Average Monthly Points
#91
FlyerTalk Evangelist


Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 30,343
360K pre tax, 240K after tax, at a 33% tax bracket.
#92
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: LAX
Posts: 298
Let's keep in mind that this thread isn't about one person's mistake as to APY and MPY. To be sure, we'd all keep our money in an account offering 5% a month over an account offering 1% in AA miles.
Now, back to the actual topic of this thread. I average 30,000 UR, 8,000 BA (working towards Travel Together Ticket), and 5,000 SPG in a month by manufacturing spend. Actual spend yields roughly 5,000 in a mix of SPG and UR, depending on my mood/which card comes out of my wallet more easily.
Now, back to the actual topic of this thread. I average 30,000 UR, 8,000 BA (working towards Travel Together Ticket), and 5,000 SPG in a month by manufacturing spend. Actual spend yields roughly 5,000 in a mix of SPG and UR, depending on my mood/which card comes out of my wallet more easily.
#94
FlyerTalk Evangelist


Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 30,343
#96
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Midwest
Programs: AA LT Gold 1MM ,Hyatt Explorist,Marriott Platinum,HHonors Diamond
Posts: 364
Mostly manufactured spend and not counting miles and points earned through travel or credit card churning signup bonuses...:
100k UR across 2xIB and 2x Ink-plus @ office stores
30k HH @ drug stores (ending soon sadly)
10k AA using Bankdirect
2k AP (Various programs)
500k-1 MM /Year through credit card churning that include wife .
Like what others said these are NOT free and it cost ALOT of time and effort (like a part time second job) and also cost some fees but its worth it if you want to travel in style and visit places you never dreamed of.
Having said that there is always a risk of being shut down/financial reviews /closure of accounts using these methods ...
100k UR across 2xIB and 2x Ink-plus @ office stores
30k HH @ drug stores (ending soon sadly)
10k AA using Bankdirect
2k AP (Various programs)
500k-1 MM /Year through credit card churning that include wife .
Like what others said these are NOT free and it cost ALOT of time and effort (like a part time second job) and also cost some fees but its worth it if you want to travel in style and visit places you never dreamed of.
Having said that there is always a risk of being shut down/financial reviews /closure of accounts using these methods ...
#97


Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Dallas, TX
Programs: AA, UA, DL, SPG gold, PC Plat, CC gold
Posts: 196
Mostly manufactured spend and not counting miles and points earned through travel or credit card churning signup bonuses...:
100k UR across 2xIB and 2x Ink-plus @ office stores
30k HH @ drug stores (ending soon sadly)
10k AA using Bankdirect
2k AP (Various programs)
500k-1 MM /Year through credit card churning that include wife .
Like what others said these are NOT free and it cost ALOT of time and effort (like a part time second job) and also cost some fees but its worth it if you want to travel in style and visit places you never dreamed of.
Having said that there is always a risk of being shut down/financial reviews /closure of accounts using these methods ...
100k UR across 2xIB and 2x Ink-plus @ office stores
30k HH @ drug stores (ending soon sadly)
10k AA using Bankdirect
2k AP (Various programs)
500k-1 MM /Year through credit card churning that include wife .
Like what others said these are NOT free and it cost ALOT of time and effort (like a part time second job) and also cost some fees but its worth it if you want to travel in style and visit places you never dreamed of.
Having said that there is always a risk of being shut down/financial reviews /closure of accounts using these methods ...
#98




Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: NYC suburbs
Programs: UA LT Gold 1.2MM (BIS), AA LT Plat (SUBs, BD/Bask), Hilton Dia (CC), Hyatt Glob (BIB), et. al.
Posts: 4,605
This thread is a BIG eye opener! 2012 was my first year churning cards netting 355K in bonuses. I thought I was on a good start until I read this thread. Can some one tell please what these acronyms stand for:
IB
OD
GC
Regarding manufactured spend, can someone point me please on how to do it on Amazon Payment and other potential methods? Excuse my ignorance.
I got the Bank Direct method.
Men & women of FT, you are amazing!!!!
IB
OD
GC
Regarding manufactured spend, can someone point me please on how to do it on Amazon Payment and other potential methods? Excuse my ignorance.
I got the Bank Direct method.
Men & women of FT, you are amazing!!!!
IB: Ink Bold, a Chase charge (or credit) card which earns Ultimate Rewards (UR) points which can be transferred to any of several different airline and hotel programs and also earns multiple points, 5 per dollar, at certain types of stores (office supply I believe).
OD: Office Depot, an excellent place to charge a lot of purchases on your IB card (because you will get 5 points per dollar).
GC: Gift Card(s), I believe can be purchased with a credit card and then used sometime later (helpful for meeting a time limited spend requirement for a credit card) and might also be used when a credit card is not accepted.
Im completely unfamiliar with Amazon Payment (?AP).
BTW, Ive found that I can learn a great deal by Googling things and adding Flyertalk in the search field. For example Amazon Payment Flyertalk or Bluebird Flyertalk.
BREAK
Re: BankDirect, there are some long threads on the American Airlines forum all about BankDirect. I recall reading on one of those threads a year or 2 ago about folks who had significantly more than $200,000 on deposit with BankDirect. Suggest Google BankDirect Flyertalk.
Hope this helps.
#99
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: WI
Programs: A bunch
Posts: 488
Mostly manufactured spend and not counting miles and points earned through travel or credit card churning signup bonuses...:
100k UR across 2xIB and 2x Ink-plus @ office stores
30k HH @ drug stores (ending soon sadly)
10k AA using Bankdirect
2k AP (Various programs)
500k-1 MM /Year through credit card churning that include wife .
Like what others said these are NOT free and it cost ALOT of time and effort (like a part time second job) and also cost some fees but its worth it if you want to travel in style and visit places you never dreamed of.
Having said that there is always a risk of being shut down/financial reviews /closure of accounts using these methods ...
100k UR across 2xIB and 2x Ink-plus @ office stores
30k HH @ drug stores (ending soon sadly)
10k AA using Bankdirect
2k AP (Various programs)
500k-1 MM /Year through credit card churning that include wife .
Like what others said these are NOT free and it cost ALOT of time and effort (like a part time second job) and also cost some fees but its worth it if you want to travel in style and visit places you never dreamed of.
Having said that there is always a risk of being shut down/financial reviews /closure of accounts using these methods ...
Nevermind
Last edited by pointspinnacle; Jan 26, 2013 at 7:06 am Reason: Figured out my question
#101
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Midwest
Programs: AA LT Gold 1MM ,Hyatt Explorist,Marriott Platinum,HHonors Diamond
Posts: 364
About few months ,the reason I'am doing that amount is the nearest OD stores are about 60 miles away ,so I visit them on a weekend and buy about 2-3 k per card twice a month ,I also take advantage of staples,Officemax promotions on the lower denominations Visa/Mastercard GC that they run from time to time but liquidating them are PIA,although I use them for everyday spend .
Yes the risk is there ,but I put other spend as well on the Ink cards not just office stores ,so do what you feel comfortable with.
Yes the risk is there ,but I put other spend as well on the Ink cards not just office stores ,so do what you feel comfortable with.
#102
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Land of the parrots and parrotheads
Programs: Several dozen
Posts: 4,820
AKA the Jungle, Jungleland
#103
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Land of the parrots and parrotheads
Programs: Several dozen
Posts: 4,820
So I gotta "KIVA" the Pentagon with lots of little amounts? How is their creditwortiness? I trust my KIVA investments in Paraguay, but the Pentagon is backed by the good faith of the United States. Ain't that the deadbeat country with the runaway spending or am I thinking Greece?

#104
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Land of the parrots and parrotheads
Programs: Several dozen
Posts: 4,820
#105

Join Date: May 2010
Location: BNA
Programs: No preference
Posts: 1,177
If you can guarantee a 5 percent yearly return after taxes on a $200,000 investment that has zero risk whatsoever to principal and is completely liquid, please share.
I am not aware of anything close. Yes, you can possibly get better than 5 percent if you put your principal at risk. And maybe you can start to get upwards of 3 or 4 percent if you lock up your money.
But if I had $200k and did not want to put it at risk, and also potentially needed it somewhere other than in a maturing-nonliquid investment, 360,000 miles a year is pretty good.
I am not aware of anything close. Yes, you can possibly get better than 5 percent if you put your principal at risk. And maybe you can start to get upwards of 3 or 4 percent if you lock up your money.
But if I had $200k and did not want to put it at risk, and also potentially needed it somewhere other than in a maturing-nonliquid investment, 360,000 miles a year is pretty good.





