Loyalty Matters - How I Fly For Free Pt 1

The best things in life are free, especially when it comes to frequent traveler reward programs. If you are not entered into your airlines travel rewards program you are leaving money, experiences, and perks on the table. In this article I'll give you tips for how I maximize my loyalty programs which I use for free flights.

Travel Reward Programs allow you to:

• Earn reward points/miles for the flights you take (generally you get a mile/point per mile flown)
• Travel or upgrade your flight using reward points/miles
• Build your status with an airline
• Receive exclusive perks and promotions
• Swap miles/points for free flights

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Prissi's Major Tips

• I suggest picking no more than two airlines & hotel brands that you will focus on building status with -  bonus points if you can pick just one. 
• You will focus all your travel, rewards, and perk/mile accumulation with these airlines 

Step 1: Tell Your Travel Agent

Make sure you inform your travel agent of any airline award programs when you are booking your travel. Certain suppliers have promotions where they give bonus miles for the lead passenger on a booking. Many of my clients have banked 20,000 bonus miles with certain promotions, I flew roundtrip to Jamaica for 20,000 miles in January of 2022, so these miles matter.


Step 2: Keep Your Contacts Close

My phone is filled with weird contacts such as AAdvantage, United Mileage Plus, Delta Skymiles, Southwest Rapid Rewards. If you haven’t guessed by now I create contacts in my cell phone for all my loyalty programs. I input my loyalty #’s, login emails, and any other important information I need to use these programs. For me, things have to be easy to work, ain’t nobody searching thru 1200 emails to find their loyalty information when it’s time to book a flight, and if you don’t do it when you book, you may not enter it at all. Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready. 

Step 3: Sign Up For All Their Free Programs

Once you're in the reward program, look into all the free ways you can build status and earn miles . Examples include:

• Dining Reward Programs - link your credit/debit card and earn points when you eat out at select restaurants
• Shopping Portals - these are like affiliates with your normal sites like Macys, Walmart, etc., that give you points/miles for shopping thru the portal
• Utility programs - swap your utility service provider and earn a bunch of extra miles/points (check the rates on these to not get cheated on your bill)

Step 4: Consider Credit Cards 

The fastest way to status and free flights can be via the credit card route. With a small strategy such as only using these cards in place of your debit card (basically anything you would use your debit for (food,gas, rent, phone bills, Uber eats) instead use your airline/flyer credit card.  If you’re spending $3000 a month on said expenses, a mile per dollar card will 36000 miles a years. These miles will get you in the air effortlessly, especially if you book early or travel in off peak seasons. As many of these cards have high balances you must use them as you would cash/credit - to avoid paying all that darn interest. 

If you want to get started with a travel credit card and like flying with United, or are in one of their hub cities (Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York/New Jersey & D.C).
I have a referral code for you here - these cards are credit based and I cannot be responsible for your spending, debt, or the increase of you not being at home due to travel. Use credit responsibly and look out for my next article on Reaping Rewards & Not Debt Using travel credit cards. 

Traveling for free is kinda like the grocery store monopoly games, you got to shop, travel, and spend  to really get into the game. Use these tips to build your status and bank those miles/rewards that get you into the game. 

Prissi

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What’s your secret to traveling for free or reduces?