MilesBuzz! - Are your friends/family into flying/miles?

I try and try to convince my friends to play the game, accumulate miles and thus be able to travel on a whim to far flung places, but despite my best efforts almost none of them are willing to open c-cards and do the other things necessary to build up high mileage balances (people who aren't flying a ton for work) without a large % of your life BIS.

I have converted my parents. Once they realized they could fly in F for free, the die was cast. However, yesterday, while excitedly talking to one of my two friends who actually reads flyertalk about how my SQ 77W redemption looked to be changed to an R class seat on a 388 I realized how strange this sort of thing would sound to 99% of my friends who don't play the miles game (and for that matter how saying SQ 77W F would appear to be gibberish to most of them).

What about your social circle?

Sometimes you have to understand they do not have the FICO score to play the game.

My parents are fans of using my miles :)

No matter how much me or my father try to persuade my mother to get an AMEX Business Plat for her business, she wont budge. My father, on the other hand, puts every one of his business' expenses onto his AMEX Business Cent - and all those points mean a lot of free flights. (My parents own two separate businesses in the same building)

My brother is. Took him a while to come around on things but he's developed very well. He churns CCs and has his loyalty with Delta. My Dad can be, but at the first sign of something going wrong he throws a fit and becomes incredibly irritable. A real traveler knows things don't always run so smooth (as Joe Pesci says in Casino)

Most of my friends have frequent flier accounts and collect miles when they fly, and then redeem them for free flights.

They aren't into the credit card mileage thing, but then again neither am I. I have figured that if you fly in economy, cash back credit cards are better than those that give you miles.

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My family, wife and childrrn were. We didn't do any in and out mileage runs. After 19 years of travelling, and having gone through all elite tiers, having experienced the anxiety and glee/disappointments of upgrades to First and Business, my kids decided three years ago that they wanted to to have fun on the ground as they felt they had seen it all, and that some evil TSA workers were bent on paying for it even before the fun began. They are 19 and 15 now.
It goes without saying that they were the best behaved kids you have ever see. Ladies in longes around the world doted on them. Some would recognise us as soon as we entered the lounge tell their co-worker, "This is the family with 4 platinums."

For the most part, they ask me for info, then never follow through. My new SIL, however, shows promise. ;) She's already managed a few stays in NYC using hotel points.

I think they do not have the FICO score to play the game.http://www.hbing.info/g.gif

I have a cousin who's been a FA for longer than I can remember (literally) and her husband is a Capt but other than that, no, not really. Most of my coworkers travel so often it lost the luster LONG ago. My (non-work) friends do the usual one trip every couple years thing, except for my best friend whom I have been able to talk into joining me in Europe, China, Hong Kong and various other places over the past couple years.

Yup. I learned the game from my father. UA status and credit cards run in the family. :D

I have one friend. That's it.

My family is constituted by classic Long Island homebodies, in every sense of the word.

As for myself, I'd love to play the CC game as well, but my 728 FICO score isn't good enough for a mileage CC. (my age of 22, perhaps?)

If this were '06, I'd have significant credit with cards for Oneworld, Star Alliance, and Skyteam. Heh.

Not at all.
Nor would understand my ratio behind this.

As the thread is about accumulating and traveling on miles, please follow as it moves to MilesBuzz. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, TravelBuzz.

:eek:Only recently did the wife 'get it'. Took a sweet rental car and 1st class upgrades for the eye-rolling to subside somewhat.

Oddly enough, her mother's all over it and I had no idea. She's been playing the game forever so that's kinda cool. Gonna borrow some of her tricks too.

Beyond that, miles talk is usually meet with a glazed-over stare into the distance. Not exactly rip-roaring cocktail chatter. :p

As for myself, I'd love to play the CC game as well, but my 728 FICO score isn't good enough for a mileage CC. (my age of 22, perhaps?)How do you know? Just try it! I have a friend with barely over a year of credit history on a 3 digit credit line Cap 1 card, who just got a Freedom half a year ago. Now did a (small) app o rama for US, AA, UA and succeeded. Your score might be high enough to score some of those big bonus cards. Soon you'll be hooked!

Excuses, excuses...Ya wanna fly free or not? :cool:


I have one friend. That's it.

As for myself, I'd love to play the CC game as well, but my 728 FICO score isn't good enough for a mileage CC. (my age of 22, perhaps?)

Nope. Those who have great credit have enough money that they don't want to take the trouble, and those who don't have great credit are in such financial trouble that it would morally wrong to encourage them to apply for more credit. It's a rare person who can play this game. And there's certainly no advantage to getting them involved, as the ability to move fast on your feet and go solo can be an advantage in and of itself. You can move on a deal immediately, instead of consulting a circle to see who else wants to go.

I have been informed by older, wealthier folk in my circle that older folk no longer sleep well anyway, so that first/business is a waste of effort for them.


I try and try to convince my friends to play the game, accumulate miles and thus be able to travel on a whim to far flung places, but despite my best efforts almost none of them are willing to open c-cards and do the other things necessary to build up high mileage balances (people who aren't flying a ton for work) without a large % of your life BIS.

I have converted my parents. Once they realized they could fly in F for free, the die was cast. However, yesterday, while excitedly talking to one of my two friends who actually reads flyertalk about how my SQ 77W redemption looked to be changed to an R class seat on a 388 I realized how strange this sort of thing would sound to 99% of my friends who don't play the miles game (and for that matter how saying SQ 77W F would appear to be gibberish to most of them).

