TWiBT Presents
Liberated Traveler Series – Fly for Free
Chapter 2
Be sure to read Chapter 1 of the Liberated Traveler Series first!
Earlier this year, I had taken so many flights and I learned a lot from it. The pre-flight safety demonstration had become a dance to me. I started seeing fellow passengers repeatedly. Airplane food started to taste pretty good. Even the fish slop served on Aerosvit, that they served twice on the same flight with the bone conveniently left in. TSA procedures become second nature. You also learn the shortcuts of airports. For example, in JFK you can sometimes get to your departure gate faster if you go through a different terminal and take the transfer shuttle! You also get a weird excitement by putting together your own flight itineraries which maximize the destinations and value you get out of your ticket!The best part of all of these flights, I did not pay for a single one. Even more, the best ones are yet to come. Upcoming flights over the next year include a variety of trips to Italy, Spain, France, United Kingdom, and Ireland. Many of these in First/Business class, again for free. This article is geared towards the TWiBT reader who has no idea on how to accomplish this.
Welcome to the world of Frequent Flyer Miles. Frequent flyer programs offer miles, which can be thought of as points that you can save up and spend on to get free flights. I advise you to start thinking of frequent flyer miles as currency. Think of them as a type of money that is used to purchase travel, because that is exactly what they are. Although they are called miles, they really don’t have any significant geographic relevance. Ex: If you have 25,000 frequent flyer miles that does not mean you can fly 25,000 miles on a plane.
Frequent flyer miles can be accumulated a variety of ways, some easier than others. Here’s a short list of the most common methods used:
1.) Flying – If you pay for a flight, you are able to earn frequent flyer miles on that airline’s program. This type of mileage is more valuable as it generally allows you to earn elite status on different airlines. Many people will take advantage of mistake fares or fare wares between airlines to purchase ultra low fares and fly on them with some crazy routings for no other reason than to earn miles.
2.) Promos – Some companies/airlines offer promos if you complete some activity, you’ll earn some miles for doing so.
3.) Credit Card Sign up Bonuses – These are the most lucrative. Signing up for certain credit cards can offer you huge bonuses. 50k, 75k, and 100k bonuses are not uncommon at all. As long as you are able to manage your spending and credit report responsibly, you will not hurt your credit irreparably.
4.) Credit Card Spending – Using airline credit cards for every purchase is a great way to accumulate miles. I don’t spend a dollar unless I am able to earn a frequent flyer mile for it and you shouldn’t either. Many credit cards have online shopping malls that link out to other sites. If you login to your credit card’s site, go to the online shopping mall and use those links to go to whatever site you were planning to buy from anyways. You can also register any credit card with the American Airlines AAdvantage Shopping Mall at https://www.aadvantageeshopping.com/
I found out about all of this in 2004, but did not act on it for quite a while later. The irrational fear of destroying my credit was too great. Once I finally understood how credit worked better, I acted and have never looked back. In fact, my credit score has actually gone up since I started doing this. I have accumulated millions of frequent flyer miles and traveled more in the past few months than some people are able to in their life.
Managing all of this is a lot of work, but I’m driven by my passion to travel. I believe that travel can provide the most enriching and engaging experiences. Open your mind to the possibilities that you can afford yourself.
Here are some common questions you may have.
Q: What was the first frequent flyer program?
A: American Airlines launched the AAdvantage Program in 1981.
Q: Which airline programs should I aim to collect miles in?
A: This varies on your goals. If your goal is ONLY to fly to Europe from New York, than you probably won’t have much use for Southwest Airlines. Personally, I collect miles in any program that I can get them for. I’m not picky. I end up using them all anyways. I believe every destination has some travel value to it.
Q: Can I use or transfer my miles to another frequent flyer program?
A: If the airline is a member of the same alliance, you can usually use your miles for their flights. Generally, you can’t use your miles to cross into a different alliance.
Q: Do miles expire?
A: Some do, some don’t. It depends on the airline’s program rules. Generally speaking, if you earn or spend a mile at least once per year, the account will stay active, resetting the expiration deadline from the most recent activity date.
Q: How do you keep all these accounts organized?
A: I keep an Excel spreadsheet of all information from every card. I monitor my credit scores every 2-3 months or so. For my frequent flyer accounts, I manage them all at an awesome (and free) site called Award Wallet. This site allows you to organize and keep track of all your award programs.
Q: When should I use miles and when should I pay for a ticket?
A: A good rule of thumb is to not use your miles for domestic tickets. Unless you’re swimming in miles, it is best to save them for international trips where you get the most value. Besides, First/Business class on domestic flights is usually pretty uninspiring. For example, a flight from Miami to New York is usually around $160-$200 or 25,000 frequent flyer miles (depends on the airline). A flight from Miami to Paris can easily be over $1000, but can be had for around 50,000 frequent flyer miles. Twice the miles, but exponentially more valuable!
Q: Should I use my miles to pay for hotels?
A: On pretty much any given date, you will find over 2,000 hotels in Paris that have vacancy. If you also add in hostels, pensions, guesthouses, campsites, Bed & Breakfasts, vacation rentals, or vacation sublets, your choices increase exponentially. There are not thousands of flights everyday to Paris from your city. It is much easier to get an awesome hotel deal than a free flight. Save your miles for flights!
Q: If an airline offers high, medium, and low-level awards, how can I get the low-level awards?
A: Search their partner airlines sites, try different dates, route through different cities, search one segment at a time, use stopovers and layovers. Be creative!
As always, read everything, listen, read it again, and ask questions! I am by no means an expert, just a guy who loves to travel. I'm here to help you out and collaborate with you on ideas of your own!
Stay tuned for another exciting edition of the Liberated Traveler Series!
-Jason of TWiBT
