I think I may have crossed the line with this 4-week mileage run?

When you realize that you're booked solid nearly every weekend (all but 3) between now and the middle of next March on Q-UP and Mistake Fares to various destinations:
MIA-ORD-HNL-DEN-SAT (Q-UP)
LAX-SEA-DEN-CVG-DEN-SEA-LAX (Q-UP)
SFO-SYD-AKL-SYD-SFO (Mistake)
EZE-JFK-EZE (Mistake)
IAH-SLC-ATL-MSY-ATL-SLC-IAH (Q-UP)
DFW-ATL-SEA-ATL-DFW (Mistake Q-UP)
OSL-SVO-HKG (Mistake)
+ More :p

Also, when you start looking forward to three-day weekends so you can nab a cheap one-way out to TPE on BR just to catch a cheap one-way F flight back to rack up ridiculous piles of *A miles (whilst crediting the BR to SkyTeam, of course), all without having to take any vacation time from work...

I'm impressed, but also appalled at my own ignorance. To wit:

1. What is a Q-UP?
2. How do you find mistake fares?
3. Do you have a life outside of airports?

Why I love FT: I'm not alone.
This year for first time I'll be CO Plat and Marriott Gold and requal Hilton Gold. I only travel on weekends on my nickel. Job doesn't require travel - and I can soooo identify with so many comments on this thead !

1. A Q-UP is a discounted First (generally Domestic) fare. They are known on some airlines as Y-UPs (AA), on some as R fares (CO), and NW has strange fares that can begin with a K that book into F. I just use Q-UP as a catch-all, and even the airlines that regularly offer Q-UPs (DL & UA) also offer H-UPs, M-UPs, Y-UPs, etc. They all work on the same principle (discounted domestic F travel at far below full-fare rates). They are extremely useful mileage earners in some programs where you can earn up to 600% mileage bonus (if not more) flying one of those fares. Accordingly, one can often fly those fares at cpm (cents per mile) figures as low as those you would expect to find on a decent Y-class mileage run.

2. Mileage Run Deals Forum

3. Sure. I work full-time, go to school at night, and have maintained a long-distance relationship for four years (being able to travel every weekend helps immensely, in that regard). All the travel keeps me sane. Otherwise, the 80+ hours/week I spend working, attending class, and studying would drive me nuts.

On a related note when your number of ticketed future flights is always over 100 (and over 200 at times!). Seriously, I have a 6 page summary sheet listing one line per flight all my upcoming flights in order to keep track of my schedule.

Maybe that's it.
Maybe you cross the line when you have to introduce yourself quietly as "a friend of Randy" :D

...or if you stalk him or date him. hahahaha
:D:D:D

If you do the mileage thing for fun and/or hobby, then I’m not sure there really is a line. If you lie, cheat, and steal to get miles... then you have crossed a line.

How about getting on good enough terms with a waitress at a local IDine restaurant that she brings checks that are paid with cash by other patrons to you so you can put them on one of your 7 Rewards Network credit cards (or if you are over $600 worth of charges at the restaurant on all of the accounts for the month, one of your wife's 7 accounts?)

Some of you are exhibiting extremely abnormal behavior.

Mrs. Fredd and I make at least 2% less effort than several posters here to acquire our miles and hotel stays so your confessions reassure us that we're completely normal! :D

Seriously, great thread OP. ^

^That's priceless Cornroaster. :D :D

We currently own a business where we have to buy a lot of stuff--on a mileage earning credit card, of course. ;)

We are thinking of selling the business and retiring, but maybe we should just find a hot shot manager and hold on to the business, just for the miles.

deleted

OK, a newby here but I find this thread hiarious! Mostly because I'm guilty of almost everything I've seen here!

Cornroaster, I have to admit I've never even thought of the waitress gambit. Very creative! I don't know how the owners of those restaurants would feel about it but...::) I'll give that one some thought.

Here's one that I didn't see in this thread although I'm sure it's pretty prevelent: I'm currently single. It's odd how, when I meet a potential date, the conversation always gets around to, "do you like to travel?" "Are you in any rewards programs?" "How many points/miles do you have?" All the while thinking, how do those programs match up with mine and are they 'blendable'. :D

And, just to let you know, I spend about 40 weeks a year on the road for a major hotel company---one that has a sizeable rewards program. Unfortunately, as such, I don't qualify for their program. The result is that I usually stay at competeing hotels so that I get the perks that come with being in those programs' higher echelons. Try getting that past T & E approvers! :eek: I have to admit though, so far they've been great and understand that life on the road is a grind and all they say is that their OK with it as long as I'm comfortable and it allows me to do my job to the maximum of my ability. Pretty cool, IMO.

Now, that's amazing!

And welcome to Flyertalk, camargo.

camargo Welcome to FT. We are glad to have people like you on the board. Drop in to the Delta Lounge for a virtual cocktail with the gang.

After one stay at the Cavalieri Hilton, my DH is now EAGER to hotel hop. FlyerTalk convinced me of the wisdom, but he had to see it to believe it. Ahhh, ye of little faith...

QUOTE=camargo " .. I have to admit I've never even thought of the waitress gambit. "

You're not alone, apparently -- Saturday nite at the WAS-minido, hardly anyone paid attention when GrizShel took charge of collecting for the cumulative bar-tab ~ until he pocketed the wad of cash & pulled out his Marriott card.

The :smackforehead: looks around the table was Priceless :D :D :D

-
Oh yeah .. I'm guilty of mattress AND car-rental hopping in MCO SFO & OGG !
/.

Mrs. Gargoyle maintains a spreadsheet to track the cards, pmt due dates, earliest cancellation date to still get benefits, and last cancellation date before annual fees kick in...

