I tried to figure out how old my blog is and have had zero luck. The good news is that I found two old posts that represent the glory days in 2011. Reminisce with me for a minute…
But first, I’ll share why I think it’s so hard to find the original date of the site. Because of two things:
- I’ve deleted my first many months of blog posts. I think I was self conscious once people actually started reading the blog (a long time later) that people would think I was some broke kid, and realize that I didn’t splurge out for First Class like the other bloggers did/do.
- The only official date I have found is the date I registered the domain name, travelisfree.com on July 11, 2011. Before that it was travelisfree.wordpress.com. And the archive of the internet doesn’t seem to notice my blog exists before then.
Despite all the effort, July 11, 2011 is the oldest date I can find. Whatever. We’ll call that this site’s birth date, even though I think it was before May because I remember blogging before we got married. Either way, we missed the site’s 3rd birthday.
In the process, I was able to find a few awesome gems for flashback friday.
My first comment ever.
Now this is a real gem. It’s on a post that was taken down but I can still see when I log into wordpress.com (which is what I used to use). This comment is by Reed:
Hey, I talked to you in subway today and was just checking out your site. It is very interesting and I like what you have so far! Keep it up man I am looking forward to reading some of your stories and experiences!
Thanks Reed! 😉
The Glory Days
It’s funny even though no one was reading my blog except the guy in Subway who I told I had a blog, I didn’t talk about anything I was really into. I can talk about a few of these things now because… they’re dead. So RIP:
The $1 coin thing
At the time the US Mint was completely clueless how people got around their $1,000 per 10 days order limit. No idea how, because everyone knew it was limited per credit card… which has stories of its own.
But I found this thing called BigCrumbs and at the time you could get a 5% rebate on all American Express gift cards. But wait. On FatWallet I found codes that gave free shipping and removed the processing fee. So I ordered thousands of dollars of Amex gift cards with 5% profit. So each $1,000 gift card gave me $50 in cashback, + the points for the purchase. In theory at least, BigCrumbs had issues (which was a good thing for some).
Then I took those $1,000 gift cards and bought $1,000 in coins.
The Amazon Thing
When the US Mint ended (RIP) I was pretty desperate to figure out what to do with all my Amex Gift Cards. I had a British-Airways-Companion-Pass-worth of cards and no coins to buy.
I tried everything from SquareUp to… other things.
Anyways, I remember a FT thread that started as a “what now?” kind of thing, and I became a “self-proclaimed” early adopter of Amazon Payments (RIP).
I remember in 2011 we went to the Chicago Seminar that FTG hosts, and they had a time where it was a “tell all” kind of secret sharing time. I remember explaining to everyone how I set up a round-robin to hit the $1k spend multiple times. It wasn’t as refined as it later became but the potential was great and it was completely free.
For whatever reason, I remember the people in the row behind me shaking their heads with big eyes like I was crazy. It seemed very normal to me, so I figured they were shaking their heads at my head full of dreadlocks or the holes in my jeans or something.
My First Blog Posts Ever
Post Name: “Card of the Year – it Could Bring 262,500 miles to you”
For the readers’ sake (Reed), I should have had an even better name. But Card of the year is pretty true.
My oldest post that I could find is now down, but it was still in the drafts, so I’ll recap it.
- There was a secret link for a 75,000 point American Express Gold card.
- There was a code on FT that was a promotion that gave you 50,000 points if you did 15 purchases every month for 5 months.
- There was a code on FT that was a promotion for authorized users. It gave 10,000 points per authorized user that you added, up to 5 users. So 50,000 points.
- British Airways had a 50% bonus for transferring points.
That’s:
- 75,000 points
- + 50,000 points
- + 50,000 points
- = 175,000 points
- + 50% bonus for transfer to British Airways
This one card gave me a grand total of 262,500 British Airways Miles (pre-Avios) just from the bonuses… of one card. Man those were the days.
My First “Series”: “US Airways Grand Slam”
Why I was writing a series when I can accurately tell that no one is reading… I have no idea.
To make this short, you got bonuses for purchasing things from US Airways partners. It was way too generous. I figured out how to get 60,000 miles for $200. Or even better, I figured out how to get about 30,000 miles for free doing this. Well almost free, I had to purchase a few things. So my sister in law actually liked this because for every account I had (don’t judge) I had to buy cookies to get the 30,000 miles. I hated these cookies and she loved them… and we ordered quite a few boxes.
