I took my first flight as a wheelchair person in 2014 and have since traveled properly over 1,000,000 miles within the air. The vast majority of these miles have been flown in first or enterprise class, and that’s made flying rather more comfy if not gratifying.

Most individuals assume that I should be a millionaire to fly so usually in luxurious, however they’ve solely bought it half proper. I’m a millionaire, simply not within the conventional sense — my tens of millions are counted in factors and frequent flyer miles.

Find out how to Earn Airline Miles With out Flying or Spending A Lot of Cash

Most of my flights are paid for with frequent flyer miles, one thing that almost all vacationers imagine is out of attain. The commonest concept, “I don’t fly sufficient to earn miles for a free ticket,” is totally incorrect! You don’t must fly in any respect to earn airline miles.

The vast majority of my airline miles and lodge factors, those that permit me fly to Australia within the Delta One Suite and jet off to the Center East in Qatar Airways Enterprise Class, are earned by means of bank cards — not by spending some huge cash, however by utilizing the suitable bank card for purchases I’m already making.

The vast majority of Individuals are acquainted with bank card rewards — many have a bank card that provides money again on purchases, usually within the vary of 1% to 2%. By stepping again from these money again playing cards and leveling as much as one that provides factors and miles as a substitute, vacationers can extract rather more than a % or two in worth from their on a regular basis purchases.

2 Credit score Playing cards You Ought to Signal Up For Now

In case you’ve flown anyplace within the final decade, you’ve seemingly heard a flight attendant making a bank card pitch. They go one thing like this: “Join our airline’s bank card, and earn bonus miles for a free flight.” It’s not a joke.

With only one bank card sign-up bonus, you’ll have tens of 1000’s of frequent flyer miles that can be utilized to buy home and worldwide flights, together with in premium cabins. Your pursuit of miles shouldn’t finish with one card — at any given time, I’ve as much as 20 bank cards in my pockets, maximizing earnings and gaining the pliability to guide award flights on a number of airways.

You might not be able to open 20 bank cards, however you do want to start out someplace. In case you’re new to the factors and miles recreation, these two playing cards are my picks one of the best starter bank cards for vacationers:

Chase Sapphire Most well-liked®

Earn 60,000 bonus Final Rewards factors once you spend $4,000 in 3 months.

$95 annual price
5x factors on Lyft rides (by means of March 2025)
5x factors on journey bought by means of Chase Final Rewards portal
3x factors on eating, together with supply
3x factors on choose streaming providers
3x factors on on-line grocery purchases (excluding Goal, Walmart, and wholesale golf equipment)
2x factors on all journey purchases
1x level per greenback on all different purchases
Journey Insurance coverage advantages
No overseas transaction charges

Learn to apply →

Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Choose® World Elite MasterCard

For a restricted time earn 50,000 American Airways AAdvantage® bonus miles after making $2,500 in purchases throughout the first 3 months of account opening.

$0 annual price for the primary 12 months, then $99
2x miles on American Airways purchases
2x miles at eating places & gasoline stations
1x mile per greenback on all different purchases
First checked bag free (home flights)
No overseas transaction charges

Learn to apply →

The Chase Sapphire Most well-liked is a flexible card that provides a robust sign-up bonus and additional factors incomes in a number of classes, together with at eating places and grocery shops. Better of all, factors earned with the Sapphire Most well-liked card will be transferred to 14 completely different airline and lodge rewards packages, providing large flexibility in how you can redeem your factors!

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Choose® World Elite MasterCard also needs to be in your pockets, despite the fact that it’s tied to a single loyalty program. American Airways provides a number of the finest offers on award tickets, and the cardboard has no annual price for the primary 12 months. After opening an account and finishing the supply phrases, you’ll have sufficient miles to guide a enterprise class flight to Europe and plenty of different locations around the globe. That’s an incredible deal!

Learn to apply by means of the hyperlinks above, and also you’ll be properly in your option to touring higher for much less cash!

Ultimate Ideas

Factors and miles democratize journey. They permit on a regular basis individuals such as you and me to journey extra and journey higher! With factors and miles, we will overcome the monetary obstacles to long-distance and luxurious journey, experiencing for a second the existence of the wealthy and well-known. The chance is there for the taking, so get to it — earn miles and dare to journey the best way you’ve all the time wished to!