Faces of FlyerTalk – BigLar | Frugal Travel Guy

Faces of FlyerTalk – BigLar

December 9, 2012 - Rick

Want to know more about the Faces of FlyerTalk?

Larry (BigLar) is another one of us travelers that doesn’t do it on the companies dime. Everything he books is out of pocket;he’s paying for it. One of the simplest and most important things that Larry reminded me of in our conversation is that you need to do what works for you. Whatever airline or hotel loyalty program, you’ve got to pick what makes sense for you. I love SPG, but it may not be for you. Keep that in mind and remember you need to be #1 when deciding how, where, and when. Larry had been a traveler, but says that FlyerTalk really opened his eyes to the possibility of it all. He just booked a trip to Nice, France next year for 9 people … all on points and miles! Larry, thank you for sharing your perspectives and experiences with us all. We’re thrilled to you be a part of “Faces of FlyerTalk”.

When did you find FlyerTalk and how did you find it?

I stumbled across it (back in ’02) when I was Googling this strange thing called “mileage runs”. I had what I thought (at the time) was a goodly pile of airline miles and was always looking for ways to add to the pile.

I thought I was pretty sharp at the time: I knew how to ask for an exit row, I jiggered my flights around to match promotions, etc. After a few days (solid!) of reading FlyerTalk, I realized I was such a novice! But I’m a quick learner.

Do you consider yourself an infrequent, fairly regular, or miles and points addicted reader?

It varies. For a while, over a period of a few years, I was on the road every week, mostly paid for by myself. And of course I’m addicted — what a strange question??!!

How often are you on FlyerTalk, and what forums do you typically visit?

Usually every day, although in the last couple of years, with a downturn in my personal travel, it’s more like 4-6 times a week. I check out Miles Buzz, Travel Buzz, AA, BA, Hilton, Choice, and destinations (mostly UK, France, and Italy).

Do you travel for business, leisure, or both?

Right now my travel (as we define it) is strictly leisure. I put about 800 miles/week on my car, but that hardly counts.

What credit cards are you carrying in your wallet right now, and which ones do you recommend to friends?

Citi (AA) Visa & MC (spouse)
Citi (AA) MC, Visa, Amex
Hilton & Starwood Amex
Choice Visa

I recommend the first batch (Citi) for getting the bonus(es) for a particular goal. For general use, the Starwood and Hilton Amex are keepers.

What’s the single most successful thing you’ve done to acquire points and miles?

Well, I hotel-hopped a couple of years ago and netted about a quarter-million Choice points. Somewhat earlier (later?) I was able to stack a Choice/NW promo which was netting me 11,000 miles a week for sleeping. This was in addition to the ‘normal’ miles I was getting for NW.

I put ‘normal’ in quotes, because what I was doing (booking multi-segment legs, refusing upgrades to pick up their consolation miles, etc.) is not what most people would consider ‘normal’.

How many miles / points have you accumulated in the past year? In your lifetime?

In the past year, I think I’ve garnered about 200K AA and maybe 100K BA. Lifetime is tough, but it’s got to be at least 2 million in all programs. Maybe more.

Do you use a tracking program to keep track of your miles / points? Which one?

Nope – my accumulation is not all that complicated, although I do have a couple of spreadsheets I use to keep track of promos, especially when I enlist the rest of the family. Sometimes, they even know they’re helping out.

How does your spouse / partner / family / friends feel about this hobby?

At first, they thought I was nuts. After a couple of transatlantic first-class trips, and nights at, say, the Cavalieri, the Chancery Court, the Hilton ADT, and the Marriott Monaco, … let’s just say they look on it in a more kindly fashion.

Friends tend to be just a little jealous, I suppose, but, as I’ve groaned about on the pages of FT, when you try to explain the ins and outs of the various programs, their eyes tend to glaze over and I just sort of trail off.

What’s your most memorable trip?

1. The first one we took as an FT’er: YYZ-LHR-NQY with my wife. Driving around SW UK, Eurostar to Paris (where I really got to appreciate hotel points), driving across France (staying in a 17th century chateau), a little villa on the Med, and back home (in First Class). Quite an intro.

2. Second big trip: Wife, daughter, and me – UD on a 747, DTW-AMS-(stopover)-LCY. A week at the Chancery Court, various Marriotts/Hiltons in SW UK, SOU-NCE. Marriott Monaco. NCE-CDG. 4 nights Hilton ADT. We still talk about it.

3. All five of my kids and their Significant Other’s to Ireland. All flights with miles, 28 room-nights with points. Best vacation of their life (or so they tell me).

4. Last Fall – rented a ‘villa’ on the Riviera, flew 4 kids over, after a week up to Paris and then to London.

My kids like travelling with Dad!

What suggestions can you give to rookies and newbies on FlyerTalk?

READ! And then read some more. Learn how to dummy book. Pay attention to the promos – that’s where the real payoff is, if you need miles/points in a hurry. Did I mention they ought to read everything even remotely connected with their plans/desires?

