EqualOpp

So..I've been doing this MS/points/miles thing for a few years now. Got in on
some easy MS, and missed out on others.

I've read my fair share of blogs -

doc, frequentmiler, travelisfree, travelcodex, milevalue, onemileatatime mostly.. sometimes - travelwithgrant, upgradedpoints, milecards, tpg, welltraveledmile, milestomemories, mms, and a smattering of other random ones. There's another one that I don't remember the name of...some Asian woman does that. Her picture is in the corner anyway. [Edit: travelsort!]

So..I've realized I have only signed up for 1 card on an affiliate link - travelisfree a couple years ago. I have also clicked on Amazon/ebay from DOC and Travelwithgrant.

I need to do better.

The issue I've realized lately is certain cards aren't being offered on affiliate links. Nor are things like links with no 24-month language or incognito ones. Some cards might of been affiliate at one point, but it doesn't appear to be the case now. Or the personal is affiliate but the business is not (Marriott Business for example which I recently got). My recent B of A Asiana appears to have once been affiliate but not recently.

Also part of me earlier has avoided affiliate links because "they didn't offer the best deal" (Looking at TPG here) or it s shameless shilling, so to speak - "so I just avoid all of them." Or worries that if I go through an affiliate link my odds of getting approved might go down.

I have on my list to support frequentmiler (Barclay Arrival) and milevalue (Alaska Air? SPG Business?) if possible with my next CC applications.
Onemileatatime is also deserving. Going forward, I think I am willing to sacrifice a little to not get the best offer, if that is the case, if I can help a blogger I read.

I read a travelbloggerbuzz article about the life and death of many miles and points blogs.

http://travelbloggerbuzz.com/a-deep-...ts-blog-space/


What is your experience with this?

EqualOpp

I think another thing is when you get information from so many different sources you don't link it to any one individual or blogger. When I used the affiliate with travelisfree the specific info was so valuable and relatively unique.

but as I've settled on few blogs to regularly reference, I know I should go out of my way to support them - especially when they've helped me make or save $$.

Saas

I usually use Award Wallet's affiliate links. It's a service that I use almost daily so I want support them.

tcook052

As this topic is more about blogs and their affiliate links than actual Manufactured Spending the thread has been relocated to the External Miles and Points Resources forum for further discussion.

tcook052
on behalf of MS forum moderators

iadisgreat

God, I hope zero.

kokonutz

I made and have a standing offer to use any blogger's affiliate link...so long as they split the payment with me. None have taken me up on the offer. And I'm in the clear on time and app limits currently!

84fiero

As you've discovered OP, you definitely need to shop around and make sure you're applying for the best available offer, no matter what. The CC forums on FT are a good place to spot check what's current.

Very few of the points & miles bloggers will even mention if a better, non-affiliate offer is available. Or warn you about other ramifications. Those folks don't have your best interests at heart any more than Target or Honda or United Airlines does - it's a business.

I have occasionally used affiliate links of sites that are trustworthy and that I appreciate reading (and where the offer was just as good). I haven't kept track though to tell you how many.

Jesperss

Used to apply through FrequentMiler, however his posts over the last couple years were so far from where he started out - so i stopped and apply directly through the banks

Astrophsx

Most of the entries I am seeing are from his hired help. Though, sometimes their daily deals and what not are pretty good.

I usually check to see if any friends or FT'ers have referral links before going straight to the bank. I've used FrequentMiler's from time to time.

It's too bad there isn't a blog that is non-profit or charity who donated the commissions to charity.

Raffles

The cookies probably have a 14-28 day life. People don't understand this. Click a link, apply direct 3 weeks later, blogger is still paid.

EqualOpp

didn't think about that.... when I buy through Topcashback, etc...I usually delete my browser history and cookies, so I know I have periodically cleaned house so to speak.

despite that...I wonder how many bloggers / which ones I may have inadvertently supported in this way? I can eliminate the no 24 month language ones and incognito ones. Certain bloggers I am careful to generally not click any of the actual app links, just sticking with the content.

And some bloggers don't hawk CCs aggressively at all. like travelisfree and doc - no affiliate links.

Seems to be some hate for bloggers on FT. I can understand why for some of them. Killed some gooses. But I've gotten valuable info from various ones. And I know they mention the best offers available - except for a few, which I typically don't care for their writing style anyway...so I don't bother. I often have compared to what is on FT to make sure I get the latest.

Mary2e

Zero. I also don't do blogs.

Many of them simply lift information that's been posted on FT. I agree they have killed the miles/points game.

Astrophsx

Well that's just it. Boardingarea does nothing to clamp down on clickbait. There are specific bloggers who make a living by posting targeted deals that 99% of their readers do not have access to, knowing if they click that link to see if they are targeted, that the blogger will get a pay out if the reader purchases something within the next 24 hours. As long as the top three BA bloggers stay loyal I guess there will always be a place for that site. Too bad they don't use the Uber model where you can rate each article and enough bad reviews leads to the blogger being removed from the site. Would push the bloggers to be more honest and also stop making their blogs like their personal diaries so they can push out 3-4 posts a day.

Astrophsx

How have they killed it? Maybe they've killed MS, but nowadays the airlines have killed the USE of miles. Even without bloggers the airlines would have caught on how profitable it was to tell miles to credit card companies and allow them to give away 100k sign up bonuses. Now you can have 100k AA miles and barely be able to use them. Without bloggers it would have just been a 4-5 year wait till social media influencers came along to take their place.

Mary2e

They killed it by constantly publicizing the sign up bonuses, back doors, MS, and hotel points bonuses.

The inability to use them started with the glut of points/miles being out there and people trying to use them, not the other way around.

The game had lessened, but I believe it's current state is directly due to all the people jumping on the free vacation bandwagon.

These blogs started a long time ago as a labor of love and turned into a labor of profit.