How to meet credit card spend thresholds without breaking a sweat
Credit card sign-up bonuses these days are amazing: 40,000 miles! 50,000 points! 75,000 miles! And so on. A person can rack up close to a million points a year by signing up for these...
Use airline miles for last minute travel
It's often difficult to get good value from domestic award redemptions, especially with Delta. In the case of last minute, unexpected travel, though, your miles can be a life saver. Take this...
How to buy points and miles for less than a penny
CAUTION: While this post offers a way to buy points and miles at bargain rates, there are serious risks involved in this approach. Before trying this, please review the "Risks" section at the bottom...
The Perfect Perpetual Point Machine, Part 1
I began blogging as FrequentMiler with a goal of simplifying free travel. As a newbie to travel hacking I was amazed by the opportunities that existed, but also overwhelmed by the complexity. There seemed...
It never hurts to ask
I'll keep this post short since I'm writing on my iPad's touch screen. I love my iPad, but writing more than a sentence or two is a bit tortuous. I'm writing from my room...
Better Hotel Internet
One unusual gadget I take with me whenever I travel is a wireless pocket router. Just like a standard wireless router, this device turns a wired internet connection into a wireless one....
Check your bags all the way
The last thing you would expect to find on a BoardingArea blog is advice in favor of checking bags. There are many reasons not to do it. For example, if you're hoping for a...
Save with near-airport car rentals
When booking travel around the holidays, car rentals can be shockingly expensive. Rentals that are usually about $30 per day often shoot up to $100 per day or more. If you're staying a while,...
Save on airfare by booking a vacation package
This trick does not always work, but when it does you can easily save hundreds of dollars in airfare. Most airlines have an affiliated travel agency that sells vacation packages. Examples include Delta Vacations,...
Lots of Extra Ultimate Rewards Points for Holiday Inn and Intercontinental Reservations!
Chase's Ultimate Rewards mall is currently offering 10 bonus points for every dollar spent when reserving rooms at Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, and Intercontinental Hotels. So, if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred...
How to meet minimum credit card spend AND get 50,000 to 100,000 extra miles
As I'm sure you know, credit card companies frequently offer huge sign-up bonuses. NerdWallet, for example, lists seven current bonus offers worth at least $500 for signing up for credit cards and meeting minimum...
The Perfect Perpetual Point Machine, Part Two
In part one of this series, I introduced the idea of the quest for the perfect perpetual point machine. A perpetual point machine (PPM) is a scheme in which, after a little push, hotel...
Hacking Hawaii
NOTE: Please also see a newer post: Hacking Hawaii Revised. Last week, Mrs. Miler and I were at a dinner with friends when the topic of Hawaii came up. They've never been, but...
RIP Sears Ultimate Rewards Bonanza
I've written numerous posts about how to take advantage of the Sears 10 points per dollar bonus award through the Chase Ultimate Rewards mall. I'm sad to report, however, that at approximately midnight...
