Hey, has anyone heard about Alaska launching a new loyalty program? Neither have I. 😉
In this post:
Yes, I’ve been writing a lot about Atmos Rewards
Yesterday morning, Alaska unveiled its new Atmos Rewards loyalty program, and also revealed changes to its exiting portfolio of co-branded credit cards, plus the introduction of a new premium credit card. I’d say that’s pretty huge news, and yes, I’ve covered it a lot (and I have a lot more to write, but y’all are giving me a hard time, so… I guess I have to control myself?).
I’m used to people disagreeing with me in the comments section, and I appreciate that, and people trying to keep me honest. There are no hard feelings (the “stop being mean to me” in the title is a joke). But given the variety of comments, there are actually a few things I want to explain.
The comments are quite something, like…
“This place is turning into TPG overnight.”
Ouch. That’s soul-crushing.
“Are Alaska spunking their entire 2025 marketing budget on this blog or what?”
If so, you know more than I do!
“6 articles about atmos cards ? really? and we don’t call that clickbait ?”
I don’t think you know what clickbait is…
“As I commented another place, this sadly isn’t sufficient. It takes one report to any EU consumer protection agency and you’ll be apprehended on arrival. You must disclose the nature of this commercial relationship. The EU doesn’t f around with these things. It’s clear there’s an upfront commercial relation here beyond affiliate *or* an enhanced remuneration agreement. This *must* be disclosed.”
Wait, I’m going to be apprehended the next time I enter the European Union, because I wrote about Atmos Rewards? First Egypt, now the European Union?!
“This website is drowning in Atmos stories. Somebody throw a life vest.”
Okay, that’s fair…
Why I’ve written so much about Atmos Rewards
The reason I’m addressing these comments isn’t because I feel the need to defend myself, but because I think it’s actually an interesting opportunity to explain how I go about writing on a day-to-day basis, and why there are sometimes content blitzes like this. I get it, the optics might be strange/not good, but I’m an open book with this stuff…
Contrary to what some people might think, Alaska isn’t paying me a dime. I do have affiliate links for Bank of America credit cards, but that’s the case with most credit cards. I don’t have any sort of quota, and I don’t have any additional marketing agreement. I can write as much as I want, or as little as I want. None of my Atmos Rewards posts have been pre-approved by anyone.
These kinds of content blitzes are probably bad for the blog’s bottom line. I’m a bad marketer. I’d probably get more people to sign up for credit cards if I had one post about this daily for a month, rather than 30 posts about this over the course of a week. So why am I writing so much content in such a short period? It’s a good question, and it comes down to four factors.
First of all, I’m genuinely excited about the Atmos Rewards program, and the new premium credit card. Say what you will, Alaska does an incredible job with loyalty, and there’s a lot to cover. There’s not an airline that “gets” loyalty as much as Alaska does. Just look how well the carrier does financially, and it’s largely because of how good the airline is at engaging its members.
When’s the last time a loyalty program made a major change, and we weren’t like “oh gosh, this absolutely sucks?” It’s rare, right? I don’t just find this interesting at large, but I’m also writing about this so much because I’m thinking of switching from AAdvantage to Atmos Rewards, as this is exactly the kind of (slightly) gamified program that I like.
Second of all, people have a lot of questions about Atmos Rewards. We of course all consume content differently, but when I get the same question over and over, my thought process is “let me address that now,” rather than saying “oh, let me add that to my content schedule for 28 days from now, and then I can answer the question.”
Third of all, my approach to blogging is very organic. I publish an average of around 10 posts a day (often more), and I typically wake up each morning with zero posts ready to go. I write about what I see in the news, what interests me, or what I think is helpful.
At the moment, I’m very interested in the Atmos Rewards program, because there are a lot of things to make sense of and analyze. So I write about one aspect of the changes, and then I think “wait, that other detail is also interesting, so let me cover that.”
Fourth of all, I think many people don’t understand how much work is done on the back-end of blogs, even just to keep content relatively accurate, and not have it be a total mess.
For example, we’ve seen the rebranding of two credit cards, and the introduction of a new premium credit card. Obviously I want to cover the changes to the cards, and that requires updating the review posts that I’ve published of the previous cards in the past.
Like, I’ve written a total of 6,000 words in review posts today, about the three cards (which I haven’t actually published to the front page of the blog), because obviously I want to be able to link people to accurate reviews of cards.
This creates a bit of a cycle. “Well, I updated the review post, but all the links to other Alaska Mileage Plan stuff in the post are outdated or inaccurate, so let me update those as well.” There are so many links to redirect, and other details to update. That’s kind of the process by which a lot of that content is created, because if I think people will find it interesting, I’ll publish it to the front page.
