Are you a master or slave to this hobby?

[italdesign]

I think I'm 80% master, 20% slave. I only MS and sign up for cards that I can use soon (and I get pickier as time goes on), and most of my trips are my dear brainchildren. However, there are a few exceptions every year, where points/certs will expire/devaluate, so I must find a way to use them, some of which are rather forced, meaning I wouldn't take the trip if I didn't have the constraint (or I would have taken it at a different time), and it doesn't excite me much, but I can't bear the thought of not at least get moderate value out of my points, so onto these few trips of lukewarm interest I go. That's the slave part. Sometimes it works well and I end up really enjoying the place. Other times it's as meh as it sounded. I have one right now where I'm trying to decide if I should just forget about it and focus on my other interesting trips. At some point it becomes a problem more than an opportunity. The decision of course varies case by case.

On the earning side, I always chuckle when someone says "ah there's 2 grocery stores, 3 pharmacies and 5 gas stations on the way home, I can't resist doing more MS, even though I hardly need it."

 

[Matt S NYC]

I think I'm 80% master, 20% slave. I only MS and sign up for cards that I can use soon (and I get pickier as time goes on), and most of my trips are my dear brainchildren. However, there are a few exceptions every year, where points/certs will expire/devaluate, so I must find a way to use them, some of which are rather forced, meaning I wouldn't take the trip if I didn't have the constraint (or I would have taken it at a different time), and it doesn't excite me much, but I can't bear the thought of not at least get moderate value out of my points, so onto these few trips of lukewarm interest I go. That's the slave part. Sometimes it works well and I end up really enjoying the place. Other times it's as meh as it sounded. I have one right now where I'm trying to decide if I should just forget about it and focus on my other interesting trips. At some point it becomes a problem more than an opportunity. The decision of course varies case by case.

On the earning side, I always chuckle when someone says "ah there's 2 grocery stores, 3 pharmacies and 5 gas stations on the way home, I can't resist doing more MS, even though I hardly need it."

I think I have trained myself to be 80-20 like you. It used to be 50-50 and it was awful. Having some restraint - not doing something just because I can - has made me a happier person. I still sign up for cards and horde points that it will take me 2+ years to use, but I've cut down my weekend liquidation excursions to $5k-$10k/week rather than $20k. I guess I've made up some of that ground by finding PJ liquidation methods, but cutting my time in Walmarts in half has made a real difference to my quality of life.

 

[italdesign]

I still sign up for cards and horde points that it will take me 2+ years to use

Sure, I'll horde when it's low effort high reward. Otherwise I'm of the opinion that a high balance, esp if earned in "devious" ways, puts you at a higher risk. The more you have, the more you have to lose. And there's not much insurance for this game. In any case I burn as much as my vacation days allow and never look back.

 

[Matt S NYC]

Sure, I'll horde when it's low effort high reward. Otherwise I'm of the opinion that a high balance, esp if earned in "devious" ways, puts you at a higher risk. The more you have, the more you have to lose. And there's not much insurance for this game. In any case I burn as much as my vacation days allow and never look back.

Yeah, I've done a couple of risky things on my Chase Freedom accounts (gaming the 5% categories) that hopefully don't catch up with me. I'm about to clear 480k points out of the accounts for 2 pax RT JFK-Seoul-Auckland on Korean First. I'll be much less concerned about any adverse action once I do that redemption. I don't worry about Amex and Citi at all. It's Chase that always has me thinking, should I really be hording these points?

 

[GettingReady]

Definitely not a. Master. Probably a semi slave but that seems to be my "MO" whenever I'm learning something new. I have a tendency to immerse myself in it.

I'm just not sure if it's sustainable or if the cost/benefit is worth it once we retire. I know I'll always play to a degree because I enjoy saving money. However, there's so many last minute deals, and when there's no time constraints, it would be easy to take off when one comes up.

 

[damanjeff6]

Almost 100% slave. Any free time I have, I'm msing. No time for lunch with coworkers. No time for other hobbies. It's been months since I last spent a whole weekend relaxing at home.

 

[raenye]

I sometimes view it as a passtime.
Option A: watch a movie, pay $5; option B: buy and liquidate, make $50.
Both options put brain on neutral for two hours.

