A rarified air.
July 21, 2015 1:00 AM Subscribe
While the game's traditional methods remain technically legal, these Hobbyists — imagine them as the Deep Web of the Hobby — use tactics that routinely violate airline terms and conditions, techniques that can span a gradient from clever and harmless to borderline theft. (Schlappig concedes that he pushes the rules but insists he is careful not to break any laws.)Any time the best face you can put on your actions is "what I did wasn't technically illegal" you know you're kind of an asshole. Having read the article this guy reminds me of a D&D rules lawyer. Except with real-world impact.
posted by Justinian at 1:33 AM on July 21, 2015 [9 favorites]
Reading this story reminded me of A man without a country, except this is the Twilight Zone version where the man doesn't love his home, instead preferring always the in-between.
posted by zippy at 1:38 AM on July 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by zippy at 1:38 AM on July 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
It takes a special kind of person to want to live in an airplane. He's taking "it's not the destination, it's the journey" to an extreme most of us would find intolerable.
It's hard to imagine flying all around the world - to places I've wanted to visit for ages, but haven't had the money to - and then spending most of my time there either in the airport itself or a luxury hotel. But then I feel the same way about cruises, so.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 1:38 AM on July 21, 2015 [7 favorites]
It's hard to imagine flying all around the world - to places I've wanted to visit for ages, but haven't had the money to - and then spending most of my time there either in the airport itself or a luxury hotel. But then I feel the same way about cruises, so.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 1:38 AM on July 21, 2015 [7 favorites]
How did he get such a bulletproof credit score to sign up for a credit card, get the points/miles, dump the card, and repeat?
Also, before I read the article, I first thought it was going to be about the old American Airlines lifetime ticket, which did cost $250k, but at least you don't have to spend the huge amount of time of researching airline/credit card fine print and hauling US coins to the bank.
posted by FJT at 1:43 AM on July 21, 2015 [3 favorites]
Also, before I read the article, I first thought it was going to be about the old American Airlines lifetime ticket, which did cost $250k, but at least you don't have to spend the huge amount of time of researching airline/credit card fine print and hauling US coins to the bank.
posted by FJT at 1:43 AM on July 21, 2015 [3 favorites]
As the sun descends over the polar circle, a recumbent Schlappig loses himself in a 2 Broke Girls marathon playing on a free-standing flatscreen.
Truly, this man is living the dream.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 1:55 AM on July 21, 2015 [29 favorites]
Truly, this man is living the dream.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 1:55 AM on July 21, 2015 [29 favorites]
It sounds like a really vacuous lifestyle that's going to prevent him from forming settled relationships with other people. I'm kinda sorry for him. Also, isn't he going to be exposed to a whole lot of radiation with all that flying?
posted by Joe in Australia at 2:00 AM on July 21, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Joe in Australia at 2:00 AM on July 21, 2015 [3 favorites]
Also, isn't he going to be exposed to a whole lot of radiation with all that flying?
No more so than your average pilot or flight attendant.
posted by Silentgoldfish at 2:03 AM on July 21, 2015 [5 favorites]
No more so than your average pilot or flight attendant.
posted by Silentgoldfish at 2:03 AM on July 21, 2015 [5 favorites]
Any time the best face you can put on your actions is "what I did wasn't technically illegal" you know you're kind of an asshole.That's the author talking. Breaking one of the massive number of terms and conditions of the airlines' boilerplate rules isn't illegal, it is a tort at best. Most of us don't even do that. A lot of what they talk about isn't something very many of us do these days. Mileage running isn't nearly as popular as it used to be. Its all about accumulating miles with credit card signup bonuses and manufactured spend now.
How did he get such a bulletproof credit score to sign up for a credit card, get the points/miles, dump the card, and repeat?This is most common misconception I get whenever I talk to people about gaming the system. Getting tons of credit cards has a positive effect on your credit score. New applications have a very slight negative effect on your score, but having access to a lot of credit that you don't use has a large positive effect on your score. I'm not sure how many cards I have, probably around 40 at the moment, but my credit score is significantly higher than it was when I had 2.
posted by Lame_username at 2:16 AM on July 21, 2015 [14 favorites]
The Economist article on Frequent Flyer miles as a currency (mentioned in the RS article) is a classic: Funny money
posted by chavenet at 2:36 AM on July 21, 2015
posted by chavenet at 2:36 AM on July 21, 2015
"I'm very fortunate in that I do what I love," says Schlappig, stretching out in an ergonomic armchair as we reach 30,000 feet and just before the mushroom consommé arrives.
Fortunate? Hardly. This is the result of hard work and dedication.
posted by three blind mice at 2:42 AM on July 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
Fortunate? Hardly. This is the result of hard work and dedication.
posted by three blind mice at 2:42 AM on July 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
Getting tons of credit cards has a positive effect on your credit score.
There are some things in this world I will never understand.
posted by dashDashDot at 3:20 AM on July 21, 2015 [6 favorites]
There are some things in this world I will never understand.
posted by dashDashDot at 3:20 AM on July 21, 2015 [6 favorites]
If the airlines are this bad at designing and managing schemes affecting their basic revenue, I'm surprised they're not constantly on the edge of financial implosion caused by avoidable cash flow crises or whatever.
posted by Segundus at 3:36 AM on July 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Segundus at 3:36 AM on July 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
sounds like a lonely, lonely life.
posted by greenhornet at 3:55 AM on July 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by greenhornet at 3:55 AM on July 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
"I said, 'Hey! Keep it up. It's better than smoking pot.' "
The words of a loving dad...
posted by sour cream at 3:57 AM on July 21, 2015
The words of a loving dad...
posted by sour cream at 3:57 AM on July 21, 2015
If he's willing to nitpik a broken audio jack for chimp change, why not hold the airline accountable for an "unwanted handjob" and get the big payout?
posted by dgaicun at 4:41 AM on July 21, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by dgaicun at 4:41 AM on July 21, 2015 [6 favorites]
Obsessive and strikingly intelligent defence against previous traumatic incident.
People are a wonder.
posted by Wolof at 4:46 AM on July 21, 2015 [5 favorites]
People are a wonder.
posted by Wolof at 4:46 AM on July 21, 2015 [5 favorites]
Why would he grant an interview to Rolling Stone? The need for approval must be immense, given what happened when he spoke to NYT, and the risk of it. Perhaps he doesn't love the lifestyle that much after all.
posted by smoke at 4:54 AM on July 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by smoke at 4:54 AM on July 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
>>As the sun descends over the polar circle, a recumbent Schlappig loses himself in a 2 Broke Girls marathon playing on a free-standing flatscreen.
Truly, this man is living the dream.
