About

 

Daraius Dubash has earned and redeemed millions of airline miles and hotel points – most of which he acquired for free and without flying in  airplanes or staying in hotels.

Daraius Dubash - Million Miles Secrets

At restaurant Sant Pau near Barcelona, Spain. Daraius & Emily used miles to travel for free on Swiss Air to Europe

Daraius writes the Million Mile Secrets blog to show time-starved people how they too can acquire airline miles and hotel points, and travel very comfortably to see the world, for a fraction of what they would otherwise pay for such travels.

 

Daraius believes that everyone can can use airline and hotel loyalty points to travel for free – whether it is a trip in First Class to Thailand or a family visit to grandma in Florida.

By reading Million Mile Secrets you will learn Daraius’ secrets to fly for much less,  stay in wonderful hotels for much less, and rent cars for much less than retail price.

Like Daraius, you will learn how to have Big Travel with Small Money. You will find all the information to start collecting and using miles & points for your travel, easily arranged, on Million Mile Secrets.

Daraius has visited over 30 countries in 6 out of 7 continents,  and has flown on International First Class (where tickets costs about $20,000 per ticket) to Europe, Asia, and the US,  many times for virtually no money.  He uses his expertise and specialized tools  to help his blog readers and his family travel and experience the world for less.

As a former Certified Public Accountant (CPA),  Daraius roamed the world, as an auditor for a Fortune 500 company, to ensure that rules, regulations, and policies were enforced.  He also prepared many tax returns as a volunteer with the AARP.

Daraius now uses his ability to interpret complicated  airline rules and marketing promotions – honed from mastering complex accounting rules -  to make the most of airline, hotel, and rental car promotions.

Million Mile Secrets - Emily & Daraius at Carnival

Million Mile Secrets - Emily & Daraius at Carnival

Daraius currently has an exciting career in Global Marketing for a Fortune 500 Consumer Product Company, and has an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and a Master’s in Engineering Management from the McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University.

In his spare time, Daraius loves to plan his future travels and plot on how to increase his stash of miles and points (currently over 3 million).  He loves listening to classical music, reading non-fiction (history and biography), eating good ethnic food,  and taking long walks.

He recently got engaged in London and is looking forward to planning a few honeymoons in 2012!

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179 Responses to About

  1. @Maria – That is really strange. Can you post it again?

  2. Hi Daraius,

    Just a suggestion, just saw an app in the iTunes app store to check which CC To use to get the most points, might be useful for your readers and audience.

    http://www.paywithglyph.com/

    Techcruch has made a post about it also.
    http://techcrunch.com/2012/11/13/glyphs-new-iphone-app-tells-you-what-credit-cards-to-use-to-earn-better-rewards/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29

    Dheenu

  3. @Dheenu – Thanks for the heads up! I read about it too!

  4. susan tiambeng

    Hi !Daraius,I’m a big fan of you and Emily,found your website while browsing on how to acquire more miles! Amazing! Following your tips,advices ,suggestions etc.Thanks a lot for the info.My co-workers think I’m getting crazy .I tried the Bluebird idea ,Found a CVS close to my house that still sells Vanilla.So far so good.Thanks again!

  5. @susan tiambeng – You’re welcome and thanks for reading!

  6. Hi Daraius! I am a huge fan of your website. Your knowledge about earning miles is just amazing, and you are genius!!! By the way, I need your help! I really want to earn more miles, but I think I have reached my limit… Here is the detail. Now I have Delta SkyMiles Amex card, Chase MileagePlus Explorer Visa card, Hilton HHonors Amex card, Citi HHonors Visa Gold card, and Chase Marriott Rewards Visa card. I closed my account of Citi AAdvantage Amex card this September. I wanted to apply for a Citi AAdvantage Master Card because I did not have one, however, my application was denied the other day because I have a Citi HHonors Visa card now and had a Citi AAdvantage Amex until recently. Even though I explained them that I did not have Citi AAdvantage Amex anymore and never had a Citi AAdvantage Master Card, they did not approve my application. They explained that AAdvantage bonus miles program was for the first-time applicants.
    Sorry for the long e-mail…
    These are my questions for you:
    - Is Citi AAdvantage bonus miles program really for the first-time applicants? Is it impossible for me to reapply it later, like next year?
    - I will plan to close my accounts of Delta SkyMiles Amex and Chase MileagePlus Explorer Visa card in the near future. After that, can I reapply for these cards and be qualified for bonus miles again? Or, Are these programs for the first-time cardholders like Citi AAdvantage?
    - Due to my current geographical location and home country, I only use Delta, United and American. Do you know any other credit cards that offer some bonus miles?

