Note: The miles game is constantly changing. As of now you can no longer buy Vanilla Reloads with credit card at CVS, and vanilla brand Visa cards can no longer be used to reload bluebird at Walmart. (6/21/14) Today I was emailing with a friend who also plays the miles game and is […]
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Churning Blizzard
Portland has received an uncharacteristic amount of winter weather over the past few days. Usually once every 1 to 2 years there’s a dusting of snow, and the kids sled, and the grown ups drive like amateurs, and then the temperature rises and the snow melts, and it’s back to the gray fog and drizzle […]
Blue Ribbon Prize
I’ve been playing the miles game for about a year now. I’ve completed four separate card churns and have extracted terrific rewards. In the process I have saved thousands of dollars in travel, which I then dutifully invested in my retirement. I was planning my upcoming card churn today and trying to figure out which […]
Plus One
We’ve already talked about the magic of the classic six card churn. How this simple maneuver can be your ticket to international travel or luxury hotels for nearly free. If you’ve thought it through and you’re deciding that you want to go ahead and take the leap of faith, one thing you might also consider […]
The Other Half
I got a very interesting response in the comments section of my post “philosophy of miles.” Reader Mark shared his perspective on the miles game as a working-class individual living in a rural area who endeavors to collect miles as well. He expressed frustration with the lack of a working-class perspective in the blogosphere, and […]
Get This Party Started
My friend, I will just refer to him as “The Rev,” posed an interesting question to me. His family situation is very similar to mine in that he married an expatriate (in his case a German woman.) His consideration to enter the miles game comes from a very similar place to where mine came from, […]
Conversation with a Miles Skeptic
One of my friends is pretty into the miles game. Credit card churns, manufactured spending, planning trips, he’s all in. In our conversations he’s confided in me that his wife (aka “Mrs. skeptic”) is not a such fan of the miles game. She remains dubious. So I thought it would be interesting to have a […]
Checking Boxes
Sometimes the easiest way to get things done is to have a simple checklist. As a medical intern I sometimes had a census of 15 patients who were all my primary responsibility. Each patient was his or her own universe, with a unique constellation of medical and social issues. So it could have been overwhelming. […]
Cash Backing, an Alternative to Travel Hacking
Playing the miles game is such a win-win situation. On one hand you learn new skills; Organization, creativity, and attention to detail come to mind. On the other hand you save thousands of dollars and are able to expand your world with amazing travel experiences to exotic destinations. As an ordinary working stiff, you can […]
Don’t Pay, Do Play
In the field of manufactured spending one of the most common metrics is “cents-per-mile-earned.” The idea here is that if you’re doing manufactured spending, there are always some costs associated with the exercise, and those costs can be quantified if you divide the total cost of the manufactured spending in cents by the total number […]
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