Miles are addictive. This addiction causes two types of actions in almost all afflicted parties: Greed for more miles and Hoarding of existing stock. Today we’ll discuss the higher level decisions you should be making about your miles (and money) and hopefully open up discussion regarding if/when you should even bother with miles. Make-or-Buy Analysis (In Brief) […]
The Shortest Distance Between Two Points is Not Always a Straight Line
Yesterday we discussed a complex and risky strategy to earn miles while paying an American Express card. Today we’ll look at a way to drive our costs down in a similar nonstandard way. I’ve discussed the following in bits and pieces before on the blog, and elsewhere. One of the keys to a successful personal […]
Detailing a Complex (and Risky) Strategy to Pay Amex Cards at Walmart
The game we play changes weekly it seems. Some of the best options from last month are quickly dying, and other new options are filling in. I’ve been out of the country for two+ weeks, and have been happy to see debit cards which were not working before I left come back from the dead […]
The 11-Month Itch: Getting an American Express Gold Annual Fee Waived
One of the cornerstones of Milenomics is avoiding annual fees whenever possible. For my travel needs I have yet to find a card which is beneficial enough to keep and pay the annual fee on. Part of that is because signing up for cards again (especially in Two-Player Mode) is just so much more beneficial […]
Triple Dip and Get Paid to Buy Lots of Miles at Safeway Stores! (5/21-6/3)
Update (5/29): It seems as though there are all kinds of promotions going on across the country, and most cash back discounts are not ringing up correctly at the registers. Make sure you push for the deal you’ve seen offered. As an added bonus numerous readers are finding fuel points for Variable Load MC’s bought with groceries! We’ve covered […]
Welcome to the Milenomics Universe
Once you spend a little time here on Milenomics you’ll soon come to realize we do things a little differently around here. First of all, we aren’t in the business of collecting miles. We are in the business of traveling with miles, but we don’t exactly play the same game you’ll read about elsewhere online. […]
Do You Have the Time? (To Listen to Me Whine)
#Milemadness is in full swing, we’re 2/3 through the month. I haven’t spent much time on the blog discussing the contest–that’s been on purpose. I didn’t have much to bring up, so I’ve kept most of my posts Milenomics-centric. I changed my strategy for week 2 in a way that I’d like to discuss here. […]
Reader Help: Booking to Machu Picchu & the Galapagos Islands
Today’s post is written in response to a reader’s question. Hi, I am wondering if you can give me advice on how to use Delta miles to go to both Ecuador (Galapagos) and Peru (Machu Pichu) on the same trip. We would really like to go on a 5 day Galapagos tour so would need […]
Confirmed: PayPower Prepaid Visa Cards are Going Fee Free
Update (3/20): The Monthly fee of $5.95 has been reported to be charged as early as 7 days after activation. This is much sooner than prior reports (30 days). Be sure to drain within a day or two to avoid this fee if at all possible. Update: On Saturday (2/1) I went to my local Safeway […]
Shadow Currency Booking: LAX-DFW on AA With MR for 15,500 R/T
It is no secret that Milenomics has become a big fan of Membership Rewards Points. I’ve called them many things; Shadow Currency, orphan savior, and risky Business. I went from relying mostly on UR in 2012 and 2013 to a gradual shift towards more MR as my Domestic and International programs started to take shape. In fact, […]