    I hope you will help me . Thank you!

  7. Thanks for the heads up Daraius – I was going to wait until January to apply for all personal and business cards for my wife and myself but just applied for them this morning. It was great meeting you and Emily in LA – will look for you at FTU in April.

  8. @Tria - You usually have to wait 18+ months from when you were last approved to get the personal Citi AA cards again – otherwise you get denied for already having the card. You may be able to get the Delta sign-on bonus 12 months after cancelling and with the United card you may be able to get the bonus for different versions of the card. Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred to United, American Express Membership Rewards points can be transferred to Delta, and American Express Starwood points can be transferred to American Airlines.

    @Randy Martin – It was great meeting you too and thanks for attending FTU!

  9. Daraius, was denied AA MC last night due to it being a first time offer. I thougth it would fly since we have not had that since 08 – but n go b/c we opened a AA Visa in April. Will I need to wait another 18 + months? Approved for Citi Hilton, US Air and Marriott. Thanks for all your tips and help.

  10. @charlene – It is ~18+ months from when you were last approved for the Citi AA personal cards which started in April for you.

  11. Hello Daraius,

    I’ve recently applied for the 2 Southwest airline credit cards (Personal + Business). I successful received the business card and began using it. I even created a rapid reward account to keep track of all my points. I’m still waiting on my personal card to go through because of some application issues but SW said it will be process soon.

    Here’s are the issues I am getting…

    1) I’ve called SW rapid reward service desk to double check if mile bonus points count towards the companion pass and the answer I got was “NO”. It does not.

    2) I also mentioned to them that I have a rapid reward account for my business card to keep track of my points. Can I also use the same Rapid Reward account for my personal card? The answer I got was “NO”. Each credit card will need an individual Rapid Reward account. I was told I cannot add the points together nor can I apply for companion pass.

    Need some help! Is there a way to get around this? I hope they didn’t change the promotions…. Thanks for the help in advance.

  12. I’m new to this .. and have been “stalking” for a couple months .. got my first points card … Delta AE just because I knew I had a couple flights coming soon that had to be on Delta and wanted the free bags .. a place to start …

    My question … I’m figuring out how to earn lots of points … but I dont understand how to “spend” them … since each card is separate and we aren’t going to be able to spend much over the “minimum to collect points” … is there a way to combine points from different cards to use on a aggregate? also .. when you cancel your card to avoid the annual fee .. how do you “save” your points??

    I’m sure that information is included in your fabulous information somewhere .. I just haven’t run across it.

    Thanks for all your help! You make a difference!

  13. Hi ,
    I just found your blog, and love it! My husband and I live near London, and have about 500,000 avios points between us. I was wondering if you can use Avios to book Around the World tickets on BA?
    Thank you for your help!

  14. @Ken - You can have the same RR number in a business and personal application and the points do currently count towards the Companion Pass.

    @sue – You can’t combine the cards across different people, but you can book tickets in anyone’s name or you can apply for the business version or other cards with transferable points to help increase your balance. Here’s a post on cancelling your cards and keeping your miles and points.

    @Barbara – I believe you should be able to book an around the world itinerary using Avios points.

  15. Hi Darius! I really enjoy the blog! I recall you mentioning in some of your past posts that certain award bonuses are one time only while others are churnable. I have recently begun collecting miles and worry that I will eventually run out of opportunities for CC award bonuses. Do you share the same concern? If possible, could you share some general guidelines regarding churning frequency for different CCs? Thank you for your guidance.

  16. Daraius,

    I admire your work and advice. In fact I recently used CreditKarma to help time my churns. Question is, how do you deal with all the inquiries? If you churn every 3-4 months, you must have 20-40 inquiries continuously on file (they last two years)! Isn’t this a determining factor in the approval process?

    Any thoughts?

    Thank you,

    Ivan

  17. @Nathan – It hasn’t happened to me as yet and I’ve always found something which interests me. Email if you have specific questions about a particular card, otherwise this post may help.

    @Ivan – It is, which is why you need to call the reconsideration line after a few application cycles. And sometimes inquiries from the same bank get rolled into 1 if done on the same day.

