FrugalTravelGuy’s mission is to help regular folks like you see the world at prices you can afford. The blog was founded in 2007 to educate readers about the value of frequent flyer miles and points. The FTG team has since traveled the world extensively in first and business class for minimal out-of-pocket cost. By leveraging rewards credit cards, we’ve shown thousands of readers how to do the same.
If you’re new to the world of points and miles, check out our Rookie Tips and FAQ page. To learn more about whether rewards credit cards are right for you, fill out a brief questionnaire to get a free consultation. Check back daily or subscribe for tips on how you can travel better for less.
ARIANA ARGHANDEWAL, Featured Contributor
Ariana has been writing about points, miles and travel since 2012. Ariana is fully engaged in travel hacking and enjoys helping others navigate this hobby. With over 1.5 million miles saved up, she looks forward to traveling to unconventional places and sharing her experience with readers. Prior to joining the team, she wrote and published her own points and miles blog, Pointchaser.com. You can follow Ariana on Twitter or connect with her on Google+.
CHRISTINE KRZYSZTON, Featured Contributor
Christine Krzyszton lives in Northern Michigan and has been writing about her weekend adventures for over five years for weekly newsletters, a baby boomer blog and a regional men’s magazine. She is the author of How to see the World in a Weekend, available in print and KINDLE on Amazon.com. Christine currently has top status with three major airlines (AA, UA, and DL) and is working on a fourth (A3).
HOLLY JOHNSON, Featured Contributor
Holly Johnson is a wife, mother of two and frugal lifestyle enthusiast. On top of writing and running her own blog, Club Thrifty, she is a freelance writer for a variety of publications. Many would describe her as an nonstop workaholic who is obsessed with getting the most out of her money, her work and her life. Holly’s hobbies include blogging about money, theater, movies and traveling with her young family. Follow Holly Johnson on Google Plus.
July 03, 2012 at 4:05 pm, Staci said:
Rick
I have had nothing but problems with Amex
I applied for your offer on Feb 29 for 75k bonus miles for 10k spend
I have been refused by Amex and they tell me that to get the 75k offer, they must have contacted me forst.
It i svery misleading of you to put all these offers as an “affiliate” and then not have Amex honor these.
Staci
July 04, 2012 at 5:49 am, Frugal Travel Guy said:
Staci
Many readers had success with this offer. I would recommend contacting Amex and escalating the issue. This offer was not targeted and was available to anyone but only on Feb 29th.
Indicate the signup was Bonus ID A2AA
July 29, 2012 at 9:02 am, Stephanie said:
Hi – I read quickly through the FAQs, but I’m not sure of the answer – what is the best way to get early alert of the amazing credit card offers? Specifically, I would have LOVED the BA 100k offer but it’s already over. Thank you!
September 02, 2012 at 8:58 pm, Frugal Travel Guy said:
subscribe to the blog via email / rss. We’ll share deals as they come up.
August 03, 2012 at 9:29 am, Alex said:
Hi Rick
Are you aware of any credit cards that will recognize private aviation as travel and therefore provide benefits/perks for these? I’m in the process of obtaining my pilot’s license, which is of course an around a 8k dollar ordeal. It would be nice to put that money to good use… I suppose there is always clearing high sign up spends but would be nice to double dip. The company bills the credit card under the name ### Air; ### Flight Training. Thanks for any suggestions you might have
September 02, 2012 at 8:59 pm, Frugal Travel Guy said:
never heard of this unfortunately.
September 02, 2012 at 5:48 pm, Kathy said:
My question is for Shannon (or Rick?). I frequent your blog (daily) and noticed that Shannon mentioned flying out of Columbia, SC. I live in Lexington, SC so we fly out of Columbia also. I didn’t take advantage of the BA credit card deal because i was confused about redeeming the miles on short haul trips on AA. I didn’t know if I would be able to redeem the miles easily. I mostly collect Delta, AA, United, USAir, and Membership Reward miles. Do you collect BA miles and do you find them easy to use? Any other tips flying out of Columbia? So glad to find ya! Thanks!
September 02, 2012 at 8:59 pm, Frugal Travel Guy said:
I use BA Avios for short haul AA redemption. As they’re distance based they’re great for positioning flights for me.
September 05, 2012 at 9:27 am, jeann said:
Hi Rick,
May I ask your opinion? Do you think it’s worth it to pay the $95 to renew Southwest cc and earn 6,000 points since I don’t use the card? I have used SW points to travel but I could take another trip for free with the points I have w/o those 6,000 – though if i have them I’d use them probably.
I see Delta charges $210 for 6,000 of their points to buy. Is SW a good deal for the $95 renewal??
may I have your opinion? Thank you so much!!!
September 05, 2012 at 10:30 am, Frugal Travel Guy said:
It really depends on if you’ll use them. Look at what your tickets cost in points and if the rate makes sense go for it. I don’t live in a southwest city so its tough to judge, but from what others have said it works out to be an ok rate if you’ll use the points.
