A couple of reasons for posting today instead of the usual schedule. First, in case you missed the news on United award chart changes coming after January 31st, here is the LINK to MMS post. I will write more on it later. All I will say at this time, if you live in Continental USA and are thinking about using United miles to go to Alaska or Hawaii in economy, book your awards right now. Well, after you finish reading my post. The second reason for writing today is the following.
One of the careers I was always fascinated with was journalism. My life took a different path, one I don’t regret. But any time I see something, that isn’t ethical, I feel the need to speak up. Plus I’m a ranter, so that helps too. I am very much an outsider in this business and do my own thing. It suits me just fine.
To the extent that it does not contradict my moral principles, my loyalty in this blog is always to the reader first and foremost. I don’t have a lot of you, but I will do my best to protect each and every one. Which is why the following is not meant to offend or take a shot at any specific blogger.
You will never see me mention any names. It’s not appropriate for me to do so, because it would be bashing competition. Which is why I waited to publish this post. I wanted to make it harder to identify the bloggers, I am referring to.
You may remember my last post, where I wrote, how I applied for Citi Thank You Premier card instead of Southwest card. At the time of publishing it I honestly believed that the offer did not pay me commission. I simply thought it was a good bonus for my family, which is why I applied. Thats why I told you about it as well.
Then I found out that it did pay me commission after all. Do you wanna know how? I saw other affiliate bloggers start publishing shiny new posts, featuring this bonus. So I decided to double check. Lo and behold, it was listed on my site as of that day. But guess what? The offer has been out for more than a week and I know, that they knew about it.
It was originally reported by Frequent Miler(who did the right thing and published it straight away) and everyone reads his posts and tweets in this industry. I guess it just didn’t start paying commission till that day. What if it got pulled and some family could have taken advantage of it? I said before that other bloggers may not list a certain offer because they don’t consider it worthwhile. Basically a difference of opinion. Thats totally fine.
But this is something else entirely. They knew. They just din’t want this card to compete with their affiliate offers. Yet another conflict of interest. Which brings me to several points I want to make. They are:
1) I recommend you check Flyertalk forums from time to time, where all the best offers can be found.
2) Don’t support bloggers who engage in this practice. Hit them where it hurts: their wallets. Its the only way things will change.
3) Forgive me, if I don’t always have an updated info on my financial incentive as regards to specific cards. Things in this hobby change fast. Which is the reason I cut back to 3 posts per week (usually). I constantly have to keep an eye on news to make sure everything in my blog is accurate. But I’m not perfect, y’all!
Finally to the bloggers who did this, on the off chance you are reading my post. First, I’m not judging. I realize a lot of money is at stake. Plus there was a good chance the offer was going to stick around for more than week. But did you know that for a fact? Also, this is the type of behavior, that makes people angry at affiliate bloggers. To the point that they would rather apply at the issuer’s site so no one gets commission.
And frankly, I understand. People are upset and fed up and their numbers are growing by the day. How can they trust bloggers, if they pull a stunt like this? So next time you see a good offer, write about it even before it pays commission.You started blogging to help people, not to line your pockets. Its the right thing to do. So, DO tell.
Photo credit goes to jodyfisher.wordpress.com
Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
Jerri, thank you so much! That means a lot. I was starting to wonder if I do sound like a complete idiot! 🙂 And as far as the comment about my grammar… Yeah, I resisted saying anything here. But I did kind of mention it in my next post. I’m not perfect!
🙂
don’t pay any attention to these comments. i understood perfectly what you were talking about. i had no problem at all. as far as your grammar, i think it’s fine. i love that the two people who called you out on grammar made ridiculous and obvious grammar mistakes themselves. you are a good person not to point them out. i would have. keep doing what you are doing. some of us really enjoy it.
Ha, I completely agree Jerri. It’s always hilarious to watch people try and correct others’ work when they themselves don’t have any grasp on what they are talking about.
I personally found that I had no trouble reading the article. Good work and thanks for the tips.
@Ramsey law Thanks for commenting! I think I made my point and will leave the post as is. If anyone has any other questions, I am happy to answer them. Thanks for your suggestions. Good day to you too, sir!
