Wow, big tipper.
Yeah, my girl hooked me up so I hook her up.
Oh, cool, 16%.
Yeah, not a problem.
With my Definitely Not A Virgin Airlines card,
I earn miles when I spend or when I fly.
That's how Tevin gets paid.
Actually, Frequent Flyer Miles
are a big old rip-off.
What? Look, I'm 100 miles away from a free flight.
That's free money.
More like funny money, because the airlines
control how and when you can use them.
Exchange your miles for a free trip
to your dream destination,
just not on any of these blackout dates.
Not only that, they can rewrite their rules
to change the value of your miles at any time.
In 2017, United Airlines devalued
all of its customers' miles
with just a few months' notice.
Oh, sorry, we just updated our Rewards chart,
and it looks like your miles are worth half as much.
Have a great trip.
What? No. How can you just change how much they're worth?
I thought I earned a mile for every mile I travel.
Not anymore. Airlines used to give you one Rewards mile
for every mile flown, but over the past few years,
they've quietly started basing miles on ticket price,
so now if you really want to rack 'em up,
you gotta buy the most expensive seats,
like in first and business class.
It's wonderful for those of us who can expense the flight
to our corporate account or Mommy and Daddy.
And get this-- if you don't fly often enough,
you might not get to use your miles at all.
Airlines will revoke them
if you don't maintain "qualifying activity"
or if you do anything else
to violate their specific sneaky terms.
Aw, you should have read that giant pamphlet
we mailed you that everyone just throws away.
(groans)
I'm so confused.
How does anybody understand how this works?
Most people don't.
Surveys show that 59% of Americans have no idea
how Frequent Flyer Miles work,
and 73% of people enrolled in these programs
don't even know how many miles they have.
Now boarding anyone
who can understand our cockamamie system.
(laughs)
As a result, planeloads of people's miles expire
before they even get a chance to use them.
There are currently 20 trillion
unredeemed miles in circulation.
That's enough to go back and forth
to Pluto over 2,000 times.
So why don't the airlines make it easier to understand?
Because all this confusion creates a crapload of cash.
The major airlines generate an estimated $10 billion
in revenue per year just from their Frequent Flyer programs.
But if the miles are free, then how are they making money?
By selling them to credit card companies
who use them as bait to get you to sign up.
Impossible.
I earn hella rewards with every dollar I spend.
Yeah, but are you paying off your balance every month?
Close to half of credit card holders carry debt,
and the massive interest they charge you on that
completely wipes out
any points or miles you've "earned."
But, no, okay?
The Rewards Dude blog clearly states
that this card is the best one to game the system.
Yeah, the paid referral link system.
Credit card reviewers actually make money
every time someone signs up
for a credit card from their site.
I always fly for free using my Vibranium Member Rewards,
the same rewards that I make seven figures a year promoting.
♪ Money money ♪
What? You know what? Screw it.
From now on, Tevin is cash only.
Well, this part is really gonna piss you off.
Even if you pay cash, you're still paying
Huh?
Credit card companies typically charge sellers
over 2% in fees every time they run a credit transaction.
It's essentially a tax on every sale they make,
so to make up the difference, many sellers raise prices,
whether you're paying cash or card.
Whatever, bro.
Ah, perfect. I have exactly $1.00.
Oh, sorry, I forgot to pass
the credit card surcharge fee onto you.
Come on!
Visa and MasterCard can make as much
as $45 billion a year off of these surcharges.
Your points and miles aren't free.
We're all paying for 'em.
(groans)
So I've been staying loyal to this expensive airline,
earning miles that I'm probably never gonna use,
while charging a credit card that's basically
making me pay for my own rewards?
Yep. If you really want to game the system,
forget the points and miles and just buy a ticket
on whatever airline's the cheapest,
and don't fall for the credit card marketing.
How much did you put on credit cards, by the way?
(groans) I don't want to think about it.
I'm gonna watch "Bad Ben" 'til we board.
It's a show about a 1960s radio jingle executive.
Bad Ben's life is so cool, he flies all the time,
and back then, flying was glamorous.
Actually, the idea that flying was better
in the old days is a total myth.
(laughs)
Oh, it's not a comedy. Okay.