A Guide to Earning Frequent Flyer Miles

Frequent flyer miles are a type of reward program offered by airlines and credit cards that allow you to earn points or miles for flying or spending. You can then redeem these miles for free flights, upgrades, hotel stays, car rentals, gift cards and more.

But how do you earn frequent flyer miles and make the most of them? Here are some tips to help you get started.

Join an airline loyalty program

The first step to earning frequent flyer miles is to join an airline loyalty program. This is usually free and easy to do online or at the airport. You will get a membership number that you can use to earn miles every time you fly with that airline or its partners.

Some of the major airline loyalty programs are:

– American Airlines AAdvantage
– Delta SkyMiles
– United MileagePlus
– Southwest Rapid Rewards
– Alaska Mileage Plan
– JetBlue TrueBlue

You can also join a global alliance program that allows you to earn and redeem miles across multiple airlines. The three main alliances are:

– Star Alliance (includes United, Air Canada, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and more)
– Oneworld (includes American, British Airways, Qantas, Cathay Pacific and more)
– SkyTeam (includes Delta, Air France, KLM, Korean Air and more)

Sign up for a co-branded credit card

Another way to earn frequent flyer miles is to sign up for a co-branded credit card that is affiliated with an airline or an alliance. These cards usually offer a generous sign-up bonus of thousands of miles after you meet a minimum spending requirement within a certain period of time. They also offer ongoing benefits such as:

– Earning miles for every dollar you spend on the card
– Earning bonus miles for spending on the airline or its partners
– Getting free checked bags, priority boarding, lounge access and other perks
– Having no foreign transaction fees or blackout dates

Some of the popular co-branded credit cards are:

– Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (earn Ultimate Rewards points that can be transferred to many airlines)
– Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Card (earn American Airlines miles)
– Delta SkyMiles Gold Card from American Express (earn Delta miles)
– United Explorer Card from Chase (earn United miles)
– Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Card from Chase (earn Southwest points)

Use a travel portal or online shopping mall

Another way to earn frequent flyer miles is to use a travel portal or an online shopping mall that is linked to your airline loyalty program. These are websites that allow you to book flights, hotels, car rentals, activities and more through their partners and earn extra miles for your purchases.

For example, you can use the American Airlines AAdvantage eShopping portal to shop at over 950 online stores and earn up to 10 miles per dollar spent. You can also use the United MileagePlus Travel portal to book travel deals and earn up to 5 miles per dollar spent.

Some of the travel portals and online shopping malls are:

– American Airlines AAdvantage eShopping
– Delta SkyMiles Shopping
– United MileagePlus Shopping
– Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping
– Alaska Mileage Plan Shopping
– JetBlue ShopTrue

Take advantage of special offers and promotions

The last way to earn frequent flyer miles is to take advantage of special offers and promotions that are offered by your airline loyalty program or its partners. These are usually limited-time deals that allow you to earn bonus miles for completing certain tasks or meeting certain criteria.

For example, you can earn 500 bonus miles for signing up for a newsletter, 1,000 bonus miles for dining at a participating restaurant, 2,000 bonus miles for taking a survey, 5,000 bonus miles for referring a friend or 10,000 bonus miles for opening a bank account.

Some of the websites that list these special offers and promotions are:

– AwardWallet
– The Points Guy
– Million Mile Secrets
– Frequent Miler

Earn Delta Miles on Starbucks Orders

If you are both a Starbucks and a Delta Air Lines loyalist, you can also earn Delta SkyMiles on Starbucks orders. The carrier and the coffee chain announced a new partnership in October 2022 allowing customers to earn **one mile** for every dollar spent at Starbucks. As an additional perk, on days members are scheduled to fly Delta, they will earn **double Stars** (or Starbucks points) on their Starbucks orders.

To participate in this program, you need to link your Delta SkyMiles and Starbucks Rewards accounts at deltastarbucks.com. If you linked your accounts by March 31, 2023 and make a coffee purchase, you might have earned **500 bonus miles** with Delta and **200 Starbucks points**. This could net you some free coffee or get you closer to your next flight.

Conclusion

Earning frequent flyer miles can help you save money and travel more. By joining an airline loyalty program, signing up for a co-branded credit card, using a travel portal or online shopping mall and taking advantage of special offers and promotions, you can accumulate thousands of miles that you can use for your next trip. Happy flying!