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This is the first post in a monthlong series. Each post will take about two minutes to read and may include an action item that takes the reader another two minutes to complete. I am writing this for an audience of people who know nothing about frequent flier miles, and my goal is that by the end, you know enough to fly for free anywhere you want to go.

I’m revising and updating my Free First Class Next Month series for beginners, which I first ran in March 2012.

Frequent flyer miles have allowed me to visit over 30 countries at the age of 26, with another 15 countries planned for the next few months. I pay less for these trips than you probably did for your last vacation, and I’m usually flying in business or first class.

And this isn’t those slightly wider seats at the front of the plane you see as you board your flight to Cleveland. International First Class means your own fully flat bed in your own enclosed suite while being waited on and served fine foods and wine.

My suite in Emirates First Class. My personal mini-bar pops up. The seat turns into a flat bed, and a few minutes after taking the photo, I took a shower eight miles high.

I’m not writing this to brag. I’m writing because my techniques are very easy to repeat. For instance, Rookie Alli went from having no frequent flyer miles to flying in a fully flat bed in just four months.

She used to fly economy like you.

Luxury is attainable with frequent flyer miles, and it usually costs far less than a paid ticket. I just booked 20 hours worth of flights in Cathay Pacific First Class for miles plus $40 out of pocket. Do you have $40?

I know for many people luxury travel is not the goal. They just want to get their family on vacation or to visit grandparents, and they don’t have the money in the budget for these trips. These techniques can also help a family travel for peanuts. I recently described how a family of four could fly to Europe for only $274 total!

What’s the catch? You’ll have to learn a few things and open the right credit cards.

The learning curve for miles enthusiasts can be steep, and I hope this series flattens that curve. The series is for total beginners to get a base in the essentials about earning and redeeming miles.

In this series, I’m going to be showing you the tricks that experts use to fly in first class anywhere in the world for pennies. By next month, you’ll be a pro at earning frequent flier miles for doing things you already do and redeeming them for dream first-class vacations you thought you could never afford.

United Global First, about to stretch out in my seven foot bed.

In addition to frequent flier miles, I’ll be teaching you about how to find incredibly cheap cash fares and hotels, so that you’ve got a full arsenal of ways to travel cheap or free.

If you have two minutes a day, you can enjoy Free First Class Next Month! Bookmark this page, and check back tomorrow when we take the first step to Free First Class Next Month. (Or better yet, enter your email in the top left of this page, and you’ll get one email per day with that day’s posts.)

Forward those emails to your friends, so they can also learn and become your travel companions.

For those who can’t wait until tomorrow, here is a link to every post in the last series.. This series will follow roughly the same topics.

Free First Class Next Month: Table of Contents

  1. An Updated Guide to Free Travel with Miles and Points
  2. Signing Up For Travel Loyalty Programs
  3. Sign Up for Award Wallet
  4. Check Your Credit Score
  5. Putting All Your Spending on Credit Cards
  6. Bluebird
  7. Double Credit Card Miles with Business Cards
  8. Best Practices for Your First App-o-Rama
  9. Best Current Credit Card Offers
  10. An Easy Way to Meet Multiple Minimum Spends at Once
  11. Transferable Points Program Basics
  12. Category Bonuses
  13. Other Credit Card Benefits
  14. Cancelling Cards
  15. Keeping Miles Active with Dining Programs
  16. Shopping Portals
  17. You Can Earn Miles Doing Anything
  18. Airline Hubs and Alliances
  19. Searching United.com to Redeem United and US Airways Miles
  20. Searching AA.com to Redeem American Airlines Miles
  21. Searching BA.com to Redeem American Airlines Miles
  22. Using Qantas.com to Redeem American Airlines Miles
  23. Using Delta.com to Redeem Delta Miles
  24. Using Expert Flyer to Redeem Delta Miles
  25. Planning Awards with Wikipedia and Kayak
  26. Using Seat Guru to Pick the Best Award
  27. Using the Great Circle Mapper
  28. Using the FlyerTalk Mileage Run Deals Forum to Find Cheap Flights and Mistake Fares
  29. Using ITA Matrix to Find Cheap Flights and Fuel Surcharge Info
  30. Status
  31. Cheapskate Lodging with Hotel Promos, Hostels, airbnb, and CouchSurfing
  32. Name Your Own Price on Priceline to Save Hundreds on Hotels (Part 1)
  33. Name Your Own Price on Priceline to Save Hundreds on Hotels (Part 2)
  34. Using the MileValue Calculator
  35. The End

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