 

[italdesign]

Almost 100% slave. Any free time I have, I'm msing. No time for lunch with coworkers. No time for other hobbies. It's been months since I last spent a whole weekend relaxing at home.

I think if you enjoy it, then it's not total slavery. I hope you are still enjoying it

 

[R.R.]

I'd like to think I'm 100% Master. I do AOR's and MS based strategically on upcoming trips in planning -- though there's theoretically no limit to my cashback needs since I'm still not financially ready to retire, and I'm otherwise saving aggressively for early retirement. And I do not forego family, social, or artistic time in order to MS, but rather, do it in my truly free time, of which I seem to have enough.

My DS, on the other hand, recently sent me a text message when I was spending a good part of the final week of October chasing down those $500 VGC's at OfficeMax's locally: "Wow you sure are addicted LOL" And we all know addiction = slave.

 

[Someone]

At one point it might have been 50/50 for me, but now it's more like 90/10 m/s. About the only time I feel "down" about this hobby is when I'm standing in line at my ghetto Walmart. My FD is even more ghetto, but the wait is always short and the people don't have such bad attitudes so it doesn't bother me.

I find that ms'ing for CB feels more rewarding because I'm directly earning money at a calculable (and high) rate, rather than acquiring future travel at a discount (regardless of the redemption value.) I also enjoy the hunt for new opportunities or figuring out how to stack opportunities to get well beyond "5x"

My advice is to only do the stuff you enjoy. "Free" plane tickets aren't worth standing in lines for hours when you could've been playing with your young kids (or whatever other thing greatly appeals to you.)

 

[smittytabb]

I am not a slave to the MS hobby, but rather to travel. I have been like this for a very long time, like since I was 21. MS is merely a supporting venture. I'd be traveling anyway in a different manner!

 

[Barefootwoman]

I'd say a semi-slave, but only in the past few months, due to the WF unlimited CB card.... my grandmother used to say that money doesn't grow on trees, but now I'd have to respectfully disagree with her assertion. When it's there to be picked, hard to look away, particularly when the bank gives you a daily reminder of the calendar countdown.

2016 will be different..more reaping and enjoying (fingers crossed!)

 

[Toni Perkins]

Fellow slave right here! I haul all four of my kids all over town for hours and hours on end while they throw fits and have meltdowns while I try to load a card, buy gas, etc. But I just can't help it. In obsessed and addicted. We do have a lot of fun times, too, but there are definitely times I question if it's even worth it. PS, it is!

 

[mrsjon01]

Slave to travel, master of nothing.

 

[rizwank]

I've definitely bounced levels where I was a slave to to the hobby rather than vice versa. Having a busy career and family life helps me find some sort of boundaries though.

 

[SOC 787]

Yeah, I've done a couple of risky things on my Chase Freedom accounts (gaming the 5% categories) that hopefully don't catch up with me. I'm about to clear 480k points out of the accounts for 2 pax RT JFK-Seoul-Auckland on Korean First. I'll be much less concerned about any adverse action once I do that redemption. I don't worry about Amex and Citi at all. It's Chase that always has me thinking, should I really be hording these points?

nice, so that's 120k one-way from JFK to NZ... I'm guessing you booked this from Korean's own mileage program after transferring points in?

 

[Matt S NYC]

nice, so that's 120k one-way from JFK to NZ... I'm guessing you booked this from Korean's own mileage program after transferring points in?

Exactly. It's not booked yet. I have to wait until December before I can start booking it.

 

[janetdoe]

I'm definitely slave to mistake rates. I acquire points and miles when it's easy/cheap and I have time, but I'm a sucker for a $400 TATL or TPAC in J/F, and have definitely let those overpower my schedule for the past couple of years. Thank goodness for the 24-hour cancel rule, that has saved my rear a few times when I wake up after a booking binge.

 

[aerovol]

I think I'm a master to MS, I will only do it when I have a bonus spend I need to meet. I won't do it just do to do it, although it has crossed my mind. At the end of the day, I just need to spent the points in my account before I acquire more (unless I have a specific goal in mind).

However, I'm definitely a slave to the game. Always planning what will be included in my next AoR.