At first read, I thought the article said "Schlappig loses himself in a 2 Girls 1 Cup marathon" and I started to wonder about the poor Rolling Stone reporter who had to sit on an international flight to watch some guy watch an endless loop of women eating poo. "I'm just like Hunter," the reporter thinks as the loop restarts for the twenty third time, "Just like him." Schlappig takes a sip of champagne as he watched the video, silent and stone faced.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 4:56 AM on July 21, 2015 [10 favorites]
Truly, this man is living the dream.
At first read, I thought the article said "Schlappig loses himself in a 2 Girls 1 Cup marathon" and I started to wonder about the poor Rolling Stone reporter who had to sit on an international flight to watch some guy watch an endless loop of women eating poo. "I'm just like Hunter," the reporter thinks as the loop restarts for the twenty third time, "Just like him." Schlappig takes a sip of champagne as he watched the video, silent and stone faced.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 4:56 AM on July 21, 2015 [10 favorites]
I was all set to have him in the something-of-an-asshole club, then I got to this:
posted by Kirth Gerson at 4:59 AM on July 21, 2015 [13 favorites]
Many air carriers long ago made the judgment to let first-class suites go unfilled, at the risk of tainting the marketable aura of exclusivity.For that, the airlines deserve whatever screwing anyone can give them. While they keep jamming more seats into coach, they're leaving seats empty in the Rich People Zone? Fuck 'em.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 4:59 AM on July 21, 2015 [13 favorites]
Nah, they're just removing the first-class seating from domestic aircraft and making it all business-class. First will be kept around for long-haul flights and airlines that value the image like Singapore and Emirates.
posted by JoeZydeco at 5:07 AM on July 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by JoeZydeco at 5:07 AM on July 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
I fly quite a bit, business class mostly, first class sometimes. You get pampered, it's true. But it's not something I would want to do more of, even if it was free.
posted by Major Tom at 5:11 AM on July 21, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by Major Tom at 5:11 AM on July 21, 2015 [4 favorites]
Going places is fun and all (especially places that aren't just foreign airports!), but the physical act of flying gets old fast. It's stuffy and claustrophobic and the air is stale. Cabin pressure changes give you headaches, turbulence makes you nauseous. Flying keeps you mostly immobile, which would be bad for your health when inflated into a lifestyle.
Time use surveys consistently show commuting to and from work is one of the lowest rated human activities. And this sounds like some sort of circle of hell, where you commute all the time and never get to your destination, because it doesn't exist.
posted by dgaicun at 5:25 AM on July 21, 2015 [8 favorites]
Time use surveys consistently show commuting to and from work is one of the lowest rated human activities. And this sounds like some sort of circle of hell, where you commute all the time and never get to your destination, because it doesn't exist.
posted by dgaicun at 5:25 AM on July 21, 2015 [8 favorites]
Getting tons of credit cards has a positive effect on your credit score.
There are some things in this world I will never understand.
Having more available credit doesn't mean your spending suddenly increases or that you spend more than you can afford paying off in full every month.
One of the bigger hits on your credit score occurs when you regularly use more than 30% of your total available credit. Assuming your spending remains the same and your available credit goes up as a result of opening new credit cards, the net result is that your spending percentage of your total available credit goes down, which only serves to increase your credit score.
posted by Karaage at 5:34 AM on July 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
There are some things in this world I will never understand.
Having more available credit doesn't mean your spending suddenly increases or that you spend more than you can afford paying off in full every month.
One of the bigger hits on your credit score occurs when you regularly use more than 30% of your total available credit. Assuming your spending remains the same and your available credit goes up as a result of opening new credit cards, the net result is that your spending percentage of your total available credit goes down, which only serves to increase your credit score.
posted by Karaage at 5:34 AM on July 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
I know I've said this before, but when you walk onto an airplane and see all those people relaxing in first class as you make your way towards your coach seat, you should not envy them for all their frequent flyer upgrades. You should pity them for having to fly so damn much that they actually qualify for those upgrades.
posted by LastOfHisKind at 5:35 AM on July 21, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by LastOfHisKind at 5:35 AM on July 21, 2015 [5 favorites]
I wonder what this guy's carbon footprint looks like.
posted by YAMWAK at 5:56 AM on July 21, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by YAMWAK at 5:56 AM on July 21, 2015 [3 favorites]
The guy grew up with an airplane obsession, and now he spends his life on airplanes.
This is kind of like when the autistic kid with a bus obsession steals a bus and drives it around picking up passengers and delivering them to their destination. No one is hurt and it increases the amount of joy in the world.
posted by anotherpanacea at 5:58 AM on July 21, 2015 [10 favorites]
This is kind of like when the autistic kid with a bus obsession steals a bus and drives it around picking up passengers and delivering them to their destination. No one is hurt and it increases the amount of joy in the world.
posted by anotherpanacea at 5:58 AM on July 21, 2015 [10 favorites]
The words of a loving dad...
You know what I got for Christmas? Oh, it was a banner fucking year at the old Schlappig family. I got a one-way ticket to Bogotá. The old man grabbed me and said, "Hey, go up Johnny."
posted by tapesonthefloor at 6:02 AM on July 21, 2015 [3 favorites]
You know what I got for Christmas? Oh, it was a banner fucking year at the old Schlappig family. I got a one-way ticket to Bogotá. The old man grabbed me and said, "Hey, go up Johnny."
posted by tapesonthefloor at 6:02 AM on July 21, 2015 [3 favorites]
(Oh, and immediately assigning this to a pathology is unfair to him and to others with whichever condition you are namedropping.)
posted by tapesonthefloor at 6:04 AM on July 21, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by tapesonthefloor at 6:04 AM on July 21, 2015 [3 favorites]
At first read, I thought the article said "Schlappig loses himself in a 2 Girls 1 Cup marathon" and I started to wonder about the poor Rolling Stone reporter who had to sit on an international flight to watch some guy watch an endless loop of women eating poo. "I'm just like Hunter," the reporter thinks as the loop restarts for the twenty third time, "Just like him." Schlappig takes a sip of champagne as he watched the video, silent and stone faced.
Have you seen 2 Broke Girls? I'm not sure it's any preferable...
posted by kmz at 6:07 AM on July 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
Have you seen 2 Broke Girls? I'm not sure it's any preferable...
posted by kmz at 6:07 AM on July 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
Can one really claim to have been to Hong Kong, Sydney, London, Mumbai, etc if you've never left the premises of the airports?
posted by dr_dank at 6:16 AM on July 21, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by dr_dank at 6:16 AM on July 21, 2015 [3 favorites]
I know I've said this before, but when you walk onto an airplane and see all those people relaxing in first class as you make your way towards your coach seat, you should not envy them for all their frequent flyer upgrades. You should pity them for having to fly so damn much that they actually qualify for those upgrades.
Speaking as one of those guys.
Yep. I don't envy this guy. I look at this guy in horror. This will be the first year in a decade that I'm not going to hit 110 segments or 100K miles, and I'm *glad*. The idea of being on a longhaul *every day*?
