Points

In the consulting profession, it's common for people to travel to other cities on a weekly basis for work. This may seem like lunacy to most of you, and it is, but it happens. At least 50% of the people working on my project fly in on Monday morning and fly out on Thursday afternoon. Every week.

When you live out of a suitcase and spend more time in the air per week than you do in your actual apartment, you start accumulating points. They come in all shapes and sizes - hotel points, frequent flier miles. When the zeros start adding up, you know you have to start cashing in.

I'm surrounded by people who constantly go on trips to the Bahamas, Greece, Italy, and Costa Rica... and pay for the whole thing with points. I don't envy their lifestyle at all - I have a life when the workday ends while they have a lousy selection of television shows - but sometimes it does sound adventurous.

I decided to take some time to organize my points accounts. I have them, although most of them are scarsely used and sparsely populated. I used 4,000 Delta Skymiles to subscribe to Harvard Business Review, WIRED, and Business Week. I finally opened an American Airlines AAdvantage account and linked it to my Christmas travel. My Marriott Rewards account is probably in the best condition, hovering at around 10,000. That's enough for a free night stay at a low-end Marriott in a podunck town during the off season.

Am I ready to switch to a mileage credit card? Not yet. My Citi Rewards card gives me $300 cash back per year, and I like it. Cash is easy, and I always redeem it.

How do you manage your points?

Chris Guillebeau, in his blog The Art of Non-Conformity, has lots of frequent flier mile tips and tricks, many of them which don't even necessitate boarding a plane.