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The Scuba Species
Frequent Flyer Miles; Fantasy or The Secret To Free Travel
Most people have heard of frequent flyer miles and either adore them or view them in the same regard as fools gold, in that it looks good but turns out to be not nearly as valuable as you hoped.
I used to be like that. I used to think that unless I was zipping on an off planes every five minutes then it was just a whole lot of complication for not a lot of reward.
There were two things that finally made me take the plunge. One getting slapped with a huge overweight baggage charge (and not for the first time). Two having to go back to long distance commuting in our relationship again.Â
I needed to start saving some money on my travels and I was willing to try anything. So I did my research. Then I did some more and finally signed up for frequent flyer miles. Now I’m a complete convert! Collecting points left, right and centre. In fact I kick myself that I didn’t do it sooner.
So to save yourself the same regret I have written down everything I know in this easy guide to help demystify frequent flyer miles and get you piling up points in no time.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you go through them to make a purchase we will earn a commission. Our aim is to help our readers through these links so everything we promote will be high quality products we personally believe in.
What Are Frequent Flyer Miles?
Back in the day when frequent flyer programmes were in their infancy the concept was fairly simple: take a few flights earn a free one. The whole point of course being to encourage repeat business by offering incentives to loyal customers. Hence why they are also referred to as ‘loyalty schemes’.
Safe to say they have gotten a little more complicated over the years and air miles no longer refer to actual miles flown, although the concept still remains the same. We collect air miles from the flights we have flown and even on purchases using specific credit cards in return for free flights, discounts, upgrades and other travel perks.
How Much Are Frequent Flyer Miles Worth?
Everyone wants a magic number. Unfortunately I can’t give you one.
The complex equation by which we now earn and spend airline miles means that pinning down a definite value for your points is no simple task. Some sites have given it a go like NerdWallet however even these guesstimates change all the time.
To massively simplify it I would say one point is equal to around 0.5 – 2 cents/pence.Â
However the value of your frequent flyer miles is also connected to how you choose to spend them. Generally speaking miles are worth more when used to purchase, get discounts or upgrade flights. They tend to have the worst value when used to book hotels, car hire, etc.
Some programmes also allow you to buy airline miles (which isn’t great value for money). Although is a good way to estimate their worth.
How To Earn Frequent Flyer Miles
One of the biggest misconceptions about collecting frequent flyer miles is that you have to actually be a frequent flyer. In fact this is what puts off a lot of people from even looking into it. Myself included. However thanks to constant evolution of the schemes over the years there are now lots of different ways to collect points.
Earning Miles Through Flights:
Ironically the least effective way to collect airline miles is through flying. In fact flights will probably only account for 10-20% of your points. That is if you’re not hopping on and off planes all the time. Yet they still worth collecting.
As most people know, to earn miles on your flights you need to be a member of the airline you are flying on.Â
So what usually happens is that over time you build up an impressive collection of memberships. Management of these memberships then becomes overwhelming. You either forget or can’t be bothered to stay on-top of it and the points you do have are so spread out that you can never spend them. Sound familiar? Well there is a better way.
How To Sign Up For Frequent Flyer Miles?
So, the real secret to earning frequent flyer miles? Airline alliances.
Most airlines belong to one of 3 major alliances: OneWorld, SkyTeam and StarAlliance. Simply put, these partnerships allow airlines to share resources, routes and thankfully for us earn and redeem miles through each others’ rewards programmes.
So instead of signing up for multiple memberships I only need one per alliance. For example I am a member of the British Airways Executive Club (OneWorld), FlyingBlue (SkyTeam) and Ethiopian ShebaMiles (StarAlliance).
Of course there are some annoying exceptions to this as Virgin, Etihad and Emirates don’t belong to any alliance. You will have to sign up for these separately.
Now all I need to do is search for the cheapest flight. See which airline alliance they belong to and enter my membership number when I book. Et voila, I’m collecting frequent flyer miles without even thinking about it.
Pro Tip: If you forgot to use your membership number or hadn’t signed up to a membership programme at the time of your flight most airlines allow you to still claim miles for up to 6 months after flight completion. Just sign in to your account and look for the ‘claim missing miles’ form.