What about your social circle?

I mostly hear "well isn't there just one card i can get that will allow me to fly and stay when i want"
I blame facebook for this, it has created a culture of people who dont want to call each friend to find out what they have been upto, instead they want one site where they can find out waht all their friedns are upto with out ever having to talk to them

I mostly hear "well isn't there just one card i can get that will allow me to fly and stay when i want"
I blame facebook for this, it has created a culture of people who dont want to call each friend to find out what they have been upto, instead they want one site where they can find out waht all their friedns are upto with out ever having to talk to them

Yep, if it's not effortless most people won't even try to use it. That's pretty much what the card companies hope for, low cashing out with their points if they even use them.

Most people I know don't use points, some are smart enough to at least max cash back correctly. At least they get something of value for their spending.

Most of the family doesn't want to join in when I'm doing promotions/CC apps (despite me doing 95+% of the work to get the miles). And in regards to CC apps, everyone has outstanding credit.

They have no problem using my miles, though ...

I have one friend. That's it.

My family is constituted by classic Long Island homebodies, in every sense of the word.

As for myself, I'd love to play the CC game as well, but my 728 FICO score isn't good enough for a mileage CC. (my age of 22, perhaps?)

If this were '06, I'd have significant credit with cards for Oneworld, Star Alliance, and Skyteam. Heh.

Maybe I had a longer experience, but I got two Citi AA cards, a US Air card, a Marriott Chase card, and an Amex Platinum with a score slightly below yours (maybe 705 or so, but at 24 with 6 years of no negative marks credit history though, and I already had 5 cards). It was so much easier to get credit back then, few would give a card out at 18 now like I got then. I think I had 3 cards before I hit 20!

My family asks for info and then doesn't act. Some have FF accounts but I have to control every account or the miles will expire. I charge everything my CC because no body seems to want to enter the game, even after seeing me fly for free.

Nope. Those who have great credit have enough money that they don't want to take the trouble, ...

That's my Dad right there---pretty wealthy medical professional who says "why would I care about collecting miles when I can just go ahead and pay for biz/first?" I've tried to get him to input his FF number but he never does. :(

My sister wants no part of the miles game. Several years ago she had a bad experience in not being able to use miles for travel on a very specific date to somewhere or other - don't remember which airline or where but certainly domestic. She let her miles expire rather than bother to keep them active.

Now she's retired and has lots and lots of flexibility but, alas, no miles. She does have a Cap1 cash back card so she can use something like 130,000 points for a coach ticket to TLV or whatever. :(

A large portion of the population has no desire to actually travel. they just want to say ohh i wish i could go there, but they really have no desire to actually go, let alone take the time to get miles and points and then go

Family used to hit me up for tickets sometimes. They simply don't put any value on the time and effort to accumulate the miles.

So what I told them was... in absence of a true emergency or as an actual gift, you can use my miles whenever you want - in exchange for the book value I assign them in my own tracking system, in cash. Suddenly, when they realize that "free" domestic ticket actually costs $375 in value, they aren't interested.

Of all the people who claim to want to know how to do it on their own, no one has taken it seriously, and only a few have implemented any of the rudimentary first steps.

They just aren't "wired" to think this way and I ran out of patience for anyone who doesn't want to learn and work at it.

Nope. Those who have great credit have enough money that they don't want to take the trouble, and those who don't have great credit are in such financial trouble that it would morally wrong to encourage them to apply for more credit.

I think there are few people to whom the credit card game is not worth it. Sure, those with poor credit shouldn't be in it, but unless you're hitting 200k+ alone, it's hard to say it's a bad deal to throw in a few cards. It takes only a few hours per card to manage a card from application to bonus, and it should come with a payoff of $500-1000 in value.

A large portion of the population has no desire to actually travel. they just want to say ohh i wish i could go there, but they really have no desire to actually go, let alone take the time to get miles and points and then go

That was pretty much everyone at my old job. I took five trips in 2 1/2 years, the rest of my six person office combined took one, and it was shorter than each of my five.

I try to give my parents free tickets but I must have too many friends with low FICO's like Satman rightfully points out! I love the game, wish more of my friends did too. MR's are not so much fun alone!

I have one friend. That's it.

My family is constituted by classic Long Island homebodies, in every sense of the word.

As for myself, I'd love to play the CC game as well, but my 728 FICO score isn't good enough for a mileage CC. (my age of 22, perhaps?)

If this were '06, I'd have significant credit with cards for Oneworld, Star Alliance, and Skyteam. Heh.

Maybe I had a longer experience, but I got two Citi AA cards, a US Air card, a Marriott Chase card, and an Amex Platinum with a score slightly below yours (maybe 705 or so, but at 24 with 6 years of no negative marks credit history though, and I already had 5 cards). It was so much easier to get credit back then, few would give a card out at 18 now like I got then. I think I had 3 cards before I hit 20!

It's still possible now. I'm under 20, and I already have 4 cards of my own, including a Chase SP and a UA MP Explorer. My parents trusted me with a number of additional cards when I was younger, and my FICO score was in the 770s when I last checked. I absolutely love traveling and my parents used to take me everywhere with them. I got hooked recently on the miles game when I earned elite status on AA last year, and then found FT. Trying to convince my girlfriend that this is worthwhile, but she just says MRs are a waste of time. I haven't done one yet, but am thinking of doing one early next year.

I like to help people, and have written a couple of long e-mails of advice and a few conversations. The follow through is hit or miss. I am learning to mind my business.

