Lauren Graves

Wyndham Rewards and Member Level Perks

June 11, 2021 by Lauren Graves

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Wyndham Hotels and Resorts boasts more than 9,000 hotel locations in over 80 different countries. Within this chain, there are 20 different brands for every type of lifestyle. The Wyndham Hotels & Resorts corporation includes upscale stays like Dolce, modest stays like La Quinta and Baymont, and popular budget stays like Super 8 and Days Inn.

For a look at what this hotel chain’s rewards program is all about and how to fully take advantage of its perks, take a look at this complete guide to qualifying for elite status with Wyndham Rewards.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

What is Wyndham Rewards?

Wyndham Rewards is a points program that rewards members for loyalty. By staying at Wyndham properties and making purchases with a Wyndham credit card, loyalty members receive points that can be redeemed for free bookings, rate discounts, and other perks and freebies.

Within the Wyndham loyalty program, there are four member levels: Blue, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond.

Update: How to achieve various levels of membership status in 2021:

From Jan 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021 all members are assigned Blue status upon enrollment.

Members are then bumped up to Gold after staying 3 nights at participating Wyndham locations, to Platinum after staying 9 nights, and to Diamond after 24 nights.

Here’s a breakdown of the perks and advantages associated with each membership tier:

Perks	Blue	Gold	Platinum	Diamond
Best available rate guarantee	✓	✓	✓	✓
Earn 10 points per dollar or 1,000 points (or more) per qualifed booking	✓	✓	✓	✓
Use points to book free or discounted nights	✓	✓	✓	✓
No expiration date on rollover nights/awards bookings	✓	✓	✓	✓
Local experience discount for awards bookings	✓_($5)	✓_($10)	✓_($10)	✓ _(*)
Access to a dedicated member services phone line		✓	✓	✓
Preferred room choice		✓	✓	✓
Accelerated earning		✓_(10%)	✓_(15%)	✓_(20%)
Late checkout upon request		✓	✓	✓
Early check-in upon request			✓	✓
Caesars Rewards status match			✓	✓
Avis and Budget car rental upgrades			✓	✓
Suite upgrades				✓ _{(every stay)}
Complimentary snack or beverage at check-in				✓
Give GOLD**				✓

_{*2 free tickets to a local Experience per year.
**With the Give GOLD perk you can instantly upgrade one friend or family member to Gold level membership per year.}

Preferred rooms are granted on a first-come, first-serve basis. Members that qualify for Accelerated Earning Points get these at a percentage of their Base points, or the points collected at a rate of 10 points per dollar of 1,000 points for every stay. All members earn at least 1,000 points per stay.

Wyndman Rewards Member Rate

Just being a Wyndham Rewards member qualifies you for the Best Available Rate on qualifying Wyndham hotel bookings. This discounted rate will show up when you book a stay with a participating Wyndham hotel online through your Rewards account or over the phone.

Please note that La Quinta hotels and Caesars Entertainment properties do not participate in this rate discount program at this time.

Caesars Rewards

Caesars Entertainment and Wyndham Hotels are in partnership with each other, which means more perks for rewards members of both brands.

Wyndham Rewards members that stay at one of over 30 Caesars Entertainment casinos can earn points for their booking and cash these in for discounts and free stays through Wyndham.

How Wyndham Rewards Compares

According to this 2020 WalletHub Study, the Wyndham Rewards program offered the highest rewards value and ranked as the best hotel rewards program overall last year. Rewards for elite members/frequent travelers are valued at an estimated $13.36 for every $100 spent and for all other members at about $12.87/$100.

Additionally, this brand is one of the best in terms of global geographic coverage as there are over 9,000 participating locations across the world.

Wyndham also stands out for offering high-value rewards for all membership tiers, so you don’t need to be an elite member that does a lot of traveling to benefit from membership. You can be a Blue member and still do well.

All in all, you don’t have much to lose by being a reward member with Wyndham, and there’s no reason you can’t be a member of multiple hotel loyalty programs at once.

How do I Join Wyndham Rewards?

To work your way up the ladder to elite status, you need to start earning points or open a credit card. All points you earn are referred to as “Go Get ‘Em” rewards.

Go Get ‘Em

It probably goes without saying, but staying at Wyndham hotels, resorts, and rental properties is a great way to earn points. Members receive points per stay at a percentage determined by their rewards status (see the chart in “What Is Wyndham Rewards?”).

All members earn whichever results in more points: 10 points per dollar or 1,000 points on every stay. In some cases, only payments toward the room rate itself (not service fees and additional amenities) are counted. Bookings made through third-party sites do not qualify. A reservation is not required to earn points on a stay.

You can also choose to earn Travel Partner Currency—airline or train points—instead of Wyndham Rewards points by selecting this preference in your member profile. Travel points can be redeemed at American Airlines, United Airlines, and others. Just know that Travel points may not be redeemed for Wyndham Rewards.

Making purchases with qualifying credit cards is another easy way to rack up points. Here’s more on what each Wyndham-branded credit card offers.

Wyndham Rewards Credit Cards

Wyndham offers 3 rewards credit cards. The Earner, Earner Plus and Earner Business.

The Wyndham Reward Earner card is the most basic card this brand offers and can help you earn Wyndham points on everyday purchases.

Currently, this card comes with a promotional offer that qualifies new members for 30,000 bonus points when they spend at least $1,000 within 90 days of issuance. This card has no annual fee.

After that, cardholders earn two points per dollar spent on grocery and dining purchases (not including purchases made at Target or Walmart stores), five points per dollar on Wyndham hotel and gas purchases, and one point per dollar on all other purchases made with this card.

The Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus card is the next card up. This card qualifies new members for 45,000 bonus points when they spend at least $1,000 within 90 days of issuance. This card has a $75 annual fee.

Then, cardholders earn four points per dollar on grocery and dining, six points per dollar on Wyndham hotel and gas purchases, and one point per dollar on all other purchases made with this card.

Finally, there is the Wyndham Earner Business card. This card also qualifies new members for 45,000 bonus points when they spend at least $1,000 within 90 days of issuance. This card has a $95 annual fee.

After that, cardholders earn four points per dollar on marketing, advertising, and utilities; eight points per dollar on Wyndham and gas; and one point per dollar on all other purchases.

The Wyndham Earner card qualifies you for Gold status, the Earner Plus card qualifies you for Platinum status, and the Earner Business card qualifies you for Diamond status.

How to Use Wyndham Rewards Points

Within the Wyndham Rewards program, there are basically three ways to redeem your points. You can “Go Free,” or cash in on free hotel stays; “Go Fast,” and receive discounts at select hotels; or “Go For It,” and shop with your points for gift cards and other goodies.

Go Free

Wyndham points can be used to book free stays at thousands of Wyndham hotels and resorts.

Awards nights cost 7,500, 15,000, or 30,000 points. The cost of awards bookings varies by location. To successfully use rewards points to book a stay, you are required to make a reservation in advance. For most Wyndham Hotels, this can be done online through your Wyndham Rewards account or over the phone at 866-996-7937. All Go Free reservations are subject to availability and restricted by blackout dates/rates.

