Is Move Hacking Actually A Scam?
Last month, I wrote an article on how to move anywhere for $1,000. I wanted to exhibit people how, yesteryear changing how yous salvage in addition to using a few budget techniques, yous could build whatever trip occur for $1,000 (or less) from start to finish. While that is a lot of coin to most people, it’s non an insurmountable amount of coin to salvage with a few clever ninja techniques (it plant out to only $2.74 per day).
In the article, I picked expensive destinations every bit examples because I didn’t desire to endure defendant of copping out yesteryear picking inexpensive places. If I had, I imagined the Internet would rising upwards in addition to state “Oh, sure, Matt! Anyone tin move to Thailand on a budget. That’s easy. What close (insert expensive destination)? This article is imitation news!”
In picking expensive destinations, I used points in addition to miles to assist mitigate the costs of getting to each destination. Using points in addition to miles for inexpensive in addition to costless flights in addition to accommodation was a must. After all, it’s i matter to pay $700 for a flying if the destination only costs a few dollars a day. It’s some other matter to pay that much when you’re going to Australia! You won’t acquire far with only $300 to pass inwards Australia!
But a dissimilar — in addition to unexpected — backlash erupted. On the spider web log in addition to social media, people kept commenting that points/miles are money, receive got a cost, aren’t slow to get, only go inwards the States, in addition to that, basically, the whole article was BS. For example:
“Matt, similar some people receive got mentioned earlier me inwards the comment section: non everyone has miles or bonus points. You know I’m a move writer…and yet I receive got never joined a frequent flyer program. I don’t receive got miles or points to redeem, in addition to likewise, at that topographic point are also people who powerfulness non receive got saved upwards plenty points to wing alone free.
“Between cheaper destinations in addition to relying on bonus points, yous chose the latter for your article’s premise, in addition to it feels a fleck similar saying: I could endure telling yous to become camping, but hey, that would endure also easy, so let’s utter cruising — now, redeem 100,000 Airmiles for this two-week cruise in addition to you’ve got $1,000 to play with on board!
“It doesn’t seem alone fair.”
First, permit me state yous are all correct. From the outset, I should receive got factored inwards taxes in addition to fees into the cost of the trips, in addition to receive got since changed the expense nautical chart to reverberate that. It was giddy of me to non include that from the outset. I apologize for the oversight.
But, second, I don’t retrieve using points or miles is inwards anyway cheating or unfair. (I’d also similar to state that piece they were a big role of the article, many of the other tips helped lower costs just every bit much!)
To me, points in addition to miles are costless money. They receive got no cost to me. I don’t hand upwards anything to acquire them. I retrieve of them every bit the perk for existence smart close my spending. Sure, I receive got to pass the points/miles inwards add-on to money, in addition to I know some of yous sentiment points in addition to miles every bit having some value with an chance cost to them, etc.
But I don’t retrieve of them that way.
They are just a matter I acquire when I pass coin that I would receive got spent anyway.
Let me explicate inwards to a greater extent than detail. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 lot of people retrieve points in addition to miles are difficult to get, that yous receive got to create crazy materials to acquire them, or yous receive got to pass lots of coin to acquire there:
“To collect miles requires spending money. To state i tin move anywhere for $1,000 in addition to so status that on costless airfare is disingenuous. The advice is aimed at people who powerfulness notice $1,000 a lot of money. Let’s assume yous involve 80,000 miles for an observe in addition to tin notice a sign-up offering for 40,000. That agency yous in all probability receive got to pass $40,000 to collect the other 40,000 miles. Then the advice to work hotel points for costless rooms. Assume yous desire a seven-day opor-garai in addition to rooms are just 15,000 a night. That’s some other 105,000 hotel points, in addition to some other $105,000 spend. Even if your hotel bill of fare gets two-for-one points, that’s nonetheless $52,500 inwards spend. So for me to become on a opor-garai for $1,000 I involve to accuse $92,500. I’m surprised yous missed telling us to just become for i solar daytime in addition to avoid 6 to a greater extent than days of hotel, meal, in addition to local shipping expenses.”
I take away heed yous in addition to I run across the logic but I disagree. You tin earn a lot of points in addition to miles per twelvemonth with much less spending than described because at that topographic point are pretty slow ways to earn multiple points/miles per dollar spent.
I’m a terrible move h4ck3r compared to my friends. I don’t create some of the crazy things they create to earn points in addition to miles because I don’t receive got a lot of time, so I similar to go into slow on myself. I don’t purchase extra things, overspend, resell slice of furniture or gift cards, or hand upwards my Saturdays to become purchase materials inwards mass in addition to so sell it online for a profit.
