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As I sit here in my seat, 30,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean between Maui and the US mainland, I must pause to reflect on how we ended up here. Two hours ago, we concluded an amazing vacation that started by touring Alcatraz, strolling among redwoods, sipping wine, and visiting friends. Then, we spent the next two weeks on a three-island Hawaiian adventure that, until now, has only existed in our dreams! We both earn a decent wage, but we are by-no-means “wealthy.” All of this, and much more, has been made possible during our first year utilizing travel loopholes. Follow along for a recap of what is possible if you dive into the points game for just one year.
Edit: Many of the offers mentioned in this post have expired. Please see our Top Offers menu for the latest and greatest credit card bonuses.
In November 2014, I nervously dipped my toes into the points game by applying for two Chase Southwest cards to earn a Companion Pass. By February 1, 2015, we had our Companion Pass in hand, and I was hooked! Over the course of the year, we have applied for and earned many credit card bonuses totaling over TWO MILLION MILES/POINTS!! We have traveled to exciting destinations this year like New York City, Dubai, New Orleans, Austin, San Francisco, and Hawaii using our cache of points… and we have only scratched the surface! (See our Dare to Dream page for info on our trips)
The points game can be played solo, but we find it much easier as a two-player game. The following table shows the totals we earned with each program, including sign up bonuses, refer-a-friend bonuses, and spending. Totals do not include points earned from actual travel.
| Program | 2015 Total Earned |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards | 295,510 |
| Amex Membership Rewards | 489,140 |
| Citi ThankYou Points | 58,000 |
| American Airlines Miles | 865,820 |
| Southwest Miles | 149,040 |
| United Miles | 58,000 |
| Starwood Points | 234,060 |
| IHG Points | 207,000 |
| Barclay Arrival Miles | 66,000 |
| Discover Cash | $1,550+ (with double cash promo) |
| Bank of America Cash | $1,200 |
| Amazon Credit | $655 |
| Amex Offers/Checkout Cash | $593 |
| Annual Fees Paid | -$501 |
| Gift Card Fees (approx 104 gift cards) | -$322 (after rebates) |
TOTAL MILES/POINTS FROM BONUSES = 2,027,620
TOTAL MILES/POINTS EARNED = 2,422,570
TOTAL CASH EARNED (NET OF FEES) = $3,275
TOTAL CARDS = 35
TOTAL CHECKING ACCOUNTS = 6
The table below breaks down what cards/products we used to earn the miles and cash.
| Who | Date | Card/Product | Minimum Spend | Annual Fee in 2015 | Bonus + Spending |
| Jesse | 11/4/14 | Chase Southwest Premier | $2,000 | $99 | 50,000 + 2,020 |
| Jesse | 11/4/14 | Chase Southwest Plus | $2,000 | $69 | 50,000 + 2,020 |
| Jesse | 2/13/15 | Chase Sapphire Preferred | $4,000 | $0 | 45,000 + 4,040 |
| Jesse | 2/13/15 | Chase Ink+ | $5,000 | $95 | 60,000 + 25,510 |
| Jesse | 2/13/15 | Barclays US Airways | $1 | $89 | 50,000 |
| Jesse | 2/13/15 | Citi AA Platinum | $3,000 | $0 | 50,000 + $3,030 |
| Jesse | 2/13/15 | CitiBusiness AA Platinum | $3,000 | $0 | 50,000 + $3,030 |
| Wife | 3/15/15 | Barclays US Airways | $1 | $89 | 50,000 |
| Wife | 3/15/15 | Citi AA Platinum | $3,000 | $0 | 50,000 + $3,000 |
| Wife | 3/15/15 | CitiBusiness AA Platinum | $3,000 | $0 | 50,000 + $3,000 |
