How do you airmile?

[Le Poisson]

Someone help me get smart...

I'm trying to figure out how these great travel deals work. I hear about folks travelling around the world for $50 using airmiles, but I seem unable to make it work.

What are the ingredients for a great deal?

Right now I am trying to find a way to fly the family to Florida for winter vacation. Toronto to JAX would cost me $1375 on orbitz. Using BMO's travel rewards (supposedly the best travel card available to me), its $1106.

Are 35000 airmiles really only worth $270??

Is there some trick I am missing? If this is the case, then the math for taking on the premium credit card is out to lunch.

[Melf]

I believe to key to making it all work is 'churning' a lot of credit cards for the bonus's and 'manufactured spending'.  I just can't bring myself to do the manufactured spending due to the fact that it seems as though it would be a hassle and seems a little like cheating.  I know it's just kind of taking advantage of the credit card companies who are taking every opportunity to rip off their customers but still.  The manufactured spending boils down to getting a credit card with a sign-up bonus, using said card to buy certain gift cards, using those gift cards to purchase money orders and then depositing those money orders back into your checking account and then paying off the credit card balance.

I'm just too lazy to go through it all.  I'm having a hard enough time keeping up with the half dozen or so cards that I've taken advantage of the bonus's on.  You need to track all of the cards you're working, make sure you meet the minimum spend in time to earn the bonus, know when to cancel the card to avoid annual fees that you didn't intend to pay, etc.  There's a lot to keep up with but there are people out there churning dozens of cards every year and manufacturing thousands and even tens of thousands of dollars of spending per month.

There is a course that a couple guys teach online to give you the ins and outs of the whole process.  I'll post the link below if I still have it.  If not, there are probably quite a few members on here who've taken the course and are still actively involved with the process and can provide the link.  They have a secure Facebook group for support as well. 

I've taken advantage of some of the credit card bonus's since I've been spending a lot of money for dental work lately.  I've earned the Southwest Airlines companion pass which is good through the end of 2017.  I've also earned some Chase Ultimate Rewards points and Marriott Hotel rewards points.  As far as most rewards points go, I think each point ends up being worth roughly 1 cent.  Some program points are worth less and some slightly more.  Your 35K airmiles worth $270 then doesn't sound that far off depending on the airline.  At 1 cent each that would be $350 and 3/4 cent each would put it closer to $270 I think.

http://www.travelmiles101.com/travel-rewards-course-registration

[boarder42]

sign up for CCs use the points to book flights 

AMEX delta card is 70k points right now.  PM me for a link i get 10k points if you sign up

flights are 19k RT so this would get you 3 flights ... I dunno if the amex delta card is available to canadians though.

The other option would be American airlines cards from Citi they have 50k point cards looks like its 30k points to get there though.

i'm pretty sure there are special canada rules but thats how i do it. 

[StashthatCash]

This website is a great place to start:

http://www.richmondsavers.com/

This is how I learned how to do it.  My wife and I read through this site and we just got back from a 2 week honeymoon in Hawaii that cost us about $400. 

[jacquespluto]

Personally, I prefer the cards that are directly linked to one of the airline or hotel chains.  My personal favorites and the miles I've been able to hack over the last 2.5 yrs. 

United - Chase United - 171k
American Airlines - Citi AA, Barclaycard AAdvantage, 189k
Delta - Delta Amex - 20k left (used about 50k already)
Hilton - Citi Hhonors - 143k (my wife also got the card since this has $0 yearly fee)
SPG - Amex SPG - 29k (used 9k already)

We will be using these miles for some upcoming international trips with my family - Peru/Ecuador Fall 2017, SE Asia early 2018.

Most of the airline miles are from the large signup bonus with some additional miles from a few work related international trips.  The trick is to create a spreadsheet with all the details including signup date, miles earned, yearly fee and if it's waived the first year, etc.  Most of the time fees are waived for the first year so you can hold onto the card for a year and then cancel if you don't want to keep it and pay the yearly fee.  I cancel a few and keep a few due to the benefits they provide (upgrades, early boarding, free checked bags, etc.)

