How I Earn One 1000000 Frequent Flier Miles Each Year

Updated: 12/28/2018 | Dec 28th, 2018

The best way to move when you lot don’t have got whatever coin is to accept coin out of the equation. OK, non completely. While you lot can travel really, truly cheaply, some coin is required (unless you lot desire to go hobo-style similar this guy, inwards which case, this article isn’t for you).

But, assuming you lot don’t desire to exercise that, you lot are going to demand some coin for travel. But you lot don’t demand equally much equally you lot recollect you lot do, peculiarly if you lot operate to build your 2 biggest expenses — accommodation too flights — virtually free.

How?

By travel h4ck1ng.

I’ve written nearly it before, but I’ve never truly broken downward how I earn all those points too miles too redeem them for the business-class flights you lot ever see me enjoying on Instagram. In this post, I’ll expire into particular too provide the step-by-step breakdown of just what I exercise to earn some i 1000000 points a twelvemonth — all without traveling! (When you lot add together inwards the miles too points I acquire from traveling, it’s good over a 1000000 per year!)

This is going to live a long post, hence acquire your java ready.

First, a refresher: move h4ck1ng is the fine art of collecting frequent flier, hotel, too credit menu points too airline miles too redeeming them for costless travel. But it’s non nearly spending lots of coin — the thought is to “h4ck the system” too exercise rewards programs against themselves to acquire lots of points too miles without spending a lot of coin or traveling a lot. You leverage these systems to your benefit.

And it’s non just for Americans — Canadians, U.K. residents, Australians, Kiwis, too Spaniards tin give the sack operate these systems inwards their favor. (In reality, anyone can, but it’s just easier if you’re inwards these countries. So, piece I volition exercise the American marketplace equally an example, equally that is the i I have got access to, the principles too strategies I exercise tin give the sack apply to you. Just substitute your local cards too programs for mine!)

One quick notation earlier nosotros laid out (especially to the move h4ck3rs reading this): inwards the move h4ck1ng world, my mileage earning is pretty small. I know people who earn multiple millions of miles a twelvemonth doing what I exercise (and a few other things), but I value my time, hence why pass fourth dimension earning miles I don’t need? My mileage needs are taken tending of. I don’t waste materials fourth dimension getting miles I don’t need.

Miles also lose value over fourth dimension equally airlines alter their earning too burning rules, hence I would rather have got what I demand too non waste materials fourth dimension getting something with a decreasing value. Miles aren’t money.

Some people exercise this for the honey of the game; I exercise this because I’m inexpensive too desire to pay for equally few flights too hotels equally possible.

Here’s how I acquire those points too miles:

Step 1 – Sign upwards for credit cards

Credit cards are the tool through which you lot run your coin inwards guild to accumulate your points too miles. Think of them equally the points-and-miles printing press. You tin give the sack earn points too miles without them, but the procedure takes a lot longer too is a lot harder. To build this work, you lot volition demand a credit card.

When used properly, credit cards are smart fiscal instruments. You tin give the sack earn hundreds of thousands of miles per twelvemonth that enable you lot to move for costless (and they offering amend purchasing protection than your debit card). Simply having them won’t shipping you lot into debt or cost you lot high-interest rates. Just build sure non to pass to a greater extent than than you lot have got too to pay off your neb each month.

So the get-go thing I exercise is apply for a bunch of these credit cards. But I don’t exercise it willy-nilly. I have got a finish inwards mind.

As a crazy move h4ck3r, I have got to a greater extent than cards than the average soul needs, but I ever apply for novel cards to attain a specific goal. Be sure to exercise this: recollect nearly the trip you lot desire to take, where you lot desire to stay, too how you lot desire to acquire there, too and hence acquire the cards that assist you lot acquire there.

If I’m depression on American Express points, I’ll await for a novel American Express card. If I desire to expire to Iceland, I’ll sign upwards for an Alaska Airlines menu because I tin give the sack exercise those miles to volume a rewards ticket to Republic of Iceland thank you lot to their partnership with Icelandair. Moreover, I ever await for what menu offers the highest bonuses, fifty-fifty if I don’t demand those points correct away.