Do not try to contact a hotel property to redeem awards for bookings—this will not work.

The phone numbers for other Wyndham properties are listed below:

Wyndham Vacation Clubs: 1-866-370-8548

Wyndham Vacation Rentals: 1-866-996-7937

Cottages.com: 1-866-232-8628 (Go Fast awards are not available at cottages)

Landal GreenParks: 1-888-862-8053

7,500 points are enough for a free standard rate room at many locations, but rooms at resort locations cost a minimum of 15,000 points and up to 30,000.

Go Fast

If you don’t want to wait until you have enough points to book a stay for free, you can “Go Fast” and just use your points for a discounted rate. You will need between 1,500 and 6,000 points for a room discount at a participating Wyndham hotel and between 3,000 and 6,000 points for a discounted rate at a resort or rental property.

Each hotel, resort, and rental property location decides for themselves how many points a rate discount is worth. More expensive stays typically require more points for a discount.

Go Fast rewards are also subject to blackout dates/rates and some properties do not participate in the Go Fast program.

Go For It

Finally, you can use your points to shop freebies, including:

Online merchandise
Marathon gas discounts
Over 100,000 local tours and activities (you can what’s currently available here.)
Gift cards to participating stores (Amazon, Starbucks, Macy’s, American Eagle, etc.)
Donations to select charities (Operation Homefront, National Parks Conservation Association, YMCA, etc.)

You may also exchange Wyndham Rewards points for Travel points or Caesars Rewards credits (just remember that Travel points may not be exchanged for Wyndham Rewards points).

How to Redeem Points

To cash in your points, log in to your Wyndham Rewards account. You should be able to see how many points you have earned on the dashboard.

If you are redeeming your points for a free or discounted booking, call Wyndham customer support and they will redeem your points for you. If you are using your points to “Go For It,” just visit the Wyndham Rewards site and pay with points.

Final Thoughts

The Wyndham Rewards program is an excellent way for fans of the hotel chain—and you are likely a fan already, as this franchise operates many big brands—to get more for their money when they book stays.

There are certainly better credit cards than the Wyndham Earner cards, but the rewards program is great overall. Members of every tier can cash in on savings on nearly any booking, and Platinum and Diamond members enjoy VIP treatment and even more discounts. Qualifying for Diamond status requires a lot of travel, but you’d do well to seek out Wyndham locations whether you stay at hotels frequently and qualify for elite status or not.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

Visa Infinite Program – What is it & What Does it Offer?

June 10, 2021 by Lauren Graves

Visa Infinite is an awards program at the top of Visa’s benefit levels. It was first launched in Europe and only came to the US in 2016. It remains relatively obscure in the states with little search volume for it on Google.

The program consists of three Visa tiers are Traditional, Signature, and Infinite, with Infinite being the top tier and Traditional the most basic. Every benefit encompassed within the Traditional and Signature tiers is included within the Infinite tier, with many additional perks on top of those at the Infinite level.

Visa Infinite members enjoy the best prizes and travel benefits Visa has to offer, and cards that qualify for this program are available through many banks. If your card is a Visa Infinite card, you’ll know—it’ll say “Visa Infinite” right on the front.

Here’s what the Visa Infinite program is all about and everything its awards package is likely to include.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

What is the Visa Infinite Program and Which Cards Apply?

The Visa Infinite Program is a perks-packed Visa offering, structured in three tiers, that only individuals with certain Visa credit cards have access to.

Generally speaking, these cards cater to higher net worth individuals that travel frequently. This is because many Visa Infinite cards require high credit scores and incomes to qualify, and many of the benefits associated with Visa Infinite are related to travel, and more specifically high-end travel.

The Visa Infinite card is available through many carriers—Chase, Citibank, and U.S. Bank, to name a few. Specific, popular Visa-branded credit cards within the Visa Infinite Program include:

Chase Sapphire Reserve®
United Club℠ Infinite Card
Citi Life Visa Infinite Credit Card
U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card
UBS Visa Infinite Credit Card

Privileges and Benefits of the Visa Infinite Program

The features of a Visa Infinite credit card vary by carrier, as most of the privileges within Visa Infinite are set by the banks that carry these cards rather than Visa itself. Just understand that your own card might have more or less perks than what we’re outlining below as a general standard.

Be sure to read the terms and conditions carefully for a thorough understanding of what your benefits package includes.

For an in-depth look at what the Visa Infinite program generally includes, at its base level, continue reading…

Visa Infinite Luxury Hotels

Get the best experience your hotel has to offer with the Visa Infinite Luxury Hotel Collection.

Hotels within the Visa Infinite Luxury Hotel Collection give members the “ultimate hotel experience” when they travel. All participating hotels provide seven benefits:

VIP guest status,
room upgrades at check-in,
a best available rate guarantee,
complimentary in-room breakfast,
complimentary WiFi,
late checkout, and
a $25 food and beverage credit per stay.

Cardholders need to book through the Visa Infinite Hotels site to secure these benefits.

200 hotels from the Visa Luxury Hotel Collection also include an eighth benefit, which might be either an additional $75 food and beverage credit (on top of the included $25) or a $100 spa, golf, or room rate credit. The hotels decide what the eighth benefit will be.

Keep in mind that some of these features look a little different from one hotel to another, and all of these bonuses are subject to availability.

Visa Infinite Concierge Status

Visa Infinite members will get all of the travel help and advice they need 24/7 with Visa Infinite Concierge Services. This digital concierge service, available 365 days a year, can help with everything from booking reservations to helping you find the best prices for your stay. You can even ask for dining and entertainment recommendations, and you’ll get exclusive access to deals and dates.

Global Entry Statement Credit

This perk is best for those that do a lot of international travel. Global Entry, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection program that grants expedited clearance into the United States to pre-approved returning travelers, will cost you $100 less when you’re a Visa Infinite member.

Visa Infinite gives its users a $100 statement credit for Global Entry, the current price of the program’s application fee. This equates to free Global Entry, which you can apply for through the Trusted Travelers Program section of the Homeland Security site.

Visa Infinite Car Rentals

Visa Infinite car rental privileges are many, and they can be redeemed through Avis, Hertz, National, and Silvercar. The benefits are different for each rental agency.

With Avis, cardholders can enroll in Avis Preferred Plus—a car rental rewards program much like a frequent flyer program—, take advantage of rate discounts of up to 30%, and get weekend rentals for free. With Hertz, cardholders enrolled in Hertz Gold Plus Rewards have access to special savings and speedier service. Visa Infinite cardholders receive complimentary Emerald Club Executive level membership with National and 25% off. Finally, cardholders save up to 30% with Silvercar.

Lounge Access and Priority Pass

Unlock access to over 1,300 airport lounges across 148 countries.

Priority Pass lounge access is granted to Visa Infinite cardholders. This provides entrance to more than 1,300 airport lounges in 148 countries and over 600 cities.

