Frankly, only you can fully answer that question.

What we can do is give you three key questions to ask yourself before getting started:

• Do I have sufficient credit?
• Am I organized enough?
• Can I meet minimum spending requirements without running up debt?

The last question is the most important.

The goal of this site, and the points and miles hobby in general, is to reward you with travel for money you are already spending in your daily life. You should never incur extra debt for the sole purpose of earning points or miles.

Can I do this with my credit score?

To qualify for most cards in this hobby, you generally need a credit score of at least 600. You can easily check your score through a free credit monitoring service such as Credit Karma.

Here are the main factors involved in building and maintaining good credit:

• Making on-time payments on credit cards and loans
• Using less than 50% of your available credit, with under 25% being ideal

If you are still building your credit, Discover and Capital One tend to be the easiest major credit card issuers to get approved with.

Am I organized enough?

Organization is critical in this hobby. You will be opening, closing, upgrading, and downgrading cards over time. If you are playing two-player mode, you can effectively double that number.

You need a system to track:

• Open cards
• Minimum spend requirements
• Annual fees
• Card benefits
• Payment due dates
• Annual spending thresholds

The Points Navigator is designed to help with this, but you are still responsible for making sure payments are on time, minimum spends are met, and annual fees are accounted for. If you choose not to use the Points Navigator tools, you should at least maintain a well-organized spreadsheet or another tracking system you trust.

Can I meet minimum spends without running up debt?

Signup bonuses are the fastest way to earn points in this hobby. To earn those bonuses, you must meet a minimum spending requirement within a set timeframe.

Minimum spends vary widely:

• Some are as low as $500 or $1,000
• Most fall in the $3,000 to $6,000 range
• Ultra-premium cards can require $20,000 to $30,000 in spending

It is important not to bite off more than you can chew. Do not apply for a card with a $20,000 minimum spend over three months if you have no realistic way to meet it through normal spending.

You should never manufacture spend solely to earn a signup bonus. What matters is having the funds and discipline to pay off your balances in full every month. Carrying a balance will quickly erase the value of any points you earn.

The last thing we want is to put someone into debt. We insist that everyone asks these questions honestly before jumping in. It can be tempting to rush in when you see others talking about the massive bonuses they just earned.

Even if you are not a high earner, there are many ways to participate and earn meaningful free travel. Patience, discipline, and organization are what make this hobby sustainable.

This is a marathon, not a sprint.