How To Pick The Right Loyalty Programme?
Now we know that we need to choose one membership per alliance but does it really matter which one? Well yes.
You see each alliance offers various benefits so it makes sense to consider a few things before signing up. For example:
- Points to miles ratio
- How much flexibility there is when it comes to claiming reward flights. Are you limited to certain days/times.
- Added extras eg. Lounge access, extra baggage, fast track and are seat selection. These normally come from achieving ‘elite status’ (bronze, silver, gold, etc) which is much easier to achieve if you do actually fly frequently.
- Ability to move points between alliance members
- Expiration dates and ability to pool points
Check out some of the best airline loyalty schemes here.
That being said there is no point signing up to a membership programme with an airline you barely use. Loyalty programmes are called just that for a reason. They are meant to reward and promote loyalty. So it makes sense that best membership to join will be the one you fly with most.Â
This is usually very different person to person depending on where you live, where you normally travel (eg. Domestic or international) and personal preference. Hover over the airline codes on this handy map to see which alliances operate near you.
Pooling Points
As well as earning your own miles from your flights, a lot of airlines also offer for you to pool points.
This is sort of like family sharing in that different members can come together to form a household and put all their points together. Thus enabling you to spend miles that much easier.
Earning Miles Through Credit Card:
One of the great things about the evolution of frequent flyer miles is that literally anyone can start earning them. How? Shopping!
If you have a credit card you probably already know that most of them come with additional bonus’ like cash-back, discounts, merchandise, tickets and more. However did you know that you can also earn miles?
Nowadays most travel credit cards will offer earnings of at least 1 point for every 1 pound/dollar spent. These points then get tallied up and you can either redeem them with an airline of your choice or for co-branded airline credit cards they get put straight into your membership account.
How To Choose The Best Travel Credit Card?
What type of card you go for depends largely on which airline you have a membership with as well as the points to pounds ratio and even country of residence.
Luckily if you live in America there is a lot of choice as to which travel credit card you opt for. Plus thanks to the competitive market credit card companies offer huge welcome bonuses to encourage people to pick them over another.Â
Unluckily if you live in the UK or rest of the world the choices become pretty limited. Plus as our credit card culture is different the spectacular sign up deals don’t exist. It’s only really American Express (AmEx) and Virgin who offer worthwhile earning potential.
Find the best travel credit cards for the UKÂ here.
Taking Advantage Of The Welcome Bonus
If you don’t have a travel credit card yet then one huge perk is that most companies offer miles as a welcome bonus. In most cases it will require you to spend a specific amount within a time period in order to redeem them. However this does set you up with a nice stockpile of miles which you can use straight away or save up for something bigger.
For example the British Airways American Express offers 10,000 if you spend 1000 in the first three months.
In America this has created something called travel hacking or ‘credit card churning’, where once you have collected the welcome bonus you cut up the card and start again with a new one.
Although not possible in the UK it is still worth being clever when it comes to your credit cards. For example AmEx offer a range of travel credit cards however you can only receive the welcome bonus once. So to make the most of this I suggest signing up for the Gold first which has the best offer.Â
This also comes with the advantage of double points on airline purchases and 2 free lounge passes a year. However after the first year there is an annual fee of 140 pounds. If you are happy to carry on and pay this then go ahead or at this point cancel and switch to another.
When To Sign Up For A Travel Credit Card?
As long as you are over 18 and have a good credit score then you can apply for a travel credit card whenever you want.
That being said if you are taking advantage of the welcome bonus then the best time to apply is when you have a lot of big purchases planned. This way it’s more likely that you will hit the requirements and qualify for the points.
During certain times of the year some credit card companies also offer higher bonuses so keep an eye out for those too.
How To Use Your Travel Credit Card?
One negative of travel credit cards is that they usually have terrible interest rates. So its best to avoid using them like you may use a normal credit card. Instead set up a direct debit so you never miss a payment. This way you still get the miles without the worry of paying any huge fees.
