Michael's Miles Round-Up

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Happy Friday Reader!

Listen to this segment on: Spotify or Apple Podcasts

As requested, I want to share how I make money from NMT. But first, one quick tip for the week, because that's what you actually signed up for.

Always compare your options using an award search tool. If you automatically lean toward one program like Flying Blue, you might miss out on booking with Virgin Atlantic for a similar price. Booking through Virgin gets you a free checked bag and the ability to cancel or change your flight (for a fee), whereas Flying Blue's cheapest fare no longer allows changes or cancellations.

If you want to see the tools I use and prefer, I just updated my Award Search Toolkit this week.

So here's the breakdown of the business.

Right now the income breaks down into 5 main buckets.

1) The biggest chunk this year has come from course sales, specifically The Redemption System. But even that's inflated for the year since I just launched it this summer, so there's a launch bump in there that I don't expect to stick around. I imagine it settles into something lower and steady with time, but I don't know exactly what that will look like yet since TRS is a one time purchase and not a subscription.

2) Second is YouTube AdSense, which is just the straightforward ad revenue from views on the channel. Generally, the more views a video gets, the more ad revenue it generates, although the amount varies. This makes me on average $400/month.

3) Third is affiliate income, not counting credit cards. This comes from a variety of sources, but mostly from people signing up for premium subscriptions to various tools like Seat.aero, AwardTool, PointsYeah, Roame, etc. It also includes commissions when people buy points through the point sales I share. This can be inconsistent.

4) After that is consultations. I've paused these for most of the year now, so it hasn't been a big source of income this year. I'm waiting for my schedule to level out after a recent move before resuming those here soon.

5) Then there's credit card affiliate income. It only makes up 10% of my income and some months I get none. The way I make income from this route is relatively complex. I partner with Travel Freely, and if you sign up for the app using my affiliate link, and then later on apply for a card via a link from their Card Genie feature (which is actually useful) then I'll get a portion of the commission. Even via this route I'm a bit limited in how I advertise the arrangement, so it's starting to become a "if you know, you know" situation.

In contrast, creators who have partnerships directly with banks get links to various cards, but have the tradeoff of needing to get the okay from the bank to talk about their cards in certain ways.

It can be lucrative to have your own links if you can generate enough traffic and applications, but I'd prefer to be able to say what I want. I also don't like the idea of relying on selling credit cards - I'd rather be able to focus on teaching how to maximize rewards instead of being rewarded to mainly focus on the earning side of things.

How does money affect my content and ultimately what I recommend to you?

Well, here are some of the balancing acts I have to play with:

Do I prioritize the video that is more education packed with details, or a video topic that is more concise and optimized for views? I shoot for a mix of both.

Do I make a video about a tool even if I don't have an affiliate partnership yet? I do.

Do I start taking on sponsorships even if it's with a tool or service I don't personally use?

I haven't started doing sponsorships yet outside of a newsletter "sponsorship" here and there that are performance based (i.e. paid-per-click). But maybe I'll look into that more sometime down the road.

So that's about that. I didn't share exact numbers for privacy reasons, but I'm nowhere near replacing my nursing income.

For the time being, I like the balance of a steady side income while helping people out with the model I've already got.

You've got the points.
Here's the process for actually turning them into the flight you want.

• Tune into Michael's Miles Round-Up Live at 8:30am Central this morning where I share the featured news but share more details and my take on it.
• Qatar backtracked its requirements on booking flights for other people. You no longer have to take a flight on Qatar or a partner to be able to add other people to "My List"!
• The Chase Sapphire Reserve is celebrating its 10th anniversary with some hotel credits, and a contest to win 5.5 million points.
• Earn 20,000 IHG bonus points for two paid nights within 60 days in this targeted deal; award nights ineligible.
• Chase Freedom Flex Q4 categories will be: Dining, Grocery, American Red Cross - I appreciate how they make these categories easy in Q4.
• Wyndham's new award chart is now live. There are now 4 pricing tiers: 5k, 15k, 30k, and 45k. The 5k was decreased from 7.5k and and 45k is a new tier. See a quick analysis here.
• Through 9/21, IHG cardholders & those with elite status can get a 15% award night discount on hotel stays through 11/2. But not combinable with 4th night free benefit.
• Reminder Hyatt transfers from Sapphire Preferred to Hyatt is decreasing from a 1:1 to 4:3 ratio starting October 1st.
• Use Lyft codes: SOUTHWEST50 for 50% off 2 rides, reportedly you might not need a Southwest card. Also use code 26Q3CHASE50 for single 50% off ride.
• Starting 2027, the Sapphire Reserve for Business will offer four $250 statement credits to use on The Edit hotel stays AND starting 11/15/26 the card will now cap 3x advertising spend multiplier to 1 million dollars.
• Frontier now offers the option to purchase the ability to refund flights powered by the tech behind Hopper. Cost is dynamic some examples show: $17-64 for a roundtrip flight.