Are there any particular fellow FlyerTalk members whose advice you follow?

Yes there are. Too many, actually, to enumerate. Just off the top of my head – sdsearch, pinniped, SkiAdcock, Cordelli, a whole lot more. No BS with these folks, and no attitude, either.

What’s the one thing you’d like to see change on FlyerTalk?

In a couple of places, maybe a somewhat lighter touch on moderating. Not much, though. Other than that, I can’t think of much I’d like to see change.

Have you attended or are you planning on attending any FlyerTalk related events?

Sadly, no.

Any other comments / questions / suggestions / advice?

Just keep up the good work!

Larry, thank you again for sharing with us. We’ve got a couple of thank you gifts to get to you, and your avatar will now show you, as one of the Faces of FlyerTalk for years to come.

Here are a few pictures Larry has shared with us:

disqust101

As a relative noob to churning, I’m surprised at the relatively modest churning activities of some of the long time people.

Very surprised to see the Hilton Amex in his wallet as a go-to card. Think an Ink card has to be significantly more valuable. Can get 5x UR at OD and then use for everyday spend. Need ~15-20x for those Hiltonpesos to be equivalent, right?

Charles Clarke

Quite possibly because he believes in following the terms and conditions of the cards. Ink is a business card and the terms state it isn’t for personal use. Hilton Amex is good for groceries. Usually those aren’t a business expense.

disqust101

? Why do you suppose he’d have to violate the T&Cs if he had an Ink card? -they specifically allow 5x points at office supply – among other places. Methinks smart business people would make utilization of such a perk as part of their “business plan”. You can then use those gcs to go ahead and pay for all your other business expenses. Even tiny businesses can rack up sizable UR that way – without getting anywhere close to violating T&Cs. And if one should set up a travel blog as part of one’s business, could potentially be a marriage made in heaven…

Charles Clarke

In the first one, you said “everyday spend”. In the second, you said “other business expenses”. I view those as quite different. Using the Ink for business expenses can be very rewarding. But…for personal everyday spend – which the Hilton Amex is good for – is different. How are you envisioning him doing personal everyday spend with an Ink card without violating the T&Cs? The tax code has limits on what a business can deduct. A travel blog might be a great thing for BigLar to do to help him deduct his travel expenses. Though they expect you to actually make money otherwise they consider it a hobby and don’t let you deduct anything. And yes, I do have small businesses. The oldest is 30 years old this month.

disqust101

Sorry, Charles, but you are grasping at straws and drawing inferences of your own making.

Everyday expenses can mean for everyday expenses for businesses, correct? Business vehicles need gas, maintenance etc. Telephones need to be paid for. Offices need ink/toner/copiers/desks/computers. Rent and insurance needs to be paid. Heck, you can buy vehicles with enough gift cards – trust me, dealerships will take them. You can buy airplane tickets too – and hotel nights. And just about anything else you can push thru a business (which is a lot).

Almost all can be paid for using gcs from OD that get 5x points. And it all meets the T&Cs you are so worried about…

As for businesses needing to make a profit, that’s a joke, isn’t it? The goal of my business was to NEVER make a profit, or at least as small as humanly possible. Always had lots of expenses cropping up in years where I had lots of revenues. I ended up going on a lot of “business trips” to exotic locales to check out “investment opportunities”. A trip the the Grand Caymans and then to Switzerland to “consult” with my bankers. You get the drift.
http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/ Frugal Travel Guy

simply put: if you use a business card for a non-business transaction you’re technically violating the T&C’s. Let’s keep that in mind as that seems the point being made. And 6 hilton points/dollar isn’t something to turn a nose up at if it makes sense for you.
Charles Clarke

Yes.

And yes, disqust101, businesses can find lots of expenses if they want. Even more than the IRS will allow in an audit.

And yes, I’m also inferring(of my own making seems redundant) that BigLar doesn’t have a business since he doesn’t mention one and doesn’t have any business credit cards.

I do know he has had some great Choice hotels 8K and 10K redemptions from reading the Choice threads.
disqust101

If he doesn’t have a business, he should get one. It doesn’t have to make a dime in profit, ever.

Then he can get rid of that Hiltonpesos card. Even at 6x, he’d have to spend ~2.5x more $ to get equivalent value from a 5x Ink card – that’s a hefty penalty to pay for not using an Ink card. URs would be significantly more versatile to boot.

But enough bickering. You can lead some to water, but you can’t make em drink…

http://www.facebook.com/adrienne.kruzer Adrienne Kruzer

I’ve tried and tried to look on Flyer Talk and read the forums but it is so overwhelming for a noob. I don’t even know what forums to read. Any advice? I’m waiting to finish going through our refinance on our house before starting to apply for some good credit cards. Until then we want to travel to Washington state, Oregon, Alaska, and Hawaii within the next 2 or so years.