Later 2014

You missed me, huh?

Yeah, yeah. Well dammit, I missed you too!

But I’m back. Refreshed. Recharged. Ready for 2015.

I want to wait until tomorrow to get back to the usual rundown of deals.

Right now, let’s take a look back at that exciting time known as 2014…

That’s right, it’s time for the (first) Annual Nerd Awards!

Or as they’re called on the street…The Nerdies.

Here we go with the winners and losers:

Best Credit Card Of 2014:
Without a doubt, the winner is the 100,000-mile American Airlines Executive card. Amazing offer. Of course, some of you went crazy and grabbed a few of them. Over a million American miles? Yup, that’s what a few of you have because of this offer. I really should have hit it harder. Damn.

Dumbest Move With A Credit Card:
This one just happened. I applied for the decent-ish 50,000-mile Delta card. In the terms, it said the bonus wasn’t available if you’ve had this card in the last 12 months. Well, I closed my last one in March. No excuses for this brain fart…just didn’t take the 30 seconds to look at my spreadsheet. Dumb.

Most Loved Points Of The Year:
Chase Ultimate Rewards came through for me in a big way. I maxed out my office store points buying $200 gift cards from Staples. This added up to 250,000 points, plus another 50,000 from signing up for an Ink Plus. Many, many good times were had with these points. More on that later.

Least Favorite Points Of 2014:
This is a tough one.  As much as I hate them, Delta SkyMiles can actually be useful. I ended up finding a good use for some Hilton points too. Hmm…Spirit miles are pretty terrible, but I never bothered collecting those. Ok, I’m going with an upset winner here. Lufthansa! Are you shocked? Well, you should be. These are solid miles with some very good uses. Still, there’s a huge “but.” I got SO MANY emails this year complaining about the same issue. Lufthansa’s expiration policy for miles is a major, major pain. I think they deserve way more criticism for this, so I’m calling them out here. Lufthansa miles were my least favorite points of the year.

Favorite Hotel:
I was lucky to stay in some great ones. The Roosevelt in New Orleans upgraded me to a killer suite, as did the Hyatt in Park City. I loved some of the luxury hotels here in Southern California too (Ritz and St. Regis in Dana Point, Park Hyatt in Carlsbad, etc). But my winner continues to be the Andaz Maui. Even with small-ish rooms, I am totally in love with the place. It wasn’t the nicest hotel I stayed in, but it was my favorite. Remember those Ultimate Rewards points? I put them to great use here.

Worst Hotel:
I’m basically a country bumpkin, so the Las Vegas strip isn’t my favorite place. I actually prefer gambling with the locals. Speaking of which, I happily said “yes” when the Sunset Station offered me free nights. Ugh. I wouldn’t stay there again. There was some unknown, nasty smell that ruined the experience. As an Indian guy who grew up with curry, I’m used to strong smells. But this was ridiculous. I don’t know what was happening at this hotel, but it seemed to be a combination of smoke, years of B.O., and overall funkiness. It was the hotel stay of the year by far. One positive thing, though. There’s a restaurant in the Sunset Station called Oyster Bar. On the menu is something called a pan roast. If you are ever in Vegas, you MUST go to this casino (or the Palace Station) and eat this dish. Thank me later. If you like seafood, this will be one of the best things you ever eat for an affordable price.

Favorite Movie:
What does this have to do with miles and points? Absolutely nothing. But I’m a random kind of dude. The best movie I saw this year was Birdman. I’ve seen it twice in the theater and once at home already. If you have quirky taste in flicks, this one is probably for you. I also loved Interstellar, which is definitely a love-it-or-hate-it type of movie.

Favorite Trip:
In late November, I spent 15 glorious nights in Hawaii. It was probably the best 2 weeks of my life. Kauai was great. Maui was better. The Wailea area of Maui was the best. And, yeah, that Andaz is my idea of heaven.

Favorite Pool:
The saltwater lagoon at the Grand Hyatt Kauai. Don’t just dip in…swim all the way around. Go during the day and then try it late at night. You will have very different (but very magical) experiences.

Best Food:
Morimoto at the Andaz Maui wins this one. Oyster Bar in Vegas was the surprise of the year. And New Orleans takes the best foodie city award any day of the week. I don’t know if it’s possible to live there and be in shape.

Most Useful Website:
Man, there are so many great websites for travel. Flyertalk continues to be helpful, Yelp is a lifesaver for restaurants in strange towns, and TripAdvisor still gets a thumbs-up for all they provide. But The Flight Deal edges out ITA Matrix as the most useful website of the year.

