I love this hobby, not only for what it affords me but also for the fact that it has allowed my friends and family to travel the world at prices they can afford. Just last week a friend and his wife booked round-trip first class tickets from Boston on American Airlines and Cathay Pacific to Thailand and the out of pocket cost was under $200. Another set of friends are headed to Europe in the Spring for two weeks and other than the cashed-in miles, they ponied up about $500 for business-class for two from Atlanta.
If I could do a brain dump, sharing all of my experience on accumulating points and miles and then redeeming them, it’d be the greatest thing since sliced bread — but we know that simply isn’t possible. I’m a big proponent of the proverb “give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
For my parents, I’ll feed them every day they ask, but for my friends and family they need to be taught. I can’t help with every question or booking they want to complete, however by teaching them how to do everything on their own I relearn many of the concepts myself further understanding subtle nuances.
Step 1 – Define Goals
The single most important task to complete when looking to book a trip is to have a concrete goal. A goal allows you to identify the best points and miles to pick-up in your quest to travel at a pace that you can afford.
Step 2 – Accumulate Points and Miles
With a goal defined you can figure out which points and miles are optimal for redemption. If there is one part of the process that I will always hand-hold it is this one. Here’s my logic:
If you were a financial planner and had a good friend that just graduated college would you offer to help them put together a financial plan or send them on their way to do it on their own? Points and miles are an investment in your ability to travel — treat them just as you would your other financial assets.
This always takes a few phone calls and face to face discussions, but then did you think you’d be proficient in anything after an hour or two?
Step 3 – Decide How to Book
Are you going to book the travel yourself or leverage a service to help? If you’re looking for a hand, check out the folks at Award Expert — they’ll charge you a nominal fee if they find an itinerary that matches your requirements, but you won’t pay a penny if they can’t find something that works with your miles. The key to success with Award Expert is to provide as much detail you can, affording them the maximum in flexibility to help you achieve your goal.
If you’re going to book on your own, you need to make sure you’re using the right tools to find award seats — many of which are exactly the same as the folks at Award Expert will use.
Step 4 – Be Flexible
If you have flexibility on when you travel, the airline you’ll fly with and even your specific destination then you will most likely receive amazing value from your points and miles. Flexibility is the biggest variable that can contribute to you taking that dream trip for less miles than you’d ever imagined.
Step 5 – Ask Questions
The best part of this hobby is the community it has created. I’ve never been part of such a giving group of people across the world. Feel free to always email us or check out FlyerTalk where you’ll have access to information on topics that may seem obscure today but in due time could be a part of everyday conversation.
You’ll get out of this hobby what you put in. If you’re passionate about travel and want to stretch your dollar and miles start with the basics and get involved in the community — check out the event we do every October in Chicago if you want to meet 500 other crazies that love this hobby just as much as we do.
[Image via Getty]
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Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- Annual Fee: $95 fee waived for the first year
- Foreign Fees: No
- Card Type: Bank
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- Earn 50,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $625 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- Named Best Credit Card for Flexible Travel Redemption - Kiplinger's Personal Finance, July 2016
- 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
- Earn 5,000 bonus points after you add the first authorized user and make a purchase in the first 3 months from account opening
- No foreign transaction fees
- 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards. For example, 50,000 points are worth $625 toward travel
- No blackout dates or travel restrictions - as long as there's a seat on the flight, you can book it through Chase Ultimate Rewards
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- Annual Fee: $95 fee waived for the first year
- Foreign Fees: No
- Card Type: Bank
| FTG Review | Reward Breakdown | Points Breakdown |
|---|---|---|
Breakdown
Earn (pt.)
Spend
First 3 months
50,000
$4,000
Travel Purchases
2.00
$1
Restaurants Purchases
2.00
$1
Coffee Shops Purchases
2.00
$1
Fast Food Purchases
2.00
$1
Alcohol & Bars Purchases
2.00
$1
All Purchases
1.00
$1
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