  18. Hi Daraius,

    I want to collect mileage to Asia and can u pls give me advise which credit card should I open or apply to Asia. Pls. Kindly give me idea or advise. Thank you very much.
    Mary

  19. @Mary Ann - The Citi American Airlines with 50K miles, the Chase United with 55K miles, the Chase Sapphire Preferred with 40K points and the Chase Ink Bold/Plus with 50K points will all help to get to Asia. It is ~65K to 90K on those airlines for a 1-way trip to Asia in coach.

  20. Are they any tricks to getting miles for children under 18 years old other than them getting miles for flying?

  21. @Sue – Not many, but you could apply for credit cards in your name and redeem the miles for the children.

  22. Good morning, I love your site. I just wanted to ask a question about a US air award to North Asia. I understand that I can fly NY to Japan, stopover for a bit, then continue on to Germany as my destination, and then complete the trip by flying back to NY. I need to be in Hawaii about two weeks later. Is there any way of adding on a free one way to Hawaii on that kind of award? Thanks so much for any help. Mike

  23. @Mike B - Thanks for reading! Technically, you can’t have a stopover and fly back to a different city, but like all things with US Air, it may work if you call back and see if a rep is willing to do it.

  24. Thanks for the reply. I have one other question. I am in the process of completing my 3rd month of $750 spend on the Barclay’s US Air card. My statement closes on the 17th of this month, and I notice that the monthly points post instantly. If I do my $750 of spend this month by the 17th, do you have any idea of how quickly the 15,000 bonus miles will post? Is it along with the normal spend, or a considerable amount of time afterwards? Thanks!

  25. @Mike B – Unfortunately, I don’t really know. But I’m curious to learn when it posts for you!

  26. Hi Daraius,

    I am new to all of this….and I love your blog!! THanks for sharing with all of us!! I am about to sign up for the american airlines visa and AX card (50K miles each bonus, 2 admiral passes, $150 statement credit), but the link says the offer ended 1/31/12. I’ve read on flyertalk that this bonus should still be good. What do you think about this?

    Thanks –K

  27. @kim - You’ll get the bonus as long as the links work, but the ability to get 2 personal cards at the same time has virtually ended. But you should be able to get 1 personal and 1 business card.

  28. Major bummer, I used your link for the SPG Starwoods personal card, as you advertised it as being 10k pts + 15k. So I burnt a credit inquiry for the wrong card. You should update your top card page:
    1.) The two browser citibank trick doesnt really work anymore.
    2.) The SPG personal card is only 10k.

  29. @Josh – The SPG card is for 25K, though you sometimes get the 10K offer if you’re logged into your American Express account or have been browsing offers elsewhere and have saved cookies. I’ll update the post that the ability to get 2 Citi AA cards may be over, but you may be able to get approved for the 2nd one by writing a reconsideration letter.

  30. I noticed that on the amex site, if you are applying for two SPG cards (husband/wife), after you apply for the first 25,000k one, it defaults back to the 10,000 offer afterwards. Might be worth a notation. Thanks!

  31. @Josh – That is very strange. Is that what happened to you?

  32. Darius
    OK teacher I am looking for a grade..Just booked two round trip tickets JFK to LHR and LHR to ORD for 2400.00 in taxes..
    33,ooo.oo retail cost on the 777. 120,000 FF miles plus companion pass on BA.

    What could I have done to make this even more affordable?

    What is the Letter grade Teacher.

    Great website and Facebook site. Hope to see you soon.

    Stew

  33. Hello,
    I applied for the citi aadvantage amex and mastercard. I have excellent credit. I was only approved for the amex. I was told the only reason I was not approved for the mastercard was because I can only have one card at a time although I applied simultaneously on 2 different computers , 2 different browsers. I called to find out why I got instantly approved for one, but not the other. They flat out told me I can only have one at a time because of earning too many miles? ?? I’m not too happy about this.. any suggestions how to get both cards? It was for 40K miles just for spending 1k in 3 months . Thanks
    JJ

  34. Oh by the way, this is my first time applying for these cards. Should I try to apply for the business citi ? Thanks again.

  35. @stew – Thanks for reading and for the comment. You did well, because you don’t really have a choice when using the BA travel together ticket. You could use American or United miles and perhaps pay less in fuel charges, but you’d pay twice the number of miles, so it is a bit of a wash.

    @JJ – I’d write a letter to the reconsideration department asking if they can help get you the 2nd card. I usually wait at least 90 days before the business card, though you may be able to get it after 65 days from your other 2 Citi applications.

