Let’ s get straight to the point – Is there an ethical
boundary in the travel hacking game? What would you do and not do to earn
points and miles? Are there clear black and whites or are they just a bunch of
greys all around? Where do you draw the line?
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| What Calvin Thinks. (I do not have the copyright to this image) |
These questions have been swirling around in my head the
last few days. I read a few blogs about people calling up the credit card
companies after completing their spend challenges and telling them they had
registered for a higher sign-up bonus, when in reality that sign-up bonus had
expired before they applied for the card and they had signed up for a lower
sign-up bonus. Is this right? You know you are lying. The credit card company
knows you are lying. They still let you have it (or sometimes they don’t)
because they want your business. But just because they let you have it, does it
make it right?
In the same vein, is using someone else’s RSVP code for
credit card application, justified? The person receiving the credit card offer
was the one the bank was targeting. Is it ok for someone else to use their RSVP
codes and get the benefit of the offer?
One must be wondering why these questions are doing the rounds.
Well, here’s the reason. A few weeks ago I noticed that one of my CC companies had
stopped crediting points for my purchase. I called them and asked them to
credit the points for my purchase. After a quick research the customer care personnel
informed me that it seems there was a glitch and the system did not calculate
and credit my points for one full month. They apologized and assured me it
would be done soon. No harm no foul, so far.
Forward one week later, I check my account balance and lo
behold they have calculated my points and credited it to my account. Only,
instead of one month, they calculated for the last 2 years. Yes, the CC company
credited me points for all my purchases in the last 2 years. And here’s where
my dilemma is – Should I call them and make them aware of their mistake or
simply enjoy the free points? I took time and effort to call them to credit
what was rightfully mine. Do I not owe them the same courtesy when they make a
mistake in my favor?
I can’t figure out what to do. What would you have done in
my position? Are there other clear black and white’s in the obsessive game or
there are no rules at all?
