I think there is some link between frequent flyer programs and refunding. My mother is an avid refunder and, due to that, I was always exposed to the sort of mindset that will find a good sale, use double coupons and a refund offer, and actually make a slight profit on, say, toothpaste or shampoo. Throw in my father having been an early and enthusiastic participant in AAdvantage and I'm reasonably sure I signed up for mileage programs as they came along.

But it was a period of fairly regularly business travel in the late 1980's that cemented my obsessiveness. When you and several of your colleagues are traveling nearly every week, there tends to be a lot of talk of how to maximize the benefit. I remember once having dinner with a colleague and a (non-flying) friend in Colorado Springs. My other friend was amazed as we explained that we chose the Doubletree due to Hilton's giving points plus miles and that we flew the puddlehopper down from Denver instead of driving to get the extra miles and so on.