The Transformation

Yesterday I received an unsolicited email from my brother wishing to write a guest blog. It was pretty funny (but maybe because it is my brother!) so I thought I’d share it all with you. I guess this shows that you CAN convert anyone into the points and miles world!

Growing up with Mrs. Deals was truly an adventure. As her younger brother I saw it all. To be honest there was never a dull moment. For someone in their twenties that is so into points, rewards, and couponing, one has to wonder what is wrong with her. Mrs. Deal’s whole life has revolved around those three things. It was not until I started my job as a traveling consultant that I realized she is not the weird one in our family, in fact I might be. On my first day of my consulting project, the first question that all my colleagues asked me was “where are you staying and what promotion are you using to get the most points possible?” It was as though everyone was bilingual. They speak English and points. I was in total shock that there were other people out there just like my sister. I mean, do I really want to work with ten other people like my sister?!

I started out staying at the Marriott not even realizing this whole world of points and status. People on my project were constantly getting upgraded to two bedroom suites and even the presidential suite. Not only do I have to compete with them at work, but also outside of work by making sure I keep up with their status! After my first week I told my sister that I was staying at the Marriott and that I opened up a rewards account. I thought she was going to be so impressed with me. Boy was I wrong! I got yelled out for about thirty minutes on how I didn’t do the refer a friend program, join the mega points promotion, and do the platinum challenge. Next thing I knew I had a new Marriott rewards number which she referred me to and I was on the phone with Marriott asking them to combine the points from my old account into this new account. I then had to sign up for every promotion in the book because somehow or another she’d know if I signed up for these or not.

Soon I realized that I was accumulating all of these points and seeing my status escalate. I have to be honest and say that I caught the bug. At lunch everyday, I am the one that is telling my co-workers about the best deals all the time. I am continuously doing research to see how to maximize my points. Maybe I will start blogging and create a website called Brother Deals. For the next two weeks I am switching hotels and checking in and out on a daily basis so I can finally become a platinum member at Marriott. I learned about the Platinum challenge and it is based on stays not nights, so one night stays have to be done. The day I become a platinum member, I have a feeling my sister will have a tear come down her eyes.

Everyone always asks me why my sister does this blog and if she is insane. When you get into this world of points and status, there is no turning back. Mrs. Deals might be a lot of things, but one thing for sure is that she will always be my sweet, sometimes crazy, older sister!