 

[R.R.]

Always planning what will be included in my next AoR.

Oh, yes, so true! Can't resist planning, tweeking, adjusting, revising the AoR spreadsheet all quarter long until the big day!

 

[italdesign]

I'm a slave to decision making. Should I get on this deal or skip it? What's the chance that I can pull off taking 3 more days than I have? Vs 5 days? If going to that FD in that sketchy nabe increased my chance of being murdered by 500%, is it worth it? Who am I again (for this phone call)? Oh yeah, __insert family member__.

 

[Fuerza]

Fellow slave right here! I haul all four of my kids all over town for hours and hours on end while they throw fits and have meltdowns while I try to load a card, buy gas, etc. But I just can't help it. In obsessed and addicted. We do have a lot of fun times, too, but there are definitely times I question if it's even worth it. PS, it is!

You're a better person than I. No way I could haul my daughter around while doing MS. I can barely get my 10 year old to MS.

I've gravitated toward reselling and 5% rewards and sign up bonuses. I can't stand going to WM or CVS anymore.

 

[italdesign]

You're a better person than I.

That really depends on the perspective...

 

[ashishsg]

I was carried away as well, spending too much time on it. Cutting back now and multi tasking on every trip!

 

[DanT]

I don't consider myself a "master" of MS. I try not to let it rule my time which is easier for me as I don't do it as an income supplement as a few die hard people seem to do but as a way to take my family on vacations we either couldn't or wouldn't otherwise or at least in more comfort. My free time is fairly limited so I tend to concentrate on the most time efficient and/or highest cost/benefit methods even so MS does feel like a chore at times. The game is constantly changing so like everyone else I spend time keeping up with new methods on top of time spent on MS. It's easy to see how this hobby could become an obsession and a real time sink if I pushed a little harder but like most things in life it works better for me to do it in moderation.

 

[italdesign]

in the spirit of not being a total travel slave, I just turned down $25/night at a 4.5* hotel in Phuket in Apr, even though it's the #1 or #2 place I want to go next yr. Too hot and doesn't fit my schedule well. I'm now very selective on when I go to places also. In this case I'll go when it's cooler, which I know I'll enjoy more.

 

[Ken S]

About the only thing that seems like a slave role to me is transferring the VGC to Money orders or BB. I'm thinking there has to Be a better way to do this but I haven't figured that part out yet.

 

[inflightmeal]

Slave here. But that's due to some current variables that are in play:

- Freelance and not full-time with work
- Recently married so celebrating that
- Available MS methods

Though lots of our MS faves have gone away in recent times, that's just pushed my research deeper because of my first two variables.

 

[Debrae0322]

Fellow slave right here! I haul all four of my kids all over town for hours and hours on end while they throw fits and have meltdowns while I try to load a card, buy gas, etc. But I just can't help it. In obsessed and addicted. We do have a lot of fun times, too, but there are definitely times I question if it's even worth it. PS, it is!

Ugh! I am happy my kids are in school and I have more time for going all over town. They cringe when they hear the word, "Office Max" and rightly so. I do gently remind them about the wonderful trips we will be able to enjoy with all the points, but they have a hard time not living in the now. They were off this week during the OM deal, so I recruited Gramma to watch them for the day, or else I would have had the same experience as you. Sooo thankful for Gramma! Now I'm off to WM to unload!

 

[knarayan]

I am waiting for my kids to go off so that I can travel more. Currently our entire life is built around them and I have no regrets about that whatsoever. We have been around with them to a few places and the joy that I see in them on visiting new places, cultures etc cannot be bought. As they grow older, the hope is they will appreciate the time and the places that we have been together as a family.

 

[DazeEnd]

There's been a learning curve to finding balance in MS for me. 2014 was a bad year with way to much wasted time in Walmart. 2015 was better. I set a goal to get status for my business traveler wife, and only did things that furthered that goal (rather than make points just for the sake of making points). Spending time in Target rather than Walmart also helped my outlook. In 2016, with the demise of Redbird, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I've already decided to pass by any methods that require trips to Walmart. If something else comes along, I'll jump on it. Otherwise it might be a quiet year for me points-wise.