Web: www.MillionMileSecrets.com
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @MilMileSecrets
Facebook: facebook.com/MillionMileSecrets
- Why Collect Miles & Points?
- Stuff Nobody Talks About
- Earning Miles & Points
- Using Miles & Points
- Questions?
The Next 1 Hour
Big Travel with Small Money
- Save money
- Have experiences you can’t afford
- Save time/less stress for frequent travelers
Why Collect Miles & Points?
- Experiences Last Forever
- Memories with Families & Friends
- Save Money & Time
Why Collect Miles & Points?
- Why Collect Miles & Points?
- Stuff Nobody Talks About
- Earning Miles & Points
- Using Miles & Points
- Questions?
The Next 1 Hour
Tips to Stay Organized - Pay Bills Online
- Set Outlook/I-Phone/Notes Reminders
- Excel Spreadsheet to Track
•Sign-up/Cancelled/bonus received/spending
- Trade-Offs
- Be aware of time invested
- Flexible travel dates and routings
Stuff Nobody Talks About - Trade-off
- Should I collect miles in all programs or just 1?
- Flight miles in 1 program
- Collect non-flight miles in ALL programs
- Don’t forget hotel points
- Hotel elite status could matter more
- Earning is easy. Redeeming is harder!
Stuff Nobody Talks About – Bonus!
- Why Collect Miles & Points?
- Stuff Nobody Talks About
- Earning Miles & Points
- Using Miles & Points
- Questions?
The Next 1 Hour
- Credit Cards
- Debit Cards
- Shopping
- Dining
- Banking/Investing
- Promotions
- Asking nicely!
- Partners
- Flying
Earning Miles & Points
Perks : - Free bags - Priority boarding - Less miles for redemptions
Types of Credit Cards – Airline
Could be worth paying fee for: - Free night certificates - Elite Status - Discounted award redemptions
Types of Credit Cards –Hotel
Types of Credit Cards – Cash Back
- 1 to 2% on purchases - ~5% on categories - Easy to understand - Good for coach travel - $5,000 business class ticket = $250,000 spending
- $80,000 spending on AMEX SPG = 100,000 AA Miles
- How it works
- Sign-up for card and get sign-on bonus (25K to 100K)
- Usually have to spend a minimum amount $3,000 in 3 months
- Then what?
Earning Miles & Points – Credit Cards
- Spend everything you earn, you’ll get only 50,000 miles/points
- Pay-off is with the SIGN-UP BONUS,
NOT everyday spending
Earning Miles & Points – Credit Cards
Spending on Cards with no/low NET cash outflow - William Paid for Rent - Charge Smart for loans Pre-Paid Cards - Wells Fargo (Don’t use Citi & BOA) - US Bank Visa Buxx - ALWAYS check for cash advance fees
Spending
- Business Cards
- Don’t need an established business - Selling stuff on ebay etc. - Use SSN as Tax ID number
- Reconsideration - Call and ask to move credit lines to get approved for new card
- Churning Strategy - Each bank will pull credit report from a credit bureau - Goal is to apply for cards with mix of 3 bureaus - In NJ most pulls from Experian
- Retention - Citi great at offering incentive to keep card
Earning Miles & Points – Credit Cards
Best Deals (Sign-up Bonus):
- 2 Citi AAdvantage cards for 50,000 miles each
- Use 2-browser trick - 100,000 miles = Business Class to Europe/South America
Earning Miles & Points – Credit Cards
Best Deals (Sign-up Bonus):
- 2 Chase Southwest cards for 50,000 points each - 100,000 out of 110,000 points needed for Companion Pass -Chase United Explorer
- 55,000 miles after $2,000 within 3 months + $50 credit
Earning Miles & Points – Credit Cards
Best Deals (Sign-up Bonus & Spending):
-Chase Sapphire Preferred
- 40,000 sign-up bonus, 2X points on dining/travel, no forex fees, TRANSFERABLE to United, Hyatt, British Airways, Southwest etc.
-Chase Freedom
- 10,000 sign up bonus, but 5X points on certain categories (gas, groceries, etc.). Points transferable to hotels/airlines if you have Chase Sapphire Preferred.
- Chase Ink Bold (50,000 Points)
- AMEX Starwood Preferred
Earning Miles & Points – Credit Cards
- 3X Airfare on Premier Rewards Gold
- 2X on Travel/Dining on Chase Sapphire Preferred
- Usually not worth it
- $175 Annual Fee
- Do the math
- Chase Freedom 5X with No Annual Fee
Category Bonuses
- Credit Cards
- Debit Cards
- Shopping
- Dining
- Banking/Investing
- Promotions
- Asking nicely!
- Partners
- Flying
Earning Miles & Points
Debit Cards - Suntrust Delta – 1 mile per $1
- Bank of America Alaska Air – 0.5 mile per $1
- UFB Direct – American Airlines - 0.5 mile per $1
- Credit Cards
- Shopping
- Dining
- Banking/Investing
- Promotions
- Asking nicely!
- Partners
- Flying
Earning Miles & Points
- Airline & Hotels have dining programs
- Sign-up for each and add your card online
- Earn miles for every time you dine
- Won’t go out of my way to eat…
Earning Miles & Points – Dining
- Bank Direct
•100 AAdvantage miles for every $1,000 up to $200,000
•25 AAdvantage miles for every $1,000 after $200,000
Earning Miles & Points – Banking
- Social Media
- Email Sign-ups
- Watch a video
- Hotel/Airline Promotions
Earning Miles & Points – Promotions
- Credit Card Retention Bonuses
- Goodwill Adjustments
- Providing Feedback
Earning Miles & Points – Asking Nicely
- The old-fashioned way!
- Two types of miles
- Elite & Redeemable
- Usually 1 mile per flown mile
- Earth’s circumference is 25,000 miles
- More miles in First or Business Class (50% to 100%)
- Elite miles earn status which gets you perks
- Very valuable for frequent traveler
Earning Miles & Points - Flying
Read Different Blogs
- Million Mile Secrets
- View from the Wing
- Frequent Miler
- MileValue
- One Mile at a Time
- Wandering Aramean
- Others
Earning Miles & Points - Blogs
- Why Collect Miles & Points?
- Stuff Nobody Talks About
- Earning Miles & Points
- Using Miles & Points
- Questions?
The Next 1 Hour
- Airline availability on website sucks
- Partner awards are KEY
- Different tools to search for availability
- ANA
- Qantas
- Air France
- Be flexible
Airline Availability
- Don’t forget hotels
- No taxes on redemptions
- Hotel awards are easier than airline seats
Using Miles & Points - Hotels
- Diversify
- More options
- Chase Ultimate Rewards, AMEX SPG,
Membership Rewards
Transferable Points
- Why collect Miles and Points?
- Stuff nobody talks about
- Earning Miles & Points
- Using Miles & Points
- Questions?
The Past 1 Hour
Web: www.MillionMileSecrets.com
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @MilMileSecrets
Facebook: facebook.com/MillionMileSecrets
- Different Credit Bureaus
- Business + Personal
- Plan for Minimum Spending
- Call reconsideration to get approved
App-O-Rama Planning
- Not approved online
- Max out available credit or too many inquiries
- Call Reconsideration Department after applying
- Relationship, Credit Worthiness, Business Info
- Good reason for wanting card
- Show that you’re not a credit risk
- Hang Up and Call Again!
Reconsideration
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