Churning Life Podcast

This month I continued to scale Pokémon at Walmart, but it feels like it may be nearing a breaking point due to the massive quantities of accounts that have been created in the last few months. We also went on a trip to southern Japan, Guam, and Manila, including several FHR properties, which ended up being a lot of fun! For more information on the Patreon and private Slack group, head over to chu...

This month Bank of America decided to close some of my accounts for doing something I should have known better not to do. I've also been working on getting a secondary warehouse to handle Prime Day (in June this year?) and grinding Walmart as usual. For more information on the private Slack group and Patreon, head over to churninglife.com.

This month I went to two different meetups including one in New Orleans, as well as a week-long trip to Kauai for our final Wyndham/Vacasa redemption. I've also been working hard on Walmart with some good success.

This month continued to be good at Best Buy for iPads, and there was some big drops at Walmart for Pokemon. On the travel side, I went on a two-week trip to Kyoto, Taiwan, and Thailand to escape the Portland winter.

Best Buy spending continued to be strong with the annual business gold cap reset and good sales on iPads and Apple watches. I also have been making good progress on the Pokémon front with Walmart. The travel for this month included a visit to Mexico City for the first time and another ski trip in Europe, both great trips! For more information on the private Slack group, head over to churninglife.c...

December had a lot of great deals on Apple products, with the main items being the S11 Apple Watches and iPad 11s. I also talk with Bryan M about his recent trip to Norway and the Lofoten Islands, including KLM and AA business class for his family of four and some great value with Choice hotels.  A meetup is happening in New Orleans on 3/28 and the details have been sent out to the mailing list. I...

Black Friday was a bit disappointing on Best Buy because the best Airpod sale never went live, but there were still plenty of lower margin deals. On the travel side, we visited the Maldives for the first time with stopovers in both Dubai and Doha. 

This month, iPhones continued to go strong and are still going through November. There was also a good sale on iPads and Airpods at Best Buy with another round of coupons. We went on two different weeklong trips, one that included Hermitage Bay in Antigua and another at Chicago Seminars followed by Miami. To join the mailing list, there is a link on the website churninglife.com.

Best Buy had another good sale on Airpods this month that I was able to scale pretty well. I also recap a 1.5 week trip to Peru where we saw Machu Picchu and the Inti Raymi festival. Link to the amex lounge waitlist (replace the airport code): https://queue.americanexpress.com/accountKey.59957E3C6338837882DC2D4C1D9AF664/PHX_CENTURION_LOUNGE For more information on the private Slack group, visit ch...

I discuss the latest Amex shutdowns along with the upcoming changes with Southwest Airlines and Emirates. It was another solid month at Best Buy where I was able to get a combination of laptops and Pokemon cards, and meanwhile I am steadily working on buying more gold.

The meetup was a success, and thanks to everyone who came out! In this episode I dive into my churning and buying group activities for this month, including some Bank of America success and ordering the usual items from Best Buy. I am also starting to work on scaling up Costco gold, Walmart, and figuring out Pokemon cards. Head over to churninglife.com for more information on the Patreon & pri...

This episode covers a 3 week trip that we did to Taiwan, Bali, Niseko & Kyoto, as well as the usual buying group activities. Niseko Hotel: https://nisekohakuunso.com/ Kyoto Restaurant: https://www.kaland.co.jp/yata_honten/ Austin Meetup Sign Up Form: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/alignedincentiveschurning-life-meetup-tickets-1218491895059?aff=oddtdtcreator Head over to churninglife.com for more...

This is the 2nd beginner-focused episode and is about the mindset of churning as a hobby and how to get started with award travel. I also talk about some tips for Qatar Airways and how to book with EVA's own mileage program. Head over to churninglife.com for more information about the Patreon and private Slack group.

Starting with a layover in Vegas, we spent a week traveling around Marrakesh, Morocco and ended in Paris. This was my first time on Air France & KLM (booked with Virgin Atlantic miles), which were both decent business class products. I also had a few mishaps on the way including multiple traffic violations from the Moroccan police, almost denied boarding for losing my paper boarding pass, and...

In this episode I talk about two trips I did in September in central Italy and Kauai. Both were really amazing trips! Highlights include Turkish, ITA, and Hawaiian business class, WA Rome, GH Kauai & Vacasa as always. Important podcast update: Starting 12/1/24, most episodes will be moved from the public channels over to the Patreon. The latest episode will always remain public for at least 30...

This is the long awaited tax episode! In this episode I have a special guest Tonei Glavinic, who is a tax professional and long-time churner. We do a deep dive into taxes on reselling and manufactured spending for miles and points, discuss how various methods of earning points should be treated, and also discuss tax ethics and tax-preparer responsibility.  To connect with Tonei, visit their websit...

This is a beginner focused episode and is part one of a two part series: Part one is focused on the making money side of churning and part two will be more geared towards points and award travel. Topics include a rundown of the credit card issuers to start churning sign-up bonuses with, some basic methods for manufactured spending, and the types of skills that a churner should develop. Amex: Can h...

A quick episode to recap our trips to LA to visit Universal Studios Hollywood and a week-long trip to Guatemala. 

In this episode I talk with Logan from Aligned Incentives about how he started his gift card brokerage and how it operates today. To join the free Slack group, head over to churninglife.com .

A recap of our week-long trip in Miami and St Croix, USVI, where we had a really fun experience. I also discuss the latest Wyndham/Vacasa and Hyatt devaluations and what's next after Best Buy. To join the free Slack group and sign up for the mailing list, head over to churninglife.com .

I start with a deep dive into what happened with the crypto collapse and the bankruptcy of "crypto lending" platforms, then discuss what we can learn from them and how to think about the risk with churning-related activities. To join the free Slack group and sign up for the mailing list, head over to churninglife.com .

A recap of my recent trip to St. Anton, Austria to go skiing with my brother. The skiing was awesome and it was a really fun trip! Flights: PDX-SFO-FRA-INN on UA/LH/EN for 90k Aeroplan + $94. ZRH-LHR-LAX-PDX on BA/AA/AA for 57.5k AA miles + $102. Hotel: Omaela Apartments : $1,300 for 4 nights.  Skiing: $243 for a lift ticket for 3 days (not per day).

Recapping our 2-week trip to India, including Delhi, Rajasthan, and Goa. We faced a lot of unexpected challenges during the trip but overall had a great time! Award Flights: PDX-YVR-DEL on AI Y/J/F for 55k/90k/117k Aeroplan. PDX-SFO-EWR-DEL on UA J for 80k United Miles (in both directions). GOI-DOH-SFO on QR J for 80k Avios. Award Hotels: Hilton Jaipur for 20k HH/nt (upgraded to Diamond floor w/Go...

A short month for me since I was out for the last two weeks, but I still made use of some decent deals for BGs and GC reselling. I got another batch of BoA Alaska Business cards and discuss the plans for my new Citi AA Business card. Send me an email if you are looking for a link to the private Slack.

This episode covers a couple of trips that I went on over the past few months and some general award travel advice on how to plan your trip to Europe this summer. If you are interested in a churning meetup in Portland, I've linked a quick google form if you want to give any input: https://forms.gle/rnk7wecYiAbWshya9