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434,000 Miles Without Flying

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travel the world, frequent flyer miles without flying

Photo Credit: American Airlines

Time to take stock and see how many miles and points I’ve earned this year solely from signup bonuses and the total came to 434,000 miles without flying.

Now before you get your panties in a bunch, I acknowledge I’m using the term miles liberally.  Some of the miles that I’ve earned in 2012 are points, such as Ultimate Rewards points; Ultimate Rewards points which can be transferred to miles.

The end result, by simply applying for several credit cards I was able to earn 434,000 miles without flying, all through credit card signup bonuses.

2 Easy Steps to Earn 434,000 Miles Without Flying:

  1. Apply for a credit card that offers a lucrative signup bonus
  2. Meet the minimum spend on the credit card

 

434000 miles without flying

 

As you can see, by applying for a few cards, you can leverage signup lucrative signup bonuses to allow you to fly and travel for free.

A few points to note about my results:

  • The Chase Ink Bold was a targeted 50,000 signup bonus offer for one of my businesses that only required a first purchase to get the bonus.  The additional 10,000 Ultimate Rewards points was due to a signup offer match.
  • I calculated the 2 free nights at Hyatt at a rate of 27,000 points each because I’m redeeming them for a Category 6 property. Because what’s the point of redeeming them for a Category 1 Hyatt when you get stay at a Category 6 Hyatt.
  • Only 30,000 miles from US Airways.  I know, for shame. What the heck kind of miles and points blogger am I?
  • The American Express Business Gold was a targeted offer for one of my businesses (not the same one as the business that was targeted by Chase).

I have a separate spreadsheet of my yearly total miles and points which include miles and points earned from flying, hotel stays, spending, category bonuses, and signup bonuses.  That total is just a tad higher than 434,000.

And when I say tad, I mean trillions and decimals.  Yeah, I couldn’t think of anything witty using tad as an acronym either. Trillions and decimals will have to do.

Note: All credit card links are  the banks. I’m providing them as a courtesy. No financial compensation is received.  

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Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the best card to get started in the world of miles and points. It is the first card you should get to start traveling for free because the welcome offer is 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first three months.
 
My favorite perks about this card are earning 5X points on travel when booked through the Chase portal (2X if direct purchase), 3X points on dining, $50 yearly credit on hotels booked through the Chase portal, no foreign transaction fees, and transferring points to 13 airline and hotel partners like Hyatt, United, and Southwest.
 

Chase Freedom Unlimited®

The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is one of my favorite cards for earning cash back card and travel rewards. It offers a welcome offer of an additional 1.5% cash back on all your purchases up to $20,000 your first year.
 
My favorite perks about this card are earning 5% cash back on travel booked through the Chase Travel Portal, 3% cash back at drugstores and restaurants (including delivery and takeout), 1.5% cash back on all other purchases and no annual fee. When paired with cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card or Ink Business Cash® Credit Card, you can use your points to travel for free.
 

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Mile Bucket

Saturday 22nd of December 2012

Giggle, snort "panties in a bunch"! I am pretty sure you are the first blogger to say that one in a post. :) Nice work on the miles, I need to do my yearly total soon.

Debbie Schroeder

Saturday 22nd of December 2012

LOL, thanks. :)

Looking forward to seeing how you fared.

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