Let me acknowledge that I understand so much content about one topic can be overwhelming. To those who are interested in Atmos Rewards, I’m sure they very much appreciate it. To those who couldn’t care less about it, I’m sorry, because I realize this stuff is super boring.
The reality is that I’ve been writing this blog 365 days per year for over 17 years now. The reason I do this is because I love what I do. The free rein I have to publish what I want when I want is one of the things that keeps me sane. I’m lucky, because I can basically go down rabbit holes about loyalty program and things that interest me, and somehow I make a living doing it.
I totally acknowledge the content mix isn’t ideal some days, and I apologize for that. I should probably maybe limit it to a couple of posts per day, and tell my brain “hey, stop thinking about Atmos!” That would be more aligned with some sort of a sponsored campaign and a strategy to maximize revenue, rather than what I’m doing.
I hope that longtime readers can give me some slack, realizing that they might not love the content some days, but hopefully they do other days. I apologize if there are any stories I failed to publish today about people taking off their clothes or getting into fights at airports, but I assure you there are other sites that can cover that too.
Bottom line
I would’ve rather written another 1,300 words about Atmos Rewards, rather than 1,300 words explaining why I’m writing about Atmos Rewards, but here we are. Just kidding. 😉 In all honesty, to those who don’t care about Atmos Rewards, I’m sorry for the lack of interesting stuff the past two days. For those who do care about Atmos Rewards, you’re welcome.
While criticism for the amount of content about one topic is totally fair, I just want to set the record straight for why it happens. It’s not because I’m being paid under the table to do so, but instead, it’s for several other reasons…
"First Egypt... now the EU?" That was a great line, Ben. Thx for the chuckle.
I have no interested in Alaskan nor Atmos. So... I just don't read them. But I do appreciate your time in writing about them - it's what makes me coming back to this "blog." Keep it up.
I wanted to add my appreciation for the Atmos posts. I am also really excited about Atmos and I actually saved all your emails from this week so that I could read them in detail when I had more time. That's the first time I've ever done that, so your posts had the right effect on me!
Please don't ever change, Ben! There is a shortage of authenticity on the web. We need you.
This is an amazing blog.
Cyberspace coddles evil creatures who shelter behind a cloak of anonymity.
The overwhelming majority of your readers, like me, are grateful for your unbelievable output of priceless pearls.
Thank you.
It has always been very easy to skip over content I don't care about. I don't understand the griping here.
As a (longtime) non-US subscriber to OMAAT I can tell you that I find gushing talk of this or that exciting new credit card available to the US populance a total yawn.
On the grounds of irrelevance to me.
The obsession (yes it is) that Americans have about the fabulous rewards and benefits being thrust by the banks upon them feeds into the 'something-for-nothing' culture. This is surely not a healthy thing.
...
As a (longtime) non-US subscriber to OMAAT I can tell you that I find gushing talk of this or that exciting new credit card available to the US populance a total yawn.
On the grounds of irrelevance to me.
The obsession (yes it is) that Americans have about the fabulous rewards and benefits being thrust by the banks upon them feeds into the 'something-for-nothing' culture. This is surely not a healthy thing.
To continue with the cliches, 'there is no free lunch' ~we all pay for it ultimately; those locked out of the US credit card system the most.
This blog has changed over time. It used to be really about points, miles, reviews, and strategies. Nowadays there is much more news and articles that may be a stretch to be related. There is also more content that has a disconnect between someone that reports on it for their blog and what an average person would do. Consider most people do not have dozens of credit cards.
This one made me laugh and was well-timed; I appreciated the rush of stories because I could tell from the beginning why they were coming all at once and it felt more authentic. TPG comment was great lol. Keep on being you!
Love the stories. Honestly, my only gripe is that I wish you would remove the Read More feature from the Comments section. I'm blind, and my screen reader jumps me back to the top of the page every time I want to read what someone wrote in its entirety. If that sounds whiny, like it only affects me, well that's the same idea with posts and people having a choice to read or not. You keep doing you but seriously, get rid of Read More. :)
I just love what your write about Ben . I live in Australia so didn’t even know what Atmos was. Because of you I have signed up for the Amex Platinum card and in 6 months racked up 900,000 points which I transfer to Avios.
Totally ignoring my Qantas Amex cards as we can’t get rewards flights with Emirates and Qatar like we used to pre Covid.
Thank you for your website .. Qatar...
I just love what your write about Ben . I live in Australia so didn’t even know what Atmos was. Because of you I have signed up for the Amex Platinum card and in 6 months racked up 900,000 points which I transfer to Avios.
Totally ignoring my Qantas Amex cards as we can’t get rewards flights with Emirates and Qatar like we used to pre Covid.
Thank you for your website .. Qatar has a great website and when you book 12 months ahead they have the half points priced off peak fares . Thank you for telling us bout Seat Aero that’s how we found our Melb CDG Madrid Melb fares.
