An article titled "Be Careful Who You Trust" was posted on the site yesterday. We were going to wait until next week to discuss it, but after giving it some thought and hearing from readers, I decided to clear the air.
A summary of the article written by Bethany states that she was upset with the coverage BILT rewards got and how compensation was not fully disclosed by some of the people doing the coverage. The overarching theme of the article was about that. She didn't think it was a good fit for most, and there is a breakdown of the program.
The P.R. trip to Moskito Island was the focus of the compensation received. The trip was mostly funded by BILT rewards and invited people to get down to the area. Shawn was invited.
Some of the people on this trip never fully disclosed that they received compensation during their coverage, according to Bethany. Some names were named in the article, but she left out others. The implication is that anyone not named did it wrong. I know that something wasn't meant to be, but that's how it was taken by some readers.
She pointed out that Richard Kerr, their loyalty program point man, has been less than transparent about this compensation. I agree with what Richard was saying, that the trip was payment.
There are other issues brought up about skip the line codes. I will talk about all of these things.
To clear the air, I wanted to respond to this. Shawn was invited to the island to learn more about the BILT program and for everyone there to share ideas on how it could be better.
Shawn talked about his time on the island when he got back from the trip. He said that the trip was hosted and paid for by BILT rewards and how much it would cost to book it.
Danny covered any news that came out after the trip. Danny wrote up the posts and shared his thoughts on it. We didn't have a disclosure on those articles because it was a news type post and Shawn didn't share any opinions. We didn't think it was necessary. It's like when we write about Chase or Amex but there isn't an affiliate link. Shawn would have disclosed his thoughts on the program if he had shared them in a post.
When we had a skip the line code, it was just a way for people to get the card. We didn't get any commission for that. The codes were supposed to keep applications low for a soft launch and to track which areas were most effective at reaching applicants. The Curve card is an example of a common procedure for a fin tech startup. We don't know who applied or if anyone actually did. Even with the codes, some still got waitlisted.
After BILT switched banks to Wells Fargo they were ready to accept applications from all over the world. When they offered an affiliate program to sites, we added a disclosure about that on any article where the links were used.
BILT has been treated the same as any other issuer. We cover important information so that you are aware of what's happening. New partners, new promotions, or a banking partnership change are all possibilities.
BILT has never had a say in the content we create. There are rules on disclosure and legal terms, but they do not have a say in editorial content. We have always shared our honest opinion with our readers, a fact that had Citi pull their affiliate links from us. Even though they don't have control, a partner can always cancel a partnership. That is their right. We will share our honest opinion if you need more proof. Our coverage of Citi hasn't changed since that happened.
I wanted to talk about affiliate marketing. It can be a dirty place to live in if people do things wrong. This is true with the rise of social media and the lack of disclosures. Shawn and I have talked about it on the MtM Vegas show.
That is also true in the points world. Sometimes sites will promote offers that are not the best available. You can get a commission for using an affiliate link, but they are the only ones you can get. That is why some will promote a 60,000 point offer without telling you that there is a better 80,000 point offer with no annual fee in the branch.
I don't know who or who didn't talk about the trip in the BILT coverage. I didn't pay much attention to other people's coverage. You should always pay attention to the sites and people that show you the best offers, even if it is at a cost to them.
I wonder if the island trip caused others to cover BILT rewards in a more positive light. It plays a role. It's probably not in the way you think. People work with people, so when someone asks for your input and treats you with respect, that leads to people looking at you in a better light. That is the case in all business. Are you going to mention the vendor's product more often if they treat you badly? Probably not.
I think it influenced people's take on the program. I don't think it's likely in my opinion. Had they covered the news from another issuer, it might have been a different story. Some may have written up a story about a change that they would have overlooked elsewhere. That could lead to more coverage.
I believe it could have led to more people believing in the program. Many of the people have a personal relationship with Richard Kerr, which probably plays more of a role than anything else.
People were excited about a shiny object. The program is not revolutionary, but I think it is unique. They were able to get loyalty programs that are not on the other side of the aisle. United, Hyatt, Chase, and American Airlines can all be used as full time transfer partners. I think that was an interesting move and something only Marriott's program was able to do. Marriott has transfer partners that are less expensive than a 1 to 1 rate or even 2 to 1 rate. That made it unique and people were interested in it.
I will give you a quick overview of my thoughts on the program. I think it's for the young city dweller. Someone with high rent payments and a lot of dining. A NYC, LA, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago etc. dweller in their 20's or 30's. It is assumed that they can pay their rent for free where they are. If you can, you may be better off with a 2X earning card like Blue Business Plus or Citi Doublecash.
That doesn't match up to many in the miles and points community. Most of our readers own a home and have a lot of dining bonus cards. Ryan says in the article that the program has a place. If you pay rent and can earn points, then you should. Someone who pays $2000 a month in rent is looking at 24,000 points a year.
Is the card mine? Not at its current design. I might consider it a bit more if they added gas or grocery. I can't get a card from American Airlines since I can't save my life.
Hopefully this will shed some light on our approach to BILT coverage and our credit card coverage. We will always try to do what is best for you. We will always tell you if we have a sponsored post or affiliate relationship. We are going to share our opinions regardless. There will be differing opinions shared by the people that work here. We encourage people to share their individual thoughts since this isn't a one size fits all game.
He didn't need to write it since we already know what they are about.
Have a great weekend everyone!
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