How To Get The Most Out Of Your Frequent Flyer Miles When Traveling
Keywords: luggage, travel accessories
Frequent flier miles sound great in principle-travel with a certain airline and earn points that you can cash in later, or use a certain credit card to earn points without even traveling. What could be better than free airline ticket? Airlines, unfortunately, aren’t so keen on your sudden desire to fly for free. Their goal is to sell seats not give them away, no matter how much they try to entice you into earning frequent flier miles. By being aware of some simple tricks of the trade, you can not only increase the amount of flight points you earn but also stretch them as far as possible.
First, earn the maximum amount of points every time you fly by choosing a specific program and following all of their rules and regulations. Be aware of their promotions and partner companies. You could earn miles by buying flowers at a specific florist or staying at a particular hotel. Keep updated by reading their websites and newsletters for promotions. Certain techniques can also earn you more miles. Fore example, see if you can earn extra miles for business trips by paying for the flight with your own credit card and having your boss reimburse you. Or if your spouse flies less than you, he or she can use a free frequent-flier mile ticket while the paid ticket goes on your account, earning you more points faster. While you are actively earning miles, stay organized. Save receipts, and watch out for errors in your statements. Know how many miles you have and how many you need to qualify for free trips or other perks that come along with a certain status as a frequent flier
. Finally, don’t waste your miles on cheap flights or by cashing them in on other purchases, such as magazine subscriptions or club memberships.
As wonderful as a promotion may seem, frequent flier miles are, essentially, cash, and you can bet that an airline wants to save itself money by having you spend your cash on something other than an airline ticket.
Do you figure that you’ll never fly frequently enough to earn enough miles to be useful? You can actually earn points without even flying by using a credit card that offers frequent flier miles based on the amount you charge every month. While these credit cards sounds like great deals, getting the most out of them can be tricky. Many cards that offer miles also come with a hefty annual fee, so be sure that the cards are worth the fees before you use them. For example, if a card charges fifty dollars annually, and it takes you four years to earn enough miles to purchase a ticket worth less than two hundred dollars, then your investment in the card did not save you any money. If you believe that you can receive worthwhile savings with a mileage credit card, then charge as much as you can-groceries, dinners, even monthly bills-but pay off your bill every month or you’ll be losing money on the interest charged. If you go to a restaurant with friends or family, have them pay you
for their meal in cash and charge the bill on your credit card. Some restaurants will give you extra mileage when you pay with a specific mileage earning credit card, and some credit cards will give you extra mileage when you charge groceries and other items. Take advantage of these deals by checking your credit card’s mailings, email newsletters, and website.
Finally, you’ve spent years earning thousands of frequent flier miles on everything from your credit cards to your business trips out of town, and now your ready to cash them in and live the high life. The first way to get the best flight with the nicest upgrades or advantages possible from your frequent flier miles is by purchasing tickets as early as possible-as much as a year in advance. Also, try and schedule your flight for the middle of the week-Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday-rather than on Saturday or Sunday when more people are flying, and try to book midday flights, which are less popular than morning or early evening. Finally, call the airline rather than use the internet to book your flight. All of these methods are more likely to lead to you receiving the awards and deals that you want to get from your hard-earned frequent fliers.
Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida with his 16 year old son. Get a great selection of luggage at www.luggageplusmore.com
Previous Articles Highlighter:
A Look At Cigar Flavors (1)
As mentioned previously, the qualities and characteristics of cigar tasting are very similar to those of wine, Scotch, beer, cognacs and tequila. Within a given specification, there are endless varieties.
Get Your Own Putting Green (2)
Seeded greens have to be pampered while the grass is taking hold. There is a fine line between waiting too long to mow and weakening the turf, making it open to blight, and mowing it too soon.
Intensify Your Home Theater Experience With HDTV (3)
HDTV can be obtained from three different sources. The first and most commonly accessible source is over-the-air (otherwise known as terrestrial) broadcasts that can be received by way of an aerial (or rooftop) antenna.
How To Filet A Fish (4)
The final step for this side of the fish is to check the lateral line for small bones and cartilage and the bloodline. Some fish such as amberjack will have a large bloodline which you will want to remove for optimum taste.
