Had this happen to me at the Park Hyatt Paris Vendome and the IC Rome. We went with the suggestions anyway. (When in Rome...and Paris) Both meals were outstanding, but I have to believe that you aren't ordering a prix fixe meal at guy's night out.

Give me the European Buffalo Wild Wings!

Hey, I do a lot of things for points/miles, but you can't get me to change checking accounts. I added a checking account once, it took forever to get any miles, I only did it because it also provided me with lower-fee ATM withdrawals in certain countries (Citi used to have a policy of no fee if withdrawing from an actually Citi ATM no matter where in the world), tho a year or two later they got rid of that. Now, especially that there's the 1099 garbage going on, I doubt I'll ever apply for another checking out to get miles.

Because I was using multiple cards (if for nothing more than Visa vs MC vs Discover vs pre-Visa Choice vs pre-MC Shell, etc) for a long time before getting into points/miles, getting a new credit card and using it for only a limit purpose was nothing new to me (and much, much different from "switching" checking accounts or even from getting new checking accounts).

The best response on here. I'm not accusing anyone, but be humble that you are in a position to play this game. Your 1,000 "friends" on FB don't need to hear you gloat about first-class accomodations.

Now if someone asks for advice and starts getting familiar with gaining points - thats the time to consider bringing up first-class, status upgrades, etc. Until then, "I took a trip to South Africa on points" sounds frugal compared to "I flew first-class," no matter how you spin it.

The joke was already told by Tim Ferris, and it was a bad joke then.

Not in my opinion. They are allowed to post pix about the $6K they wasted on a standing in lines in Orlando, and I'm not allowed to post about my trip, which is actually something different and unusual? One of the pleasures of travel is the photographs you share with those back home. To say, "well don't share your photos" comes close to saying, "just cut them off as family" because I promise you nobody else is looking at your photos anyway!

Who? Lighten up...

So the secret to your young success is having a sugar(cane) daddy or a sugar(cane) mamma? Kid, it is high time you stood on your own two feet. And walked over to Bank of America and got a checking account and an Alaska debit card. Or a cosigner and a starter credit card. Quit spongebobbing off the relatives and get a real job manufacturing frequent flyer miles. Why, when I was a kid your age we had to haul Presidential dollars from home to the bank uphill each way for our free flights and we went to bed each night hungry with nothing to eat but Healthy Choice pudding.:p

True, but IMO there is a line (and I am 23 and don't have a FB, so you can imagine how I feel about the site).

For example, for a past trip I took to Africa on points, I "checked in" to the Cape Town airport - thats the extent I informed Facebook. A few close buddies, family, and co-workers asked for pictures, and while there were a few of the hotels we stayed in (there was a watering hole with elephants some 50 yards away - as you said, unique), I mentioned - but wouldn't take pictures - of my airplane seat...I guess I would feel like it was gloating.

As always, it depends. My immediate family and close relatives? I told them all about free business-class tickets, and set the parents up with Fidelity accounts so our next family trip will be all points. An aunt/uncle that seem mad at the world every time I mention something good that happened in my life? I'll keep it to, "I went to Africa. It was great." :p

There is a difference between posting pictures of your vacation and posting and equal number of pictures of your first class seat as the actual things you did on the trip. While I enjoy luxury air travel as much as anyone, I view the plane ride as the means to get to my destination, it isn't the vacation itself. Posting a million pictures of your seat and a picture of each course of your meal on the plane just comes across as gloating.

I usually mention that's its on miles so it doesn't look like I'm bragging.

College ruined my credit.

Well I should say bad decisions IN college ruined my credit, therefor, i don't think I will qualify for a miles card anytime in this decade.

My parents have sterling credit but it would take a lot of explaining and convincing, maybe it will be worth it when I run out of my current miles and am itching for another vaca.

I don't fly first or business unless it is free however, I see it a total waste, but I don't earn them in 50-75-100k increments, so I'm frugal. Quantity over quality.

I spend most of my time lurking but FT is awesome! And inspiring!!

Travel on points is pretty easy for me to explain. Spending on one or two cards to earn points in those programs and occasionally earn something free, people tend to understand that.

The harder thing for me to convey to people is that applying for multiple cards will not ruin your credit if you do it right, learn the ins and outs, and understand the limitations. I think people understand how I get points, but they think I must have ruined my credit for the sake of a free trip and think that is stupid.

That's exactly the pushback I run into with friends - they cannot grasp the fact that I have a better credit score than them, with 10x the credit cards and less income. It's the whole "too good to be true" thing - they assume there's a catch. I guess this why these cards are still offered, we who take full advantage of the bonus buffet are in the minority.

Folks who live in the USA are very fortunate in terms of the ease to get airline miles and hotel points. Those of us who live elsewhere (Canada for me) need to put together the scrapings we can get. Having said that, I do appreciate being able to supplement my travel budget with what I've been able to earn over the last year, being very new to the game.

Since I made my first award booking in March this year (even though it was only in economy), I've been hooked. Travelling to places such as the pyramids in Egypt, or the Great Wall of China etc., are now much more of a possibility. One thing I would say is that all of this doesn't come free, as I've certainly spent more $ pursuing this hobby (but also done a lot more).

College ruined my credit, too. For I took out alot of student loans, continued to work fulltime in college, and invested the loan money in 15% yield preferred stocks. Easy access to this type of credit simply ruined my incentive to play with credit cards. It was years of dividend payments later before I took up the cards.

If you have a mountain of debt, see if you can pay it with money orders via the BoA debit card. As to your credit rating, you may be able to rebuild it with secured cards. The key to credit is to never borrow unless you make a profit.

As to college, for most the disaster of debt is the only valuable lesson learned today. Did you ever wonder why the Gates of this world dropped out? Way overpriced and utterly worthless. A great place to breed sheep for a world filled with wolves.

And you will find wolves here. Fat wolves who feast on bleating airlines and banks. And wolves who dress as sheep and bah with the best of them until the dinner bell rings.:eek: