Traveling to foreign destinations and visiting local attractions sounds like a dream. From going to the beaches of Maldives to seeing the Northern Lights, going from one place to another is unbeatable.
Not only does flying offer a wide range of experiences, but it also allows you to create memories that will last a lifetime. But buying airline tickets comes with a rather hefty fee. Often, these take out a huge chunk of the travel budget, leaving you to scrimp out on other necessities. Thankfully, air miles can be redeemed and used towards purchasing travel tickets.
Air miles can be used to book a free flight for yourself or even be transferred as a gift to friends or family members. To know more about air miles and how you can use them, read on. With these guidelines, you can score tickets that go with your travel plans.
Earning Air Miles
Airline miles can be earned in a variety of ways. However, the most common of these include signing up for Frequent Flyer Programs with certain airlines. Each time you purchase tickets from these partner airlines, you will gain points in your account which you can use later on to buy a free flight.
Other ways of earning air miles include signing up for a rewards credit card that allows you to rack up miles and points for a reward. Pick the best offers on the market, as there are airline credit cards that provide direct mileage earnings each time you shop and credit cards that offer general rewards.
Swapping Air Miles
Swapping and transferring air miles may be done. However, doing this comes with a fee depending on the carrier, and this can come with caps or limitations, as well. Transfers and swaps should be coursed through the partner carrier or banking institution. To do this, you will need to provide the receiver’s name, account number, and a certain number of miles under your account. Fees and other service charges may apply.
Conversely, you may try to book or gift someone else a ticket using your miles. Most carriers today are open to using mileage earned with other partner airlines.
Buying Air Miles
Need more miles for your account? You may simply buy more mileage, rather than transferring or swapping air miles. When you sign up for Frequent Flyer programs or avail of reward credit cards, you may be allowed to purchase a number of miles per year.
To do this, visit the carrier’s rewards program page and click on the ‘Buy Miles’ link found onsite.
Selling Air Miles
Selling air miles is trickier since most loyalty programs forbid selling or offloading miles. However, if you are keen on earning a profit from these, rather than letting them go to waste, you can hire a broker or a middleman through sites such as themilesbroker.com.
This would require you to fill in a request to sell mileage, verifying your account, and transferring miles to the buyer.
Redeeming Air Miles
To redeem and book a flight, you may head directly to the carrier’s website. Then, enter your rewards number and pick a flight that suits your convenience.
Other carriers now allow mileage to be used for other travel privileges. Take your pick from hotel accommodations, vacation packages, rental cars, gift cards, and more. However, to access and redeem these options, you may need to sign up with Points.com to help you manage your points.
Conclusion
Air miles are top tier when it comes to convenient travel options and redemptions. With these tips, you can not only earn more mileage to your advantage, but you can also save more money for travel necessities and experiences. For more information on flight deals, click here.
