Miles and Points, Too Many Blogs

1. An update: They changed the terms, and now you have to sign up by the end of today and use the credit by August 5th.

There is a promotion on Ruelala online store that gives free $25 credit. No catch, other than you have to sign up by August 6th, and make a purchase by August 25th. You can use  my link if you wish, or support another blogger. Either way, do sign up, because it’s totally FREE. (h/t Dansdeals blog)

1. Rocketmiles has a bonus of 3,000 miles after your first hotel reservation with them. The end date as of now is August 8th. Good deal if you are staying in a participating property for one night. You can use my referral link if you wish. Thanks in advance!

2. Through August 6th, get 6 miles per dollar on Sears purchases by going through AAdvantage shopping mall. Gift cards are included, so the strategy would be to buy Sears gift cards, then use them on Sears purchases, effectively getting 12 miles per dollar. Could be useful if you are doing lots of back-to-school shopping and need to top off an account. (h/t BigHabitat)

3. Air France has announced discounted awards for October and November. See the list for North American cities HERE

Could be a good deal if you are planning to visit Europe during Thanksgiving. Air France miles transfer instantly from Membership Rewards. I recommend, you call and confirm availability first.

1. Via Frequent Miler, get $25 back on any purchase of $25 or more when you pay via Citi Wallet with your Citi MasterCard (can’t be a Visa). Valid only at select stores and you have to do it by September 14th.

2. Just a quick clarification on  Chase Marriott Rewards Premier card. The 70,000 points limited time offer does pay me commission, but comes with a $2,000 minimum spending requirement in 3 months. I have a non-affiliate link listed in my hotel offers page, that requires only $1,000. Obviously, the public offer is superior, but feel free to apply through my site if you wish. Just kidding!

3. The bonus on United MileagePlus Explorer card has been increased to 55,000 miles. It pays me commission. See my Best Deals page for more. There is a better non-affiliate offer that comes with $50 credit, the link is also on that page.

4. If you use Evolve service to pay your bills, you may want to follow      Evolve money thread for the latest news. Some have reported issues with using gift cards and ways to work around them.

On my mind

This is something I find quite fascinating. From the moment I got into this industry, I’ve heard over and over again how there are too many blogs here already. Interestingly, most of the time it comes from my fellow bloggers. Of course, everyone thinks that their site is a keeper, and others are the problem.

So, is there a multitude of miles and points blogs? Without a doubt, YES. Are there too many? If I answered affirmatively to that, it would imply that some bloggers should quit. And that is simply not my call to make. Really, where is the drama? It’s not  like bloggers consume some finite resource. Well, unless you consider internet space a scarce commodity.

There are virtually no barriers to entry, and very little overhead compared to other start-up business ventures. So, pretty much  anyone can blog. Does everyone add value? Probably not. But once again, not my call to make. Some write for their family, friends or themselves only. Some do it to have a  creative outlet or just to save on therapy bills. Who am I to question them? Let people blog in peace, please. It rhymes.

A beautiful thing about this industry is the variety of blogs, so everyone can find the one that suits them best. Do you want non-stop ranting and  drama galore, with a dash of insanity sprinkled on top? You will have no trouble finding a blog or two to satisfy your craving. As always, I’m not taking shots at any particular site.

Do you prefer short updates, since you’ve been in this hobby for  a long time and don’t need  spoon-feeding? There is an app, err, blog for that. Do you want in-depth tutorials? Once again, you’ll find many sites that will fit that criteria. If you want  all of the above with a “family” angle thrown in, just come and read my blog. Boom.

I would argue that  many talented bloggers quit too soon. It takes time to find your own unique voice, sometimes years. Do new writers really need to be bullied from the very start and repeatedly told that this industry doesn’t need them?

I’m going to let you in  on a little secret on how you can help weed out all the mediocre blogs.  Stop reading them. Vote with your feet, or in this case, views. By going to their site, you are only encouraging them to keep blogging.

As for me, I’ve  decided from the start that I will only write if I feel that my posts are adding value. Rest assured, it will be my call and not someone else’s.

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