Frequent Flyer Tips for Travelers New to Loyalty Programs

There are a lot of travel rewards cards to choose from. Some are co-branded with airlines, and others are part of rewards programs, like American Express Membership Rewards and Citi ThankYou. No single card is right for everyone, and deciding which one to get depends on how you plan to use the card and what you want to do with your points or miles.

We are all familiar with the points and miles game. Signing up for cards with big bonuses, using specific cards for certain types of spending, staying abreast of promotions and watching out for deals on travel. However, there are some things you may not have considered when applying for a travel card or booking a flight. Things that may be important especially if you are a frequent traveler like free baggage check, lounge access, member status and other ancillary benefits.

Planning the perfect travel award can be difficult and time consuming, which makes it especially frustrating when those plans go astray.

If you travel overseas with any kind of frequency, you already know what EMV cards are. And if you don’t, you might’ve noticed the new types of terminals in stores here in the U.S. Instead of swiping your card, you’re often asked to enter it into the slot in front of the terminal.

In the complex world of airline award travel, there is some terminology that needs a bit of explaining. If you understand the terms it will make your travel planning much easier. So let’s talk about how it all works and decipher the jargon along the way.

There are two types of travel rewards credit cards. Airline and hotel co-branded cards help you earn miles or points in one frequent flyer or hotel loyalty program. General rewards credit cards, on the other hand, let you use the points you earn on any kind of travel, be it airlines, hotels, cruises, or car rental.

Paying a fee to check your luggage on any airline can seem insulting. After all, you paid good money for your ticket and now you have to shell out more dough just to check your luggage. It’s a drag but it’s a reality in air travel today. JetBlue levies various fees for checked bags—regardless of if you booked a Blue, Blue Plus, or Blue Flex fare. We’ll tell you how to avoid those fees.

Mileage Plan elite members can check a certain amount of luggage for free on Alaska Airlines flights. The rest of us may need to cough up some cash. Here’s a look at how much checked bags cost on Alaska Airlines and ways to skirt the fee whenever possible.

Delta Airlines is not immune to the dreaded checked bag fee. If you aren’t careful, you could pay a ton when checking bags on your next Delta flight. Here are a few methods to help you avoid those extra fees.

Paying extra to check your bag on any airline stinks, but it’s the new normal these days. However, savvy travelers like you can get around these fees. We’ll show you the ways in which you can avoid baggage fees on American Airlines flights.

MileagePlus elite members score free baggage allowance on United Airlines flights, but that’s not the only way to avoid these onerous checked bag fees. Let’s take a look at the ways you can save money by getting your bag checked for free on your next United flight.

Most travelers will tell you that trip insurance is a must-have whenever you’ve got an expensive or extensive vacation planned. There are a host of circumstances—mostly unexpected—that can crop up and force you to cancel a long-planned vacation or even a last-minute getaway.

American Airlines AAdvantage miles expire 18 months after you earn them unless there’s some activity in your account. Luckily, you can reset the expiration date by either earning or redeeming miles, which means that there are dozens of ways to keep your miles fresh for your next award flight.

If you take the time to earn miles, you need to be aware of the rules for keeping those miles. Some airlines will claw back your miles if there isn’t any account activity within a certain number of months. In the case of United Airlines, you will forfeit your miles if you do not earn or redeem miles for 18 consecutive months. Let’s talk about what you can do to keep your miles.

American Express Platinum Card Advantages

There is only one thing in life that is better than traveling, and that is traveling free.

Flying Blue, the frequent flyer program for Air France and KLM, is offering three ways to earn bonus miles when you stay at hotels around the world. So if you’re planning a holiday getaway, make your reservations count for a little more, and earn enough miles to take another trip in 2016.

If you’re traveling this holiday season, you can earn major bonus miles by taking advantage of the latest offers from Flying Blue, the loyalty program of Air France and KLM. Rent a car and earn enough miles to fly to Europe for spring break.

United Airlines’ company slogan invites passengers to “fly the friendly skies,” but makes no mention of how to do it with miles. Enter the airline’s excellent loyalty program, MileagePlus, which is currently offering three ways for members to earn anywhere from double to 2,500 miles a night at select hotels.

Premium economy is more expensive than coach, less expensive than business and far cheaper than first class. It’s becoming a popular choice among airline travelers.

When stays at fabulous hotels can earn you 1,000 miles or even triple and quadruple miles, you should consider extending your current vacation or planning a new one. Right now you can rack up miles with Delta, Alaska, American or Frontier by staying at select resorts and hotels.