Frequent Flyer and Frequent Stay Programs

Frequent Flyer programs

What’s better than an airline ticket to your honeymoon or romantic getaway?

How about a free airline ticket? Or free hotel stay? Or an airline upgrade?

No, you don’t have to win a sweepstakes to enjoy free travel on airlines and free hotel nights--you just need to be a diligent frequent flyer and frequent stay program member. Whether you’re a regular road warrior or travel rarely, you can still earn miles and points--and work your way to your next trip that much faster.

Here are a dozen easy ways to earn more miles and points in rewards programs:

1. Sign up. Even if you think you won’t be flying that airline again for some time, sign up for their frequent flyer program. Many airlines keep your credit either indefinitely or for 36 months with a single transaction. Also, there are programs that permit you to trade your mileage into other programs for a small fee.
   
   
2. Know before you buy. Some programs give bonus miles for flights booked on their website.
   
   
3. Check for special promotions, especially on new routes. When a new route is launched, many airlines will give bonus miles for flights on that route for the first three or four months. However, to get the bonus miles, you’ll often need to sign up online with a special promotion code. Getting that code is easy; you’ll just check the airline’s website.
   
   
4. Know the airline’s partners. You can earn miles for flights on a partner airline, too. The airline websites will give you a list of partners, both airlines and hotels.
   
   
5. Remember that hotels are a great source of miles. Some will permit you to earn miles in an airline program instead of points in their hotel program. Look for special hotel promotions both on the hotel’s website and on the airline’s website.
   
   
6. Don’t forget about rental cars. The major car rental companies are partnered with airlines so you’ll earn miles with each car rental (and sometimes goodies like car rental upgrades, too). You have to give the car rental company your airline frequent flyer number to qualify.
   
   
7. Check on telecommunications offers. Many airlines partner with telecommunications companies: cell services, internet service provides, long distance service, and more. You’ll find bonuses for signup or for switching services many times.
   
   
8. Earn miles with your credit card. Many airlines offer their own credit cards so you can earn miles with each purchase, sometimes 1 mile for each $1 charged. Also look for credit cards that permit you to use your mileage on any airline.
   
   
9. Groceries for miles. Some airlines partner with grocery stores to earn miles; check with your grocery store to see if you can earn miles for your purchases.
   
   
10. Don’t overlook other opportunities. You’ll find all sorts of other opportunities to earn miles: buying flowers, newspaper subscriptions, you name it. Check with the airline website to find all the current offers. To stay up to date, sign up for email newsletters from the airlines to keep you posted on new offers.
    
    
11. Get miles for mortgages. If you’ll be buying or selling a house or refinancing a loan, check on miles for mortgages programs, available through most airline programs. A few include other types of loans as well
    
    
12. Find out about dining programs. Find out if your airline is part of a dining program that allows you to earn miles for each dollar spent at designated restaurants.

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