We register for the latest IHG Rewards Accelerate promotion, we curse at them evil loyalty programs, learn more about the Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts FHR, we bow to Mrs. TBB genius Skymiles Award Booker, learn about Paypal accounts, visit the Wakhan people in Afghanistan, get ready to travel to Tunis, and check out a great article about what to do in market corrections.
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The new IHG Rewards promotion is out, it is called Accelerate. You might as well check out your own offer and register for it. Both of our offers required five night stays which isn’t going to happen most likely. I foresee another debacle with this one as in the past two promos. In my offer the points did not even add up and the offer numberings did not even make sense, WTF IHG, get it together! Good luck to all who have the patience to call IHG call support #yikes You can see some other offers at the Loyalty Lobby and it appears the new members are getting some REALLY great offers!
How to make your loyalty program more evil at Personal Finance Digest. Loved it! Our species is under attack, fight back!
Excellent information about the American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts (FHR) at TravelZork.
Success! Mrs. TBB is a quick learner. She managed to book herself and daughter one way to Singapore on Business Class using SkyMiles at 70k each and then, please sit down, she got on a roll and managed to book the return flying Korean Air out of Kuala Lumpur for 40k each. 220,000 Skymiles out of her account leaving her with about 21,000, hooray! She was going to raid daughter’s account to book them on Business but felt bad as that account has exactly 160,000 saved for her trip to Australia with me which is likely not happening with the Virgin Australia latest developments…I knew she had potential, award booking service next hehe. So happy to get rid of this Skyshit 🙂
The various levels of Paypal Accounts by Doctor of Credit.
AMEX Small Business Saturday will return November 28, 2015. Brace yourselves for an absolute frenzy of selling Amex credit cards from your favorite bloggers…boo!
Wakhan, an Other Afghanistan by Maptia. You must check this out, amazing pictures, wow!
The 10 Best Castle Hotels. According to Trip Advisor…
19 Things to Know Before you Go to Tunis at Roads & Kingdoms. Loved it.
Incredible aerial pictures show US and European tectonic plates in Iceland pulling apart leaving dramatic 200ft water-filled crevices that divers can explore Amazing pictures…two videos too!
Well, it was quite a day in the stock market on Monday followed by another doozy one on Friday. Sorry I could not get to all the comments and emails, I was a little busy you know. At times like these we financial planners earn our living, it was way too easy for so long everyone got complacent. I don’t want to get into details, this is a travel blog! Just remember, nobody knows and everyone has opinions. Turn the crap off, it can mess with your head. Go have a latte or, if you are really distraught, take it out on my affiliate links as I went to Taco Bell instead of having sushi last night. Darn you Mr. Market lol.
Nice one by Ron Lieber of the New York Times (may require you to have an account to access): Advice after Stock Market Drop, Take Some Deep Breaths and Don’t Do a Thing.
And I leave you with this…
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What has two thumbs and is first? This guy!
Never been First, oh well.
Thank you for blogging.
Cheers,
PedroNY
Nick, taking your 3rd place.
I missed the Virgin Australia changes. What’s up, Buzz?
Ok, I found info on the new Virgin Australia seat configuration. That’s it, right?
Well, that’s likely not good news but also not necessarily a deal killer.
Yep, that’s it. Sure not helping!
Nice work old chap, and kudos to the missus for getting those flights, yay ! ! ! All is not lost !
Let’s see, what else, no can’t think of anything !
How do you collect points for your children?
My kids had miles in their accounts before they were even born 🙂
These are old miles…back in the Northwest Airlines Worldperks good old days, there was a promo every summer that was a killer. It required frequent visits to Rewards Dining establishments. I killed it at small coffees for $1.06, scored hundreds of thousands of miles that way. A few paid flights in there for the kids as well, etc.
So on what airline are they flying to S’pore?
DL to Shanghai via Narita
NU to SIN
booked online, no issues
Coming back KE via Seoul to ATL
DL to DTW
I was reminded of why I don’t like KE taxes/fees/fuelsurcharges but wth, put on Barclay Arrival card 🙂
Is this the time for “I told you so”? It seems like Delta likes your wife better. Let her do all the booking in the future.
Absolutely loved PFD piece. One of his best posts ever, everyone should read it. And weep!
Your Iceland pictures reminded me. Going to HAM–>KEF in a few days, Asia in Oct. When are you flying?
Man, that Asia trip was just for her and daughter. I am supposed to be joining for part of the trip but it is way too early to settle on my dates! Story of my life.
I have so many trips booked I gotta wear shades….Actually I am driving to Indianapolis #facepalm
Buzz, I think I can save you 5 mins per blog post: skip the intro (summary) paragraphs. I bet they go unread.
