XStAnt

More and more I am seeing people refer to what we do to get miles/points and status as "travel hacking". I hate that term. "Hacking" refers to something underhanded or sneaky. That is not what we do. Most of us play by the rules and just take advantage of offers made, or we use various tips and tricks to our advantage (like a mileage run to get status). This is not underhanded.

So, any ideas for a new term or phrase to use?

clacko

greedy cheapskates?....milkers?....you get what you churn?....

rewind about 20 years & i would be leading the pack, but no need anymore, i haven't even done a mr in the last 6 yrs....but hackers or whatever, have at it....

Yinzer

sigh. that's not the only defintion of hacker dude. you seem to have a pretty limited definition that doesn't at all jive with that of people in the fields from which that term originates. check the wikipedia.

mikeef

I'll take that. Proudly.

Mike

iamthehpt

I am neither a churner nor a travel hacker. I am a credit card mileage maximizer.

G2244

Travel Mile Whore

barely_flying

you know, i think folks on FT need to worry less about what monikers or terms others come up with. terms are used for people to place order into the world that they're trying to understand. you also have no power over subjective connotations that come with lingo. it's what it is. and with the popularity of sites like lifehacker, i think the term 'hacker' is no longer viewed the way it used to.

XStAnt

I realize their are other definitions for the term. However, I'd venture a guess that the overwhelming majority of people have a negative connotation of the term.

wise2u

I would call my self a travel points collector.

I think UberLords of travel points is probably taken.

mile offer sluts....can't say no

credit card company nightmares.....we sign up for points and carry no balances....have you seen the interest rates on some of the cards you get? back in the day only greedy greedo loan sharks would charge that much and get away with it.

connoisseur of credit card offers....only the best will do

award travelers....plain and simple

Masterful magicians of Miles...MmM alliterative

Freestyle Travelers....FT for short...ooopps thats taken too.

balima

I've always been partial to Mileage Slut. Have miles will follow!

Yinzer

Language changes over time and as life hacking/etc gain prominance the connotations will change because the activities are more relatable to most people. The "majority" of people don't even understand what the hell churning, tricking, mileage run, or I'd venture even "status," mean in the context of travel. And to be fair most of the terms the media uses for things FT people do originate within this subculture, so I guess I just don't really see what you're all up in a huff about. Basically, given the origin of the word hack, how it developed with hackers and is still used by some of the technically proficent that overlap here, it's not at all suprising that this is happening.

""In other words to "hack" at an original creation, as if with an axe, is to force-fit it into being usable for a task not intended by the original creator, and a "hacker" would be someone who does this habitually.""

"In a very universal sense, hacker also means someone who makes things work beyond perceived limits in a clever way in general, without necessarily referring to computers...That is, people who apply the creative attitude of software hackers in fields other than computing."" Blah blah.

BearX220

Loyalty program gamer. The idea is not to "hack" (subvert) the programs but take them for all they're worth via legit and defensible, if sometimes extreme, means.

rajuabju

Love it.

Henceforth, I wish to be referred to by all on FT as a mileage slut

IkeEsq

I think of myself as a Travel Synergist.

srirams

In my mind there isn't anything negative about "hacking". It means putting in effort and time to maximize and get the best use of your money and equipment, not necessarily going along with the flow of what most users are expected to do.