Last Posts – Chapter 1

Why Write?

Ever meet a person who can remember dates with the accuracy of a computer?

“Honey, this snowstorm is like the one from January 12 years ago. If I recall, it started on a Wednesday during the credits of Desperate Housewives and…”

Yeah, I don’t have that kind of computer in my head. My brain is more like an old, rusty toaster. So I had to look the dates up…      

This blog started in 2011.

(My toaster-brained guess would have been way off)

8 years is a hell of a long time to do…well, anything. But, then again, our lives wouldn’t have intersected if MileNerd didn’t exist. So that’s a big part of what I got out of nearly a decade of this…

A VERY unique community.

This group can’t be found anywhere but here. I mean, clearly, MileNerd attracts a specific type. Humorless stiffs would never “get” this blog. Those who see The Points Guy as a dependable website for credit card advice were never going to end up here. And so on. To put it mildly, I did this in a quirky way. So if a total of 13 readers showed up…that would have been cool. The fact that it turned into thousands of people was surprising. Honestly, I’ve been thinking about these last posts for almost a year. And I keep remembering a conversation from 2011. It was with someone who…how do I put this…would never be a reader here. The conversation didn’t go well. Maybe I was too impatient. Who knows. But his computer brain couldn’t process a basic fact…

Not everyone sees people as numbers.

(Ok, time to tell that story)

Before the end of the first year, a pimp…I mean, a blogger…asked a question about MileNerd’s “conversion rate.” My toaster brain was confused. I needed him to explain. Well, it was a formula for the number of readers he converts into commissions. Often from inferior credit card offers. As he explained, people are converted to commissions with little phrases. Things like, “This is an awesome card to get today” or “Don’t miss this one.” Getting followers is easy, he continued. And I saw what he meant. Manipulating people was almost like an art form. Or some kind of weird science experiment. They even thanked him afterwards. Instead of being upset….they actually took time out of their day to defend him post-manipulation. I saw just how simple it is to tweak someone’s thoughts.

To tell them what to think.

So, I answered his question – my “rate” was zero. I was hoping to list the best bonuses on this new blog. And commissions weren’t possible if posting some of that stuff.

I’ll never forget the guy’s response…

Because he laughed in my face.  

Imagine talking to a competitive hot dog eater whose goal is to swallow as many sausages as possible. What if his brain couldn’t accept that humans exist who choose to eat a single hot dog? That’s kind of what it felt like. From his perspective, zero was hilarious. Or maybe he felt I was a zero. Man, I get it. This is a life-changing gold mine when truth is optional. When you’re able to see readers as numbers and nothing more. But I’d had enough of the conversation. Enough of him. So I asked this millionaire one frustrated question…

Do you enjoy bullshitting people into trusting you?

(It was, unsurprisingly, the last time we spoke)

As far as I know, tricking a person into loyalty isn’t a real relationship. Trust has to be earned. At least that’s what I believe. And I’m pretty damn sure you agree. It’s probably at the root of why you’re here. You know you’ll never be lied to on this website. Now, I’m not some Jesus-meets-Buddha superhero who takes pride in being broke…I’d love the money that other bloggers with audiences have. I could certainly use it. But here’s the best I can explain how this went another way…

8 years ago, there wasn’t a miles/points blog to send my mom. Not an honest one. It just didn’t exist. And Flyertalk wasn’t an option. She didn’t have 5 hours a day to dig through posts that may as well have been written in hieroglyphics.

So I just…started writing.

(Maybe my brain is 50% toaster and 50% Forrest Gump – “I just felt like running”)

I had no clue anyone other than my mom would show up. And I had no idea this would last for 8 years. I just wrote. But, man did MileNerd grow more and more meaningful in my life. Dammit, I really started caring about you weirdos (my toaster brain thinks the feeling was mutual). So…I typed posts and answered emails. I don’t know else to explain it. Showing up on the USA Today list was never my “goal” and I couldn’t tell you one thing about readership statistics. But none of it was done with any strategy. I mean, other than a basic thought that I believe to be true…when you care about people, you don’t mislead them. That really mattered to me. Probably more than anything. Commissions were never the issue. Dishonesty was.

But did any of this matter to you?

It’s not for me to decide. Whether these years of typing added up to a place that impacted your life in some small way or not. The deals or the writing or the humor. I really hope so. And this rusty toaster brain of mine thinks it probably did matter. Unlike the long string of sales-brochures-disguised-as-blogs…I do believe MileNerd will be missed when it’s gone.

Or not.

I guess we’ll see.

Speaking of which, these are obviously going to be the last few posts on MileNerd as you know it. I mean, I’ve pretty much turned into this version of Forrest Gump.

Guys, there’s so much to say. And I think splitting it up is the best way to digest it. So, I’m going to treat these last few posts kind of like a book divided into chapters. This was the introduction and, for a few more posts, I’ll try to cover everything.

I see MileNerd as a team. Because it is one. I think you’d be surprised to know just how much your emails have meant to me personally through the years. So, I want to open up to you more than I have in the past. That’s part of what these last posts will be about. I want to say some things that might still be unsaid.

