What Are Airline Miles and How Does Accumulation Work?

The basics of airline miles

There’s no denying it, airline miles are a hot topic right now! This smart and technological feature has been helping many U.S. citizens travel while paying much less!

That’s because miles are a technological alternative that works as follows: through purchases on partner credit cards and loyalty programs, you earn and accumulate points.

These points can be exchanged for miles! These miles can get you huge discounts on flights, flight upgrades, access to VIP airport lounges, and much more!

How each airline calculates its miles

Nowadays, the most common way airlines calculate miles is based on the price of the ticket. This means that the more expensive your ticket, the more miles you will earn.

There are also several other ways to calculate, such as customers earning the same number of miles as the distance flown, or earning miles through promotional purchases, among others.

Advantages of regularly accumulating miles

Customers who regularly accumulate miles enter a loop of benefits. This means you can buy a trip, earn miles, use those miles on your next trip, earn more miles… and so on.

In this way, these types of travelers can much more easily access very comfortable travel options.
Flight upgrades, big discounts, and exchanges for products and services are just the beginning of the advantages of accumulating miles!

Choose the Right Credit Card to Earn Miles

Comparing the best credit cards for miles

One of the best ways to earn miles is through a credit card designed for that purpose.
These credit cards are known for giving you points for your spending. In other words, the more you spend, the more points you receive. These points can easily be exchanged for the coveted miles!

Credit cards such as Chase Sapphire Preferred®, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, and The Platinum Card® from American Express are great options in this category.
However, it is important to analyze the features of each one to know which best suits your profile.

Airline partner reward programs

When booking a trip, it’s always essential to check which partners the airline works with. That’s because airlines usually have partnerships with hotels, car rental companies, banks, online shopping platforms, and more.

Booking travel packages with your airline’s partners can help you earn even more miles!
These partnerships reward customers with miles for booking through them.

Maximizing sign-up bonuses and rewards on spending

Many of these credit cards offer a welcome bonus. These bonuses consist of a significantly larger amount of miles given to those who meet a spending target within a set period.

If you have a larger purchase to make, taking advantage of this opportunity to maximize your bonus can be a great way to boost your miles earnings!

Daily Strategies to Accumulate Miles Quickly

Make all your purchases with your credit card

A good strategy to earn miles is to concentrate your spending on your specialized credit card.

That’s because, in this way, you maximize the potential points you can earn.
Many people don’t realize that often paying in cash or with a debit card doesn’t pay off.

This can happen in cases where the credit card gives points proportional to the volume of spending. In such cases, concentrating your spending on the credit card is a strategy that pays off.

Use loyalty programs and cashback together

When you get a card, keep an eye on the loyalty and cashback programs it offers.
A significant number of people stop shopping at a company that is part of a loyalty program to buy from a similar one that doesn’t offer benefits. This often happens due to a lack of awareness of partners.

So, pay attention to this to avoid wasting money at companies that don’t benefit you.

Additional Options for Accumulating Miles

Customers who want to start accumulating a large number of miles and exchange them for benefits also have several other possibilities.

If you find yourself in this situation, using online shopping and subscriptions that offer miles, taking advantage of airline mile promotions and offers, and flying with partner airlines are also alternatives that provide many reward points!

Over time, accumulating miles becomes intuitive without causing any confusion. Just make sure your points don’t expire.

By accumulating points in these ways, you can finally make that dream trip a reality!

Curious to know which credit cards are the most profitable for traveling? Read the article below: