CC Pushing Blogs

I was a big reader of FTG for years. But, now, with the sponsored posts with old info, the guest posts, and the posts about other bloggers' posts, I'm finding it pretty hard to get value there.

So, where I once directed my cc signups to go through his links, I just can't justify it anymore.

I agree. I find the whole thing fascinating.

I don't think so. I'm not sure there's any value for them in getting involved in arguments with anonymous snipers on the internet. Even though Milepoint is a "kindler, gentler" forum I still detect a lot of animus towards the successful travel bloggers. I've heard the internet (accurately, in my opinion) described as a "malice engine". If I were one of those bloggers I don't think I'd want to expose myself to that kind of anger — at least, not from anonymous people.

On the whole, my impression is that the bloggers are reasonably transparent about their relationships with the credit card companies. I don't think they owe me any more details about their business than the disclaimers they already provide. I'm still interested in the details, mind you, but I don't feel I'm owed an explanation by anyone.

There are some comments on the industry and issue related to it, primarily found in audit reports and the like. I know of nothing public. I do know that in all of the evaluations in which I have been involved for card portfolios (I have no idea how many dozens) the credit quality of agent-originated card accounts (the referral industry) is lower than is that of other channels. I know of no non-proprietary information about this issue, but I agree it would be interesting. I have worked on such issues in a number of countries and the same principle works in every one I have seen.

Despite the previous paragraph referral agents do have a legitimate role soliciting new customers that otherwise may not have been found. That said, it is a rare situation in which a deal from an agent is as good as one you can get directly. Not unknown, just rare. Almost all the best co-brand deals (airline, hotel, stores, etc) are available from the co-brand partner solicitations rather than agents. Again, almost all, not all.

I agree completely with that opinion.

There are agents for almost everything from securities,insurance, auto sales to airline tickets. All of them cost people money, sometimes worth it, sometimes not. Some people can do better without them, some cannot. Some find their advice helpful, some do not. People have a choice and nobody is forced to make a choice.

What is wrong with that? Nothing at all, IMO. My personal choice is mine to make, just as yours is yours alone. I find it entertaining and sometimes educational to share our views, but I see no reason the industry structure should be altered to exclude agents. Even airlines still tolerate them.

We're just adjusting to the commercialization of something previously enjoyed relatively commercial free.

We'll live. As always, exercise due diligence and keep winning. It's an ever-evolving game...

You are correct that most of us read MP and FT on a very regular basis, and most that I know do keep a close eye on these sorts of threads. I think most bloggers, myself included, have weighed in on one time or another about these issues either on this thread of the similar one on FT. I do think there is a fine line between responding when it is helpful vs "fueling the fire". I have been responding some recently on a similar thread, and am happy to do so here if it is helpful, but I'm not sure there is much new information I can provide. Affiliate links are a reality now for many, but not all, miles and points bloggers. I think it is primarily a win/win situation if used correctly, but I do agree it can get slightly annoying/humorous to see many blogs (mine included) posting about the same offers at the same time. However, many blogs do have their own take even on a similar topic, so my thoughts on the current BA offer will differ some than the other sites, and vice versa. But, it can look somewhat odd seeing the similar titles of posts all lining up at the same time.

If there is a general question I might be helpful on, feel free to ask either here or via PM/email. I can't speak for anyone but myself, but am happy to help clear up any misconceptions, if there are any.

Good point about not needing to fuel the fire. We don't need a Bobby Petrino situation on MilePoint.

Ha, I've been wobbling between leaving it a green card and upgrading to gold or platinum. I haven't run the numbers lately, but I'm pretty sure I can make a case for platinum at this point. Definitely can make one for gold. I'm just waffling.

ETA: 3x points on airfare make gold a better deal for me. So it is. No longer a green card holder.

As someone more anti-than others about the quantity of card-related posts, I can say that I find those posts with interesting redemption offers to be more intriguing than those without. There's a lot of OneWorld partners, after all, and I think there's some room for more interesting posts.

40k CX HKG-DXB one-way in C, for example. Of course, you have to get to either Hong Kong or Dubai to use it, but....