Like most sites delist the subscribers who always complain and make abusive comments….. but we do find them amusing just to remind us that there are still perfect people with imperfections out there ….
You're doing a Fantastic job!!! Thank you and keep it up!!
I respect the fact that you still allow comments, and take the time to actually respond. Keep up the good work.
Right?! The irony that some IN THE COMMENTS told you this was becoming TPG... where they don't. allow. comments.
*facepalm*
Been reading your blog since probably 2013. Comment section has been so negative over the years. Keep doing your thing!
I don't think the Comments section at OMAAT has been especially negative over the years. If you want to see some eye-popping negative and downright abusive commentary VFTW would be a good starting point, plus a handful of others out there.
Been reading your blog since probably 2013. Comment section has been so negative over the years. Keep doing your thing.
I love the deep dive into each benefit. It's often a great resource in the future when I'm trying to use a benefit and wondering a specific detail that many other blogs don't cover.
if you get the 100k sign-up bonus from the Summit card, you can use it to fund another flight review!
I want to see you route JNU to Tromso via Alaska's milk run (all the legs!) connecting to Finnair A350 business class via Helsinki. The weirder the better!
Hey there, follow your blog every day. You do you, it is a lot on Atmos and if people are not interested they can scroll through! Appreciate what you do!
Long time reader here; honestly I love this page because of the variety of content (reviews, deals, the messy plane drama, etc). I don't understand how some people have a problem with that? If something does not interest you, you don't read that particular post, like duh! keep it up king!
Keep up the great work!
No worries Ben. I was a bit surprised to see so many articles, but I've had 0 luck with BoA Alaska cards in the past and am not in a geographic location where I can fly Alaska much if at all. So other than the first post about the new rewards program and the unique earning structure, I ignored the rest. I imagine there are quite a few people who found all the articles helpful...
No worries Ben. I was a bit surprised to see so many articles, but I've had 0 luck with BoA Alaska cards in the past and am not in a geographic location where I can fly Alaska much if at all. So other than the first post about the new rewards program and the unique earning structure, I ignored the rest. I imagine there are quite a few people who found all the articles helpful however, so keep up the good work. Us readers should keep in mind that not every article published is published specifically to appeal to us.
if youre evaluating the program based on flying Alaska metal youre doing it completely wrong anyway
@Harold
As I said, I've also had 0 success with BoA cards. They won't approve me. So kind of hard to rack up miles without flying them. To that point, my main redemptions have been ANA or JAL up until last year, and Amex and AA cards respectively have been far better avenues for me personally to get the miles for those redemptions. For the rest, CapitalOne and Chase have provided the transfer points for VS and Flying Blue for my Europe trips.
Again one of those readers that has been following your blog for over 10 years, tbh much of the CC content or loyalty does not really interest me, as I am not US resident nor I fly as much as I would like to. Nevertheless the reviews, news and content you pick up has made this blog a place where I come everyday to find my peace for whatever reason. Continue doing what you do...
Again one of those readers that has been following your blog for over 10 years, tbh much of the CC content or loyalty does not really interest me, as I am not US resident nor I fly as much as I would like to. Nevertheless the reviews, news and content you pick up has made this blog a place where I come everyday to find my peace for whatever reason. Continue doing what you do and as you can see you got quite a large number of people grateful for what you do, congrats! Always looking forward to the next unknown airline review!
Keep at it, Ben. You're good at what you do and you and I think very similarly (well, mostly), although we do have our differences of opinions in some areas. While I and others can see your bias in certain topics, certain areas, it can be annoying but this is YOUR blog. People - even those who appreciate you for you (like me) - will inevitably find something that you write that they disagree with....
Keep at it, Ben. You're good at what you do and you and I think very similarly (well, mostly), although we do have our differences of opinions in some areas. While I and others can see your bias in certain topics, certain areas, it can be annoying but this is YOUR blog. People - even those who appreciate you for you (like me) - will inevitably find something that you write that they disagree with. C'est la vie. Onward. Haters will hate, etc.
Indeed, even though I've disagreed with many things you've said/written, it's natural that that occurs so it doesn't bother me like it doesn't bother you. Keep doing you - the choice is up to you readers to decide to skip a post or topic. I mean - REALLY - who is forcing some to read every article?!?
Keep at it, Ben. You're good at what you do and you and I think very similarly (well, mostly), although we do have our differences of opinions in some areas. While I and others can see your bias in certain topics, certain areas, it can be annoying but this is YOUR blog. People - even those who appreciate you for you (like me) - will inevitably find something that you write that they disagree with....