The First Readers (to stick around)
Big thanks to Jay K. Jay K is the oldest comment I found that also has commented in 2014. Jay asked about specific United stopover rules in June 2012. And then commented on my post about getting locked out of the night train in India. Jay K. If you’re still around, thanks so much for being part of this crazy little project for over two years! What in the world kept you around?
The second reader to do so is DaveS. DaveS commented the other day so I knew for fact as soon as I saw his name on the post in August 2012 that DaveS was in the two year club. DaveS, seriously, seriously, an equally big thanks to you.
And for anyone who reads and doesn’t comment, thank you too!
I do want to say that while my email does get super crazy and crowded and it’s hard to respond or even see all my emails, I do try to go through the first posts on the blog and reply to all the comments. I love this. I love when people comment. Whether it’s just saying you read it, calling me an idiot who needs to not spread disease, or replying to someone else… I sincerely appreciate it.
“You appreciate someone calling you an idiot?” Well I appreciate transparency, first of all. And second, although it’s tempting to defend yourself, I want to hear other opinions. I sincerely want to have the best blog ever and I can’t do that without critique, and I have a long way to go. So thanks to ANYONE who comments.
The future?
I mean, I just don’t know how to say thank you enough. I hate to say the “one day” thing… but I really hope to give more to the readers here. It’s easy to tell who the loyal readers are (who comment), and I hope one day to give an even bigger thanks.
My goal for the site isn’t to be the biggest site ever, but to double in size. Don’t know why I’m telling everyone this, but… I don’t like being told what to do. This is why there appears to be little effort to monetize my blog. Don’t get me wrong, I like making money from the blog. The issue is complex though and I therefore choose to do a minimal amount of “pushing”. I find the current set up easier and less stressful for me. So I’m not trying to be a saint, I’m trying to not bite the hand that feeds me. Maybe I should make more attempts at doubling my income; that way would be easier than doubling my traffic. Buuuut. Hopefully if I provide content people want, people want to share and what not, hopefully I’ll earn a double. A natural selection kind of view of this. 😀
Sincerely, I know that people find a blog, get what they can and move on. But if you’re out-growing me, tell me how I can do better. I’ve seen over and over people come and read for a year, and then they’re done. To me, that feels like I’ve failed at something, and if anyone can feel themselves getting bored with this blog, I mean ready to leave, tell me.
Maybe I should make a survey or something…
The Glory Days Are Actually Now
As fun as it is to go, “oh those were the glory days”, things have never been easier than now. Well, okay maybe not easier than the US mint but the potential is great for earning more miles. Trust me.
Conclusion
Whoa. Okay, that got serious too quickly. So lets bring back. Any folk got some stories they wouldn’t mind sharing from the glory days? Regardless of what the era is, I love hearing the crazy stories that go untold in this community. Because… it’s kind of my life.
You post a lot of great stuff Drew and I’m quickly acquiring knowledge to figure out what to do with all these points I’m acquiring. I’ve subscribed to the blog but still have trouble finding some of your older posts. Having a way to make those accessible will keep me around for the long haul
Great suggestion, really.
I made it a priority to at least get up the “guides” in the top right corner and gave the search bar a label so it’s more noticeable. I’ll increase the priority on further navigation.
Thanks much,
Drew
The glory days are now ? doesn’t feel like it, we lost- beans, ov to a degree, agc. in a couple months. Although cb ms is still possible with the clear card, Thats about it from my point of view lol.
I think the biggest things that have changed are the the publicity of things and the rate at which things come and go. Probably not a coincidence.
I consistently look to your site (and Carrie’s) for quality content. I’m never disappointed. Keep doing what you’re doing and you’ll always have supporters, myself included. Thanks!
Thanks Bryan! Appreciate it.
I discovered your blog last year sometime and I keep coming back for more. I’m fairly new to the game and your blog explained a lot of things that I was initially lost on and also played a big part in getting me sucked in to this ‘world’. So thanks for providing content that speaks to people at all levels of knowledge.