I don't care if it's free and I'm in premium every trip. I don't care about the champagne. Jesus, folks, that ain't a way to live. Indeed, I deliberately chose for a long time to do day trips, which meant a lot of 0330 wakeups and not getting home until 2200, but it meant I slept in my own bed at the end of the day, which meant that while I may have been spending too much time in a plane, I wasn't also spending too much time in a hotel. This year, it's been less plane, but more hotel, and it's, meh, a different sort of hell, though at least it's new.
Can one really claim to have been to Hong Kong, Sydney, London, Mumbai, etc if you've never left the premises of the airports?
No. I call that "Airportistan." You're not out of Airportistan until your out of the hotels near the airports. Much like any big city, there are better and worse neighborhoods to Airportistan, but it's all one big city.
posted by eriko at 6:20 AM on July 21, 2015 [24 favorites]
Speaking as one of those guys.
Yep. I don't envy this guy. I look at this guy in horror. This will be the first year in a decade that I'm not going to hit 110 segments or 100K miles, and I'm *glad*. The idea of being on a longhaul *every day*?
I don't care if it's free and I'm in premium every trip. I don't care about the champagne. Jesus, folks, that ain't a way to live. Indeed, I deliberately chose for a long time to do day trips, which meant a lot of 0330 wakeups and not getting home until 2200, but it meant I slept in my own bed at the end of the day, which meant that while I may have been spending too much time in a plane, I wasn't also spending too much time in a hotel. This year, it's been less plane, but more hotel, and it's, meh, a different sort of hell, though at least it's new.
Can one really claim to have been to Hong Kong, Sydney, London, Mumbai, etc if you've never left the premises of the airports?
No. I call that "Airportistan." You're not out of Airportistan until your out of the hotels near the airports. Much like any big city, there are better and worse neighborhoods to Airportistan, but it's all one big city.
posted by eriko at 6:20 AM on July 21, 2015 [24 favorites]
As the sun descends over the polar circle, a recumbent Schlappig loses himself in a 2 Broke Girls marathon playing on a free-standing flatscreen.
Surely with all those points he could afford in-flight wifi and watch something good on a tablet?
Getting tons of credit cards has a positive effect on your credit score.
There are some things in this world I will never understand.
Well, the assumption is you're not actually using most of that available credit, it's just there. Or you use it and immediately pay it off (that's the best actually because every time you spend money with a credit card, banks win in merchant fees). Having the ability to put yourself massively in debt but not actually doing so raises your score. Think of it as reward for financial discipline.
Can one really claim to have been to Hong Kong, Sydney, London, Mumbai, etc if you've never left the premises of the airports?
Agreed. I tend not to count cities I have only been in the airport or airport hotels of as places I have actually visited, personally. This allows me to continue to say, for example, that I have never been to Texas.
posted by aught at 6:20 AM on July 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
Surely with all those points he could afford in-flight wifi and watch something good on a tablet?
Getting tons of credit cards has a positive effect on your credit score.
There are some things in this world I will never understand.
Well, the assumption is you're not actually using most of that available credit, it's just there. Or you use it and immediately pay it off (that's the best actually because every time you spend money with a credit card, banks win in merchant fees). Having the ability to put yourself massively in debt but not actually doing so raises your score. Think of it as reward for financial discipline.
Can one really claim to have been to Hong Kong, Sydney, London, Mumbai, etc if you've never left the premises of the airports?
Agreed. I tend not to count cities I have only been in the airport or airport hotels of as places I have actually visited, personally. This allows me to continue to say, for example, that I have never been to Texas.
posted by aught at 6:20 AM on July 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
It seems odd to me that, if he's making all of this money from his blog, why not spend a couple of days in each destination and actually see the places he's visiting?
But then, maybe that's not the point for him. If he's such a huge airplane nut, maybe he really does enjoy it. First Class would certainly lend itself more toward enjoying a flight than coach does.
posted by Fleebnork at 6:29 AM on July 21, 2015
But then, maybe that's not the point for him. If he's such a huge airplane nut, maybe he really does enjoy it. First Class would certainly lend itself more toward enjoying a flight than coach does.
posted by Fleebnork at 6:29 AM on July 21, 2015
Well, the assumption is you're not actually using most of that available credit, it's just there. Or you use it and immediately pay it off (that's the best actually because every time you spend money with a credit card, banks win in merchant fees).
Well, the banks would *much* rather you load them up and pay the minimum, because they'd much rather rake you for massive interest payments. But yes, they'll tolerate you loading and unloading the card every month because they do get the merchant fees.
I have three cards that are in a drawer because they're high interest and no annual fees. Canceling them isn't worth it, they basically exist to add to my unsecured credit line, and thus, my credit rating. Naturally, I check them every month just in case. I don't even think they're activated, to be honest. There's three in the wallet, the one I usually use, the company card, and the Other Card, which is what I use if I run into something unusual, like a card not working -- like the rare case of a company expense that doesn't take AMEX, so I use the Other Card, so that it's easy to expense out, or being overseas, since the Other Card is a Visa, which is different than the Usual Card, which is a MC -- Visa is more widely accepted outside the US.
Of course, the Company Card really isn't my card, or even a credit card given that it's an AMEX charge card, but we'll elide the difference here.
posted by eriko at 6:30 AM on July 21, 2015
Well, the banks would *much* rather you load them up and pay the minimum, because they'd much rather rake you for massive interest payments. But yes, they'll tolerate you loading and unloading the card every month because they do get the merchant fees.
I have three cards that are in a drawer because they're high interest and no annual fees. Canceling them isn't worth it, they basically exist to add to my unsecured credit line, and thus, my credit rating. Naturally, I check them every month just in case. I don't even think they're activated, to be honest. There's three in the wallet, the one I usually use, the company card, and the Other Card, which is what I use if I run into something unusual, like a card not working -- like the rare case of a company expense that doesn't take AMEX, so I use the Other Card, so that it's easy to expense out, or being overseas, since the Other Card is a Visa, which is different than the Usual Card, which is a MC -- Visa is more widely accepted outside the US.
Of course, the Company Card really isn't my card, or even a credit card given that it's an AMEX charge card, but we'll elide the difference here.
posted by eriko at 6:30 AM on July 21, 2015
I have no desire to spend my life flying around and seeing nothing but the airport. BUT....credit card points can be used for lots of things. And any time I buy things with credit card points instead of money, that's money I can spend on something else. Don't some credit cards even give you actual CASH back?
So tell me more about this "Buy coins from the mint and then use the coins to pay your bill" scheme. I just went on the Canadian mint web site and the coins don't seem to sell at face value. How does one buy coins at face value?
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 6:41 AM on July 21, 2015
So tell me more about this "Buy coins from the mint and then use the coins to pay your bill" scheme. I just went on the Canadian mint web site and the coins don't seem to sell at face value. How does one buy coins at face value?
