So while Denis and I were traveling in NOLA we very briefly talked about joining some frequent flyer programs (“I think we should do that.” “Yeah, me too.”).
I just asked my boss how many FF miles it takes to get to Europe. He whipped out his Delta, US Airways, American and Continental program sheets and we discovered it’s between 35,000 and 50,000 mileage points, depending on the air carrier.
Now, a trip to Calfornia helps you get a couple thousand points, but you’d have to fly to CA a lot to save up enough points to get a free ticket from the FF programs. And Denis and I just don’t travel that much. Two or three trips a year, tops, and certainly not to CA each time.
But now you can sign your credit card up to the programs, and specifically AmEx is the best for this because they double the FF miles when you buy plane tickets. The only problem is that AmEx expects you to pay the full balance each month, which can be difficult when you tend to overspend (like someone I won’t mention because Denis has already yelled at me about it so everyone knows it’s me). But the other cards do it too, and they will give you FF points for ANY purchases you make – which can be a good thing when you tend to overspend. You feel like you are getting more for your money.
The other good news is that now the frequent flyer points don’t expire. In the old days they expired after a couple years, but now they don’t. Which means that in about 2042 I should be able to fly to Europe for free. Of course, I could always just pay the $300 round trip ticket and go, but that’s not the point. I want to go for FREE.
So I’ll keep investigating. I’ll see if my current Visa card can be linked up to a FF program or if I actually have to switch accounts (which I won’t do). Either way, I’m getting a free ticket – even if it’s in 2042, I’m going.
look into it! i am flying to va using my frequent flyer miles. i have accrued them both through credit cards and through traveling. it so fun to be able to get away for a long weekend and not have to pay airfare.
Meeg, I actually just got off the phone not too long ago with my visa card folks and have made the switch. I’m now on their rewards program. What sucks though, is that I had to get a brand new account number instead of keeping the old one. But either way, I now have a lower APR and the rewards, so I’m happy.
A couple of things.
Based on what’s going in the world today, specifically the Middle East, I’m not sure if any of us will be here in 2042, so you might want to just give in and buy that ticket yourself.
Secondly, you can always have me buy the plane tickets with my Amex card. I pay my bills off every month. *grin*
Thirdly, point of fact, I think you’d have to fly to CA about eight times to get enough mileage for a free ticket to Europe.
And lastly, it’s not so much that you want a free ticket to Europe; you want a free first-class ticket to Europe like your parents got. In order to get that, you have to find me a job where I have to travel every week. I don’t think I’d mind that right now. But I don’t want to consult and those are the only jobs I can think of that require you to travel that much — besides salesman. I’d be a very good salesman, but I can’t think of anything that interests me enough to sell. If I sold pharmaceuticals or big plane engines I could make a buck. I’ll have to go on Monster and see what’s out there.
ROTFL