How Do You Accumulate All Of Your Frequent Flyer Miles In One Place?
December 20, 2011 by Anil P.
Filed under Air, Money, Travel Unravel
Last week I talked about how to earn more frequent flyer miles without getting more credit cards but another fundamental question was brought up in the comments by JoAnna – how do you actually get all of your airline miles in one place? Scattered airline miles aren’t likely to do many flyers much good since most people tend to hop around airlines, making it tough to save up a useful amount with any one carrier.
Funnel Your Miles To One Airline Per Alliance
Most major airlines belong to one of the three large airline alliances; Star Alliance (United, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines plus 25 others), Oneworld (American Airlines, British Airways, Qantas plus 12 more), and SkyTeam (Delta, Alitalia, KLM, plus 12 others). Aside from the business agreements and code-sharing flights, this often means that one airline’s frequent flyer miles can be earned and redeemed with their partners.
- The basic concept is to not think about individual airlines so much but about alliances – that’s where you’ll try to funnel your miles across various airlines.
That said, not all airline mileage programs are as accepting as others, even within alliances, so the key is to use the most versatile airline alliance per airline.
The Airline Per Alliance You Should Use
These are the most versatile airline mileage programs per alliance I’ve found through experience – that is, the ones whose miles can be used with partners and redeemed with them too. Generally speaking, the best reward and mileage accounts are found in the US; and that’s where you’ll find the best alliance accounts as well. You ideally want to open up one frequent flyer account per alliance with these airlines.
- Star Alliance: United Mileage Plus
- Oneworld: American Airlines AAdvantage (even now, despite the recent bankruptcy deceleration)
- SkyTeam: KLM Flying Blue (or Delta Skymiles)
I would note that SkyTeam miles are notoriously difficult to move between partners and if given the choice, I would stick to Star Alliance or Oneworld when possible to earn the most useable miles.
Great, But I’ve Already Got A Bunch Of Frequent Flyer Miles Scattered Across Airlines
Most mileage accounts provide you a way of redeeming miles after a flight, in case you forgot to give your number to the clerk when checking in for example. That same service generally lets you request mileage credit for flights you took 12-24 months prior – even if you weren’t a mileage member at the time. So, now that you’ve got your alliance account set up, you’ll want to begin claiming those previous flights.
Typically the information you need to request mileage credit are the dates flown, ticket number, airline, and seat number (which tends to be the toughest). You might find that data buried in email confirmations but if you can’t find something (i.e. seat number) call the airline directly. They usually won’t ask for it and if they do, wherever I’ve told them I forgot, it was a non-issue.
Here are the links to redeem past flights:
- Request United Mileage Plus Credit
- Request American Airlines AAdvantage Credit
- Request KLM Flying Blue Credit
Remember to note all of the miles you’ve claimed and check that they’ve been added to your account within 8 weeks so you can call back if they haven’t. My personal favorite AwardWallet makes keeping track of all these accounts much easier. Also, you can often request credit for miles that have already been posted to other mileage accounts depending on the partner airline.
What About Airlines Not In Alliances And Other Exceptions To The Rule
Of course there are some big airlines not a member of any alliance, notably Virgin Atlantic and Southwest, and in those cases your miles are stuck with the airline. Those of you who fly the same route frequently, say, for business, might also want to consider sticking to the specific airline that’s flying you around everywhere. The reason is, while most airline miles can be moved around alliances to an extent, status miles (those that earn you airline-specific perks like upgrades, lounge access, and more) are not transferable.
Chances are if you fly very often on different routes, you’ll earn status with some airline or another but for regular hauls, you might want to consider making an exception to alliance funneling. Finally, if you’ve been reluctant to use frequent flyer miles in the past, here’s my 8-minute guide just for you, and for the ambitious, 7 ways to boost your earning to the next level.
[boy with head stuck in funnel photo by hyperborreal, red toy airplane by puuikibeach]
Quick Answers To 5 Common Questions New Backpackers Ask Most
January 13, 2011 by Anil P.
Filed under Advice, Money, Travel Unravel
Many backpackers setting out on their first trip tend to have questions that revolve around the same few concerns, many of which end up in my inbox. Traveling for the first time can bring up all kinds of anxieties about handing the basics abroad that you’ve comfortably gotten down pat at home.
As with many travel questions it’s good to get down to specifics and while these answers are certainly not comprehensive, they should help you get off to a good start.
1. What Is It Like Traveling Solo?
Traveling for the first time alone can seem like taking a trip into disaster before you ever hit the road. There are many advantages to traveling solo, ways to ease into it, and the advice of experienced travelers from all walks of life to alleviate some of your anxiety.