Keep at it, Ben. You're good at what you do and you and I think very similarly (well, mostly), although we do have our differences of opinions in some areas. While I and others can see your bias in certain topics, certain areas, it can be annoying but this is YOUR blog. People - even those who appreciate you for you (like me) - will inevitably find something that you write that they disagree with. C'est la vie. Onward. Haters will hate, etc.
Indeed, even though I've disagreed with many things you've said/written, it's natural that that occurs so it doesn't bother me like it doesn't bother you. Keep doing you - the choice is up to you readers to decide to skip a post or topic. I mean - REALLY - who is forcing some to read every article?!?
I am glad to see that I was not the only one who thought the Atmos thing was well over done. Unlike others, I just bypassed em and stopped reading the blog on Wednesday and yesterday. I just adopted a "you do you, and I'll do me" approach and wait for sanity to rear its head once again.
Ben writes articles that I have no interest in. And you know what I do? I act like an adult and simply skip them. Presumably others might have an interest in those articles.
Notice I don't see anyone asking this site to be behind a paywall.
Your content is amazing! Please keep it up!
Thank you so much for providing such well written, numerous (FREE!!) posts each day.
This blog has been my first stop on the internet every day going back to 2010. Please don’t ever apologize for posting the way you do. I’ve always appreciated the stream of consciousness type blogging.
Can't believe I clicked on this... I was looking for a review on Atmos Rewards...
Love your blog, so please keep doing what you’re doing. It’s easy enough to read the articles I’m interested in and ignore the ones that interest me less
+1! Keep up the fantastic work!
Last thing you need to do is apologize, you do you.
We are here because of the genuine love you show for these topics, don't dial it down.
And definitely never read the comments! (except this one, of course).
Luv you Ben, stay awesome, be u <3
I find your articles super helpful! Like many, I am thinking of switching from AA and you've gone and already written articles to answer most of the questions before I've even thought of them!
You can make it up to us by reviewing T'Way Airlines from YVR to ICN. Or, if you want to make it really fun, continue onward to TAS.
Is that a new name, VT-CIE?
I only read 2 blogs, this one and LL and to be honest, I go to LL more frequently, probably because they are slightly less US-centric. I was interested in the Alaska programme but as soon as it became apparent that the credit card, for US citizens only, became the raison d’etre, I didn’t appreciate seeing 6 articles about that. So I don’t mind filtering and will read things that interest me but another angle...
I only read 2 blogs, this one and LL and to be honest, I go to LL more frequently, probably because they are slightly less US-centric. I was interested in the Alaska programme but as soon as it became apparent that the credit card, for US citizens only, became the raison d’etre, I didn’t appreciate seeing 6 articles about that. So I don’t mind filtering and will read things that interest me but another angle to this would be to think which audience the content relates to and consider more that could target non-US audiences, which might mean spreading those articles out other a few weeks.
You like professional extortionists. If you like how they hunt for broken seats and less than perfect hotel rooms, good for you. The theme gets too repetitive.
Sadly, they feel less US-centric because they are European hacking the US card system living in Asia. It might resonate to non US reader more, but it's far from being practical for most people US or not. And they still clickbait like other blogs. Including an epic fail...
You like professional extortionists. If you like how they hunt for broken seats and less than perfect hotel rooms, good for you. The theme gets too repetitive.
Sadly, they feel less US-centric because they are European hacking the US card system living in Asia. It might resonate to non US reader more, but it's far from being practical for most people US or not. And they still clickbait like other blogs. Including an epic fail when they try to bait the world about the paradise island wait.
Now to their credit, they do find a lot of useful gray area hacks, especially from sources in a different country. And some of their blackmail stories are fun to read, and feels like a true story.
One thing you're missing is that Dolby Laboratories, Inc owns the Atmos brand so you're in trouble mister
One thing you're (and frankly most people) missing is ™️ education.
The next time you eat bar soap and wash yourself with bar chocolate, you're in trouble mister because you've been Doved.
FWIW, I'm in the same boat as you (excitement for the new program and I've already started to pivot my future flights from my emerald AA status to my lowly ruby AS status.)
I don't mind lots of content focused on a single area. That said, I never was in love with Capital One so I just skipped all the stories that you blitzed back when the VX card came out. I'm sorry that other people don't know how to change web pages without leaving some nasty comments first.
First off, thanks for the clarification. While I frequently find your perspective to be skewed against the interests of your readers or at least showing surprising sympathy to corporate entities rather than normal people in a "both sides" thing I don't think that you're dishonest. Given the rather disproportionate volume of posts on this subject though I can see how people might get the wrong idea and it's good that you're clear that you are...
First off, thanks for the clarification. While I frequently find your perspective to be skewed against the interests of your readers or at least showing surprising sympathy to corporate entities rather than normal people in a "both sides" thing I don't think that you're dishonest. Given the rather disproportionate volume of posts on this subject though I can see how people might get the wrong idea and it's good that you're clear that you are not being paid to do all this writing.
