Frequent Flyer Miles

Frequent flyer (or flier) miles are rewards earned for belonging to an airline's loyalty program and taking flights on that airline. Once you accrue enough miles, you can redeem them for a free plane ticket, free upgrades to first class, or even for products and services offered by partner companies. Some frequent flyer miles programs are affiliated with credit cards or debit cards.http://www.frequentflier.com/card-intro.htm

All of the major commercial airlines have frequent flyer miles programs including American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta, Northwest Airlines US Airways and Continental. The specific airlines have their own policies regarding terms and conditions, but many have rules that require travelers to either earn or redeem miles during a specific time period or their points will expire.http://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/programDetails/termsAndConditions/termsAndConditions.jsp If you travel frequently, it may be beneficial to research and compare the frequent flyer miles programs that are available.

When comparing frequent flyer miles programs, be sure to read the fine print and details about the programs you're considering joining. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Aviation Consumer Protection and Enforcement, the things you should consider are:http://airconsumer.dot.gov/publications/frequent.htm

• The minimum amount of credits that can be earned in one flight; for example the airline may give credits at 500 miles, so a 200 mile trip won't count
• What kind of rewards you seek to receive (tickets for yourself, upgrades or other rewards)
• How many credits are needed for the rewards
• Your personal travel patterns
• The expiration time on the credits
• Is the program affiliated with other companies you use (like a car rental company)
• If the rewards miles are transferrable

Frequent flyer (or flier) miles are rewards earned for belonging to an airline's loyalty program and taking flights on that airline. Once you accrue enough miles, you can redeem them for a free plane ticket, free upgrades to first class, or even for products and services offered by partner companies.

1. 1st program: American Airlines AAdvantage, 1981.
2. Largest program: American Airlines AAdvantage, 46 million members.
3. No. unredeemed FF miles in world (end of 2007): 17 trillion
4. Miles required for free domestic ticket: 25,000.
5. Average value, FF mile: 1.7 cents
6. No. miles earned by David Phillips for buying pudding: 1,253,000.

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• Also try: How to Use Frequent Flyer Miles | How to Pick a Frequent Flyer Program | How to Redeem Frequent Flyer Miles