A while back, the mysterious figure known as Marathon Man lamented the end of numerous good deals. His list:
Ø Portals for Staples GCs are gone
Ø Green Dot cards went cash only for most everybody and so Rite Aid is almost useless now
Ø Wmt not taking Vanilla branded GCs
Ø Some major store chains not stocking or ringing up any Meta GCs
Ø TD GO is gone
Ø You cannot get a ST card anymore
Ø VR is gone
Ø UA deval
Ø Hilton Deval
Ø Hyatt semi deval
Ø MRs being less doable if miles are based on ticket costs
Ø AP is gone as pf NOW
Ø Chase cracking down again (Miles Professor wrote about it recently)
Ø Evolve devolving rapidly (I can’t even find a biller that works and when you do, it shuts it down)
Ø Everyone now realizing every prepaid from Bancorp is crap
Ø Citi AA cards reduced to 50k if even doable
Ø More stores and chains going cash only for MO or knowing more about our “type”
Ø Wmt stopped doing Amex BP
Ø Amex saying you can only get the sign up bonus once in a lifetime
Ø Amex GC is gone from % portals
Ø Plink is gone (who cares, but still)
Ø Stouffer’s rewards program is gone as of Dec (yah big deal lol)
Ø Delta to go to rev based next year
Ø MR cannot be transferred to another person unless it’s the Authorized User
Ø Alaska debit is gone
Ø Avios scare (everyone is so paranoid this is understandable)
…(This list was made just before CVS went down to $2k and was presented only days before BLUE died for hundreds of people–$1k spenders and $400k spenders)
The carnage has continued. Just recently, for example, we’ve seen the Arrival Plus nerfed, plus crackdowns on card churning at Citi (AA), Chase (UR-earning cards), B of A (Alaska Airlines), and Amex (all personal cards). I’m sure many of you reading this can list other favorite recently deceased deals below.
I used to be one of those folks who figured that new awesome deals would rise up to replace them, but I no longer believe this to be the case. Where is the new Amazon Payments? At risk of sounding like the proverbial grumpy old man, The Golden Age of points and miles is over. Sure, it’s still possible to get plenty of points and miles, but by and large it’s a lot more difficult than it was a year or two ago. And by “difficult” I mean some combination of time-consuming, expensive, or esoteric.
It’s a simple tragedy of the commons. There was a good thing to be had, more or less for free, which drew more and more people into this hobby to the point where our favorite banks and retailers had no choice but to take notice. It’s well-nigh impossible to publicly share a smokin’ hot deal anymore without it being killed swiftly.
What say you, readers? Are our best years long gone? Or is there more yet to come?
I think there are still a lot of good deals to be had, it’s not as easy as it once was (especially for MS) but we’ve seen some pretty crazy good deals as well recently. E.g BBVA 5x everywhere + related bonuses, platinum 150k & 100k offers for everybody, discover double cash promo, discover it miles promo, new wyndham rewards program and a host of amazon & visa check out deals (not to mention all the fantastic eBay deals).
I think the longer you’re in this hobby, the more you think it’s dying. But often that’s because of a failure to innovate and find new methods – as you already had a routine/system that works. Whereas when you first start everything is new and exciting and your constantly trying new things.
Hey, better off I got in 3 yrs ago.
You forgot to mention Avianca ‘chew GUM, and SAW wood.’
But SW Companion Pass is all I need, Beeaatt
agreed 🙂 I for one am still really enjoying Redbird, even though it’s not as easy as it once was.
gotta keep eyes peeled!
The number of people participating is proportionate to the ease of the game. FB ended when your grandmother joined and I feel the same about points/miles. If it was easy everyone would do it, so I’m glad it isnt always and still requires discipline and organization, which rules out about 90% of most Americans from ever doing it …
I am finding it is harder, perhaps to Will’s point – the longer you are in the hobby, the harder it can get. Its not just a question of routines, but, think about what you accumulate over time. I just called to get my 9th Chase card approved yesterday, I was successful, but it was like a 10 minute phone call. Those folks that have been in this for a while, churning cards and such, have more and more inquiries on their reports which is making banks take notice. The other side of it is, award space. More and more as airlines sell miles (a la AA, and pre merger US), those miles are generally used for partner awards. Cathay Pacific has already taken notice and is trying to stop the pain. Lufthansa has done similar things, blocking First class redemptions from Avianca. Swiss has gotten even worse, where, I think the only folks that can get a first class Swiss award now are Miles and More members with a certain level of status.
Are things worse than they were a few years ago? I’m not sure. But they are certainly different.