You're extremely prolific and having more voices is just about always better than having less. Maybe making a bit more of an effort to see when you're going super heavy on a topic might also mitigate some of the criticism but from a reader's perspective we're also getting inundated with similar information from a number of BA blogs and that sucks the oxygen out of the room for other topics. At any rate, a little understanding on all sides should help avoid too many repeats on things like this so don't take the criticism too much to heart.
When you cite having to talked to Alaska executives behind the scenes about the launch and the program, it's reasonable to question your motives.
I vehemently disagree with this comment as it makes no sense.
Access to executives does not mean the author has motives to deceive his readers.
Please apologize.
You should be the one apologizing for your asinine comments.
No one said he did have motives to deceive readers, but if someone does have access to executives, then they need to make that clear what that relationship is and how it does or doesn't affect the content they output, it's really that simple.
No.
This snowflake behavior is going too far.
Does your brain come with prop 65 warning too?
This brain contains way of thinking that causes cancer to society.
We like you *because* you're not like the other bloggers, Lucky.
You're one of the few left out there who does this purely for the love of travel, and not as a slick way to sell credit cards. You would do this for free, and you did for many years. But when you get too deep into the business end of travel - miles and points and affiliate links - you sound less like...
We like you *because* you're not like the other bloggers, Lucky.
You're one of the few left out there who does this purely for the love of travel, and not as a slick way to sell credit cards. You would do this for free, and you did for many years. But when you get too deep into the business end of travel - miles and points and affiliate links - you sound less like the old Lucky and more like all the other grubbers. That's not the real you.
But it's your blog, so write what you dig!
I think it's fair that Ben needs to pay the bills though?
Keep it up Ben. Love the content you provide.
People are always gonna be quick to complain and be mean. Ignore them! I have followed you for quite some time now, since 2014 or longerm and you have provided me so much valuable info. Keep doing you and ignore the trolls.
If it were just the six Atmos articles in one day it would have been fine. But people are fed up because its on top of all the clickbait crap you've been writing about over the last few months about people misbehaving on airplanes and in airports. We just want the OMAAT that we've had for the last 12 )?) years.
Well stop reading the blog. Easy enough. There is plenty of other free content out there. I choose to keep reading. Over ten years as a daily reader and no complaints from me, Ben!
It's called growing up. Getting married. Starting a family.
You should try it sometimes.
nailed it.
Keep it up Ben! This is WHY I’ve been reading daily for, um, 15 years ( Maybe more?).
Love having you distill the news. As all things on the internet on the rare chance you post something I’m not terribly interested in I go on to the next.
Speaking of which! I really wish there was an easier way to go back to reread some classics. Once in a while I like to read...
Keep it up Ben! This is WHY I’ve been reading daily for, um, 15 years ( Maybe more?).
Love having you distill the news. As all things on the internet on the rare chance you post something I’m not terribly interested in I go on to the next.
Speaking of which! I really wish there was an easier way to go back to reread some classics. Once in a while I like to read and old report from the big long wild F trips to Asia. Was just rereading an SQ F trip from 2011. I try to dig them up on Google since it’s almost impossible to find the through the site.
Agree - Ben, love the content. The only thing you need to improve on the blog is the search engine.
Ben-
Just keep doing what you are doing, I check your blog a few times a day as you do a darn good job. I assume you read all of our posts back to you.
If you are soliciting any input, I would ask that you venture to provide those of us who travel mostly in economy (occasionally splurging when we have enough points for Premium Econ and Business - probably never ride...
Ben-
Just keep doing what you are doing, I check your blog a few times a day as you do a darn good job. I assume you read all of our posts back to you.
If you are soliciting any input, I would ask that you venture to provide those of us who travel mostly in economy (occasionally splurging when we have enough points for Premium Econ and Business - probably never ride in International First) a bit more info about the rear cabins on planes. That said, I don't expect you to actually fly in the back with us, but at least you'll know if we have individual air nozzles.
I find your lounge, hotel, and credit card/points info posts to be great.
Lastly, too bad Alaska didn't just call the new currency ATMOS. No “Points” in the currency ...Like AVIOS. A simple proper noun by itself.
Keep doing what you do Lucky, haters are going to hate. Sure, it would be nice to get an interesting post to break it all up too, but we are here for your content and you always deliver 110%, thank you!
@Ben:
Would love a post breaking down AA vs Atmos for one world status, in light of the new card.
AA is my default since I, like you, live in an AA hub (phx), fly Qatar frequently and rarely (never basically) fly Alaska.
I use the AA card to pay taxes if I need to top off pts to achieve status.
