Frequent Flyer Rewards: A Beginner's Guide
Assuming you do a lot of travelling, you’re already familiar with frequent flyer rewards. But if you don’t go on many trips, you may be wondering what they’re all about. What exactly are frequent flyer miles? Why would I want or need them? How do you earn them? In this guide, we’ll explore the history, the ins and outs, and how you can start earning some. Back in the early 80s, a new incentive program was launched by American Airlines. The airline offered its customers free miles to entice existing customers to come back on a regular basis. They used the number of miles traveled as the basis of the rewards system—the more you fly, the more you earn. It immediately gained tremendous popularity, and soon all of the competitor airline companies were doing it. It’s now become a standard in the industry. A company without some form of rewards program would likely soon go out of business. Nowadays, you don’t have to travel to earn travel miles, and other incentives are included. Nonetheless, the fundamentals of the frequent flyer rewards program are the same as they were over 25 years ago. Airline companies want you to not only fly with them, but consider them the automatic choice whenever you’re looking to travel from A to B. So they offer customers different priveleges, rewards, and other bonuses for staying loyal to their airline. You frequently see packages involving travel, hotel, and rental cars rolled into one hefty deal.Depending on who you choose, the rewards may be referred to as points, miles, or some other unit of measuring your progress towards a reward. The biggest thing that has changed besides including non-travel incentives (cars and lodging) is the way you earn points. In the 1980s, you had to travel to earn travel points. But with the various partners who have joined up with the airline industry, this is no longer the case. For example, if you use a certain credit card when you go out to dinner, you might just be earning points. If you shop at a partner store, you may also earn points. Other common methods for earning points include going with certain long distance carriers and stock market transactions. Each time you earn points, it is recorded in your account with that company. While rewards don’t generally expire after such and such date, you generally have to do business with the company at least once every 36 months or so. It is important to check out different companies and go with a plan suited for your specific needs. Frequent flyer rewards are a nice way to get a little something extra for free. And these days, with high gas prices and rising grocery expenses, isn’t it nice to get something free?
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