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 6:41 AM on July 21, 2015
They caught on to it. You can't do it anymore. At least for points.
posted by JPD at 6:46 AM on July 21, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by JPD at 6:46 AM on July 21, 2015 [3 favorites]
To join that club you just need to fly (on points) to seven different airports over a long weekend.
posted by sammyo at 6:48 AM on July 21, 2015
posted by sammyo at 6:48 AM on July 21, 2015
This guy might have the world's worst carbon footprint ever.
posted by nevercalm at 6:52 AM on July 21, 2015
posted by nevercalm at 6:52 AM on July 21, 2015
Well, he is using his status to board ahead of people who are really at their wits end, just trying to get where they want to go.
The airline status hierarchy is one of the most visible and obvious reminders that, despite the fact that I consider myself to be very well off, there is a sizable group of people at the front of the plane who are living in a completely different stratosphere than I can even dream of.
Sitting in an airport lounge waiting for Zone 5 to be called is another way of being told: "We've literally decided that you matter less to us than any of the hundreds of people who we decided to let board before you," because the zones clearly are not random or assigned to optimize efficiency.
And, yes. This is why I fly Southwest whenever I can. They are the only airline that seems to understand the importance of treating "normal people" well, and puts them on equal footing with each other.
tl;dr; Airline status programs can go to hell, and people like this guy are complicit.
posted by schmod at 6:54 AM on July 21, 2015
The airline status hierarchy is one of the most visible and obvious reminders that, despite the fact that I consider myself to be very well off, there is a sizable group of people at the front of the plane who are living in a completely different stratosphere than I can even dream of.
Sitting in an airport lounge waiting for Zone 5 to be called is another way of being told: "We've literally decided that you matter less to us than any of the hundreds of people who we decided to let board before you," because the zones clearly are not random or assigned to optimize efficiency.
And, yes. This is why I fly Southwest whenever I can. They are the only airline that seems to understand the importance of treating "normal people" well, and puts them on equal footing with each other.
tl;dr; Airline status programs can go to hell, and people like this guy are complicit.
posted by schmod at 6:54 AM on July 21, 2015
Now I don't feel so bad for signing up for all those credit cards just for the aeroplan miles. And then referring my partner so I get the 10k kickback. And then cancelling the card and re-applying 6 months later for more miles.
Not that I actually ever felt bad about it mind you.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 6:59 AM on July 21, 2015
Not that I actually ever felt bad about it mind you.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 6:59 AM on July 21, 2015
Sitting in an airport lounge waiting for Zone 5 to be called is another way of being told: "We've literally decided that you matter less to us than any of the hundreds of people who we decided to let board before you," because the zones clearly are not random or assigned to optimize efficiency.
I'm waiting for the day that this happens:
"Attention passengers. Flight 8507 has been overbooked. There are 100 of you and only 50 seats. Please enter the gladiator ring to your right, and may the odds be ever in your favor. So long suckazzzzzzz!!!!!!!"
posted by St. Peepsburg at 7:04 AM on July 21, 2015 [3 favorites]
I'm waiting for the day that this happens:
"Attention passengers. Flight 8507 has been overbooked. There are 100 of you and only 50 seats. Please enter the gladiator ring to your right, and may the odds be ever in your favor. So long suckazzzzzzz!!!!!!!"
posted by St. Peepsburg at 7:04 AM on July 21, 2015 [3 favorites]
Holy shit, you guys! Let's watch the rich white kid spend his money and time! What do you think he'll buy next???
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 7:12 AM on July 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 7:12 AM on July 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
@FakeUnitedJeff (Fake United Airlines CEO twitter account):
"There is little more fundamentally American than the last 3 zones of boarding on a big United aircraft"
posted by JoeZydeco at 7:30 AM on July 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
"There is little more fundamentally American than the last 3 zones of boarding on a big United aircraft"
posted by JoeZydeco at 7:30 AM on July 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
I have no desire to spend my life flying around and seeing nothing but the airport. BUT....credit card points can be used for lots of things. And any time I buy things with credit card points instead of money, that's money I can spend on something else. Don't some credit cards even give you actual CASH back?
Yes, but it all boils down to rate of return, really.
Cashback cards are simple and straightforward. The best Canadian cashback card right now, for example, is probably the Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite: 4 percent cashback on gas and groceries, 2 percent on drugstore purchases and re-occurring purchases, 1 percent on all other purchases. Fee of $99 per year, so if you spend $400 on groceries in a year everything you get back after that is essentially gravy. But usually you end up getting about 1-2 percent return on your spending. Which isn't bad, considering you were going to spend the money anyway.
But, as a point of comparison, I use the RBC Infinite Avion Visa as my primary card. Now, that card gives me "RBC points" at 1 point per dollar spent (1.25 if on travel) which in and of themselves are mediocre. RBC's in-house points system is loaded with ways to use those points as inefficiently as possible (as does Amex's points system for that matter, and many others): you can use them as extremely inefficient cashback against your credit balance, or buying merchandise at inflated prices (for example, you can buy a $2,000 LG giant flatscreen for 307K points - which is a rate of return of about 0.66%).
But there are ways to use the points productively. For example, let's say I want to go to Sydney from Toronto: that'll run 100,000 points plus $300 or so in fees. The equivalent flight would cost me $1800-2000, so that's 1.5% return. (European-North American flights are much harder to get a good deal on.) But I can improve that because RBC points - like a lot of points programs - can be directly transferred to a number of airline programs, including American Airlines (who still have the best miles program left). I can get that Sydney flight for 75,000 points plus negligible fees, and now we're looking at 2-3% return. And, if you want to splurge points on a business-class or first-class flight, then the return vaults upward: 125,000 points for a business class flight which costs $5,000 is nearly 5% return, and 150,000 points for a $10K first class flight is 8-9% return.
Basically: the cashback card is simpler, but if you have specific ideas about what you want to use the points for, travel points cards can be much more effective.
(And also consider that it's a good idea to have at least one card which doesn't charge you for foreign transfer. I use Amazon.ca's Visa for all foreign purchases - whether I'm abroad or whether I'm buying stuff in Canada online in a foreign currency - because the banks typically charge you a 3-4% fee for buying stuff with a credit card in a different currency, which to my mind is highway robbery. But Amazon's card - in addition to earning gift certificates at Amazon - has no foreign transfer fee and no annual fee, so basically it just sits in my desk drawer waiting to be used when I need to make a foreign purchase or go on a trip, because it saves me 3-4% by using it.)
posted by mightygodking at 7:45 AM on July 21, 2015 [11 favorites]
Yes, but it all boils down to rate of return, really.