I just become close my life in addition to pass wisely. I receive got nautical chart for which cards I work for which expenses, so I ever acquire the most miles per dollar spent. Here it is:
How I Optimize My Spending with My Travel Credit Cards
Through all this, I earn a 1000000 or to a greater extent than miles per year. If it was actually only 1 point/mile per dollar spent, so I would receive got to pass i 1000000 a twelvemonth but that’s non the case. When I involve to purchase something, I create it online for bonus points through airline shopping portals (I late got 6x American Airlines miles for my Macy’s shopping on summit of my credit bill of fare points). Need something on Amazon? I purchase a gift bill of fare from Office Depot for 5x points in addition to so become through JetBlue for 3x to a greater extent than points. Buying a novel computer? I’m off to acquire a novel bill of fare to hitting the minimum spending for the bonus. Got a few minutes? I response some surveys for points.
I’m ever earning multiple points per dollar spent. It’s rarely i to one. (Note: You tin click hither to run across a to a greater extent than detailed breakdown of where I earn my 1000000 points/miles.)
I don’t sentiment collecting points/miles every bit a cost because I don’t pass extra coin to earn them. To me, something has a cost when I hand upwards coin to acquire it.
Sure, at that topographic point are taxes in addition to fees are included inwards the ticket that vary wildly with airlines (I’m looking at you, BA in addition to Virgin), but it’s nonetheless cheaper than the toll of a total ticket. And hotels don’t accuse these fees, so the cost of them using points is literally zero. Also, some credit cards allow yous to wipe charges off of them, making those expenses literally null too.
If yous desire to move more, points in addition to miles receive got to endure something yous create (providing yous alive inwards a house where they are an option). Even if it takes yous are twelvemonth to accumulate them, they assist yous unlock your dreams yesteryear drastically reducing the cost of everything.
When I enquire most people why they don’t move h4ck, they just shrug their shoulders in addition to go, “I don’t know. Seems hard, I guess.” I retrieve people believe because move h4ck1ng seems complicated, hence it must endure so. Actually, it is not.
In addition, move h4ck1ng seems to run counter to everything nosotros receive got learned close finance. We’re taught to retrieve of coin in addition to credit inwards i way:
“Credit cards a bad. The companies are bad. Never pay a fee. Your grade is sacred in addition to doing things similar this wound it, in addition to you’ll never acquire a loan.”
But that is just bullshit. It’s a myth perpetuated by….well, I don’t know who exactly, but people proceed believing it.
You earn points in addition to miles for everyday purchases yous would receive got bought anyways in addition to the perks outweigh the credit bill of fare fees. For example, with my $450 per twelvemonth Chase card, I get:
- $300 inwards airline credit
- 3x points on move in addition to restaurants (so I tin earn points faster)
- Global Entry ($100 every 5 years)
- Purchase protection so I tin acquire refunded if things I purchase are lost, damaged, or stolen
- A priority go yesteryear for lounge access (about $100 a year)
- Trip insurance
My $49-a-year IHG bill of fare gives me a costless nighttime at a category 1-5 holding (around $200 a night) in addition to my American Airlines bill of fare comes with costless checked bags, saving me hundreds of dollars a year!
Additionally, my credit grade has only gone upwards because of this every bit instantly I receive got to a greater extent than credit in addition to less debt every bit good every bit a adept payment history. (And, every bit my friend Gary says, “What adept is a credit grade if yous don’t work it?”)
If yous pay your bills off each calendar month in addition to are reasonable with your money, non collecting points in addition to miles is maxim no to costless money. It’s saying, “I don’t desire to endure rewarded for my adept spending habits.”
Free is the best discussion inwards travel.
When yous don’t move h4ck, the only individual yous are pain is yourself. You aren’t pain the banks or the airlines. They are inwards on the game.
In my view, travel h4ck1ng is something to endure embraced. It reduces the cost of travel. You tin create this inwards a lot of countries around the world! Even if takes yous a twelvemonth to earn a costless flight, why non accept the flight? One costless flying is meliorate than no costless flights.
Anything that saves coin in addition to reduces the cost of move is something every traveler should do.
Saying no to move h4ck1ng is maxim yeah to spending to a greater extent than coin on move — in addition to why would yous ever desire to create that?
P.S. – If yous desire to larn to a greater extent than in addition to figure out how to collect points in addition to miles, click hither to d0wnl0ad the volume I wrote on move h4ck1ng. It volition enjoin yous how programme work, what cards to get, hand yous step-by-step instructions, tips, tricks, in addition to surreptitious ways to collect miles.
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