The credit card you have determines your access level, with Standard being the lowest, Standard Plus being the middle, and Prestige being the highest tier. Standard will get you the fewest free lounge visits annually and you’ll have to pay per guest, and Prestige will get you unlimited visits for yourself and a few free guest passes.

Airline Incidental Statement Credit

Airline incidental fees for checked baggage, flight changes, inflight amenities, etc. accumulate all too easily. But when you’re with Visa Infinite, you’ll get a statement credit in the form of rebates for some of these. How much and for what is determined by your card issuer.

Fine Wine and Food

The Fine Wine and Food benefit offered to Visa Infinite cardholders is great for foodies and wine aficionados. However, it is also available to Signature members and isn’t as all-inclusive as Visa makes it sound (“Enjoy world-class celebrity chefs and winemaker experiences”).

With this feature, you’ll get two wine tastings for the price of one when you purchase one with your Visa Infinite card. You’ll also have access to preferred pricing on wine tastings and dining at select Sonoma wineries. Call the winery you’re visiting to find out what offers you’re eligible for.

Golf

Want to play private courses without the fees or membership commitments? Now you can.

Love hitting the links? Have a Visa Infinite card? Then you should probably join the Visa Infinite Troon Golf Rewards program. With this, you’ll receive premium benefits when golfing at over 115 courses across the United States. These include the ability to reserve tee times, bring guests at discounted rates, play private courses, and more.

Infinite Chauffeured Car Service

Visa Infinite, in partnership with GroundLink, offers the option of chauffeured car services to cardholders. The GroundLink chauffeured black car service, which includes professional drivers and high-tech rides, is 15% off when you have a Visa Infinite card. You’ll also get a $30 credit toward the service, which is accessible worldwide.

Protection

In addition to cost-cutting and luxurious privileges and benefits, Visa Infinite extends additional protection to its members. This purchase protection insures many different aspects of travel. Please note that many of the following benefits are not exclusive to Visa Infinite as they are actually included in the Signature package as well.

Auto Collision Damage Waiver

Use your Visa Infinite card to pay when booking a rental car and receive insurance coverage automatically. Visa Infinite Auto Rental Coverage covers not only collision damage but also theft, towing expenses, loss-of-use charges, and more.

Extended Warranty Protection

Extended Warranty Protection under the Visa Infinite program is applied to qualifying items with warranties of three years or less. This benefit extends a manufacturer’s warranty by one year. You do not need to register or pay for this addition as long as a purchase is made with your Visa Infinite card.

Roadside Dispatch

Roadside Dispatch, while not a complimentary Visa Infinite feature, could prove to be handy. Use this service when you’re in trouble and help, a locksmith or tow, will be dispatched right to your location. You will pay a predetermined price, set by your card issuer, per service call.

Purchase Security

The Purchase Security Visa Infinite perk can be thought of as an extended return period. If you purchase something with your Visa Infinite card and that something ends up needing to be replaced or returned within 90 days of purchase, this is no problem. Even if an item is stolen, this policy is in effect. This, like Extended Warranty Protection, need not be applied or paid for. It can cover $10,000 per occurrence.

Travel and Emergency Assistance Service

The Travel and Emergency Assistance Services rolled into the standard Visa Infinite package is a 24/7 helpline that can help with any of the following needs that one might have while traveling:

Medical Referral Assistance
Emergency Transportation Assistance
Emergency Message Service
Emergency Translation Service
Emergency Ticket Replacement
Legal Referral Assistance
Lost Luggage Locator Service
Prescription Assistance and Valuable Document Delivery

These helplines are devoted specifically to providing emergency assistance and are available to you and any of your dependents at no cost.

Return Protection

Similar to Purchase Security, Visa Infinite Return Protection lets you make returns within 90 days of purchase if you are not satisfied with an item and a return is refused. So long as you use your Visa Infinite card to make the purchase and the item you are buying costs less than or equal to $300, you are covered under this benefit.

Air Travel Reimbursement

If you ever get annoyed with being nickel and dimed by airlines’ never ending in-flight fees such as entertainment (headphones and television access), in-flight food purchases, checked baggage fees and the like, then Visa Infinite will alleviate some headaches. With Visa Infinite you’ll receive reimbursements for air travel fees including the things mentioned above and more. Just remember though that the card issuer sets the statement credit amount.

Lost Luggage Reimbursement

Visa Infinite cardholders are eligible for reimbursement of lost or stolen carry-ons and checked bags—when a flight ticket is purchased with a Visa Infinite card, of course. This benefit is applied automatically.

Lost or Stolen Card Reporting

This benefit, which is really more of a necessity than a benefit, gives you access to global call centers that will initiate replacements and notify authorities for you in the event of a lost or stolen Visa Infinite card.

Trip Delay Reimbursement

Visa Infinite cardholders don’t have to pay out of pocket for fees caused by trip delays that are out of their control with Trip Delay Reimbursement. When members are stuck for more than six hours due to a covered hazard—equipment failure, inclement weather, strike, or hijacking/skyjacking—and they purchased their fare with their Visa Infinite cards, they are eligible to be reimbursed up to $500.

Zero Liability

Visa’s Zero Liability policy states that you will not be liable to pay for transactions that you do not authorize. This protects cardholders from identity theft and even purchases made with lost or stolen cards.

Trip Cancellation / Trip Interruption Reimbursement

When you book a trip with your Visa Infinite card and you need to cancel at the last minute or cut it short, Visa will reimburse you for all or part of your non-refundable fare (your benefits package should cover this in detail). In addition to air travel, this covers trains, buses, ferries, and cruise ships.

Emergency Cash Disbursement

If a Visa Infinite cardholder is ever in a pinch and needs a wire transfer fast, Visa will arrange for this. If you are in need of emergency assistance because you lost a card and are waiting on a replacement, Visa can make a wire cash transfer to you to a local Western Union location within 2 hours of your request being approved.

Emergency Card Replacement

If your Visa Infinite card is lost, stolen, or damaged, Visa will work with your bank to have it replaced in as little as 24 hours and no more than 72 hours. Emergency Card Replacement can be applied no matter where you are in the world.

Visa Infinite VS Visa Signature

Because Visa Infinite was originally launched in Europe, the Visa Infinite suite has significantly larger market share there than here in the United States. The Visa Signature line of cards is much more prevalent in the U.S. That said, there are very little differences between the two.

The main difference lies with the luxury hotel chains included and the perks offered at each. In terms of perks for example, Visa Signature offers room upgrades if available, $25 food and beverage credit, free continental breakfast, free Wi-Fi and late check out. Whereas the Visa Infinite offers all of that PLUS a $75 food and beverage credit (vs just $25 with Signature) and a $100 resort fee credit (not applicable at all hotels and destinations). In terms of luxury hotel chains, Visa Infinite has a larger roster of superior hotels to choose from with over 900 luxury hotels around the word.

Final Thoughts

The Visa Infinite program is like many other premium credit card rewards programs in that it offers a nice range of luxurious benefits to card holders. The top tier has elite benefits and securities that are going to be most attractive to a wealthier demographic, especially those that travel often and wish to do so in luxury. But there are many Visa Infinite perks provided to Visa Signature cardholders as well, which has much broader acceptance.

