As you probably already know, airline miles can be earned by flying a specific airline. But did you know there are many other ways to earn airline miles that you can redeem for flights purchased on-board purchases, upgrades and discounts?
With the right credit card, flying with partner airlines, shopping online and even dining at the right restaurant can easily earn valuable miles.
So it’s easy to earn airline miles even if you’re not a regular customer. Keep reading to find out some of the best ways to make money.
The best way to earn airline miles from a credit card
Credit cards can earn airline miles through daily expenses and welcome offers.
If you are approved by an airline branded credit card, you can earn airline miles for every dollar per dollar, and the card will usually provide reward miles for direct relating to airline spending. If you fly regularly, this may be an easy way to dial a lot of airline miles, which you can redeemed for free or heavily discounted flights on the same airline.
Many cards also offer generous welcome bonuses to attract new and/or qualified customers. Here are some of the best welcome bonuses for airline branded credit cards:
- UnitedQuest℠ Card (See rates and fees) Best quote ever: From the first three months of account opening, $4,000 was spent in the first three months of purchase, earning 100,000 miles and 3,000 prime minister eligibility points.
- citi® /aadvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (See interest rates and fees): Earn 70,000 miles after spending $7,000 in the first three months of opening an account.
- DeltaSkymiles® Reserve American Express Card: Earn 70,000 miles after spending $5,000 on qualified purchases in the first six months of card membership.
- Joint business card (See interest rates and fees): Spend $5,000 in the first three months of opening an account, earning 100,000 miles of bonus miles and 2,000 Prime Minister Qualifying.
- Southwest RapidRewards® Priority Credit Card (See Interest Rates and Fees): $4,000 spent in the first five months of opening an account and earned 100,000 bonus points.
The best way to earn airline miles from transfer points
Transferable points are more valuable than airline mileage due to how they are maximized. American Express, Bilt, Capital One, Chase and Citi offer reward cards with points that you can transfer to numerous airlines and hotel partners.
The transfer points are especially valuable if you want to travel in a premium cabin with a minimum number of points or miles. Instead of being limited to individual airlines (and their partners), you can keep transferable credit card points in your credit card account until you are ready to use them, and then choose to keep transferable credit card points in your credit card account based on the flight you want to take and the number of airline miles charged per program. This flexibility is very valuable.
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The best way to get transferable points is to use the right card. Here are some of TPG’s favorites:
- Chase SapphireReserve® (See interest rates and fees): Spend $5,000 in purchases in the first three months after opening an account, earning 100,000 bonus points and $500 in chase promotion credit.
- Citigroup Elite Card (See interest rates and fees): $4,000 spent in the first three months of opening, earning 80,000 bonuses.
- American Express Platinum Card®: Find out your offer and see if you are eligible for up to 175,000 membership reward points, which cost $8,000 in the first six months of a card membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
- American Express® Gold Card: Find out your offer and see if you are eligible for up to 100,000 member reward points after spending $6,000 in the first six months of card membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
- Capital One Venture X Reward Credit Card: Spend $4,000 in the first three months of opening and earned a bonus miles of 75,000 miles.
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 miles of bonus miles and spent $4,000 to purchase in the first three months after the account opened.
The best way to earn airline miles from frequent flights
When you fly with an airline that offers points and miles, it’s best to join its loyalty program and add your phone number on each flight.
The airline will provide you with miles for each qualifying flight, which you can redeem for later flights, or enjoy discounts based on the plan and airline discounts to enjoy on-board purchases like Wi-Fi and beverages.
If you fly regularly, you may get elite status in your chosen plan, making travel more convenient and comfortable, and get extra check luggage, priority check-in and board, top-notch upgrades and access to the lounge.
The best way to earn airline miles from the shopping portal
The shopping portal allows you to earn bonuses and miles every day for shopping online. You still buy the same item directly from the merchant, but since you start with the shopping portal, you earn bonuses.
While some portals can only spend 1 o’clock with many retailers, it is not uncommon to see quotes that spend 10 or more for some retailers. This can give you a huge reward if you have a lot of online purchases.
Earn airline miles from the shopping portal:
- Select the loyalty program of your choice.
- Make sure you are a member of this loyalty program.
- Download the optional Google extension, and if you shop with your retailer, you can purchase points through the portal.
- Shopping through the portal, rather than going directly to the retailer. This is probably the hardest step to remember when you are rushing to retail therapy. You may want to set up your favorite airline plan’s shopping portal as the home page on your internet browser so you will never forget to start from now on.
- Shopping normally on the retailer’s website. If you don’t want to, you don’t need to pay with a common brand of credit card.
- Wait for points to arrive; this can take several weeks.
Related: Aviation Shopping Portal Beginner’s Guide
Here are some popular air shopping portals:
The best way to earn airline miles from stacking transactions
Combine shopping portals with reward credit cards, and you can immerse in both directions and earn more miles with each purchase.
Also, be aware of other quotes from airlines and credit card issuers. When spending on a designated card with a specific retailer, they may offer additional cash back or bonus miles. This means you can shop first through the shopping portal, then purchase from retailers and purchase bonuses from issuer issuers, and then pay with credit cards earned with points.
Related: Use Shopping Portal Collector to Maximize Your Online Purchase
The best way to earn airline miles from dining
Most airline loyalty programs offer dining rewards programs that allow you to earn extra points or miles.
Before using the Catering Rewards Program, you must register for the program online and then register a credit or debit card in the program. Then, when you use your card to pay for eligibility fees for participating restaurants, bars and clubs, you will automatically receive a reward through your dining plan.
Here are some of the best airline dining reward programs:
Related: Airline and Hotel Catering Rewards Program: Which is the best for you?
Bottom line
Even if you are not a regular traveler, there are many ways to earn air miles.
While all plans, cards, airlines, and options may seem overwhelming, it’s a good idea to think about which airline you want to focus on and join its loyalty program. You can then start drawing ways to increase reward balance by adding your loyalty numbers to flights operated by that airline or partner airline, which is a step.
Also, consider a credit card that either earns rewards in the program or can transfer rewards that can be transferred to the program. You can also maximize your trip with your shopping portal and stacking offers.
