With 2019 soon coming to an end, I took a look back at the most popular posts of 2019. Which new posts were viewed the most? Which new posts were most talked about (had the most comments)? Which posts, new and old, were viewed the most? It’s fun for me to look at these because there’s always a surprise in the bunch. Hopefully you’ll find it interesting too!
Most viewed new posts
These are the posts newly written in 2019 that had the most page views:
- American Airlines shutting down some accounts for churning
Many people who repeatedly signed up for the same AA cards for the bonus miles had their American Airlines accounts shut down and award flights cancelled. This was a harsh move by AA and it is the first time that I can remember a rewards program shutting down accounts due to credit card activity. Shouldn’t they have first blamed Citi for letting people skirt the rules? - 7.5K each way to Hawaii: The sweetest spot we’ve been missing
The appearance of this post in the top 10 should be no surprise to anyone. Nick’s sweetspot find has to be one of the best ongoing points & miles deals I’ve ever seen. Now if only United would free up business class award space so that we can book for 12.5K each way… - Juicy Miles: Finally, a Kayak-like tool for flight awards!
I don’t usually put exclamation points in my post titles, but I was excited enough to do so here. Until this tool came around, there was no easy way to search for award availability across carriers, partnerships, and alliances. Yes it’s expensive, and it’s true that it’s not at all perfect, but I continue to believe it is the only good option if you’re looking for awards and want to search widely across programs and carriers. - Caesars Diamond Celebration dinner: easy to use and worth the match
This one was a surprise to me. Separately, Nick posted Las Vegas Easy Wins and From zero to hero on the status-match-go-round. In those posts, he noted that you can enjoy a free $100 “Diamond Celebration Dinner.” In this post, he detailed everything you need to know about that dinner. I wouldn’t have been surprised if either of the other Vegas related posts hit the top 10, but I didn’t expect free dinner to be the key. It just goes to show that people are excited about posts related to the old adage “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch, but free dinner is great.” (I may have taken some liberty with the exact wording). - Which Ultra Premium Cards are Keepers?
This one isn’t technically brand new to 2019 since I did publish an earlier version in 2018, but things changed drastically since then. So, with this nearly complete re-write, I decided to keep this post in the list. - Your Platinum card arrived. Here’s what to do next…
Amex Platinum cards come loaded with perks, but most of the best features don’t happen automatically. Here’s a checklist of things to do to make the most of your Amex Platinum card. - Marriott Choice Benefit Valuations. Which to pick?
I reviewed Marriott’s Choice Benefit options for 50 night and 75 night elites. Here you’ll find my recommendations for the most valuable picks. - Rakuten (formerly Ebates) Visa with Membership Rewards. Everything you need to know.
Thanks to Rakuten offering the option to earn Membership Rewards points through their portal, their Visa credit card is now super valuable. - Easy money: SoFi debit card new account / referral bonuses
Who wants free money? Apparently lots of people do since this post was the 9th most viewed new post of 2019. - In one fell swoop, Ebates shakes up portal and credit card rewards
I’m a little bit surprised that this one wasn’t higher on the list. In my opinion, the ability to earn Membership Rewards through the Ebates (now Rakuten) portal is a game changer.
Most comments on new posts
These are the posts newly written in 2019 that had the most reader comments.
- The baby in business class debate (160 Comments)
This is the post where I declared “I’m pissed.” That doesn’t happen often. - Juicy Miles: Finally, a Kayak-like tool for flight awards! (140 Comments)
- No joy from Bonvoy: Ritz cardholders downgraded to Gold (120 Comments)
There was a short term play in 2018 to sign up for the Ritz card and spend $10K in order to secure Platinum status for all of 2019. Unfortunately, the system didn’t work as planned. #Bonvoyed - Rakuten (formerly Ebates) Visa with Membership Rewards. Everything you need to know. (115 Comments)
- Easy money: SoFi debit card new account / referral bonuses (113 Comments)
- Bonvoy restores joy: Platinum status being reinstated (98 Comments)
A day after we reported the problem, Marriott began fixing the Ritz card error. Not all accounts were fixed at once, but I think that they eventually fixed them all. #UnBonvoyed - On Nick’s mind (Dumping the Sapphire Reserve?) (96 Comments)
In response to my post saying that I was dumping my Citi Prestige card, Nick explained why he’s likely to dump his Sapphire Reserve card next year. Many readers seem to agree with his reasoning. - Marriott Bonvoy credit card changes announced (94 Comments)
I’m surprised this happened in 2019. It seems so long ago. Anyway, this is when we learned the new Bonvoy names for the former Amex SPG cards and former Chase Marriott Rewards cards. Now the names are nearly impossible to remember. - 40K to Far Away Afterglow. Help us design the next #40KFarAway challenge. (90 Comments)
The 40K to Far Away Challenge was a ton of fun, but we want to change it up for next time. In response to this post, readers offered up many truly great ideas for future challenges. - Vote for your favorite 40K to Far Away trip! (87 Comments)
This post summarized our 40K to Far Away trips and included a voting poll. Who won?
Most viewed posts in 2019
These are the posts that people viewed most in 2019 even if they were originally posted prior to 2019.
- Best Offers
This is, in my opinion, the best list on the internet of credit card welcome offers. - Manufactured Spending Complete Guide
If you’re looking for ways to increase credit card spend without going broke, start here. - Marriott Bonvoy Complete Guide
This has everything you need to know about Marriott Bonvoy. - Shortcuts to Marriott Platinum Elite Status (2019 Edition)
The same info can be found in our Bonvoy Complete Guide, but I’m sure lots of people found this post through Google searches. - Amex Airline Fee Reimbursements. What still works?
A number of Amex cards rebate “incidental airline fees.” Amex offers a list of things that explicitly fit this category, but in practice other purchases are rebated as well. We try to keep an up-to-date list of those other purchases. - Wyndham Timeshare Presentation Survival Guide. Get Your “No” Face On.
Stephen’s early 2018 post about how to say no to Timeshare salesmen continues to garner lots of page views. - Best options for buying Visa and MasterCard gift cards
Buying Visa or Mastercard gift cards is often the first step towards earning credit card rewards through spend. Liquidating those gift cards is another problem which is not addressed in this post. - How to pronounce Qatar
This post from 3 years ago continues to do well, especially anytime Qatar is in the news. Thanks Google!
- American Airlines shutting down some accounts for churning
This was the only all-new-for-2019 post that made the overall top 10 list. - Start Here
This is the first link on our blog’s menu bar. This is an extremely high level view of what the game is all about. If you’re new to Frequent Miler, this is where to start.
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Surprised that the 40K to Far Away posts didn’t crack the top 10 of viewed posts. Was the most fun series in all of travel blogs for 2019.
Thanks! The contest seemed to be very popular, but somehow the number of page views never reflected that. Regardless, we had fun and will keep doing challenges in the future.
I used Juicy Miles. It’s a good tool but it lacks available options and appropriate customer service. It does not show all the available flights, I contacted them about these not shown availabilities with FF programs that they support. They told told they will communicate this to their team but they didn’t get back to me
Yes, no question that the tool is far from perfect. I just don’t think there’s anything close to as good.
I really don’t expect it to be perfect. However, I do expect a follow up with customer service in order to fill up the gaps which was not the case. In other words, they don’t have a motive to improve their current tool they just want to keep it as it is.
I agree with you. They absolutely should follow up. It’s not at all good that they didn’t.
“Shouldn’t they have first blamed Citi for letting people skirt the rules?”
Thank you.
Why didn’t the victim tell me it was wrong to commit a crime.