Flying and staying in fancy hotels are one of the popular ways of earning bonus points for airfares. In fact, for people flying nearly 180,000 miles per year, and staying in hotels for well over 85 nights, a large percentage of their points and miles come from non-travel channels. The same can be said for any frugal tourist, and it’s easier than it sounds.
There are numerous ways to generate points and miles these times, from using the right credit cards to posting on Twitter and airline or hotel. You could earn extra points from vacation rentals or airline companies.
Below are ways you can earn bonus points for airfares:
1. When shopping, avoid using cash.
If you are fiscally liable, you should charge every dollar invested of your basic expenses on a points-earning credit card, and these days, you can put whatever on a credit card, such as your mobile, utility services, fuel, grocery items, meals, and sometimes even lease, though watch out for having to process fees in this last particular instance.
Aside from expenses, many airlines and hotels provide internet shopping gateways with bonuses at different retailers where you can receive multiple points or miles per $1 spent.
2. Tweet your way to a vacation
Airlines and hotels are among the most enthusiastic users of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Most airlines reward free bonus points for liking a post or tweeting about your experiences on their services.
Furthermore, airlines such as American and Southwest frequently offer large numbers of reward points for registering for their numerous newsletters.
3. Choosing the perfect credit card
To use a rewards credit card for almost all of your transactions is yet another way to accumulate sufficient miles to qualify for an incentive. The primary distinction between the cards is that the airline-affiliated credit card is much more beneficial if used with a certain airline, whereas the generic one provides a broader range of reclaiming choices. If you know you’re not going to use your miles for trips, you can exchange them for other items, such as cash. Direct cashback is often more dependable.
4. Fly
It is very possible to receive points by flying, which is often ignored amongst the other ways to do so. Because of the shift to revenue-based initiatives, a more expensive ticket may give you extra miles than a cheaper one, even if the latter’s journey is longer.
Of course, that’s rarely the best reason to pay a ridiculously high ticket price, especially if you’re the one footing the bill. The benefit of miles tends to vary by airline, but on average, they are worth about a penny each. That makes comparing fares and doing the math relatively simple.
5. Airline dining services
Airline dining programs, like online shopping portals, make some extra benefits simply by eating at certain restaurants. You’ll need to enlist individually (just like with a shopping portal), but once you’re set up, all you must do is monetary compensation for your meal with one of your connected debit or credit cards.
This is how the Incentives System, which manages such dining initiatives, understands how many miles or points to credit to your reward points profile.
Bottom line
If you travel often and you need a bonus to save you off some expenses, the above tips will help you in achieving your goal. Travel smart today!
