The million mile method: how Carlos earned a million miles without flying

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First, the engineTrick number one: book other people's holidaysThe habits that multiply everythingThe four mistakes that cost the mostRead the full playbook

Carlos de Ory, the founder of UpgradeBaby, has around a million miles spread across Qatar Airways, British Airways and Iberia. He uses them to fly his family to places like Japan and Australia lying flat. None of those miles came from flying. They came from a system, and the system is not complicated.

First, the engine

Before any trick, check what you are driving. Most points cards and accounts have several levels, and the higher ones can earn many times more points for exactly the same spending. Almost everyone sits on the slowest level without knowing it.

The bonus offers you see in the app (5x, 10x, 20x) usually multiply your base rate. The same offer can be worth ten times more on a better plan. That is why so many people say they "tried points and it was not worth it": they ran the right tricks on the wrong engine.

Trick number one: book other people's holidays

Think about where the biggest card payments in a normal life happen. Not electronics or clothes. Flights and hotels. A family holiday can be thousands in one afternoon.

And it does not have to be your holiday. Tell your parents, siblings or close friends: send me the dates and I will book everything. Their flights and hotel go on your card, they pay you back the same day, and your balance ends where it started. But the points stay with you.

Send me the dates and I will sort the whole thing. You pay me back, same price, zero markup. I just keep the card points.

The rules that keep it clean

1. Zero markup, always. You charge exactly what it cost.
2. Only people who will surely pay you back. You are fronting real money.
3. Get paid before the trip.
4. Book it in their name. You pay, they travel.
5. Do not move the points until the trip has happened. A cancellation takes them back.
6. Never for strangers and never for a fee. That would be running a travel agency.

The habits that multiply everything

• Do not transfer points the moment you earn them. Wait for a transfer bonus: airlines regularly add 20% to 40% extra.
• Do not spend miles the moment you have them. Some programmes run monthly promotions with discounts on selected routes.
• Put your whole life through one card: rent, insurance, groceries, subscriptions.
• Pick the programme for the route, not the logo. One balance of flexible points can reach all three alliances.
• Find the seat before you transfer. Transfers to airlines cannot be undone.
• Compare surcharges. The same seat can cost very different cash on top of the miles.
• Redeem in business, not economy. Economy is what money is for. Business is what miles are for.
• Keep a one page log of balances and expiry dates. Ten minutes a month.

The four mistakes that cost the most

1. Transferring immediately. You gave away the bonus.
2. Redeeming immediately. You gave away the promotion.
3. Letting points expire. You gave away everything.
4. Being on the wrong plan. Every offer is quietly smaller.

Read the full playbook

This is a short version. Carlos explains all 21 tricks, with real numbers, in the Million Mile Playbook on carlosdeory.com.

Airline and bank programmes change their rules often. Always check the current terms before you book or transfer points. This is general information, not financial advice.