> Good job beating the system. If you tracked all the hours and mental energy you spent on these tasks vs the amount of money returned, what do you think the hourly rate would come to?
I also churn. After an initial investment of learning the concepts, I spend very little time. I can go onto a major issuer's site and spot a good deal in minutes. I have a small text file where I note offers I see on Reddit that may be of future note.
I don't recall how long it took to "learn churning" but it was small chunks spread out over a long period.
I periodically take breaks when coding to rest my brain. I'm taking one right now in fact :)
So I'd argue the time cost was zero/near zero since I wasn't going to be "productive" during those breaks anyways.
Then again, I'm not an extremeist - I mostly keep an eye out for destinations I'd like to vacation to, what airlines service them, then sign up with a card that can get me points to pay for that flight.
In the end, I'd estimate I save 1-2k on airfare per year plus some spare change in cashback. (Credit card rewards are treated as discounts and thus not taxable income, so getting tax free airfare then putting the money into an IRA or 401K is +EV).
I don't let myself get wrapped up in getting an extra percent back on my tacos or something though - in fact through analysis I've found that keeping entertainment money as cash reduces spending to a point it's better to use cash than use a CC and get rewards for spending at bars, restaurants, and the like.
I also churn. After an initial investment of learning the concepts, I spend very little time. I can go onto a major issuer's site and spot a good deal in minutes. I have a small text file where I note offers I see on Reddit that may be of future note.
I don't recall how long it took to "learn churning" but it was small chunks spread out over a long period.
I periodically take breaks when coding to rest my brain. I'm taking one right now in fact :)
So I'd argue the time cost was zero/near zero since I wasn't going to be "productive" during those breaks anyways.
Then again, I'm not an extremeist - I mostly keep an eye out for destinations I'd like to vacation to, what airlines service them, then sign up with a card that can get me points to pay for that flight.
In the end, I'd estimate I save 1-2k on airfare per year plus some spare change in cashback. (Credit card rewards are treated as discounts and thus not taxable income, so getting tax free airfare then putting the money into an IRA or 401K is +EV).
I don't let myself get wrapped up in getting an extra percent back on my tacos or something though - in fact through analysis I've found that keeping entertainment money as cash reduces spending to a point it's better to use cash than use a CC and get rewards for spending at bars, restaurants, and the like.