One more thing, be grateful for all the opportunities that exist for you, no matter how many of them disappear. I’m in Canada and our options are severely limited by comparison. MS pretty much doesn’t exist AFAIK. We still get decent sign up bonuses etc but its not as lucrative overall. I’m committed to maximizing all I can with what’s available to me though.
Thanks Andrew. My new theory for the site is, for lack of better words, “A to Z”. People actually want to know the complicated stuff and being challenged… but it’s hard to get there, i guess.
As far as Canada goes, looks like things are getting better everyday. Probably still a growing market in Canada, but I can’t imagine it won’t catch up.
But I’m indeed very grateful for the opportunities I have.
Cheers,
Drew
a couple bloggers reffered to you recently so it piqued my interest. as far as keeping my readership goes, ill stay if I feel like I’m learning or getting fresh perspectives from you (like your recent posts on ihg). ill leave if its mainly trip reports or credit card pimping. so far though, i like what you have to offer!
i got in the game a little more than a year ago, so for me the glory days were when I could buy 5k of vr for 5%cb and liquidate from home.
Glad you stumbled on over. Thanks for your perspective.
I think what people want a universal way of MS. Like walmart. But the truth is, the best ways are often locally found. IMO.
262k avios? Swoon! I’ve been studying this game for about 18 months. I’m very conservative but even so, I feel like I’ve changed our family travel plans dramatically & we’re loving it. I love that you don’t constantly pimp the cards & you have real info that I can use even if we have to pay for our flights (gasp). Thanks!
Thanks Michelle,
Thanks for the comment and glad you’re reading. And while I hope for many vacations for your family, I hope you in the future don’t have to pay for flights. 😀
To me you have a unique blend of brilliant techniques to acquire, and much more than most blogs, spend points and miles wisely. That alone would be great, what makes your blog special is the fact that you and Carrie are actually living the travel dream life. You accounts of your journeys are personal and therefore very interesting to read. They are miles (no pun intended) beyond most “trip reports” that often are boring and repetitive review the plane, hotel,blah blah. So keep telling your story and how you are achieving your dream through brilliant techniques of acquiring and spending miles and points!
Thanks much for the comment. Yea, this kind of confirms two things. People are tired of trip reports… so I stopped writing about my travels. Then people wanted to hear more about my travels, which seemed like a contradiction. But it’s not, they want to hear about travels, stories, and not hotels.
I think. I’ll test it out more and more I guess. 😀
Hmmm – back in the late 80’s my Mom and I shared a FF account. At that time, you could put your first initial on the airplane ticket and we had the same first initial. Over the four years of college, we probably generated about 16,000 miles total.
I left a job in the late 90’s and happened to have about 700K AMEX Membership Reward points on my corporate card (transferred after leaving to my personal card). In those days, you had to pay a separate fee for adding MR points to your card. I figured that the extra fee was worth it to keep the points alive.
For the next 10 years, I put every dime on my AMEX and used my points by transferring to Delta during a bonus. AMEX was fiddling with their MR program and would award bonus points (never actually figured it out) as the promotions were not detailed on their website – and the MR point posed in a lump sum. I do remember that I received 1.5 to 2.5 points most months.
My Mother and I usually did one big trip to Europe each year with those miles. I had gotten fairly good with finding boutique hotels and using priceline, so I never spent over $1,000 each trip. My Mother was also a travel agent for a few years, so we were able to book hotels and cruises quite cheaply.
My Dad had successfully fought Stage IV Hodgkins in 2005. In 2006, I was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer (went to Iceland while waiting for the tests). A year after treatments ended, I decided that we could not wait any longer for the big family trip to Italy and cashed in my remaining 475,000 MR + my Mothers 150,000 Delta miles for 8 tickets to Italy. In 2008 spent 3 weeks traveling (Lugano/Venice/Florence/Palermo/Sorrento/Rome/London). The logistics of our trips are quite involved and it usually takes me about a 6-8 months to develop these trips.
I do miss having a large MR balance and being able to easily find flights on Delta, but I can usually figure out how to get 8-10 people where we want to go at a fraction of the normal cost.
Congratulations on your belated blog anniversary!
First initial, my how times have changed.
Man, that’s awesome. A trip with the family across Italy. We’ve actually never done a trip with either of our families internationally since being married. The best would be if both families could go. Although, I know that would be difficult. We did take my mom to Europe, which was a blast.
