For example, many cards offers double or even triple points if you use your credit card for dining out. If you eat at a lot of restaurants, this helps you get more miles than other cards. You have to book through the airline itself to get any extra miles or points the card might offer. So, now you have your travel credit card and your frequent flyer accounts all set up. Log in, search for flights, and choose the option that allows you to see fares converted to points or miles instead of dollars.
As with most things involving money, you can dig pretty deep into airlines miles and score all kinds of bonuses. This post originally ran in and was updated on January 5, to include more current information. First off, the term "miles" doesn't equate to the actual number of miles you can fly—it equates to the number of miles you've flown.
The basic premise is that if you spend your money with one airline, it will give you miles or points to redeem for free flights, better seats and preferential treatment. Answer two primary questions when deciding whether to bother with airline programs:. In short, yes. These programs are free and easy to sign up for.
And despite the general term "frequent flyer," you don't need to be one. You can sign up online while booking your first flight. Then, enter your frequent flyer number when you buy tickets so that you'll earn reward miles or points.
Your answer may come down to two factors:. Where do you live? Do you have a choice of multiple airlines at your nearest airports? If you do, some experts would argue that you should mostly disregard frequent flyer programs. You might get more value by playing the field and simply booking the airline that offers the best flights and prices. But if one airline dominates your only nearby airport, then racking up loyalty rewards with a single airline — and spending them — will be easier because you have little choice.
How often do you fly? If you don't, the decision is murkier. The primary reasons to join a frequent flyer program are to earn:. A typical decision for frequent flyer members is whether to use miles on luxury rides or more trips. For example, flying business class may cost as many points as two trips in economy class. Here are names and reviews of frequent flyer programs for a few of the major airlines:. American Airlines: AAdvantage. Delta Air Lines: SkyMiles. United Airlines: MileagePlus.
Southwest Airlines: Rapid Rewards. If you want to fly first class to a far-off destination using reward miles alone, getting an airline credit card is among the best ways to do it. Airline cards often require you to have good or excellent credit for approval. The question is whether the card offers enough value to justify the fee. And airline cards typically carry high interest rates, so you'll want to pay your credit card bill in full every month.
Another disadvantage is an airline card will have its own features and rules, aside from the airline's frequent flyer program, adding a layer of complexity. The key to using frequent flyer programs well is accumulating miles efficiently and redeeming them to your best advantage, sometimes called "earn and burn.
The basic way to rack up miles is by flying the airline. Although rewards are sometimes called miles, nowadays you typically earn rewards based on how much money you spend, not how far you fly.
American started the program by using their customer database. They tracked the members' number of flown miles and put together a reward system of "a mile earned for a mile traveled. It was an instant success. United Airlines almost immediately debuted their Mileage Plus program and upped the ante by offering an "enrollment bonus" of 5, miles! As expected, the other major domestic airlines soon followed suit. Next, the hotel industry entered the game.
Initially, they merely participated as "partners" in the airline programs. However, considering their costs as an airline partner, most hotel chains initiated their own frequent-stay programs. Today, although most hotels do have their own frequent-stay programs, they remain partners with all the major airlines because it leads to increased sales.
The rental car industry initially participated by becoming a partner with the airlines. As the costs of the relationships with the airlines rose, Hertz, the early leader, withdrew from the FF relationship. However, when their market share dropped drastically, they rejoined. Hertz now collaborates in more than 60 FF programs domestic and international partners combined.
In today's market in addition to the many airline partner programs, there are several airline alliances more about these alliances a little later. Another perk in today's frequent flyer market is that you can also earn "miles" or "points" points can be redeemed later as miles for other travel and non-travel transactions. Travel transactions can include hotel stays, rental cars, and more. Non-travel-related awards include credit card purchases you earn at least one mile, if not more for every dollar charged , long-distance telephone services , even mortgages and stock trades!
