Air travel is, by necessity, a jargon-filled industry. There are countless technical abbreviations used by pilots, airline officials and aviation geeks, but the lingo used in frequent flyer programs can be equally overwhelming. The dozens and dozens of programs out there tend to each have their own way of approaching these terms.
Here’s some lingo you should know when booking an award flight using points or miles. These 25 booking terms can help you sort through the jargon like a pro.
One of the most common gripes about frequent flyer programs is that the miles you earn are hard to redeem when you need them. It’s not that airlines want to upset you; it’s just that they don’t want to give away seats they hope to sell. They want to let go only those seats that according to their calculations are going to fly empty anyway. An airline is a commercial enterprise that would rather make money than fly us for free no matter how much we think we deserve it. But if you are flexible, you can make the most of your miles.
Earlier this fall, it looked like we had seen the last of the really high credit card sign-on bonuses for the year. Lufthansa offered 50,000 miles on its co-branded credit card, and Chase finished a big 70,000 point push on its business card, the Chase Ink.
But oneworld alliance airlines or at least the ones most relevant to North American travelers seem to have gotten together and decided that they really like the business that credit cards bring them. British Airways, American Airlines and US Airways have all thrown out 50,000 mile sign-on bonuses.
Despite its distance, Asia is remarkably reasonable on miles. If you’re looking for the absolute cheapest option, American Airlines offers off-peak awards to Japan and Korea that require just 50,000 AAdvantage miles round-trip.
When you rent a car, you may have a vague worry in the back of your mind that little nagging feeling you get when you don’t quite understand the rules of the game. Rental car companies have tons of terms and conditions, and many of them can leave the consumer holding the bag in case of an accident or damage to the car. Paying for your rental car with the right credit card can offer you some additional protection and peace of mind.
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
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
When you first start applying for
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.
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
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.
