ABC's Nightline Spotlights Rick Ingersoll, The Frugal Travel Guy

Online, November 29, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Rick Ingersoll, author of The Frugal Travel Guy blog, received national broadcast coverage last week when he was featured on ABC's Nightline on November 22 in a segment entitled "Flying First Class For Free."

Ingersoll is what ABC's John Donvan called "a frequent flier mile millionaire." He and others like him go to extreme measures to amass airline miles and hotel rewards points so that they can travel "literally around the world in first class for next to nothing," anchor Terry Moran said in his introduction to the segment.

Donvan taped the segment with Ingersoll during the Chicago Seminar in late October. Organized by Rick Ingersoll and other veteran "travel hackers," the seminar teaches participants how to maximize frequent flier miles and rewards points to enjoy free or nearly free travel around the globe. Donvan pointed out that Ingersoll does the same on a daily basis on his blog The Frugal Travel Guy.

Donvan highlighted three of the methods "extreme mileage hoarders" like Ingersoll use: (1) credit card sign-up bonuses, which often offer from 20,000 to 70,000 miles for an approved card after a minimum spend on that card is reached; (2) mileage and "mattress" runs to rack up frequent flier miles or hotel bonuses; and (3) rental car deals that often offer mile deals on rentals.

"Rick wants to teach the rest of us the tricks to becoming miles millionaires, too," Donvan said.

ABC taped Ingersoll in United Airlines' First Class Lounge at O'Hare Airport and caught him conducting a workshop at the Seminar. Among other world travels, Ingersoll told Donvan about a 10-day trip to China he and his wife took this year in business class that would have cost around $20,000 but, instead, cost them only $60 each in taxes plus 120,000 miles each.

In the luxury of a first class cabin aboard a parked United jet, Donvan asked him, "So you think this is something ordinary folks can do?"

"Not only can, but should do," Ingersoll said.

ABC's "Nightline" is late-night television's award-winning news program featuring anchors Cynthia McFadden, Terry Moran and Bill Weir. A video of November 22 segment with Rick Ingersoll and a transcript of the show are available at abcnews.go.com/Travel/frequent-flyer-secrets-tips-racking-travel-points/story?id=15001634#.TtKMmHG8pEQ.

For more information on The Frugal Travel Guy, visit www.frugaltravelguy.com.

About The Frugal Travel Guy:

Rick Ingersoll is the author of The Frugal Travel Guy blog, which is read around the world and averages 6000 views per day, and The Frugal Travel Guy Handbook. He is constantly on the lookout for the best credit card and debit card sign-up bonuses and other promotions. He posts frugal travel tips deals every day on his blog with the goal of reducing his readers' travel costs for the rest of their lives. He is also available for seminars and speaking engagements. For more information visit www.frugaltravelguy.com.