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Hey there, you’re reading an outdated post! The updated series from April 2015 can be found here.

This is the thirtieth and final 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.

You did it! You passed Miles Collecting 101. You should now have the basic tools to accrue millions of miles through credit card sign up bonuses mainly, but also online shopping, dining, flying cheap paid fares, and many other ways.

So what’s next?

Your mileage education is never complete. There’s always something more you can learn, so check back daily at this blog. Hopefully you now have the basics down and can understand a few of the more complicated posts.

You should also be checking flyertalk’s forums daily to keep abreast of the daily developments in the world of miles’ promotions.

Keep up with your new hobby, and maybe I’ll see you at the front of the plane in the flying bed across the aisle from mine. It’s your turn to enjoy Free First Class Next Month This Month.

Here is a link to every post in the series in case you missed one.

  1. An Updated Beginner’s Guide to Free Travel
  2. Signing up for Airline and Hotel Programs
  3. Check Your Credit Score
  4. Calculating and Increasing How Much You Spend on Credit Cards Each Month
  5. Double Your Credit Card Miles
  6. The Best Current Card Offers (but for updates, see the Best Current Credit Card Offers tab)
  7. Turning Credit Card Rejections into Acceptances
  8. Meeting Several Minimum Spends at Once
  9. Exploiting Transferable Points Programs
  10. Exploiting Category Bonuses
  11. Exploiting Other Credit Card Benefits
  12. Organizing with Award Wallet
  13. Why Dining Programs Can be Worth Big Miles
  14. Exploiting Shopping Portals
  15. Earn Miles Doing Everything
  16. Business Credit Cards
  17. Airlines’ Codes, Hubs, and Alliances
  18. Exploiting the FlyerTalk Mileage Run Forum
  19. Using Kayak.com and its Many Features
  20. Saving Hundreds on Hotels with Priceline Part 1
  21. Saving Hundreds on Hotels with Priceline Part 2
  22. Seatguru.com
  23. Star Alliance Searches on United.com
  24. Award Searches on AA.com
  25. Using BA.com for oneworld searches
  26. Using Delta.com for Award Searches
  27. Using Airfrance.us for Award Searches
  28. Using ExpertFlyer
  29. Using the Great Circle Mapper
  30. The End
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Just getting started in the world of points and miles? The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best card for you to start with.

With a bonus of 60,000 points after $4,000 spend in the first 3 months, 5x points on travel booked through the Chase Travel Portal and 3x points on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), this card truly cannot be beat for getting started!


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