I have to admit I had trouble following the article myself. I gave up on it half way thru, thinking it was the affects of my stroke. Perhaps it would be best to rewrite it in a clear, concise and coherent way……………………your pal Ramsey добрый день
@OE First, let me agree with you on a couple of points. The 50k Citi offer is most certainly not the “hottest” offer on the market at the moment. Which is why its listed close to the bottom in my “best deals” list. Whether its crappy or not is not up to me to decide. I myself applied for it mostly because I have gotten most of the other good offers. I also agree that 100k BA offer is the big news at the moment, which is why I listed it in my page yesterday as soon as I heard about it.
But my point was to look at WHEN the CITI offer got attention of certain affiliate bloggers. Which was only after it started paying them. Its not about that particular card but the pattern of behavior in the industry. My goal is to warn the readers to watch out for this sort of thing in the future.
As to who is listing the BA 100k offer and who isn’t, I’m not really sure. As I have said previously, my blog is not a watchdog of the blogging industry. There is a blog that does that already, and the readers can google it if they wish.
The 50k Citi offer is not a big deal. It makes sense to mention it, but there are plenty of 50k offers. No real harm if it gets pulled… so it’s not so clear people should write about. The 100k BA offer is a far bigger deal and, as far as I know, no bloggers are getting commission for it yet. Have you checked who is and who isn’t writing about it? Who is keeping 100k offers from their readers?
You may sort of have a point, but the Citi 50k is making a mountain out of a molehill. It’s a kind of crappy offer if you ask me – waiting a whole year to get those measly points. Focus on where your argument works and the offers have real value.
OE, I am so sorry it wasn’t clear! No, Frequent Miler did the right thing and told about it. I’m not sure if he was getting commission on it at the time. I don’t believe he was. But some of the other bloggers waited to write about it till it started paying commission. I will try to edit my post to reflect that.
So are you saying that Frequent Miler knew about the deal ahead of time and published it? Or are you saying he kept it until he got paid for it? The language is very confusing in how you write. I think that’s why we’re all so confused.
Kishore, thanks so much! I really appreciate it. At some point I would like to get an editor to clean it up a bit. But hopefully I don’t sound completely terrible right now! And I don’t mind people letting me know of specific grammar mistakes, so I can correct them.
I am just curious, is this a English learning blog ? I am using this as a points earning blog for my family. I enjoy learning the methods of earning miles .
@Farwest Actually English is my second language. I am not at a point, where I can hire an editor yet. Though I disagree that I sound like a dyslexic or a child. Thanks for stopping by!
Paul, thanks for your comment! First, I am not bashing anyone.I am trying to address the problem the best way I know how. And I don’t think I am being a coward at all. It is simply not appropriate for me to name names, because my blog does not review other blogs. That is NOT the purpose of this site. But I have to protect my readers, therefore I wrote this post. Thanks for stopping by!
Your grammar is horrific and reading your posts is like reading, a dyslexic, child.
Sure hope English isn’t your first language…
@farwest101. Your grammar isn’t perfect either. Just sayin….
Buddy, the zing falls short if you cannot deliver on grammar or punctuation perfectly either. Might want to consider that for next time.
If you wont name names, then you are just as big a part of the problem as the person you bash. Either put up, or shut up. Don’t be a coward.
James, thanks for stopping by! I’m sorry the post wasn’t clear. The problem is not the disclosure about the commission. Most bloggers do disclose. The issue is: not telling the readers about certain offers if they don’t pay commission. Or waiting to tell till the affiliate site starts paying it, because a lot of times it takes a week or so. The offer may disappear meanwhile. Does it make more sense? Please comment and let me know. Thanks!
As someone who reads just about all of these blogs every day, I’m surprised to have to say that I understood almost nothing in this article. You prefer the citi thank you premier over the southwest cards. I got that. I skipped the southwest cards also.
Are you saying that some bloggers don’t always disclose that they are compensated for certain articles? I think everyone understands that this happens, and we just keep it in mind as we read.