I don’t care if they go unread…as long as one or two clicked on them…
Continuing to blog is like a desperate race to prevent the day I say “just phuck it”
Gotta agree with Bluecat. Just skip the intro summary. I do 😉 .
Congrats to Mrs. TBB. Does this mean there’s help for my husband, who, at last count, misplaced his old OBC…. Claims I am at fault for constantly slipping cards in and out of his wallet but I think this one is not on me.
Busy booking intra-southern Africa flights for our Feb. 2016 trip. Even working with a travel agent, planning safaris is tough! #FirstWorldProblems
Nothing to click on in your opening paragraph….paragraph 2 has the precious links…
BTW, did you get credit for a Prestige card that I signed up for last week via creditcards.com? Just curious: how do you get your reports and what do they say, how long does it take to get paid, and, of course I need to ask, how much do you get? 🙂
I do the intro summary because if I do not, the same Mission & Precious Links ALWAYS show up on the home page for each blog post. I had no idea I was doing this until a reader alerted me to it and looked so…hideous! So I added the intro summary, just skip it 🙂
At one time eons ago Hilton had a safari award…I was gunning for it and then, suddenly, boom it was devaluated to dust, so sad.
Yep, got the Prestige card credit, lunch on me if we ever meet! Thanks.
Okay, I understand about the need for the synopsis-that-i-always-skip now.
Good to hear that creditcards.com paid you so quickly. You owe me no lunch–take Mrs TBB out instead!
Yeah, having to do it kind of bores me to pieces. so I throw some zingers in there once in a while to keep…me entertained 🙂
Thanks again.
To the top three…medals will be awarded…one day
I just got an email from Frequentmiler pushing the SPG card hard. Dissappointed to say the least, I guess he has more overhead?employees now.
Thanks for the mention George.
Market is kicking my ass, click my links too 🙂
Just remembered, I hope to attend a conference in Hong Kong next late August – early September.
What’s likely to be a good bet for miles usage ? I have a bunch ~250K Hawaiian Air miles that need to be used up and am also accruing Chase Ultimate Rewards points as quick as I can. Los Angeles is not too far a departure point for me. As far as travel around the region from HK, I don’t necessarily need to do that on FF miles. I want to hover for a couple of weeks so I can get some clothes made without it being a bogus rush job like they pull on the cruise ship tourists. Ie. get measured, basted fitting, travel a bit, come back for second fitting, etc., that kind of thing.
OK now I’ve said my piece, really just want to get pointed in the right general direction !
Keep up the good work Buzz, we are behind you ! ! !
One more thing about kids, I need to get some so I can open BB accounts for them, right ?
🙂
Hey, I just did the trip to HKG last December. And went all First Class all luxury all the way, I felt like a True Titan, it was so weird!
https://travelbloggerbuzzcom.wp1.sh/top-10-first-tbb-slurge-trip-hong-kong-using-milespoints/
The return was on Cathay Pacific using AA miles. That is still a good deal on AA miles but it may devalue soon. The outbound was using United Miles flying on Lufthansa (well, due to their strike I ended up flying Air France!!!) and then Thai Airways from Paris to Bangkok and then to Hong Kong…Lots of United miles now, maybe not as good of a deal.
This can give you some ideas to target 😉 You will arrive when you get your own massage in the Bangkok Thair Airways lounge man…you will become one of us lol
Very good sir, next target will be AA miles.
Trying to remember Hawaiian Air affiliates and if any of those Asian airlines work for that.
They themselves fly to Japan, Australia, NZ, Guam, Tahiti, Beijing, and Taipei to name a few destinations.
All Nippon Airways
American Airlines
China Airlines
Korean Air
JetBlue
Virgin America
Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Australia
What is this about some airline having “cousin” affiliates ?
Anyway that’s what I’m looking at. Trying to remember if ANA and Korean get good marks.
OK ANA, have to go through Tokyo or Osaka first from California.
But I do like to fly as direct as possible, long flights and having to change planes can be a little rough, and I’m speaking from experience.
Back when, the best use of FF miles supposedly was to them in combination with $$ to upgrade to first or business on international flights. But I think that as a routine option has long since vanished, hasn’t it ?
This probably isn’t going to pan out, maybe my United miles will work, once again this is too complicated and I’ll gladly see if one of the awards travel booking services can do it, I know, I sound like a broken record.
Apparently China Air kind of sucks.
Wow it’s like you went around the world backward to get there.
Do they have a place to sleep in those lounges ?
You were like that guy in the movie who lived in the airport, who was that ? Might have been more believable if it wasn’t Tom Hanks playing the role.
😀