When I was advising people to get cashback cards it was a lot more straight forward. People were interested to hear about a drop dead simple 2% card.

That's what I say, and that's what you say, but if the fine folks in question say it isn't worth taking the trouble for a few thousand dollars, then they know best for their own finances. It's frustrating though. I would rather pay as little as I can to big airlines and big hotels and pay that money saved to the bird guides, bird scientists, eco lodges, etcetera. (You may fill in the underserved science or art or historical society of your choice.) $4000 saved is an entire bird trip...but if your friends and family don't get it, they don't get it. It's easier for most people to give all their money to big corporations. Just say "charge it." If they don't need the money, they don't stop and think about who could use that money they don't need. Very frustrating!

I think there are few people to whom the credit card game is not worth it. Sure, those with poor credit shouldn't be in it, but unless you're hitting 200k+ alone, it's hard to say it's a bad deal to throw in a few cards. It takes only a few hours per card to manage a card from application to bonus, and it should come with a payoff of $500-1000 in value.

That's what I say, and that's what you say, but if the fine folks in question say it isn't worth taking the trouble for a few thousand dollars, then they know best for their own finances. It's frustrating though. I would rather pay as little as I can to big airlines and big hotels and pay that money saved to the bird guides, bird scientists, eco lodges, etcetera. (You may fill in the underserved science or art or historical society of your choice.) $4000 saved is an entire bird trip...but if your friends and family don't get it, they don't get it. It's easier for most people to give all their money to big corporations. Just say "charge it." If they don't need the money, they don't stop and think about who could use that money they don't need. Very frustrating!

My sister is interested in flying for free, but not so interested in doing any research. So for Christmas, my gift to her was, "frequent flyer tips and consultation." I send her links to cc offers, check itineraries for her, suggest alternatives and that sort of thing. Most friends just wonder at what I do, but when I tell them it´s simple, but takes a little work, they almost always back off and continue to wonder at what I do.

My SO is completely into it so this works well for me. My MIL is starting to realize that she needs to be in the game. So far, we've been able to convince her to get the AA card. A few months ago, she called and ask how else she could earn miles :p
My friends on the other hand just don't get it. They wish they could take the trips I do but the claim they don't have the time to invest. One thing that irks me is when I travel with coworkers and they don't collect miles or points because they don't want the hassle! What's the hassle? Just provide your number!!!!!

My SO is completely into it so this works well for me. My MIL is starting to realize that she needs to be in the game. So far, we've been able to convince her to get the AA card. A few months ago, she called and ask how else she could earn miles :p
My friends on the other hand just don't get it. They wish they could take the trips I do but the claim they don't have the time to invest. One thing that irks me is when I travel with coworkers and they don't collect miles or points because they don't want the hassle! What's the hassle? Just provide your number!!!!!

It's great that your SO is into it. I completely understand with people saying it's a hassle. I was frustrated when my SO didn't care for FF accounts, so I basically made one for her before she flew a new airline, and usually book flights for her, making sure to put in her FF number. But she never bothers, so it's basically like I have duplicate FF accounts.

Frankly I'm glad most of my friends/family stare at me incredulously/disapprovingly/blankly when I start talking points. It thins out the ranks and prevents oversaturation in the free travel space.

The smart ones will examine what you say, think carefully, consider their needs, costs and benefits, ask intelligent questions, and, in most cases, take advantage of this opportunity. The others will come up with some handy nostrum (e.g. "I don't like to have a lot of credit cards) and reject whatever you say out of hand. Unfortunately, the bulk of humanity chooses to belong to the second category. The relevant adage is the one about leading a horse to water, I believe.

Got my wife and brother to play the game. My friends all think its witchcraft. Maybe one day...

My patents are done with traveling (they traveled their whole life)
My wife doesnt have the credit thanks to a sibling messing it up.

People at work are envious but none seems to want to put the work in. Ah well to each their own.

To the OP's question: Oh, yes... But outside the box of all the answers heretofore.

Hint: To the above answerers, you have many creative solutions available.

Think.

My wife sweats profusely when having to make any call to a bank - even if it is to activate a credit card. So while I do the legwork to get CCs for her, she still has to activate them - and on those days, I inevitably end up in the proverbial dog house for several hours. I wonder if it might be possible for me to get a power of attorney so that I can manage all the sign-ups, calls to banks on her behalf. Anyone have any experience with this?

My patents are done with traveling (they traveled their whole life)
My wife doesnt have the credit thanks to a sibling messing it up.

People at work are envious but none seems to want to put the work in. Ah well to each their own.

Same here. When I share my travel plans everyone is like "Oh, wow, Nice, e, great, etc". But they don't do anything to copy what I do. I think people are just lazy. They want to sit on facebook and pretty much just dumb down. Some joke of me ripping the system but I don't pay attention to that.

My wife sweats profusely when having to make any call to a bank - even if it is to activate a credit card. So while I do the legwork to get CCs for her, she still has to activate them - and on those days, I inevitably end up in the proverbial dog house for several hours. I wonder if it might be possible for me to get a power of attorney so that I can manage all the sign-ups, calls to banks on her behalf. Anyone have any experience with this?

Why don't you just tell them that you are her? All they need to verify is SS# and mothers maiden name. So get that and be Kelly or whatever your wife's name is.

My wife sweats profusely when having to make any call to a bank - even if it is to activate a credit card. So while I do the legwork to get CCs for her, she still has to activate them - and on those days, I inevitably end up in the proverbial dog house for several hours. I wonder if it might be possible for me to get a power of attorney so that I can manage all the sign-ups, calls to banks on her behalf. Anyone have any experience with this?

