Frequent Flyer Tips

How to get the most out of your frequent flyer miles To get the most out of your frequent flyer miles, we have put together this list of tips that will help you both maximize how you earn your miles and how you use your miles. Tips on Earning Miles For flights that you need to pay for, try to use the same airline as much as you can so that you can reach a free flight sooner. If you spread your paid travel around on several airlines, it will take you much longer to reach a free flight on any single airline. Check your frequent flyer plan for any special offers or promotions that will allow you to boost your earnings on particular flights. The airlines will often give frequent flyer bonuses for travel on certain routes at different times in the year. For instance, American Airlines' offers can be found here and Delta's special offers can be found here. Signing up for one of the airlines' credit cards is a great way to get a big frequent flyer mile bonus, often enough to qualify for a free flight. Try to get the annual fee waived, however, as sometimes those free miles can come at a steep price. Buy your tickets online -- the airlines often give you extra frequent flier miles for booking directly through the airline's website, rather than by calling a customer service representative. The airlines win because this keeps their costs down, you win because you earn more miles. Tips on Using Miles Try to reserve your award travel as far as possible in advance. The airlines often determine how many seats to save for award travel 331 days prior to the flight. You will generally be able to get more value per frequent flyer mile for a longer trips, generally between countries. Don't forget that you can use frequent flyer miles to upgrade yourself to business or first class on a flight that you have paid for. Often, this can be a great way to use your miles! It is against most airlines' policies to give frequent flyer miles to someone else. If you are caught doing this, you run the risk of losing those miles or having your plan revoked. You can, however, use your miles to buy a ticket for anyone else as a gift; this means that no money can change hands as part of this transaction. Useful Resources How far do your miles go on different airlines? Airline and airport on-time statistics Holiday travel tips