A brief overview of some common questions relating to earning points and miles, free travel, and credit card churning.
Q: What does my credit have to do with earning free travel?
A: People with good credit are able to qualify for credit cards that offer valuable incentives. The most generous credit card offers are those offering travel related services. See the Credit Card Churning link for more details and tips.
Q: What is the best way to monitor my credit and make sure my report is correct?
A: There are lots of services available to help you monitor your credit and track your score. Some are better than others. See my post from August 16, 2011 for a review of the pros and cons of some credit monitoring services.
Q: Which loyalty programs should I join and which are the best?
A: Reasonable people may disagree…and they do. Which program is “best” depends largely on your travel preferences and which program lends itself well to your travel habits. You should sign up for any program that you might someday find useful. However, you should focus your efforts on understanding and maximizing the benefits available through a select few programs. Read my post Where Do I Begin? for more guidance.
Q: Once I start accumulating miles and points, how do I keep track of them and make sure they don’t expire before I use them?
A: The best resource on the web is www.awardwallet.com. This is the website I use to keep track of all my membership programs. This way your account information can be retrieved online, you don’t have to carry a stack of cards everywhere you go, and best of all…IT’S FREE!
Q: What is an app-o-rama?
A: An app-o-rama is a fundamental piece of credit card churning strategies. Savvy travelers use this technique to accrue large amounts of points and miles. It consists of applying for multiple credit cards in a single day in order to maximize the number of points that can be earned, while minimizing the impact to a person’s credit scores. In November 2011, The Man of a Thousand Places completed a Super-Mega-App-O-Rama that included 13 credit card applications, 11 of which were approved.
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