Craig Joseph

Hey, Megan. Thanks for having me.

Hey, Megan. Thanks for having me.

Hey, Megan. Thanks for having me.

Well, I got into miles and points about 15 years ago with the primary goal of saving money. I think it's safe to say that that's why we're all here, right? It's to stretch our travel dollars. The more money you save on travel, getting to your destination and the hotel once you get there, the more money you have for cool experiences once you're on the ground.

Well, I got into miles and points about 15 years ago with the primary goal of saving money. I think it's safe to say that that's why we're all here, right? It's to stretch our travel dollars. The more money you save on travel, getting to your destination and the hotel once you get there, the more money you have for cool experiences once you're on the ground.

Well, I got into miles and points about 15 years ago with the primary goal of saving money. I think it's safe to say that that's why we're all here, right? It's to stretch our travel dollars. The more money you save on travel, getting to your destination and the hotel once you get there, the more money you have for cool experiences once you're on the ground.

So anyway, I was a poor grad student and loved to travel and tried to stretch my point balances by booking the cheapest flights and hotels possible. And that all changed around 2015 when I used American Airline Miles to book an international business class flight for the first time. And that flight was on Japan Airlines in the U.S. to Tokyo.

So anyway, I was a poor grad student and loved to travel and tried to stretch my point balances by booking the cheapest flights and hotels possible. And that all changed around 2015 when I used American Airline Miles to book an international business class flight for the first time. And that flight was on Japan Airlines in the U.S. to Tokyo.

So anyway, I was a poor grad student and loved to travel and tried to stretch my point balances by booking the cheapest flights and hotels possible. And that all changed around 2015 when I used American Airline Miles to book an international business class flight for the first time. And that flight was on Japan Airlines in the U.S. to Tokyo.

And I remember sitting in the spacious business class suite looking around with this ornery grin on my face thinking I didn't have to pay for this.

And I remember sitting in the spacious business class suite looking around with this ornery grin on my face thinking I didn't have to pay for this.

And I remember sitting in the spacious business class suite looking around with this ornery grin on my face thinking I didn't have to pay for this.

And talk about imposter syndrome too, like surrounded by people that probably paid thousands of dollars for their seat. And I'm just like, do I belong here?

And talk about imposter syndrome too, like surrounded by people that probably paid thousands of dollars for their seat. And I'm just like, do I belong here?

And talk about imposter syndrome too, like surrounded by people that probably paid thousands of dollars for their seat. And I'm just like, do I belong here?

I compulsively track everything in all aspects of my life, but I have a spreadsheet that tracks all of my redemptions. And over those 15 years, I've saved something like $250,000 off the retail costs of travel.

I compulsively track everything in all aspects of my life, but I have a spreadsheet that tracks all of my redemptions. And over those 15 years, I've saved something like $250,000 off the retail costs of travel.

I compulsively track everything in all aspects of my life, but I have a spreadsheet that tracks all of my redemptions. And over those 15 years, I've saved something like $250,000 off the retail costs of travel.

That's thousands of nights on the road, hundreds and hundreds of flights. I've been all over the place, and it's kind of neat to track how far this hobby has taken me.

That's thousands of nights on the road, hundreds and hundreds of flights. I've been all over the place, and it's kind of neat to track how far this hobby has taken me.