Just remember, the specific benefits you are entitled to can vary and change sporadically.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

Buying Airline Miles – When To Consider This Option?

June 9, 2021 by Lauren Graves

Miles can be earned through frequent flyer rewards programs with nearly any airline. If you fly often enough with one or two airlines, you will more than likely be rewarded for your loyalty with miles. These can be put toward any number of things, including ticket upgrades, hotel reservations, car rentals, and even airline-branded merchandise, if you’re into that sort of thing.

But what if you want more miles than you’ve currently earned making airline purchases or flying?

Many airlines give customers the option of purchasing additional miles or points for their accounts, but there aren’t many advantages in doing this as the price at which they are sold often exceeds the value in which they can be exchanged for.

The tactic of acquiring more miles than you’ve “earned” isn’t going to be a huge money-saving hack by any means, but there are some instances where it can cut costs and make your life easier.

We will cover those potential scenarios in this article.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

When Should You Consider Buying Airlines Miles

In a nut shell, there are generally three scenarios in which one should consider purchasing airlines miles.

You might consider buying miles if:

Buying miles makes the price of the ticket more affordable than its retail price, or
Buying miles keeps you from having your frequent flyer account deactivated, or
Buying additional miles allows you to cash in a bonus offer or reward that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to.

If the price of the ticket is greater than the cost of purchasing necessary miles.

There are going to be times (albeit, not often) when ticket prices surpass miles prices. When this is the case, take advantage of the opportunity to save money and buy miles rather than the ticket itself.

To find out when this opportunity is present, you’ll need to do some basic math.

First, figure out the price per mile if you were to buy miles directly from your loyalty program’s website. Look for the “buy,” “gift,” or “transfer” tabs once you’ve logged in. The price per mile varies by airline, but a general rule of thumb is 2.5 to 3.5 cents per mile.

Second, after you’ve added up how much it will take to buy the required miles for the ticket, weigh this against the actual retail price of the ticket itself. Be sure to factor in taxes and fees.

To prevent accrued miles from expiring.

The last thing you want to do after racking up major miles is to let them go to waste.

Most frequent flyer programs set expiration dates on their miles if your account remains inactive for too long—18 months is fairly typical—and one way to keep an account active is to put more miles into it. It doesn’t matter whether these are purchased or earned or how many it is.

Especially if your favorite airline will let you purchase just one or two thousand miles or if your flying habits are more sporadic, buying miles to prevent account deactivation could be a great way to make sure that you never lose miles before you get a chance to use them.

The United Airlines MileagePlus program, for example, allows customers to purchase as few as 2,000 miles and it goes up in increments of 1,000. These miles cost $35 per 1,000 miles (or 3.5 cents each) so with the 2,000 mile minimum purchase requirement, it would cost you $70 ($35 per 1,000 miles) to purchase 2,000 miles and thus keep your entire allotment active.

Buying miles to cash in on a bonus or to top off a reward.

Many airlines run promotions to incentivize buying miles, and you’re going to want to be on the lookout for these. Don’t waste your time with deals that only save you a couple of cents a mile, but instead keep your eyes peeled for slashed rates. Rate reductions of anywhere from 10% to 50% are common when you buy more miles at a time.

For example, American Airlines is currently running a promotion until June 20, 2021 where customers can buy miles up to 40% off. The maximum amount of miles one can buy (and also where the greatest value lies) is 150,000 miles. With this promotion the cost of 150,000 miles is $2,902.50 or 1.935 cents per mile! Login to your AAdvantage account here to see this particular bonus offer.

Topping Off a Reward

Buying miles is a quick and easy way to supplement what you already have in your account, but only if the math makes sense.

If you’re really close to being able to use your miles on a great reward or ticket but just don’t quite have what you need in your account, consider buying enough to close the distance. The vacation package of your dreams could be just a few thousand miles away.

Consider the following:

Let’s say you and your significant other want to go to Hawaii for vacation and you’ve saved 145,000 miles between the two of you.

In general, it costs ~40,000 miles for one roundtrip ticket to Hawaii (or 75,000 miles for business class).

You two easily have enough miles to cash in on a free trip (40,000 miles each x 2 = 80,000 miles required), but with just 5,000 extra miles you could go in business class (75,000 miles each x 2 = 150,000 miles required).

In this scenario, it could make sense to purchase the additional 5,000 miles to bring your allotment from 145,000 up to 150,000 to cash in on the business class trip to Hawaii rather than flying coach.

Where To Go To Buy Airline Miles

Where you need to go to purchase airline miles will depend on which loyalty program(s) you are a part of and which airlines you fly most often. For the most part, airlines want you to buy miles so they make this easy and obvious to find.

If you visit your loyalty program’s website or online portal, look for links saying “buy,” “gift,” or “transfer” miles.

Other Variables To Consider

As stated, purchasing miles isn’t going to make sense in most cases, so make sure that you know how to make this decision wisely when the option presents itself.

The following two considerations are also important to keep in mind if you are thinking about buying miles.

Can you purchase miles with a rewards credit card?

If you’ve got a great reward credit card in your wallet and it makes sense for you to purchase airline miles (using our guide above), then you may want to compound the miles you earn by purchasing them with your reward credit card.

Buying miles using a rewards credit card will earn you even more miles or credit card points at no additional cost to you—just make sure that both the airline and the card will let you do this.

The best cards count miles purchases as travel purchases, which is a good way to earn more points or miles than you pay for.

Co-branded airline cards are a great way to maximize the earning potential on anything travel-related with a certain carrier, especially miles, while general rewards cards may or may not be compatible with your airline of choice.

How many award seats are available on the flight?

Airline miles can’t just be used to purchase flight seats whenever you please. Unfortunately, award seats—or seats set aside specifically for award redemption—are often limited. And even more unfortunate, a carrier won’t always make it easy to find out how many award seats are still available when you go to book a flight.

Searching for tickets through your airline’s search engine and filtering the results is going to be your best bet, but make sure that you’re searching only direct flights, as flights through partner airlines are not typically eligible to be paid for with miles and points. Also note that if you are traveling with a large party, you are unlikely to be able to use miles for all of your seats. Usually, a flight or cabin only has between one and five award seats available, but this will depend on many factors including the airline, flight route, seat class, etc.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, the scenarios in which purchasing airlines miles makes sense are few and far between.

If you are close to being able to redeem a loyalty reward, your miles are about to expire due to account inactivity, your favorite airline is running a promotion you can’t pass up, or the cost of a flight ticket is greater than the cost of enough miles to pay for said ticket, then buying miles makes some sense. Outside of this, however, you’ll be hard pressed to find a scenario in which it would be advantageous to purchase miles.

Before you go through with any purchases, just make sure that you’re using the right credit card and award seats are still available on the flight you’re looking to take.

The ability to purchase airline miles is a useful option to keep in mind, but don’t fall into the trap of thinking that frequent flyer miles or points are more valuable than they really are. The true dollar value of any given mile ebbs and flows.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

Guide to United Airlines Electronic Travel Certificates [2021]

May 25, 2021 by Lauren Graves

An electronic travel certificate with United Airlines can be used to book trips on most United flights. These certificates, which can be easily redeemed for flights and/or preferred seating, can be a great way to save money.