Cashback cards are simple and straightforward. The best Canadian cashback card right now, for example, is probably the Scotiabank Momentum Visa Infinite: 4 percent cashback on gas and groceries, 2 percent on drugstore purchases and re-occurring purchases, 1 percent on all other purchases. Fee of $99 per year, so if you spend $400 on groceries in a year everything you get back after that is essentially gravy. But usually you end up getting about 1-2 percent return on your spending. Which isn't bad, considering you were going to spend the money anyway.
But, as a point of comparison, I use the RBC Infinite Avion Visa as my primary card. Now, that card gives me "RBC points" at 1 point per dollar spent (1.25 if on travel) which in and of themselves are mediocre. RBC's in-house points system is loaded with ways to use those points as inefficiently as possible (as does Amex's points system for that matter, and many others): you can use them as extremely inefficient cashback against your credit balance, or buying merchandise at inflated prices (for example, you can buy a $2,000 LG giant flatscreen for 307K points - which is a rate of return of about 0.66%).
But there are ways to use the points productively. For example, let's say I want to go to Sydney from Toronto: that'll run 100,000 points plus $300 or so in fees. The equivalent flight would cost me $1800-2000, so that's 1.5% return. (European-North American flights are much harder to get a good deal on.) But I can improve that because RBC points - like a lot of points programs - can be directly transferred to a number of airline programs, including American Airlines (who still have the best miles program left). I can get that Sydney flight for 75,000 points plus negligible fees, and now we're looking at 2-3% return. And, if you want to splurge points on a business-class or first-class flight, then the return vaults upward: 125,000 points for a business class flight which costs $5,000 is nearly 5% return, and 150,000 points for a $10K first class flight is 8-9% return.
Basically: the cashback card is simpler, but if you have specific ideas about what you want to use the points for, travel points cards can be much more effective.
(And also consider that it's a good idea to have at least one card which doesn't charge you for foreign transfer. I use Amazon.ca's Visa for all foreign purchases - whether I'm abroad or whether I'm buying stuff in Canada online in a foreign currency - because the banks typically charge you a 3-4% fee for buying stuff with a credit card in a different currency, which to my mind is highway robbery. But Amazon's card - in addition to earning gift certificates at Amazon - has no foreign transfer fee and no annual fee, so basically it just sits in my desk drawer waiting to be used when I need to make a foreign purchase or go on a trip, because it saves me 3-4% by using it.)
posted by mightygodking at 7:45 AM on July 21, 2015 [11 favorites]
So tell me more about this "Buy coins from the mint and then use the coins to pay your bill" scheme. I just went on the Canadian mint web site and the coins don't seem to sell at face value. How does one buy coins at face value?
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 6:41 AM on July 21
The Canadian Mint has had a long time program of offering face value silver coins. Lately they've been $20 for $20 but there have been other denominations as well.
The current one that the Mint is heavily promoting (including TV ads) is the silver $20 Bugs Bunny coin (warning autoplay video). There is no tax on these (precious metals from the Mint aren't taxed) and free shipping.
While I'm not really a coin collector, I do like the idea of these. They're nice token gifts, especially if you can get one depicting a subject matter the recipient likes. As they have the same face value as what you spent, you can't really lose money on them, and they have the potential (although it's not something I'd count on) to increase in value.
posted by sardonyx at 7:51 AM on July 21, 2015
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 6:41 AM on July 21
The Canadian Mint has had a long time program of offering face value silver coins. Lately they've been $20 for $20 but there have been other denominations as well.
The current one that the Mint is heavily promoting (including TV ads) is the silver $20 Bugs Bunny coin (warning autoplay video). There is no tax on these (precious metals from the Mint aren't taxed) and free shipping.
While I'm not really a coin collector, I do like the idea of these. They're nice token gifts, especially if you can get one depicting a subject matter the recipient likes. As they have the same face value as what you spent, you can't really lose money on them, and they have the potential (although it's not something I'd count on) to increase in value.
posted by sardonyx at 7:51 AM on July 21, 2015
Imagine trying to buy pizza with a $20 silver Bugs Bunny coin.
posted by maryr at 7:59 AM on July 21, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by maryr at 7:59 AM on July 21, 2015 [4 favorites]
So he makes his living doing this, yes ? But is it from the consulting (wasn't clear if that business shut down), blogging, or cash-back/nickle-diming the airlines semi-scam, or what ? Or, is this a self-fulfilling, and he's no longer putting much money in to it ?
and the end He leaps to his feet, still the 10th-grader at the bell, transfixed once more by the prospect of escaping for the weekend and exploring the world. -- as covered above, if you're only ever in the airport, plane, or luxury hotel, those are all fungible, you aren't exploring anything.
posted by k5.user at 8:20 AM on July 21, 2015
and the end He leaps to his feet, still the 10th-grader at the bell, transfixed once more by the prospect of escaping for the weekend and exploring the world. -- as covered above, if you're only ever in the airport, plane, or luxury hotel, those are all fungible, you aren't exploring anything.
posted by k5.user at 8:20 AM on July 21, 2015
Hey! Silver is reasonably priced again! Bugs Bunny coins are tempting!
I know some folks who are frequent flyer program fiends - the sort who do the occasional mileage run to keep status and always get upgrades. But this... I had no idea the rabbit hole for frequent flyer stuff ran this deep. (I also thought it was going to be about someone with one of those "first class for life" tickets)
posted by rmd1023 at 8:29 AM on July 21, 2015
I know some folks who are frequent flyer program fiends - the sort who do the occasional mileage run to keep status and always get upgrades. But this... I had no idea the rabbit hole for frequent flyer stuff ran this deep. (I also thought it was going to be about someone with one of those "first class for life" tickets)
posted by rmd1023 at 8:29 AM on July 21, 2015
The first big manufactured spend trick was buying American Express traveller's checks from your local AAA office sometime around 2004 or so, I think. It was free as a AAA member and got coded as a purchase on your credit card so you got miles for it. You'd buy as many as you could, accumulate miles and then just deposit the traveller's checks to your bank and pay the credit card bill. Free miles! AAA was the loser because they were paying the credit card processing fees and they eventually realized that this was costing them more than they charged in annual fees and cut the practice off. Probably due mostly to a few outliers who were running thousands of dollars a day through this loophole.
For most of the late 2000s you could order dollar coins at face value from the US Mint, who would not eat the credit card fees, but also pay for the shipping and handling. Apparently they were so eager to get these coins into circulation that they thought it was worthwhile. This loophole lasted for many years and many people were having them shipped to multiple addresses to maximize the volume. I used my work address and home address and probably bought somewhere in the neighborhood of a half million dollar coins over the years that the deal was alive and accumulated well over a million frequent flier miles including credit card signup bonuses. It received massive publicity and didn't shut down for a very long time, probably because the government doesn't react very quickly to this sort of thing.
