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Airline miles?


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We recently moved across the country from family. It would take us 3-4 days to drive to see them, so we now need to start navigating the world of airline discounts.

 

Are airline miles really useful? If so, what's the best way to get them?

 

I did a few google searches, and it looks like there are several credit cards with airline points. Would it be a good idea to get one, use it for all our regular shopping, and pay the balance every month? (We're good at budgeting, no worries about getting into debt from something like this). If so, what should I look for? Obviously no annual fee, but is there anything else to watch for when picking a good one?

 

Or is there a better way to save money on airfare?

 

 

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Very useful. We get free trips on a regular basis.

 

The best way to acquire airline miles - besides joining the frequent flyer programs for any airline you use routinely - is to get a credit card tied to an airline and charge absolutely every possible expense to that card. You earn miles for every dollar spent. We pay off our balance every month.

 

Those cards usually do have an annual fee - but it's totally worth it.

 

When selecting a card, you should look which airlines service the route you need. What airlines use your city or the destination city, or any nearby, as a hub? It is useless to collect airline miles for an airline that does not fly out of or into the airport you need. This would be my number 1 criterion.

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I've seen some credit cards that can be used on any airline. Are the ones tied to specific airlines better? 

 

The problem is that I'm not quite sure which airline we'll be flying on the most. And due to our location, it's likely we'll be taking different airlines for different legs of the trip. If it works just as well, a card that works for any airline would be lovely. BUT I don't know enough to know if those cards are somehow not as good as the others.

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I've seen some credit cards that can be used on any airline. Are the ones tied to specific airlines better? 

 

The problem is that I'm not quite sure which airline we'll be flying on the most. And due to our location, it's likely we'll be taking different airlines for different legs of the trip. If it works just as well, a card that works for any airline would be lovely. BUT I don't know enough to know if those cards are somehow not as good as the others.

 

Then you need to look which ones are in the same airline alliance, because they share codes and you usually book one single trip, even though you change planes

 

I do not know anything about the cards that claim to be useable on every airline.

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Check out which airlines are best when it comes to honoring miles.

 

On busy travel dates, an airline might try to bump you off the flight you picked and put you on a flight that's less busy. We have bought nine round trip flights to Hawaii, usually during Christmas and New Year's, and United tried to bump us to different flights a few times. My husband had to be in DC, so after a phone call they somehow managed to keep us on.

 

Look for credit card offers that give you bonus miles when you sign up and are accepted (and that waive annual fees preferably). The bonus miles can be generous.

 

Also, you can sometimes get the fee waived by asking someone at the credit card company when the card's renewal date is coming up. If they won't do that, shop around for a new credit card that also offers miles and fee waivers. If you find one, close the old credit card and apply for the new ones. We rarely pay annual fees.

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