Collecting all your frequent flyer miles is a great idea. If you fly with one particular airline frequently, you can start collecting your points. You can later redeem these points for cash or a free ticket. You can even use a credit card to earn those points, without even traveling. However, airlines are not so pleased with your traveling for free. After all, selling the tickets and not giving them away for free earns them money. Therefore, while buying tickets of an airline that offer you points, you have to be extra cautious. There are some tricks by which you can not only get and redeem your points safely, but also earn extra points and stretch them over a longer duration.
While earning points, the things that you should concentrate on are:
- Every time you fly, choose a program that offers the most points.
- Follow all the rules and regulations.
- Look out for promotional letters, especially the ones promoted by partner companies.
- If buying flowers or staying at a particular hotel can earn you more miles, why not try it?
There are some techniques as well, to earn extra miles. If you are on a business trip, earn extra miles by paying out of your pocket and later having the boss reimburse it. Another way to earn points is, if your spouse flies less frequently than you allow him/her use the extra miles free ticket, while you travel on a paid ticket. And while you are at earning points, don’t forget to save all the receipts and watch out for errors in your statement of accounts. Always secure the latest recorded statement, to know how many points you have collected and how many more you wish to add on.
Always remember not to splurge your points on unnecessary items like magazine subscriptions or club memberships. Airlines promote these unnecessary attractions to lure you away from the seats. Also, do not waste the points on a cheap flight tickets.
If you don’t fly that often, you could consider getting yourself a new credit card that offers you frequent flyer points. But, beware, as getting points out of these credit cards without spending much is a bit tricky. Make sure that your card does not come with a hefty annual fee. Some Mileage Credit cards are really good and if you feel that you can save with these cards, go in for them and charge as much as you like. Just remember that if you are paying bills by charging the card, you should pay the bill in cash towards the account the very next day. This helps you not to lose money on the interest charged. Take advantages of such credit card deals and keep yourself updated about your card through mail, newsletters and online.
Finally, remember that these points have been earned out of your own hard money spent over a long duration. Hence, when you get ready to redeem and enjoy them, make sure you get the best deal. Always buy a ticket for the best upgrades and in doing so, remember the policy: ‘the early bird gets the worm’. The earlier you book the ticket, the better the deal you will get. Also, do not schedule your ticket for evening or morning flights or during weekends because chances are that you won’t be given first preference in such cases. And lastly, always call the airline to book your tickets, rather than booking online.