What have got I signed upwards for this year? In the finally vi months, I applied for the next cards:

• IHG – I don’t rest inwards hotels often, but I exercise hotel points for whatever last-minute stays I demand or for conferences when I don’t desire to rest inwards hostels. Since I’d never held this menu before, I got the 65,000-point bonus.
• American Airlines Platinum Business Card – Though I wing AA oftentimes too earn their miles easily, it had been a piece since I had this card, hence I applied i time again for a 50,000-mile sign-up bonus.
• American Airlines personal menu – Same equally above.
• Alaska Airlines personal menu – Since Bank of America lets you lot cancel too sign upwards for this menu i time again too all the same live eligible for the bonus, I sign upwards for this menu every 2–3 months. This got me 25,000 miles.
• American Express Everyday menu – They ran a 25,000-point advertisement hence I finally got this card, equally the normal bonus is 15,000 points.
• Chase Ink Bold – When they offered a recent 60,000-point sign-up bonus, I applied for this concern menu equally my charity FLYTE’s card.

Total points earned: 275,000

One thing to notation nearly credit cards is that you lot can’t just sign up, cancel, too sign upwards again. Many menu companies build you lot hold off 18–24 months earlier you lot expire eligible for a sign-up bonus again. (American Express exclusively lets you lot earn the bonus i time per menu per lifetime!) I bike through cards on a multiyear basis.

Therefore, I essay to infinite out my sign-ups. I exercise 2 or 3 large credit menu sign-up frenzies per year. This allows me to come across whatever minimum spending requirements (see below), allows the temporary dip the application causes inwards my credit score to expire away, too gets me some whatever cherry-red flags the credit menu companies have. For example, if issuers consider you lot have got applied for a ton of credit cards lately, they are less probable to approve you. Chase has something called the 5/24 rule, which states people who’ve applied for to a greater extent than than 5 cards inside a 24-month menstruation can’t acquire a novel menu from them. I’ve heard mixed reports on this, though — sometimes it catches people, sometimes it doesn’t.

Moreover, despite pop belief, having a lot of credit cards won’t wound you. In fact, it tin give the sack assist you. Outside of your payment history, your utilization is the side past times side most of import constituent inwards your credit score. Don’t worry nearly anything else. If you lot have got $100,000 inwards available credit but exclusively are using $5,000, that’s amend than exclusively having $5,000 inwards credit too using it all every month. Having to a greater extent than cards tin give the sack truly assist your credit score because of the amend utilization ratio they create.

Step 2 – Meet the minimum spending requirements

Each of these cards comes with a minimum spending requirement earlier you lot tin give the sack earn that bonus. You just don’t acquire it for nothing. That meant I had to pass $11,000 inwards 3 months inwards guild to come across the requirements too earn my bonuses! (The Alaska Airlines menu comes with a fee of exclusively $75 too no spending requirement hence I essentially just bought 25,000 miles for 75 bucks.)

Here’s how the cards broke down:

• IHG: $1,000 minimum spend
• AA concern card: $3,000 minimum spend
• AA personal card: $3,000 minimum spend
• Alaska Airline: none
• American Express: $1,000 minimum spend
• Chase Ink concern card: $3,000 minimum spend

But my everyday spending isn’t anywhere closed to that.

Since the role of move h4ck1ng is to non pass extra coin (you should absolutely non expire into debt for this), I had to figure out ways to come across those spending requirements without incurring extra debt. Here’s how I did it:

• In the US, you lot tin give the sack pay your federal taxation neb on a credit menu for a fee of 1.87%. I don’t pay all my taxes during the twelvemonth hence that at the terminate of the year, I have got to pay them inwards i large chunk. I too hence fourth dimension that taxation payment with a credit menu sign-up hence I tin give the sack acquire the bonus. Yes, at that spot is a fee, but if you lot operate out the math, it’s worth it. That took tending of a large chunk.
• I fourth dimension my purchases too sign-ups. If I have got to move, purchase furniture, demand a computer, or bring together a gym, I sign upwards for a menu too and hence accuse my large purchases to the card.
• I expire out to dinner with my friends, pay, too enquire them to reimburse me. I used this technique inwards Las Vegas, too that took tending of the entire minimum spending for the Amex Everyday card.  This is peculiarly tardily with apps similar Venmo nowadays, where they tin give the sack reimburse you lot easily at the exact minute of payment.
• I enquire friends too solid unit of measurement if I they have got a large purchase they wouldn’t hear letting me seat on my card. This doesn’t ever work, too it isn’t ever needed, but oftentimes friends too solid unit of measurement volition allow me seat it on my menu equally a favor, too and hence they’ll pay me instead of the store.
• I industry spending for the remainder. This is when you lot displace coin some hence that you lot artificially create spending through gift cards too coin orders. You tin give the sack purchase pre-paid debit cards, plow them into coin orders, seat those coin orders inwards your depository fiscal establishment account, too and hence pay off your credit card. You have got to pay a fee for the cards too coin orders, but when doing this for sign-up bonuses, it’s worth the cost. I purchase pre-paid debit cards inwards $500 increments.