Look, truly, I don’t know if I’ve done any of this the “right” way. It’s certainly possible that none of it mattered. Maybe I am a zero. But a professional liar who hustles the people he volunteered to help doesn’t get to decide it. Your opinions are the ones I value. And, by the end of these posts, hopefully you’ll know me, the future of MileNerd, and what happens with our team a lot more clearly. The plan is to write posts that matter to me for a few days…with the hope that you’ll like them too. I’m going to empty the chamber. Then, next week, I’ll end it with what happens here going forward. Does that sound ok? Happy new year, nerds!

End Of 2018

2018.

Well, it sure wasn’t boring.

As most of you know, I like to close the MileNerd year with some of the thoughts that are kicking around in my brain. Usually, it’s pretty easy to do…

This year is a little different.

There’s just so much to say. For many reasons. And with no possibility of wrapping it up in a one-post bow, I’ll just stick to a single topic to close out 2018…

Do you ever observe old people? I mean REALLY observe them?

I ask because it’s one of my biggest passions.

Usually, I look into those eyes and see the pain of a lifetime. The cumulative beatdown of a journey that didn’t go according to plan. It’s something I know all too well. The defining moment of my dad’s life was a major tragedy that rocked his world. He never asked for it. He never signed up for it. But that uppercut to his heart was delivered with such force that he still feels the ripple effects 70 years later. Sure, he lived a life, had a family, and built a career…but he could never really leave that moment.

And then sometimes I observe a different type of old person…

You look into their eyes and see a childlike twinkle. The kind of person who…through a combination of courage, effort, and luck…was able to reach their finish line with a sense of wonder. Things, places, and people still fill them with excitement. After all those years. You can hear it in their words. You can see it in their eyes.

Do we really understand the extent of how special they are?

Without them in the world, our lives would be unbearably frightening. We’d have zero evidence that we could come out of this as anything but miserable. But those people do exist. They shine a bright light at the end of the tunnel that gives us hope. A reason for optimism. We know it’s possible. Because of them.

They’re also lucky as hell.

Why do we fight that word? Luck. You don’t have to squint your eyes to see it…just turn on your television. The fatal car crash because someone sent a text message while driving… the regular shootings that kill people who were in the wrong place at the wrong time…the countless devastating diseases that just show up on a random, nondescript day. There are things that could happen to you in this moment that would completely change the course of your life. Things out of your control. The person you love more than anything in the world? That person could be taken from you tonight in the most traumatic way imaginable. I’m not saying it to be morbid. I’m saying it because…if that hasn’t happened to you…it means luck has been a huge factor in your life.

And that’s what I wish for you this holiday season.

To have luck in your life…huge amounts of luck…

To know it.

And to hopefully do something with it.

The world could sure use more of “those” old people.

I truly hope you become one of them.

(As usual, I’ll be taking the last 2 weeks of the year off. Final posts starting January 1st. See you then. Happy holidays, nerds!)

Thursday Stuff

  • If you’re feeling lucky, try the 90% off hotel room lottery (at noon EST) with the Expedia app.
  • Save half the Avios if you’re interested in Madrid before April.
  • Book your Delta Days of Deals flights by the end of the day.
  • It’s as random as it gets, but Lyft has apparently decided to offer free rides to Old Navy. Fans of poorly made clothing rejoice.

United And Delta Dining

These dining bonuses tend to move up and down pretty often. Can’t say I’ve paid a ton of attention to them lately, so thanks to reader Sunil for sending two current good ones for new members…

Delta is offering 3,000 miles. Just register any card (or cards) you use at restaurants and pick up the bonus for tasks listed here.

Or take a look at United for 2,500 miles. Register a card (or cards), get 1,000 miles for spending 25 bucks at a restaurant, and another 500 miles for each of your next 3 meals over $25. It has to be participating restaurants within 30 days.

 

Hotel Upgrades Without Status

I realize communicating with other humans is a challenge these days…

Why look anyone in the eye and befriend them when we can join a gawky parade of miserable zombies hypnotized by our pocket computers?

Why form deep connections when we can reach new levels of social awkwardness each year?

But, in my experience, zombies aren’t the ones getting regular hotel upgrades without status.

What I’ve observed really isn’t that complicated…

Miserable people who make others feel uncomfortable should find a way to earn top-tier status…

Because they won’t get many upgrades without it.

On the other hand, non-pod people who can appear reasonably comfortable in their own skin…

…the types who tend to put smiles on the faces of others…

…are often the recipients of more “luck” when showing up at a hotel.

A friendly phone call or email to the property can work pretty well.

Googling who the general manager is, talking to that person with some degree of kindness and charisma, and asking for what you want…can work VERY well.

And, in many cases, that’s literally all it takes.

Sure, sometimes nothing can be done…

There aren’t rooms available, the people you’re dealing with are miserable zombies themselves, it takes a bribe, etc.

But, other times, it’s truly just about not being a pod person…

And asking for what you want…

IN A WAY THAT MAKES ANOTHER LIVING CREATURE WANT TO HELP YOU.

I’ve observed this pattern over and over and over again.

Maybe it isn’t random.

Maybe connecting to each other still works.