I’ve flown to London for $85 round trip, $185 round trip, and most recently $225 round trip. I always get the same questions over and over. But then when anyone hears that I also flew round trip to Hawaii for $11.20 from the east coast of U.S. and First Class to Seattle for $11.20 (round trip), they are stunned.
That’s usually the moment people stop me and say,
“Wait…how are you doing this?”
Coach Class is perfectly fine with me
For me, I am less concerned about flying Business Class or sipping champagne in First Class than I am about getting to possibly travel 2-3 times on the same number of air miles. I have no desire to spend my whole mileage balance on one seat, headed to one fancy vacation. Others may, but that is not me. Once people hear that, they usually imagine complicated spreadsheets, dozens of credit cards, and hours spent chasing points online. Honestly? That’s also not me.
People always ask me how I afford to travel so often. I begin to explain the air miles programs I use to pay for my flights. Even if they themselves already have mileage points accounts, they are still shocked at what I share. They are completely unaware of the extra benefits. This includes even some frequent international travelers, who have been throwing away easy-earned points without knowing it.
Before We Go Any Further…
Let me say one important thing.
This strategy only works if you pay your credit card balance in full every month.
If you’re carrying a balance and paying interest, the rewards simply aren’t worth it.
For me, the money is already sitting safely in my checking account. I’m not spending more. I’m simply changing how I pay. That’s the entire philosophy.
My Credit Card Is Just the Middleman
Almost every bill that reasonably can go on my airline rewards credit card goes there. Then I pay the balance from my checking account. That’s it. I’m not buying things I don’t need. I’m not creating debt. I’m simply letting buys I was already going to make earn miles.
Over time, those miles become airline tickets.
Finding the Silver Lining
Life has a funny way of handing us expenses we’d never put on our wish list.
A $1,200 car repair could earn you 1,200 airline miles if you pay with your airline rewards credit card and pay the balance in full.
Four new tires. Same as above (insert cost of tires for points you will earn by paying with the airline credit card.)
A broken water heater. Same as above (insert cost of water heater for points earned.)
A washing machine that decides it’s retired.
THIS ONE is a retail purchase and one can reap up to 10 times the points (like I have in the past) on this purchase using the airlines shopping browser.
One day I needed a new laptop.
The airline shopping portal happened to be offering 10 miles per dollar at Best Buy.
I earned thousands of bonus miles just by starting my purchase through the shopping portal and then paying with my airline rewards credit card.
None of those unexpected expenses are exciting. But every once in a while, I remind myself there’s a tiny silver lining hidden inside them. If I have to spend the money anyway…I might as well earn something positive from it.
Those unavoidable expenses can quietly become the miles that carry me to my next adventure. It doesn’t make writing the check any more enjoyable. But it does make me smile knowing that one day those miles may turn into another window seat somewhere across the Atlantic. You have to find the silver lining in these situations. Gaining miles in any of those instances is a major travel hack.
(My $7,500 bathroom renovation that I wasn’t exactly excited to pay for? It quietly became 7,500 airline miles toward my next trip.)
Black Friday Is One of My Favorite Earning Days
Here’s another little trick that has added up for me over the years.
Before I buy Christmas gifts, I start my shopping through my airline’s shopping portal.
One year I earned 14,000 bonus miles buying Christmas presents I was already planning to buy.
Most people know about the credit card purchases, though far fewer know about the shopping portal. The information will arrive in your credit card rewards packet when you receive your credit card, but many people don’t bother to read the inserts about the extra added benefits.
I once received an apology email from an airline saying they miscalculated my bonus earnings for that cycle, and as a goodwill gesture credited my account with 25,000 bonus miles! It happens.
Even Pizza Can Help Me Get to London, Hawaii, Italy….
I use the airline’s dining rewards programs. You register your credit card once. Then when you eat at participating restaurants, you automatically earn airline miles.
One night I went out for pizza and salad with my kids. Nothing fancy. Pizza, salad, and beverages. Just dinner together. Later I checked my account and realized I’d earned 550 airline miles from that meal. Who knew? Even local restaurants may appear in my earnings. I never know who will reward me until my statement arrives.
No extra spending. No special menu. Just another little piece of a future trip paid for (and not by me).
Always Compare Airline Programs
Here’s another habit that’s saved me thousands of miles.
If I’m booking an American Airlines flight, I don’t automatically book it through American Airlines. I also check my Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan account.
Because both airlines are members of the oneworld alliance, there are times when Alaska charges fewer miles for the exact same American Airlines-operated flight.
Same airplane. Same seat. Same departure time. Different mileage pricing.
That five-minute comparison has saved me thousands of miles over the years. Most people never think to look.
Extra Bonus Tips:
1) I also look at one-way flights as well as round-trip. Sometimes it’s a better deal to redeem the departure with one airline’s points and the return home with the other airline’s points. It’s never apples to apples in the airline points universe.
2) I purchase items in the e-shopping portal in advance (if the store has in-store pick-up options) and reap the points benefits before I hit the store to pick up my items. It’s especially great for The Home Depot/Lowe’s runs, where projects and materials for the home can really up in one store visit.
The Best Reward Isn’t the Flight
People often assume my favorite part is finding a cheap flight. Honestly…It isn’t. It just takes the heat off and allows me to spend my hard-earned money during the trip.
My favorite part is what those savings allow me to do once I arrive. Afternoon tea in London. A West End show. A quiet flat with a little courtyard. Fresh pastries from a neighborhood bakery. A multi-day escape from London via train to Scotland or Paris. A flight to Rome.
Those are the memories I want to spend my money on. Not expensive airfare.
Your Biggest Takeaway….
If you’re just getting started, don’t try to learn every airline trick in one weekend.
- Start with one reward-based credit card. You get an automatic reward upon signing up. Thousands of miles, usually. NOTE: These credit cards do have an annual fee, so take that into consideration when deciding to get an airline rewards credit card. Be sure to read the rules and fees portion of the program.
- One airline loyalty account. Sign-up on their website once you receive your card and get yourself a loyalty membership number.
- One shopping portal. Sign into their e-commerce portal and add your loyalty membership information.
- One dining rewards program. Sign-in and add loyalty membership info and air miles credit card information.
That’s enough. Then simply keep living your life.
Examples of what you can use the cards to pay for in everyday life:
- Groceries.
- Retail shopping.
- Gasoline for the car.
- Insurance bills, cell phone bills, internet bills, etc.
- Unexpected repairs.
- Gift purchases
- Pay medical bills.
The list goes on.
One day you’ll look at your airline account and realize you’ve earned enough miles for a trip you once thought was out of reach.
My highest air miles combined balance (for two programs) at one point was 325,000 miles.
I had an absolute blast spending every one of them.
This is simply what has worked for me. Everyone’s financial situation is different, so always spend within your own means and choose the rewards strategy that fits your lifestyle.
Just remember… spend responsibly but redeem with wild abandon.
Because the best memories are waiting on the other side of that boarding pass.
Travel has taught me that sometimes the biggest journey isn’t crossing an ocean… it’s changing the way you think about what’s possible.
Just a little more advice from the window seat.
— Blanche Carroll
Founder, Window Seat Therapist™