I get almost all my miles from credit cards.

I rarely fly a paid flight on an airline that offers miles (and when I do, it's usually not paid by me)
I don't do much online shopping through airline portals
My dining program earnings are minimal

For me, it starts and ends with sign up bonuses and category bonuses on credit cards.

Citi ThankYou Points now transfer to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles at a 1:1 rate.

That makes one hotel and 12 airline partners for Citi ThankYou Points earned on the Citi ThankYou® Premier Card and Citi Prestige® Card.

The Citi ThankYou® Premier Card comes with 40,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in the first three months.

Some credit card offers in this post have expired, but they might come back. If they do they will appear –> Click here for the top current credit card sign up bonuses.

I've got 2.5 weeks between high school and law school reunions this spring.

The Club Carlson Premier Rewards Visa Signature Card offers 85,000 bonus points after spending $2,500 on the card in the first 90 days.

Last month, I wrote about saving money on paid tickets by using a "fake location." The idea is that airlines charge different amounts for the same ticket depending on where you're from or where you say you're from.

I just had the opportunity to use the trick, and I saved 47% on an intra-Egypt flight.

I'm going to spend a week in Egypt in May, and I want to split the time between Luxor and Cairo.

5x Points Offer Has Expired

The Citi ThankYou® Premier Card is already one of the three cards I carry. I got it for the massive 40,000 ThankYou Point sign up bonus that I can transfer to airlines like Singapore and AirFrance for tricky awards.

Some credit card offers in this post have expired, but they might come back.

The Club Carlson Premier Rewards Visa Signature Card offers up to 20 free hotel nights after spending $2,500 on the card in the first 90 days.

The basic idea is:

50,000 Club Carlson Gold Points after first purchase
35,000 more Club Carlson Gold Points after spending $2,500 on the card in the first 90 days
Earn 5 points per dollar on all purchases (and 10 on purchases at Carlson Rezidor hotels), so you'll earn at least another 12,500 points from meeting the minimum spending requirement.

I've written a lot about redeeming American Airlines miles--a little bit here and a little bit there--but never one comprehensive guide that tells you everything you need to know about the miles. Now is the time to write that guide because now is a special time to earn American Airlines miles.

Some credit card offers in this post have expired, but they might come back.