Most Useful App:
Surprisingly (to me), I’m choosing Uber as the winner here. I continue to have a bipolar love/hate relationship with them, but it’s so hard to imagine travel without Uber. It is absolutely the app I’d miss most if it were gone.

Best Trend:
New products seem to be appearing faster than ever. From new credit card options to new gift card choices…this is an incredible time to be a clever person with a hustling mindset.

Worst Trend:
The devaluing of points and miles. This was a terrible year for devaluations. I have no reason to believe this will get any better.

Most Annoying Trend:
Hotel resort fees. Even at places closer to motel than “resort.” These fees keep increasing in every possible way. We’re seeing more of them and the amounts keep going up.

Favorite Quote:
“It is never too late to be what you might have been.”

Many of you reached out after my last post of the year. The last bit seemed to have an impact and I’m happy it did. I wasn’t trying to be vague or cryptic. Just simply trying to express my feelings. I think we need to keep it real. Let’s not blame our family, childhood, spouse, bloggers, readers, employers, society, God, fate, or anything else. We are where we choose to be in our lives. We can make a better choice. This world of miles and points tends to be a great metaphor for the bigger picture. I can book a First-Class flight tonight for most of the major cities in the world. And a 5-star hotel stay. I’m not a wealthy guy, but I can go anywhere I want. That’s an absolute miracle. Think about how lucky we are. And we made it happen. So, in 2015, maybe we can challenge ourselves to make a lot more happen. Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think we were born to choose mediocrity. We’ve spent our lives collecting all the tools we need. Let’s put them to use right now. Have a great 2015!

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Last Post Of The Year

Well, my friends, the time has come. That special time of year when I take a few days off. I’ll be back posting next Thursday, January 1st. Until then, here’s an all-over-the-map Q &A to end the blogging year.

What is the goal of MileNerd.com?

Same as always. The best mile/point deals in the fewest words possible. Other than an occasional wordy post (like this one), I stick to the plan. No fluff, no “filler” posts…just the good stuff 5 days a week.

Any other things you focus on?

Now that I’ve been doing it for a while, there’s a deeper bond here. Most of you learned long ago that I’m a person to trust. I never expected this kind of appreciation for simple things. For not screwing you over. For being articulate. For caring. Those aren’t exactly unique traits. But the number of shady websites and blogs keeps growing. And being known as the guy who keeps it real feels great.

Any new changes or additions?

Not that I know of. It’s up to you guys and what you ask for. As far as the usual questions, MileNerd has zero social media presence. There’s no Twitter account, no Facebook page, and you won’t find me commenting anywhere else. As always, comments will stay disabled here. That isn’t changing. The plan is to keep it simple. Great deals…1 post a day…5 days a week. I know it’s a unique way to do things, but I have no interest in following someone else’s plan.

Do you answer questions?

Throughout the day. Every single day. If you’ve ever written me without hearing back, there are only 2 possible explanations. Either your message went to my spam folder or vice versa. I respond to every email I get. Keep in mind, the pile gets deep, so it can take a day or so.

Will the blog continue forever?

Who knows. Anything’s possible. But I probably can’t keep doing this alone for the next 50 years. If you have something to say and want a built-in audience, I’ll keep listening to ideas for guest posts. And, at some point, when the right person comes along…I have no problem stepping back for the next generation of nerd.

How can I pay you back?

I get this question sometimes. No need to give me anything. If I ever want anything, I’ll ask. Nothing has come to mind yet.

So…what do you get out of this?

I get that question a lot. Usually, the answer is simple for a blogger. When blog readership is into the thousands like this, the main priority becomes money. Other things still matter, but money changes things. Well, over here it’s (clearly) a little different. There isn’t any cash being made. So, yeah, sometimes I wonder why I spend time on this. But then I think back to teaching tennis and teaching in classrooms. There’s a part of me that loves that process. Taking someone new to a world and being a part in their becoming a badass. It’s one of my favorite things. And I’m guessing it’s probably the main reason I do this.

Do you really believe in multiple credit card applications?

Of course. I applied for another 20 or so this year. And earned thousands in free travel. Again. But you have to do it right. Stay super organized, don’t close the no-fee cards you’ve had for a decade, make all your payments on time, etc. As always, if you can’t pay off your balances each month, this game isn’t for you.

How do you spend all that money to get all those bonuses?

A lot of manufactured spending. I’m careful about those topics, because the openings get closed in a hurry. It doesn’t help anyone if I’m contributing to the death of sensitive deals. But if you have trouble meeting spends, that information is easily available on Flyertalk.

Where do you see MileNerd going?

