Our members of the facebook group “Travel for free (or almost…!) with your points & miles – milesopedia” have been asking us for more than a year!

It’s done, on January 26, 2019 we held our very first milesopedia mini convention (MCM) in
Quebec City
.

We met from 10am to 4pm at the Complexe Capitale Hélicoptère near the Jean-Lesage International Airport in Quebec City.

50 people gathered to learn more about travel hacking!

On the program of the milesopedia YQB mini convention

During nearly 6 hours we presented the contents of the mcm and exchanged with the members.

Here is an outline of what was covered (in over 200 slides..!)

For this, we had 3 speakers, each with their own expertise.

The basic rules of travel hacking

Travel hacking is becoming increasingly popular and a reminder of the main basic rules is an excellent introduction to the subject.

The credit report

The credit report is the cornerstone of a travel hacker, so it’s important to understand its key workings. We have therefore detailed this part intensively.

Example:

The program ecosystem

It is important to understand the difference between:

• fixed value points
• points related to a program
• flexible / hybrid points

And to understand the mechanics between the different programs.

This part was therefore very detailed.

Here is an example of point transfers and the different methods to achieve a result.

Credit cards – beaba

We have (re)-reviewed in detail everything related to credit cards.

Like:

• the distinction between “point accumulation” vs. “point bonus”,
• categories of expenses,
• the means to achieve minimum expenditures,
• gift cards
• Prepaid gift cards (Vanilla)…

Example:

Testimony of a Travel Hacking beginner

Maryse agreed to “bare her soul” by sharing with us her good and not so good Travel Hacking moves:

• Starting out with one credit card
• His mistakes with Aeroplan by using his miles to cover taxes and surcharges
• His discovery of milesopedia
• Its progress by reading articles and sharing with members
• His knowledge of the different tools available
• His success with the upcoming completion of his first mini-tour of the world

Aeroplan

After an excellent meal, we went on with the main programs.

We discussed the highlights of the Aeroplan program… and the famous mini-tour of the world.

AIR MILES

The AIR MILES program has many fans. But opinions are always divided between thousand MONEY or thousand DREAMS! We have demonstrated that it is possible to get 26 cents/mile for short-haul flights for example!

Hotels

We then took a look at the hotel programs, including Marriott Bonvoy / Best Western Rewards:

• The main rules to know for each program
• Transfer of points
• Matching points between spouses
• Ongoing subscription bonuses

Round table

Afterwards, we opened the microphones and gave the floor back to our members to address our panel and ask them any questions they had. It was a great group dynamic!

Door prizes

We had some great door prizes to draw from among our participants.

A big thank you to our partners and in particular:

1. Aeroplan
2. Ulysses travel guides
3. Plastiq

Testimonials

Very happy to have attended this presentation. It’s a good investment!

I was still hesitant but now I’m definitely diving in.

Your articles are great, but hearing you in person is SO much clearer! Thank you for your time and generosity in responding!

The time not too fast because it is very interesting, we ask for more!

This event allowed me to understand the travel hacker‘smindset

I learned a lot of things faster than I could on my own.

I really enjoyed the discussions throughout the mini-conference as I am a beginner.

I enjoyed Maryse’s lunchtime testimony because it showed us an experience more within our reach!

Thank you to all the participants of the 1st event in Quebec City.

We are very happy and proud of our community!

TOGETHER let’s continue to make milesopedia
the largest French-speaking travel hacking community.

Join our facebook group!