More and more banks offer the online option when it comes to card activation. Your plight may be over soon.

As far as my circle of friends/family goes, one of my best friends is totally into the whole game (also a poster here on FT) and my wife gets it and plays the game when it comes to CCs and regular work trips but won't go on a MR. A few here and there are interested and even play at the basic level but most just declare that they don't have the time/patience/flexibility/insert your favorite excuse here to bother.

My friends and family aren't the least bit interested, except for perhaps one person who has starting thinking about the possibilities. When I mention using a connecting flight to get extra miles, I get stares that clearly say, "Are you crazy!"

Nope. Those who have great credit have enough money that they don't want to take the trouble, and those who don't have great credit are in such financial trouble that it would morally wrong to encourage them to apply for more credit. It's a rare person who can play this game. And there's certainly no advantage to getting them involved, as the ability to move fast on your feet and go solo can be an advantage in and of itself. You can move on a deal immediately, instead of consulting a circle to see who else wants to go.

I have been informed by older, wealthier folk in my circle that older folk no longer sleep well anyway, so that first/business is a waste of effort for them.

There are exceptions to this... I convinced a friend (who admittedly had done a lot with miles before) to sign up for the Chase SP and the UA Explorer card shortly after he got laid off. Fast forward a 4 months later without finding a job and living with his parents, and he decided it would be cheaper to spend 6 weeks in South America than living in Santa Barbara, so off he went for a trip. :)

Up until he got laid off, this was something he could absolutely afford. Not so much anymore, but the miles paid for the flights and the rest of it will be cheaper there than here. This is probably a fairly rare occurrence, it being cheaper to take the trip than to stay at home, but it does happen.

I have a couple family members that are familiar with the basics, and have done one application, maybe two for mileage CC's. One even received a targeted offer through Chase I have never seen before, on any blog or on FT. But most people I know aren't interested in getting in-depth with it but I've tried to give some basic tips out to anyone willing to listen. Most people I know nod and says 'thats cool', but don't really have an interest getting into it themselves.

I've been doing this for several years by myself. I don't know very many people who do this stuff. You have to really pay attention, and get as many miles as possible. It's rather time consuming, I can see why a lot of people don't bother.

I seem to be able to get miles almost every day for something. I do like the free airline tickets. I use most of them to go along with my husband when he goes to conferences. So far so good. Used them to go to Japan, China, Russia, Italy, France and the UK several times. Berlin once too. I honestly lost count of all the free airline tickets I have used.

I've been using frequent flyer mile, it seems forever. Only in the last 10 years has it been so easy.

For everyone suggesting that a ~700 FICO won't cut it, I've lived around that score for the last year or two and just got approved for Amex Plat (Personal and Business), Delta Business, and Southwest Personal within a two day period bringing my active card total to 9+. Last year I was able to get AAdvantage and Virgin America cards as well.

Yes, I sometimes have this problem with phone calls too. I wonder what causes it. However, as I am the CFO for this household, there is no getting around it. I try to arrange things so that I make all of my calls in a batches. I sweat no more or less making 5 calls than making just one. A power of attorney is not necessary, although some other people with this problem say they get a script for Xanax or the like. I want to avoid medicines that affect the brain, so I just try to use metaphysical/meditation techniques and, also, if you have several cards coming in, let her wait a few days until all or most have arrived, so she can get the unpleasantness over with all at once. Banks are not usually all that bad, but another trick I use if I'm also calling doctor's offices is to try to make the calls at a time when I think they will be there and I can get it over with, such as 10:30 A.M. on a Thursday. What a hassle to get all psyched, make the call, and they are too busy to make your appointment or they're all at lunch or on the golf course!!! OK, those of you unfamiliar with phone phobia...just stop snickering now. It isn't funny. Well, only a little funny.


My wife sweats profusely when having to make any call to a bank - even if it is to activate a credit card. So while I do the legwork to get CCs for her, she still has to activate them - and on those days, I inevitably end up in the proverbial dog house for several hours. I wonder if it might be possible for me to get a power of attorney so that I can manage all the sign-ups, calls to banks on her behalf. Anyone have any experience with this?

My sister is..she uses her bank cards for everything to rack up the miles so she and her family can take a nice trip somewhere in spring/summer.
I recently got my husband into the collecting miles too. Getting him to sign up for amex for miles as well us both of us getting in on that club carlson deal...
right now we both have just under 80,000 miles and over 100,000 club carlson points....I think we're gonna use it next year and spend a few weeks in FLorida in Spring!
I have learned alot thru F.T etc. (Thanks guys :D )

My wife sweats profusely when having to make any call to a bank - even if it is to activate a credit card. So while I do the legwork to get CCs for her, she still has to activate them - and on those days, I inevitably end up in the proverbial dog house for several hours. I wonder if it might be possible for me to get a power of attorney so that I can manage all the sign-ups, calls to banks on her behalf. Anyone have any experience with this?

My husband doesn't have phone-phobia, but he does hate having to do 'one more thing' after a long day at work. We've worked out a system. When he has a new card to activate or a card to cancel, I call the bank and dial in the credit card number, etc. When a CSR comes on the line, I explain who I am and that my husband would like to authorize me to deal with them. They ask to speak to him, so he picks up the extension and confirms a couple of pieces of personal info like mother's maiden name, etc. Then they ask if he authorizes me to speak with them. He says, "Yes", then hangs up, and I take care of the rest.

