Top 25 Corrections

As always, I get emails the day after a Top 25 Credit Cards post. Seems like I’m missing 2 every time lately…

  • The possible 50,000-point Amex Premier Gold card that I myself mentioned last month. Duh.
  • A link for a 75,000 point Hilton Surpass card, rather than the 60,000 point offer.

Good Reads

Today, I feel like getting down with some OPP (uh…other people’s posts). I was sent 2 of these 3 posts by reader Nancy and was really impressed with them all:

  • Credit card showdown here. Sapphire vs. Arrival.
  • American-US Airways merger thoughts.
  • Buying money orders with debit cards overview.

Getting The Week Started

  • 3,000 American Airlines miles when you spend $250 on their shopping portal.
  • Silvercar is trying to change the rental car game. Their entire fleet is one car – the Audi A4. I was impressed when I used these guys. Enter code AFF-FTD for $50 off. Limited airport locations.
  • The Wyndham card from Barclays is now worth 45,000 points.
  • Today is the last day for bonus points if you buy Southwest gift cards.
  • 5,000 bonus Virgin Atlantic miles or 6,500 United miles for wine.
  • A 30,000 United mile offer is added to the existing 25,000 American mile promo from DirecTV.

Be Clever

Lately, some bloggers have learned a basic advertising trick. They use buzz words and phrases like “secrets revealed” to grab attention. And then, 99% of the time, their “secrets” are nothing…just empty promises and fluff. It’s an annoying trend. Readers feel resentful but they still end up following the blog regularly. Now we have a bunch of readers who regularly read blogs they don’t like. This is a strange pattern of behavior. The blogger gets what he wanted (traffic) and the resentful reader is 100% responsible for giving it to him. I would think this is common sense but…

IF YOU DON”T LIKE A BLOG, THEN STOP READING IT!!!

There are other bloggers who actually do their best to reveal “secrets” and kill deals. I’ve met some of these guys, and can assure you they are even worse in person than their online personas would indicate. Any blogger should want to help the reader. In the world of miles, that means posting MOST things, but not certain loopholes that close if published. Sometimes it’s tricky to know where the line is, but other times it is absolutely clear as day. Nobody wins if a deal gets killed. The bloggers who kill these deals pretend to care about the reader, but only want the hits (and the income that comes from increased traffic). Remember, these guys are feeding their families and paying their mortgages. They will do anything it takes to get paid. This is their business.

My advice to you is to be clever. If you’re sharp, get sharper. Look for more opportunities. Right now, are you noticing what time of year it is? Are you seeing the sales at every turn? For example, there are restaurants in your town offering $15-$20 extra for every $100 gift card you buy. Take the time to study what you can sell some of these gift cards for. You might be able to actually profit from your mile earning. Educate yourself on the opportunities within the lucrative Amex Sync promo. And on and on. Don’t depend on being spoon-fed at every turn. Spend the time. Do a little digging. Get more creative.

 

Thursday Triple

  • Check your email and American Express account page for an easy way to earn free points. Just refer friends and family to Amex cards and rack up the points. For example, I’m getting 5,000 points per friend I refer to the Starwood card. 
  • Get another $5 free at Amazon. Not really miles, but who doesn’t love Amazon?
  • Some more free money from Uber. A free 50 bucks this time. Apply promo code BEMERRY in the app. New users only.