I've also found that it pays to research the card and see if there are special targeted offers in flyertalk or one of the dozen or so great travel hacking blogs.  For example, once or twice a year usually a card will increase the sign-up bonus for a limited time.  So I have a list of my next 2-3 cards I want and I'm just waiting to see which one might have a targeted offer first while I complete my minimum spend requirement for the last card I got.  Wash, rinse, repeat.  Then it will be my wife's turn to sign up for all these cards :)

[Le Poisson]

My question isn't really related to collecting, its more about how you find the deals to cash the points in on.

I guess you really need to get up into the hundreds of thousands of points for this to work.

[dots45]

There are a lot of different credit cards out there and it really depends on your destination and what you want out of it.  For example AA has some off-peak awards that can make US-Europe take less miles than say Delta or United.  As previously mentioned, Flyertalk is an amazing resource.  I post over there from time to time (under a different username though).  There are also some credit cards such as the Barclay Arrival where each point is worth a fixed dollar amount, and you redeem to get a credit on charges.  For those who may not feel comfortable with traditional air miles, this can be a good simple option to get started and save some money.

What air miles do you have?  What kind of dates are you looking at?   One issue is you are looking at booking winter vacation and its already November.  If you are looking to travel during any prime travel periods, you need to be looking at booking at like 10-11 months out, not a month or two beforehand.  Because you aren't going to find availability otherwise most likely.  Also, I don't know how many people are in your family but its a lot harder to find space for 3 or 4 or more people, compared to looking for one seat.  So if you are looking for everyone to fly on miles, you'll definitely have to plan ahead in advance and accumulate a good amount of miles to be able to accomplish that.

[K-ice]

My question isn't really related to collecting, its more about how you find the deals to cash the points in on.

I guess you really need to get up into the hundreds of thousands of points for this to work.

I use the CIBC now TD Aeroplan card.  It's not great.

Most times you need to book well in advance AND be flying off season to find anything.

I fell like often there are no F-ing flights available for where I want to go.  Or the milk run is horrible.

On top of that, the taxes are huge!  We still paid $700 per ticket AND used miles to fly western Canada to Europe.  June to July

Last year we flew a similar flight and only paid $900 no points.

I have heard that the stop-over airport affects the tax rate.  For example, flying thru Toronto is more expensive than Montreal.

So basically I found "cashing in" the points sucks.  To make it slightly better fly during off times and play around with the stop-over airport if possible.

My SO had some point with the Avion card recently.  Couldn't find any good flights. Decided to cash in 15,000 points for one $500 Best-buy card. That seamed like the best deal points to cash wise and was something we would likely use.

I hope that helps.

[FIFoFum]

Over the past 10-15 years, I've played a few of the "easy" travel hack games but don't have the interest, discipline or stomach for the complicated ones. Right now, I don't spend enough to be involved in this, but I do have a sizeable bank of miles to draw on for travel if needed or desired.

The math works best when you can collect the miles or points for $ that someone else is spending. Period. The best collectors of miles, points, and status I know with the least hassle are able to use cc's that work pays for straight out or where work reimburses costs but the person is allowed to keep the miles/points. It used to be easier when miles/points were easier to get and not everyone was reading the internet tips on how to do it.

Otherwise, travel hacks are a medium to long term "game" - super hard to decide at Halloween that you want a family trip on miles/points for that coming Christmas/New Year. It takes time to apply for things, be approved, how points or miles transfer even for IMMEDIATE high mile offers. Some also require you to do "something" over the next 3 months. The steps you take now can you set you up for NEXT winter vacation, maybe summer vacation if you're flexible.

Also, I believe it's way easier for Americans than for Canadians - airfares, options are all different. It's not just about earning the miles or points. You have to be able to redeem them.

Otherwise, there is just tremendous "waste" involved in trying to get the right number of miles or points to do the things you want to do and be able to convert them. In most instances, you are better offer just taking a cash back discount or bonus or a points system that doesn't earn a lot but has more practical redemption uses.