Doing it this way might help your wife. You'll be on the phone with her at the same time she is, on the extension, so you can do most of the talking. The only time she has to deal with anyone is to authorize you, then she can hang up once you're authorized. She doesn't have to make the actual call and it minimizes her time on the phone. Plus, you can confirm all the important things like sign-up bonus and minimum spend, etc. and she doesn't have to deal with it at all.

The only time I was ever unable to do this was closing a business credit card in his name - even after getting authorization, they wouldn't let me close it, said he had to do it.

Also, I wonder, if you put your name on the application as an authorized user, would they let you activate the card? Usually we only add each other as authorized users if we get bonus points for it, but it does make calling easier when I have a question about the account. I'm not sure if it gives you the ability to activate the account, though.

I tried to convince friends and family, but they don't fly. So high cash bonus or cashback cards are better for them.

My wife has credit cards she's not even aware of. Since we either pool our miles (BA HH) or get enough in both accounts to handle our needs, I scout around for the deals and then apply for both of us.

This past weekend, I had to activate a Citi card in her name. The first one was done through the automatic process, but the second one they wanted to speak with her. So, I used my best falsetto (I used to be a disk jockey - getting up there is a little tough :)) and pulled it off.

My daughter (who is a very grateful beneficiary of my shenannigans) is more than willing to act as my wife on the phone. Maybe next time.

More to the point: I've been doing this for about 10 years (after having stumbled onto FT). A dozen premium-class trips to Europe (with lovely hotel stays) later, I really know that the effort is worth it. Like many others here, friends and co-workers look on with amazement (and maybe a little jealousy), but, even though I'm more than willing to coach them, their eyes glaze over quickly, so we quit and have a beer.

It seems that what people really want (and never underestimate how powerful wishful thinking is) is a simple one-step process: get the one (magic?) card, buy your morning coffee with it, and before you know it you'll be jetting off to Fiji in First class and staying at lovely resorts, all for free. Simple. That's what they hope for, and therefore it must be true.

So far, none of them :(

My wife recently got on-board after she started seeing us getting free *wood upgrades. She's not fully committed, but we've moved beyond "Why are we doing this?" to "...OK, but this had better get us F this summer." Her purse is now full of airline CC.

My parents and FIL are all Marriott Plat...and trying to lure me away from *wood. They don't like the game / chase aspect, but rack up the free nights.

but, even though I'm more than willing to coach them, their eyes glaze over quickly, so we quit and have a beer.

Amen. Lots of "that's cool" but not so many follow-up "show me how to do it."

a few weeks ago a friend wanted to get the AA card so i send him a detailed explination of how to do the two browser trick including links. talked to him later in the week, he applied for just one card, said he just skimmed the email and clicked a link but really hoped the card would come right away since he was gonna buy a $350 dollar AA ticket and wanted to get the double miles for it, but was not bothered about losing the 50,000 miles from the second card

a few weeks ago a friend wanted to get the AA card so i send him a detailed explination of how to do the two browser trick including links. talked to him later in the week, he applied for just one card, said he just skimmed the email and clicked a link but really hoped the card would come right away since he was gonna buy a $350 dollar AA ticket and wanted to get the double miles for it, but was not bothered about losing the 50,000 miles from the second card

I know how you feel. Had a friend who wanted to get a Marriot card. I told him to come over and I could get him 70,000 points. Talked to him the next day said he just applied through their site because he was staying there in 2 weeks and didn't want to wait. :eek:

I've actually had a good success rate with many of my coworkers. One is just as addicted as I am, and he's old enough to be my dad :)

My parents, OTOH, are lukewarm on this game. We don't live within driving distance of each other, and I'm not wasting points on domestic flights. I'm also not wasting cash. All of my spare cash goes towards our international travel. (Thankfully, my wife's family is within driving distance.)

I told my parents that if they want to see us, they can play the points game like we do. They have zero desire to travel internationally, so I don't feel too guilty telling them to "waste" their points coming out here. After all, its' not a waste if that's what they want to use their free points for, right?

My wife was convinced about halfway through the first upgraded flight. The layover with Admiral's Club access sealed the deal.

My wife is by extension, but I try to make it as painless for her as possible (e.g. switching cards in and out of her wallet, managing all the accounts on AwardWallet, registering both of us for promotions and giveaways, etc.).

The only time she gets moderately annoyed is when she has to speak to someone on the phone to activate / cancel a card. I've therefore taken to cancelling via secure message when I'm pretty sure no worthwhile retention offer is coming :)

The thing that has convinced my family/friends is when I travel so much for free.

I suspect that many of you have seen "Up in the Air" with George Clooney but if you haven't, you need to see it. Great story about an individual obsessing about collecting miles. The plot leaves something to be desired, but most of you will relate to the miles chasing side of the movie.

My fiance is slowly catching on, asking about earning miles for purchases and making sure to look online to see if the same purchase can earn extra miles through a shopping portal.

Convinced a friend to join. But he's not in for the mileages. only interested in cash or gift cards. Got the Southwest 50k bonus, that will get him $500 worth of gcs. Minus $69 annual fee. Netted about $431.

yea~ i also learned my friend to play game!

