Jetting There: Miles and Points

JETTING THERE

MILES AND POINTS

Rack ’Em Up- Browse ’Til You Board

Travel expert Johnny Jet shares his tips for getting the most out of your miles and points.

By Johnny Jet

Sometimes I wonder what life would be like without airline miles and hotel points. Ever since they were introduced by American Airlines in 1981, millions of people slowly became hooked. These days, it seems like you either need to see a doctor to kick the habit or hire a specialist to figure out how to use them.

I often speak at travel shows around the country and the subject of using your airline miles and points always comes up. Just last month, I publicly argued with a fellow panelist when he said that frequent flier programs should only be used by frequent travelers. In my opinion, that’s just crazy talk! So here are my 10 tips and tricks for making the most out of your airline miles and points:

1. Signing up for a loyalty program takes just a few minutes and you can do it either online or at the front desk at a hotel. Don’t forget that many airline and hotel brands have partners, giving you even more options of earning points and miles while traveling.

2. Sign up for every company’s loyalty program that you use. You can create a separate Gmail or Yahoo email account if you are worried about being spammed.

3. Even just a small amount of points have value. For example, website MagsForMiles.com lets you trade in frequent flier miles for yearly subscriptions to a choice of about 50 magazines and newspapers.

This is an excerpt only. To read this article in its entirety, pick up the current issue of  Porthole Cruise Magazine

.