Max Craig's full talk deck from FTU Dallas 2026. The same slides he's presenting live — yours to download, keep, and reference long after the session is over.
Most people earn the pass without thinking about what comes next. The deck walks through the Companion Pass clock, the five strategy archetypes, the three-year rinse-and-repeat that keeps the pass rolling, and the A-List math that decides whether you fly or buy your status.
The pass is valid for the year you earn it plus the entire following year. Earn in January vs. November — same expiration, very different value. Card bonuses also reset every 24 months from the bonus date, not the approval date.
Card bonus chaser, frequent flier, hotel program optimizer, networker, or high roller. Each archetype has a different earning path — and a different way to protect card slots for what comes next.
Year one: earn with two cards and early-year SUBs. Year two: hit 135k with one card to extend through year three. Year three: enjoy. Then repeat — or alternate with a Player Two so the household always has a pass.
20 vs. 40 qualifying flights. 35K vs. 70K TQPs. The fly-or-buy math — including how to hit Preferred for ~$1,560 in cheap flights instead of $140K in credit-card spend.
Plug in your cards, flights, and partners — see exactly when the pass triggers and where your TQPs land.