Others have provided some good links to get started.

[jacquespluto]

Yikes, this might be the reason why OP is having a difficult time with flights from Canada.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/09/06/airline-prices-canada-highest-world_n_11876902.html

"It’s little wonder so many Canadians hop across the border for cheaper flights: A new study estimates Canada has the world’s highest costs for international air travel. And by a longshot.

According to a survey by Kiwi.com, Canadians pay an average of US$94.66 per 100 km of international air travel on full-service airlines, compared to US$61.87 in Oman, the second-most expensive country. In the U.S., that averaged just $18.05.

The least expensive country to fly internationally is China, with an average cost of US$2.84, the Kiwi.com survey found."

[RetiredAt63]

Air Miles, sigh.  Sorry, no wonder stories here.

I don't use my Air Mile points for flying, I can never get the flights I want.  I use them for car rentals and hotels.  I found the BMO reward points were better, no fees for bookings.  So I use my MasterCard to pay for my flights and use the points from that and Air Miles to pay for the other travel expenses.

[okits]

If you are looking to travel during any prime travel periods, you need to be looking at booking at like 10-11 months out, not a month or two beforehand.  Because you aren't going to find availability otherwise most likely.  Also, I don't know how many people are in your family but its a lot harder to find space for 3 or 4 or more people, compared to looking for one seat.  So if you are looking for everyone to fly on miles, you'll definitely have to plan ahead in advance and accumulate a good amount of miles to be able to accomplish that.

What dots45 said.

[boarder42]

Over the past 10-15 years, I've played a few of the "easy" travel hack games but don't have the interest, discipline or stomach for the complicated ones. Right now, I don't spend enough to be involved in this, but I do have a sizeable bank of miles to draw on for travel if needed or desired.

The math works best when you can collect the miles or points for $ that someone else is spending. Period. The best collectors of miles, points, and status I know with the least hassle are able to use cc's that work pays for straight out or where work reimburses costs but the person is allowed to keep the miles/points. It used to be easier when miles/points were easier to get and not everyone was reading the internet tips on how to do it.

Otherwise, travel hacks are a medium to long term "game" - super hard to decide at Halloween that you want a family trip on miles/points for that coming Christmas/New Year. It takes time to apply for things, be approved, how points or miles transfer even for IMMEDIATE high mile offers. Some also require you to do "something" over the next 3 months. The steps you take now can you set you up for NEXT winter vacation, maybe summer vacation if you're flexible.

Also, I believe it's way easier for Americans than for Canadians - airfares, options are all different. It's not just about earning the miles or points. You have to be able to redeem them.

Otherwise, there is just tremendous "waste" involved in trying to get the right number of miles or points to do the things you want to do and be able to convert them. In most instances, you are better offer just taking a cash back discount or bonus or a points system that doesn't earn a lot but has more practical redemption uses.

Others have provided some good links to get started.

Travel hacking with manufacturered spend is very easy you do it to get sign up bonuses not the normal points. I currently make 10 bucks per 1500 that I fake spend while getting piles of points.

[clarkfan1979]

My wife and I both have the Alaska Airlines credit card. It's a $75 annual fee. We also get a $99 companion fare every year. Because we have 2 cards, we get 2 companion fares.

We typically buy 3 tickets from Hawaii to the Mainland every year. The typical ticket is around $750 regular price. If you add the companion fare of $99, it's actually around $900 with taxes for 2 tickets. We typically have enough points for our 3rd flight to be free ($12 in airport taxes). In the end, we get 6 round trip flights each year for around $1800. We also get our first checked bag for free ($25) value. Because we use this 3 times a year, this takes care of the $75 annual credit card fee. In the end, our flights average around $300 each, after the discounts.

