Deal Killing Blogs: List deals which were pulled, and the blogs which published them.
 

Recently, I like many of you, have become more and more disgusted as many of the travel bloggers think only about their wallets and their own personal gain. They come and swipe info off FT, package it up so even a monkey can understand it, and proceed to spoonfeed it to everybody and anybody that will listen. And it seems they mainly do it just to get more CC affiliate referral links (ie, money in their pocket). And even, then the hat tipping copycat bloggers come in and give the deal 5x more exposure. So basically they are using the collective knowledge and postings of FT to make money for themselves, and are quickly killing deals in the process by overexposing deals that simply are NOT sustainable for the tens of thousands of readers that they spoonfeed this info to.

The obvious example is the Chase INK Bold/Plus Vanilla Reload 5x deal that bloggers just ruined for everybody this past week at Office Depot. I read on one thread that Chase was offering roughly $200 for affiliate referral applications for the Ink CCs. So bloggers pushed all these readers to apply for the INK Bold CCs, like lambs to a slaughter. And then when the deal died the bloggers laughed all the way to the bank at us peons, not much caring that it died because they had already pocketed all their hundreds of thousands of dollars from referring us suckers to apply for their CCs. BTW, this fantastic YouTube video by FTer "amolkold" about sums up my feelings perfectly about this whole Office Depot Vanilla Reload fiasco (I cry from laughter everytime I rewatch the video):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=r6R5cEEqXpk

Anyways, my main purpose of this thread is not to rant about bloggers, there is a fantastic new blog (ironic, huh) by FTer "gpapadop" that does just that, feel free to go there and rant about bloggers in the comments (the link for that brand new blog is at the bottom of the following post):
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/19662237-post4172.html

The main reason I am starting this thread is to identify bloggers as well as the specific deals they have posted & killed over the years on their blogs. I know it is somewhat arbitrary, but I'd say if a blogger has posted about a deal and then that deal died within the next month (give your input, this could be as little as even a week or two), then they are partially to blame for the death of the deal. I plan to update the first post in this thread often, so please post examples of deals that bloggers have killed. If there is strong evidence that certain bloggers kill deals more than others, it would be my hope that this thread will make it known and will help steer you AWAY from these bloggers links if/when you decide to apply for your next credit card.

Although he is not the only one (or perhaps not even the worst offender), I will use Gary from View From the Wing as an example of how I'd like to list this (only cuz I have already been giving him a hard time recently in his blog comments for ruining lots of deals over the past month). Please use my example and give your own examples for any other bloggers you read that kill deals, and I will update this post and add those examples to this list:

Gary (View From the Wing):
- Alitalia Free $320 Off Flights
- Wyndham 16k promo (FF miles for 0.8cpm)
- Fairmont Lifetime Plat for $2k
- Virgin Atlantic Instant Gold Status
- Travelocity $200 deal
- 4 mile HKG F award tix
- FTD (30 miles/$ + 1500 bonus per purchase)
- AviancaTaca 0.3cpm (250 miles per purchase)
- Netflix churns
- Office Depot Vanilla Reloads 5x
- etc
- etc
- etc (I can probably list another 25+ deals this blogger has prematurely killed over the years if I think a little harder)


Darius (Million Mile Secrets):


Lucky (One Mile At a Time):


Rick (Frugal Travel Guy):


Brian (The Points Guy):


? (MileValue):


(MommyPoints):


BTW, I also wouldn't be against keeping a list of those bloggers who DON'T kill deals. Examples of those (I think) would include Seth (Wandering Aramean), Ric (Loyalty Traveler), etc.

FTers: Please keep it civil in this thread as I don't want it shut down cuz I truly do want a thorough list of bloggers who kill deals.

Bloggers: Please don't come on this thread picking fights to try to get this thread shut down.

Saved for future (List of Bloggers who kill deals):

Female Mother Blogger from TX:
- US Grand Slam (main blog pumper of this deal)
- Discover America (one of many offenders of overexposing this deal)
- Bump the Bonus fiasco (I believe the main pumper of BtB, please correct me if I'm wrong)

Dan (who has Deals):
- TLV mistake fare (died a few hours after blog post)

Saved for future (List of Bloggers who DON'T kill deals):

Won't this be a fun thread:rolleyes:. You made your point in previous threads, but I think you are going too far now.