  36. Yeah, that is what happened to me (regarding SPG), and they might not even honor it, even though I have screenshots of the first card I applied for. The 2nd one defaulted back to the 10,000mi offer and I didn’t notice.

    Also, in other news, my girlfriend went to four CVS’s today that are normally always stocked with Vanilla reloads and said that they were all empty, and that it was replaced with black myvanilla cards in sealed plastic? Is this the end of VR or are they just seizing all the cards so they can replace them with sealed ones because of all the security issues.

  37. @Josh Brooks – Thanks for letting me know about it. The My Vanilla cards are different from Vanilla Reloads, though.

  38. Pingback: Registration Now Open for Frequent Traveler University-Tyson’s Corner | The Points Guy

  39. Hi Darius
    I applied two Southwest credit cards, ten days ago. I have them now. My budget tells me, I need another one or two new cards by end of this month or beginning of April. If I apply for new cards, this week, will it jeopardize my credit score? What is the rule of thumb about when to open new credit cards without lower my credit score in the future?

    Thanks for your info

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  41. Dear Daraius,
    I still have a Continental Business Card. I am certain that United will automatically send me a United Business card in the mail sometime soon. However, if they do this, I will not get any bonus sign up points. Could you PLEASE tell me the BEST deal for the United Airlines Business card? Waiting for your kind reply, Kim

  42. @Nit-tx – The impact to your credit score varies by person, but see this post for more info!

    @Kim – You could cancel the Continental business card and apply for the United business card. I believe the current offer is for only 30K miles.

  43. Hi Daraius,

    I’m not sure if you have covered this, but the United Explorer card offer for 50k miles is still working (instead of the 30k offer). I found the details on slickdeals, which was copied from a post on FT.

    http://slickdeals.net/forums/showpost.php?p=58552316&postcount=643

    Would you recommend getting this offer?

  44. @Sahil – It is on the airline credit card page under “Daraius’ tips” It is a great way to get 55K United miles, and I’d apply for the card.

  45. Ahh sorry I didn’t see that. I went through the post in which you covered this offer as well, so sorry for jumping the gun. But thanks for the advice.

  46. Hello Daraius,
    I have loads of Avios points with British Airways which I wish to use to fly during the school holidays this summer (out in July back in August). I have been checking seat availability for the past 4 months and there are no seats available. Does British Airways ever release seats during the summer holidays that I can obtain through my Avios points? Is there a time (of day or week) to check the BA website where my chances will be more likely to see available seats? (By the way – I wish to fly London England to Toronto Canada). Thanks for any advice you can give.

  47. @Monique – Award availability keeps on changing and summer is a peak travel season. That said, it is strange that there are no seats for the entire month! Often times, airlines release seats during the last few weeks before departure if the flights are unsold, but I wouldn’t count on that happening!

  48. Hello Daraius,

    I am one of eight women from throughout the USA who are looking for a way to be able to fly to a retreat so that we can all meet in person for our Annointing and Ordination as Angel Ministers in Ben Lomond, California from April 23-26, 2013. We have all been a part of Gateway University and the Angel Ministry’s, 9 month Ministerial Program and we are all looking to serve our communities as Ministers. Three of the ministerial candidates and one of the teaching assistants, who has walked hand-in-hand with us on this journey, cannot afford to fly to California. Do you have any suggestions as to how we might be able to obtain buddy passes or frequent flyer miles so that we can get our Wings to Fly?

    Any suggestions that you may have would be greatly appreciated. The website I have provided is our completed crowdfunding platform on Indiegogo which garnered almost enough money for our tuition and room and board for the retreat, but did not enable us to manifest the airline tickets.

    Blessings and Gratitude,

    Chrissy Cook
    chrissycook88@gmail.com

    p.s. Congratulations on your engagement…perhaps you would like to be married by an Angel Minister? ; )

  49. @Chrissy Cook – Thanks for your kind words. Emily and I are already married! The Chase Sapphire Preferred will get you 40,000 points after spending $3,000 within 3 months which can be used towards $500 in travel.

    If that spending is too high, you could consider the Barclays Arrival card which will get you ~$440 in travel after spending $1,000 within 3 months. Good luck! The cards can be found on this page. Good luck!

  50. Hi Darius,

    I am a new member of the CCs miles community, and been reading blogs and websites fir the past few months.. I posted a few times here tooand really appreciate giving a hand to others in need of guidance..

