Featured
CategoryHow to win at the @FTU Blackjack tournament
Next week there will be a confluence of frequent flyer people in Vegas. Apparently there is the FreddieAwards on Thursday and then FTU on Friday/Saturday. Friday evening there i..
Mattress running for Hyatt stays and bonus points
Pure mattress running for hotel elite status rarely makes sense: you only receive status benefits for nights you stay, so the further away from elite status you are, the less wor..
You (and I) Have Probably Been Valuing Miles All Wrong.
Quick recap: Miles are dead, yadda, yadda, yadda…
—
What’s the value you earned from using your miles instead of buying a ticket in cash? This is an important metric to use;
Extend Make-or-Buy Analysis to Your Travels
Miles are addictive. This addiction causes two types of actions in almost all afflicted parties: Greed for more miles and Hoarding of existing stock. Today we’ll discuss the h..
Episode 28 – Interview with airfarewatchdog’s president George Hobica
Episode Description
Wherein we discuss low fares and much more with George Hobica, the president and founder of www.airfarewatchdog.com! Listen to find out more about
When the Fun Stops
If you’ve ever visited Las Vegas, you’ve no doubt seen the constant parade of advertisements run by the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling, with the campaign slogan “When the Fun
The concept of loyalty and the Wyndham Rewards revaluation
I had an interesting exchange on Twitter the other day with Seth, the Wandering Aramean, who was arguing in response to Trevor at Tagging Miles that loyalty currencies are on a
Am I mainly a domestic traveler? Does it matter?
The idea for this post came to me last weekend when a reader I met in DC suggested that I’m “mainly a domestic traveler,” in contrast to his own travel
Earn cash first, spend cash last
Last week I wrote about the option of redeeming Wells Fargo’s Go Far reward points for 1.22 cents each when using them to purchase Hyatt gift cards (an offer that’s
The New Old 5x Method For Buying Gift Cards
About a year ago, I had heard about a new app for text messaging where I thought “Great.. Another app that will likely be bloatware.” The text messaging app had
List Of Free/Cheap Food (from referral and signup bonuses)
Given that we have eaten out most of the time for the last 5 years, we’ve learned how to do it for cheap. Which is really easy, as most of the
How to meet your favorite blogger (as long as it's me)
I love meeting readers, for a lot of reasons. It lets me get a sense of what kind of people are attracted to this site, and what they like about
Redeem Wells Fargo "Go Far" rewards for Hyatt gift cards
Maybe you got in on the Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond status match in time. Maybe you didn’t.But if you have a Wells Fargo credit card that’s earning 5 “Go Far”
Going by train
I’ve now travelled on a substantial minority of long-haul Amtrak routes, depending on your definition:Empire Builder (entire route, both directions)Coast Starlight (entire route,..
Anatomy of an Award Trip: Spring Break in San Francisco
If you follow me on Twitter (as you should!) you know I spent last week in San Francisco. It was only upon returning that I realized I hadn’t posted an
Do this now: register for 2016 second quarter cash back bonuses
Second quarter registration is now open for credit cards earning quarterly rotating bonuses, and it’s shaping up to be a pretty lucrative quarter.Chase FreedomBetween April 1 and..
You should always book one-way tickets, except when you shouldn't
Not just among travel hackers, but also in the civilian population, the conventional wisdom for a long time has been that it’s usually better to make roundtrip airline reservatio..
Basis, hoarding, and devaluation
Last week a reader wrote in to suggest that I address the topic of saving up miles and points for emergencies, which gave me an excuse to think about two
A belated 2015 end-of-year accounting
For the last two years, I’ve shared an accounting of my year in earning and burning miles and points (2013 and 2014). A reader recently reached out and asked whether
Redeeming rump point balances
If having too many points in a single program is one kind of problem, both because of the increased exposure to devaluations and the fact that the least valuable point
How much do you charge friends and family for travel?
Travel hacking is a specialized combination of knowledge, skills, and opportunities, plus of course making the time to take advantage of them. For those willing to invest in this..
What revealed preferences have taught me about valuing miles and points
One fascination of the miles and points community is “valuing” their loyalty currencies. This should be, in principle, one of the most important aspects of an earning strategy: e..
Exceptions, exemptions, and exclusions from hotel rewards and benefits
After 4 years involved in travel hacking, I still find myself learning something new almost every week. For example, since until this year I’d never had Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond