IT'S OFFICIAL!!! My 40th hit just posted!!!

This really is amazing. I got 36 hits last year, but with the tighter requirements on hotel stays and 6-month minimum subscriptions -- plus the new one rental car per day rule -- I figured I'd have trouble getting to 36 again.

Yet somehow, I got to 40!!! OK, it's not "somehow" at all. So many of you helped me get to this unexpected level. Great job everyone!!!! ^ ^ ^

BTW, I needed the final four final hits because I required the 5000 PQM to get GP status for 2012.

Including miles garnered directly from the GS merchants, I netted a total of 133,100 miles from an outlay of $568.45, or 0.42cpm.

Not bad at all, especially considering that I spent $158.84 on those final four hits, which were worth a total of 13,160 miles (including 3160 hotel and MC miles). That's 1.2cpm for those last four -- and GP status garnering -- hits. Still a good deal.

It's interesting to note that if I did not need those 5000 PQM and had stopped at 36 hits, I would have paid 0.34cpm.

EDITED TO ADD: The $568.45 is my outlay beyond what I would have spent anyway. None of my six hotel hits nor any of my six car-rental hits were actually utilized. Only one of my "big" hits -- Teleflora -- was not counted toward the $568.45 because I needed to send a gift to my mom and she loves flowers.