Issued when a flight is canceled, these vouchers do not cost anything to you and are worth the full price of a canceled ticket.

So how do you get them, how do they work, and are they worth having? Find out below.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

What is United’s Electronic Travel Certificate?

A United electronic travel certificate can be used to purchase tickets for United flights, United Express flights, and flights through other airlines that are United Express-branded. However, these certificates are not redeemable for flights on airlines within the Star Alliance network or United-branded flights elsewhere. These certificates are not the same as award tickets.

In addition to select flight tickets, these certificates can be used to purchase upgrades such as Economy Plus seating, Basic Economy seating, and preferred seating.

Travel certificates are valid for two years after issuance and go into effect immediately after a flight is canceled. They are offered as an alternative to rebooking and paying a change fee to customers that need to cancel their flight. You can apply the full value of your canceled flight to one of these certificates and use it to purchase any qualifying flight even if it is for a different reservation.

Electronic travel certificates are issued by United for situations such as irregular operations, customer goodwill, fare difference during a ticket exchange, and instances of denied boarding. They are also offered as an option to passengers that voluntarily cancel a flight, but not all canceled flights are eligible to receive full refunds in the form of electronic travel certificates (certain payment types such as credit card points, for example, may not qualify). In some cases, you may only be offered future flight credit.

Electronic Travel Certificate vs Future Flight Credit: Which is Better?

Electronic travel certificates and future flight credit are often compared to each other because they are very similar: they are both issued when a flight is canceled and can both be used to book flights. But which is better?

That depends. Travel certificates have the advantage of being more flexible with time and future flight credit has the advantage of being more flexible with flight options; certificates have residual value and FFC does not. Basically, which is better comes down to when and how you’re most likely to use your credit to fly.

Here’s a breakdown of how the two compare.

When booking new travel you can:	Travel Certificate	Future Flight Credit
Change dates and/or locations	✅	✅
Book on partner airlines	✅	✅
Use for new travelers	❌	✅
Book on United and United Express	✅	❌

This table should help you determine whether to take future flight credits or a Travel Certificate.

In a nut shell…

Both:

Allow you to change travel dates and/or cities
Let you book United or United Express
Are eligible to earn miles

Electronic travel certificates:

Can be used to book new travel
Do not place restrictions on the travel-by date
Do not carry rules and restrictions from the original ticket
Can be used to book multiple flights
Can be used to book travel for someone else
*May maintain United card benefits such as priority boarding and free checked baggage. Learn more about United’s baggage policy in 2021.

Future flight credit:

Can be used to book flights on partner airlines
Maintains United card benefits such as priority boarding and free checked baggage

If you’re a United Chase cardholder, you’re going to want to read this closely. When you use your United card to pay for a ticket and end up canceling that flight in exchange for flight credit, your card benefits will carry over when you rebook. But if you receive a travel certificate instead and the cost of your new flight is less than the value of your certificate, your benefits will not transfer. If, on the other hand, the cost of the flight exceeds the value of your certificate and you pay the difference with your card, you’ll get those perks. If you have a United Explorer, Club, Presidential Plus, United Business, or United Club Business card, one of those perks will include either one or two free checked bags.

Another major difference between the two is that certificates are typically valid for twice as long. Normally, future flight credit expires within 12 months of issuance while electronic travel certificates take 24 months to expire. With that said, future flight credit for tickets issued between May 1, 2019 – March 31, 2021, is valid for travel commencing on or before March 31, 2022 gives passengers 24 months to rebook. Please note that the certificate expiration policy has been recently extended and used to be just 12 months. This is subject to change again but unlikely to do so in the near future.

One major benefit of travel certificates is that they can be put toward more than one flight. If you book a flight with your certificate that is valued at less than the value of your certificate and still have credit left over, the extra will remain in your account for use on your next purchase until the full value of the certificate has been used or the certificate expires—whichever happens first.

So as you can see, electronic travel certificates beat future flight credit in many ways because they are generally more flexible. They usually have a longer expiration period and fewer booking restrictions. But if you need the option of traveling through a United partner airline and/or you want to be able to use your United credit card perks with a flight that costs less than your voucher is worth, future flight credit might be the better choice for you.

How To Use or Redeem a United Electronic Travel Certificate

To redeem your United electronic travel certificate, visit united.com and select Deals & Offers navigate to Promotional certificates, then enter the code or PIN on your certificate. This will tell you how much is left on your credit and how long you have until it expires. You do not need to pay anything when you redeem your certificate to book travel online except for service fees associated with any flight. But if you redeem over the phone, you’ll be charged a small redemption fee.

Travel certificates, which are always issued in USD, do not have monetary value and may not be sold, transferred, or redeemed for cash. Trying to sell or trade a certificate will result in said certificate automatically becoming invalid, even for the original recipient. But if you do intend to use a certificate to purchase a ticket for a flyer other than yourself, which is permissible, you’ll need to make sure to do this from your own account and know that the certificate can only be redeemed by you. United will require identification at the time of purchase and your last name will be linked to the ticket.

Travel certificates may not be used in conjunction with MileagePlus awards, PlusPoints upgrades, or prepaid tickets and are not valid when redeemed through a travel agency. Service charges and fees may not be paid for with certificates—you will need to pay these with a card at the time of purchase and check-in. You may combine up to ten separate certificates as long as they are all valid.

Current Status of United Electronic Travel Certificates From United

Due to current and past travel restrictions put in place in accordance with COVID-19 safety regulations, United electronic travel certificates are now valid for 24 months from the date they are issued. They take effect immediately after you cancel a flight and select this option. Your certificate will be automatically sent to your email.

Lately, there has been some debate about whether travel certificates are actually a good alternative to just rebooking a flight like normal. This is because recently and temporarily, United has loosened up its flight change policy by allowing passengers to rebook without incurring a typical change fee of $200. However, this will result in you forfeiting some of the value of your original ticket if you opt for a flight that is priced lower than what you first paid.

Remember that travel certificates maintain the full value of your original ticket and can be used on more than one flight. So even with this flexibility in mind, electronic travel certificates are probably the way to go if you intend to fly through United or United Express in the next two years.

Final Thoughts

These electronic travel certificates are just another way that flyers can stretch their money and save when traveling. Electronic travel certificates come out on top when compared to future flight credit in many instances and are the logical choice over a traditional flight change. Across the board, these certificates are generally going to save you more than rebooking and the pesky change fees that come with that, but if you can wait to see if United will cancel your flight—in which case they are required to issue a full refund—or make changes to it, do that.

United Airlines First Class Review [Domestic Flights]

May 23, 2021 by Lauren Graves

United Airlines is one of the most popular airlines today and the fourth-largest U.S. airline overall by the number of passengers carried annually. And while most people flying domestic opt for basic economy or coach seating, there are plenty of flyers that want a more luxurious and comfortable flying experience both when they’re in the air and before they get there. First-class fare is the way to achieve this.

