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1. What are frequent flyer miles?
Frequent flyer miles are loyalty points given by airlines for flying with them or through their partner airlines. The miles can be redeemed for flights, upgrades, or other travel-related perks.
2. How do I earn frequent flyer miles?
Fly with the airline: Every time you fly with an airline, you earn miles depending on the distance or fare class.
Credit card partnerships. Many credit cards offer miles on every purchase which can be transferred to frequent flyer programs.
Shopping portals. Some of the airlines allow you to buy online and collect miles from such purchases through partners.
Hotel stay. You could earn miles with the help of an airline booking a hotel for you.
Hire car rental. The purchase of car through airline partners might earn you the miles.
3. Am I locked in to flying only with this airline to rack up the miles?
No. Most airlines partner with other airlines. With such alliances as Star Alliance, SkyTeam, OneWorld, for example, you can earn miles on partner flights, even when you are flying on another carrier besides your primary airline.
4. How can I rack up miles as quickly as possible?
Sign up for a co-branded credit card: Most credit cards have large sign-up bonuses, which can give you a significant number of miles upfront.
Fly frequently: If you travel for work, consider flying with the same airline or its partners to collect miles faster.
Use airline shopping portals: Collect miles by shopping with online retailers that are connected to your frequent flyer program.
Join multiple airlines’ loyalty programs: You can multiply your miles by joining several frequent flyer programs and making the most of their partnerships.
5. How do I make miles without flying?
Credit card spending: Most travel credit cards offer miles for everyday purchases.
Shopping portals: Airlines have partnership deals with most online retailers. You can earn miles on your purchases.
Hotel stays: You can book a room in hotels that have a frequent flyer partnership.
Car rentals: Use miles to rent cars through airline partners.
6. Are there opportunities to earn extra miles?
Absolutely. Airlines will often run promotions or special offers that award bonus miles. Some of these might include:
Doubled or tripled miles on specific routes
Bonus miles for booking through the airline’s website
Bonus miles through special credit card relationships
Bonus miles for flying into or out of specific cities during specific seasons
7. How much is a frequent flyer mile worth?
It’s worth about 1 to 2 cents on average when redeeming for flights. The value can fluctuate based on variables such as availability of flights, redemption class, and the policies of the airlines.
8. Can I transfer miles between different frequent flyer programs?
General Practice of Airlines: As a rule of thumb, it is not directly possible to transfer miles between distinct frequent flyer programs. But some airlines do facilitate transferring miles across the same alliance, or it can be accomplished through third party services that transfers miles (usually at a costly fee).
9. How to redeem miles into free flights?
Book a Flight Award: Simply use your miles to pay for a ticket either on your own airline or even on its affiliates.
Look for bargains: There are usually reduced-mileage promotions or cheaper award flights on airlines.
Book in advance: Award tickets can be booked up to several months in advance in order to obtain the best possible availability.
10. What is an award flight?
An award flight is one that you redeem using your miles instead of money. The miles needed depend on the route, airline, and seat availability.
11. What are miles on a credit card?
Miles on a credit card are the points that a consumer earns on purchases made through that credit card. Miles may be transferred to an airline’s frequent flyer program or redeemed against travel-related expenses.
12. How do I get the most from my credit card miles?
Use the card for all daily purchases: The more you spend, the more miles you build up.
Accrue sign-up bonuses: Most travel credit cards give you large sign-up bonuses when you reach a spending threshold in the first few months.
Enjoy bonus categories: Some credit cards award bonus miles for particular categories of purchases (e.g., travel, dining, or groceries).
13. What are the top credit cards to earn frequent flyer miles?
Chase Sapphire Preferred: Accrues 2x miles on travel and dining, and it also has a huge sign-up bonus.
American Express Platinum: Good for frequent flyers, with 5x miles on flights booked directly with airlines.
Citi Premier Card: 3x miles on travel and a big sign-up bonus.
Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express: Best for Delta loyalists.
14. Can I use miles for seat upgrades?
Yes, many airlines allow you to use miles to upgrade from economy class to business or first class, though availability may be limited and depends on the airline’s policy.
15. How do I find the best use for my miles?
Research award charts: Airlines have award charts that show how many miles are required for specific flights.
Use miles for international flights: International flights, especially in premium cabins, can offer the best value for your miles.
Consider upgrades: Using miles for an upgrade can often provide a better value than booking a free ticket in economy.
16. What is an award chart?
An award chart is a table made available by the airlines that describes how many miles are needed to get to your destination based on the distance, class of service, and which route.
17. How early should I book an award flight?
It’s always best to book award flights as far in advance as you can, generally 6-12 months ahead, to ensure that you can actually get the seat you want, and to obtain the best deal on miles.
18. Can I cancel or change an award ticket?
You can cancel or change most award tickets, but you’ll pay a fee for changes and cancellations. The fees vary by airline and tend to be higher for international flights or premium cabins.