Note: As I incur a lot of concern expenses, it’s tardily for me to come across the minimum spending requirements for concern cards (for the Chase Ink concern card, nosotros met the spending requirements past times paying expenses for the charity). The steps outlined inwards a higher house were used for the personal cards.

Total points earned: 25,000 (21,000 inwards spending, plus category bonuses [see below] on nutrient too component supplies; my taxation neb represented one-half my spending)

Step 3 – Be smart with spending

Get category bonuses
In the moving-picture exhibit Up inwards the Air, George Clooney’s grapheme never wastes an chance to earn points. I’m the same way. I never, ever, ever just earn i indicate per dollar spent if I tin give the sack acquire 2, 3, or 6 points per dollar spent.

Certain cards have got what are known equally category bonuses, where you lot have 2–5 points per dollar spent. It varies past times card, but generally, you lot acquire 2 points on restaurants, 2–3 on airfare, too 5 on component supplies. Here’s a listing of the cards I exercise regularly too their spending bonuses:

• American Express EveryDay Preferred: 3 points per dollar spent on groceries (up to $6,000 annually)
• American Express Premier Rewards Gold: 3 miles per dollar spent on flights
• Citi ThankYou Premier: 3 points per dollar spent on groceries; 2 points per dollar spent on hotels
• Chase Sapphire Preferred: 2 points per dollar spent on food
• Chase Ink Bold: 5 points per dollar spent at component render stores or concern expenses (up to $50,000 annually); 2 points per dollar spent on hotels

For example, if I am buying an airline ticket, I’ll exercise my American Express Premier Gold too acquire 3 miles for every dollar I spend. I purchase gift cards at Staples on my Chase Ink menu to acquire 5 points per dollar spent. I pay my energy cell on that menu too!

Why acquire i indicate at a fourth dimension when you lot tin give the sack acquire five?

But at that spot are also a few other ways to acquire bonuses, too:

Use airline shopping portals
All airlines, hotels, too move brands have got preferred merchants. These companies — ranging from have on retailers to sporting expert stores to component render businesses too everything inwards betwixt — partner with airlines’ (hotels’, etc.) special shopping malls. By ordering online through these malls, you lot tin give the sack earn additional points.

You tin give the sack exercise Evreward or Cash Back Monitor to discovery the electrical current best deals across diverse programs. Simply type inwards the merchant or production you lot want, too it volition compile a listing of bonuses the diverse indicate programs are offering at that minute hence tin give the sack you lot maximize the programs to purchase from.

Say, for example, you lot desire novel wearing clothing from the Gap. Going into the Gap store gets you lot i indicate per dollar spent. By using Evreward, you lot tin give the sack consider that past times going the United shopping portal, signing in, clicking the link to Gap, too purchasing online you lot tin give the sack earn 3 points per dollar spent. Suddenly, you lot acquire 300 points instead of 100 for your $100 shopping spree!

Shopping portals 2.0
While purchasing online is groovy too tin give the sack atomic number 82 to earning multiple points per dollar spent, you lot tin give the sack stack offers to acquire double too triple the amount of points! For example, if you lot expire to Sears through American Airlines’ portal too purchase a $100 gift card, you lot acquire 3 AA points per dollar spent. Go dorsum through the portal to exercise the gift menu for $100 inwards trade too acquire some other 3 points for total of 6 points for $100 spent. This way you lot earn 600 AA points instead of the 300 you lot would have got gotten if you lot had just made your purchase straight through the online portal inwards the get-go place. Remember, if you lot just walk into a Sears store, you’ll exclusively acquire 100 points for that $100 USD purchase!

So if I used my AA credit card, I would acquire 700 points total (600 inwards bonus points plus the 100 from spending) or I could acquire 600 AA points too 100 Chase points if I used a Chase card.

Dining rewards programs
Just similar shopping portals, airlines also have got dining rewards programs. You sign upwards with your frequent flier number, register your credit card, too acquire extra points when you lot dine at participating restaurants inwards the airline’s network (which rotate throughout the year). It’s of import to notation that piece you lot tin give the sack sign upwards for every program, you lot cannot register a credit menu with to a greater extent than than one. That agency that if your Chase Sapphire Preferred menu is tied to your American Airlines account, you lot can’t earn miles on your United Airlines concern human relationship with that same card.

Join i of the programs inwards the Rewards Network (they run all the dining programs) hence you lot tin give the sack acquire 5 miles per dollar spent i time you lot became a “VIP member,” which happens later 12 dines. So if you lot acquire those 12 nether your belt (so to speak) early on inwards the year, for the repose of the twelvemonth you’ll live racking upwards 5 points per dollar spent!

