This week, I leave for Europe with my family. Six of us will be departing home for England and Ireland for 2 weeks. As I put together the itinerary, flights and lodging for the trip, I pulled out all the stops on using my frequent flyer miles and points from the other 300 days I travel, on average, during my business trips over the course of a year.
Over the course of the last few summers of some amazing destinations (which my children pick, by the way), we've flown business class or better and had rooms upgraded based on my frequent flyer status and the many points I accumulate.
Over the years, I've learned a few tricks and tips to maximize the frequent flyer programs and really rack up the points!
- Put everything on American Express. It's one of the easiest credit cards to convert points toward flights, hotels, dinners, etc. When I say everything, I mean from the largest expenses down to the smallest purchases. Business lunches, office supplies, groceries.
- Book flights in October for the summer. This requires planning, but rates and availability are both better the farther out you book your trip.
- Consolidate multiple frequent flyer accounts before you book hotels and flights. I choose to put most points toward hotels as my family trips often require more than one room.
- Use American Express or Ticketmaster where they give you the chance to use points for a variety of brands and services, and usually no blackout dates.
- Anything that will be reimbursed through your company should be put on credit cards linked to frequent flyer programs, if your company's T&E policy permits. Also, anything that gets paid on a regular basis should be linked to the same cards. I even pay school tuition on a credit card. Any purchase, big or small, should be charged on a credit card. Why not get the points?
After aligning your cards and programs, you'll be amazed at how fast the points accumulate and what you can "buy" with those miles. The points and programs are out there - make them work for you!
