You’ve Changed More Than the Points and Travel Hobby Has

Our Changing Points and Travel Hobby

Mark recently wrote a thoughtful piece on how the points and travel hobby has changed, including why it’s particularly boring for some now.  This was Mark’s response to Ben Schlappig’s views, and this is my response to his response.  I very much identify with the spirit of these articles.  But the fact that our shared fascination is constantly evolving makes it even more intriguing, in my view.  Still, among all the changes, we must deal with the negative trends which come along with them.  But the good news is more than the hobby has evolved.  You’ve probably changed more.  I think that gives any mindful individual an advantage.

What’s Changed?

Mark mentioned a few areas which have changed in his article, and I’d like to reiterate a few and add to it (in no particular order):

• There’s a larger focus on loyalty programs from a wider variety of sources.  More people are talking about this stuff and conveying it to others in different ways.
• Some of those same people who touted maximizing loyalty programs have been hired by them.
• Bank application rules are increasingly stringent.
• Banks’ terms on credit card benefits are more complex than ever.
• AI is permeating the landscape, with some programs hamfistedly adopting it.
• More individuals are looking to optimize their earning and redemption strategies.
• Loyalty programs and their benefits continue devaluing.

This certainly isn’t everything.  Some aren’t entirely good or bad.  Regardless, it’s the way it is.  If I want to do bigger things in our hobby and elsewhere, I should be cognizant of the things I can’t control.  At the same time, I should focus on what I can control.

What’s In My Favor?

Fortunately, there’s much in one’s control that can directly contribute to mitigating the above changes, including:

• My unique, dynamic goals, travel-related and otherwise
• The points I earn
• The methods I use for earning and redeeming
• How I use my time to accomplish the above
• The experiments I perform

Perhaps the biggest factor in our favor is that we are all different, and consequently each one of us has a unique set of goals.  By first defining my goals, I inform my earning and redemption strategies.  This can also contribute to how and what I use my time on to accomplish.  By doing so, I’m diversifying how I go about the points and travel hobby in comparison to others who simply collect, say, Chase Ultimate Rewards because they heard the Sapphire Preferred is a good card, all the while not having any defined redemption strategy.  By customizing mine, I’m already ahead of others who don’t.

Beyond my unique goals and related strategies, I must remember to layer on even more – life changes that spur even more hobby moves.  By consequently revalidating and updating my goals, I’m setting myself apart from the masses.  The exact combination of my goals and redemption strategies differ from everyone else’s, and embracing changes which come with new life seasons on my own timetable helps that diversification even more.

Putting It All Together

Naturally, we’re all subject to devaluations in some amount sooner or later.  But by doing so across a wider set of loyalty programs mapped to our unique goals which change over time, I’m minimally impacted compared to individuals latching onto the hottest, mass-appeal redemption methods which will inevitably die sooner or later (more likely the former).

A noteworthy reality here is that some of my favorite redemptions are remarkably boring, certain ones so much so that I don’t bother writing about them.  Meanwhile, those sexy, shallow redemptions (which probably don’t map to my goals, anyway) often don’t last.

The Changing Points and Travel Hobby – Conclusion

Do your own thing.  You can set yourself apart from those who latch onto the most popular redemptions of the day.  You’re already a step or many ahead of those individuals if and when the devaluations come.  And even when they arrive at your doorstep, at least you know you did it your way.  In my view, as long as a redemption is mapped to any of your priority goals, it’s a solid one, even if it’s purportedly devalued.

Put another way, the points and miles game has changed, but so what?  Your own unique self wins out, and how you’ve changed over time helps your cause even more.

How has your specific situation risen above negative trends in the points and miles hobby?