Wondering if i should switch to Alaska.
Second this (also as a PHX-based flyer). I’ve never bothered to shoot for AA status as a mostly domestic flyer for paid flights (my job doesn’t send me anywhere and I usually book award flights when I go international), and opportunity costs earning Loyalty Points with CC spend. To me Atmos seems to provide a much easier path to OW Sapphire at the very least (and one that can still be lucrative for earning redeemable points).
I find the overall vibe of this blog to be premium in an Air France La Premiere sort of way. If there’s an article that doesn’t interest me, I choose not to read it but a majority of articles do appeal to me. Meanwhile, on the other side of the “wing”, in a Spirit/Frontier sort of way, is another blog I no longer read. Someone who claims to be family friendly, writes incoherent articles as...
I find the overall vibe of this blog to be premium in an Air France La Premiere sort of way. If there’s an article that doesn’t interest me, I choose not to read it but a majority of articles do appeal to me. Meanwhile, on the other side of the “wing”, in a Spirit/Frontier sort of way, is another blog I no longer read. Someone who claims to be family friendly, writes incoherent articles as if he had one too many pre-departure beverages, yet many articles as you mention are about fights, emotionally disturbed people taking off clothes, flight attendants who quit and are now on only fans, etc. Please keep up the awesome, high quality work and change nothing!
I've been waiting months for the Alaska (pardon, Atmos) card to launch and I fully expect a blitz of coverage from you when it does. If you didn't cover it you wouldn't be doing your job. Forget the weirdos. They can keep scrolling
Our only natural gas provider in the area is called Atmos and they don’t take credit card payments. When I first saw the many posts about the card, I got excited that I’ll be earning rewards for those payments. Hahaha
Seriously, you do NOT need to explain yourself.
You have the right to write about whatever topics you want on YOUR FREE blog. If you felt like you need more money and has to do sponsored post in order to make that money, do sponsored posts.
And I’m sure that you’ve been writing this blog long enough that you know what you need to do/write in order to achieve whatever goals you set for...
Seriously, you do NOT need to explain yourself.
You have the right to write about whatever topics you want on YOUR FREE blog. If you felt like you need more money and has to do sponsored post in order to make that money, do sponsored posts.
And I’m sure that you’ve been writing this blog long enough that you know what you need to do/write in order to achieve whatever goals you set for this blog.
As readers, they have the right to skip whatever articles they don’t find relevant.
No one is forcing them to read anything.
Goodness people!! We just like to complain about anything and everything these days.
Sheesh, get a grip, people. It's one day of posts.
> Wait, I’m going to be apprehended the next time I enter the European Union, because I wrote about Atmos Rewards? First Egypt, now the European Union?!
Just wait until they publish the surveillance video of you paying for priority services with your Atmos credit card, to prove how you enjoyed the best service in the world (second best of course, after Cairo airport). ;)
@Geoff has it right. If it’s an article I don’t want, just scroll down. Easier than fast forward through commercials on my VCR.
Keep it up just as is Ben!
I love your content and come back multiple times a day to see what you are writing about. Don’t change a thing.
I am just waiting for the post where you tell us all about that time you got arrested entering the EU. Now that will be entertainment
No need to apologize. It is a free world on what people want to read - if they tire of content on a specific blog or other source, they can move on. Keep on blogin!
Raises hand after getting the new AS card today after clicking on Ben’s link…
@ MaxPower -- I appreciate the support! Congrats on picking up that PREMIUM card. ;-)
It might be that PREMIUM card. It's not THE premium card.
"Stop posting general interest stories about things that happen at airports or on airplanes, I come here for the world of points and loyalty only."
"Stop posting so much about points and loyalty, this is overwhelming. I expect a more modest number of posts about points and loyalty on this points and loyalty focused blog."
Smh, Ben just can't win can he? I'm honestly baffled there are people complaining about Ben producing *too much* free...
"Stop posting general interest stories about things that happen at airports or on airplanes, I come here for the world of points and loyalty only."
"Stop posting so much about points and loyalty, this is overwhelming. I expect a more modest number of posts about points and loyalty on this points and loyalty focused blog."
Smh, Ben just can't win can he? I'm honestly baffled there are people complaining about Ben producing *too much* free content for people to read.
I'm not even eligible for any of the Atmos cards because I don't live in the US, but I still find a lot of these updates interesting as it's cool to monitor trends in how the loyalty game is evolving. Please don't change a thing, your posts are appreciated by the vast majority of the blog's readership.
Ben, please keep doing what you do. There is no one who even comes close to the useful contributions you make almost everyday.
Thank you for this explanation.
Ben it does work, I decided in advance it would take 6 ATMOS posts & no fewer to use your Atmos premium card referral link and indeed you did so I applied & was approved. That wouldn’t have happened with 5 or fewer posts, definitely not!
