Understanding
how these airline rewards programs work is a slightly longer and more complicated answer.
See related: Understanding
how airline rewards programs work, 7 ways to track your reward cards like a pro
Understanding
how airline rewards programs work — Airlines have changed the structure of their reward programs, but still have great offers if you know how to earn miles.
According to one study, nearly 60 percent of Americans with frequent flyer miles admit they don't know
how airline reward programs work.
Not exact matches
NerdWallet has released a study of travel
rewards credit cards and the loyalty programs for four U.S.
airlines — American, Delta, Southwest, and United — that determines
how consumers should best use their points and frequent flier miles.
Though
airline rewards are often cited as best - of examples, most people don't truly realize
how successful these programs are.
For instance, if you're comparing
rewards cards that allow you to earn
airline miles, it might be helpful to find out
how many miles you'll need in order to be eligible for a free flight.
Check out
how many points you can get for that versus a bank
rewards portal card (Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, or Citi ThankYou Rewards) that can transfer points to your chosen a
rewards portal card (Chase Ultimate
Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, or Citi ThankYou Rewards) that can transfer points to your chosen a
Rewards, Amex Membership
Rewards, or Citi ThankYou Rewards) that can transfer points to your chosen a
Rewards, or Citi ThankYou
Rewards) that can transfer points to your chosen a
Rewards) that can transfer points to your chosen
airline.
You'll need to keep this in mind if, say, one card gives you 3 points for every dollar you spend on
airline tickets; those points will add up quickly, especially if you're smart about
how you redeem your
reward earnings (more on that later).
On average, unless they are very diligent with
how they redeem their miles, consumers can expect a
rewards rate of 1 % or lower from the Spirit
Airlines Mastercard.
Another point in favor of cash back over
airline miles has to do with
how flexible these type of
rewards tend to be.
When selecting an
airline rewards credit card, the most important travel tendency to consider is
how often you'll be using the co-branded
airline.
U.S. News surveyed 1,255
airline credit card holders regarding
how they use their
airline credit cards and
rewards program.
One issue with assessing
rewards rates for
airline credit cards is that a card can have very different
rewards rates based on
how you use the card and
how you use the points.
Here are step - by - step instructions on
how to transfer Chase Ultimate
Rewards points from the Chase Freedom to a card which allows you to transfer them to certain hotels and
airlines!
The main way many travelers use Chase Ultimate
Rewards points is by transferring them directly to
airline miles, so let's look at
how to do that first.
Johnson recommends getting a
rewards card that isn't tied to a particular
airline or hotel, because you'll have more flexibility with
how you use your points.
We appreciate
how these cards are also pretty flexible, such that you can redeem your points to use for practically any purpose: whether for
airline tickets, merchandise, or our favorite
reward — extra cash.
Now that you understand a little about what
airline miles are and
how they work, let's go into detail on
how to earn and use
rewards.
Learn
how airline miles work and 10 steps that you should follow to start collecting travel
rewards.
[0:14:35.0] GC: There's a question, there's so many different types of
rewards, there's points, there's cash back, there's
airline miles, there's hotel miles, all sorts of different things,
how do you know what's best?
Research and compare
airline reward programs to see exactly
how many miles you need to get to your dream destination, and which carrier makes the most sense to use.
For more information, check out our guide to the Ultimate
Rewards partners and
how to use them, and then take a look to see
how you can get the most value out of your Ultimate
Rewards points by transferring them to hotels and
airlines.
Another part of determining the worth of
airline miles or hotel points is understanding
how flexible the
rewards program is.
So far in this review, we've discussed the variety of benefits of owning the card, as well as
how to redeem Disney Dream
Reward Dollars for merchandise and statement credit for
airline tickets.
How to find the best
airline rewards bonus miles deal — In the market for a new
rewards card?
How to transfer
reward points to
airlines — If you have general
reward points through a credit card, it's a simple process to transfer them to a partner
airline for a free flight... (See Transferring
reward points)
Cathleen McCarthy:
How do generic miles stack up against
airline rewards?
Step 4: Once you have linked your
airline or hotel account to your Membership
Rewards account, choose
how many points you would like to transfer.
Finding the best
rewards card for
airline and hotel upgrades — There have been some important changes in recent years in
how airlines handle upgrades.
-- Our expert breaks down the differences between
airline - specific miles and generic miles
rewards, from
how they're earned to
how they're redeemed and beyond... (See Generic miles vs.
airline miles)
Q&A:
How to transfer AmEx points between
airlines — With a bit of work, you can use American Express Membership
Rewards points to fly on all three of the biggest U.S.
airlines... (See Transfer)
The
airline started a frequent flier program three years ago that allows customers to earn points based on
how much they spend on tickets — or charge on their Chase Southwest Rapid
Rewards cards — then redeem points based on the price of the fare.
Step 5: Once you have linked your
airline or hotel account to your Ultimate
Rewards account, choose
how many points you would like to transfer.
See related:
How couples can double up on card
rewards, Tips for booking holiday flights using
airline miles, Use miles, points for last - minute Northeast fall foliage trip
Hot Tip: Use our transfer partner tool to see
how many points you'll get when you transfer your Chase Ultimate
Rewards to partner
airlines and hotels!
Because if it stays this way, it won't be long before we hear the neighbors chattering away about
how Frontier
Airlines spent the night over at Ultimate
Rewards place...
The Wall Street Journal Travel Editor Scott McCartney explains
how Southwest
Airlines plans to
reward traveler loyalty.
See related:
How I canceled one of my Chase cards and saved my score, 5 least expensive
airline rewards redemptions
How many miles you can accrue depends mainly on the credit card
rewards program, but collecting on miles
rewards depends more on the
airline.
Southwest
Airlines announced that, as of April 17, its changing
how you can redeem Rapid
Rewards points....
Check out
how many points you can get for that versus a bank
rewards portal card (Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, or Citi ThankYou Rewards) that can transfer points to your chosen a
rewards portal card (Chase Ultimate
Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, or Citi ThankYou Rewards) that can transfer points to your chosen a
Rewards, Amex Membership
Rewards, or Citi ThankYou Rewards) that can transfer points to your chosen a
Rewards, or Citi ThankYou
Rewards) that can transfer points to your chosen a
Rewards) that can transfer points to your chosen
airline.
Not only do you have to deal with blackout dates, seating limitations and complicated
rewards charts, but loyalty programs (especially
airline programs) often come with a dense list of guidelines that limit
how you can use your
rewards.
In these articles, we show you
how to build points in whatever loyalty program you have chosen, whether it's an
airline, hotel, or card
rewards center.
How it works: Same as
rewards network but instead of
airline miles, cashback is
rewarded in the form of a monthly statement credit.
How do I earn
airline rewards?
SAA is Marriott's 41st
airline partner and give guests more options on
how to spend
rewards.
This is just one example of
how you can earn free
rewards points which can be turned into Free
Airline Miles and used to travel the world for free!
Over the next few months I plan on sharing my experience of
how I turned 300,000
rewards points into 420,000
Airline Miles.
Now that you understand a little about what
airline miles are and
how they work, let's go into detail on
how to earn and use
rewards.