Contents
1. Starting Notes
2. Points Vs. Miles (And Their Value)
3. Envisioning a Goal
4. Checking Your Credit
5. Choosing an Airline
6. How to Pick a Card (Or Two)
7. Real Life Examples
8. Score!
9. How to Keep It Going
10. Keeping Track of It All
11. Wonderful Side Effects
12. Final Words
13. Resources
Thank you for reading this guide. It is my hope that you find the points game to be valuable and fun and that this was a good intro. What now? Keep earning miles and booking trips. The big payoffs take a few months to really reveal themselves. If your friends or family tell you you’re crazy, agree with them, then wait for them to marvel when you book your first free trip. Collecting points can save you hundreds or thousands of dollars on dream vacations.
Don’t hoard them too much. If you find you have 500,000 miles or points sitting in your accounts, it’s time to use them. Like any currency, it can lose value, or the airlines can change their award charts any time without notice.
Read the blogs listed in the Links section. It will plunge you directly into the middle of ongoing points strategies that you might not understand at first. But fear not: they all have great links for beginners that will get you up to speed.
Be sure to meet the minimum spend requirements on your new cards or you risk not getting the signup bonus. It usually isn’t a lot and doesn’t take much thought. Pay on time every month. Set up auto pay and forget about it. This ensures all your earnings are automatic and that you never pay for your miles and points. I mention this again because I want you to get everything you deserve.
Lastly, life is for living. Use what you’ve got. There’s always more. If you need help getting started or with award redemptions, feel free to reach out to me via one of the links in the About section. I’m happy to help. Research new destinations, ask questions, and keep planning free flights. The more you learn, the more places you can go. There is quite a large frequent flyer community at FlyerTalk.com, if you are inclined toward discussing your options while socializing. Most importantly, have fun.
Thanks again for reading. Happy travels!
And you’re done! Feel free to check out the links page for a list of resources.
Last up: Resources
- Capital One Venture X Rewards—Earn 90,000 Venture miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening, plus a $300 annual statement credit for travel booked through Capital One
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card—Earn 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first 3 months and 3X bonus points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year
- Amex Blue Business Plus—Earn 15,00 Membership Rewards points once you spend after you spend $3,000 in purchases in the first 3 months of Card Membership and 2X bonus points on up to $50,000 in spending per year with NO annual fee
The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Leave a Reply