100 ways this hobby has altered your life

italdesign

Level 2 Member
Let's see if we can get to 100. I'll start.

1. You're always a week/month/year behind on mail. And no, Dear Chase/Citi, I don't want any of your 50 balance transfer offers from last week.

2. Paying for an ordinary merchandise is never as simple as using "a" credit card.

3. You are not just you. You are your mother, father, significant other, and/or siblings... at least when it comes to making complicated phone calls concerning their accounts.
 

pointsaholic

Level 2 Member
So many ways this hobby has changed my lives -

5. I have a new appreciation for gas stations

6. I have a gazillion restaurant gift cards either from SBS or buying at Staples or Kroger (for gas points)

7. I pay much less for gas

8. Instead of 3 or 4 vacations a year, we go somewhere nice almost every month.

9. I am able to give very nice wedding presents to close friends or relatives

10. I can fly back to where my family is for special occasions without a thought and so can my kids and SO's kid

11. I can stay in hotels until 4pm

12. I have access to Centurion club and Admiral's club

13. I make lots of huge purchases at the grocery store
 

pillow25

Level 2 Member
15. This hobby lets me take trips that I couldn't dream of and lets me travel pretty much wherever and whenever I want. I can't even tell you how many shocked expressions I get when I say that my plane ticket cost $11.20 or $36.20. Or when a $200 hotel room was free / 4000 points. Now instead of seeing old college friends once every few years, I can see them a few times every year depending on schedules.

16. It's given me a new appreciation for financial savvy.

17. Friends don't let friends pay the $450 AmEx Platinum fee without telling them how to game the system. Seriously, I have friends who pay the $450 fee every year without knowing about the GE credit or the $200 fee credit.
 

italdesign

Level 2 Member
19. Friends also don't let friends keep most cards more than 13 months**

** AF refunded if cancel within 30-60 days of anniversary.
 

pillow25

Level 2 Member
You have my curiosity. Which program lets you do that now? I can only think of the UR-Amtrak-Choice thing.
Lol think way simpler than that. I booked a room at the Sheraton Metairie (NOLA) for 1 night during Mardi Gras weekend for 4k points (I had a Tuesday 6 AM departure, so I wanted to be close to the airport for Monday night). That room was going for $209 that night.
 

italdesign

Level 2 Member
Lol think way simpler than that. I booked a room at the Sheraton Metairie (NOLA) for 1 night during Mardi Gras weekend for 4k points (I had a Tuesday 6 AM departure, so I wanted to be close to the airport for Monday night). That room was going for $209 that night.
this can only mean one thing. I need more SPG points. It has been too long that i no longer think of it.
 

kristian

Level 2 Member
Similar to your number #1 but in the opposite direction, Why do I always pay my mortgage so damn early and often have utilities paid up 6 months in advance:)
 

italdesign

Level 2 Member
when ppl ask how many credit cards you have, your reply is not in # of cards, but boxes/wallets. You might also seek clarification: is that including the expired ones?
 

InstinctX

Level 2 Member
More organized... when it comes to running errands to maximize my time (WM are a trek for me)

Higher credit and FICO scores!!!
 

R.R.

Level 2 Member
27 (I think). I have a new and exponentially-greater appreciation for Target! (And I now know where four of them are locally, instead of just one.)

28. I have a greater appreciation for Amex.

Re-numbering due to concurrent posting:

32. I now wouldn't dream of paying my student loan directly from my checking account, as I used to.

33. I have more tracking spreadsheets than I used to (with which I can dazzle my spouse).

34. I can probably retire earlier, due to greater savings directly attributable to lower travel spending.

35. I now have experience buying MO's (never bought one previously).

36. I now know where Staples is (always visited Office Depot before).
 
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Malvina

Level 2 Member
29. More time with DH.
Trips to WM, Target, banks. Evening discussions of next day plans.

30. Advanced math skills.

31. Advanced negotiation tactics.
Need improvement in reading and comprehension, especially of some Matt's posts.:)
 

James from BNA

VR Jacket Guy
33. I get 3-5 e-mails/phone calls a week from random people. They always start with "Hey, so and so told me you know a lot about credit cards and you know how to travel for almost free. Can I ask you a couple questions?"

34. My children have flown/traveled more in their first 3 years of life than I flew in my first 21 years of life.

35. Co-workers ask "Hey James, where you going this weekend?"

36. A few banks in town broke up with me.

37. I see life through an MS lens. Whenever I'm driving in a new place, I immediate notice CVS, Staples, Valero, Target, WM, grocery stores, etc and think "I should stop in there and make a couple hundred dollars while I'm here."
 

R.R.

Level 2 Member
Haha, well, I guess my re-numbering attempt above didn't work... Anyway, we've got ~42 items now. Almost halfway there!
 

italdesign

Level 2 Member
44. It doesn't feel as life-threatening after a while when you walk into a Walmart with $10,000 of MO/GC.

45. When the cashier exclaims, "wow, this is the biggest purchase I've ever done," you just roll your eyes.

46. You spend hours trying to figure out whether the terminals at an airport are connected airside so you can go to a better lounge in a different terminal.
 

swazzie

Level 2 Member
47. You look a little closer at the Sunday paper for money-making MS opportunities.

48. Authorized users becomes a good thing.

49. You become a little more social because of doing MS tasks, joining forums, and attending events :)
 

italdesign

Level 2 Member
50. You frequently coach grocery and discount store cashiers through the process of loading money into prepaid card accounts.
59. Airline reps learn more from you than their training.

60. You become more forgetful in general because all your brain function is now occupied by things like all the 3-letter airport codes in the world, how much you need to swipe on each card today, and so on.
 
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Jawa

Level 2 Member
61. You once dated a walmart cashier to make it easier to load BB.
62. You deliberately plan travel during bad weather hoping for flight cancellations so you can stay in a hotel for points and get it reimbursed via travel insurance from your CC.
63. The only cash you carry comes from fee free atms using your two (per SS#) A4Ts loaded with amex GCs purchased via TCB when the bonus was bumped to 2.25%.
64. You started carrying an extra wallet to hold all your prepaid/reloadable cards
65. You spent an hour arguing with apple fanboy coworker that GW is superior to apple pay...because it allows you to generate fee free AA miles via UFB direct in the fine tradition of AP circles.
66. You have become an avid supporter of the boys and girls club of delaware and their prepaid debit card that allows $2500 daily CC loading and has billpay https://www.getdebitcard.net
 
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