Old 60's rock song- "break on thru to the other side..." what the in-laws don't understand is that they are on the wrong side of the line.

Fly enough out of a small station and the DL ground crew gets to recognize you pretty quickly.

One time last year my wife was doing the books and spotted a .02 ¢ charge on my DL Amex. (Kinkos has some self service machines which require credit cards, and I only needed one copy). :p

We did the same thing, but it worked out for the best. We booked a trip to Hawaii a few years ago to accumulate miles, but ended up loving it, so now we go at least once per year.

We're both mileage whores, so we are the perfect couple (Our second date, in 2001, was spent curled up on the couch watching a video of the new NW terminal in Detroit that a friend of mine at the airport sent me.) for this, although sometimes, she takes it a bit too far. For instance, she had the opportunity to stay at the George V in Paris for work, but turned it down to stay at a Hilton.

Mike

This brings up the idea of a travel IRA (which bothers some people who jump on the devaluation wagon). Not only do I want to have enough cash to be comfortable, I don't want to have to spend any of it on travel (at least for a very long time) - and my wife and I plan to do a lot of traveling.

singlemalt writes:

I think we have that covered with our Fly-RA. :D

:D

is it a no-load fund?

there was a guy 2 years ago who _lived_ on air canada planesl for 2 solid months because at the time Air Canada was dumb enough to give out STATUS miles for flying on their passes.

it was a $7,000 pass good for unlimited travel within Canada for 2 months.

he would do stuff like fly short haul an hour or two during the day then take a long haul cross canada flight to sleep. and shower in the maple leaf lounges.

he ended up with just over 1 million aeroplan miles.

st7860: Yeah, yeah. It's always, "There was a guy..."!

You know that until you accept who you are, like Marathon Man in #12, above, you're no good to yourself or to the rest of us..... :D

OK, I'm not much better. In fact, I'm gonna make a reservation - er - resOLUTION, today, just because I will have so much fun breaking it.

My name is Firewind, and ---

Ooooookay, I know...

My name is Rick, and I'm a Travel-holic.

Happy New Year to all my "Fellow Travelers"! :D

i'm not sure what you mean. I thought everyone knew that story. The guy in question is/was even a pilot(for a different airline)


http://gcmr2005.blogspot.com/

Until I read this over on MileBuzz a few months ago I though we were all a fairly sane bunch:

Another sign that you're an addict:

- Your company books you into a Ritz-Carlton on a business trip and you're deeply disappointed because you can't collect any miles or points.

When you seriously consider buying small, yet expensive items, on your miles earning credit card for slightly less than retail...with the intention of selling them on ebay for just enough money to recoup your expenses.

The true addict would pay for a stay at the hotel of their choice around the corner.

Nice story.

yes. and if you read it carefully, you will notice that, while nearly living on airplanes for 2 months, he still had time for his part time job(right seat on a 747 cargo from North America to Europe one a week)

Count me in for this too. I actually started an ebay business just to get miles.

rgds,
drew

For the last couple of years, I sold fuel for corporate business jet charters. One of my clients would pay for his fuel with an AA Citibank Visa card. A flight from the west coast to Europe was an easy $15k charge, and he did that regularly. He would then use the AA points to move his crews around when he had to -- the pilots did not keep the miles.

Does anybody know if there are limits on the amount of points he could earn in a year? (As an aside, one of the pilots told me they had to pay off the balance multiple times per month to keep up with the charges they were making.)

If he has status on AA there is no limit to the number of points he can earn annually. If not, it is determined by the particular Citi card, and could range from 60k to 150k for the annual mileage cap.

There's a guy in Coupon Connection who is spending ~ $5 mill a month on his credit card.

And another guy who just spend $300K which he dumped into BA (with their 50% bonus) for 450K miles.

So, any limits certainly have ways around them.

The rest of us can only sigh wistfully. :)

Yeah, he's my new hero. Him and Austin Stevens. ;)

Great thread. I'm glad I'm not alone.

Co-workers think I'm nuts for hotel hopping on business trips. I tell them why (Marriott & SPG bonus opportunities, for now) and they look at me with glazed over eyes.

When they ask why, oh why, and I tell them I did a week in California for $1200 for family of four (including SD zoo, Legoland, Knott's Berry Farm, LaBrea Tar Pits, Aquarium of Pacific, meals, rental car, gas, hotel, airfare) they get more interested.

Now, during the quiet hours of the day emails pop up asking how they can join the fray or over dinner whilst travelling they ask for more info. I tell them to visit FT and read and read and read.

All y'all are the best. I've built many a vacation with matched status on frequent flyer programs, free hotel rooms, free flights, free car rentals using info from FT.

Oh, yeah, Mrs. Wolfie went to sleep hours ago wondering why I'm still on the 'puter! Gotta get my FT fix!

Woo-hoo.

I had 21 stays in early November and working in Northern Alberta made it hard to get that SPG Plat status so dearly wanted.
Bought a ticket on eBay for the Oilers - Flames match as well as 1 night at Westin and the second at a outskirts 4 points hotel (double stays) in Edmonton.
I went all the way by bus, and it was by far the most atrocious hockey game I've seen.
Already made 4 mattress runs (officially weekend treats) so far this year at the local Sheraton.
I'm Ole and also an FT-olic.

I suppose I could start ordering ink in huge amounts and then spending all my time trying to sell it on campus.
00inkjets gets me 25% cash back on MrRebates as well as purchase miles on the full spend.
In fact, I have bought a brand new snowboard with gear as a result of 10% off gc.com converted into $1000 REI certs. With a few discounts and some dividend, I'm selling it used at a profit: about 6000 miles and $0.