Tuesday, August 03, 2010

I don't do airmiles

Yeah! You heard me. I don't do airmiles. I flew more than 70,000 kilometers last year (reference point, the planet is about 42,000 kms at the equator) and did not collect a single airmile.

Probably hurts just to read that, eh? Back when airmiles first started, I got burned enough times to make me question why I was doing this. I lost all my points a few times. What is this game I am playing, I asked myself.

I would collect airmiles under these conditions:

- I didn't have to tickle the account every 6 months
- My debit card usage counted every I used it
- I collected aggregated points regardless of airline

The thread running thru these conditions???? Focus. Collecting (and using ) points takes a certain amount of focus and a certain lifestyle. I don't use a credit card where possible, and fly various competing airlines. It is a game I chose not to play.

I chose to focus on not spending money in the first place.