Frequent Flyer Tips for Travelers New to Loyalty Programs

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.

The recent surge in the U.S. dollar is making trips abroad more affordable. So go ahead and book that long-awaited vacation to Paris, Tuscany, London, Barcelona, Ireland or other classic destinations you’ve been dreaming about.

You may be getting the kids ready to go back to school, but you can also get ready for your next getaway. Pump up your frequent flyer miles or points with back-to-school shopping offers from United MileagePlus, American Airlines AAdvantage and Southwest Rapid Rewards.

Discount ticketing website ScoreBig.com has teamed up with United, Southwest, Virgin America and Alaska Airlines to offer frequent flyer miles to people who buy event tickets through its service. ScoreBig’s deals with the airlines are similar, giving ticket-buyers a bonus with their first purchase and miles or points for future ticket sales as well.

Spirit Airlines is offering several ways for loyalty program members to earn miles and save money this summer and beyond.

Thanks to partnerships between airlines and charities, you have the opportunity to reap reward miles for your generosity. Call it aviation altruism, if you will.

Whether you’re in the mood for native bratwurst and sauerkraut, or Oktoberfest just isn’t coming soon enough, it might be time for a trip to Germany. There are many ways to earn bonus miles while you’re there, so you’ll be that much closer to your next excursion by the time you get home. So don your lederhosen and say danke schön for bonus miles.

You’re probably already planning your annual summer vacation. Have you considered going someplace you can’t drive to? It might be time to think outside the box and visit a far-flung destination.

Memorial Day is here and people are packing up and taking off. If you are planning a road trip this summer and would like to pump up your miles in the process, there are several deals to be had.

If you’re considering a new cell phone service provider, be sure to take advantage of the wide variety of offers available now at the frequent flyer virtual malls. There are thousands of miles up for grabs for new customers.

Frequent flyer virtual malls are all abuzz with pollen-filled bonus miles and many other Mother’s Day deals. Although flower purchases offer the most miles per dollar and significant flat-rate bonuses, there are plenty of options for earning extra miles. It’s a win-win situation–a gift for mom and some miles for you.

JetBlue is often credited with raising the bar for the in-flight experience  on board a low-cost airline. In addition to comfort advances and customer service innovations, the airline was one of the first to offer personalized in-flight entertainment for all passengers.

Chip credit cards—also known as EMV, for Europay, MasterCard and Visa—have recently become the standard in the U.S. Just about every credit and debit card now comes with a chip, which improves security.

However, U.S. cards typically use chip-and-signature technology, not chip-and-PIN. Chip-and-PIN is the standard in most of the rest of the world. Having a card with chip-and-PIN technology can make traveling abroad much easier. So what’s the difference and where can you get one?

If you’re collecting miles and playing the frequent flyer awards game, you’re probably already familiar with the airport taxes, fuel surcharges and other fees that often get added to your ticket. So when you finally earn that “free” flight you’ve been saving up for, you don’t expect it to be completely free.

In our series on points and miles terminology, you’ve learned about the lingo used by airlines, frequent flyer programs and for award bookings. Here are the words you need to know to maximize your points and miles earning through credit cards.