A notation on keeping rails of all this: As I was writing this post, I went to dinner with a few friends. My buddy Noah was similar “This is equally good much to hold rails of.” That’s a mutual feeling alongside people looking to start move h4ck1ng. However, it appears to a greater extent than complicated than it truly is. Once you lot know what cards give you lot what bonuses, the side past times side mensuration is to just exercise the cards that acquire those bonuses too come across your goals.

For example, equally I mentioned above, all my airfare goes to my American Express Gold card. I acquire 3 miles per dollar spent, too this is what provides a mass of my yearly AMEX points. For restaurants, I exercise Chase Sapphire since I acquire 2 points per dollar. For online shopping, I tend to expire to AAdvantage shopping portal equally a way to “juice” my AA account.

You never desire to spread yourself equally good thin, though: having points all over the house volition atomic number 82 you lot to having depression indicate balances inwards multiple accounts. I tend to stick to just a few accounts with my everyday spending: Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, too Citi ThankYou points because they are all transferable to other airlines too hotels. (Note: Since I mostly wing American, I don’t worry nearly edifice miles inwards that concern human relationship equally I acquire them through flying. Most of my concern expenses expire to Starwood SPG hence I don’t worry nearly edifice a balance at that spot through personal spending.)

Total points earned per year: roughly 150,000 (spending too bonus category dependent)
 

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Step 4 – Rinse too repeat on the manufactured spending

There are some people inwards the move h4ck1ng reason who industry spending similar it’s their job. I have got a friend who processes $10-20,000 a calendar month inwards gift cards. That’s equally good much operate for me. I’m busy too don’t experience similar putting that much attempt into it. However, I exercise a pocket-sized amount of this inwards guild to “juice” my indicate accounts, peculiarly those with category bonus at Staples via my Chase Ink menu that assist offset the $4.95 fee per card. Here’s a diagram of how this works:

I don’t exercise this every calendar month (you can’t exercise it piece traveling) but this helps me offset minimum spending requirements on cards too earn a few extra miles each year.

Total points earned per year: 150,000

(Note: I exercise my Chase Ink concern menu a lot at Staples. I purchase Amazon, iTunes, too eating theatre gift cards to live sure I maximize the 5 points per dollar spent bonus. The number inwards a higher house reflects non exclusively the manufactured spending I exercise but the gift cards I purchase too.)

Step 5 – Sign upwards for every contest, survey, too bargain inwards the world

Airlines too hotels oftentimes offering points too bonuses for signing upwards for a deal, taking a survey, filling out a shape on Facebook, etc. The points hither are pocket-sized (100-1,000 at a time) but over the course of study a twelvemonth they tin give the sack add together up. United late gave 1,000 miles to people who signed upwards for their dining program. American Airlines gave you lot 350 miles just for entering a competitor to win to a greater extent than miles!

Moreover, I also exercise the E-Rewards survey program. Every twenty-four hours they shipping me surveys via e-mail too if I have got time, I create total them out. They accept 5-20 minutes each. Each completed survey is worth a sure number of “e-dollars” that tin give the sack live redeemed for points on a number of programs:

Point redemptions vary but $100 inwards e-rewards coin equals 2,000 AAdvantage miles.

Total points earned per year: 25,000

Step 6 – Buy points/miles… sometimes

Airlines too hotels sometimes offering truly expert deals for points/miles and, if I know I am going to exercise them soon, I’ll purchase them at a discount. This basically lets you lot purchase flights for cheaper than booking them. For example, Lifemiles (Avianca’s membership program) oftentimes does a advertisement where you lot tin give the sack acquire a 135% bonus on bought miles. If you lot max the advertisement out, you lot commonly acquire 352,000 miles for some $4,900, but at that rate, you’re buying miles for 1.4 cents per mile, which is an amazing deal. (The closer you lot acquire to 1 cent per mile, the amend the deal! Follow websites similar View from the Wing or One Mile at a Time too they alarm you lot to all these indicate offers, intermission it down, too basically tell you lot if this is a expert bargain or not.)

It may audio crazy to pass that much coin on miles (and you lot for sure don’t demand to exercise it at all), but let’s seat it inwards perspective. For 90,000 miles, you lot tin give the sack volume a one-way fantabulous flying from the USA to Asia. Since you lot spent 1.4 cents per mile, that ticket plant out to live $1,260. Not equally good bad for a fantabulous ticket, huh?

