frequent flyer miles

Why your goal is to not care about frequent flyer miles

What the impact on wealth accumulation has on playing the frequent flyer mile game. I’ve been collecting frequent flyer miles for years now. I started collecting US Airways miles almost 20 years ago, but the idea that I would somehow … Read MoreRead More

Old United truck

I let my United miles expire. Should I buy them back?

Somewhere, someone at United Airlines is smiling. Frequent flyer mile expiration is an easy way for an airline to make more money. It’s a “currency” that the airline owns. They control how you use it, and if you don’t keep … Read MoreRead More

Product splash

Why frequent flyer miles but not grocery stores? A study in contrasting loyalty programs

I’m a big fan of collecting frequent flyer miles and points. While the airlines and hotels have done their best to devalue the extreme opportunities that there once were, I believe that there still are some great deals to be … Read MoreRead More

Seam

Why signing up for promotions you don’t think you’ll use is a good idea

I’m not into extreme couponing. I find that I don’t need 27 cans of tomato sauce or 40 boxes of cereal. I live in a relatively small place, and I barely can rationalize a Costco membership, much less having a second … Read MoreRead More

Getting my mom and I to London and back: a study in trip planning

  In my last post I talked about how my mom and I were going to Europe together. Specifically London, although we threw in Paris at the last moment. It’s a really exciting time. For me, one of the best … Read MoreRead More

A tale of two mileage expirations

  I’ve talked before about the importance of keeping track of your frequent flyer miles. “But it’s too complicated!” is only a valid complaint if you desire to travel less and have it cost more money. Is that you? Didn’t … Read MoreRead More

Conferring with the enemy (Part 3): The waiting (for miles to post) game

All posts in this series: Conferring with the enemy (Part 1): A credit card for a travel plan Conferring with the enemy (Part 2): Fulfilling minimum spend requirements on a credit card Conferring with the enemy (Part 3): The waiting (for … Read MoreRead More

Travel hacking to get to Buenos Aires (for cheap)

  I’ve talked about how to buy frequent flyer miles for immediate use in travel, and why it could potentially be a good deal to do so. But why stop at theory? Here is the story of how I helped … Read MoreRead More

How to save money on airfare by purchasing frequent flyer miles

  Frequent flier miles can be a really amazing tool for seeing the world. I used miles to travel in international business class when I came home from Europe earlier this year, and while it was a bit of an … Read MoreRead More

What I (re)learned from flying Business Class internationally

  I was in the fortunate position of flying international Business Class using frequent flyer miles recently. Yes, it’s hard to complain. And while it was a great experience, a lot of what made it great is that it gave … Read MoreRead More