How To Protect Your Sports Car (5)
Otherwise, you may unintentionally damage your sports car. These may seem like common sense actions. Truth be told, they are. Common sense, however, is easily lost in many situations.
Three Ways To Extend The Life Of Your Sports Car (6)
Others are as simple as placing a drop cloth or car cover over a garaged vehicle. All activities of this sort, however, can be placed in one of three general categories.
Three Factors In Choosing A Body Shop For Your Sports Car (7)
Most probably fall between the two extremes. Considering, however, the importance of a sports car to a motor enthusiast, it seems reasonable to take special care to try to find the best possible service.
An Overview Of Honda Hybrids (8)
Honda's hybrid vehicles will surely save money at the gas pump, getting approximately thirty miles per gallon for city driving and thirty seven per gallon on the highway. The typical Honda vehicle powered solely by gasoline gets approximately twenty one miles per gallon for city driving and thirty one miles per gallon on the highway.
How The Internet Can Enrich Your Sports Car Experience (9)
Most all are welcoming of newcomers with stories to share, questions to ask, and advice to dispense. The information-sharing network that exists insures any sports car driver can learn more about their vehicle than they may have believed possible.
Should Your Next Sports Car Be A Convertible? (10)
One should also consider the greater risk of theft and vandalism associated with convertibles. Easy access is afforded to criminals even when the top is up and latched, making it a potentially poor fit for those living or regularly parking in areas where vandalism or theft could be a problem.
Newer Articles Highlighter:
How To Sell Collectibles On Ebay (1)
Sure, you might find something if you hang around at enough garage sales, but you'd have competition. Getting invited to people's homes to look around should be a dream for you, and one you're doing your best to make a reality.
How To Buy A Sports Car (2)
You need not approach the salesperson as a mortal enemy, but you must always remember their reasons for selling you a particular sports car may not line up with your own best interests.
Why It Is Essential That You Train Your Dog (3)
Initially, training can be the difference between life and death for a dog. An untrained dog, for instance, cannot be recalled effectively if he should wander away. He may encounter any number of dangers in his wanderings-many of which could result in serious injury or death.
Give Yourself A Tax Break With Tax Incentives For Hybrid Owners (4)
Therefore, it is only logical the United States would want to reward hybrid owners for their smart purchases. Many consumers find this new bill difficult to understand. The average consumer may joke that it takes an accounting degree to figure it all out.
Keep More Money In Your Pocket And Gas Up Less Often (5)
With more people driving vehicles that require more gas on a weekly basis, the rise in prices in being felt financially. Although experts agree that the rise in gas prices are not significant enough to deter consumers from driving their big trucks and sports utility vehicles, the thrifty spender may see things differently.
Hybrid Sports Cars Coming Soon (6)
All indicators point toward a greener, more fuel-efficient future featuring jaw-dropping high-performance cars sure to please even the most discriminating sports automotive enthusiasts. As long as there are cars, it seems there will be those who demand impressively speedy, sporty automobiles and manufacturers are not willing to let go of that purchasing base as they explore hybrid alternatives to traditional internal combustion autos.
Why The Year End Sale Might Not Be A Good Deal (7)
Almost every dealer has his inventory "floor planned" or financed which means he is paying interest on every car on his lot for as long as it is there. Trust me he doesn't want to do that.
A Look At Sports Memorabilia And Collecting (8)
There are many different ways to display your collection; depending on what it is you collect. If you follow a particular team for example, and you collect newspaper clippings and sports cards it can be done by creating scrapbooks.
Unforgettable Television Sports Cars From The 1970s (9)
Even today, S&H Torino owners gather to display their souped up Gran Torinos and to revel in memories of a popular 1970s cop show. In terms of sheer recognizability, the S&H Gran Torino is in a class of its own.
How To Maximize The Mileage On Your Hybrid (10)
This basically translates to finding the zone with the hybrid where energy use leveled off between the electric and gas engines. Lexus and Toyota get to claim use of the pulse and glide which is best found when driving somewhere between 30 to 40 miles per hour.
Permalink to How To Get The Most Out Of Your Frequent Flyer Miles When Traveling