Take Maximum Advantage Of Your Accumulated Flight Points
You will invariably have heard of the concept of frequent flier miles. These are basically an accumulation of points with the airline you travel by most often. You are entitled to en-cash these points when you’ve accumulated enough of them. These points can even be obtained without traveling by simply transferring the points on your credit card. And what could be better than free airline ticket? Unfortunately, airlines, are not so keen on your sudden desire to fly for no charge. Their aim is to sell seats not distribute them, irrespective of how much they try to entice you into earning frequent flier miles. By learning some simple tricks of the trade, you can not only increase the amount of flight points you earn but you can also stretch them as much as possible.
First of all, earn the largest amount of points every time you fly by selecting a specific program and following all their rules and regulations. Be informed of their promotions and partner companies. You can even earn miles by buying flowers at a specific florist or staying at a particular hotel. Stay updated by visiting their websites and reading their newsletters for promotions. There are also some techniques to earn you more miles. For example, check whether you can earn extra miles for business trips by paying for the tickets with your own credit card and having your office reimburse you. Or if your spouse doesn’t fly as much as you, he or she can use a free frequent-flier mile ticket while the paid ticket goes on your account and earns you more points faster. When you are actively earning miles, stay organized. Don’t throw away receipts, and keep an eye out for errors in your statements. You must know how many miles you have and how many you need to qualify for free trips or other perks that come with a certain status as a frequent flier. Finally, don’t ever waste your miles on cheap flights or by cashing them in on other purchases, like magazine subscriptions or club memberships.
As wonderful as these promotions may seem, frequent flier miles are nothing but cash, and you can be sure that an airline wants to save its money by tempting you to spend your cash on something other than an airline ticket.
Do you think that you’ll never fly frequently enough to earn enough useful miles? You can certainly earn points without even flying. This is done by using a credit card that offers frequent flier miles based on the amount you spend every month. Though these credit cards sound like great deals, squeezing the most out of them can be rather tricky. Many cards that offer this option also come with a huge annual fee, so ensure that the cards are worth the fees before you use them. For example, if your card charges fifty dollars annually, and it takes you four years to earn the number of miles required to purchase a ticket worth less than two hundred dollars, then your investment in the card didn’t really save you any money. If you think that you can receive substantial savings with a mileage credit card, then pay by card wherever possible—groceries, dinners, even monthly bills—but pay off your bill every month or you’ll be losing even more money on the interest charged. If you visit a restaurant with friends or family, make them pay you for their meal in cash and put the bill on your credit card. Some restaurants will even give you extra mileage when you pay with specific mileage earning credit cards, whereas some credit cards will give you extra mileage when you charge groceries and other things. Take advantage of such deals by checking your credit card’s mailings, email newsletters, and website.
Finally, you’ve spent so many years earning thousands of frequent flier miles on everything from your credit cards to your business trips out of town, and now you are ready to cash them in and live the high life. The best way to get the choicest flight with the nicest upgrades or advantages possible from your frequent flier miles is by buying the tickets as early as possible—sometimes as much as a year in advance. Also, try and schedule your flight in the middle of the week—Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday—instead of on Saturday or Sunday when more people are flying, and also try to book midday flights, which are less popular than the morning or early evening ones. Lastly, call the airline instead of booking online. All these methods are very likely to lead to you receiving as many awards and deals that you want to get from your hard-earned frequent fliers.