Originally Posted by
craigthemif
Pro Tip 1 - Don't read the Points Guy
Pro Tip 2 - Don't put massive spend through a credit card you actually want to keep
Pro Tip 3 - Don't try quasi-MS with the government / IRS
Pro Tip 4 - Cents per point is irrelevant when you would have never paid the cash rate
Pro Tip 5 - Don't use discounted rate codes that you aren't eligible for
Pro Tip 6 - Don't use "Pro Tips" as a thread title to write about amateur hour strategies
Fair points - except for Point 4, I might never pay $1000+ a night to stay at a hotel, but if that's what a property I want to stay at always costs, then that's the CPP calculation I'll have to use. Why would anyone only use points to stay at hotels they can already afford with cash?
Originally Posted by
MarkOK
(4). Enjoy travel and life and don't obsess over squeezing out marginal values in the program. Moving hotels mid-vacation to optimize use of a Cat7 cert sucks, MSing sounds like a headache, etc. Squeezing out marginal value of travel programs feels like a richer's person version of grocery store couponing. Like, my time is way more valuable to me (financially, or mentally) than whatever value I am getting from that.
Although I love switching hotels to try out new properties, I couldn't agree more with this philosophy. It should be about the joy of travel, not the joy of getting a good deal (unless the deal is really all a person cares about). I care about the experience of being in a hotel, so that's what I focus on.