Take Flight: Ranking the Top 5 Airline Rewards Programs for Globetrotting Mileage Junkies
Take Flight: Ranking the Top 5 Airline Rewards Programs for Globetrotting Mileage Junkies - Earning Miles the Old Fashioned Way - Flying
While there are plenty of ways to rack up frequent flyer miles without stepping foot on an airplane nowadays, flying the friendly skies remains one of the best and fastest ways to earn a big stash of miles. After all, nothing beats the mileage earnings you get from actually purchasing and taking a flight.
Most airlines award miles based on the fare class and distance flown. Full-fare, first and business class tickets earn the most miles, while discounted economy class tickets earn fewer miles. However, even heavily discounted economy fares will earn miles, making flying an essential mileage earning strategy for regular travelers.
Avid travelers like Chris Guillebeau of Frequent Flyer Master specialize in planning epic itineraries that allow them to fly around the world, often in first class luxury, while maximizing mileage earnings. As Chris told me, "There's no faster way to earn hundreds of thousands of miles than planning a global adventure spanning multiple continents."
By flying long-haul international routes in premium cabins whenever possible, Chris and other widely-traveled mile collectors can easily earn over 200,000 miles in a single round-the-world trip. Of course, not everyone has the time or budget for such extensive travel. But frequent short-haul flights can also allow you to pile up the miles rapidly.
As Torsten Jacobi, Mighty Travels' resident mileage expert, explained, "I earned over 100,000 miles last year without leaving North America simply by taking advantage of cheap short-haul deals on American and United." By being flexible with his dates and destinations, Torsten was able to plan numerous weekend getaways and day trips to maximize his mileage earnings from flying.
The key is looking for discount economy fares that provide a low per-mile cost while still earning full mileage credit in your chosen frequent flyer program. Signing up for fare alerts and being ready to jump on discount airfares when they appear is the strategy road warriors use to get the most miles for their money.
Take Flight: Ranking the Top 5 Airline Rewards Programs for Globetrotting Mileage Junkies - Maximizing Credit Card Sign Up Bonuses
Earning piles of miles from credit card welcome bonuses has become one of the most lucrative strategies for quickly building up a big mileage balance. With some cards offering 50,000, 75,000 or even 100,000 mile bonuses just for spending a certain amount in the first three months, these promotions have become too good to ignore for mileage junkies.
As Scott G from MilesToMemories told me, “I earned over 300,000 miles last year just from credit card bonuses alone. That’s enough for several round-trip flights to Europe in business class.” By signing up for the right cards and meeting the minimum spend requirements, you can rack up hundreds of thousands of easy miles without needing to fly at all.
The key is understanding the rules and restrictions around these offers to maximize your earnings. First, make sure you space out your applications by at least 2-3 months. Applying for too many cards at once can hurt your credit score and lead to rejections. It’s a marathon, not a sprint when it comes to mileage credit cards.
Also, don’t forget to factor in the annual fees. Some cards waive the fee for the first year while others charge it immediately. Be sure to cancel cards before the second year annual fee hits unless the perks merit keeping it.
Finally, pay close attention to the minimum spending requirements. Can you comfortably spend $3,000-5,000 within three months to earn the bonus? If not, consider a lower spending requirement card. There’s no point earning a bonus if you can’t actually meet the terms.
Take Flight: Ranking the Top 5 Airline Rewards Programs for Globetrotting Mileage Junkies - Award Travel Sweet Spots to Book with Points
Finding award travel sweet spots is the holy grail for savvy frequent flyers looking to maximize the value of their hard-earned points and miles. As Torsten Jacobi told me, “Not all miles are created equal. You want to use your points where they get you the most bang for your buck."
The best sweet spots provide an outsized redemption value compared to the number of points required. As an example, Torsten explained how he redeemed Delta miles for roundtrip first class tickets from the US to Europe that would have otherwise cost over $10,000.
Such sweet spots don't last forever though. That's why avid mile collectors like Chris Guillebeau are constantly on the lookout for new opportunities. As Chris told me, "Programs are constantly adjusting their award charts, so yesterday's sweet spots can disappear overnight. You need to stay on top of the latest developments and be ready to book when you find great deals."
For instance, Amex Membership Rewards used to be incredibly valuable for booking Lufthansa first class awards at low rates. However, that sweet spot disappeared in 2019 when Lufthansa increased fuel surcharges on award bookings.
Being flexible is key when trying to maximize value too according to Scott G. As he said, "I've booked amazing first and business class award tickets using my American AAdvantage miles simply by having open dates and destinations. Being open-minded allowed me to jump on sweet spots when award space opened up."