The truth is that when traveling, you’re often not alone and being without others eventually becomes a great motivator for getting social.
2. How Will I Overcome Language Barriers?
Much of that depends on your mother-tongue but assuming you know enough basic English to read this post you’re off to a good start. Although the notion is controversial, English is the universal language and widely spoken in enough key places where (relatively) clear communication is necessary. Airports, hotels, and ordering food from most menus will be straightforward.
To help yourself out with or without English though, you can learn these 4 word combinations for free using these resources, language social networks, or get digital with one of several nifty mobile phone apps like Word Lens.
3. How Can I Save Money And Travel Longer?
Most backpackers and budget travelers have at least heard of hostels (in case you haven’t) but there are many more ways to save before and during your trip. Although it seems counter-intuitive, flying more, on multi-city flights can often be less expensive than booking a simple round-trip fare. Where you go makes a big difference too so figure out the cheapest places to travel with your currency before you lose them.
Finally, if you’ve got the time, travel slower to see more and use a simple travel budget to track your spending.
4. Where Should I Go?
I’ve gone into resolving not knowing where you want to go before at length but the gist is to go where you want based on why you travel.
Don’t limit yourself initially, life is short so go visit the places you’ve always wanted to.
5. Should I Get Travel Insurance?
The answer depends on where you’re going and what you want to insure. Medical insurance and coverage for your valuables (including cash and passports) are the main two reasons people consider travel insurance.
(I’ll be covering this topic in a more detail post in a few weeks.) There are several big caveats to coverage so be sure to read any policy carefully and check if emergency health care is covered by the government of the countries you’ll be visiting.
Answering The Next Big Question And Realizing It Doesn’t End There
Almost always entwined in backpacking questions are how to choose the right backpack, pack light, and cope with being far away from home. The fortunate thing is that you’ll find plenty of opinions online about all of your first-timer questions that manifest themselves in various ways after your first jaunt. That’s one of the beauties of travel, that these questions have endless answers and discovering what works in each place keep the journey interesting.
[photos by: niznoz (question mark), Kamal H. (lone traveler), fotograf1v2 (leather wallet), santheo (arm in cast)]
How Do You Swap House Keys When Traveling?
October 1, 2010 by Anil P.
Filed under Lodging, Travel Unravel
Frequent travelers, Couchsurfing members, and those expecting visitors from the airport often need to exchange physical keys for homes and apartments – which can be both cumbersome and awkward when schedules don’t align. Reader and house-swapping traveler Renato has been struggling with this recently and asked me,
What are some good ways to exchange physical keys when you can’t be there in person to do it yourself?
As Renato illustrates,
Just in the last 4 weeks I have been struggling with it 3 times around Europe: sometimes you swap places with someone (great way to travel), other times you invite a friend to stay but you are not at the airport when they arrive, or a Couchsurfer sleeps a few extra hours when you are already out.
I [recently] left a set of keys for a friend in a locker (with a code) in Munich’s train station (a huge box for a single key!) – am looking forward to receiving an envelope from California – and I found a coffee paid at the local bar in Milan (with a set of keys instead of the sugar).
Does any traveler know a better and safer way to sort it out?
It’s been a while since I did a travel unravel but have no doubt in your ability to leave extremely helpful comments. I’m sure many of you know of some good tactics, websites, and traveler services to take care of just this kind of scenario with cost and security in mind. I’ll be expanding upon this topic next week but wanted to get your experiences and advice first so I can be sure to include your best ideas as well.
[photo by: Merida Hideaway (house keys)]
Travel Unravel: What’s The Most Important Thing To Do To Build A Successful Travel Blog?
February 19, 2009 by Anil P.
Filed under Travel Unravel
I’ve get emails, chats, and comments asking me a variety of travel related questions. “Travel Unravel” is a series where I tried to answer these questions in a quick and concise manner with the help of readers in the comments.
BT writes: What’s the best way to build a successful travel blog?
While there are a number of opinions on what a successful travel blog exactly is, most agree that readership is a central goal. There is no single ‘best way’ to achieve this goal and create a successful travel blog. A very important way, in my opinion, to maintain and expand your travel blog readership is to allow yourself to show in your posts.
Readers may find your travel blog in a variety of ways, through a Google search or link on some other website, and most never come back. People continue to read a given travel blog to connect to the traveler writing the blog more than anything else.
I’ve written how to make your travel blog successful (part 1 and part 2) and also how to make money with your travel blog, if you’re interested in that as well.
Thanks for the question BT, it was the inspiration behind a number of blog posts on the subject.
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