Did the blog start so – a passion for sharing the excellent printing?
When I lived in Washington, DC, in 2002, a lot of people I knew, started political blogs, but I didn’t feel like I had anything unique to say that no one said in that space. I thought what people ask me? So I just started writing travel tips. One weekend in May I set up a free account at blogspot.com and started writing for, you know, 30 people reading it, and then 500, and 1,000. Last month, June, a blog hiked a bit of 5.5 million visitors, but in March was up to 7.5 million.
Okay, let’s talk numbers. Each point system feels a little different than the last one. It is difficult to know what, for example, 100,000 miles is really worth when it comes to someone given a loyal program. What is your method?
So, I have a close idea of the value of every currency. I estimate Marriott point at 65 base points, for example, and Hilton point around 40 or 45, which is about where I estimate an IHG point, while I estimate a Hyatt point at 1.4 cents, which is about what I estimate an American and a coupled mile at. I estimate a delta mile by about a hundred, a virgin mile by about nine-tenths of one hundred.
Using these metrics as a rule, how do you use your miles?
You want to think about the value of miles as a private currency. There is no central bank, and it will be subject to a given price level. The simplest model for this is the same kind of analysis you would do with inflation for a government issued currency. Take the simple monetary formula, MV equals PQ. The amount of money in the speed of Economic Times, or the speed it spends is equivalent to the amount of Q, amount, the amount of goods in the economy, and P, the price level, right?
Yes, no. I knew that.
Price is affected by the amount of seats on planes. Airlines have become good enough about what they call a capable discipline and do not fly flights that do not sell. They print much more miles than are redeemed in a set year, and there are many more ways to win the miles.
How can a newbie start?
Don’t leave miles on the table. Sign up for programs. Track your points. I use AwardwalletBut keep track of your accounts, yet you want to do it. Take your account number when you buy something online and go through a purchase portal. Maximize it by comparing portals, whether it’s SaveWise or Cashback Monitor.
You sound like someone who, like any good point hacker, knows his way around Microsoft Excel.
I don’t really use spreadsheets. I have a really good memory, and I pay attention to these things for almost 30 years.
