Once you sign up for a frequent flyer program, you’ve high hopes associated with the program. Dreaming of free flights and getting upgraded to the higher classes is natural. However, how many of us actually get to enjoy the real perks of their program? Many times, all those miles rot because of their short life. Looking at all the mileage maestros and their achievements, one is bound to think that there must be something good about these programs.
Airlines are not too generous, but that doesn’t stop you from making the most out of your program. Let’s take a look at some mistakes frequent flyers commonly make and end up complaining about the lack of gains.
Credit Cards
You’ll discover countless ways of earning air miles. Some are easy; others require effort on your part. Arguably, one of the best ways to collecting a pool of miles is to sign up for the rewards credit card.
If you don’t fly frequently, credit card is one of the best options that will significantly increase your air miles. Every dollar that you’d be spending through this credit card will help you to get closer to your travel dreams. Whether you use your credit card to pay for the dinner or do the grocery, you’ll end up smiling because of your decision. A credit card is always a convenient option because we don’t have to go out of the way to make an effort for earning air miles. On a daily basis, we use credit cards for a lot of our transactions. Wouldn’t it be ideal if it gets us to enjoy the travel perks?
You’ll find plenty of choices when it comes to the credit card. Choosing the best one means you’d have to research well and compare before you make a decision. It’s best to stick to the one that gives you the most travel perks. One of the common problem frequent flyers face when using credit cards is that they fail to clear the bills at the end of the month. Only opt for this option if you can manage it easily.
Airline Partners
The program you have signed up for is surely going to be affiliated with plenty of partners. This gives you an excellent chance to earn more miles and redeem them as well. If you don’t fly frequently, program partners can help you earn a pool of miles without any hassles. From staying at specific hotels to affiliations with other airlines, airline partners are extremely beneficial. If you’re not making use of them, you’re surely missing out on a lot.
When you begin searching for flights, partner airlines can help you sketch the most ideal routes and save money on your travels. Flyers find it easy to stick to one airline for their bookings. However, for frugal travel it is best to know what benefits partner airlines can bring.
Frequent flyers often forget that these partners are not limited to the airlines. Airlines have partners in retail, hotels and car rental companies. Always look out for further options!
Signing up for Several Programs
One of the biggest mistake you can make as a frequent flyer is to sign up for multiple programs. Most of us end up doing this because it looks very tempting to avail the best deals of these programs. However, it’s often a hassle managing all these programs and most of the time you end up spending way more than what you gain.
For this reason, it’s best to dedicate yourself to a single program and make the most out of it.
Frequent flyer programs are tempting because joining them is free of any cost. This is great! However, managing them is another challenge. Miles do not last forever so you have to manage the expiry dates as well as keep a track of other aspects. For a simpler life, it’s best to be loyal to a single program!
Airline Alliances
Among the frequent flyer mistakes made by most of the travelers, one of them is to not earning and redeeming air miles through the airline alliances. Most of the passengers aren’t even aware about these airline affiliations. Attractive fares keep appearing every now and then and restricting yourself to a single airline is surely a huge disadvantage.
If you really wish to gain the most from your frequent flyer program, it is best to explore your options carefully and use multiple routes and airlines to increase your air miles. Once you’ve collected them in abundance, you’ll get more choices to redeem them! Choose a primary airline that is part of one the global airline alliances. For domestic routes, you can choose the primary airline. For international ones, make use of the airline alliance.