@ Willem -- I KNEW IT! :p
Atmos is, at most, fairly big news so it warrants, at most, several articles.
There are minor enhancements (real enhancements) and, at most, a few negative changes, not many.
Why can't people just not read stuff they don't enjoy? Like if you don't appreciate this many Alaska posts, then don't click on them and those posts will not do well and fewer will be featured. Also, the Atmos change is a massive deal and everyone should appreciate that big stories get more coverage.
Funny you, Benjamin: :-) ;-)
“This place is turning into TPG overnight.”
Ouch. That’s soul-crushing.”
… IF that was really the case, then YOU really deserve to be crushed!
While in my younger days i loved TPG, but over the years and what it had become now, i don’t even pay attention to it anymore!
So be warned, as it sounds like many others do think like i do about that webpage! ;-)
…. keep the GOOD work! no need to crush your soul
There's a site far worse than TPG. It's YMMV. They are a lot of reused articles that they previousy published and they censor remarks a lot, even editing them to reflect their viewpoint, just like Putin would do.
yeah VFTW has really TPG'd itself over recent years too
You mean censorship remarks is better than TPG who doesn't even give voice at all?
Just like what dropping nukes would do.
as a longtime reader, I will admit that I've chuckled with other points and miles friends about the quantity of Atmos posts over the last 48 hours -- but they really are informative! i'm reading them because they're actually useful!
keep 'em coming for as long as you have new stuff to write about Atmos.
The silent (majority?) enjoys what you do immensely.
Hah, when I opened the blog today I thought “man that’s a lot about Atmos Rewards!” and went on to think “well, it is the most seismic change we have seen to an airline program in a long time, so… fair enough!”
One of the things I appreciate the most about you, Ben, is that you have always been transparent about your sponsorships and thoughts. If something is a rave to you, you rave, and...
Hah, when I opened the blog today I thought “man that’s a lot about Atmos Rewards!” and went on to think “well, it is the most seismic change we have seen to an airline program in a long time, so… fair enough!”
One of the things I appreciate the most about you, Ben, is that you have always been transparent about your sponsorships and thoughts. If something is a rave to you, you rave, and you don’t pull punches when you think something is lousy. Please don’t change. This is one of the last honest corners of the internet.
I like it this way. OMAAT remains the only blog I read regularly .. Pls dont change a thing.
Ben, keep writing your blog posts as you've always done. They are always informative and detailed. I tend to read everything you write just in case there may be something useful later. No one is forcing your readers to read all of your posts so they can skip them easily. And it isn't costing them a cent if you have one or multiple articles on the same subject!
More content the better !!
I did lol at the life vest comment. I wish internet commentary was more of that
It's something new a shiny and deserves a lot of posts. Don't mind the haters.
I don't care about Atmos at all and I'm 100% fine with the posts. If I'm not interested I don't read them. Don't understand people posting negative comments.
I do think the best content here was always the trip reports and experiences. I appreciate some articles on minmaxing cards and schemes, but I think they're so much more powerful when they're part of a journey you are taking/plan to take/will take. I get that life for you right now means that you can do less of this. Still appreciate all the content
This is definitely true, and I appreciate Ben's transparency about his parents/life/kids/dog/partner while keeping his content focused. Everything maintains the "here's what I'm up to in the context of travel" vibe. It's refreshingly human and respectful without being a Disney blog shoehorning personal details into every sentence.
What? Another post about Atmost Rewards???? Come on!!!
Lol just kidding. Do your thing. We’re here for it.
The Blog is amazing Ben - keeping doing what you do best! Atmos is a big story in the travel hobby world for sure
Ignore the haters - they can leave if they want...
“Here’s a Delta Boeing 767-300ER” I seriously LOL’ed at this caption!
I actually thought no one else would have notice how Ben was Easter egg trolling.
Same. At first, why is a Delta plane in this pictures talking about a oneworld partner. Then saw the caption. Well played, Ben. Chef's kiss.
People are “upset” because they miss your regular content. I’d say that’s actually compliment to the quality of this blog.
No worries here. Keep chugging
@Lucky. Please DO continue what you are doing irrespective of the negative comments. There are many of us who learn a lot about these cards through your analyses. Thank you for all you do!
I always appreciate your work ethics.
It's the presentation not the content.
I still find most of content relevant and useful first hand. Heck I think I know more from here than the official site.
Having multiple posts have redundant contents. I'd say it's a lot cleaner to have a single megapost or Atmos 2-3 posts and update from that, then maybe when the dust settles. Assemble the contents into a better category or title.
I'll play devils advocate. I usually open the blog when I have a few minutes of downtime (call it a guilty pleasure). I don't have time for a mega-post, and it can be tedious to scan through a mega post to find the content i'm interested in. Whereas with multiple posts I can find what I want to read more easily.