Point Sales:

Purchasing points on sale is a way to access travel sweet spots at a cash discount, especially useful for those who can't earn points quickly through credit cards (those living outside of the U.S.) or those who want to fast-track specific luxury redemptions.

I recommend only purchasing points with a redemption in mind, or if you're topping off an account. ​
​
Air Canada up to 100% bonus as low as 1.35 cents each, exp 9/25​
American Airlines up to 40% bonus as low as 2.26 cents each, tiered
​Avianca LifeMiles up to 145% bonus as low as 1.35 cents each, exp 9/25
​Choice Hotels up to 40% discount as low as 0.62 cents each, exp 10/22
​Delta SkyMiles up to 50% bonus as low as 2.51 cents each, exp 10/31
​Hilton Honors up to 100% bonus as low as 0.50 cents each, exp 9/25
​IHG up to 100% bonus as low as 0.5 cents each, exp 10/5.
​JetBlue up to 120% bonus as low as 1.47 cents each, exp 10/1
​Lufthansa up to 50% bonus as low as 1.39 cents each, exp unk.
​Southwest up to 50% discount as low as 1.50 cents each, exp 10/2
​United MileagePlus up to 95% bonus as low as 1.93 cents each, exp 9/30
​Virgin Atlantic up to 70% bonus as low as 1.47 cents each, exp 10/4
​World of Hyatt up to 20% discount as low as 2.08 cents each, exp 10/5
​Wyndham up to 90% bonus as low as 0.68 cents each, exp 10/21

Tune into Michael's Miles Round-Up Live at 8:30am Central this morning where I share the featured news but share more details and my take on it.

You can now search on Avios.com for flights on British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Iberia Airlines and it'll give you a beautiful award calendar, but here are some tips to know about how it works.

Here are some of the best sign-up bonuses that I've found. I've included referral links to the offers I have access to. For offers not linked, I'd recommend applying through other channels to support creators' work.

"***" = Different from last week

Flexible Points Cards:​
-Chase Sapphire Preferred $95 - 75k, after $5k spend.​
​-Chase Sapphire Reserve $795 - 100k after $6k spend.
-Chase Sapphire Reserve Business $795 - 200k after $30k spend in 6 months
-Chase Freedom Unlimited $0 - 20k/$200 after $500 spend in 3 months
-Chase Ink Unlimited $0 - 100k points after $8,000 spent in 4 months
-Chase Ink Cash $0 - 100k points after $8,000 spent in 4 months
-Chase Ink Business Preferred $95 - 100k points after $8,000 spent in 3 months.

​
-AMEX Gold $325 has an offer for "as high as" 100k
​-AMEX Business Gold $375 - "as high as" 200k Targeted Offer after $15,000 spent in 3 months. Try copying and pasting link into Private/Incognito browser. ​
​-AMEX Platinum $895 - "as high as" 175k after $12k spend
-AMEX Business Platinum $895 - "as high as 300k" after $20,000 spent in 3 months; Also here's a 200k No Lifetime Language link.
​
-Capital One Venture X $395 - 75k points after $4,000 in 3mo.
-Capital One Venture $95 - 75k + $300 travel credit after $4,000 in 3mo.
-Capital One Venture Business $95 - 100k after $10k in 3 months.
-Capital One Venture X Business $395 - 150k bonus, after $30,000 in 3 months.
-Capital One Savor $0 - $250 cash back (25k points) after $500 in 3 months
-Citi Strata Elite $595 - 75k points, $595 annual fee
-Citi Strata Premier $95 - 60k points, $95 annual fee

Hotel Cards​
​-Amex Hilton Honors $0 - 70k + Free Night Certificate after $2000 spent in 6 months. Ends 1/13/27​
-Amex Hilton Surpass $150 - 130k + Free Night Certificate after $3000 spent in 6 months. Ends 1/13/27​
-Amex Hilton Aspire $550 - 200k after $6000 spent in 6 months. Ends 1/13/27​
- Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant $650 - 150k plus $250 statement credit after $6,000 spend in 6 months. Ends 9/30
​- Amex Marriott Bonvoy Bevy $250 - 125k plus $150 statement credit after $5,000 spend in 6 months. Ends 9/30
- Chase Marriott Boundless Card $95 - 4 Free Night Certificates (worth 50k points each) + $100 in Airline Credits* after $3,000 spent in 3 months. *Get $50 in statement credits semi-annually after spending $250 on eligible airline purchases.

