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)
It is important that you use a mower that pinches off the grass rather than chopping it. Look around for the best deal on these mowers. Maintenance time should not be so time-consuming that you can't enjoy your private putting green.
Intensify Your Home Theater Experience With HDTV (3)
An honest to goodness high-definition television has a tuner that is already built into the console of the set but this is not very common, as the technology for tuners has moved along swiftly and reduced in price much quicker than the technology for displays.
How To Filet A Fish (4)
First, it is absolutely crucial that you have a very sharp knife. I personally use an electric filet knife a lot, but you really have to have some experience to be able to use one properly.
How To Protect Your Sports Car (5)
All of these can damage your sports car's paint or finish. Simply refuse to park under a branch. You may have to seek out a spot a little farther from your destination, but you can make the walk while feeling better about yourself and your sports car's well being.
Three Ways To Extend The Life Of Your Sports Car (6)
Small scratches and or chips should be repaired immediately. These seemingly insignificant blemishes provide an opportunity for oxidation and subsequent visible rust. The car should be protected from the elements when possible.
Three Factors In Choosing A Body Shop For Your Sports Car (7)
There are at least three factors one should evaluate when choosing a body shop for their sports car. Although these guidelines are certainly not meant to be comprehensive, they do provide a great starting point for any sports car owner in need of bodywork.
An Overview Of Honda Hybrids (8)
By not relying solely on gasoline as fuel power to power the vehicle, hybrid vehicles use less gasoline and omit fewer fumes into the already damaged atmosphere. With global warming becoming more and more of a concern, hybrid vehicles are growing in popularity.
How The Internet Can Enrich Your Sports Car Experience (9)
There are chat rooms, forums, message boards and a host of other web sites devoted to sports cars. Some are general in nature, focusing on the driving experience or providing a broadly stroked overview of the sports car community.
Should Your Next Sports Car Be A Convertible? (10)
After all, there is an almost innate desire among many drivers to experience the open road and to catch as many summer rays as possible in their sports car. For these individuals, a convertible may be the only choice in which they are interested.
Newer Articles Highlighter:
How To Sell Collectibles On Ebay (1)
You'll be surprised how much money you can make if you buy the collectibles that people sell on smaller auction sites like Yahoo Auctions, and then list it on eBay.
How To Buy A Sports Car (2)
One should, therefore, approach any salesperson with some healthy skepticism. 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)
Perhaps you believe the dog will learn on his or her own, over time, how to behave. Training is difficult and can seem like such an effort that surrender may feel sensible.
Give Yourself A Tax Break With Tax Incentives For Hybrid Owners (4)
Other restrictions as described also restrict inclusion of certain hybrid models, especially those that are SUV hybrids or those purchased after 2005. All in all however, hybrid owners in general will profit from this tax benefit.
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)
The Subaru Scrambler, the Mazda Ibuki and Mitsubishi's hybrid in its Eclipse line are all progressing in development. Most of the hybrid research and development currently focuses on adopting the most common hybrid production methods.
Why The Year End Sale Might Not Be A Good Deal (7)
If the car has a window sticker of $20,000 then the auto dealer is going to have the 5% carryover which in this case would be $1,000, plus their usual dealer holdback of around 3% or $600 and any factory to dealer incentives which are usually pretty large these days.
A Look At Sports Memorabilia And Collecting (8)
Some people collect items from a broad range of different sports while others only collect items that pertain to a particular sport or a particular athlete. There are many different ways to display your collection; depending on what it is you collect.
Unforgettable Television Sports Cars From The 1970s (9)
Jim Rockford's Firebird Esprit from The Rockford Files James Garner gave chase to villains in a series of gold Firebird Esprit's during the course of The Rockford Files seven-year run.
How To Maximize The Mileage On Your Hybrid (10)
This indicates that energy use has stabilized. When this tactic is used properly, it is possible to double or triple your mileage. This process takes a little time to get used to but is probably a lot easier than driving a manual transmission or parallel parking.
Permalink to How To Get The Most Out Of Your Frequent Flyer Miles When Traveling