The next big thing was a combination of an American Express psuedo-banking/credit card product called Bluebird and a method of getting money onto the card by purchasing Vanilla Reload cards at drugstores (I'm ignoring a brief office supply deal in the middle). Bluebird let you pay bills that normally don't take credit cards and write checks using money loaded via credit card. The key piece of the puzzle was the drug store chain that sold the reload cards using credit cards coded as purchases. Normally when you buy those kind of reload cards they are either coded as cash advances or limited in some way. This one was closed relatively quickly (I think like two years?).
The key thing needed to make manufactured spend work is a method for getting a cash equivilent from a credit card transaction. So long as you can get cash out in time to pay your credit card bill in full each month, you get miles for no cost other than your effort required to make the transactions work. Most people in the game have realized that when a particular scheme is well-known and exploited by large numbers of people it will normally get shut down fairly quickly. That has driven much of the discussion of the latest methods underground. So far that works pretty well. There are equally good methods working just fine right now that still seem to be under the radar.
Ben (we mostly call him Lucky) is a somewhat controversial figure because some people think he (and other bloggers like him) have accellerated the demise of some of these deals by bringing wide-spread adoption and scrutiny to them.
posted by Lame_username at 8:34 AM on July 21, 2015 [9 favorites]
For most of the late 2000s you could order dollar coins at face value from the US Mint, who would not eat the credit card fees, but also pay for the shipping and handling. Apparently they were so eager to get these coins into circulation that they thought it was worthwhile. This loophole lasted for many years and many people were having them shipped to multiple addresses to maximize the volume. I used my work address and home address and probably bought somewhere in the neighborhood of a half million dollar coins over the years that the deal was alive and accumulated well over a million frequent flier miles including credit card signup bonuses. It received massive publicity and didn't shut down for a very long time, probably because the government doesn't react very quickly to this sort of thing.
The next big thing was a combination of an American Express psuedo-banking/credit card product called Bluebird and a method of getting money onto the card by purchasing Vanilla Reload cards at drugstores (I'm ignoring a brief office supply deal in the middle). Bluebird let you pay bills that normally don't take credit cards and write checks using money loaded via credit card. The key piece of the puzzle was the drug store chain that sold the reload cards using credit cards coded as purchases. Normally when you buy those kind of reload cards they are either coded as cash advances or limited in some way. This one was closed relatively quickly (I think like two years?).
The key thing needed to make manufactured spend work is a method for getting a cash equivilent from a credit card transaction. So long as you can get cash out in time to pay your credit card bill in full each month, you get miles for no cost other than your effort required to make the transactions work. Most people in the game have realized that when a particular scheme is well-known and exploited by large numbers of people it will normally get shut down fairly quickly. That has driven much of the discussion of the latest methods underground. So far that works pretty well. There are equally good methods working just fine right now that still seem to be under the radar.
Ben (we mostly call him Lucky) is a somewhat controversial figure because some people think he (and other bloggers like him) have accellerated the demise of some of these deals by bringing wide-spread adoption and scrutiny to them.
posted by Lame_username at 8:34 AM on July 21, 2015 [9 favorites]
So he makes his living doing this, yes ? But is it from the consulting (wasn't clear if that business shut down), blogging, or cash-back/nickle-diming the airlines semi-scam, or what ? Or, is this a self-fulfilling, and he's no longer putting much money in to it ?I'm not privy to Ben's personal finances, but I can tell you of at least three ways that he generates significant income. 1) He writes the most popular blog in the game and delivers a large volume of ad impressions. His reviews of what airlines to fly to maximize the value of your accumulated miles are by far the most useful ones out there. 2) He provides referal links to credit card sign-up bonuses. If you click on his link and sign up for a credit card, the credit card companies pay him cash for the new account. This is almost certainly his largest source of revenue and has to generate him well into six figures a year. I know someone personally who has a much less popular site who makes 80k a year and I figure Ben must do many multiples of the traffic my friend does. 3) He runs a frequent flier miles redemption service for people who have miles but don't want to spend the time needed to figure out how to find the best flight options. You tell him your miles balance, when and where you want to go and his employees do all the work for you. You pay them a few hundred bucks and they take all the hassle out of booking the flights. They know what they are doing, so they can do in minutes what would take you many hours to figure out.
posted by Lame_username at 8:46 AM on July 21, 2015 [8 favorites]
I'm waiting for the day that this happens:
"Attention passengers. Flight 8507 has been overbooked. There are 100 of you and only 50 seats. Please enter the gladiator ring to your right, and may the odds be ever in your favor. So long suckazzzzzzz!!!!!!!"
Yes, this literally happened to me once, about twenty years ago in Cuzco, Peru. I kid you not.
There was a terrible delay for our flight to Lima and then word in the waiting hall that there wouldn't be enough seats for everyone on the plane, which was waiting several hundred meters away.
Of course noone wanted their luggage, which was already checked in, to go without them, so when the doors to the airfield opened, everyone just dashed over to the plane - challenging, as Cuzco is something like 4000 m up in the Andes. A businessman running in front of me lost his briefcase, which opened up and spread hundreds of papers over the tarmac in the wind. It was surreal.
In the end, everyone got their seat, but we couldn't start due to bad wheather, and they all had us stay at the best hotel in town.
The only more surreal flight was with Air Inti, also in Peru, which used a repurposed military plane. The seats were two long benches (military style) along the fuselage, facing each other. The luggage (backpack in my case) was just put in the middle, between the benches. The fact that there was this big Indio woman sitting across from me who was obviously terrified and couldn't stop crying the entire flight, did not make this any better. But the stewardess passed around a bag of pretzels and a bottle of Inca coke and paper cups. I thought that was a nice touch.
posted by sour cream at 9:13 AM on July 21, 2015 [9 favorites]
"Attention passengers. Flight 8507 has been overbooked. There are 100 of you and only 50 seats. Please enter the gladiator ring to your right, and may the odds be ever in your favor. So long suckazzzzzzz!!!!!!!"
Yes, this literally happened to me once, about twenty years ago in Cuzco, Peru. I kid you not.
There was a terrible delay for our flight to Lima and then word in the waiting hall that there wouldn't be enough seats for everyone on the plane, which was waiting several hundred meters away.
Of course noone wanted their luggage, which was already checked in, to go without them, so when the doors to the airfield opened, everyone just dashed over to the plane - challenging, as Cuzco is something like 4000 m up in the Andes. A businessman running in front of me lost his briefcase, which opened up and spread hundreds of papers over the tarmac in the wind. It was surreal.
In the end, everyone got their seat, but we couldn't start due to bad wheather, and they all had us stay at the best hotel in town.
The only more surreal flight was with Air Inti, also in Peru, which used a repurposed military plane. The seats were two long benches (military style) along the fuselage, facing each other. The luggage (backpack in my case) was just put in the middle, between the benches. The fact that there was this big Indio woman sitting across from me who was obviously terrified and couldn't stop crying the entire flight, did not make this any better. But the stewardess passed around a bag of pretzels and a bottle of Inca coke and paper cups. I thought that was a nice touch.
posted by sour cream at 9:13 AM on July 21, 2015 [9 favorites]
tl;dr; Airline status programs can go to hell, and people like this guy are complicit.
