Tips for frequent flier miles

How to leverage your frequent flier status for perks on other airlines

TOURS FROM TRUSTED PARTNERS

Intrepid Travel

G Adventures Travel

iExplore

The goal of piling up frequent flier miles is not to get free plane tickets. I repeat: do not cash in your miles for a free ticket. The goal is actually to garner elite status.

Become elite, get the perks

The airlines won't go out of their way to tell you this (nor will gate agents always know your status unless you tell them), but once you achieve "elite status" on an airline—usually 25,000 miles, depending on the airline—you get all sorts of perks.

Elite status travelers usually get a waiver of those outrageous new checked bag fees, free exit row seating, priority boarding (either with, or just after, first and business class), and use of the airport lounge (home to cushy armchairs, free magazines and newspapers, free WiFi, free snacks and drinks, and sometimes even free booze). Other benefits abound; check your fine print. (One annoying fine-print wrinkle: usually, the miles must all be earned in a single year for "elite" or "preferred" status through the following year.)

Elite on one, elite on all

That's all fine and well, but here's the real secret weapon. Once you are "elite" on one airline, you can claim elite status perks whenever you fly any airline in its alliance. That means that you're elite on Delta or Continental, you're also elite on Alitalia, since they're all part of the Skyteam Alliance (www.skyteam.com). (The other two major airline alliances are Oneworld.com and Staralliance.com).

Related pages


   ShareThis

Intrepid Travel

Search ReidsItaly.com

This material was last updated December 2010. All information was accurate at the time.

about | contact | faq

» THE REIDSITALY.COM DIFFERENCE «

Copyright © 2008–2011 by Reid Bramblett. All rights reserved.