If I may ask, who decides which list Bloggers fall on? I doubt that there will a be a fair method to determine this. Maybe we can ask Carol to bestow "Ruler of the Blogosphere" title to you handle:D.

BTW, I'm well aware that Gary writes lots of great blog posts about things other than credit cards, so please don't take my post above as an attack against Gary, likewise please don't think that I don't appreciate any of his posts, because that is far from the case. And that is probably true for all the other bloggers listed above. They all write some good blog posts, but they are all also guilty of ruining deals prematurely by overexposing them. I am trying to keep an updated list of the worst offenders in this thread.

Local TV news programs that crimp from the Web and broadcast for "personal" gain (=ad revenue) are evil too. 9-)

I think the lists will speak for themselves in terms of the # of "deals killed" by each blogger. And it doesn't even have to be 2 lists. It very well could just be a single list of "Deal Killers" with the likes of Loyalty Traveler and Wandering Aramean not making the list, or else near the bottom of the list (hmmmm, isn't it interesting how those 2 bloggers don't have CC affiliate links, the crack cocaine to bloggers????). I guess the amount of time a deal is posted on a blog before dying is a bit arbitary (should it be 1 week?, 1 month?), but other than that it's fairly straight forward. If a blogger posts about a deal and it dies within 1 week, then they have likely helped to kill it prematurely. Most all of the bloggers are guilty of prematurely killing Office Depot 5x for example.

And thank you for the thoughts, but no I don't need some special title given to my handle. :D

I never said anybody was evil. I just said they were premature deal killers, which they are. Plenty of TV shows kill deals (or other things) as well.................ie, the TV show "Extreme Couponing" killed Couponing the way it was previously done. I'm sure somebody somewhere has also made a type of list like that of TV shows that have done the same thing.

What a great thread. I always wanted to visit Salem in 1692 but have had issues perfecting my time machine. Thank you for hosting this recreation of events there so that everyone can join in the fun!

IBTL.

I agree most of these bloggers are deal killers and will only think of filling their pockets with card referrals. But there are one or 2 like FM which i like.They post dangerous tricks to get approved for cards only to get shut down later by amex and chase.

This thread won't end well for anyone...

Say it ain't so...

Way to go GregoryGregory
 

Another one of your many insight posts that show your gratitude for all the good things on Flyertalk. (sarcasm)

There is a small fraction of FT's 430,000 members that seem to think they are above the community spirit of sharing, and/or they are just an unhappy lot hiding behind the anonymity of the Internet.

This is the "Other Face of Flyertalk" filled with anger, hate, personal attacks and providing nothing positive to our community.

You all get to decide which side of the fence you fall on. I'm embarrassed by this group of flyertalkers. I don't see any positive contributions, charitable donations or sharing coming from this band of bullies.

PS, Don't forget to vote GregoryGrady.

Oh shut it.

How many of these 'dead deals' did you discover... how many would you have know about without somebody telling you? Whether it be bloggers/ft users, it doesnt matter. Just be thankful people share deals.

LOL, another thread from someone who can't control their anger destined to be closed.

Something tells me you won't be getting a shot at part 4...IBTL. Stop poking the bear, you know threads like this cause the bloggers to be more willing to post things right? Does someone with an attitude like yours have a right to complain about bloggers "killing" deals? Only whoever comes up with a deal has a right to say anything.

Yawn yawn yawn. Gregorygrady woke up in yet another "blame all my ills in the world on evil bloggers" mood. This pointless thread will hopefully be shut down if not removed in it's entirety.

FTG, I agree. This is sad.

And I will make them PAY for what they've done:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aJCrMDl-H4.

I believe Captain Ahab's ship has left this dock. . .

OP - Are you actually mad at the bloggers or are you mad that the consequence of them posting the deals case then to be pulled faster? Or do you just want money for referrals yourself?

Either way, I don't see why you're mad at the bloggers. CC companies (ie: chase ink vanilla) don't come up with CC deals thinking, "FTers will be able to run around the system! That's ok!

Point being: tricks come and go and eventually if enough people use it it usually gets shut down-whether or not bloggers advertise them. On to the next one.

So pathetic...

Deal Killing Bloggers (aka, Are Bloggers Ruining FT, Part 3?)
 

I wonder if the OP actually thought this would end well.