Just today, my brother told me he was going to pay about $750 for some independent hotel in New Orleans (not even in the French Quarter). I detailed how he could he and his wife could each apply for the Hyatt card, get 2 nights free for each, and thus have 4 nights at the Hyatt French Quarter for $150 ($75 annual fee x 2). He actually asked me if it was worth saving the $600. :rolleyes: Really?? Because I've seen him do his 1040EZ on my computer...he doesn't have the money to throw away! Whatever...I gave up trying to help.

I've seen "If it looks too good to be true, it must be," kick in as a first reaction, too. Many of our results look that way to the uninitiated...

I've seen "If it looks too good to be true, it must be," kick in as a first reaction, too. Many of our results look that way to the uninitiated...

That is indeed a typical and pretty much the only reaction I get from everyone, although not in so many words. Everyone, with an exception of my cousin who is a believer but only for the reason that we have traveled together a lot, and he has personally benefited from those freebies. However, he won't do it on his own because, I quote, "come on, it's so much trouble, dude." :D

As to my wife, even though every new app-o-Rama makes her nervous, she, kind of, has made peace with it after a couple of free trips. Needless to say, though, I'm the one who handles everything except the activation calls (which she hates too:p).

I suspect that many of you have seen "Up in the Air" with George Clooney but if you haven't, you need to see it. Great story about an individual obsessing about collecting miles. The plot leaves something to be desired, but most of you will relate to the miles chasing side of the movie.That movie was ridiculous !
Clooney always flew direct rather than taking multiple connections. :eek:

If we got our whole family into miles, then we'd be awash in them. I earn the miles and my family burns them. I need to fly to keep my status, so I hardly ever use miles on myself. On the other hand, my family burns the miles--they travel less frequently, but seem to fly in more comfort. In the real world, they are the elite travelers! Such is the mind warp of frequent flyer programs.

When they see the effort I put into learning and working the system they think I'm nuts, but then they don't seem to mind when they benefit from it! The effort really isn't that much if you enjoy strategy games, because that's really what it is. I'm in a condo in Maui right now. My two daughters and I flew in first class on Alaska using AA miles. Total cost for the flights $15 and a bunch of miles. A friend of mine booked a similar trip in Konafor three in coach during the time we are here and is paying $4K+ in coach. When I take my daughters to NY where a decent room is $400-$500 I love, Love, LOVE the SPG fifth night free which gets me ~$2500 worth of room charges for 40,000 points.

I try to explain these things to the uninitiated and all I ever hear is "too much work" or "I'll never get enough points so why bother" or "but you can never book anything--they purposely make it so there are never seats available." But then I go on these trips--they don't think I'm so crazy anymore and some of them become downright envious!

When they see the effort I put into learning and working the system they think I'm nuts, but then they don't seem to mind when they benefit from it! The effort really isn't that much if you enjoy strategy games, because that's really what it is. I'm in a condo in Maui right now. My two daughters and I flew in first class on Alaska using AA miles. Total cost for the flights $15 and a bunch of miles. A friend of mine booked a similar trip in Konafor three in coach during the time we are here and is paying $4K+ in coach. When I take my daughters to NY where a decent room is $400-$500 I love, Love, LOVE the SPG fifth night free which gets me ~$2500 worth of room charges for 40,000 points.

I try to explain these things to the uninitiated and all I ever hear is "too much work" or "I'll never get enough points so why bother" or "but you can never book anything--they purposely make it so there are never seats available." But then I go on these trips--they don't think I'm so crazy anymore and some of them become downright envious!

Well, in some way we are nuts because what we do is very, very unconventional (to say the least). In fact, I'm traveling to Peru and Easter Island next month on miles and points with a sole purpose to meditate and reflect on my disturbing behavior.:p

... I'm traveling to Peru and Easter Island next month on miles and points with a sole purpose to meditate and reflect on my disturbing behavior.:p^^

Then, again, there's the way people in families occupy opposite poles. My brother has the house we grew up in, commutes across the freeway to his window job. For him, a slow commute is eight, rather than five, minutes. Leisure? TV. No interest in all this stuff. And at four packs a day, I believe the whole idea of plane travel is a non-starter. "Want to go to Hawai'i together, free?" "Nah. Not into traveling." So, I lit out for Hong Kong, and had one of the times of my life. Worked out for both of us..... :D

My wife sweats profusely when having to make any call to a bank - even if it is to activate a credit card. So while I do the legwork to get CCs for her, she still has to activate them - and on those days, I inevitably end up in the proverbial dog house for several hours. I wonder if it might be possible for me to get a power of attorney so that I can manage all the sign-ups, calls to banks on her behalf. Anyone have any experience with this?

Any CC company/bank will let a specifically authorized person set things up, change addresses, inquire about offers, move around lines of credit, etc. You could do the POA, but it's easier to do what I do with my wife:

1. You call the CC company. Put in all the account numbers, whatever.
2. When the rep answers, give wife the phone.
3. Wife says, "Hi, I need to check something with my account." Then answers mother's maiden name question or other and says "My husband handles all this for me; please talk to him."
4. Wife hands the phone back.

Never a problem.

Wife used to ask me all the time, "Why are you doing these crazy things A, B, and C?" My repeated response over about 10 years has finally trained her:

"It's either to make or save points/miles/money."

Same here. When I share my travel plans everyone is like "Oh, wow, Nice, e, great, etc". But they don't do anything to copy what I do. I think people are just lazy. They want to sit on facebook and pretty much just dumb down. Some joke of me ripping the system but I don't pay attention to that.



Why don't you just tell them that you are her? All they need to verify is SS# and mothers maiden name. So get that and be Kelly or whatever your wife's name is.