[GetItRight]

I just fly the same airline for work when I travel and do hotel and car rentals through them for extra points. Slow route to accumulate since I started traveling enough to care but the goal is to get free flights for my SO to join me for a long weekend now and again. Just a bonus rather than a trip we would actually spend money on. I, like others, don't feel it's worth my time to do the manufactured spending for big trips. I'm content with miles and cash back from normal spending and work travel.

[CanuckExpat]

Not an expert, but a couple thoughts: (if I happen to remember when she's awake and free, I'll ask my wife, who I think is closer to an expert)

You are trying to fly at peak time, to a peak location, with short notice. This is going to be hard.
You have a predetermined destination and time-frame in mind, you aren't going to get the best deal ever.
You are flying from Canada, and using Canadian credit cards / points programs. Not as cheap to fly, and the rewards hacking is not as lucrative as the US.

When people talk about travelling around the world for free, they are probably accumulating shit loads of points whenever the opportunity comes. Then they see a cheap flight, or a point redemption bonus or something come up, and they take it. Claiming points when they are cheapest, and then redeeming them for the best deal will get you furthest. But that doesn't help if you want/need to be at a certain place at a certain time.

For example, fairly sure my wife is one of those people. It's not unusual for me to hear something like "we're going to Bora Bora" in a year and a half, or how about Costa Rica "next month", etc. (this has calmed down since we've had to think about paying for son's flight).

Also, an example of the Canada / US thing, and other things that help
Say you could get yourself to Buffalo. Picking arbitrary dates, for two people on Southwest flying from BUF to JAX leaving on Dec 22 and returning Dec 27, it costs $1000 (that sounds very expensive, but I assume it's that peak season, last minute booking thing). Say you have a southwest companion pass, that cost is cut in half because one person flies for free. You can, or at least could, get Southwest companion pass with two credit card applications, and a whole bunch of manufactured spending. In addition, since you would have ended up with a lot of Southwest points through your manufactured spending, so you could use the points inseatd of cash, and the second person flies for free. You are out no cash money other then the costs associated with the credit card applications, manufactured spending, and the airline fees/taxes. Again, you would have spent a shitload of points for that flight, so maybe not the best deal, but perhaps gives you an idea?
I'm probably talking out my ass, I'll forward this on to an expert for her opinion.

This is the kind of thing I gather, but I kind of like it better when free tropical vacations show up in my calendar in advance thanks to someone else doing this dirty work, and I only have to show up and look pretty.

[backyardfeast]

Canadians have a hard time with this one, I think.  I've never been able to make the numbers work for us; the $s earned per mile of travel just never seem to give us much bang for the buck.

What does work well, from watching others here (my mom, in particular), is if you fly regularly to a particular destination and/or one a particular airline, and then sign up for their specific loyalty program.  My mom flies at least 2x a year to the Baja, on one airline.  Signed up for their credit card, and it doesn't take long at all before she accumulates enough points to get free flights or to bring down family members. 

If you do a couple of long-haul flights that earn a lot of points, that also can get you shorter trips more quickly.  But as we don't actually travel very often, and almost exclusively on West Jet, we haven't figured out a good strategy yet, except to watch for seat sales.

Maybe just sign up for the emailed deals for your favorite airline? Sometimes pretty amazing packages do come up at short notice and get emailed out; if you can jump on those it's a pretty simple way to save...

[Le Poisson]

Thanks for the tips everyone - ExPat - that SW Companion pass - is it available this side of the border or is it another US thing?

We can get to BUF, but its a PITA from here. The commute back up here after deboarding is a special sort of unpleasant. Last time it was about 3 hours at 01h00, through a snow storm. This was after coming back from MIA where it was hot-n-sunny for a week.

[RetiredAt63]

Thanks for the tips everyone - ExPat - that SW Companion pass - is it available this side of the border or is it another US thing?

We can get to BUF, but its a PITA from here. The commute back up here after deboarding is a special sort of unpleasant. Last time it was about 3 hours at 01h00, through a snow storm. This was after coming back from MIA where it was hot-n-sunny for a week.