| Wife | 3/15/15 | Amex Starwood | $5,000 | $0 | 30,000 (matched) + 5,000 |
| Wife | 3/15/15 | Amex Starwood Business | $5,000 | $0 | 30,000 (matched) + 5,000 |
| Jesse | 4/7/15 | Amex Platinum Business | $10,000 | $450 (refund) | 100,000 + 10,060 |
| Wife | 5/5/15 | Chase Sapphire Preferred | $4,000 | $0 | 45,000 + 4,000 |
| Wife | 5/5/15 | Chase IHG | $1,000 | $0 | 80,000 + 1,000 + 25,000 extra |
| Jesse | 6/1/15 | Barclay Arrival+ | $3,000 | $0 | 40,000 + 6,000 |
| Jesse | 6/1/15 | Citi ThankYou Premier | $3,000 | $0 | 55,000 + 3,000 |
| Jesse | 6/1/15 | Chase United Mileage Plus | $3,000 | $0 | 55,000 + 3,000 |
| Jesse | 6/1/15 | Amex PRG | $1,000 | $0 | 50,000 + 1,000 |
| Jesse | 6/1/15 | Amex BRG | $10,000 | $0 | 75,000 + 10,000 |
| Jesse | 7/1/15 | Pinnacle Checking | $0 | $0 | $100 |
| Jesse | 8/7/15 | B of A Business Checking | $2,000 | $0 | $1,000 |
| Jesse | 8/7/15 | B of A Cash Rewards | $1 | $0 | $100 |
| Wife | 8/10/15 | Citi AA Executive | $7,500 | $450 (refund) | 75,000 + 13,8501 |
| Jesse | 8/10/15 | Citi AA Executive | $7,500 | $450 (refund) | 75,000 + 8,8501 |
| Jesse | 8/10/15 | Amex Starwood | $3,000 | $0 | 30,000 + 3,030 |
| Jesse | 8/15/15 | Amex Starwood Business | $5,000 | $0 | 30,000 + 5,050 |
| Jesse | 8/15/15 | Amex Everyday | $1,000 | $0 | 10,000 +1,010 |
| Wife | 8/18/15 | Citi AA Platinum (#2) | $3,000 | $0 | 60,000 (matched) + 3,030 |
| Jesse | 8/18/15 | Citi AA Platinum (#2) | $3,000 | $0 | 60,000 (matched) + 3,030 |
| Wife | 8/26/15 | Amex Platinum | $3,000 | $450 (refund) | 100,000 + 3,030 |
| Jesse | 8/26/15 | Amex Platinum | $3,000 | $450 (refund) | 100,000 + 3,030 |
| Wife | 10/3/15 | Amex Everyday | $2,000 | $0 | 25,000 + 2,020 |
| Wife | 10/3/15 | Discover IT | None | $0 | $100 |
| *Wife | 10/24/15 | Citi AA Platinum (#3) | $3,000 | $0 | 60,000 (matched) + 17,5002 |
| *Jesse | 10/24/15 | Citi AA Platinum (#3) | $3,000 | $0 | 60,000 (matched) + 17,5002 |
| *Wife | 10/30/15 | Citigold Checking | $1,000 | $30 | 50,000 AA |
| *Jesse | 10/30/15 | Citigold Checking | $1,000 | $30 | 50,000 AA |
| *Jesse | 11/5/15 | Chase IHG | $1,000 | $0 | 80,000 + 1,010+ $50 |
*Bonus earned but not yet posted to account.
1Funded LMCU account
2Funded Citigold account
As if earning almost 2.4 million points/miles was not enough, both of our credit scores have improved from the mid-700’s to over 800 now! We have also utilized many benefits of our various cards including (but not limited to) the following:
- Amazon Gift Cards
- $200 credit x 3 Amex Platinum cards using the MPX loophole.
- Pay with Points Bonus
- $15 Amex discount x 2
- $10 Citi discount x 2
- $10 Chase discount x 2
- $10 Discover & Citi offers x 4
- Amex offers
- Staples: Earning $17 per card x 17 cards
- Amex checkout
- Sabon: Earning $9 per card x 11 cards
- NewEgg: Earning $9.51 per card x 11 cards
- Chase Sapphire Visa Checkout
- NewEgg: $14.51 per card x 2 cards
- Lounge access (Amex Platinum)
- Global Entry x 2 (Amex Platinum)
- Gogo in-flight internet – 10 passes (Amex Platinum)
- Starwood Gold (Amex Platinum)
- Discover Cash Back which will double after one year (Discover IT)
- Primary rental car insurance (Sapphire)
I hope this post inspires you to get into the game now! Next year at this time, you could be throwing darts at a map of the world, knowing that you can fly wherever the dart lands for FREE! If you are brand new and want to get the ball rolling, check out our Getting Started page. Cheers!
