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A Million Miles in 90 Minutes... Without Stepping on a Plane

Jan. 05, 2011
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2 min read
A Million Miles in 90 Minutes... Without Stepping on a Plane
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An uber savvy TPG reader just sent me his latest accomplishment: 1,005,000 miles in 90 minutes.

His haul includes 405,000 Delta Skymiles and 600,000 American miles- all for opening no-fee credit cards that I posted about (Delta and American). While the Delta deal expired 12/31/10, the American 100,000 and 75,000 deals are still live.

How was this done? Well he signed up for a boatload of cards for himself and his small business as well as five of his family members whose frequent flyer accounts he manages. In total he got approved for 16 credit cards, all with no annual fees for the first year.

While this sounds amazing, mind you he has a LOT of spending to do on a bunch of different cards in order to fully achieve the million mile pay day. Per the spreadsheet he sent me, it looks like he needs to spend about $49,000 in the next 3-4 months on 16 different cards.

Sounds like a hassle, but he has a plan. As a small business owner, he puts all of his business spend on his points earning cards (smart) and his family members are adults, so its really not hard to rack up monthly spend when you put all of your personal expenses on your card.

When all is said and done, he will have enough miles for 11 round-trip business class tickets to Europe. Or, if he wants to stretch his miles, he could take advantage of American's off-peak 40,000 mile Europe/South America coach rewards and take 15 of his closest friends and family on vacation using his 600,000 miles. Not too bad!

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Have your own points story to share? Feel free to email me or comment below.
[card card-name='Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express ' card-id='22035076' type='javascript' bullet-id='1']

TPG featured card

Best for businesses with high spending

Capital One Venture X Business

Apply for Capital One Venture X Business
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees
TPG Editor‘s Rating
4.5 / 5
Go to review
Apply for Capital One Venture X Business
at Capital One's secure site

Rewards

2 - 10X miles

Intro offer

LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles

Annual Fee

$395

Recommended Credit

740-850
Excellent

Why We Chose It

The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
  • In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
  • Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.

Cons

  • The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
  • Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
  • LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
  • Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
  • Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
  • With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
  • Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
  • Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
  • Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
  • Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
  • Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
  • This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
Apply for Capital One Venture X Business
at Capital One's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees
Best for businesses with high spending

Capital One Venture X Business

TPG Editor‘s Rating
4.5 / 5
Go to review

Rewards Rate

2X miles2 miles per dollar on every purchase
5X miles5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
10X miles10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel

  • Intro Offer

    LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles

  • Annual Fee

    $395

  • Recommended Credit

    740-850
    Excellent

Why We Chose It

The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
  • In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
  • Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.

Cons

  • The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
  • Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
  • LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
  • Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
  • Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
  • With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
  • Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
  • Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
  • Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
  • Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
  • Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
  • This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month