Can someone tell me how a frequent flyer mile program works and which one would you recommend?

Question

I fly from Anchorage to Seattle at least twice to three times a year, and book usually through travelocity so the airline is usally different. What would be a good way to get frequent flyer miles?

Answer 1

I personally prefer Northwest Airlines' program.

They have a large group of airlines they codeshare with. You can rack up miles quicker, and have a large choice of airlines to use them with. Including Alaska Airlines & Horizon Air. For a full listing: http://www.nwa.com/worldperks/earn/airfl.shtml


They often offer specials for cash & miles. Great for folks who aren't frequent flyers or only fly short distance.

Tons of non-airline partners, you can do business with to get more miles.

You have two ways to earn your way up to elite status, miles flown or segments flown. This give the person who only does short flights, a chance.

Great customer support, online or by phone.

To learn more:
http://www.nwa.com

Look at the far right tab (it's a drop down menu), 'Worldperks'.

Answer 2

In order to gain miles you need to be loyal to one airline or an airline that is part of an alliance. Some travel websites sell their tickets so cheap that you can not earn miles when you use them. These websites include Hotwire, Cheap Tickets, Priceline, Lowestfare.com and any other bulk consolidator website.

From ANC (Anchorage) to SEA (Seattle) you have 3 choices for non-stop flights. Alaska Air, Continental and United. All 3 have partner airlines or code shares that you can redeem miles on. You can also earn miles by signing up for that milage program's credit card. It just depends on who you prefer more. You can earn more miles by booking a flight with connections, but book non-stop and it will keep you away from any chances of delay's or missed flights.

You earn milage based on the air miles between cities. Also, the higher fare you book the more miles you earn. Full Coach Fares and First Class fares are always awarded more points. Checking in online earns additional miles. You can earn miles at hotels as well. Some airlines have agreements with utility companies or satellite tv companies where if you sign up with them you can earn miles. Just read the program details of each program you are interested in and weigh the options.

Answer 3

In all honesty, Anchorage to Seattle three times a year is not enough to qualify for any real benefits on any airline. It's roughly 5000 miles round trip, but most airlines set their "basic" level of frequent flier awards to be met at 25,000 miles. So it will take you 5 years to get any benefits at all. More importantly, to get your status, you need to hit that 25,000 mile mark in a single year; you keep your miles till the next year, but your counter starts over, so your 15,000 miles from 2006 is not applied towards your 25,000 minimum for 2007.

And while you could earn enough miles for a free flight in about two years on most airlines, you'd be facing some serious blackout dates, which makes it nearly impossible to redeem your miles. Some airlines do let you "pay" more miles for no blackout dates on your free ticket but those extra miles will take you another year or two to rack up.

But you can still comparison-shop the frequent-flier programs. See which has the most flexible free flights for the least number of miles. You may find that the airfare you save by always going with the cheapest airline may be more than enough to pay for that vacation trip, instead of sticking with one airline (which may be more expensive) and trying to get a free flight.

PS Credit card miles are hard to redeem if you don't already have flight mileage status and, unless you pay your credit card off in full every month, can be very expensive to earn.

Answer 4

Whenever you book airtickets,book hotels or rent car that has alliances with the airline.You can get miles.I get 500 krisflyer miles(Singapore Airlines) when I book hotel.Just tell them your frequent flyer mile number and you will get miles.Fly first or business class the best way but expensive.When you get a lot of miles say 30,000 you can redeem a free flight but you must pay for airport taxes.

Answer 5

The best way to get miles is to always fly the same airline. You usually get one point for each mile flown.

After you amass a lot of miles, you can trade them in for free flights, or upgrades. It's usually 25,000 miles for a free domestic flight.

Most airlines also have "partners" where you can get FF miles, like restaurants, hotels, flower delivery services, rental cars, etc.

Check the websites for different airlines to see what their rules are.

Answer 6

I fly from Grand Rapids to Oklahoma city and back each week. My agent has booked me on United, Continental, American, and Delta. I have signed up for frequent flyer on all of them.

The Website Points.com is very handy. It lets you accumulate all of your miles in one place. They can be spent on a varity of gift cards or certificates, but can also be converted to other airline services. You get 100 points for signing up!

Answer 7

around the international is superb no remember once you're the pilot or the passenger- wonderful to take turns at though! typically the passenger receives real fidgety and that is at the same time as it time for the pilot to take a damage and relax for a lengthy time period. My airline calls for no factors- only that you've heart and soul in the flight!