Maximize Your Earning Potential

As a follow up to our previous post on Frequent Flyer Programs, and for those readers who don’t typically get to travel as frequently as they would like, we wanted to share some other ways to help you incur frequent flyer miles.

Many Frequent Flyer programs offer alternate methods to get you closer to redeeming a free ticket. While miles/points earned through affiliate programs won’t apply to reaching an elite status they will apply to your mileage balance. Check out the alternatives below and be sure to read in to them!

Airline Network partners: Almost every major airline in the world is part of a network of airline partners. There are three:

• Skyteam (www.skyteam.com)
• Star Alliance (www.staralliance.com)
• Oneworld (www.oneworld.com).

You are able to receive frequent flyer mileage credit for any preferred program anytime you travel on a carrier within the same network of partners. For example, if you are a Delta Skymiles member, you can choose to receive your mileage credit on Delta when flying any of the airlines within the Skyteam network. Familiarize yourself with the airline network that your preferred airline is a part of so that you can filter your flight options accordingly and increase your accrual opportunities on your preferred carrier.

Hotel Properties and Rental Car Company Partners: Many hotel properties and rental car vendors allow you to select an option through their own reward programs to link your frequent flyer number and accrue airline miles/points. We recommend that you double check your account options for any hotel/car programs that you are a member of and ensure that your preferred airline program is selected as the default for any mileage/points accrual opportunities.

Credit / Debit Cards: Majority of airlines feature affiliated credit cards and debit cards that allow you to earn miles towards their frequent flyer program for every dollar charged. Check with each of airline websites under ‘ways to earn miles’ for a list of affiliates.

Mileage Malls: Larger airlines offer shopping programs with an extensive network of retailers that award you miles/points for purchases made through their designated website. Additionally, they may offer free shipping and other promotions. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the Mileage Mall for your airline of choice and start earning miles/points for your purchases.

And More: There are many more earning opportunities… either too many to list or limited-time offers for each airline program. We’d recommend that you go to the ‘GET MILES’ section of your frequent flyer program webpage to get familiar with the standard offerings and frequently check back for additional opportunities added. It’s a great way to increase your mileage balance with little effort!

**Special thanks to Michelle Reese, Travel Manager with Integress Meetings and Events for her significant contribution to this post.

Which Frequent Flyer Program is Right for You?

We have had a couple of readers ask, “Which frequent flyer program is the best?” A lot of people don’t realize that it’s a common question without an easy answer.

Transportation, particularly airline transportation, is a major factor in the tourism industry. Today, airlines have moved toward competing with each other via extra benefits and perks. In part, this takes the form of airline frequent flyer programs. Let’s take a look at four of the major airlines and their benefits, as well as key factors and other information that will be useful in deciding which frequent flyer program is best for you.

There are essentially 4 main Airlines in the US. Below is a comparison chart of the frequent flyer programs offered by each of the 4 carriers:

The key to maximizing your mileage earning potential is to select one preferred frequent flyer program and stick with it. Again, you find yourself asking, ‘Which program is the best?’ Since there are several different airline programs and various determining factors in selecting a program, the best program is essentially the one that works best for YOU. With that said, the best program for you will be the one that provides you with the most opportunities for mileage accrual and the most rewards with the least amount of effort and cost.

Generally, the key factors in selecting a program should be based on where you live and how frequently you travel. Where you live determines your main airport, and since each airport typically has one airline that dominates the share of flight schedules and availability, the program for that carrier will most likely be the best choice for accruing mileage during travel. How frequently you travel will determine your ability to reach different tiers within a program, which determine the additional perks that are available to you. For many program members, the goal is to accrue enough miles to earn free travel. However if you travel frequently, you may want to focus on perks that come with reaching different tiers within the various programs.  Elite status allows you access to preferred seating, priority boarding, upgrades, waived baggage fees, and more!

**Special thanks to Michelle Reese, Travel Manager with Integress Meetings and Events for her significant contribution to this post.

Finding the Right EMS

Remember how we mentioned that we were building an event management system (EMS)? Do you also remember about how we mentioned that we’d kill to purchase one instead? Well, the event gods have answered our prayers. We have been in the market for a new EMS for the last couple of months, and for any of you out there that think that choosing an out-of-the-box system is easy…we beg to differ! There are many different options out there. Some systems are much more complex than others. Regardless of which vendor we choose, we will be able to breathe easy knowing that this software was built by meeting planners, for meeting planners.

With so many options available, how do you make a decision? We are hoping that you have some personal experience that you’d like to share! What EMS do you use, how long have you been using it, and what are the pros and cons?