Frequent Flyer Tips for Travelers New to Loyalty Programs

Similar to Starwood and Deltas Crossover partnership, United and Marriott teamed up last year for RewardsPlus,  a joint venture aimed at offering elite members of both programs reciprocal benefits.

When the Crossover Rewards program offered to Starwood Preferred Guest and Delta SkyMiles elite members debuted last year, it was the only program of its kind. It offered elite members of both programs reciprocal benefits that took membership perks to a whole new level.

It can be tough to keep up with airline and hotel rewards programs and their point expiration policies. Generally, points will expire after 12 to 24 months of inactivity. This means if, during a specified period, you do not earn or redeem miles, you will automatically forfeit them.

Earning miles can be challenging so letting them expire really shouldn’t be an option. There are plenty of ways to keep your reward accounts open by earning, redeeming, or buying miles. Here are some ways this can be achieved without breaking the bank.

When the average consumer is shopping around for a credit card, their biggest consideration may be how much it will cost them. What’s the APR? Should I choose a no annual fee card? What are the other fees?

When you first start applying for reward credit cards, it is a simultaneously exciting and scary process. Free flights: Yay! Credit card denials: Not so cool.

You landed here at RewardExpert because you are curious about points and miles. But if you’re not using them yet, or you’re just wading in the kiddie pool collecting miles on a bunch of different airlines when you fly, maybe using the same airline reward credit card you’ve had for a decade I have to ask, what’s holding you back?

One of the main things that keeps people from taking advantage of the myriad generous reward credit card bonus offers out there is the fear that applying for credit cards will have a negative impact on their credit score.

Reward credit cards have become commonplace as banks and credit card companies use these perks to draw in customers, so it’s easy to forget exactly what they exist to reward in the first place.

I’ve seen it time and time again.
Your friends do it.
You see them doing it and enjoying it!
And you get curious.

When it comes to earning miles for fabulous and nearly free vacations, don’t limit yourself in the ways in which you earn those precious miles. Sure, flying nets plenty of miles, as do credit-card sign-ups, but there are tons of everyday ways to build up your cache of miles or points. Something as simple as grocery shopping for your family can help you achieve your goal to fly somewhere for free or get a few free nights at a hotel.

When it comes to buying airline tickets with a credit card and earning extra bonus miles or points while you’re at it you have a lot of choices. If your wallet is full of rewards cards, you may wonder which one will best leverage the money you spend on plane tickets each year.

What holds you back from getting travel reward credit cards? It’s something I ask almost everyone I meet these days.

Next month my family and I are headed to Japan and France on the way back for a four-week vacation. This big trip has been my goal ever since I started collecting points and miles. At first, I wondered if it would be possible. I wasn’t sure if I could ever rack up enough miles to do it, especially because I wanted to book flights for four people in business class.

Congratulations! You’ve decided to take the plunge into miles credit card land. It’s a nice plunge. I promise. There are gourmet meals on airplanes, luxury hotel rooms with private Jacuzzis, and lounges with sleeping cabanas and massages in your future.

Want to do some serious diving on Fiji and see New Zealand? It’s possible in one trip because you can use fewer miles flying to Fiji via New Zealand than just flying straight there.

British Airways Avios is one of my favorite frequent flyer programs. The bargains that you can get with Avios are incredible if you use them to fly short hops as directly as possible.

American Express is one of the leading companies offering reward credit and charge cards. Some cards are branded and offer loyalty currency from airlines such as Delta and JetBlue or hotel chains like Starwood or Hilton.

Enough is enough. It’s time to set the record straight.

The credit card industry, especially during the recession, has done too good of a job selling consumers on the value of cash back credit cards.

It’s no secret. Airline fees are up. There are more surcharges today than just a few years ago. And sometimes they cost more than the flight itself. According to a study from USA Today, airline fees have hit a record high. Delta is now charging $400 to change an international flight–a $150 jump from three years ago.