October 15, 2012 at 3:16 pm, Andres Zelaya said:
Rick,
Would you happen to know any car rental companies (maybe even specifically around MSP) that would rent to under-25 without adding a fee surcharge? Thanks!
October 16, 2012 at 6:38 am, Frugal Travel Guy said:
the USAA CDP codes for hertz should help with that.
November 27, 2012 at 8:17 pm, chet said:
Hi Rick – I have a Southwest airline credit card and have earned the buy one and the companion travels free privilege. How do I use this on Airtran?
November 28, 2012 at 4:53 am, Frugal Travel Guy said:
you cannot; not eligible unfortunately
December 03, 2012 at 7:55 am, Kris A Kampschror said:
Caught you on TV being interviewed by NBC. You’re a big shot now?
Good to see you, you were the second person in two days I’ve seen on TV from Hilton Head. We’re so cosmo, lol
Kris Kampschror
December 29, 2012 at 10:09 am, Missy said:
Hi Rick. Love your site. New at this! Any tips on how to get miles for an upcoming trip to Ecuador? I have a card that offers miles, but I don’t think very much. Is using Kayak.com bad for miles vs going direct to the airlines?
December 30, 2012 at 9:25 am, Frugal Travel Guy said:
Missy – Kayak.com is a great site to search through and you’ll earn miles if you click through their links when you book as far as I can tell. Use that points earning card and get a great deal on a flight with Kayak’s help. -Howie
December 30, 2012 at 6:33 pm, Missy said:
Thanks Howie!
December 31, 2012 at 11:10 am, Frugal Travel Guy said:
Nick, shoot me an email – rick@frugaltravelguy.com to discuss your situation. Its possible that you could use your credit cards to get points here, but you might also have to deal with fees that would negate a significant portion of the value of the points. Rick
April 10, 2013 at 11:54 am, James Ford said:
Love your blog FTG!! Would love for you to check us out at http://www.skychattr.com. It’s a site for travelers and aviation professionals.
July 18, 2013 at 8:12 am, Mark Shuster said:
What happened to the daily deals? I thought that it was the most engaging part of the entire site.
July 18, 2013 at 2:24 pm, Ariana said:
Thanks for your feedback Mark. We’ve got something bigger and better in the works. Stay tuned!
August 03, 2013 at 9:02 am, J'nai Gaither said:
Hi FTG! Hope you are well! Love your site. Question for you. I am a complete ROOKIE, and have a question not answered by your FAQs. What program should I sign up for (AA or United) if I can only get one or two credit cards? If I have an account with a site like Rocketmiles, and can only get points to go to one loyalty program (again, either AA or United), which should I choose in your opinion?
August 03, 2013 at 9:46 pm, Frugal Travel Guy said:
Thank you for the kind words, J’nai. The program you choose depends on where you’d like to travel and in what class (economy, business, first). For example, if you want to travel to Europe during the off-season, the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card (40k point sign-up bonus) gives you a 10% point discount, so a roundtrip economy ticket costs just 36,000 miles. However, American points can be hard to redeem.
If you’re looking for easy redemptions and high credit card sign-up bonuses, United is a good way to go. Although point requirements are higher (there are no off-season discounted flights to Europe), they have a great award search tool that makes it easy to book your award, and there are more ways to earn points with credit cards. Chase has several cards with generous sign-up bonuses: The Ink Bold (55k points after $5k spent within 3 months), the Sapphire Preferred (43k after $3k spent within 3 months), or the United Explorer card (31k after $1k spent within 3 months).
Points from the Ink and Sapphire cards can be transferred at a 1:1 ratio. So you have more generous sign-up bonuses if you go with United. If you want a more detailed consultation about which cards to get, fill out this brief questionnaire: http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/start-here
Hope this was helpful!
August 04, 2013 at 1:32 pm, J'nai Gaither said:
This was beyond helpful and incredibly clear. Thank you so very much for your VERY prompt and thorough response. I know exactly what I need to do now, and which cards I should use. You are a wealth of knowledge and such a fab dude. I cant wait to share my new travel adventures with you when everything falls into place!
August 04, 2013 at 2:32 pm, Frugal Travel Guy said:
You’re very welcome J’nai. Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions. I look forward to hearing about your upcoming adventures!
February 28, 2014 at 1:57 pm, Wayne Lopez said:
I saw you guys did a previous post awhile back about the Starwood Ambassador program. Trying to see if anyone had any experience with the Ambassador securing travel or outdoor gear rentals for them. Similar to what the Westin is doing with their fitness rentals. Traveling with a toddler and needed pack n play or needing to stay in shape so requested a bike rental.
March 28, 2014 at 10:55 am, Marie E. said:
Hi, can I reach you by email? I wanted to talk to you about a travel app I made 🙂 Thanks !