Get the most out of your card by using it for as many every-day purchases and subscriptions as you can. Offer to pay for group activitiesNowadays when paying for group activities I always offer. That way I get miles even if I am getting the money paid back to me in part.
Pro Tip: Some online stores won’t accept AmEx but they will accept PayPal so link your AMEx to your PayPal account to work round this.
Additional cardholders on your account also make it easier to collect miles but watch out! It is also a lot easier to spend too much.
Another way to earn big is by inviting friends to join. But once you become a convert you won’t be able to stop talking about it anyway
Earning Miles Through Retailers:
If you are serious about earning air miles then you might wan to look into the retailers route. Lots of retailers partner with airlines to help them with promotions. Offering discounts and massive points advantages when you buy with their store.
Pro Tip: Register your cards to collect Avios when you shop in their partner stores, without having to go through their link.
Additionally some stores will offer conversions on their loyalty programmes. For example you can now convert nectar points into avios and vice versa. Roughly 400 nectar points equals 250 avios. Download the app and save to your digital wallet to save when you shop at Sainsbury’s Supermrkets as well as partners like Ebay, ASOS, Argos and more.
How To Spend Frequent Flyer Miles
Now for the fun part, spending your miles!
There are a few main ways to spend air miles and they are: getting a discount off a flight; booking a flight (taxes still payable) ; booking hotels, car hire, etc or getting an upgrade.
Booking A Flight Using Miles
How you book your flight may vary depending on your membership airline. Most will have some kind of search engine which enables you to find flights either based on how many points you have or by offering discounted rates.Â
When booking a flight it is important to note that a lot of the time you may have to pay taxes even if the flight is ‘free’. So if a flight is say $700 and the taxes amount to $500 then you may be better off saving your air miles for another day.
Also these ‘reward flights’ are usually subject to availability and can only be found well in advance. That is unless your not fussy about when or where you go!
If you do have a specific destination in mind then there may also be more value for money in discounting the flight rather than booking it with miles in full.
Upgrading A Flight Using Miles
Arguably the best value for your air miles is through using them to purchase an upgrade.Â
Obviously upgrading business to first is best however these tickets are already expensive. So a more affordable option is to buy an economy ticket and then upgrade to business. Just be aware that often the cheapest economy ticket is not upgradable, so check before you buy.
Purchasing Other Travel Expenses
With some membership programmes you can use air miles to purchase airport lounge access, hotel stays, car rentals, gift cards and airport purchases.
However this is usually offers the worst value for your points so would recommend sticking to the first two points. Alternatively if your heart is set then try and earn ‘elite status’ as this can often give you similar benefits and rewards.
Saving Frequent Flyer Miles
If your goal is to save enough airline miles for a long haul flight or first class ticket then by all means go for it.The more points you have the greater your flexibility and the more likely you are to reach those dream goals.
That being said, airline miles generally don’t get more valuable over time. So if your saving them for some huge trip years down the road or even for retirement you might want to rethink your strategy, as they may not be worth as much then as they are today.
Not to mention that its not unheard of of for airlines to go bust in which case all your careful saving will be for nothing.Â
Frequent Flyer Miles; Fantasy or Secret To Free Travel?
Short answer: Yes.
Long answer: Signing up for frequent flyer miles is easy and free. Plus literally anyone can benefit from it no matter your background or travel habits. So really you can only gain from signing up.
Would I be pushing it if I said airline miles can make your Tavel dreams come true? Maybe. But when you think of the opportunities it unlocks from access to free or massively discounted flights. Ones which could take you on trips you have only ever dreamed about. Or even if it just means you get to visit friends or family more. To finally getting to feel what it’s like to fly first class. Or simply for less stressful, more comfortable travel thanks to fast track, access to airport lounges and more baggage allowance. You never know just how much it could change your life.
Even if you’re not flying anywhere anytime soon you can still SIGN UP TODAY and start saving!
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Katie Braunstein
I have been a traveler my whole life, having been born in Zimbabwe but growing up mostly in the UK. I first got into diving three years ago when I met my partner and fell in love. Since then it has been my passion to share this love of our underwater world with others.
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