But that’s what this is about, eh?
Thanks. 😀 3+ years old. I should write it down in my calendar for next year.
I’m still around and always will be.
Glad to have been part of the journey man!
I don’t post too often so don’t take that in a bad way, because your blog is quite literally the first thing I read each day.
And what kept me around? You and your blog are awesome.
Quite simple really. 🙂
Cheers.
Your comments have officially spanned over 2 years now. 😀
Very honored, for sure. Hope I continue to produce content worthy of such.
Thanks again.
I’ll still be talking to you a decade from now.
And if you find yourself passing through CT, let me know and I’ll buy you a beer (or two. 😛 )
I am relatively new to your blog but enjoy reading what you are up to. Your travel and lifestyle is completely opposite to mine, but I enjoy your posts. Never resort to trip reports talking about lounge visits and endless photos of food on the plane. I’m tired of those bloggers that do that. If you need to do an occasional credit card post to generate income I would not be turned off as a reader. Going forward if there is a good offer and you have a link I will be using your link.
Thanks Vicky for the comment… and for reading at all! Man, I’m glad I rambled about what people want to read, because it’s clear that the people drawn to travelisfree, don’t need to hear more about lounges. Anyways, thanks for the comment, and I’ll be thinking about that going forward.
Drew
I am 59 year old retired nurse and would like to travel. I happened on your blog quiet by accident and I am so glad that I did. You are such a good teacher. I can’t wait to read your post. I wish you could write at least 2 every day. I enjoy reading Carries blogs too. Where did you go to collage and what did you major in? Would you be interested in a job? You and Carrie would love good ole Tennessee. I would like more credit card bonus post. Also more post on travel in the good old USA.
Glad you accidentally landed here. Carrie is an art major, and I’m a drop out. Definitely not looking for a job or settling down anytime soon. 😀 I’ve actually been in Tennessee a fair bit for whatever reason. Went to a camp there as a kid too. 😀
I definitely appreciate the good suggestions! Will make note.
Thanks,
Drew
I am not sure what you mean by Amazon payments RIP….. as I have been doing some round robin MS with no issue. Am I treading on thin ice??
Not exactly thin ice, more like the pond will be drained next month. October 13 to be precise.
lol. Yea, it’s just not a free service starting Oct 13.
Greetings! I’m a mom of two, wife, and teacher…and a relatively new reader of TIF. I can’t remember how I found you, but I read every day. Never have commented, for whatever reason. Generally speaking, I just don’t have a lot to add, as I’ve been at this “game” for only about ten months. Sort of.
Back in 2005-ish, I was a rabid reader of FT and was around for the $79 RT flights to HNL. I sent my parents to Hawaii for their anniversary via that deal, but pricing mistakes were about as far as I went. Never found the points forums….
Since getting into miles/points in December, I’ve earned a couple hundred thousand SW points with a companion pass and about half a million other various collections of miles and points. My husband and kids and I have traveled domestically several times since then using points, and we have a few big trips booked for the next 12 months, including a totally free ten-day trip to Maui in June. Well, fees on BA coast me $44, so not completely free.
The long and the short of it is that I really appreciate your detail-oriented posts that are not void of “humanity.” Many of the other bloggers write like robots. It’s always more of the same lounge descriptions and food pictures and feet up in first class Instagram photos. That’s not what helps me earn more and travel better. I like the personal reports that you weave into your earning/redeeming strategies. I like MommyPoints for the same reason.
So a sincere thanks from this school teacher mama who would never be able to afford Fall Break in Sedona, Spring Break exploring the Bahamas, and Summer in Maui without your site. I’m excited for my girls to get a little older so that we can venture over the pond!
That’s awesome. Especially great when a family to get to travel together. And the SW companion pass is sure great, right?
Funny you were on FT enough to get the mistake fares but not the points. But still awesome, especially when you can treat your parents and stuff.
Obviously, I appreciate taking the time to comment. Definitely value the feedback too.
Kenny, you made me choke on my coffee! Funny. 🙂
Been reading your blog every day for the past 2 years I think? Wish I could see when my first comment was here.
Keep it up! Can always count on reading something new and informative here.
You’re real. I learn stuff reading your blog. I visit 5 times a week.