I’ve never paid a cent for advertising, don’t know what SEO stands for, and couldn’t care less about Google rankings. I’ll continue to have a great reputation as long as I’m writing. Being honest is what matters to me. I have to look at myself in the mirror and I’m not sure how people do it. But hey, I’ve seen it all. One guy pays for Twitter followers…another writes the word “help” in the title while admitting to care only about sales numbers…and my least favorite gets posts written and emailed to him by advertisers.  I see a bond that will continue to get stronger between my readers and I. And I’d guess the bloggers I continue to attack will keep having a problem with me. I like that. I see MileNerd continuing to be very different from the pack.

Do you ever feel gross about being part of this community?

No. Because you’re talking about individual websites. That isn’t a community to me. We are all individuals with our own values. For example, I like my readers. On the other hand, they like making money from readers. I post the best cards. They post links as long as their advertiser allows it. So, these are very different worlds. I saw so many cases in 2014 where top deals on my credit card page didn’t show on other blogs. No, this isn’t a community. As much as those guys try to put on bowties and dress like clowns…they aren’t very likable. You can’t like someone you don’t trust. In this non-community, you have a choice who to read. Don’t waste your time on the wrong people.

So who are the right people?

I like a handful of blogs if you’re looking for deals on miles and points. Obviously, I think MileNerd is at the top of the list. On the right sidebar, I list 4 or 5 others who post deals. I don’t read many blogs, but there might be some other good options out there. As always, most are garbage. Some of the other blogs I like that don’t focus on deals, include friends like Will Run For Miles and LL World Tour.

Any last thoughts for the new year?

As you know, I have no shortage of thoughts. Here’s my last stream-of-consciousness of the blogging year…

Life is short, of course, but time keeps accelerating as I get older. Each year flies by faster and faster. I look in the mirror and get confused. Who is this old guy is staring back at me? Where did those grey hairs come from? What the hell are these wrinkles? Not long from now, it will be over. Will I look back and see only the things I was too scared to do? Will I cry for the life I could have lived?

I want next year to be the best time of my life. I want 2015 to be the time when I really start to live. But I don’t believe it will happen. Everywhere I look, I see fear. And it’s deep in my heart too. We protect ourselves rather than feeling something real. We get so defensive. Habits take over. Our brains have become the enemy.

But what if we were open about the mess we’ve become?

And what if we faced the most frightening fact of all?

That we deserve better.

And that it’s a real possibility.

Every single day, we choose to be this way.

We choose a mediocre life.

An average identity.

 

But there’s another choice to make.

Another road to take.

A bold, powerful opportunity.

This is terrifying.

A real possibility.

We could be so much more than we are.

And we choose not to be.

2 Hilton Weekend Nights From DirecTV

Pick up your free nights here. I’m guessing most of you still prefer 30,000 United  miles or 25,000 from American. Depending where I’m staying, I could see myself taking the nights over the miles. It’s not a bad offer if you’re looking to switch to DirecTV.

I’m very sorry to all the people I haven’t responded to about the AwardWallet codes. I got an insane number of emails and there’s just no way to get through the pile right now. If you didn’t hear back, I ran out before I could get you a code. But next time, I’m going to ask for only the people who were too late this time. Not sure of the best way to do this, so hopefully that works…

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Last Codes Of The Year

I thought this worked pretty well last time. Instead of posting AwardWallet upgrade codes that are gone within minutes, just email me if you need one. Seems like that little bit of extra effort makes them last longer. There’s a Contact button on the top of the page, as many of you already know. If I don’t write back within a day, that means I ran out of codes and got swamped by the emails. I think this is the most fair way to do it, but please let me know if you come up with a better system. Thanks!

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The Top 25 Credit Cards

(If you see any errors or missing cards, please let me know. I try to keep a full list, but it’s a lot of information and I do make mistakes).

Time for the monthly edition of my Top 25 Credit Cards. Again, if you’re a newbie, make sure you read The Newbie Guide. Many of your questions will be answered there. Basic things like not applying for 3 Chase cards at the same time should be known before you continue. For people running out of cards, remember there’s often a Business card option. I listed a few here but not many, so it might be worth exploring more Business cards. Also, “churning” might be an option. The dates here were a guideline but things always tend to vary individually.