United First is one of a few different premium seat options available on United flights. The other options are United Business and United Polaris (first or business). All premium seats include the following:

Priority boarding and security
Ultra-comfortable and larger seating
A free checked bag
Complimentary alcoholic beverages

Of these, United First is generally considered to be the best. Here’s everything you can expect when flying domestic first-class through United Airlines.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

What to Expect When Flying Domestic First Class with United Airlines

United First Class customers can check 2 bags free of charge.

Your United first-class flying experience begins before you even take flight.

Before you check-in, you’ll get to take advantage of United Premier Access benefits (more on these to follow). United First customers may check two standard-sized bags free of charge and their luggage should be among the first checked and loaded onto and off of the plane.

And once you’re on the plane as a United first-class flyer, your flight will be more comfortable and spacious than it would be in another cabin. In a United First cabin, there is ample space between every seat, more legroom than the average passenger generally needs (more on seat specs below), and cushioned leather seats that recline. There are other storage, entertainment, and food and beverage perks as well. Here’s exactly what’s in store for United Flight passengers.

Privileges and Perks

The three primary upgrades that first-class flyers experience on United flights have to do with seat options, dining, and overall service accommodations. Take a look at the breakdown of a standard United First flight.

It’s worth noting that United First seats are not offered on all flights, but that there is premier seating available on every plane.

Seat Options

The exact size and configurations of your seats when you fly first-class with any airline, United included, depend on the type of plane you’re flying. But as you will see, the specs are very similar across all flights.

United offers first-class domestic flights on a couple of its airplanes: the Boeing 737 and 757. To know how much legroom you can count on having or how much space there will be between first-class seats, see your plane below. Configuration represents how many seats are grouped together, pitch is the distance between rows of seats (which includes legroom), recline is how far back your seat will go, and the width listed is for each individual seat.

The seat specs for 737-700 United First flights are as follows:

Configuration: 2-2
Pitch: 38”
Recline: 5”
Width: 20.4”

The seat specs for 737-800 United First flights are as follows:

Configuration: 2-2
Pitch: 37”
Recline: 5”
Width: 20.5”

The seat specs for 737-900 United First flights are as follows:

Configuration: 2-2
Pitch: 37”
Recline: 5”
Width: 20”

The seat specs for 757-300 United First flights are as follows:

Configuration: 2-2
Pitch: 38”
Recline: 5”
Width: 20.4”

If United First is not available on your flight, then another premier cabin option such as Polaris business or first class most likely will be. On some planes, United First seats are being replaced by Polaris seating, which is different from first-class seating in shape and configuration.

All first-class seats on United flights feature personal storage spaces, an in-arm slot for electronic devices that includes a universal charger, a cup holder, and double pockets in the seat in front of you. In addition, there is an extendable granite cocktail table that can be accessed from the center console between seats.

Dining

[Update on Meals and Snacks for Domestic First Class Flights on United May 2021

For flights in United First under 1 hour, United won’t have snacks available, but you are allowed to bring your own.

For flights between 1 and 2 hours and 20 minutes, United will provide you an “all-in-one” snack bag with sanitizer wipe, 8.5-ounce bottled water and two snacks.

For flights over 2 hours and 20 minutes, you will have a choice of various sandwiches and one of their snack boxes on flights from:

Atlanta
Boston
Chicago O’Hare
Cleveland
Denver
Fort Lauderdale
Fort Myers
Honolulu to Los Angeles and San Francisco
Houston Intercontinental
Kahului to Los Angeles
Los Angeles
New York/Newark
Orlando
San Francisco
Tampa
Washington Dulles
West Palm Beach

On domestic flights from all other airports, only their snack box is offered. For those traveling on flights to Hawaii, United will offer the following:

Main meal: packaged nuts, hot meal, packaged bread and butter, salad and salad dressing, and a sealed, single-serve cup of ice cream with a wrapped cookie.
Pre-arrival: assortment of snacks from the snack basket

*One exception is flights to Hawaii from Los Angeles or San Francisco, which only receive a choice of sandwich or snack box.]

United First Class Dining Continued…

What’s first-class without premium dining? With United Airlines, however, “premium dining” is likely more of a subjective term. If your flying experience and expectations are set to the level of, say, Singapore Airlines, you will probably be let down. That said, many regulars on the FlyerTalk forums say the quality is above average and that the food, at the very least, tastes better than it appears.

United First Class Breakfast Example [2020]

Posted by FlyerTalk user Krazykanuck in January of 2020. He notes “the biscuit was warm and delicious.”

United First Class Dinner Example [2020]

Posted by FlyerTalk user st530 in January of 2020. He notes “despite the small portion size it tasted very fresh and crispy.”

United First flights offer multi-course meals for flights longer than two hours and 20 minutes and smaller snack options for flight durations of less than this. If your flight is less than two hours and 20 minutes, you are eligible to receive only light refreshments such as pretzels, muffins, and fruit. If your flight is longer than four hours, you may receive full meal service including two entree choices as well as a snack including a hot sandwich and chocolate. Multi-course meals with two entree choices are offered on flights of five hours and 20 minutes and longer. Certain flights are eligible for multi-course meals with three entrees.

The menu is always changing, but sample menus are available through the United site. Multi-course meals include appetizers, a salad course, however many entrees you are eligible for, and dessert.

As for beverages, many types are offered free of charge to United First flyers. These include:

Water
Soft drinks
Juice
Tea
illy Coffee
Beer (domestic and craft)
Wine
Spirits
On The Rocks Cocktails

All of your food and beverage choices will be brought to you at no extra charge, some of which you’ll be able to enjoy before the plane even takes off.

Service

Aside from full-service meal accommodations and everything that that entails, first-class United passengers receive United Premier Access when they fly. The perks of this include designated check-in lanes at the airport, exclusive security lanes, priority boarding, and priority baggage handling. These perks are subject to availability and eligibility for each will be determined on the day of your flight. You pay nothing for these services when you are a First Class passenger with United.

Cost

Flying first-class is significantly more costly than flying Basic Economy.

One of the most popular flight routes in the U.S., LAX to JFK, currently costs $189 round-trip for United Basic Economy and $877 round-trip for United First. To fly from Atlanta to Orlando, you’d pay $354 to fly Basic economy and $870 to fly first-class. Finally, from New York LaGuardia to Chicago O’Hare, a Basic Economy ticket will cost $157 while a first-class ticket will cost $415.

As you can see, upgrading from an economy to a first-class United ticket is a big deal. These prices are obviously drastically different from each other—and first-class prices are most likely very much out of reach for many—, but paying for first-class fare outright isn’t the only way to access it. Also, United first-class can be more affordable than other airlines in many instances.

And of course, even though first-class does increase the price of your ticket by quite a bit, it also cuts down incidental fees for checked baggage, inflight accommodations, etc., so this should be considered.

Fly First Class on Rewards

A tight travel budget doesn’t have to stop you from experiencing first-class flying. You can use miles, points, and rewards to upgrade your seat to a United First flight seat. You can search any flight by how much it will cost in dollars or award points.

