It's a harsh reality that there are about 180 million frequent-flyer members who have roughly 14.2 trillion mileage points in their accounts. New tie-in programs offering points on everything from home mortgages to kitty litter now mean that about 54 percent of all points are earned "outside an airplane."
This does not bode well for travelers who want to use their points for free trips. Not only are there too many points, there are also too few seats. In part because major carriers have drastically reduced seat capacity, more frequent flyer members than ever are coming up empty in their hunt for freebies.
If you plan to use your stash of miles to reduce business travel expenses, you'll need to:
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Know what you have -- when to hold 'em and when to spend 'em
Some frequent business travelers rack up points but have no plan for putting them to good use. Smart travelers know what they have and how best to use their points.
I recommend: Consider a membership in
MileageManager for an overview report of your points in each program you're enrolled in.
Earn even more: tap airline
First, pledge your loyalty to just a few airlines, those that fly the most extensive routes AND go where YOU need to go. Then tap into airline perks programs specially designed for small-and midsize businesses. Snag free tickets, upgrade certificates, airline club memberships and more. Important note! You'll earn frequent flyer miles on qualifying flights in addition to business bonus points.
I recommend: Most airlines offer benefits to business travelers. United Airlines does it through its "
PerksPlus" program. Look for Northwest's
BizPerks, Delta's
SkyBonus, American's
Business ExtrAA. The discount carriers do it too: check out AirTran's
a2B, Frontier's
Business Travel Program (BTP) and JetBlue's
TrueBlue frequent flyer program.
Use your points for something besides airline seats
If you can't score the free seats you want, consider using some of your points to upgrade your office equipment or purchase other merchandise that will benefit your business.
I recommend: Look into swapping miles at
Points.com . Consider a
credit card that offers a wide selection of merchandise for miles
Give the gift that goes far
If there is no way you can realistically use your accumulated miles, consider donating them to charitable organizations.
I recommend: For a general overview of the award donation process, including links to 80 charities that accept point donations from 17 frequent-flyer and hotel-loyalty plans, visit
Mile Donor.
Learn from other frequent flyers
With over 180 million of them out there you can bet there is a lot of free advice available.
I recommend: For tips and insights on how to choose and use frequent flyer miles, check out
Frequent Flyer and
Web Flyer. To talk with other frequent travelers, log on to
Flyer Talk.
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