    I also found that FT was one of the biggest sites for info and been visiting regularly.. But apparently it’s not as “noobs friendly” as I thought..
    I posted 3 questions in the past and everytime it looks like the first replies I get is “do it on your own, why are you asking” kind of attitude..

    While I do some research on my own, sometimes I need to ask the more experienced without having to feel criticized for asking..

    Based on my humble experience, I found that you did not judge, and just want to help, so big thank u to u!

    Here’s the question that I posted on FT, may you help find an answer?

    “Do I have to file a business tax report simply because I have a business credit card?
    I was approved for the Ink Bold recently, planned on doing some minor selling on ebay as a side hobby, and really, it’s mainly to get the perks including x5 (not to abuse it though!)..

    What I am not sure about is the implications of having a buisness card..

    I work full time and pay my taxes through my work, never had a buisness in my life..

    If I don’t make any profits or just minimal, or even decide at one point to not sell anymore but keep the card and use it for all my spendings, how does that affect my “relationship” with the IRS if at all?”

  51. @Squallo – Thanks for reading! I’m not an accountant, and you should consult your tax advisor for tax advice. In general, if you earn profits, you likely have to report it as income. If you don’t incur business expenses on the business card (even though Chase says that you should use the card only for business expenses) you don’t have to report that to the IRS.

  52. Thanks D! That’s all I needed to know..
    Like u, I care a lot about the IRS and make sure I pay what I owe, but try to minimize it by knowing the rules (which is not always easy to figure out!)..
    While I also care about the issuing bank (been so for many many years!), if I had to choose, I would choose complying with the IRS first.

    So, in general, and chase in particular, banks don’t track what kind of expenses you put on a business card, is that correct?

  53. @Squallo – I’m sure they track it, but I’m also sure that folks put some personal expenses on business cards and vice versa.

  54. Hello Daraius:
    My husband and I are planning a trip to Bora Bora next May- I would love to use miles- I’m not really familiar with how it really works- We have accumulated miles via AA airlines but not as much as we will need for 2 business class tickets. What are your recommendations on obtaining more miles etc, credit cards, (we are also members of Hilton Honors, SPG) ideally I would love to combine all our miles for our trip. On another note when you use your miles does that take away your status (for ex if you are a gold status does that mean once you use the miles you are no longer in gold status) What credit cards do you think offers the most miles? Sorry, I know I have bombarded you with a lot :-)

    Kindly,

    Sherry

  55. @sherry - It is 135K American Airlines miles in business class for a roundtrip to Tahiti. But awards in business class are tough to come by. You could get the Citi American Airlines cards if you don’t have them. If you have Gold elite status, you won’t lose it if you use miles. In terms of hotels, the Hilton and Priority Club both have nice options in Bora Bora. But since it is a popular destination, availability could be tough. Here’s my trip report on Bora Bora.

  56. Hi,
    Last night I noticed the annual fee on my Chase Sapphire account and inquired about closing the account and receiving a refund. Today they closed my account and took all my points (yes, I’m a novice in this) and told me that they are no longer available for use after closing the account. I have spent plenty of money on that account. Only 67,000 points, but enough for me to see my parents after three years. Can they do that or is there any way to get around that. I’m baffled.

    Thank you!

  57. @Melanie - That is very strange. They normally don’t close the account unless you asked them to do that. Perhaps there was some miscommunication? Did they explain why they closed your account?

  58. Hi,
    I am trying to book my flight thru United.com for myself, my husband and my 3 year old daughter. The system is giving me an error when I try to book the round trip (SFO-CRK/MNL-CDG/CDG-SFO) in January. When I book for 1 person only, it shows the availability and it is 65K miles in economy. When I do a search per leg, it shows availability for 3 people. My question is, if it shows availability for 3 people when searching per leg, can i call and book this by phone and give the agent all the flight numbers? Please advice on how can i book this.

    Thank you!

  59. @chum – You should be able to book for 3 people if you call in and if you can find 3 seats when you search segment by segment since you will be feeding the agent the segments. However, you’ll have to pay the telephone booking fee, but it could be worth it.

  60. Hey I read you advice on the US Air Barclay cards, so helpful! 2 quick questions, what’s credit score do they look for, also income? $89/$49. I travel about 5xs a year and have a lot of bachelor parties coming up and feel like I’m missing out. I have 40k miles by just using cash and think I should be using a card. Advice?

