We’re all at different levels of this game, but there’s room to grow no matter who you are. If you don’t have a goal in mind for 2013, here’s some thoughts for each level:
- Emo People – If you’re too cool for this hobby, quit lingering. Saving thousands of dollars on vacations isn’t worth an hour per week to you? If that’s the case, pick a side. Get in or get out.
- Newbies – Educate yourself and move past the newbie stage. If you stay a newbie for more than a year, you’re not actually a newbie. You’re lazy. Flyertalk, blogs, and my Newbie Guide are places to start. You’ll get a basic understanding of how it works in just a few hours. Read, read, read!
- Bad Credit People – You have bigger problems than a shortage of miles. If your credit is bad, that’s your main concern. The equivalent of Flyertalk for credit is www.creditboards.com.
- Credit Wusses – If you have great credit but are scared to apply for cards, how long are you going to keep reading without diving in? Fair question. To me, it seems like you’re wasting a lot of time.
- Sloppy People – Are you making up information on your AmEx card applications? Are you now stuck with a Financial Review? Did you overdo a Paypal card and get your Paypal account shut down? Stop making things so obvious. Don’t be dumb.
- The Middle Class – This is most of you. You have a fair amount of cards and you earn a decent amount of miles. Are you using Bluebird? Are you doing anything with prepaid cards or gift cards? Have you discovered loopholes to exploit? Do you have any buddies in the game with you? The way this hobby is trending, it’s important to network with people because deals are getting killed faster.
- The Studs – You have more miles than you can use. You know more than most. So what? Don’t be like one of those rich old jerks who sits at home and doesn’t spend his money. Use your miles more. The point of this is to have fun experiences. And when people try to learn from you, don’t be so paranoid. Very few people are trying to screw you over. Most just want to learn from you.