Finally, shopping at certain stores, both brick-and-mortar and online, also provides an opportunity to "rack up" those miles. Your frequent flyer miles reside in your account -- much like your dollars in the bank. They accumulate as you travel, although unfortunately they don't earn interest.
At this time, most of the larger domestic airlines use a fairly uniform policy: mileage does not expire, but there must be some activity in your account once every three years. The airlines may change their mileage expiration policies, so you should read their most current guidelines. When the mileage total reaches a certain amount, you can "redeem" them for an award, usually air travel. Frequent flyer programs are the beginning of a relationship -- hopefully long and loyal -- between you the consumer and the airline.
If you choose to apply online using a Web site such as WebFlyer , your information will reside in several airline databases in a short amount of time. You can call the airlines on their toll-free telephone numbers during which you'll instantly get a member number , sign up while at the airport not advisable if you are in a rush , or send in the registration form using the old standby -- U.
There are several things to consider when deciding which frequent flyer program to join. First and foremost, look at the overall quality ratings of the program that you are considering.
One way to obtain information about the quality of frequent flyer programs is to read a survey, such as InsideFlyer's Freddie Awards. If you truly are a frequent flyer, join the program that will allow you to consolidate your miles. This would usually be with the dominant airline in your region i.
The chosen airline should be convenient for you and the one that has the most flights to the places that you frequent. This is your number one consideration, because when you rapidly accrue miles and reach the critical "25," mark, you can qualify for elite status. However, if you are an infrequent flyer, compare the programs and choose the one that allows you the greatest opportunities to earn miles or points for all your non-flight activities.
Consider your patterns of purchasing hotel rooms, renting cars, and general shopping. Look at the airline's partner roster and decide whether that particular frequent flyer program is for you. If you are in this last group, you should compare the total rewards package offered for both flight and non-flight activities before choosing your primary frequent flyer program.
And, finally, you want to pay attention to the little things - the tiny print at the bottom or on the back of the enrollment form. Therein expect to find quite a few key terms and conditions, such as:.
List of Partners vendors. Since they first took off more than 30 years ago, frequent flyer programs have undergone as many changes as the airline industry itself. In other words, frequent flyer programs are becoming serious spender programs. That can be a good thing or a bad one depending on the type of traveler you are.
With two-thirds of Americans saying they plan to resume travel in , you may be interested in the best ways to save money on flights. Note, too, that points may expire if your account is inactive for a certain period typically 18 months. Many airlines belong to networks of domestic and foreign carriers, such as Oneworld, SkyTeam, and Star Alliance. Again, which of these you might want to become part of will depend on the airlines you primarily fly. Their partners are listed on their sites, which can help you see determine at a glance which airline frequent flyer programs to enroll in.
To entice you to sign up for credit cards co-branded with airlines, credit card issuers frequently offer bonus miles, sometimes enough for a reward all by themselves. For example, some require you to spend a certain amount of money within a certain time to get travel rewards.
If you sign up for a miles credit card, you may earn initial bonus miles, but your card may carry an annual fee in addition to typical credit card interest and charges. Alina Comoreanu, a research analyst with the finance website WalletHub. Bear in mind that they often have hefty interest rates— So, unless you pay your bill off each month, you need to weigh the value of your bonus against the interest charges.
Using a rewards credit card for all of your purchases and paying it off each month can be another way to rack up enough miles for a reward. There are two basic types of cards to consider: the co-branded cards affiliated with an airline and more general rewards cards that offer an assortment of awards, including airline miles. For example, the more general rewards cards typically allow you to use your miles on a variety of airlines, rather than just one.
When choosing a rewards card for travel or everyday spending, pay attention to both how you can earn rewards and how you can redeem them. Consider the redemption value you may get when using rewards for travel versus other redemption options.
You could also earn points or miles toward flights on other dining purchases when you use a general travel rewards card. When using a rewards card to pay for meals, be sure to pay attention to credit card merchant category codes to ensure that you're getting the most number of miles or points possible for those purchases. Many airlines also have shopping portals on their frequent-flyer websites.
0コメント