Miles are all the rage these days. Why? Because earning miles allows you to fly for free and the only thing better than a vacation, is a free vacation. The problem that most of us encounter is that we don’t have the time or the budget to travel, which is the most traditional way to earn miles. Fortunately for all, there are tons of ways to earn miles without setting foot on an airplane, many without leaving your home. Here are ten to get you on point(s)!
Eating
It’s true. You can earn a lot of miles just by eating out. Airlines offer free dining programs where you earn up to five miles for every dollar spent on a meal at participating restaurants in your area. In New York City alone there are thousands including most of my favorites. Simply go to your preferred airline’s website and search dining. Many airlines offer 1,500 or more miles just for joining their free dining program! If your preferred airline doesn’t have one, why not earn the next most useful miles for you that does have one?
Shopping
Yep, everyones favorite past time is a real mile winner. Airlines like to drive traffic to retailers, so they offer miles just for clicking to your favorite shopping site from their site. Did you know that you could earn as much as 25 miles per dollar spent? Most retailers offer a steady 2-5x points on all purchases, yet from time to time you’ll get amazing promotions leading to huge points opportunities, just for buying things you already needed (or wanted). Here’s how.
“Liking”
I believe the term is “Social” media. Advertisements are incredibly expensive for airlines and social exposure is priceless. Airlines very frequently run promos where you can earn 500 miles or more just for “liking” the airline on instagram, facebook or other social media sites. It’s not a constant or a given, but it happens frequently and it’s a fantastic opportunity.
Test Driving A Car
Who doesn’t like that new car smell? Even if you have no interest in buying one, let your curiosity win you a bunch of miles. Recently American Airlines offered 7,500 miles to anyone who test drove a Cadillac! I’ve heard of even higher promos from other airlines and Lexus or Mercedes Benz. Hey, it’s free to test and will earn you miles! I highly suggest signing up to receive marketing emails from your preferred airline and its partners so that you can get in on deals like these while they last! I have an email address just for that purpose!
Staying at Hotels
Hotels and airlines go hand in hand. Wherever you are staying it’s extremely probable that you could be earning miles for your stay. You’ll have to choose between hotel loyalty points, which can be very valuable, or airline miles, also valuable. Simply enter your frequent flier number from your preferred airline when booking or at check in and watch the miles stack! There are steady offers from many top hotels where you can receive 2,500 bonus miles per stay or per night!
Taking Online Surveys
Most airlines use e-rewards, the online survey portal to exchange their miles for your input. Survey lengths vary from 5 minutes on up, as do the miles. It’s not impossible to gain tens of thousands of miles just for taking surveys in your free time.
Renting a Car
Car rentals are one of the best ways to earn miles fast. With all the competing car rental companies you will see bonus miles ranging from 500-2500 or more to entice your business. On top of the bonus miles per rental you generally receive roughly 250 miles per day during the rental! Win-Win!
Buying Flowers
There are a million reasons to send flowers. Other than birthdays and funerals, I can’t think of many that don’t involve being one of the kindest people on earth or seeking sympathy for a terrible deed. Regardless of reason, you can earn more than 35 miles per dollar for sending flowers. If you think about a $100 bouquet, that would mean 3500 miles in your pocket, which will certainly make you feel better! And the person gets flowers! Simply login to your preferred airline, search for mileage earning partners, find your florist of choice, enter your frequent flier number and send those flowers!
Signing Up For A Points Or Miles Earning Credit Card
As you know from the Earning Points & Miles section of the blog, signing up for a mileage or points earning credit card is the quickest and easiest way to earn enough miles for a free flight (or more). If you aren’t constantly signing up for credit cards, adding one will not affect your score in a meaningful way and in general, increases your score in the immediately following months. With one sign up bonus you often have enough miles for a free flight and if you use your card diligently the number will skyrocket!
Create a 401k/Investment Account
For those with investment or 401k accounts, switching investment firms can mean big miles. Seriously big miles. Moving your money to companies like Fidelity and others (not the Wolf of Wall Street) means bonuses starting at 25,000 miles and regularly exceeding 50,000 miles just for opening an account and putting your portfolio in their system! That’s a free flight just for thinking about your retirement planning! Simply login to your preferred airline frequent flier account and search financial partners for details.
Long story short, if you followed every one of these steps you would have a first class ticket anywhere in the world. You do not have to get on an airplane to earn miles. This blog is a guide to putting your everyday consumer habits to work for you so that you can fly for free.
As Always, Get In Touch: GodSaveThePoints@gmail.com
