What is the most useful frequent flyer blog?
Apr 4, 2013, 1:51 pm
#2326
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Programs: Airline Free Agent, Fairmont Lifetime Platinum, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Honors Diamond
Posts: 3,041
After a while I could not keep up with it, there was (and IS) so much material out there! Now I get to pick my spots then and I can continue having a life. I always give a little extra break to the ones full time at this! I think I made a difference and I like looking at myself in the mirror each morning lol.
Last edited by mia; Apr 4, 2013 at 2:12 pm Reason: Combine consecutive replies
Apr 4, 2013, 2:09 pm
#2327
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: LAS
Programs: DL PM, UA PS, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 4,904
I dont think there was any hatred for the offer, its a nice offer; rather this offer is not new (its been around before) but suddenly now that it has an affliate link, its treated like that greatest card in the world by some bloggers.
also kudos scott, i've subscribed to your blog from day one. always found it to be extremely interesting and informative, and i appreciate your candor
also kudos scott, i've subscribed to your blog from day one. always found it to be extremely interesting and informative, and i appreciate your candor
I agree it's a good card if used for the right things. It's not the greatest card now, but it's worth taking a look into since it has a decent bonus and decent continual spending qualities.
Apr 4, 2013, 2:12 pm
#2328
Join Date: May 2011
Programs: As many as I can!
Posts: 344
There were targeted offers late last year with a 40,000 bonus, but it wasn't public.
The 40K offer is new, and since it is in the affiliate channel, it got written about. If you don't want to read about it in-depth 10 times, your options are:
a) Skim the headline in a few seconds and move on.
b) Don't read 10 miles and points blogs.
I'd understand the distaste if folks were talking about the 20K offer, but not many were doing that even though it was an affiliate link.
$440 for a card from Barclays (which is churnable) and which pulls from TransUnion (which most other bank's don't use) is a fairly good deal.
As I wrote (or whined!) the card isn't particularly useful for everyday spending because you'd have to spend a lot to get any meaningful benefit. Get the card for the bonus and move on to the next bonus.
Apr 4, 2013, 6:25 pm
#2329
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: UA Plat, Copa Pres. Plat, Hyatt Diamond, Hilton Diamond, SPG LT Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 769
I don't understand the hatred for this offer. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the other 2% cards have no sign-up bonus, or maybe $50? This one is $440 back on any travel purchase, which pretty much everyone in this forum spends.
Is it just me or is $440 a good tradeoff for a TransUnion inquiry? It's from Barclays, a gimme/add-on for most people who churn cards regularly. CapitalOne's 110k match was popular, and it was $1100 cash back for 3 inquiries (one each bureau).
The minimum spend is only $1000, of which $400 can be reimbursed before the statement even closes.
And the public offers is exactly the same as the affiliate.
Is it just me or is $440 a good tradeoff for a TransUnion inquiry? It's from Barclays, a gimme/add-on for most people who churn cards regularly. CapitalOne's 110k match was popular, and it was $1100 cash back for 3 inquiries (one each bureau).
The minimum spend is only $1000, of which $400 can be reimbursed before the statement even closes.
And the public offers is exactly the same as the affiliate.
Also worth mentioning that it's also a $400 offer if not redeemed for travel purposes. So really, the "travel-specific" part of the deal is the incremental $40. From a subject-matter perspective, it's borderline "points / travel" IMO. Just speaks to the extent to which CCs have become ingrained in the subject matter.
This ^
Apr 4, 2013, 6:54 pm
#2330
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: ORD
Programs: US Air, UA BA LH AI DELTA MARRIOTT CHOICE SGP
Posts: 9,883
Most of us bloggers had affiliate links to the 20,000 offer for the last few months, but very few of us posted about it, because 20K wasn't a meaningful bonus.
There were targeted offers late last year with a 40,000 bonus, but it wasn't public.
The 40K offer is new, and since it is in the affiliate channel, it got written about. If you don't want to read about it in-depth 10 times, your options are:
a) Skim the headline in a few seconds and move on.
b) Don't read 10 miles and points blogs.
I'd understand the distaste if folks were talking about the 20K offer, but not many were doing that even though it was an affiliate link.
$440 for a card from Barclays (which is churnable) and which pulls from TransUnion (which most other bank's don't use) is a fairly good deal.
As I wrote (or whined!) the card isn't particularly useful for everyday spending because you'd have to spend a lot to get any meaningful benefit. Get the card for the bonus and move on to the next bonus.
There were targeted offers late last year with a 40,000 bonus, but it wasn't public.