Fifteen years in the hobby and have to disagree:
7 Citi Exec cards between wife and I last year at 100K each
150K Biz Platinum card two months ago
Flying twice a year to Hawaii in First with no availability issues on reward tickets
Upgraded rooms when we get there on with lounge access on points
AND I can drive around to grocery, pharmacy and big box stores and make $150 per hour tax free cash
And although we each have over 125 credit cards on our credit files, we still got 4 more each in June
The game is a cycle. The airlines are fat and sassy right now and trying to make it tougher. But the American consumer and travel hacker will always win. We are way to nimble for their corporate mindset
“The game is a cycle.” <– *this*
All you 20- and 30-something bloggers are the newbies.
Convince everyone the sky is falling (thank you) then go back to your video games.
At some point the economy will worsen, the airlines will see profit margins and yield fall, and we’ll be back in the high life again.
Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you’ll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Never did Amazon Payments, but FIA/USBFxPx are Serving people well for $1K monthly loads.
I think that there’s a combination of things getting harder (i.e. the super easy stuff disappearing) and the economy getting better. So, I guess the golden age was easy MS and desperate airlines and hotel chains. In that sense, I think the golden age is over, but that doesn’t mean that things aren’t still great. And will improve if the economy goes south (which I don’t really wish for).
I wasn’t around for the golden age. I’ve been in this for maybe 3 years now. When I first started I felt like it was the golden age, because there were so many new things to try. Now that I’ve been doing this for a while, the level I was at back at the start isn’t enough for me. So, that’s part of why it seems hard now. When you’ve been in the game for a while, you want more than you did when you started.
Nobody is saying that there are NO deals. We have seen the death of numerous, numerous deals including the AA Exec card. The hobby hasn’t flat lined. The pulse is slowing down to the point where some may have to hibernate.
The hobby is fine. It’s the ones who were depending on it to put food on the table, like said MM, who didn’t have a job in the normal sense. The vast majority of people who were making a living at MS were doing it through the BC card. So many of those folks reported on FT of now having to go get a job. Yes, that kind of volume (for cash) may very well be over but I could care less about those folks.
Good point. Your perspective changes and gets twisted at the same time.
Agreed- Each year people exclaim it’s dying….
And then every year is more profitable than the last for me!
The difference is the old timers came of age when you had to innovate and discover on your own, or as part of a small group.
The newcomers are used to being spoonfed deals and have no idea how to begin to find something for themselves.
*Shakes fist* Get off my lawn!!
I forgot to mention that this is a GOOD thing for the sector. As the zombie hordes thin, there will be more opportunity for the rest.
Not buying it. New deals ALWAYS come along. Wasn’t expecting to make $2500 from the Constant Contact/Staples gift card deal, but I did. Wasn’t expecting to make $3500 from the Smart & Final sync deal, but I did. You get the point.
harvson3…I really enjoyed your comments. A philosopher you are!
I love video games!
+1. Three years ago I was over the moon with a single coach reward ticket to Europe and two Marriott megabonus certs. This year it’s 4 first class tix to Asia and 22 Hyatt nights in DSR on cash and points. Of course that’s harder to find.
Things are VASTLY more difficult this year – my effort has at least doubled and my return has been cut dramatically. Those who suggest otherwise don’t play the game very well – or are willfully obtuse/ignorant.
Juicy 5% unlimited is virtually a thing of the past (except for PITA WF). OBC is a paltry $50K per year (instead of per week). Cash out locations have dramatically clamped down. Churning is getting a lot more difficult. Amex is once per lifetime. Citi and Chase have clamped down. All the Bancorp and Netspend products aren’t even worth bothering with. Redbird died a predictably quick death w CC loads and took AFT with it. Two birds with one stone, so to speak…
About the only new game has been a few juicy Amex sync deals (but geographically limited) and I won’t hold my breath expecting more such deals.
Now it’s low volume niche products with much slimmer margins.
Two birds with one stone…………………………….LOL
You seem either clueless or intentionally unaware. To claim its “fine” is to not understand where its fallen from. Sure the little spender didnt really notice a change but they were never really aware enough to realize this is better than a “hobby”. I consider any function where I can make better than 90% of the population better than a hobby
I am flying to VCE this fall in DL biz, and back in AA first. Have an overnight in London on the way back, where I’m staying at the Radisson Blu.
Some would shake their fists at the opportunity costs of MSing miles, but I refuse to fly coach, and paying (in real money) $350 for a RT in the front of the plane sounds good to me.
In addition, I’m making about $80, twice a month AND MSing from 20K miles to $400 doing so, while earning another few hundred reselling and earning as I do it.
And I do this extremely part time.
I wasn’t around for the golden age, but if it’s gone, then this is at least the silver age. You need to be willing to learn, willing to deal with making mistakes, willing to be the nicest person the clerk has talked to all day, and willing to accept that, just as kids grow up and move away, so do gigs.
I think that reports of the death of the hobby are a tad premature.