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How do you earn frequent flyer miles? Here's a more thorough look at each of these options. Flying with the airline When you book a cash ticket with an airline, you'll earn miles for that flight. Airline credit cards Booking flights may be the most well-known way to earn miles, but airline credit cards tend to be the way travelers can earn the most miles.
Shopping portals Frequent flyer programs have what are known as shopping portals. Dining The major U. Other ways to obtain frequent flyer miles Besides earning miles, there are also two other popular ways to get them: transfers from travel credit cards and purchasing them outright. Transfers from travel credit cards As we've gone over, airline credit cards will earn you miles with one specific airline.
Buying miles Airlines will sell you as many miles as you want, but this usually isn't a good deal for you. How do you use frequent flyer miles?
Here's how to use frequent flyer miles with most airlines: Go to the airline's website. Check the option to book using miles on the flight search tool. It may say "Use miles," "Redeem miles," or something slightly different, as the wording depends on the airline. Enter your desired route and travel dates to search for flights. Flight prices will be listed in miles instead of cash. Choose the flight you want and proceed through the booking process.
Using miles to upgrade your ticket Another way to use your miles is to upgrade an existing cash ticket if you booked a ticket using miles, you can generally only upgrade on the day of the flight at the airport. For simplicity at the penny-per-mile valuation, chop off two zeros from the number of miles required. Airlines can change the value of your points by requiring more or fewer for a free flight or changing the number of award seats available. Your airline program may offer several levels of award seats, requiring more miles for more desirable flight times, seats and cabins.
You can also redeem miles on partner airlines. For example, if you have United Airlines miles, you can use them to book a ticket on German carrier Lufthansa, a partner in the Star Alliance. Upgrades: Upgrading your seat to a premium class can be another good use of miles.
Some upgrades to business or first class require payment in the form of a cash co-pay as well as miles. As with award seats, upgrades are based on one-way flights. Other travel expenses: Redemption options might include airport lounge membership fees, hotel stays, car rentals, cruises and gift cards. These options tend to offer a lower value than points or miles are worth, so we recommend avoiding them.
Each airline has extensive information on its website. You can also refer to NerdWallet's reviews of major airline frequent flyer programs. Achieving airline elite status — which may be called silver, gold, platinum or similar — requires a lot of effort and money. Think of it as a program within the general frequent flyer program that occasional flyers can just ignore.
With elite statuses, you might qualify for earning more award miles when you fly, seat upgrades, priority check-in, complimentary checked baggage, better award-seat availability, discounted and waived fees, and other benefits. The math to earn elite statuses can be confusing, but basically, you need to do things the airline cares about as a business: fly often, fly far and spend money.
A segment is a trip between a city pair under the same flight number and with the same plane. It could include a stop and still be a single segment. You get a boost to your miles and segments if you buy pricier fares, like a full-fare economy instead of discount economy. The airline will track all that math and display it in your frequent flyer online account.
If you earn elite status, it typically lasts at least a year. Overall, whether a frequent flyer program is worth your time and effort depends on whether you can be loyal enough to an airline to get more value out of it than you put in.
Should I get an airline credit card? Cash back vs. Different frequent flyer programs will have different ways to find your frequent flyer number. If you don't have any luck there, refer to your individual account or a recent reservation confirmation email. Simply navigate your web browser to the specific airline and locate a link to direct you towards their sign-up page. These programs are often advertised on the airline homepage. Submit the necessary information and await confirmation of your program admission.
A frequent flyer number is a number used to identify a customer who travels by plane regularly with a specific airline. Individuals can have multiple frequent flyer numbers depending on the number of airlines they typically fly.
It all started in , when American Airlines introduced a program called AAdvantage. Their purpose was simple: to reward customers for using the airline and promote future customer loyalty. 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.
This can include suitcases or clothing you need for a trip. Tip: Look for on-the-ground ways to redeem your frequent flyer miles. Frequent flyer programs increasingly use complex formulas for earning and redeeming rewards, based more on your spending than on your flying. Savvy travelers focus on navigating these programs in the most advantageous way possible, such as paying for a flight and using miles to defray other expenses.
These approaches can help you maximize the value of your frequent flyer miles. Samuel Greengard has traveled to 63 countries and 49 states while writing about business, technology and finance for numerous magazines and websites. All Credit Intel content is written by freelance authors and commissioned and paid for by American Express.
The material made available for you on this website, Credit Intel , is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal, tax or financial advice.
If you have questions, please consult your own professional legal, tax and financial advisors. Money Cards Credit Score Glossary. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email. Airlines have recently changed how their frequent flyer miles work — sometimes in big ways.
Our overview can help you keep up with frequent flyer program changes. The Takeaway. You can: 1. Cash Back. Reward Points.
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