow, easy-to-understand fashion.

My favorite blog is View from the Wing.

These are both good. I'd also suggest The Points Guy.

That strikes me as more geared towards frequent fliers.

The points guy and million mile secrets are the best for non frequent flyers

I agree with others that mention The Points Guy. They have a good mix of articles for beginner to intermediate.

How are we forgetting Lucky and OMAAT?

I love View from the Wing and One Mile At A Time (favorite blogs) but in my opinion they are more for frequent travellers (reviews). And the best place to find hotel deals its on Loyalty Lobby

I think Lucky's beginner guides are useful for broad perspective of what is going on and what this hobby can enable you to do:

http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/whats-the-point/

Best blogs for beginners?
 

But these blogs are only good for learning the basics. when it comes to credit cards, whether it be reviews or links, most are incredibly biased and do not put their readers' interests first. that's the first disclaimer that should come with any blog recommendation.

I personally only read doctorofcredit and frequentmiler regularly. hackmytrip and dansdeals if I'm really bored. tpg and mms if I need a good laugh (tho tpg has the best layout and overall aesthetics - at least they're putting some of that commission $$ back into their site)

try The Points Guru:
http://welltraveledmile.com/thepointsguru/

Loyalty Lobby goes a lot further than hotels. He covers airlines quite well also. It's not necessarily a beginners blog but has tons of current information and deals. He does not push credit cards like the American bloggers also, which is refreshing.

Best blogs for beginners?
 

To me, the most overlooked resource for beginners is Google. So frequently, we see people posting questions here that several bloggers who aim for a less - travel experienced/less - sophisticated group post about over and over again.

if you have a specific question, start with Google. There are hundreds of blogs, and everyone has a different style preference, base knowledge, and interest.

I agree that the Points Guy and Million Mile Secrets are written aimed at people who infrequently use airplanes or redeem miles. However, you will unlikely ever get beyond a beginner level reading those blogs.

Moreover, they're never going to talk about churning and other ways of manipulating credit card bonuses, as these blogs are supported by credit card companies. (In the case of The Points Guy, the blog is actually *owned* by a credit card marketing company.) Any of these commercially - oriented sites are not going to provide honest advice.

Which credit card bloggers (usually pretending to be travel bloggers) won't reveal the best credit card offers and censors readers who post that there is a better offer?

Note: The above list changes a lot, so IMHO you should trust none of them.

Another person's opinions on bloggers to ignore

General reading on the censorship and bad stuff that the credit card bloggers do.

The credit card blogger industry is pretty shady.