© 2017 YaninaTravels
Last Updated: May 2018
Frequent and on a budget traveling requires smart planning. It’s not that difficult as it sounds for as long as you are organized and detail oriented!
Becoming a member of airline miles programs and applying for miles credit cards associated with them, which offer bonus miles for spending a certain amount of money within certain period of time, is part of that smart planning. This will help you with using those miles towards free airplane tickets or when paying for a ticket, earning even more miles for future travels.
Your choice of which air miles programs to join, depends primary on your travel destination interests. If your future travel plans are targeted towards the Caribbean, then you should join Jet Blue, Delta and/or American Airlines. If you are planning trips primary to Europe, you should join United Airlines. In any case joining United is a smart move to make, since they fly almost everywhere around the world and offer an excellent air miles program.
You can get the best credit card offers, while you are on any of your flights! Pay attention to the flight attendants if they promote any credit card and feel free to ask them for an application form. On my last flight from Costa Rica back to the US, they were promoting an amazing credit card offer for American Airlines – make only one purchase (it can be a cup of coffee), pay the annual fee of $149 and earn 50,000 American Airlines bonus points, good for about 2 free round trips! Think of this as investing for your future travels by buying 50, 000 miles for the low price of $149. It can’t get any better than that!
TIPS for managing your Air Miles Credit Cards:
1. MAKE IT SIMPLE safe and smart. One credit card at a time! Apply for it, spend the money you need to in order to receive the bonus miles the company gives you, pay it in full, get your miles, then after some time you can apply for another card and repeat the same process.
2. KEEP TRACK of when your miles credit card annual fee is due. There are just a few out there without annual fee. I put calendar reminders for those due dates on my iPhone. Usually the first year the annual feel for most miles credit cards is waived. When the time to pay the first annual fee approaches, make a decision if you want to keep that card and if it’s worth keeping it. If not, call the company and close the card before the annual fee is due. For example- I never close my United MileagePlus Explorer Card and it’s my primary credit card since it gives me miles for every dollar I spend on it and can be used for travel almost everywhere in the world.
3. CHECK THE PARTNER AIRLINES of the air company you are flying with last moment and you are not a member of. Figure out if it’s a partner with any of the air companies you are member with, since that gives you an opportunity to redeem your miles. For example- if you are a United Airlines MileagePlus member and you end up flying with Austrian Airlines, fill in your frequent flyer number when booking the ticket or if you forgot to do it, you can always contact United Airlines later on and give them your Austrian Airlines flight numbers to redeem your miles.
4. KEEP YOUR CREDIT CARD HANDY associated with the air company you are flying with and use it to pay for any air related fees. For example- if you fly with Jet Blue, use the Jet Blue credit card to pay for your ticket or for the service fee for your ticket purchased with miles, since you accumulate more miles that way and also gives you eligibility for free of charge checked first bag.
5. CHECK THE EXPIRATION DATE of any credit card you have. Check with the air company if the miles your earned have an expiration date. Many don’t, but some do.
6. ORGANIZE YOUR CARDS by adding a sticky note on the back of each of your mileage credit cards with the following info: date of opening the account, credit line, how much you need to spend in order to receive the miles and by what date, how many miles you will be receiving and date to expect the miles to be posted on your frequent flyer account. To organize all my travel cards, I use a great value Marshal Genuine Leather Bi-fold Card Holder, purchased through Amazon.
7. DOWNLOAD THE APPS for the air companies you became member of and organize them in a folder named ‘Travel’ on your smart phone. Makes it so much easier to book flights directly from your phone, checking in for flights and to keep track of miles balances with each one of them.
My Favorite Air Miles Programs and Credit Cards:
1. UNITED AIRLINES: excellent card to apply for if you plan traveling to Europe and everywhere else; spend $2,000 within the first 3 months, you will receive 40,000 bonus miles good for more than a one-way ticket to Europe; add an authorized card user and earn additional 5,000 bonus points. NOTE: My roundtrip air ticket to Bulgaria (VAR) in Europe, flying out of New York (JFK), cost me only $60 for taxes & fees and 60,000 United points.
*Become a United Mileage member and then fill in your member # when applying for the credit card
Membership Application
Credit Card Application
2. JET BLUE AIRLINES: the best card to apply for if you plan traveling to the Caribbean; spend $1,000 within the first 3 months, you will receive 30,000 bonus points good for one or two free round trips to the Caribbean. NOTE: My roundtrip air ticket to Barbados (BGI) in the Caribbean, flying out of New York (JFK), cost me only $50 for taxes & fees and 13,000 JetBlue points.
*Become a Jet Blue member and then fill in your member # when applying for the credit card
Membership Application
Credit Card Application
3. DELTA AIRLINES: spend $1,000 within the first 3 months, you will receive 30,000 bonus miles and $50 statement credit; good for a free round trip to the Caribbean; also this card can be used for travel to Europe and within the US. NOTE: My roundtrip air ticket to St. Thomas (STT) in the Caribbean, flying out of New York (JFK), cost me only $16 for taxes & fees and 17,000 Delta points.
*Become a Delta Airlines member and then fill in your member # when applying for their credit card
Membership Application
Credit Card Application
4. HAWAIIAN AIRLINES: spend $1,000 within the first 3 months, you will receive 35,000 bonus miles, good for free round trip to Hawaii. NOTE: My roundtrip air ticket to Kauai (LIH) in Hawaii, flying out of New York (JFK), cost me only $11 for taxes & fees and 35,000 Hawaiian points.
*Become a Hawaiian Airlines member and then fill in your member # when applying for their credit card
Membership Application
Credit Card Application
5. SOUTHWEST AIRLINES: great for travel to New Orleans and everywhere else in the US; spend $1,000 within the first 3 months, receive 40,000 bonus miles; this is at least one free round trip to New Orleans or elsewhere in the US.
*Become a Southwest Airlines member and then fill in your member # when applying for their credit card
Membership Application
Credit Card Application
6. ALASKA AIRLINES: great for travel to Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, Costa Rica and everywhere else in the US; spend $1,000 within the first 3 months and receive 30,000 bonus miles; this is about one free round trip to any of the above mentioned destinations or elsewhere in the US.
*Become an Alaska Airlines member and then fill in your member # when applying for their credit card
Credit Card Application
7. AMERICAN AIRLINES: great for travel everywhere; I used it for travel to Costa Rica; spend $3,000 within the first 3 months and receive 60,000 bonus miles, good for about two free round trips. NOTE: My roundtrip air ticket to San Jose (SJO) in Costa Rica, flying out of Washington DC (DCA), cost me only $155 for taxes & fees and 30,000 American Airlines points. Keep in mind that only American Airlines have the following rule – you should book your ticket 21 days prior to your trip to avoid paying an additional $75 expedited fee. Your taxes & fees will be only $80 total. I booked my ticket last moment, that’s why I ended up paying the $75 extra expedited fee.
*Become an American Airlines member and then fill in your member # when applying for their credit card
Membership Application
Credit Card Application
8. AVIANCA AIRLINES: great for travel to South America; I used it for travel to Peru; earn 40,000 bonus LifeMiles after first time card use (you can buy just one coffee) and after you pay the annual fee of $149; the miles are good for a free round trip anywhere in South America. NOTE: My one-way air ticket to Lima (LIM) in Peru, flying out of Washington DC (IAD), cost me only $20 for taxes & fees and 20,000 Avianca LifeMiles.
*Become a LifeMiles member and then fill in your member # when applying for Avianca’s credit card
Membership Application
Credit Card Application