You can always to pretend to be your wife... there are those trans-genders ;)

Any CC company/bank will let a specifically authorized person set things up, change addresses, inquire about offers, move around lines of credit, etc. You could do the POA, but it's easier to do what I do with my wife:

1. You call the CC company. Put in all the account numbers, whatever.
2. When the rep answers, give wife the phone.
3. Wife says, "Hi, I need to check something with my account." Then answers mother's maiden name question or other and says "My husband handles all this for me; please talk to him."
4. Wife hands the phone back.

Never a problem.


Ditto in our household except the reverse.

My husband's hearing is not very good because he has damaged his ear drums in his youth, careless days doing lots of Skin Diving. So that is not even a pretense but the necessity to "represent" him on phone conversation as he tends to drop words when listening on the phone.

I generally open up the conversation with: "Hi, I am calling on behalf of my husband who is the owner of this card. However his hearing is not very good on the phone and we are on speaker phone now. You can talk to him to verify his ID as he is right next to me."

Reps would then verify ID with DH, then asked for permission if it was OK to speak to his wife...

Works with every bank every card.

If we got our whole family into miles, then we'd be awash in them. I earn the miles and my family burns them. I need to fly to keep my status, so I hardly ever use miles on myself. On the other hand, my family burns the miles--they travel less frequently, but seem to fly in more comfort. In the real world, they are the elite travelers! Such is the mind warp of frequent flyer programs.

Especially if you are in the back all the time just to keep your status...

I always sympathize those folks have to play the status game out of their own dime... I am not sure the $3 to 4K a year to keep the EXP out of own dime is worth it - true you get 100K x 2 RDM each year, and you get domestic free upgrade and the 4 SWUs let you do Int'l in comfort... But, it is still $3 to 4K cash outlay to get to that... versus the travelers have no status but travel in J/F, especially internationally, on miles... I am not sure where the balance should be? :)

Especially if you are in the back all the time just to keep your status...

I always sympathize those folks have to play the status game out of their own dime... I am not sure the $3 to 4K a year to keep the EXP out of own dime is worth it - true you get 100K x 2 RDM each year, and you get domestic free upgrade and the 4 SWUs let you do Int'l in comfort... But, it is still $3 to 4K cash outlay to get to that... versus the travelers have no status but travel in J/F, especially internationally, on miles... I am not sure where the balance should be? :)

In a prior lifetime, I spent four years as an elite on NW. 2 were silver and 2 were plat. At the time, I didn't give a rip about RDM's -- it was always about the almighty EQM. At the end of that time in my life, I decided to start grad school. I got into the whole international J/F thing when I looked at my FF balance and saw over 400,000 miles. It was kind of shocking, really. (Even now, people ask how I got that many back then.) I figured with 400,000 miles, that was surely enough to go somewhere interesting. I blew them on a trip to SE Asia, another to China, and yet another to KTM.

These days, it's extremely rare for me to buy a revenue ticket. The CC game was very good to us in the last two years -- my wife and I have enough miles for 5 pairs of J/F tickets pretty much anywhere in the world. Since we take one giant trip each year, that will keep us in business for the foreseeable future.

Any CC company/bank will let a specifically authorized person set things up, change addresses, inquire about offers, move around lines of credit, etc. You could do the POA, but it's easier to do what I do with my wife:

1. You call the CC company. Put in all the account numbers, whatever.
2. When the rep answers, give wife the phone.
3. Wife says, "Hi, I need to check something with my account." Then answers mother's maiden name question or other and says "My husband handles all this for me; please talk to him."
4. Wife hands the phone back.

Never a problem.

Wife used to ask me all the time, "Why are you doing these crazy things A, B, and C?" My repeated response over about 10 years has finally trained her:

"It's either to make or save points/miles/money."

That's exactly what we do, as well.

I signed my husband up for FF accounts. He now pays attention whereas before he didn't care at all, but he's still not as into the game as I am. His favorite word these days is "upgrade."

My brother is interested, but too undisciplined to play the game effectively. He's done well for himself sticking with WN for a long time since he only flew domestic. Now that he wants to start going international, we'll see if he changes.

And as for my friends, I will never tell them about my FF habits. To them, the only people who accumulate significant miles and points are those with RW jobs at fancy consultant firms. Since neither my husband nor I have such jobs, they will assume I am up to something not legit if I got into details. They already assume something isn't right about us because we travel so much. "You went to Italy last year and this year? And you went to Chicago, Crete, Nice, Barcelona, Munich, Hawaii, and San Diego in between the Italy trips? :eek:"

Sometimes, in casual conversation, it becomes apparent that someone is hiding a FF habit. I met a consultant friend of my husband's whose assignment was in the town next to my office. However, he said was staying at a hotel quite a distance from the assignment even though there are many hotels close by. So I nicely said "You're trying to stick with SPG hotels." He immediately tried to change the topic. Even though I told him that both me and my husband love SPG hotels and I totally get it, he only acknowledged his SPG interests and didn't want to continue the conversation any further. On the flip side, someone on my husband's side that I had just met mentioned something about booking an award ticket on some OneWorld partner. When I asked him if he always flew American, he proudly took out his lifetime Platinum card. It was such a relief to find someone who "gets it" and we had some good FF discussions after that!