Miles and points aren’t an equal currency. 50,000 Delta Skymiles are worth less to me than 50,000 miles from pretty much any other airline. 25,000 Hyatt points are worth a ton more than 25,000 Hilton points. And so on. These links work right now (December 17th at midnight). If you read this later, many of the offers will have changed. Things move fast in this game so read the offer details before applying. Here we go! My Top 25 current credit cards in order are…

 

  • Platinum (Amex)
    • Spend $10,000 in 3 months. Get 100,000 points.
    • Not a traditional link, but a giant pile of valuable points.
    • Incredible benefits like access to Centurion lounges.
  • Business Gold Rewards (Amex)
    • Spend $5,000 in 3 months. Get 50,000 points.
    • This offer comes and goes all the time. Back for now.
    • Possibly 75,000 points? That’s why it’s #2.
  • Ritz Carlton (Chase)
    • Spend $3,000 in 3 months. Get 140,000 points.
    • Big $395 annual fee. But a travel credit of $300 makes that much better.
  • Ink Plus (Chase)
    • Spend $5,000 in 3 months. Get 50,000 points.
    • The points transfer to United, Southwest, British, Hyatt, etc.
    • 5 times the points on purchases at office stores.
    • Worth seeing if you can still get a 70,000-point offer in your local branch.
  • Sapphire (Chase)
    • Spend $4,000 in 3 months. Get 40,000 points.
    • Still very valuable points. See Ink cards above.
    • One of my favorite cards to use when I don’t have any spends to meet.
  • Starwood Preferred Guest aka SPG (American Express)
    • Spend $5,000 in 6 months. Get 25,000 points.
    • Incredible card. I really, really love cash + points for hotel stays.
    • I’m also a big fan of some of their 3,000-point properties.
    • The Business version of the card is here.
  • Barclay Arrival (Barclays)
    • Spend $3,000 in 3 months. Get 40,000 miles.
    • One of the best cards for actual spending, as discussed here.
  • American Airlines cards (Citibank)
    • Spend $3,000 in 3 months. Get 50,000 miles.
    • Read the wiki post for the most current links.
    • Better public offers with lounge passes here?
  • US Airways (Barclays)
    • Spend $1. Get 50,000 miles.
    • Still a good time to grab your American and US Airways miles.
  • United Airlines (Chase)
    • Log in and see if you are targeted for the 50,000-mile offer.
    • This offer is also being pushed heavily in airports.
    • No luck? You can also try this link.
    • A good business version may still work here.
  • Southwest (Chase)
    • Spend $2,000 in 3 months. Get 50,000 points.
    • Premier is the only working link as of today.
    • Great time to start working on your companion pass.
  • Mercedes Benz Platinum (American Express)
    • Spend $3,000 in 3 months. Get 50,000 Amex Membership Rewards points.
    • Big $475 fee but benefits like global entry credit and $200 credit.
    • A no-fee for the first year Platinum card is here.
    • Be on the lookout for MUCH better targeted Amex offers in your mailbox.
  • Hilton Honors Reserve (Citibank)
    • Spend $2,500 in 4 months. Get 2 weekend nights. Best Hilton card.
    • Gold status while you have the card. Upgrades, breakfast, internet, etc.
  • British Airways (Chase)
    • Spend $2,000 in 3 months. Get 50,000 points.
    • If I were guessing, I’d say the 100,000-point offer will be back.
  • Club Carlson Premier (US Bank)
    • Spend $2,500 in 90 days. Get 85,000 points.
    • Great hotel card and not from the usual issuers.
  • InterContinental Hotel aka IHG aka Priority Club (Chase)
    • Spend $1,000. Get 80,000 points.
    • One of the most underrated hotel cards out there.
    • Hmm…seems like it’s redirecting to 60,000 as of today. I’ll keep an eye on it.
  • Hyatt (Chase)
    • Spend $1,000 in 3 months. Get 2 nights at any Hyatt.
    • Even more valuable after the point devaluation.
  • Fairmont Hotel (Chase)
    • Spend $3,000 in 3 months. Get 2 nights and breakfast at any Fairmont.
    • Again, many of these hotels are very expensive.
  • Alaska Airlines (Bank of America)
    • Spend $1. Get 25,000 miles.
    • Offer with statement credit here.
    • Bank of America cards can be MUCH more “churnable” than most.
  • Delta (Amex)
    • Spend $1,000 in 3 months. Get 50,000 miles.
    • Business link is here.
    • I think we all know how I feel about Delta.
  • Marriott (Chase)
    • Spend $1,000 in 3 months. Get 50,000 points and a free night.
    • When all Flyertalk offers expire, the standard one is just ok. Log into your Marriott account for a possibly better targeted offer.