Capitalism in a nutshell - even when you're gaming the system, you are the system. Evasion reifies.
posted by entropone at 11:25 AM on July 21, 2015
Capitalism in a nutshell - even when you're gaming the system, you are the system. Evasion reifies.
posted by entropone at 11:25 AM on July 21, 2015
I can’t help but wonder who paid the journalist’s tickets (Chicago—Hong Kong—Jakarta—Tokyo in first class, and back) – is it likely he expensed them to the magazine? or did the airline oblige?
posted by ormon nekas at 11:34 AM on July 21, 2015
posted by ormon nekas at 11:34 AM on July 21, 2015
I was curious about that too. I know the Cathay flight NYC-Hong Kong in first is always about $28,000 roundtrip, so this has to be around that. I can't see RS paying that much for this story. I also can't imagine airlines comping for an article about gaming them. Which leaves Ben using his points for the writer? But hard to imagine that as well given the conflict.
posted by chris24 at 11:48 AM on July 21, 2015
posted by chris24 at 11:48 AM on July 21, 2015
I know the Cathay flight NYC-Hong Kong in first is always about $28,000 roundtrip
What what what? I'm going to barf.
As for the guy this was about, more power to him. You have an obsessive passion that doesn't hurt anyone, go for it.
posted by GrapeApiary at 1:46 PM on July 21, 2015
What what what? I'm going to barf.
As for the guy this was about, more power to him. You have an obsessive passion that doesn't hurt anyone, go for it.
posted by GrapeApiary at 1:46 PM on July 21, 2015
Did anyone actually read the article? His brother died and his obsession introduced him to the boyfriend with whom he would later break up. That's kind of a lot of trauma for his age and if what ultimately results from all that is 1) inventing an income stream for himself 2) boatloads of discounted luxury travel 3) desultory, unwanted handjobs from one of your many fans - well, good for him!
posted by NoRelationToLea at 2:52 PM on July 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by NoRelationToLea at 2:52 PM on July 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
This life sounds really lonely. And stressful. I mean okay maybe first class is easier than cattle class, and I'm sure that this guy travels super light. I travel enough for work that I've learnt what not to do, and the absolute minimum of stuff I need to have to cover most eventualities. I've gotten the hang of Southwest's boarding procedure and gladly spend a few bucks extra per flight to get in early.
But man I can never get out of my seat and stretch soon enough. And I cannot wait to get out of Airportistan. I've gotten to the point where I'm reluctant to go to a convention if it's held near the airport, because I want to be able to leave the damn hotel on foot and eat something not priced for a captive audience on an expense account.
I wonder if this guy will ever find a place on the ground he feels at home in.
Hah. And now my computer is playing Dolby's "I Live In A Suitcase", which is a wistful, lonely little song about a life of constant travel.
posted by egypturnash at 4:31 PM on July 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
But man I can never get out of my seat and stretch soon enough. And I cannot wait to get out of Airportistan. I've gotten to the point where I'm reluctant to go to a convention if it's held near the airport, because I want to be able to leave the damn hotel on foot and eat something not priced for a captive audience on an expense account.
I wonder if this guy will ever find a place on the ground he feels at home in.
Hah. And now my computer is playing Dolby's "I Live In A Suitcase", which is a wistful, lonely little song about a life of constant travel.
posted by egypturnash at 4:31 PM on July 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
Is there any way to do this kind of thing rewardingly in an hour or two a week, or is it all-in down-the-rabbit hole or nothing?
Also, is it possible to do anything like this with Amtrak? Just, hypothetically, I mean.
posted by box at 5:16 PM on July 21, 2015
Also, is it possible to do anything like this with Amtrak? Just, hypothetically, I mean.
posted by box at 5:16 PM on July 21, 2015
To those commenting on the flight experience and how they don't understand how he can stand flying so much even in business / first... I've had the opportunity to fly long haul business class a number of times and it's a hugely different experience to flying economy. After an 8 hour economy class flight I'm dying to rush out of the airplane, but after an 8 hour business class flight, I'm seriously in no hurry to get out of my seat... I wouldn't mind staying there for another few hours.
I don't know exactly what it is. It's the combination of being able to sleep in the lay flat seat bed whenever you want, decent food and drink, but I guess most of all would be the amazing service provided by the flight attendants (I was flying Singapore Airlines for those trips). They'd address you by name, arrange your sleep / wake / meal pattern for the next 8 hours, they'd discreetly leave a bottle of water for you when you woke up and had a dry throat, and they were never more than a few seconds away whenever you wanted something. Unfailingly polite and courteous. It's about being treated like a king for a few hours, I guess.
Part of it is also when flying economy you're already cranky from the endless queues through customs, security, boarding along with hundreds of other people, and dreading the thought of more lines after you land. In business you get to skip to the front of all the queues for customs and security, sit in the gorgeous singapore airlines business lounge, relaxing among the aquariums / plants / all day buffet and drinks spread, choose to take a shower / swim / nap if you want to, then you get summoned for your flight, and you just walk out straight up into the airplane without needing to queue. When you get off on the other end, again skip all the queues, and your baggage comes out first (priority) and you've picked up your luggage and left before the 200+ other people from economy descend upon the baggage area.
Never paid for a business flight myself but I can certainly see how it's worth that much money.
posted by xdvesper at 7:58 PM on July 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
I don't know exactly what it is. It's the combination of being able to sleep in the lay flat seat bed whenever you want, decent food and drink, but I guess most of all would be the amazing service provided by the flight attendants (I was flying Singapore Airlines for those trips). They'd address you by name, arrange your sleep / wake / meal pattern for the next 8 hours, they'd discreetly leave a bottle of water for you when you woke up and had a dry throat, and they were never more than a few seconds away whenever you wanted something. Unfailingly polite and courteous. It's about being treated like a king for a few hours, I guess.
Part of it is also when flying economy you're already cranky from the endless queues through customs, security, boarding along with hundreds of other people, and dreading the thought of more lines after you land. In business you get to skip to the front of all the queues for customs and security, sit in the gorgeous singapore airlines business lounge, relaxing among the aquariums / plants / all day buffet and drinks spread, choose to take a shower / swim / nap if you want to, then you get summoned for your flight, and you just walk out straight up into the airplane without needing to queue. When you get off on the other end, again skip all the queues, and your baggage comes out first (priority) and you've picked up your luggage and left before the 200+ other people from economy descend upon the baggage area.
Never paid for a business flight myself but I can certainly see how it's worth that much money.
posted by xdvesper at 7:58 PM on July 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
Is there any way to do this kind of thing rewardingly in an hour or two a week, or is it all-in down-the-rabbit hole or nothing?
