Best Way to Save Up Frequent Flyer Miles?

[Lisa P.]

If we wanted to save up a *large* amount of FF miles, what's the best way? We would like to try and do this for a future trip to Hawaii from the southeast U.S. These are some methods I've seen but I don't know which airline offers what we'd need:

--- credit card that accumulates miles
--- mypoints or beenz (which I use for WebCertificates or restaurant GC's now)
--- services, like phone company, offering sign on bonus FF miles
--- redeemables, like the cereal box certificates

Which airline to use? Any tips on accumulating quickly? Is there an expiration to worry about? I'd really appreciate any help - we're a family of 5.

 

[TravelSheryl]

There is a lot of info. about ways to earn FF miles and the various program rules at http://www.smarterliving.com/frequentflier/

 

[Tina]

We just did exactly that! We've saved enough miles on American and USAir (which can be combined until they part company later this year) for 2 First/Business Class tickets to Hawaii. How did we do it?

1)We used our Citibank Advantage Visa wherever possible - but you must pay it off diligently each month to avoid interest charges. Plan on buying a big ticket item? Charge it to the card to earn the miles. For example, we used our tax refund money toward building a deck on our house. We charged the wood and supplies to the Citibank and then paid off the bill with the refund money. You can also earn miles just for opening an account. Check out the Citibank website.

2)We usually fly USAir, so we opened an account with them to earn miles and we also picked up their Visa card. We earned 2500 miles on our first use of the card. I used it to make a small purchase at Target, then paid it off and never used it again - except to purchase USAirways tickets and earn double miles.

3)I did some online shopping that allowed me to earn miles at Click Rewards. I needed the items anyway, such as books at Barnes and Noble. If you enter via the Click Rewards site, you can earn miles. I was able to earn about 2500 miles on doing very little shopping. Look for the promotions on the site. I got some great big miles from ordering magazine (that I normally read anyway) at Enews.com via Click Rewards.

4)Switch to MCI and earn miles not only on your calls (5 miles per $1) but also get yourself a bonus for joining. I used to be with AT&T when MCI called and offered miles to switch. They offered me 10,000 miles and I said, "That's really not very many miles." The saleman than said, "How about 15,000?" I said "Sure!" Don't be shy! Ask for more. They did spread the bonus miles out over 6 months to keep me, though.

So now after nearly 2 years, I have a little more than 100,000 miles between the two airline accounts. At this point, I can combine miles for tickets on either airline. I can do this until July or August of this year. At that time, if I don't know my travel dates yet, I can just order my reward certificate, which is good for one year. USAirways doesn't offer flights to Hawaii (as far as I know), so we will be flying on American which requires 100,000 miles for PlanAhead First/Business Class for 2. Of course, you can fly economy for only 35,000 each - but if you've got the miles, why not really make it worth your while!

Just out of curiosity, I checked the price of First/Business class tickets from Washington DC to Honolulu on American at different times of the year. The price came out to be nearly $10,000 for 2 people! Wow! That's what I call getting your miles worth!!

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1995: Disneyland Every Weekend!
Oct 1996: Port Orleans
Nov 1999: Wilderness Lodge
Aug 2000: Disneyland!
May 2001: Dolphin Concierge</font>

 

[Beverly Lynn]

There is a book out called the Frequent Flyer guidebook 7th edition by Randy Peterson who knows everything and anything about ftp miles and how to acquire them the fastest and easiet way. you might want to check out getting that.

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Beverly

 

[nuthut]

Great offer from MCI. I signed up for long distance with MCI and recieved 5000 miles a month for five months. The day after the program ended I switched to sprint for the Northwest sign on bonus. The very next day MCI called and offer me another 25,000 (2,500 miles/month/ten months) miles to come back. Guess whatI did. Yup I rejoined MCI. I never spend more than a dollar or two for long distance. Enough miles for two and a half free tickets.

 

[DVC California]

I remember a newspaper story that ran last summer. Health Choice foods had a promotional tie in with the airlines mileage program. For every 10 UPC symbols from Health Choice food items mailed in, you would receive a certificate for 500 bonus miles on the airline of your choice.

A local guy here figured out that the cheapest way to take advantage of this was to but HC's pudding cups in bulk at a discount warehouse. Each individual cup had a UPC and he was able to get a whole bunch at 5/$1.00!

He said the toughest part was the labor, cutting off the UPC from the thousands of puddings he bought. But he worked a deal with a local shelter, offering to donate the pudding if their volunteers would help remove the labels. They did.

I think he ended up with over 100,000 miles on United at a cost of $400.00!!! (Which he was able to write off as he donated the pudding to charity!)



Kellogs is running something similiar with their cereal, but I haven't checked it out yet.

 

[tink2dw]

an advertizment on the tv about an airline visa card that gave double miles all the time for plane,hotel travel. they said it was the fastest way to get miles. Only catch i can't remeber who it was,althu american air seems to click. i would call them all!! and do it Quicky these things have a way of dwindling down.