Award travel can be purchased with miles earned through United’s frequent flyer program, MileagePlus. Just know that you will almost always have to pay additional cash fees on top of this unless you are a Premier Elite flyer. Award flights, like any other flight, are priced by distance traveled. The cost in miles for a domestic flight could be anywhere from 10,000 to 30,000 miles, depending on the value of the flight and the distance.

Use caution when booking award travel. In some cases, using miles to buy flights ends up costing more than it would if you were to just use money. Sometimes, the value of what you pay in miles exceeds the price of a ticket and effectively loses you money. The cost breakdown of cents per miles when paying and when using points is definitely something to consider no matter how many miles you have in your account. There will also be times when award seats are not available, so don’t count on them always being an option.

Another way to get a spot in first-class is through complimentary seat upgrades. Premier upgrades, which can only be applied to tickets that are Economy (not Basic) or higher, are given to those with elite or Premier status through United’s loyalty program.

United Premier status is determined by the number of Premier qualifying points and Premier qualifying flights in your account. Anyone enrolled in PlusPoints can earn points. Those with United-branded credit cards can earn even more points and flight miles toward their award status.

To reach Silver status, you need to have completed six flights and earned 2,000 points or earned 2,500 points. To reach Gold status, you need to have completed 12 flights and earned 4,000 points or earned 5,000 points. To reach Platinum status, you need to have completed 18 flights and earned 6,000 points or earned 7,500 points. Finally, to reach 1K status (the top status), you need to have completed 26 flights and earned 9,000 points or earned 12,000 points.

If you are within any Premier tier, you are eligible for complimentary upgrades subject to availability. United Premier members can also receive complimentary Premier Upgrades if they have one of the following United travel cards (offered through Chase):

United℠ Explorer Card
United Club℠ Infinite Card
United Explorer Business Card
United Club Business Card
United Presidential Plus Card
United Presidential Plus Business Card

Understand, however, that simply having the right rewards status and credit card doesn’t automatically guarantee you a first-class seat. It simply makes you eligible for upgrades when they are available and prioritizes your upgrades over others—basically, it just increases your odds of being upgraded. Your upgrade status could be confirmed anywhere from four days prior to departure (for Premier level 1K) right up to the day your flight takes off (for Premier level Silver).

How Does United First Class Compare to Other Airlines

United First domestic is largely regarded as one of the best first-class flying experiences available in the U.S. Although some may disagree, a major advantage that United First has going for it is the food. United Airlines partners with reputable chefs through The Trotter Project to offer its first-class passengers gourmet menu items and an exciting range of options. So naturally, the food is above average.

One of the potential downsides of United First is that it does not provide lounge access on domestic flights. Inflight entertainment is also somewhat lacking compared to other carriers. United provides complimentary DIRECTV to all first-class passengers (on select flights), but you must pay for WiFi. The seat-back entertainment systems available for first-class passenger use, however, are fairly robust and United Private Screening offers a wide range of viewing and listening options.

If you value lounge access and all-inclusive IFE, know that United doesn’t offer these on first-class domestic flights. United First might not give you quite as much value as what other airlines will on all flights, but it’s not bad and many flyers have found United first-class to be one of the most affordable domestic first-class options.

Final Thoughts

Overall, United First domestic flights are comfortable and accommodating. They come with many complimentary perks and advantages and they can be snagged with points and rewards. So as far as domestic first-class goes, United Airlines seems to do pretty well. Unless you happen to have an unlimited amount of money to spend on travel, United First is going to be best for those that are loyal to United and already have points or rewards racked up that can be put toward seat upgrades.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

14 Simple Ways to Keep Your American Airlines Points Active

May 22, 2021 by Lauren Graves

The American Airlines points program, called AAdvantage, is how American Airlines thanks its customers for continued loyalty and how frequent flyers can earn miles that stretch their money farther. If you qualify for the AAdvantage program and want to know how to keep your account active, find out how to prevent your miles from expiring.

In a nut shell, you need to earn more miles or redeem what you already have to keep your points active. Flying is just one way to earn and keep miles from expiring, but it might not be the most convenient choice. There are countless other ways to earn miles through American Airlines that don’t involve boarding a plane at all, and plenty of ways to redeem miles too. Keep reading for 14 simple tips that will keep your points active.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

Do American Airlines Miles Expire?

Yes, American Airlines miles do expire, but it takes 18 months of inactivity for this to happen. This is a relatively short expiration period, but it can easily be reset (an option that not all airlines offer).

Qualifying activity includes earning or redeeming miles, so all you have to do to keep the miles in your account from lapsing is to use miles or get more. And as soon as activity is registered on your account, the expiration date is automatically reset to 18 months from the time of most recent activity.

At this time, American Airlines is extending the expiration period for miles set to expire between April 2nd and June 30 of 2020 to July 1st due to travel restrictions and stay-at-home orders that make it harder to get and use points. So you might not have to worry about keeping your miles just yet, but you’ll want to know how to when that time comes.

Here’s how.

Fly

You don’t have to fly to earn miles, and you don’t even have to fly American if you are going somewhere. A trip through any of American Airlines’ one world or other partner airlines counts and will help you get points. Your miles can then be put toward American or partner flights, once you have enough.

So if you’re already planning to go somewhere, make sure you maximize your spending—and reset your account—by flying American or an American partner.

Use Your Miles to Shop

The AAdvantage e-shopping mall provides an opportunity for members to earn points per dollar spent at over 950 online stores. There are many participating stores to choose from, and the portal lets you sort these by name or earn rate, top stores, featured deals, store type (including at home comforts, food and drink, entertainment and education, and more), and trending stores.

But don’t think that shopping through a portal means your options are limited. This is far from the case, as you’ll have access to popular brands and companies like Apple, Nike, and Target. Some places will only give you a point per dollar spent, but some will give you seven. Keep in mind that earning even just a few miles is enough to prevent your balance from expiring.

Your first thought when you need new clothes, tech, or other household essentials might not be to make your purchases through American Airlines, but as long as this thought occurs to you at least once every 18 months, you could keep your American points active through online shopping alone.

Enroll in the AAdvantage Dining Program

Just like everyone has to shop, everyone has to eat, and American Airlines is prepared to reward you with more than just a full stomach when you dine at any of their 10,000 restaurant partners. AAdvantage Dining lets you earn miles per dollar when you eat out at thousands of local and nationwide establishments that you probably already eat at anyway. You won’t earn a whole lot unless you do this often, but at least your points won’t expire.

Just input your location into the search tool to see your options and find out how many miles you can expect to earn.

Transfer Miles

More miles than you know what to do with? Share them with someone else. Transferring miles to another person’s AAdvantage account will incur fees of $20 or more per 1,000 miles (login here for current rates) and processing fees on top of that, but it’ll also keep your points active, so it may or may not be worth it. You may transfer no more than 200,000 per year and transfers are not reversible or refundable. Keep this option in mind for when other methods, for whatever reason, aren’t going to work.

Buy Miles

Use the BGT Portal to buy, gift, or transfer miles.