19. What happens to my miles if my frequent flyer account expires?
Miles in many frequent flyer programs expire if the account remains inactive for a set period—usually 18 to 24 months. To prevent it from expiring, earn or redeem miles.
20. How do I prevent mile expiration?
Keep your account active: Do activities like flying, earning miles through credit card spend, or shopping through airline portals.
Use a mileage extension program: Some airlines allow you to extend the life of your miles for a fee or by making a small purchase.
21. How can I maximize the value of my miles on international flights?
Fly in premium cabins: Business and first-class awards often provide the best value for your miles.
Book long-haul flights: International long-haul flights are usually more expensive in cash, so it’s a better value to use miles for these flights.
22. Can I use miles for hotel stays or car rentals?
Yes, many frequent flyer programs let you redeem miles for hotel stays, car rentals, or vacation packages, but the value may be lower than using miles for flights.
23. What is the difference between miles and points?
Miles and points are sometimes used synonymously, but points may refer to rewards from a much broader category of programs such as credit cards, while miles are specifically related to frequent flyer programs.
24. Can I combine miles between different airlines?
Typically, miles can’t be combined directly unless you’re using partner airlines within an alliance. For example, miles from American Airlines can be combined with miles from British Airways, both members of the OneWorld alliance.
25. What are mileage runs?
A mileage run is a strategy where travelers book flights solely to earn frequent flyer miles, often flying on cheap flights that maximize miles earned per dollar spent.
26. How do I make a partner award ticket reservation?
Online search: Many airlines now offer the capability to search for and book online their partners’ award tickets.
Customer service number: If the online option isn’t available, you can still contact the customer service number and have them make a reservation with your miles on partner flights.
27. Is there a blackout date for an award flight?
Some airlines have blackout dates for award flights, which typically coincide with peak travel times like holidays or popular vacation seasons. Check the airline’s policy to see when they apply.
28. How can I find the best time to book award flights?
Book in advance: Try to book at least 6 to 12 months in advance.
Monitor promotions: Many airlines run seasonal promotions offering discounted award tickets or increased availability.
Utility that should be used here includes ExpertFlyer. They enable one to check award availability across multiple airlines.
29. What are some benefits of elite status in frequent flyer programs?
Elite status offers perks that are mainly bonus miles, priority boarding, access to lounges, free checked bags, and upgrade to premium cabins. Elite status is achieved by accumulation of miles or segments within a year.
30. How do I earn elite status?
Elite status can be earned by flying a certain number of miles or segments with a specific airline or its partners within a calendar year. You can also earn elite status faster using co-branded credit cards, which award elite-qualifying miles.
31. Can I transfer miles to someone else?
Some awards permit you to transfer miles to someone else, although there may be a fee to do so. Check the carrier’s policy regarding transferring miles as well as fees.
32. Are there additional fees when booking with miles?
Yes, several frequent flyer programs charge fees when booking or change award tickets. These fees differ by airline, and sometimes these fees can be avoided by booking directly through an airline’s website.
33. How do I avoid getting stuck with miles that I can’t use?
Plan ahead: Make sure to redeem miles for flights or services before they expire.
Use miles for upgrades or hotels: If you’re not using them for flights, consider other redemption options like upgrades or hotel stays.
34. Can I combine miles with cash to book flights?
O.K., yes, there are many airlines offering a “miles and cash” option, when it allows you to pay partially with miles. You might find this useful if you don’t have enough miles.
35. What is a frequent flyer program’s “award space”?
Award space is the number of available seats on a flight that can be booked using miles. Award space availability fluctuates with demand, the airline’s policy, and time of booking.
36. What are “mileage bonuses”?
Mileage bonuses are promotions where an airline offers extra miles for flying a specific route, booking a flight during a certain period, or flying in certain fare classes.
37. Can I use miles to book a one-way journey?
Yes, most programs let you use your miles in booking a one-way journey, but it may require more miles than that of the return journey.
38. Can I book a trip for another person using my miles?
Yes, most programs can be used to book a journey for family or friends using your miles, although some might have restrictions.
39. Are there any ways to maximize miles for domestic flights?
Book during off-peak times: Flying mid-week or during non-holiday seasons often requires fewer miles for domestic flights.
Use miles for upgrades: You can often get better value by using miles to upgrade to premium classes on domestic flights.
40. Can I buy frequent flyer miles?
Yes, most airlines sell you miles, but buying miles is usually not the best value. In most cases, it’s cheaper to get miles by flying or using credit cards.
Conclusion
Maximizing frequent flyer miles means strategic planning, staying abreast of promotions, and taking every opportunity to earn and redeem those miles. By doing these and being diligent, one can minimize travel cost and get the most from loyalty. Happy flying!