Airline cards:​
- Bank of America Atmos Business (Alaska Airlines) $95 - 85k + $99 companion fare after $5,500 in first 90 days.
- Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select $99, waived first year - 80K miles after $3,500 spend in 4 months.
- Citi AAdvantage Executive Mastercard $695 - 125k miles after $15,000 in 5 months.
-Delta SkyMiles Gold $150, waived first year - "as high as" 80k miles + $250 statement credit after $3,000 spend in 6 months. Ends 11/4.
(Business version also available)
-Delta SkyMiles Platinum $350 — as high as 90k miles + $300 statement credit after $4,000 spend in 6 months. Ends 11/4
(Business version also available)
-Delta SkyMiles Reserve $650 — 50k miles + two domestic round-trip Comfort certificates after $10,000 spend in 6 months. Ends 11/4
- Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business​ $650 — 200k miles after $20,000 spend in 6 months. Ends 11/4

Boston (BOS) - Europe: Premium Economy for 30k Miles
Chicago (ORD) - Europe: Economy for 18.75k Miles
Detroit (DTW) - Europe: Economy for 18.75k Miles
Los Angeles (LAX) - Europe: Economy for 18.75k Miles
Minneapolis (MSP) - Europe: Economy for 18.75k Miles
Minneapolis (MSP) - Europe: Business for 45k Miles
Montreal (YUL) - Europe: Economy for 18.75k Miles
New York (JFK) - Europe: Economy for 18.75k Miles
New York (JFK) - Europe: Premium Economy for 30k Miles
San Diego (SAN) - Europe: Economy for 30k Miles
San Francisco (SFO) - Europe: Economy for 18.75k Miles
San Francisco (SFO) - Europe: Premium Economy for 30k Miles
Vancouver (YVR) - Europe: Premium Economy for 30k Miles
Washington (IAD) - Europe: Economy for 18.75k Miles

**Miami (MIA) - Europe: Economy for 18.75k Miles
​**San Jose (SJC) - Europe: Premium Economy for 37.5k Miles
​**Toronto (YYZ) - Europe: Premium Economy for 30k Miles

**These awards are only available for Flying Blue Extra subscribers, this subscription starts at 379 EUR per year.

- Book by the end of September for travel dates up to February 28th, 2027. Includes reversed routing.
(Here's how to book it step by step.)

- Flying Blue Promo Awards are 25% discounted fares offered by KLM & Air France. Offer changes every month, and is released on the first weekday of the month. Above are U.S.-based routes, click here for other international-based deals.

Singapore Krisflyer Spontaneous Escapes

(Deals don't work with reversed routing, ex: JFK-FRA)​
​
New York (JFK) - Frankfurt (FRA)
Frankfurt (FRA) - New York (JFK)
Premium Economy - 39.9k

Singapore (SIN) - New York (JFK)
Premium Economy - 59.15k

Singapore (SIN) - Seattle (SEA)
Economy - 30.8k​
​

​- Book by the end of September, for travel dates from October 1 to 31st, 2026. See details and blackout dates here.​
​
​Krisflyer Spontaneous Escapes are 30% off last-minute award tickets on Singapore Airlines on specific routes. Offers are typically released on the 15th of every month. Here's how to search on Singapore's website.

American Express:
​Avios 30% - Ends 9/27
​Hilton 30% - Ends 10/14​
​
Capital One:​
​Japan Airlines 30% - Ends 9/30

Chase: ​
​Aeroplan 20% - Ends 9/30
​Marriott 70% - Ends 10/15

Citi:​
​Leading Hotels of the World 25% - Ends 9/19

Rove:​
​Copa Airlines 40% - Ends 9/30

Have a good weekend!
​
​Michael​
​Nurse Michael Travels