The 40K offer is new, and since it is in the affiliate channel, it got written about. If you don't want to read about it in-depth 10 times, your options are:
a) Skim the headline in a few seconds and move on.
b) Don't read 10 miles and points blogs.
I'd understand the distaste if folks were talking about the 20K offer, but not many were doing that even though it was an affiliate link.
$440 for a card from Barclays (which is churnable) and which pulls from TransUnion (which most other bank's don't use) is a fairly good deal.
As I wrote (or whined!) the card isn't particularly useful for everyday spending because you'd have to spend a lot to get any meaningful benefit. Get the card for the bonus and move on to the next bonus.
Thanks for the level headed comments. I skim headlines and go deeper if it "pulls" me. Common sense !
But I must admit I skipped over that it is churnable. So thanks.
Keep your disclaimers as you do as in "my affliate link is not as ggod as this one....)
Apr 4, 2013, 7:35 pm
#2331
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 220
This is why I'll use MMS's link when I get the card. Most of the blogs I read touted it as the best non bonus spend card. MMS talked about it as a get the sign up bonus and move on. I felt he was one of the most honest.
Apr 4, 2013, 7:43 pm
#2332
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: 787
Programs: Too many to list
Posts: 1,306
Apr 4, 2013, 9:18 pm
#2333
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 5,439
Speaking of AA and selling out, I felt that Gary's latest AA love fest and implying they were better than SQ is a bit um... <fill in the blank yourselves>
Apr 4, 2013, 9:27 pm
#2334
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 6,385
He never implied that AA was better than SQ. He just said that the new product is the best for trans-atlantic travel...
Apr 4, 2013, 9:41 pm
#2335
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 5,439
Some will argue on a technicality that the best transatlantic business class belongs to Singapo[r]e Airlines — they fly New York to Frankfurt with an Airbus A380 on a flight that continues to Singapore (not to mention their 777 flight from Houston to Moscow). But I’m not sure even that would be true.
Apr 4, 2013, 10:04 pm
#2336
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 6,385
@Jackie I meant to suggest that SQ doesn’t count! I threw it in their as possibly winning “on a technicality” but they aren’t really a transatlantic carrier — we’re talking 1 flight a day on the A380
@dhammer53 – the comparison to Singapore was sort of a joke, they offer ONE flight from the US to Europe are are not at all the point of the post.
Apr 4, 2013, 10:05 pm
#2337
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,395
Well, some people don't read the comments... 
Apr 4, 2013, 10:37 pm
#2339
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 212
A Keeper
The title of this thread is "What is the most useful frequent flyer blog?" While I am not in any way qualified to name the most useful frequent flyer blog, I can post about blogs that, as a newbie, I have found useful (or, as I did at post 1885, the opposite).
This one, which I read today, gave me exactly the info that I needed:
http://hackmytrip.com/2013/03/map-ch...-google-kayak/
While there was an ad along the left margin for a cc, there were not any cc links within the text. Frankly I barely see the margin ads anymore, whether they appear here on FT, on a news site, or in blogs. They are just a fact of online life that I can easily gloss over and ignore.
I now know why AA's new mapping tool should similarly be ignored, and how and why Google Flights is a better bet than Kayak Explore. Living near PDX - an airport that rarely shows up on The Flight Deal or in the mileage run threads - I now know about a user friendly tool that I can use to see what inexpensive flights originate in PDX. Excellent info for someone like me who is just starting out in this game.
So for me, HackMyTrip is a keeper.
This one, which I read today, gave me exactly the info that I needed:
http://hackmytrip.com/2013/03/map-ch...-google-kayak/
While there was an ad along the left margin for a cc, there were not any cc links within the text. Frankly I barely see the margin ads anymore, whether they appear here on FT, on a news site, or in blogs. They are just a fact of online life that I can easily gloss over and ignore.
I now know why AA's new mapping tool should similarly be ignored, and how and why Google Flights is a better bet than Kayak Explore. Living near PDX - an airport that rarely shows up on The Flight Deal or in the mileage run threads - I now know about a user friendly tool that I can use to see what inexpensive flights originate in PDX. Excellent info for someone like me who is just starting out in this game.
So for me, HackMyTrip is a keeper.
Apr 4, 2013, 10:39 pm
#2340
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 5,439
Even then Gary wouldn't be right - if we're talking just the seat, then it should be US (who were the first to pioneer it and offer an industry leading product, as opposed to AA, a mere follower who has it on all of about 3 aircraft right now). If we're looking at the whole picture - SN, LX, OS etc. should all rank well above AA on almost every count (except possibly seat).