I'm not a blogger nor do I really follow them (note to some of them, sorry for deleting your daily posts unread, but I've got 2,800 emails in my in-box), but since you're asking for input I'll provide mine.

Please note I am speaking as a regular FTer and not as a TB member.

While I rarely go on bloggers sites (I'm not a CC churner), bloggers do serve a purpose & are helpful to many people (beyond FT). In some cases, deals wouldn't be found if it weren't for bloggers finding them & sharing.

Do some of them make $$ from referral links? Yes. Do all? Maybe/maybe not. As long as a blogger is upfront about saying they'll get a spiff from a link I don't have a problem w/ it. Even if they don't, I don't per se. Like all things, consumers need to educate themselves.

Do I think bloggers are evil/ruining FT (your definition of 'ruining' FT seems to be a deal getting pulled)? No. I would posit that most FTers come to FT to learn more about their programs than they do to learn about CC churning or the latest, cheapest mileage run.

Are bloggers soley responsible for killing deals? No. There are many ways for deals to be found/killed - besides bloggers, there are non-blog people who tweet, post on FB, there are online, print & television outlets. There's also the realization by some companies that the way they structured a deal doesn't accomplish their goals, so they shut it down.

Sidetrack - the same is true for mileage run, cheap, inexpensive & mistake fares. Many ways for them to be discovered/shut down, not just because they're posted on FT.

BTW - your post (especially if this is a part 3 :eek:) does sound like you're ranting against bloggers.

I will go on record as saying that I find your post definitely not in the 'spirit of Flyertalk', which is a bulletin board for people to share information & help each other. It is NOT a Salem witch hunt bulletin board.

Lastly, I do think it ironic that you want to name & shame bloggers because they're killing the deal. What your post sounds like (to me) is someone who is selfish & wants to keep the deal for yourself - ie, I got mine or hey, I want to get mine before the deal gets pulled.

Also, if you're going to go on a rant, you'll need to add FTers & lots of other non-FTers to your list, because if there's any group that can find a loophole & exploit it in a way not intended by a company, it's those who go after miles & points.

Cheers. Sharon

This thread is a joke.

Seriously? Another thread on the same tired sentiment?

Do bloggers really make $200 per approved credit card referral?

I have wondered that also, not that I care. IBTL.

I also think some of the "shaming" of bloggers actually drives traffic. I don't read MMS much, but I'll go look when the complaints pop up. I can't be the only one.

I do not agree with you. The first time i know point and mile world was from MMS blog. From there I learn a lot and from there i became one of flyertalk. I do not have time to check every board of flyertalk. Bloggers find the best deals from flyertalk to post in their blogs. There is nothing wrong with that. You think they kill deal. The deal is just for you, or a small group of flyertalk? I do not think so. Recently some people blame MMS for killing vanilla deal. It is ridiculous. When I know bluebird, I know this deal will be dead soon. Chase definitely cannot stand OD, VANILLA AND BLUEBIRD trick. There is nothing to do with blogger.

I do believe everyone have their own way to judge a blogger. And they do not need your help.

Four days ago, I blame lucky(one mile a time) inflate the value of hilton point to promote his application link for citibank hilton reserve card. I made a mistake. Lucky wrote the value of hotel point before he has referral link of hilton reserve card. I sincerely apologize to lucky.

This is funny
 

I just sit back and laugh. It seems that Grady is just an old sad-sack who is made he didn't get to rape the scam enough before it shut down. What does he have, 1 or 2 people that agree with him? Too funny;)

I see zero positive contributions from you. And don't give me .... about charitable giving. I don't need to do it by telling you and I certainly don't need to wear my bleeding heart for veterans on my blog. I'll give and support whatever I want on my own time.

Well, we should probably add RANDY PETERSON given his dumb recent lawsuit.

I made this point back in 2008. If you want some nastaligia, go google the Wyndham Best Rate Guarantee (BRG) threads. Those got killed by a blogger.

But, nobody wanted to listen. Nobody thought it was a big deal. Then it snowballed.

I still maintain that FT should have created a separate forum for blog discussion. Make a thread for each blog. Personally, I would much rather discuss blog material on FT where I know that we can speak candidly about the bloggers without fear of moderation. FT should have wanted to do this to preserve their market -- instead, their feeble attempt to play in the blogosphere was to buy FTG.

So while I mostly agree with you, I would say that the horse has left the barn.