  61. @Ryan – I’d guess a credit score over 700 and reasonable income, but they don’t publish the distinction. You may be better of using one of the links for 35,000 miles which give you the same amount of miles regardless of which version you get approved for.

  62. hello, I am very new to these rewards programs and am trying to understand how it all works. i have just signed up for the chase sapphire preferred in order to take advantage of the 40,000 sign up points. i am also looking at the amex business gold with the 50,000 sign up points and wondering if that card is a good idea. I have a few trips planed this year and would like to use all these points for flights. the Amex has a pricy yearly rate of 175$ but first year is free. Chase is 95$ annual with first year free. am i ok in getting these cards building up points and canceling them after first year without any annual fees? Is the Amex a good card to use points for flights? Any other suggestions for how to rack up some aggressive free flying miles?

  63. @Caleb – You can always cancel the card when the fee comes due if there is no benefit to you for keeping the card. You can also get the Citi American Airlines card for 50K miles, the Barclays Arrival card for $400 in cash back towards travel, the Chase United cards etc. Just don’t apply for them all at once and be sure that you can meet the minimum spending requirements on them.

  64. thanks for the advice. How long would you suggest waiting in-between card applications?

  65. @Caleb- I usually wait 3 to 4 months before applying for new cards and 9 to 10 months before cancelling a card if there is no benefit to keeping it.

  66. Hey, love the blog. Read it every day. Is there any way to opt out of the interviews with the other bloggers? I come to your blog for the deals, the explanations, and occasionally I’ll read about your trips, but I truly have no interest in other peoples’ trips.

  67. @J Brooks – Thanks for reading! I’m looking into ways to let folks sign-up for alerts to only the topics which interest them. But I’m not very tech savvy, so it may take some time!

  68. Daraius,
    All the credit card offers get a bit overwhelming sometimes with all the different requirements they each have.
    Is there one or a couple that offer 40-50K worth of sign up points/miles United or Delta & partner Asian airline miles Or a card that will let you transfer a balance to it and give you those kind of points/miles with a spend requirement of $3000 or less in 90 days?

  69. @Jim - The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers 40,000 points after spending $3,000 within 3 months and you can transfer these points to United. I wouldn’t apply for the card if you will carry a balance because the interest rate is higher than you can find elsewhere (and credit card debt is very costly).

  70. What has been your experience with multiple applications and the number of inquiries on credit reports with the following combos?:

    Chase Ink/Chase Sapphire or Freedom

    Amex Gold Biz/Premier Rewards Gold

    Amex SPG Personal and Biz

    The theme here is to get double cards and more rewards but only have 3 new credit accounts on my report. The question is how inquiries will play into this if I apply for the combos at the same time. Any experience on this?

  71. Love your blog! Love. Question, I can’t seem to find a link to the Chase Sapphire MASTERCARD. Has it been discontinued for the visa-only? I thought I found an old link, but got a rejection letter from chase with generic terminology about already having a Sapphire (was going to cancel visa for mastercard).

  72. @John V - I can’t really say and it will vary. But in general, personal approvals on the SAME day usually may get clubbed, but business approvals do not.

    @Josh
    – Thanks for reading. The linked worked if you got the rejection letter. I’d call the reconsideration line and tell them that you want to cancel the Visa and get the MC approved instead. Or you can cancel the Visa and then call the MasterCard.

  73. Suppose you get an SPG AMEX and do the spending for the 25,000 starpoints bonus. Do you keep the starpoints if you close the card at any point afterward? Not sure if this works differently than MR points (where I know you would lose the points without transferring them) since the newly earned starpoints are now part of your hotel loyalty program’s account that is independent of the credit card account….or are these bonus starpoints “different”?

  74. @John V – The points are yours to keep if you cancel the card. They are subject to the normal point expiration rules.

  75. Just wanted say thank you for all the info and ideas. Just got the Amex Gold Biz offer for 75,000 points before it expired tonight! We’ll see how and when I redeem them to get the best value. Thanks for all the help give. Much appreciated.

  76. Love these tricks! Curious, do you have to use all your points before you cancel your card? Or is there a way to transfer the points?

  77. @John – Congrats and thanks for reading.

    @Hannah – Here’s a post on expiring miles and points.

  78. Are there any cards for AA – BA — UA with 100,000 miles promotion

  79. @Cris – There are no current 100,000 mile promotions and I don’t expect them to come back soon.

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