According to the guy’s blog, the only way (for people who aren't frequent business travellers) to rack up a lot of miles nowadays is through credit card points and sign-up bonuses. Of course, he makes a living off credit card affiliate links, so take it with a grain of salt, but from all accounts, just using the right credit cards for household expenses should net you a free vacation flight every year or so, at least if you live in the US.
posted by ormon nekas at 1:57 AM on July 22, 2015
According to the guy’s blog, the only way (for people who aren't frequent business travellers) to rack up a lot of miles nowadays is through credit card points and sign-up bonuses. Of course, he makes a living off credit card affiliate links, so take it with a grain of salt, but from all accounts, just using the right credit cards for household expenses should net you a free vacation flight every year or so, at least if you live in the US.
posted by ormon nekas at 1:57 AM on July 22, 2015
Also, is it possible to do anything like this with Amtrak? Just, hypothetically, I mean.
To a certain degree. Amtrak points are worth more any airline's points (several cents a point) but can still be obtained by 1:1 transfers from several credit cards, making them a great deal. For example, let's say you and your partner each get a Chase Sapphire Preferred card (offset by three months). You charge $6K on the cards over six months to meet the minimum spend. This gives you about 100K points (40K for each bonus, plus 5K each for adding each other as authorized cardholders, plus 1-2 points for each dollar spent). You also pick up Amtrak Mastercards, which give you another 12K points each for spending $500 in the first three months. The total is nearly enough to cross the U.S. four times (with indefinite stopovers if you wish at a zone edge, like Denver, or Atlanta, or Albuquerque), in your own private compartment, with meals included. My spouse and I did this in December, going from Boston to San Francisco with a stopover for a few days in Denver. Alternatively, you could do BOS-WAS first class in Acela probably a dozen times. It's a huge win for the Amtrak leisure rider.
posted by Mapes at 2:28 AM on July 22, 2015 [4 favorites]
To a certain degree. Amtrak points are worth more any airline's points (several cents a point) but can still be obtained by 1:1 transfers from several credit cards, making them a great deal. For example, let's say you and your partner each get a Chase Sapphire Preferred card (offset by three months). You charge $6K on the cards over six months to meet the minimum spend. This gives you about 100K points (40K for each bonus, plus 5K each for adding each other as authorized cardholders, plus 1-2 points for each dollar spent). You also pick up Amtrak Mastercards, which give you another 12K points each for spending $500 in the first three months. The total is nearly enough to cross the U.S. four times (with indefinite stopovers if you wish at a zone edge, like Denver, or Atlanta, or Albuquerque), in your own private compartment, with meals included. My spouse and I did this in December, going from Boston to San Francisco with a stopover for a few days in Denver. Alternatively, you could do BOS-WAS first class in Acela probably a dozen times. It's a huge win for the Amtrak leisure rider.
posted by Mapes at 2:28 AM on July 22, 2015 [4 favorites]
I used to be top tier on 3 airline schemes, flying internationally regularly on business with work. Do not miss it in the slightest, it's nice to start off with but I rather enjoy my current job where I fly maybe once a quarter and get to be home every night.
I may be lowest tier on the airline scheme, but I'm healthier and happier than I ever was in J(erk)-Class.
posted by arcticseal at 11:17 AM on July 22, 2015
I may be lowest tier on the airline scheme, but I'm healthier and happier than I ever was in J(erk)-Class.
posted by arcticseal at 11:17 AM on July 22, 2015
He does sound incredibly lonely. And the way a sexual assault was just... glossed over, waved away. I wonder, if you never go past the airport hotels, is that a good way of never actually being anywhere? If you're in a constant state of flux, you're always running, you never have to stand still and face traumatic events.
All that said.. I'd happily spend a year or ten hopping on planes whenever I feel like it, heading wherever I want, and drinking champagne en route. Environmentally disastrous, sure, and it would be living a fantasy life. Similar motivations, I guess.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 12:34 AM on July 23, 2015
All that said.. I'd happily spend a year or ten hopping on planes whenever I feel like it, heading wherever I want, and drinking champagne en route. Environmentally disastrous, sure, and it would be living a fantasy life. Similar motivations, I guess.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 12:34 AM on July 23, 2015
Though I always enjoyed mileage running, I could never get into all the credit card shit. I mean, I'd happily take so many segments to cross half the US that the computers couldn't print luggage tags for me (on the rare occasion I checked a bag), but all the gaming of the cards and manufactured spending and collecting box tops seemed plain mind numbing to me.
I enjoy being in the air, even in economy. It's a lot easier to enjoy it with a lounge membership and status to get you early boarding and your choice of seat, though.
Problem was, once the body scanner madness and shoe removal horse shit started and I had to enjoy a good grope by a TSA person every time I flew I lost interest in dealing with it, lost status, and now hate flying. I'd rather drive across the country.
These days, I couldn't game the credit cards if I wanted to. Before the meltdown I had a utilization somewhere around 15%. All of the card companies progressively reduced my limits and doubled my interest rates at the same time my income dropped by half thanks to everyone deciding that no money would be spent on IT, so paying them off wasn't an option. That left me at 90% utilization and my score is shit despite a record of paying on time every month. Well, not shit, but mediocre enough that the high utilization tanks any chance of getting an app approved by anybody but an honest-to-god loan shark, and I ain't paying an annual fee for a shitty card.
posted by wierdo at 9:22 PM on July 27, 2015
I enjoy being in the air, even in economy. It's a lot easier to enjoy it with a lounge membership and status to get you early boarding and your choice of seat, though.
Problem was, once the body scanner madness and shoe removal horse shit started and I had to enjoy a good grope by a TSA person every time I flew I lost interest in dealing with it, lost status, and now hate flying. I'd rather drive across the country.
These days, I couldn't game the credit cards if I wanted to. Before the meltdown I had a utilization somewhere around 15%. All of the card companies progressively reduced my limits and doubled my interest rates at the same time my income dropped by half thanks to everyone deciding that no money would be spent on IT, so paying them off wasn't an option. That left me at 90% utilization and my score is shit despite a record of paying on time every month. Well, not shit, but mediocre enough that the high utilization tanks any chance of getting an app approved by anybody but an honest-to-god loan shark, and I ain't paying an annual fee for a shitty card.
posted by wierdo at 9:22 PM on July 27, 2015
In case anyone is still following this post, Ben posted his feelings about the article which are a pretty interesting counterpoint to the OP.
posted by Lame_username at 5:08 AM on July 28, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by Lame_username at 5:08 AM on July 28, 2015 [5 favorites]
Thanks for that link, his response reads to me as more thoughtful and measured than the mammoth feature article, for all its brevity.
posted by smoke at 3:08 PM on July 28, 2015
posted by smoke at 3:08 PM on July 28, 2015
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