This doesn't actually bother me so much. Granted it can be annoying when every blog has almost the same post but I do find the information helpful in determining whether a new offer is the right card for me. I do, however, think the posts do point to larger issue which is (I'm sure not lost on the CC companies) a blogger will focus their attention on the cards they get money for. For example, I think the Alaska Airlines card is one of the most undervalued cards out there and with the recent bonus increase I'm somewhat surprised the card has not elicited a detailed post from the blogosphere. But when you think about it no one should be surprised at all because how many affiliate links are out there the Alaska Airlines card?

What bothers me the most about the CC blogs are the things I view as dishonest. I think it is dishonest to hit the panic button when an affiliate link is expiring. I don't think bloggers should be writing posts like "today is your last day to sign up for x card." Because more often than not unofficial links stay active and most if not all bloggers know this.

Lastly what I think is down right shameful is something like this: http://thepointsguy.com/2012/04/sun...nd-british-airways-miles-together-for-awards/

In my view Brian's reputation takes a hit when he posts an article about using AAdvantage miles followed by his affiliate link for a 30k AA card when he very well knows most people can get 100k miles applying for two non-affiliate linked cards. I still read his blog because he does provide a lot of very helpful information and he deserves a lot of credit and accolades for what he does write about, but I won't use any of his links because, to be honest, I don't trust him.

That's a different kind of link, though -- it's not actually a part of the post, but a static banner beneath the post. For that reason, I don't give them the same negative weight. If you look at the prior post, there's a link for a different card. It's tangentially related to the content of that post, but it's similar in format.

So I don't have a problem with that except insofar as it's not the best deal out there.

By the way - sadly - the Alaska Visa 30k and 35k links are already dead - they only lasted a few days.

I see what you mean. I didn't know about the FlyerTalk post. I don't often go on FlyerTalk. There are some nasty comments being thrown around on that thread. I understand why a well known blogger would not want to get involved. They would just be setting themselves up for persecution. TPG and FTG got ripped in some posts. I'm glad things are more relaxed here at MilePoint.

So... ignoring possibilities to improve?

I take every reader's suggestions seriously. As for whether I respond in the forums, I find that is often less productive. If a person rants in public, it's because he or she wants to rant. Responding isn't going to change their mind. It's like a guy looking for a fight. I have decided to let these people blow off their steam rather than engage. I'm not saying you guys don't have good reason to be upset. I'm just saying the public forums aren't a great way to share your complaints with the author. They're a good way to discuss among yourselves what you would like as a group, to correct each other if one person is going too extreme or misinformed.

If you want to get a response, either a "yes, I'll change that," or "no, this is why I do it the way I do," then you should send an email directly. I respond to all of them--sometimes late because I lose track and I do have a day job--but I respond to all of them at some point, most within 24-48 hours. But at the end of the day, you have to realize it's my blog (or someone else's blog). You don't have to read it. When you complain, you should try to provide a case why it would be in my interest to change, not just why you're upset.

I still read the comments when I come across them. Usually it's because someone posts a link, and that generates a spike in traffic from a particular site, so I go back and try to do some digging to figure out what drove the traffic in the first place.

As others have noted, the recent BA Chase push has been absurd. One blogger in particular has been particularly atrocious about it, and he repeatedly fails to note 1) that he receives a kickback from Chase, and 2) that there are better offers out there. I understand the need to make money, but there is an honest way that involves full disclosure, and a not so honest way (admittedly, maybe ingenuous is a better word than honest). Sure, we can argue that it is up to the consumer to be educated, but one would hope that the blogs would help educate the consumer as opposed to limiting knowledge.

Note: I am obviously not making a blanket statement about all bloggers. Indeed, I read many, enjoy many, and respect many.

Unfortunately CC pushing is now the name of the game for the big blogs. If you are getting tired of it, you can do two things

1. Dont click their links
2. Dont click their links

Any offer they push can be found on multitude of other sites (including the CC site) without the referal fee. Of all the cards I've had/churned not one of them has benefited a blog. They can proclaim all they want how affiliate fees "help" their blog or how "grateful" they are for using them but the fact is we hold the power here.

If no one uses the links they wont constantly push them. Its that easy.

A few days ago everyone was generously pushing out last minute reminders that the BA visa offer was ending.

