Beginner’s Guide
Your complete beginner's guide to earning and using points & miles for free travel
Welcome to Your Journey
Want to fly business class to Europe for free? Stay in luxury hotels without breaking the bank? It's absolutely possible, and thousands of people are doing it every day using credit card points and airline miles.
This guide will walk you through everything you need to know, from understanding the basics to booking your first award flight. We've organized it into 5 essential steps that build on each other.
Important: Pay Your Bills in Full. The strategies in this guide only work if you pay your credit card bills in full every month. Credit card interest and fees will quickly wipe out any benefits from points and miles. If you carry balances, focus on paying those off before diving into this hobby.
Step 1. Understanding the Game
What's the Point of Points?
Why spend thousands on uncomfortable coach seats when you can use credit card points to fly business class for just taxes and fees? Learn the fundamental mindset shift that makes free luxury travel possible, plus the different strategies you can use with your points.
What You'll Learn:
✔ Real example: Europe trip for $5,000 vs. $50 using points
✔ Four different strategies for using your points
✔ Cash back vs. travel: which gives better value?
✔ Why business class to faraway destinations is the sweet spot
✔ How to think about "free" travel (spoiler: it's never completely free)
Step 2. Your First Award Flight
Booking Award Flights 101
Got points but don't know how to use them? Master the fundamentals of award booking, including why searching one-way flights beats roundtrip, how flexible dates save you thousands of points, and why having miles with multiple airlines is crucial.
What You'll Learn:
✔ Real example: Finding 35,600-mile business class vs. 157,000 miles
✔ Why you should always search one-way flights first
✔ Using flexible date calendars to find the best deals
✔ How to avoid putting "all eggs in one airline basket"
✔ Understanding taxes, fees, and fuel surcharges
Step 3. Advanced Strategies
Booking Award Flights 102
Live in a small city with limited international flights? Learn about positioning flights - booking separate flights to major hubs - plus the frustrating world of "married segment logic" that can make or break your award strategy.
What You'll Learn:
✔ What positioning flights are and when to use them
✔ Real example: 70,000 miles Charleston to Maldives business class
✔ Why airlines use "married segment logic" to block bookings
✔ Serious risks of positioning flights and how to mitigate them
✔ Strategy for piecing together complex international trips
Step 4. Choosing Your Cards
Airline Cards vs. Bank Credit Cards
Flight attendants constantly pitch airline cards, but are they worth it? Discover why transferable bank points beat airline miles every time, and why most airline cards deserve a spot in your drawer, not your wallet.
What You'll Learn:
✔ Why airlines make $6.5 billion from credit cards (hint: it's not flights)
✔ Real math: Amex Platinum 8.5% return vs. Delta cards 3.3%
✔ How to "spend your way to status" (and why you probably shouldn't)
✔ Which airline cards actually offer valuable lounge access
✔ The only times airline cards make sense to get
Step 5. Credit Management
Why Multiple Cards Help Your Credit Score
"Won't opening multiple credit cards hurt my credit score?" This is the biggest myth in the points game. Learn the real factors that affect your credit score and why having more cards actually helps, not hurts.
What You'll Learn:
✔ The 5 factors that determine your credit score (and their weights)
✔ Why more credit cards improve your credit utilization ratio
✔ Real example: $3,000 spending with different credit limits
✔ Why you should never close your first no-fee card
✔ How credit inquiries really impact your score
Let Me Handle Your Points & Miles
After 15 years of mastering credit card rewards and award bookings, I can save you the time and effort of learning it all yourself. Focus on your travels while I maximize your points.
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