If there's an opportunity for money to be made, someone will step in and do so, and others will follow. Every deal will be killed eventually (if it's a good enough deal). Bloggers earn money through page views, and the best way to do that is with timely content. This list of "deal killing" bloggers is eventually going to be simply the most active and up-to-date bloggers. But as much as one might say blogging is killing deals, one could also say that Flyertalk killed deals, just on a smaller scale because it was more difficult to access/find. As Flyertalk grew in popularity, so did its deal killing prowess.

One could possibly argue that deals found on Flyertalk should be considered intellectual property and that bloggers are taking traffic away from Flyertalk. In my opinion, the point is not to attack bloggers, but rather protect the information better. I'm on both sides of the argument. As someone who doesn't have a lot of time to investigate potentially good deals, I like that someone else does the work and I get to take advantage of it. Sure, I'd rather have it limited to Flyertalk, or even better limited to some forum to which I have access, but I don't blame bloggers for making money while they can. And in the end, for every deal that I might have taken advantage of that was killed by blogging, I've gained plenty of information for free because of blogs. The only time I have ever clicked through on an affiliate link is when a deal came that clearly originated from the blogger itself. I refuse to click on links when I come to Flyertalk and see the same information posted a day earlier.

I'm a member of the discussion boards over at The Motley Fool. I pay a subscription fee because the content is worth the fee. They also have premium subscriptions. Users with premium subscriptions know better than to repost information and analysis for free, and I'm sure those who violate it are punished somehow.

Dear gregorygrady
I have looked back through your previous posts and I fail to see where you have ever contributed a deal to either the hotel deals forum, mileage run forum or other forums. Am I missing them?
I feel after looking at your previous posts that you are really complaining that my posts and other peoples are being stolen and used. That is none of your business really as they are not your contributions and those whose contributions are being used do not seem to be complaining; in fact I am sort of flattered when my original work appears elsewhere.

Please feel free to stay and get what you can out of Flyertalk but if you really are discontented the information super highway runs both ways. IN and out

It's the end of the world as we know it.......

I have been hearing how FT is being "ruined" almost since I joined, first by waves of new members and resulting changes, the notoriety of fare mistakes and now bloggers and the only constant over the years is change and expecting there to be none is IMHO folly. FT will survive and adapt as it always has and I'd rather manage the moment and move forward than continually debating ruination.

That is merely MHO as a poster and it's okay if YMMV.

There is also a small fraction of FTers who profit hundreds of thousands of dollars from the rest of the FTers by swiping info posted on FT and then pushing CC affiliate referral links and obvious. I don't know, such as going so far as to suggest people apply for 4 Ink CCs via his link ($800 into said bloggers pocket) and then launder $190k via those 4 new CCs to get 960k Chase UR pts per year (on the VERY page pumping those Ink Bold referral link):

http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2012/...lus-cards.html

Recognize that guy? You obviously don't expect deals to stay active with advice like that for all the noobies that read your blog. No, you seem to just want the quick referral money from all the Ink CC applications, not caring if the deal lasts for FTers to enjoy. I am embarrassed by this small group of FT bloggers. That you give some of your proceeds to Wounded Warriers or whatever makes difference to me. So you are justifying killing deals to make money to give to charity? How about you don't push your newbie readers to apply for 4 CCs and aim for 960k UR pts per year, thus let the deal remain longer, and then we can decide if we want to give money to charity?

I'm mad at the bloggers BECAUSE they don't have the discretion to keep some things for themselves that obviously are unsustainable if they blog about them.

I am mad that they are ruining good deals prematurely simply to line their pockets even more via their CC affiliate links.

Just shut down the interwebs. Problem solved.

I don't see any Iranian bloggers killing deals so maybe we could learn something from Mahmoud.

Moderator action
 

Some posts have been removed because they are inflamatory. The authors will be contacted, but not immediately because I am traveling. The thread will remain closed while these discussions take place.

Moderator action
 

The thread title has been edited to focus on the OP's suggestion to build a list.

Please do not include personal characterizations in your posts. This includes speculations about another's member's character, judgment, motives or finances. In other words, you may write about "deals" and "blog CONTENT", but not about "bloggers" or their families. The connection between blog publicity and deals withdrawn is controversial. Respect the opinions of those who view this topic differently.

Posts which do not comply with the rules are likely to disappear without immediate explanation, but explanations will be provided as time permits.