Buying points too miles is a way to pad your balance too purchase tickets at a steep discount. I exercise this sometimes if I’m traveling shortly too know I’m going to paying for the ticket anyways (I don’t ever exercise miles when I travel). It’s non free, but I would rather purchase a fantabulous ticket for $1,260 than an economic scheme ticket for the same price.

Sometimes move h4ck1ng is nearly finding value too doing a chip of arbitrage to acquire to a greater extent than for less!

Points earned: 100,000 points

Step vii – Cancel cards I don’t use

Airline cards have got fees, hence when the yearly fee comes due, I’ll cancel the cards I don’t exercise or that don’t have got a exercise goodness to me. For example, the British Airways card: I used it for the sign-up miles too was done with it. It was canceled. The Hyatt card? It has a $75 yearly fee but it comes with 2 nights costless each year. That’s 2 nights inwards a hotel for $75. I hold that one. The American Airlines personal card? One of the benefits is 10% miles dorsum on redemptions, hence if I redeem for 100,000 miles each year, I acquire 10,000 miles seat dorsum into my concern human relationship — good worth the $95 annual fee.

Canceling cards doesn’t wound your credit score. Old credit lines help, which is why I hold my Discover, Capital One, too a few other cards around. They have got no fees too high limits hence they anchor my credit. As I said before, what is of import is your overall debt-to-credit ratio. So canceling a few cards lowers that ratio, but if I have got no debt it doesn’t matter.

Moreover, I also transfer the credit lines to other cards with that menu fellowship hence that I don’t lose the credit (and that doesn’t fifty-fifty build a grade on my credit score, allow lone a dent!).

Step 8 — Get a 2d circular of credit cards

Twice a year, I expire along a large credit menu splurge too start the bike again. I’ll await at what I canceled too what I need. Since many operators require a waiting menstruation betwixt bonuses, I’ll aim for cards I haven’t had inwards a long fourth dimension equally good equally which have got some other sign-up bonus.

Then later I acquire the novel cards, I’ll repeat mensuration 2 to come across whatever minimum spending requirements.

Total points earned: 200,000-300,000

Total points earned: roughly 975,000 per twelvemonth ± 50,000

(The inwards a higher house tricks don’t count all the miles I earn via concern expenses, which add together upwards to an additional pair hundred G miles a year, putting me good over i 1000000 miles earned.)

A lot of this materials depends on fourth dimension too effort. If I got to a greater extent than credit cards, I could earn more. If I spent to a greater extent than money, I could earn more. I just don’t tending enough. I have got to a greater extent than miles than I need. I wing my squad some on miles. I wing myself anywhere miles. I give miles to my mom.

By using the viii steps outlined inwards this article, the heaven is the boundary on how many miles you lot tin give the sack earn. It just depends on how much you lot desire to ramp upwards each step. As I said before, my 1000000 miles per twelvemonth is a pocket-sized number compared to some of the other travel h4ck3rs out there.

It is possible to earn to a greater extent than miles than you lot volition demand to move too wing for free. Even if you lot move exclusively i time a year, just desire to see your parents, or aspire to accept your solid unit of measurement on i trip, you lot tin give the sack exercise it.

Travel h4ck1ng doesn’t have got to live complicated. It’s uncomplicated too accessible to everyone.

The Ultimate Guide to Travel Hacking
For to a greater extent than data on how to earn points too miles that you lot tin give the sack exercise toward costless travel, depository fiscal establishment check out The Ultimate Guide to Travel Hacking. This volume shows you lot just how to accept coin out of the move equation too exercise frequent flier programs to acquire costless flights too hotel rooms.  The strategies inwards this volume volition acquire you lot out of your solid faster, cheaper, too inwards comfort.

Click hither to acquire to a greater extent than too start reading it today!

Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips too Tricks

Book Your Flight
Find a inexpensive flying past times using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my 2 favorite search engines because they search websites too airlines some the globe hence you lot ever know no rock is left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation
You tin give the sack volume your hostel with Hostelworld equally they have got the largest inventory. If you lot desire to rest somewhere other than a hostel, exercise Booking.com equally they consistently render the cheapest rates for guesthouses too inexpensive hotels. I exercise them all the time.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance volition protect you lot against illness, injury, theft, too cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection inwards instance anything goes wrong. I never expire along a trip without it equally I’ve had to exercise it many times inwards the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for 10 years. My favorite companies that offering the best service too value are:

• World Nomads (for everyone below 70)
• Insure My Trip (for those over 70)

Looking for the best companies to relieve coin with?
Check out my resource page for the best companies to exercise when you lot travel! I listing all the ones I exercise to relieve coin when I move – too that volition relieve you lot fourth dimension too coin too!

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Sumber https://www.nomadicmatt.com

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