Deals We Like - Last Day for British Airways 100,000 Point Offer
Just Another Points Traveler - 24 Hours Left for The 100K Avios Chase British Airways Visa
Point Me to the Plane - 27 Hours to Earn 100K BA Miles – Two Options Still Live!
Marshall Jackson on Travel - Last Opportunity – The British Airways Visa Signature Card From...
View From The Wing - Act Now – Last Day for 100,000 British Airways Points
Mommy Points - One Day Left for British Airways 100,000 Avios Sign-up Offer!
One Mile at a Time - Two days left for British Airways Signature Visa 100,000 Avios sign-up...
UnRoadWarrior - Last three days! British Airways 100,000 Avios Card offer


I am sure there were more.

Now - based on a quick glance at the Boarding Area "News" Stand forum here, they've apparently moved on to the WN card.

View From The Wing - 50,000 Point Southwest Visa is Back
Mommy Points - 100,000 Southwest Points for Two Credit Cards (aka over $1600 in Wanna Get Away...

I don't mind all the announcements; they're all on my RSS feed and if I already know its the last day I can tell just from the headline. No need to read the actual post on all x blogs.

The WN is good news for me; since I told a few friends of mine of this card when I got in March. But then they reduced the SignOn bonus. So when I saw the headline I clicked on one of them to verify it worked then I emailed my friends about it. If all the other sites start to announce it, good for them cuz not everyone is subscribed to all the blogs I am.

I guess what I am saying is announcements of new bonus/offers are great. The last minute push before expiration is a little bit overwhelming when they all say it; but I don't care/mind.

For what it's worth the Southwest 50,000 point bonus isn't offering any sort of credit, fee, or bonus. It just seemed worth noting.

+1

RSS feeds are great. I'm using Google Reader and, if I don't want to read a post, I just 'mark as read' and go on my way. For the most part I skip the CC posts.

I'm a little late to this but there have been some interesting points brought up. For one, disclosure, more specifically, should you disclose on every post?

I've been blogging more or less consistently since 2003 now (my first "blog" was a LiveJournal) and I've always erred on the "point out conflicts of interest on every post where it's an issue" side. Working for a major oil company, and living in Houston, I frequently blog on energy issues because I find them interesting. (not so much on my current blog, which is more travel/media related)

I think, as a writer, you have to always assume that someone could be clicking on your blog for the first time and may not have seen the fact that you derive an income from something before. Always err on the side of caution (and transparency)

As for the overload? To me that's less on the bloggers and more on the CC companies who are doing their best to ensure that their 'offers' have the widest distribution possible. If I tried to make money on my blogging (which, given my writing talent, would probably not buy me a Starbucks) I'd probably do the same thing as all the big travel bloggers. Such as it is I'm an accountant who likes to write and play poker, although not necessarily in that order.

The fact that a lot of different people are reporting the same story isn't a surprise. Most newspapers run with the same stories each day.

Since I get most of my miles from credit cards, these blogs are providing me with a valuable service. I'm very busy this week and even though I knew about the expiring BA offer I might have not realized the deadline was quite so close without a reminder. As it is, my wife slipped in under the line.

All of the blogs cited are ones that I find have plenty of interesting content beyond credit card bonuses (which, as I say, are interesting to me anyway). I note that most (not all) bloggers have noted the alternate BA offer, although I eventually decided to go with the 50 + 25 + 25 offer anyway.

My "push" was too subtle for you to pick up apparently. But I think a post just to say a card is going away is annoying.

The BA card ends today. The Southwest card actually ended yesterday. We got something like six hours' notice to remove the links. The current links are not our own, though perhaps affiliate links will pop up for the current promotion eventually. A couple Ink cards are getting pulled, too (though not the Ink Bold) which ties into the speculation that a new Ink product will be announced.

This is my approach. I use it for stuff like the UA 4-mile award story, too, when I don't want to read everyone's story about how amazing the deal is or whine about things not getting honored.. Although I always read Seth's posts. He's sure to find an interesting bent on whatever topic is in the news.

Disclosure is not required on every post, or even on the same page. It just needs to be somewhere on the blog.

As long as it's fairly highly visible I agree. That is sufficient.