Hello All, Well I'll give a few quick details about me, my name is Jonathan I'm 26 and although I've traveled to and lived in a few different countries due to my military service I'd love to be able to travel more often for a fraction of the cost. I found this site through "thepointsguy.com" after deciding I wanted to learn how to 'travel hack' and get some cheaper and maybe even free flights/hotels. I read over his beginners guide which has a link to this site and he said it was newbie friendly so I decided to join. I signed up for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card after reading about it and was approved so now I'm just waiting for the card. Once I receive it I'll probably be using it almost exclusively for all purchases including my bills. Luckily my rent can be paid with a credit card as well for a small convenience fee which will definitely help me rack up some nice miles. So the one of the reasons I wanted to start doing this now, other than "why not" is because I wanted to help my mom and my wife with their travel expenses. I just recently got married overseas in the Philippines and we're going through the VISA process now. It'll be a while before it gets approved but when it does I'd love to be able to "purchase" her flight using miles I've accrued. I'd also like to do the same for my mom who can't afford to travel much if any and she'll be coming to visit me in June. I'd love to be able to pay for her flight as well (its only like $400 round trip). Not sure how real this is considering how new I am but I'm hoping it's possible. Well that's all for my intro, hope to learn a ton!
Welcome to Milepoint Gonzosan! There's a lot to learn, but I started myself back 6 months ago, and I already feel like a different person thanks to everyone here. Read up and ask questions, there's plenty of points to be had!
Congrats Gonzosan. Getting points for your wife's flight is definitely doable. I did sort of the same thing, funding multiple trips to and from Vietnam marrying my wife, and wouldn't have been able to do it without free award flights.
Well that's good to know thanks for the info. I personally love Asia and I've spent about 3 years living between South Korea and Japan with some trips to the Philippines. I also have family in Spain and it would be awesome to be able to visit them with my mom (who's from Spain) without having to save up for months.
Word of caution sine it sounds like you were introduced into this world by the bloggers, don't apply with their links until you are sure it is the best link available. Sites like thepointsguy, frugaltravelguy, milevalue, deltapoints, etc... do not always put forth the best credit card deal. They can be misleading because they get paid when you apply for an app from their site. Million Mile Secrets, View From the Wing, and One Mile at a Time are probably the most transparent and trustworthy.
Welcome! I am new to this game as well (about 7 months in) and I will say that initially I got quite a rush thinking of possibilities! But, thanks to a lot of people saying "take your time" I don't think I have made any major errors. So, I say to you....Take your time! Figure out what works for you in regards to earning miles (bis flying, manufacturing, etc.). Milepoint is a friendly community but there can be lulls in posting so find yourself a few different blogs or forums to read.
Welcome Gonzosan! Milepoint is the best way to get going in this hobby. Everyone here is so nice and willing to help!
Welcome to the game, Gonzosa; MilePoint is an incredible forum to educate yourself on travel hacking and many other topics for those of us addicted to travel.Enjoy yourself, and don't be afraid to ask for help.
Welcome. For your new wife's ticket, presumably you will want a one way award. Not all FF programs offer them--or, in the case of DL, a one way award ticket costs the same number of miles as a RT award ticket. Keep this in mind as your strategize.
