Why Frequent Flyer Miles and Programs Are Worth It

When’s the last time you flew business class using your frequent flyer miles?

Or booked a roundtrip ticket to Europe or Asia, FOR FREE?

If it’s been a while, (or never), I’m guessing it’s something you’d be interested in?

I’m gonna assume you’d answer with a resounding yes, because who doesn’t want to indulge in travel for free?

Well, I’m here to tell you it’s possible, and it’s easier than you think. It starts with earning frequent flyer miles. So let’s learn more about how frequent flyer programs work and why they are worth joining.

Why You Should Join Frequent Flyer Programs

First things first. If you live in the United States and travel at all, then you should sign up for all of the major airline frequent flyer programs.

Why?

Because it’s free. So you have nothing to lose.

Second, you will start earning miles with every flight you take. (Please note, some exceptions apply now if you purchase a very discounted fare.)

The more miles you earn, the closer you get to a free ticket or a business class seat. And who doesn’t want to brag about flying to Europe for free? Right?!

In addition, depending on the fare class you purchase, you even have the potential to earn bonus miles, to get that free ticket sooner. For example, on Delta airlines, you typically earn 5 miles for each dollar spent on your ticket. So the higher your fare, the more you earn.

Pro Tip: If you travel a lot for work, make sure you always add your frequent flyer mileage number to your ticket. Even if your company is paying for the flight, if your name is on the ticket, you earn the miles. This can be an incredibly easy way to earn miles (and one of the ways in which I do).

Enjoy Airline Status and All the Benefits That Come With It

Another benefit of frequent flyer programs is earning status with an airline.

Status on an airline simply means that you have accrued a certain number of miles and spent a certain amount of money with the airline, typically within a calendar year. To reach the first tier of status, most of the major airlines require that you earn approximately 25,000 to 30,000 miles or a certain number of flight segments, and spend $2000 to $3000.

The major airlines also have different tiers of status. For example, on Delta, there is Silver Medallion, Gold and Platinum. On American Airlines it’s Gold, Platinum, Platinum Pro, and Exec Platinum.

What are the perks of earning status? A lot, especially when it comes to earning additional miles – and this kicks in even at the lowest tier of status. Take Delta again as an example. When you earn Medallion status, you can earn up to 11 miles per dollar spent, that’s more than double the amount you’d earn without status.

In addition to earning more frequent flyer miles, the upside of earning status on an airline includes benefits like early boarding, free baggage, and seat upgrades. And the higher status you reach, the better the upgrades are, including getting bumped up to premium economy, business and first-class seats, when available.

Related: 10 Easy Travel Tips for a Comfortable Flight

Know Your Alliances So You Can Keep Earning Miles

All of the major airlines in the United States are part of alliances that connect them with international airlines.

Why is this important? Because even if you’re flying on an international airline like Thai Airways or TAP, you can still earn frequent flyer miles with a U.S. airline. That means, no matter where you travel, you can keep earning those points towards a free ticket or a business class ticket.

There are three main alliances: Star Alliance, One World, and SkyTeam. A quick google search will show you which airlines are part of which alliance.

The alliances also benefit you because you can book a ticket with miles on any airline within an alliance. For example, let’s say you finally have enough miles on United, your preferred airline, to book that free flight to Thailand. But United doesn’t fly there. Well, guess what? Because United is part of Star Alliance, you can use your frequent flyer miles on a partner airline like Thai Airways or Singapore Airlines to book your trip.

Personally, I feel that some of the international airlines have much better service for the long haul, international flights – even in coach – then the U.S. domestic airlines. So even if you have the option to book a ticket with your preferred domestic carrier, you still might be better off booking your ticket with an international airline that is part of the alliance for a better overall experience.

Pro Tip: Some international airlines participate in co-share flights with U.S. domestic airlines, even if they aren’t part of the alliance. That’s how I fly business class from India to NYC on Etihad, using my American Airlines miles. And the service on Etihad is impeccable!

Sign Up for the Frequent Flyer Programs that Make Sense For You

If you don’t want to sign up for every frequent flyer program and have to worry about keeping track of your miles with multiple programs, (although there are some great apps out there like Award Wallet that do that for you!), at least sign up for the frequent flyer program that makes the most sense for you.

So how do you choose if you just want to sign up for one program?

One of the first things you should consider when signing up for a frequent flyer program is which airlines have a hub at your local airport. Why? Because most likely, these are the airlines you will be flying the most frequently. And the more you fly an airline, the sooner you will accrue miles and status.

For example, Delta has a hub in Atlanta, JFK, and LaGuardia. American Airlines has one in Dallas and Chicago. United operates many flights out of Newark and San Francisco. (These are just a few of the airports where these airlines have hubs.)

Another thing to consider is where you fly. If you’re on a flight twice a month to Chicago and you’re always flying American Airlines to get there, then that’s the program you should sign up for.

When I’m based in NYC, the airline I fly the most is Delta, so I will always try to book my travel with this airline unless it means a connecting flight when there are direct options on other carriers. Now that I’m living in India and flying mostly around Asia, the frequent flyer mileage programs that are most beneficial to me are American Airlines and United Airlines. So I’m trying to fly with airlines that are a part of the alliances those airlines belong to.

Sign up for a Co-Branded Credit Card

Once you’ve signed up for a frequent flyer program, you want to do whatever you can to maximize your earning potential. I am writing an entire post about this but one tip I’ll give you here is to consider signing up for a co-branded credit card. All of the major airlines have partnered with credit card companies to offer this.

Make sure you sign up for a card when they are offering a bonus incentive. These bonuses typically include an additional 30,000 to 50,000 miles in your frequent flyer miles account if you spend a certain amount of money within the first 3 months. (Usually, it’s around $3000.) That’s at least one free flight right there!

In addition to the sign-up bonus miles, you’ll earn miles for every purchase you make. And most of the co-branded credit cards now offer double and triple miles for restaurant and travel-related purchases. You’ll also earn bonus miles if you buy an airline ticket for the airline or make inflight purchases. (And most inflight purchases are typically given at a discount if you use your co-branded credit card.)

Of course, I only recommend signing up for a credit card if you’re not already maxed out with credit cards and you’re paying your balance off in full every month. *You won’t earn the miles each month if you don’t pay the full balance. And in general, you never want to carry debt on your credit cards because you’ll be paying enormous interest rates.

Ready to Join a Frequent Flyer Program?

Are you ready to take your flying to the next level?

If you don’t belong to any frequent flyer programs yet, I hope this post has encouraged you to sign up. And if you belong to one or two but not all of them, I highly recommend getting memberships with all the major carriers. It’s free and you might be surprised how quickly you’ll experience the benefits of earning frequent flyer miles.

If you’re a total newbie to frequent flyer miles and travel rewards programs, I also want to share another resource with you. Check out The Points Guy. While this post gives you a very basic overview of frequent flyer miles and programs, the points guy is the authority on all things related to miles, points, and travel rewards programs.

Stay tuned for more posts in this series! Next up is learning how to maximize the ways in which you can earn miles with all of your frequent flyer programs.

Until then, Bon voyage!

Looking for more travel tips? Read about my 7 Tips to Help You Travel Like a Pro. Also, check out my post with 5 Tips for Women Traveling Alone.