Heck, most of us get dozens of notifications a day from many apps. I...
I'll play devils advocate. I usually open the blog when I have a few minutes of downtime (call it a guilty pleasure). I don't have time for a mega-post, and it can be tedious to scan through a mega post to find the content i'm interested in. Whereas with multiple posts I can find what I want to read more easily.
Heck, most of us get dozens of notifications a day from many apps. I don't even get a notification when a post is made here. I just open the blog all the freakin time for a dopamine hit to see if there is anything new I want to read.
In the end I guess it's impossible to be everything to everybody. I like this style, so I keep coming back.
And I'll poke the devil by asking you this.
In your few minutes, if you're drowned by 10 Atmos you'll never make it to TK investments.
And if time is so precious, you wouldn't want to read the same thing repeated 3 times right?
How many times did you read about 100,000-point Global Companion Award when you spend $60,000 on the card in an anniversary year. Or $395 $395 $395.
To me, that is wasting time.
I see that emoji there in your post, any chance you could enable them in comments?
@ DanG-DEN -- Great question, let me ask if anything can be done there...
Make sure only those members who login get access to emojis.
Long time listener, first time commenter. Your varying travel-related obsessions are why I read this site. If the cost of that is multiple articles on the same topic, it is very easy for me (and others) to not read the article. Either way, I’m getting my money’s worth ($0). Please keep up the good work.
I have the (apparently rare) ability to skim a post and determine if I want to read it in detail. If it's not a topic that interests me, l just move on and spend zero time posting a comment complaining about it.
Thanks for the blog! Keep on writing about whatever you want. At some level, if people want to move on, there are lots of other places to go to get news about the industry.
I get in Ben, I also wonder since this card was released right after the Citi one it just seems like double too within a short time span. Maybe mix it up just a little more with some news or additional commentary. There is always something in the travel world.
Your blog do what you want.
@ Andrew -- It has been an absolutely wild two months in terms of new credit cards. Summer is usually quiet, but we've never seen anything like this before. First Sapphire Reserve, then introduction of Sapphire Reserve Business, then Citi Strata Elite, now Atmos Rewards Summit, and soon Amex Platinum refresh. I'm exhausted just keeping up!
Ben, any suggestions for those of us that live in AA hubs (like you, in MIA) who want to switch up our credit card strategies? I’m torn between Atmos (Alaska having innovative transfer partners, including AA) vs the more vanilla Citi, which partners directly with AAdvantage. Based purely on transferring CC points, do you find any advantage to one over the other for booking AA or One World reward flights?
@ Phred -- It's an excellent question, and I'll have a post on this very topic in the next couple of days (brace yourself, folks!), since it's exactly the thought process I'm going through as well.
Ben, I think we’re all taking this a bit too far so, same as you did, please let me explain how I (and maybe others) feel about OMAAT.
Let’s be honest, we’re all on the spectrum here - or Neurodivergent in some sort of way.
W’all go along our lives doing whatever we do as a daily pecuniary hobby and then come back to OMAAT to read something that brings us out from our routine...
Ben, I think we’re all taking this a bit too far so, same as you did, please let me explain how I (and maybe others) feel about OMAAT.
Let’s be honest, we’re all on the spectrum here - or Neurodivergent in some sort of way.
W’all go along our lives doing whatever we do as a daily pecuniary hobby and then come back to OMAAT to read something that brings us out from our routine and into our hyper-fixation: the clouds.
So, when we come hre is because we know we’re gonna get a lot of posts that are irrelevant, yes (like all of those about credit cards), but also a few random thoughts that go through your mind that trigger you to write a nice post that comes from your soul (our favourite ones!. Hopefully one day you’ll ditch that credit card corporate bullshit - oh well, we all have our dreams eh).
Back to the point (please, excuse my Neurodivergency again), we see this environment as home, as a safe space. And, when we open our safe space and see 3/4 posts flooded with some random new thing we’ve never heard about (I still haven’t opened any of those Atmos related posts), we feel slightly violated.
Like oh man, I come here to hear some random thoughts created by a mix of your brain and the airline world and, suddenly, we feel bombarded by some unrequested ads - like, somebody makes this stop, please!!!
I’m not expecting you to change anything from my response, I’m just trying to also help you understand where we’re coming from when we’re telling you our ND brains are feeling a little bit overwhelmed - regardless of the very diverse ways we’ve all been trying to tell you on the comments section.
So, longe life to OMAAT and all that.
Thanks for reading,
Miguel
@ Migs from LHR -- I really appreciate you reading, and I just want to say I hear you 100%, and will keep it in mind going forward. I value this kind of feedback.