{"id":2384,"date":"2012-06-06T19:48:09","date_gmt":"2012-06-07T01:48:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/?page_id=2384"},"modified":"2012-07-22T23:00:04","modified_gmt":"2012-07-23T05:00:04","slug":"how-mile-and-point-programs-work","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/?page_id=2384","title":{"rendered":"How Mile and Point Programs Work"},"content":{"rendered":"

I am always amazed when I begin to discuss the concept of taking advantage of credit card offers to build huge piles frequent flier miles and travel for free. \u00a0Unfortunately, far too many people haven’t even looked into the programs. <\/a>\u00a0This was painfully obvious in a recent conversation with someone who had traveled to China and neglected to enroll in the FF program, thereby abandoning some 17,000 miles to the netherworlds of lost frequent flier miles that we wanderlusters like to pretend doesn’t exist. \u00a0That’s like walking past a Benjamin and not even stooping to pick it up!<\/p>\n

To begin with, “miles” is probably a misnomer. \u00a0People start to think that you can travel a mile per frequent flier mile. \u00a0That’s not how it works… as good as they are, they’re not that good. \u00a0You generally accrue miles at that rate, though having status and applying for bonus programs can often get you higher rates of accrual.<\/p>\n

With most frequent flier mile programs, you’ll need at least 25,000 miles to take a domestic flight – regardless of how many miles the flight is. \u00a0Thus, if you see a credit card offer that generously kicks off 50,000, miles – like some of the ones that are offered on our Travel Points Credit Cards Page<\/a>\u00a0-essentially that could be 2 domestic flights. \u00a0If you figure that each of those is worth about $400… you’ll get the equivalent of $800 in FF benefits for signing up for a single card.<\/p>\n

If that sounds too good to be true, think about it in these terms – on AA for example, you can fly to Central America or even northern South America for 30,000 miles.<\/p>\n

A simple way to think of it, though it doesn’t always remain true, is that it this is the breakout on most point programs.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n