How to Earn Frequent Flyer Points When You’re Not Flying

Well, you’ve picked the frequent flyer (FF) award flight of your dreams, and you need some serious miles. But he will not fly enough to accumulate points and win the prize in this life. What other ways are there to earn points without flying? Hmmm, let’s explore…

Background

• FF points are worth 2 cents each. Maybe 2.5 cents each.
• 25,000 points are required for a domestic award flight (continental North America). Flights to Hawaii and Alaska are usually more, but not on all airlines.
• FF programs are free (for now) to join. You must belong to a program to earn points. That is, you cannot join and receive credit for a flight you took last week. However, you CAN join as late as on a flight.

So, here are some ways to rack up points without flying. They are basically listed from most to least common: Everyday things

[ Credit Card Purchases ]

Most airlines offer their own brand credit card through American Express, MasterCard, or Visa. Every dollar spent with these cards, also known as Affinity Cards, equals one FF point; there are exceptions (read the Terms and Conditions for more information). Most cards offer double miles (or 2 FF points per dollar) for the purchase of your own airline tickets; But remember we don’t fly that much. If you charge $2,000 a month, you’ll earn a free flight every year.

NOTE: Financial planning principles (and basic common sense) say you should pay off credit card balances each month. Do not pay credit card interest, around 20%.

Tips:

1. Find a credit card with no annual fee. American Express offers one for Delta Air Lines. Most of the others have an annual fee of $60 to $100. On the other hand, the annual fee is offset by points earned when you spend $3,000 (for a $60 fee) to $5,000 (for a $100 fee) a year.
2. Buy products (and services) for others and get funds. Buy computers or furniture for work, trips for family or friends, etc. BUT, make sure you get paid for these purchases. Again, don’t carry a balance and pay interest charges.

[ Groceries ] Safeway grocery stores (and affiliated chains) award 125 United Airlines Mileage Plus points for every $250 spent. While this isn’t an efficient way to earn miles (since each point “costs” $2), it is a bonus for doing what you normally do. For example, I have bought my groceries at Safeway for years. I now earn a few hundred extra miles each month with no extra effort. Cool!

Another limited Safeway promotion offers 50 bonus United points when you purchase five Safeway Select products. The cheapest item I have found is 33 cents. You would have to spend at least $1.50 to get 50 points; at 2 cents each they are worth $1. If you plan to buy the products anyway, then that’s another little bonus. However, it’s not worth the effort or money to do it any other way.

Use your airline credit card to earn the standard point for every dollar spent. Other stores and chains may offer similar programs.

[ Telephone ]

We all love those long distance telemarketers, right? You can quickly earn a couple thousand FF points by switching long distance carriers, if you’re not loyal to a specific carrier. You get a few points (like 1,000) when you switch service, then another batch (like 2,000) after you stay with the new company for a couple of months.

Most long distance services are allied with specific FF programs. For example, Sprint is with American and AT&T is with Northwest. Therefore, if you decide to change service after earning points on the first change, it is likely that the points earned on the second change will earn points in another airline’s FF program. Ugh, did you get all that? Check with your phone service provider and airline for current promotions.

Oh yeah, you also earn 5 FF points for every dollar spent on most long distance service programs.

[ Dining Out ]

If you frequently eat at restaurants, you MUST join one of the FF dining programs. They are free to join for everyone, no matter how often you dine out. Members earn 10 points for every dollar spent at participating restaurants. Limits include one qualifying visit to each restaurant per month (subsequent visits do not earn points) and a maximum of 6,000 points ($600 spent) per visit.

You can quickly rack up thousands of FF points (maybe a couple of free flights each year) for little cost, especially if you have an expense account or can pay for multiple diners and raise funds. Dining programs also offer regular bonuses, such as 2,000 points when you spend $500 over a three-month period or 5,000 points when you visit 10 different restaurants in a month.

Of course, you also earn FF points for the amount you spend on your airline credit card.

[ Other Products ]

Buying flowers is a very popular FF point earning opportunity. Other purchases from catalogs or online sources can also earn FF points. Such offers are especially prevalent during the holidays.

Be a smart consumer! Make sure the cost of the product is not too inflated to negate the value of the FF points earned. For example, compare a $75 flower arrangement that earns 150 points with the same one from another source for $50. Both companies charge $5 for delivery, but the former also charges a $5.95 handling fee. FF points are worth $3 (150 points at 2 cents each). It’s not smart to pay an extra $31 for $3 in FF points.

FF Points can also be added to your account when you purchase specially marked products. I earned 500 points by collecting 5 cereal bar box certificates. I have seen similar certificates on cereal boxes, toys, and other products.

[ Buy FF Points ]

Some airline FF programs sell points. They typically cost $25 for 1,000 points (2.5 cents each). Members must purchase in blocks of 1,000 and may not purchase more than 20% of the points required for a prize. If you need 25,000 points and your account has 21,750, you can purchase 4,000 points for $100. Please note that you cannot buy 3,250. Also note that for a 25,000 point award you cannot purchase more than 5,000 points.

Summary

This article describes some basic ways to earn FF points without taking a flight. You should be able to participate in one or more of these programs with one or more airline FF programs. For more information, check each airline’s website for details on their FF offerings.