Million Milestone: Flying with a Million Miles

Earning a million miles may seem daunting; but with patience and perseverance (fine, maybe a bit of cash too), you can do it as well!

Despite some setbacks that happened this year, I was still able to reach one of my goals: to accumulate 1 million airline miles. With this amount, I can probably fly all over the world on economy. Or maybe a few on first/suite class flights. With the current global situation however, I guess this will have to be put on hold…

So, how exactly did I do it? Well, I’ve written a number of posts related to credit card/airline miles such as:

• the basics of flying for free
• the credit cards I use
• the way/s I pay my bills
• the other things I pay for using credit cards
• the reason why I’m after miles
• and some more things I take note of to earn more miles

Aside from those, let me share some of the processes I did in order to get to a million miles. I’ve also included a few tips, tricks, and tidbits, some of which I may have already shared in my previous posts. 

Before Getting Your Credit Card, Prepare a Road Map

• Plan ahead. Flying for free is definitely a great goal but here’s the real talk: it won’t be easy and it won’t be cheap, specially for us with limited resources (money). Truthfully, if you don’t know what you’re doing, it may end up costing you more.
  • The “best” (subjective) way to redeem airline miles is through non-budget airlines and higher flight classes; this however, requires a bigger amount of spending. Nevertheless, I’m not stopping you from earning GetGo (Cebu Pacific) points; it just doesn’t make sense to me since their flights usually go on sale anyway. With that said, it’s a good idea to make a list of airlines you plan to fly with, the possible destinations, and their mileage cost first. Having this allows you to set a more tangible goal as this will give you an idea on how much you would need to spend once you have your credit card/s.

• Think again. Okay, you now have a list of travel/flight goals. Next, you have to ask yourself: can you actually make it? Based from the list, you can estimate how much you will need to spend in order to get that free flight. Depending on the credit card you have, spend-to-miles earning is usually from PHP 30.00/mile to PHP 50.00/mile. This, of course, can be lower or higher.
  • Using Mabuhay Miles’ domestic redemption (2020) as a reference, the cheapest round-trip flight from Manila costs 9,000 Mabuhay Miles. This means that you would need to spend around PHP 270,000.00 to PHP 450,000.00 in order to fly for free. On other airlines such as Singapore Airlines, you may even need to spend at least PHP 3,000,000.00 in order to fly business/first/suite class!

• Know how you want to fly. You’ve really held on and want to set this as a goal! It’s time to decide if there’s a particular airline you want to fly with or you’re planning to jump from airline to airline. You see, some airline companies have partnered with banks in order to create co-branded credit cards. This means that the miles you earn from these type of cards are linked to the partner airline. These cards usually come with additional benefits and could allow you to earn those miles faster.
  • Some options for co-branded cards at the top of my head are PNB and Philippine Airlines, EWB and Singapore Airlines, and BDO and Cathay Pacific. These banks also have other credit cards which allow you to transfer miles to a broader range of airlines.

With Your Road Map Set, Time to Apply For A Card

• Apply for the right credit card at the right time. There are a lot of things one needs to consider when applying for a credit card.
  • Payment Network: This can either be Mastercard, Visa, American Express, Discover/Diners Club, JCB, UnionPay, etc. The first two are widely accepted globally and in the Philippines. The rest however can be quite difficult to use locally.
  • Card Tier/Level: This can range from Classic, to Gold, to Platinum. Depending on the payment network, there are tiers/levels beyond Platinum. For Mastercard, these are World and World Elite. For Visa, these are Signature and Infinite.
  • Annual fee: This can range from PHP 0.00 to PHP 18,000.00. There are also cards whose annual fees are in USD and ranges from USD 750.00 to USD 1,500.00.
• Aside from those above, one also looks into benefits and promos. Of course, your income has to be within the required range too. Regardless of the card you’re applying for, be on the look-out for sign-up bonus promos. These promos usually apply to first-time/new-to-bank card applicants and involve the client spending an amount of money in exchange for a number of points/miles. Almost all banks offer these but the ones I were able to participate in were BDO, BPI, CITI, EWB, HSBC, and MBT.
• Refrain from applying through agents. There’s actually a number of horror stories involving credit card agents. Sure, these people can help you get your credit card, but it isn’t without risks. Some can, and will, apply you to multiple banks without your consent. They do this in order to get their commission. It might feel nice to get approved with multiple banks but you’ll be locked out of sign-up bonus promos.

Now That You Have Your Card, Use it Wisely and Creatively

• Make use of other rewards programs. Aside from individual airline memberships/programs, be sure to sign up for additional rewards programs such as RebateMango (which, unfortunately, has been discontinued) and ShopBack (which has devalued). Joining these will allow you to earn additional miles or cash whenever you make transactions at your favorite stores. Yes, even Lazada and Shopee. Every single one goes a long way!
• Wait for bonus miles when converting promos. Asia Miles and KrisFlyer Miles have promos wherein you’ll get 10-15% more miles from converting your credit card points. So if you’re not in a rush to convert, be on the lookout for these promos.

I’ve been using credit cards since 2015. So does this mean that I’ve spent around PHP 30,000,000.00 to PHP 45,000,000.00 within 5 years? Definitely not! With the right amount of planning, those million miles could be reached by just a fraction of the amount above.

So spend wisely and make sure to use your card creatively! You’ll be able to fly for free sooner than you think.