The Surprising History of Points and Miles

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#274: Chris walks through the complete history of points and miles and breaks down the $140 billion machine behind them, so you can get more out of every point you earn. He covers the legal accidents that made credit cards wildly profitable, why loyalty programs are worth more than the airlines, the psychology behind why you keep hoarding points, and more. Link to Full Show Notes: https://chrishutchins.com/history-of-points-and-miles Partner Deals Storyworth: Share your mother's stories in a custom book (+ up to $20 off) Fabric: ⁠Affordable term life insurance for you and your family Gelt: ⁠Skip the waitlist on personalized tax guidance to maximize your wealth Thrive Market: ⁠30% off your first order of organic groceries + a free $60 gift DeleteMe: ⁠20% off removing your personal info from the web For all the deals, discounts and promo codes from our partners, go to: ⁠chrishutchins.com/deals Resources Mentioned Movie: The Man From The Diners Club Book: Mileage Maniac by Steve Belkin Video: How Airlines Quietly Became Banks Articles Credit-card cash reshapes US airline loyalty — and profit by Reuters Interview with Matty Simmons by The Saturday Evening Post Who Pays For Your Rewards? Redistribution in the Credit Card Market by Agarwal, Presbitero, Silva, and Wix ATH Podcast Best Cards Page AMA: Submit A Question Leave a review: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Email for questions, hacks, deals, and feedback: podcast@chrishutchins.com Full Show Notes (00:00) Introduction (00:53) The Very Beginning of Points & Miles (04:07) How Credit Cards Came to Exist (08:24) The Legal Accident that Made Credit Cards Profitable (15:50) The History of Rewards (19:06) The Story of Air Pass (23:20) The First Airline Co-branded Credit Cards (25:21) How the Credit Card System Works Between Different Banks (29:38) How the Airline Rewards System Works (35:32) Airline Rewards Grade Devaluations (37:31) Examples of Rare Airline Reward Point Opportunities (39:33) The Endowed Progress Effect (40:38) The Goal Gradient Effect and Chasing Airline Rewa