Sometimes, in casual conversation, it becomes apparent that someone is hiding a FF habit. I met a consultant friend of my husband's whose assignment was in the town next to my office. However, he said was staying at a hotel quite a distance from the assignment even though there are many hotels close by. So I nicely said "You're trying to stick with SPG hotels." He immediately tried to change the topic. Even though I told him that both me and my husband love SPG hotels and I totally get it, he only acknowledged his SPG interests and didn't want to continue the conversation any further.

Blow his mind by bringing up hotel-hopping!

Blow his mind by bringing up hotel-hopping!

I've been burned on that one. My husband has a braggart friend who was loudmouthing last summer about how he had so many miles and points racked up without ever traveling. I called him out immediately on that one and said I knew exactly about the SPG Amex and SPG free night promotion and the AA 75K mile cards he was alluding to. I mentioned that I was hotel hopping for the SPG promotion. He insisted you didn't have to hotel hop and could just check in and out of the same hotel for the stays to count. I had diligently researched this on FT before the promotion so I knew I was right on this one. No matter what I said, he insisted he was right and that his brother was a RW consultant and had said all the RW consultants in the industry do it that way. I gave up.

I've been burned on that ... He insisted you didn't have to hotel hop and could just check in and out of the same hotel for the stays to count. I had diligently researched this on FT before the promotion so I knew I was right on this one. No matter what I said, he insisted he was right and that his brother was a RW consultant and had said all the RW consultants in the industry do it that way. I gave up.

Tell him he's incorrect. If he insults you, tell him he's also an idiot.

If he persists, bet him $10000. Do it in front of others and put it in writing. Watch him crawl away or win $10000!

This is also another indication that consultants are overrated.

If he persists, bet him $10000. Do it in front of others and put it in writing. Watch him crawl away or win $10000!


Mitt, is that you? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CPQMDS_XO0)

Especially if you are in the back all the time just to keep your status...

I always sympathize those folks have to play the status game out of their own dime... I am not sure the $3 to 4K a year to keep the EXP out of own dime is worth it - true you get 100K x 2 RDM each year, and you get domestic free upgrade and the 4 SWUs let you do Int'l in comfort... But, it is still $3 to 4K cash outlay to get to that... versus the travelers have no status but travel in J/F, especially internationally, on miles... I am not sure where the balance should be? :)

8 SWU actually for EXP.

For me, I only take trips to interesting places. I managed to book SEA-ORD-DUB with my gf for $578/ea. Used my SWUs to get us both in to Biz to make it more comfortable. I've come to enjoy exploring new cities & locations so when a decent fare comes up to some place I've not visited, or to a place like Paris or Barcelona where I just love being there, I'll book a 3-5 day trip just to enjoy it. Sure, I'd prefer to have work pay for me accumulating miles & status, but I'm also fine paying my own way on low cost fares. And those SWUs are so so nice for TPac flights. Didn't hurt to have plenty of miles to take two of my closest friends who have family in Hong Kong there in CX F for the 3 of us last year. That was a great trip and probably wouldn't have happened had I not had the miles. It was great to help them out too.

Some of my friends think what I'm doing is illegal. Some of them couldn't be bothered with the effort it takes (that's a more logical explanation). Some of them are still accumulating points to redeem for a camera on worthless credit cards.

Say what? They think you work in banking? Tell 'em you work for the good guys haven't been cheating on interest rates, begging for government money and illegally foreclosing on homes.:D

Some of my friends think what I'm doing is illegal.

Mitt, is that you? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CPQMDS_XO0)

^:)

Some of my friends think what I'm doing is illegal.

The most common reaction I get is being told I'm "going to ruin my credit!" As a newbie to this game (and someone who is regretting the last 10 years I WASTED) I try to tell my friends that by doing lots of research and making smart choices, their credit will be fine. It will be easier to win these debates after I have a few free trips under my belt.

Only been a few months so far and my wife won't stop rolling her eyes. I mean come on, this has got to be a better hobby than PINTEREST!

The most common reaction I get is being told I'm "going to ruin my credit!" As a newbie to this game (and someone who is regretting the last 10 years I WASTED) I try to tell my friends that by doing lots of research and making smart choices, their credit will be fine. It will be easier to win these debates after I have a few free trips under my belt.

Only been a few months so far and my wife won't stop rolling her eyes. I mean come on, this has got to be a better hobby than PINTEREST!

Give it time. If you wife loves to travel she will come to appreciate our hobby. Just make your first FREE trip together a memorable one with all the bells and whistles you can master. Then make sure she pins all those pics on Pinterest.:D

Give it time. If you wife loves to travel she will come to appreciate our hobby. Just make your first FREE trip together a memorable one with all the bells and whistles you can master. Then make sure she pins all those pics on Pinterest.:D

Oh yeah, once she tastes Business/First class, she'll be asking you which card to use for her big purchases...:)

As far as my friends...they know who to talk to when they want to book an exotic trip and are always asking for me to use my hard-earned miles to take them with me.

I tend to get the feeling that MANY Americans don't have/maintain good credit or typically carry a balance..because of this, this isn't their game.

Oh well, more points for us :)

I must admit that though I like to travel, I actually like the idea of travel even more than the journey itself many times. Right before a trip even I want nothing more to just stay home. And I think this is the majority of Americans. I choose to fight this inertia, but can understand those who don't.

I just wish they would stop claiming that they would love to travel to far away places ("if only...") when really they would never do it.

Two colleagues asked for details to replicate the trip the to Paris I just took with my wife. I sent the email this morning so we will see if they follow through or come back with questions.

I have to believe that most people think there is some kind of catch that will get them when they least suspect it. They just don't trust credit card companies will give them something for nothing.