Full disclosure: this is not the most practical or economical way to keep your points active, but it’s a choice nonetheless. Buying more miles will cost upwards of $30 per 1,000 miles and at least as much in processing, but you can do this quickly and easily in a pinch and it’s better than coughing up the cash to have miles reactivated if they expire. Plus, there are often promotions that’ll essentially match the miles you buy, making the fees more worthwhile.

Get (And USE) an AAdvantage Credit Card

Using an American Airlines branded travel credit card is one of the easiest ways to earn miles without having to remember to do anything special. With one of the following four CitiBank / AAdvantage credit cards, you can earn miles for everyday spending on groceries, American Airlines purchases, food and drink, gas, and nearly anything else.

American Airlines credit cards include the:

Each card has its own unique perks, but all of them have mileage benefits (as well as travel discounts and perks). The MileUp card, for example, earns 2X miles at grocery stores. The Platinum Select earns 2 AAdvantage® miles per $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases, and on purchases at telecommunications merchants, cable and satellite providers, car rental merchants and at gas stations. The Executive card earns 2X miles on American Airlines purchases, and the Platinum Select business card earns 2X miles on cable and satellite purchases. No matter how you do most of your spending, one of these is likely to fit your lifestyle.

You probably don’t need to be told to not get credit cards you don’t need or for the miles alone, but one of these travel cards may just be right up your alley. And because there is no limit to the number of miles you can earn, spending with one of these cards might also be the perfect way to not only keep your points active but earn rewards effortlessly. Just be aware that some of these cards have annual fees.

Book a Hotel Stay

image credit: hyatt.com (AAdvantage hotel partner)

If using your credit card isn’t simple enough, the AAdvantage program makes it possible to earn miles in your sleep—as long as you’re sleeping in an American Airlines partner hotel. With big-name partners like Hyatt, Marriott, and Best Western, you can find a participating hotel just about anywhere in the world.

You can either stay at a partner hotel to earn miles—either flat rate or per dollar miles—or convert hotel points to American miles, and both of these actions count as qualifying activity on an account. You’ll maximize your return by staying at a partner hotel, so if you know ahead of time that you’ll be traveling, do this rather than converting points afterward (hotel points are not redeemable for an equal amount of airline points, so converting should be a last resort).

Book a Cruise

You might not associate cruises and flying with each other, but maybe you should. Similar to the partner hotel program, the American Airlines cruise program grants members miles when they take to the seas. Earn bonus miles well into the thousands per cruise when you book through American Airlines Cruises, with fares backed by a 110% best price guarantee (if you find a better price somewhere else within two days of booking through American, you’ll be refunded 110% of the difference).

Cruise lines like Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and even Disney participate in this program, so don’t worry about not finding the trip you’re looking for. Tickets are sold at exclusive American Airlines discounted rates and, of course, earn major miles. Through June 30, 2022, earn one AAdvantage mile per $1 spent on cruises up to 10,000 miles.

Rent a Car

AAdvantage members can also earn when renting cars—at least 500 miles per rental day, in fact. When you book a car with American Airlines, you can rent through car rental programs including but not limited to Budget, National, Avis, and Hertz. Today’s featured deals, valid through May 31, 2020, include:

Save up to 35% and earn 1,000 bonus miles through Avis
Save up to 30% and earn 1,000 bonus miles through Budget

Save With Bask Bank

Want a way to earn miles while saving money? Bask Bank—an online, FDIC-insured bank that offers the only savings account that earns miles instead of interest—can make that happen. Right now, they are offering 5,000 miles when you deposit $5,000 into a savings account and maintain this balance for at least 30 days. Rather than an interest rate, you’ll earn a mile on the dollar with this account.

A single AAdvantage mile is estimated to be worth 1.4 cents, so you’re looking at sizable returns if you go this route. However, unless you fly a lot, you probably don’t want all of your interest in the form of miles; but if you do, this is an easy way to keep the deposits coming and your points active.

Sign up for e-Rewards or Miles for Options

American Airlines and other companies want your feedback, and they want it so badly that they’re willing to give you miles for it. Get 250 AAdvantage miles just for signing up with e-Rewards, an online market research community, then keep answering surveys of your choice (they don’t all have to be about flying) to earn e-Rewards currency that can be converted into miles. You’ll need a balance of $12 or more in e-Rewards to redeem, and these can be redeemed as miles.

You can also (or instead) sign up for Miles for Opinions, an American Airlines partner with a similar program. Participate in any surveys, panels, or focus groups you’d like to and receive miles deposited directly into your AAdvantage account.

Enroll in LifeLock

Protect yourself from identity theft and get 12,000 miles by enrolling in a LifeLock membership. You’ll need to be an active member for 31 days before the miles are yours, but then you’ll get even more (dependent on membership plan) in the second and third years of your membership if you choose to continue your LifeLock protection.

LifeLock will monitor your SSN and credit activity and scan for potential threats for $8.99/month (standard) and bank and investment activity on top of that for $22.49/month (ultimate plus). Obviously, signing up for a new identity theft protection service isn’t exactly going to save you money, but it’s something to consider if you want this type of insurance anyway.

Donate to Charity

If you’re feeling charitable, consider donating to an organization in collaboration with American: Stand Up to Cancer. This charity is committed to researching cancer treatments and cures, and American Airlines is committed to helping them do that by presenting members with the option of donating to earn miles. You’ll get 10 miles for every dollar you give over $25, and this action can be performed at any time. Just make sure to donate through American Airlines to get your miles.

Donate Some Miles

If you don’t want to donate cash for miles, you can go a slightly different route and donate your miles. This is an especially good option if you don’t have enough points to help with flight costs and/or want to support a worthy cause for no additional cost.

Donate miles to any of the following programs:

Miles for Our Well-Being, which supports the health and wellness of patients in partnership with Stand Up to Cancer, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and Make-A-Wish
Miles for Our Heroes, which honors American military service members in partnership with Medal of Honor, the George W. Bush Institute, and the Gary Sinise Foundation
Miles for Our Social Good, which performs humanitarian work in partnership with the Red Cross, Feeding America, and UNICEF.

There is no minimum donation required and donations made in this fashion are not tax-deductible.

How to Reactivate your AA Miles

You can reactivate your AA miles if they’ve expired, however American Airlines will charge a fee to do so.

If you decide to go this route, you have one of two options:

Online by logging in to your account.
By calling customer service at 800-882-8880 or your elite reservation number. Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. (CT).

You can reactivate up to 500,000 miles within 18 months of their expiration.

Final Thoughts

Since there are so many ways to earn and redeem miles, there’s no reason that your AAdvantage points need to expire before you can use them—to let this happen is not only wasteful but entirely avoidable. If you follow these tips and tricks, it’s easy to keep your account active and maximize your earnings.

But if you regularly come close to letting your points expire, keep in mind that adding more points to your account is only going to drive your total miles up and you’ll still have to use them at some point. There are certainly worse problems to have than too many miles, but the AAdvantage loyalty program isn’t going to do you much good if you’re not using your points.

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