The Best Resources To Use To Get Started Learning About the Points and Miles Game
To save money on travel and optimise your experiences.
I love learning about about how to play the game of points and miles to save money on travel and optimise my travel experiences.
When I first got interested in the points and miles game in the US, it was overwhelming—there’s so much information, tips and guides out on the internet—it was hard to figure out the best way to start.
So, if you are trying to get started with the points and miles game, here are three of the best resources that I found really helpful to get started:
1. Frequent Miler website & Podcast:
The website offers detailed guides on how to start earning, and most importantly optimally using those hard earned points.
Independantly owner and ran by a small team of passionate and authentic travel and points optimisers. This is my favourite go-to resource I trust.
Their online community of 47k+ on Facebook has also been a great help for niche questions or tips.
2. Free 10x Travel Course:
If you like to learn with structure, this free course from 10x Travel is for you.
It takes a step-wise approach to teach you everything from whether the points and miles game is for you, through to more complex concepts like how to transfer to and redeem award flights on partner airlines.
10x Travel has a huge points and miles community of 380k+ on Facebook and it’s still an independantly owned website.
3. Points Guy Website:
It was launched back in 2010 by traveller and travel hacker Brian Kelly. Since then it’s be bought over by RedVentures media company.
The guides, articles and resources are still really helpful.
In particular, their monthly updated point valuation page is a helpful reference page when I’m researching and considering which flight or hotel redemptions are “worth it”.
But keep in mind that it’s no longer in the hands of a single or small group of passionate travellers now that it’s owned by a parent media company.
Regardless of which resource you go to, do you own due diligence on the credit card or financial product recommendations.
Compare and contrast their recommendations to find common threads and what might work for you.
A few golden “rules” to remember about the points and miles game
(And I’m constantly reminding myself of them too)
Points and miles have no value until you start using them. So don’t just earn, remember to burn them too.
Points only go down in value over time. Like cash in a bank account.
You might not always get the “best” point value redemption, and that’s ok. Prioritise taking the trip and getting the life experience.
If you use these three free resources, and remember these three “rules”, you’re well on your way to getting started with the game of points and miles, so you can spend less and experience more (and in comfort).