    • If you don’t need this one right now, I’d wait. Should be back to 70,000 soon.
    • The standard Business card links are here.
  • Premier Gold (Amex)
    • Possible 50,000 points, rather than the usual 25,000.
    • A bit of a pain, but you can see if you’re targeted.
  • Propel (Wells Fargo)
    • Spend $3,000 in 3 months. Get 40,000 points.
    • It’s always good to see cards from different banks.
    • Here’s a solid Business card from Wells Fargo.
  • Hawaiian Airlines (Barclays)
    • Spend $1,000 in 3 months. Get 35,000 miles.
    • Business version is here.
  • FlexPerks (US Bank)
    • Spend $3,500. Get 20,000 FlexPoints.
    • The Business version is here. And an Amex version here.
    • Thanks to Christopher F. for getting me to add this card to the list.
  • Venture (Capital One)
    • Spend $3,000 in 3 months. Get 40,000 miles.
    • Up from 20,000 miles.
  • Frontier Airlines (Barclays)
    • Spend $500 in 3 months. Get 40,000 miles.
    • Frontier miles aren’t for everyone.
  • Thank You (Citibank)
    • Weird offer. 20,000 points for spending $2,000 in 3 months. Then 30,000 more points for spending $3,000 in first 3 months of 2nd year.
    • Bonuses on this card go up/down often.
    • Another version is here.
  • Korean (US Bank)
    • Spend $1. Get 20,000 miles.
    • Down from 30,000-mile offer.
    • Business card is here.
  • Hilton Honors (American Express)
    • Spend $750 in 3 months. Get 40,000 points. Or 60,000 points here.
    • Hilton points are definitely not what they used to be.
  • Hilton Honors Surpass (American Express)
    • Spend $3,000 in 3 months. Get 60,000 points.
    • Get the previous card, and you’ll get tons of offers to upgrade to this one.
    • Looks like an 80,000-point offer is here.
  • Hilton Honors (Citibank)
    • Spend $1,000 in 4 months. Get 40,000 points.
    • Between the 4 cards, you have LOTS of Hilton options.
  • Prestige (Citibank)
    • Spend $2,000 in 3 months. Get 30,000 points.
    • Nice benefits including $200 credit, but huge $450 annual fee.
    • There is also a 60,000-point offer possible if you go into your local branch.
  • Diners Club Elite (BMO Harris Bank)
    • 3x points at gas station, grocery stores, and pharmacies.
    • Killer way to pick up Starwood points.
    • Big annual fee.
  • Asiana (Bank of America)
    • Spend $2,500 in 90 days. Get 25,000 miles.
    • Meh.
  • Virgin America (Comenity)
    • 2 different card offers I discussed here.
    • Issued by Comenity Bank, which is the best thing about these cards.
  • Freedom (Chase)
    • Worth having in your collection for the 5% quarterly bonuses.
    • No reason to close this one.
    • Another semi-decent quarterly bonus cards is Discover It.
    • Here’s the old Amazon link for the Discover. This Slickdeals one might be a better offer.
  • LAN (US Bank)
    • 20,000 miles after first use.
    • Down from a 40,000-mile offer.
  • Expedia (Citibank)
    • Spend $2,000 in 3 months. Get 25,000 points.
    • Also a 15,000-point version with no annual fee.
  • Virgin Atlantic (Bank of America)
    • Skip this 25,000-mile offer and wait for 50,000 to return.
    • Again, Bank of America is more churnable than most.
    • Global Entry credit might still be working if you’re looking to save the TSA PreCheck fee.
    • Big 90,000 miles available here but a huge amount of spending needed.
  • Everyday (Amex)
    • Spend $1,000 in 3 months. Get 10,000 Membership Rewards points.
    • No annual fee. Preferred has a 15,000-point bonus with a $95 fee.
    • Free Amazon Prime for a year.
  • Sun Country (First National Bank of Omaha)
    • Spend $500 in 3 billing cycles. Get 40,000 points.
    • Not the most popular airline in the world.
  • Wyndham (Barclays)
    • Spend $1. Get 30,000 miles.
    • Offer goes up and down. We’re in a down time right now.
  • NFL (Barclays)
    • Spend $500 in 90 days. Get $100 credit.
    • Offer has been higher in the past.
  • Choice Hotel (Barclays)
    • You’re truly running out of cards if you’re still reading this far.
    • I keep this as the last card mostly out of tradition.

Recently Dropped:

  • Lufthansa (Barclays) – Just dropped from 50,000 again. Should be back soon.
  • LifeMiles (US Bank) – Dropped from 40,000 to 20,000 miles.
  • AirTran (Chase) – This one is gone for good.
  • Best Western (Barclays) – Again, who really cares?

*Beyond this mile/point list, the following are some great cashback cards*

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