Doesn't even have to be the border - Ottawa was frigid, snowy and super windy when I got back from balmy BC last February.  Hour+ drive home in the dark and the wind and light snow.  At least Ex was doing the driving (in trade for me doing the same for him when he had a flight).

[arebelspy]

Thanks for the tips everyone - ExPat - that SW Companion pass - is it available this side of the border or is it another US thing?

You should be eligible to earn it, but that doesn't mean it'll be useful.  Here's their route map: https://www.southwest.com/flight/routemap_dyn.html

My question isn't really related to collecting, its more about how you find the deals to cash the points in on.

You don't need a "deal" to cash them in--usually you just book.  It's just that you pay a flat rate of points, rather than dollars.  So an international flight that might cost $1200, instead you pay $20 (taxes and fees) and 50k miles.

You don't need a "deal" for this, you just cash in the miles, and pay that flat rate, with the price generally irrelevant (not always--e.g. Southwest--but usually.. most award charts are a flat rate).

I guess you really need to get up into the hundreds of thousands of points for this to work.

Yes, generally flights cost in the area of 10-125k miles, depending on the distance and class (more for first class, or international, for example).  Typical US domestic is 25k round trip.  Typical International is 40-50k.

That's why accumulating points via a dink and dunk system of just putting normal (especially Mustachian) spending on a CC won't ever net you much.  It's the credit card signup bonuses that give you 50k+ that are the lucrative thing.  Sign up for 20 of those, boom, there's a million points in just a few months.

So I think your question should be related to the collecting, cause redeeming isn't too big of a deal, usually (especially if done quite in advance).  :)

[gliderpilot567]

There are tons of techniques, so you should try to figure out one that works the best for your particular situation. Many many blogs and web pages have been written about air-miling and the scene is always changing.

I travel way too much for work, and always try to fly on Alaska Airlines (many trips up to PNW) or American (trips elsewhere - the miles partner with AK). Same thing as GetItRight said.... I also send all the points from hotels and rental cars to my Alaska account. I also do miles on Southwest since I travel a lot throughout... um the southwest. Don't have the companion pass yet though. I have both the Alaska and SW credit cards and got the signup bonuses (couldn't qualify for the southwest business card so no insta-pass).

So far I have MVP on Alaska, which is nice because they will randomly upgrade you to first class. I find this works best when you book a coach ticket (for either work or pleasure travel) on a day that first class tickets are already very expensive - increases the chances that there will be an open seat up there. The system automatically puts you on the upgrade wait list. Also, the higher MVP tier you're in, the greater the multiplier on the miles.... so it gets you more miles faster. I realize some of this is to incentivize consumer brand loyalty, but when the airline already serves where I need to go for work a lot, it's a great deal for me.

On the Southwest side, I wait for them to have one of their crazy sales ($49-$79 one way trips) and then buy up as many tickets as I can, using points, for weekends that I might want to travel. Then as the weekends approach I either use the tickets, or return them and get all the points back. When steeply discounted like this, a $49 ticket is something like 3600 points, so you could get over a dozen one way trips with just the points from the credit card sign up bonus! Also as some have mentioned elsewhere, on Southwest you can re-book any future trip as many times as you want, if ever you find it for a lower price before the travel day.

A couple of my in-laws run a small to medium sized business and they put all their company spending on the Alaska credit card, so they have some 2 million miles in there most of the time. Now they also conflate their personal and business finances to a degree that I wouldn't be comfortable with, along with the resultant stress and ass-pain, but the business is making great money...

[CanuckExpat]

There's talk on and off about Southwest expanding to Canada, but that doesn't help you in the present. Like ARS said, I don't think anything would stop you from getting the companion pass.. BUT.. the way to go about it usually involves sign up bonuses on American credit cards, i.e. Chase, which probably wouldn't be available to you in Canada (unless you happen to fly Southwest a lot and want to do it the old fashioned non bonus way)

FWIW, my wife added that Airmiles suck, and that in Canada you get more bang for your buck with Aeroplan, if I am remembering correctly.