It’s been about five years since I got involved in the points and miles game, and it’s really changed my life for the better. Not just in terms of how I’m able to travel, but how I earn a living and spend my free time. I remember reading about the U.S. Mint Deal in an NPR article and then signing up for a free trial of the Travel Hacking Cartel to learn more. That only left me more confused: What did credit cards have to do with traveling for free? Was that really all people were doing to earn miles? How was this sustainable? These were some of the questions I was left with, so I explored further and soon came across the single most useful resource in my journey: FreeFrequentFlyerMiles.com.
Free Frequent Flyer Miles is run by a man named Gary Steiger. I’ve never met him but Rick, the founder of Frugal Travel Guy, told me he’s been in the game for many years. He seems to be a low key guy, staying out of the press and points and miles conferences, but I think his blog deserves way more credit than it receives. It may not be the flashiest looking blog out there, but it was absolutely the most useful to me because it covered the most basic thing we’re all looking for: All the different ways to collect airline miles and hotel points, at minimal out of pocket cost. By reading through the entire blog, I was not only able to find and make my own database of deals I wanted to take advantage of, but I learned about all the major points and miles blogs that I still read today.
Gary does a great job at keeping the site updated with the latest information, in a very simple format that makes it easy to find what you’re looking for. The “What’s New” page has a list of credit card deals and bonus point promotions listed by date. There’s everything from well known deals like the 75,000 point Citi Hilton HHonors Visa sign-up bonus to 25,000 miles offered by United Airlines for the purchase of a used Mercedes. Where else do you see random deals like this? None of the other points and miles blogs I still read on a regular basis.
If you’re new to the points and miles game or just want a comprehensive database of ways to earn lots of miles, I suggest you check out the Free Frequent Flyer Miles blog. It’s a great resource for both newbies and those who’ve been involved in this game for many years. I learned more from reading this blog than any other and since the site isn’t as well optimized as the other blogs in this realm, some of you may not come across it during a Google search. So check it out and hopefully you can find new ways to earn extra miles and cash by taking advantage of the many offers listed on the blog.
Some would argue that sites like Flyertalk or Reddit are the best places to get information about points, miles, and travel hacking in general. I do use these resources for various purposes, but when it comes to finding a comprehensive database of points and miles deals, I find Free Frequent Flyer Miles to be the best resource because everything is in one place and easily searchable.
What was the most useful resource in your quest to learn more about the points and miles game? Are there any blogs you want to give a shoutout to that don’t get much attention?
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