Not That Hard

I get that question a lot. Since I started this hustle in January of last year, I’ve earned over 2.5 million miles/points. I’ve also redeemed a few of them, so my current balance is in the picture below. The thing is, it hasn’t really been that hard. Seriously, as long as you have a good credit score, you just need to do 4 basic things:

1. Sign up for frequent flyer accounts before you apply for the various credit cards. Stay organized by storing these accounts with AwardWallet.
2. Apply for credit cards. Some people do 1 a month. Me, I do a bunch the same day every 3 months. No more than one per bank each day is how I do it – 1 Chase, 1 Citibank, 1 Bank of America, etc. 
3. Keep a spreadsheet to stay organized. My spreadsheet tells me when I applied for a card, how much I need to spend for my bonus, when I need to spend it by, and when I should close the card before paying an annual fee. I spend maybe 5 minutes a day with my dorky spreadsheet.
4. Stay informed. Blogs like this one save you from having to spend time researching. You’ll find the credit cards to apply for and know all the big promotions that come along.