I read The Traveler’s Loophole to learn more about quick miles and points earning opportunities. Mary Alice also posts about other ways to save money such as taking advantage of free museum days or other travel related deals. I like saving money too and was eager to speak with Mary Alice!
I wanted to do that too! Although I wasn’t traveling for work, I signed up for Northwest Airlines and a year later (after a 30,000 mile credit card offer and a lot of shopping online), I headed to Europe for the cost of the taxes.
Why did you start The Traveler’s Loophole? What’s special about it?
Originally, I started The Traveler’s Loophole because I had (I thought) more knowledge than the average person about traveling at very discounted prices. I wrote an e-book, The Traveler’s Loophole Guide, and the website was just to promote that.
To add value to the guide was really why I began searching for ways to get more miles. I found out quickly that there is a sea of information out there that’s available if you know where to look. Before this, I had not spent a significant amount of time on FlyerTalk or MilePoint, and WOW, I was quickly amazed at what I didn’t know.
During the past 8 months, The Traveler’s Loophole has gone through a transformation every two or three months as I learn more about this game. It has been great fun, and I hope my readers are learning along with me.
Shop online! This day-to-day change has gotten me more miles than anything over the years. Plus, I usually find that I spend less money buying items online than in the store. Online, you can apply coupons or price check multiple sites for the best deal, along with earning miles. It’s a win win!
This is especially true for me now because I tend to shop on Amazon quite often for the deals. When US Airways announced they were putting Amazon in their shopping portal, I was thrilled.
My husband and I spent 5 weeks touring Europe in 2008. We took a 3 week Trafalgar tour and saw 14 countries! After that, we spent a week in the UK and the last week laying on the beach in the French Riviera. We needed a break!
While on the tour, we of course saw wonderful sites like the Parthenon, Venice, the Alps and many more. However, one of the things that stands out is the human interactions we had with the people who lived there.
This Kid Rock song was very popular at the time and thankfully the radio stations here still play it once in a while. Every time I hear it I get to relive a bit of my trip. It’s amazing how music can bring your memories back.
My friends ask me about traveling and topping off their miles quite often. I have several friends who travel for work, and I help them maximize their miles and hotel points. These friends think it’s great! Others think I am a bit crazy, especially when they find out I have a website dedicated to it.
Tracking all of my miles and hotel points in one spot has helped greatly. Right now, I am using gomiles.com to track everything because I like the layout, and it allows me to keep my husband’s points and miles right along with mine.
For me, it’s easy to get distracted on the computer, so keeping as many things organized and in one place helps a lot. Also, one big thing I like to promote with my readers is to enroll your significant other (if they don’t mind) when sign up bonus promotions are available.
I am not sure why, but my husband gets more targeted offers than I do! Having two accounts that you are working with gives you more of a chance at those great targeted offers.
I love the dining program. It is probably the easiest way to earn miles since you don’t need anything but a debit card.
A few years ago, I signed up my husband for the Delta Skymiles dining program, and all of the sudden, he got getting a bunch of miles in his account! It turned out that the place he went to lunch quite often was on the list.
You just never know with the dining program, especially if you travel a lot. I don’t always look to see where I can earn miles when I am in another city.
I wish I had known about banking for miles. As soon as I found out about Citibank’s AAdvantage checking account I enrolled, but I was a bit reluctant to do so because I didn’t have a Citibank branch near my house.
I was nervous about opening an account when I wasn’t going to actually sit down face to face with a banker and get all of my paperwork. Today, I would much rather do everything online in my pajamas.
Typically, I keep my posts short and to the point so my readers probably don’t realize that most of the offers that I put on my blog, I actually do. I have filled out more insurance quote forms, applied for free trials, taken more surveys, and churned more credit cards than you could believe!
Once you take that first free flight, you will be hooked.
Mary Alice – Thanks for sharing your thoughts on having Big Travel with Small Money!
So if you’re looking for quick and easy ways to save money and earn miles and points, check out The Traveler’s Loophole.
I am referring to the Chase 50,000 ultimate rewards points above. Sorry, but I am new to this and don’t know if I posted in the right place.
I just applied for the Chase Southwest yesterday to get the 50,000 bonus points. I should have done this one instead. My dream is for my husband and I to go to Tahiti, Bora Bora, anywhere in the South Pacific or possibly Australia just once. We are hooked on the Caribbean and will continue to go there for most of our trips. My husband and I both have credit scores in the 800’s so what do you recommend for achieving our dream vacation? We both currently have AA business visa (75,000 bonus mi. coming) and he has the Chase Southwest visa from the last 2 free flights offer. (I hope they approve mine.) I have Air Tran visa, AA Citi personal and business Visa (75,000 bonus coming). AA rewards seem so expensive to get to the South Pacific or Australia. I love your site. Thank you for all you do.
That’s great Jorge! Happy travels.
Sooo true. I just booked my first free flight and I am already hooked. And I haven’t taken it yet!