There is no perfect year 1 playbook when it comes to the points and miles hobby. Some people want to dip their toe in the water, others want to dive in head first. Some people want to lower the cost of travel to visit friends and family in the Midwest, while others want to book an overwater bungalow in the Maldives. Some people plan to travel alone, and others with a family of 5. With so much up to individual preferences, there is no one right path for starting out with points and miles.

IMHO the key is to just start somewhere and see where it takes you. The longer you delay, the longer you miss out on awesome opportunities to save money and elevate your travel experiences.

I have heard some people say – well what if I wake up in one year and points and miles have been devalued or eliminated to the point of uselessness. My rebuttal to this draconian future scene, is wouldn’t you rather have had one years worth of reduced travel expenses than no years worth?

I thought it would be fun to show how different the first year can be by sharing my actual first year cards and contrasting it with my husbands first year. Check it out below!

As you can see our path in the first year was very different and that is okay! I dove in head first, my P2 reluctantly dipped his toes in the water. This was the level of exposure we were both comfortable with and we earned more than enough points to help us with our flights and hotels for the following 1.5 years. Our goal in the first year was to earn as many transferable points as we could while allowing my P2 to participate at his own pace. While hard to practice, it is also good to remember that this is a marathon, not a sprint! That said, whatever year 1 looks like for you, just remember to stay within your comfort zone, stay organized, and have fun!