Points and miles blogs are a great way to learn a lot of information, especially if you are just starting out. As the blogs have gotten bigger and more popular, many of them have stopped sharing some of the really good deals. Basically, the deals that are going to be killed very quickly as soon as they are shared publicly are very rarely shared on blogs anymore.
I have to tell you, I’m completely on board with that. While I love sharing information and helping people travel for pennies on the dollar, I don’t want to kill all of the great deals that I know about. Not to mention, there would be a whole lot of people that would be really upset if I did.
The large meetups like the Chicago Seminars and Frequent Traveler University series are running into the same problems — they are very popular and they bring out a lot of people who aren’t sensitive to killing deals. Many of the speakers at these events know of a lot of really cool things that they are not going to share with the general public. Instead, it is becoming all about the small, local meetups.
If you want to learn more about these really special, secret deals, you have to show a little bit more dedication and get involved with some of the smaller, more local points and miles groups.
There are a handful of these groups that have organized through Meetup.com around the US.
- Reach for the Miles – New York, New York
- Ann Arbor Miles & Points – Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Front Range Travel Hackers – Denver, Colorado
- San Francisco Travel Hacking Meetup – San Francisco, California
- Dallas Frequent Flyer Programs Meetup – Dallas, Texas
- Richmond Travel Hacking Meetup – Richmond, Virginia
The meetup groups listed above is not an exhaustive list. Many larger metropolitan areas around the US have a somewhat established group of “travel hackers” either organized through Meetup.com or elsewhere. Even less populated areas around the US have some smaller groups who meetup occasionally. If you can’t find a group near you on Meetup.com, I recommend that you start putting out some feelers on Twitter if you are interested in getting in with one of these groups and starting to learn more of the deals that are on the hush-hush side. It’s all about your network!
Have you ever met up with a group of points and miles fanatics locally?
[Image via Getty]
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Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
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| 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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