Travel for “Free”

Intro to Points & Miles

Art Leyenberger
Kathleen Hunter
Our Free Travel (Art & Kathleen)
• In the last year or so….
• Round trip Prem. Econ - Orlando
• Round trip Biz - Amsterdam/Basel Switz
• 2 nights hotel Amsterdam and 2 nights Basel
• Round trip BIZ – Berlin
• 6 nights hotel
• Round trip BIZ – Scotland
• 2 nights hotel Glasgow and 2 nights Edinburgh
• Round trip BIZ Tennessee
• Already booked
• Round trip BIZ – upcoming Portugal DCC trip in April 2024
• Round trip prem. Econ Budapest Oct 2023 (Kathleen)
• Lounges
• AMEX Centurian w/Pers or Biz Platinum
• Priority Pass (free w/AMEX Plat, Cap 1, others)
• When flying Biz, access to airlines own lounges

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Myths/Urban Legends
• Myth – More credit cards hurt your credit score
• (ex) Credit Utilization
• $100k credit limit over 4 cards
• $10k outstanding debt at a point in time = 10% utilization
• Adding another CC with $25k limit
• Now you have $125k credit limit
• That same $10k outstanding debt is now 8% utilization
• Of course, other factors impact your credit score…
• On time payments, longest held credit card, # of credit inquiries, etc.

• Myth – The more you fly the more points you get
• Used to be that way
• Now, it’s how much you spend and when

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Do’s & Don’ts
• Don’t
• Carry a balance- if so, then Points & Miles does not make sense
• Use points to buy stuff (e.g. shopping)- BAD value
• Be afraid to get CCs with AF – if it makes sense
• Cancel CC until after 1 year when the next AF hits
• Do
• Focus on Transferable Currencies
• (bank cc rather than airline or hotel)
• Take advantage of short term offers (new card welcome bonuses, transfer
bonuses, referrals)
• Be flexible on dates
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Best 1st CC – Chase Sapphire Preferred
• 60k UR points WB (welcome bonus) after $4k spend in 3 months
• $95 annual fee
• That’s $0.0016 per point when you can reasonably get 2-4 cents per point
value depending on airline/hotel availability, bonus offers, etc.
• 3x dining, 2x travel, 5x Lyft, 5x travel done via Chase travel, and more
• Can’t get it if you already have Chase Sapphire card (either Preferred
or Reserve)
• No foreign transaction fees
• Beware Chase 5/24 rule

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Another Great Starter card – Amex Gold
• 60k MR points WB (welcome bonus) after $4k spend in 6 months
• $250 annual fee
• That’s $0.0042 per point when you can reasonably get 4 cents (or more) per
point value depending on airline/hotel availability, bonus offers, etc.
• 4x dining, 4x grocery, 3x flights boked via Amex travel, 1x all other
• Amex Offers
• No foreign transaction fees

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Business card – Amex Biz Platinum
• 120k MR points WB (welcome bonus) after $15k spend in 3 months
• $695 annual fee
• That’s $0.0058 per point when you can reasonably get 4 cents (or more) per point value depending on
airline/hotel availability, bonus offers, etc.
• Credits
• $400 / year Dell (two $200 per year)
• $120 wireless
• $189 Clear / year
• $200 airline fee / year
• $100 refund TSA pre-check – Global Entry every 4 years
• 5X flights and prepaid hotels at AmexTravel.com
• Fine Hotels & resorts $100 credit + breakfast for 2) / Hotel collection ($100 credit, min 2 nights)-
• Centurion Lounge access
• Marriott and Hilton Gold status
• Rental Car elite status
• Amex Offers
• Emergency evacuation
• No foreign transaction fees
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How do you “Travel for ‘Free’”?
• Decide where to go
• Use a tool like point.me to find availability and points cost
• Ensure you already have (or open) a FF account for that airline
• Check availability on airline site before xfering points
• Transfer the points from your stash into the your airline FF account
• Book the flight with points
• Real time example…
• Point.me

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Advanced Techniques
• 2 player mode
• Bonus transfers
• Business cards – won’t impact Chase 5/24 rule
• Shopping portals (e.g. Rakuten)
• Earn $$$ or points on regular on line spend
• Different than using points to buy stuff
• New members can get $40 free rebate with referral (see me if interested)
• Stacking
• 3 R’s
• Reconsideration – nuances, auth users
• Referrals – extra points for you and points for friends/family (2 player mode)
• Retention – bonuses for CC renewal, no credit check, extra points!

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Resources
• Frequentmiler.com
• Monthly Q&A
• Weekly podcast
• Facebook group with knowledgeable and helpful travelers
• Point.me
• Finding free travel
• Award Wallet
• Managing all CC points & miles in one place
• Travel Freely
• Managing CCs, renewal dates, Chase 5/24, etc.

Share the Wealth

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