Source: smart travel
You don’t need to fly to save your miles
Many travelers think that they need to fly once every three years to prevent their miles from expiring. But read the fine print and you’ll realize that all mileage account activity works equally well. Some airlines make this point more clearly than others; here are relevant excerpts from the airline’s websites.
- American: "Qualifying activity is defined as redeeming any AAdvantage award or accruing mileage credit on any eligible American, American Eagle, AmericanConnection® or AAdvantage airline participant as well as accruing mileage credit with participating hotels, car rental companies, credit cards, telecommunication providers and other service providers offering AAdvantage mileage credit."
- Delta: "Miles will not expire as long as you participate in one of the following activities every three years:
- "Travel on a qualifying Delta, Delta Connection, or Delta Shuttle® flight.
- "Earn miles in the SkyMiles program with one of the SkyMiles program partners, including airline partners, hotels, car rentals, Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express, credit card partner or any other program partner such as, restaurants, mortgage lenders, real estate and telecommunications.
- "Redeem your miles for a Delta SkyTeam Award or other airline partner award."
- United: "'Account activity,' for purposes of these Rules, shall be deemed to occur when a member accrues mileage in his or her account in any manner set forth in these Rules, or as otherwise approved by United, or when the member redeems any Mileage Plus or partner award by the use of mileage in the member's account."
What these rules tell us is that even if you don’t plan on flying anytime soon, you can take advantage of airline partners and earn miles through hotel stays, car rentals, and credit card purchases, to name a few. Your miles will live on, ready for the time when you fly again and need an award seat.
Quick and/or cheap ways to earn miles with partners
Clearly, you can fly on a partner airline or stay in a partner hotel, earn miles on your preferred airlines, and keep your frequent flyer account open. But what if you don’t have the time or money to earn your miles through other forms of travel activity? Never fear; there are many low-cost or no-cost ways to earn miles, often without venturing far from your home, or even your computer.
Here are our top low-cost, low-commitment ways to earn miles:
- Free miles: Yup, you heard correctly. You can often earn free miles for signing up to receive promotional e-mails, referring a friend to a credit card or loyalty program, or having a free, face-to-face financial consultation. With no money and up to an hour of your time, you can prolong the life of your miles.
- Mileage mall purchases: America West, Continental, Delta, Northwest, United, and US Airways all have online malls, where you can earn miles while you shop. You’ll get up to 10 miles per dollar when you make purchases at retailers such as Barnes and Noble, Office Max, Nordstrom, FTD, and The Sharper Image. You can combine two tasks into one when you buy a birthday present and save your miles at the same time.
- Miles for dining: You can also earn miles with eight airlines when you eat out, through iDine’s miles for dining program. The service is free, and all you need to do is register your credit card on your airline’s iDine site, pay with that credit card at a participating restaurant, and voila—miles in your account.
- Purchase miles: If you don’t want to do any of the above activities, you can always purchase miles to add into your account. All the major airlines offer purchasing options, with 1,000 miles starting at $25, but be sure to check with your preferred carrier that a purchase will extend the life of all your miles.
- Airline-affiliated credit cards: If you’re willing to spend a little more money, you can sign up for an airline-affiliated credit card. These cards usually have significant signup bonuses, plus if you continue to use the card, you normally receive one mile per dollar spent. Annual fees range from $45 to $90.
Remember that partner credits often take between four and 10 weeks to post to your account. However, if your activity occurs before your miles are due to expire but the miles post after that date, most airlines will honor those miles and not terminate your account. But to be on the safe side, be sure to do your mileage-earning activity well before your mileage expiration date.