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The reason I spend time learning the travel points and miles game is because I want to upgrade our travels in two ways: frequency and quality. I like lots of trips. I really like fancy-class!

Every now and then, there’s an amazing deal. Sometimes it’s a fare mistake, although those are getting rarer. Sometimes it’s a deliberate promotion where loopholes are found that really increases the promo’s value. Looking over my draft blog posts reminded me of at least one promo that I’ve been able to leverage, which got me thinking about other deals that I missed or jumped on. There’s a Flyertalk thread on past deals, but here are some of my favorites.

The Grandparent of them all: Pudding Guy, 2000

This was a movie subplot (Punch-Drunk Love). This was an inspiration for many.

IHG Priceless Surprises promo: 2016

So. Many. Index. Cards. Flyertalk thread. I don’t remember exactly how many points I netted from this one, but based on my Rewards Club statements from 2016, I got at least 50K!

Iberia’s 90K promo: 2018

9K points per flight booked. This promo got us to Marrakech and Madrid the following year!

Cathay Pacific Fare Mistake: 2019

This made mainstream news. Didn’t get this one because I couldn’t figure out how to sell it to Chris.

AA Miles for Charity: 2021

I’m so annoyed I missed this one.

So many free cruises: ongoing!

We don’t cruise, but so many people like them. This post is the ultimate cruise-hack!

Membership Rewards 35% Rebate: ongoing

I use this benefit a lot! In 2021, this helped me get AA Executive Platinum again. When I’m locked into a particular schedule or airline, this offers me the easiest value (1.54 CPP). I should be better about using CSR (1.5 CPP) in a similar manner, but I usually use Chase Ultimate Rewards for Hyatt.