My Frequent Flyer/Hotel Point Strategies

As I mentioned earlier I just got back from a extended business trip in which I enjoyed some nice perks and earned frequent flyer miles and hotel points. I thought I would break down some of my strategies when it comes to earning points and miles.

My Primary Frequent Flyer Mile Accounts and Balances as of 7/30/2005:

Airline CarrierStatusBalance
*AmericanPlatinum98,569
UnitedBlue29,618
DeltaGold16,298



Hotel ChainStatusBalance
*Hilton HHonorsGold40,013
*Priority Club (Holiday Inn)Gold24,429



*In 2005 I dipped into my balances for some summer vacations:
100k American miles for flights to Boston and San Jose
50k Hilton points for 2 nights in boston
25k Priority Club points for 1 night in DC


I see frequent flyer miles and hotel points as another tool to keeping my costs down. They are just a part of the system and if I don't try to take advantage of them I am missing out on free travel, lodging, and other perks. As a business traveler I like them because they are another "reward" for going on a business trip; an opportunity to earn some free vacation for myself and my girlfriend that we probably would not go on without the points & miles.


My primary strategy is simple - keep the plans to a minimum and focus on earning points and miles on a few select plans. Before this last business trip my strategy was to earn American Airline miles and Hilton Honors points. Why? Simply that is where I have the most points/miles already and where I am already rewarded the most for my business. However I haven't done a great job of that - I pretty evenly split my hotel points between 2 chains (Priority Club and HHonors) and I have 3 airlines in which I have sizeable point balances (American, Delta, United).

Favorite Rewards
Hilton Hhonors is a clear favorite of mine. Being a gold member I get clearly recognizable perks when staying at Hilton branded hotels. The best perk is complimentary happy hour and breakfast buffet at Hilton hotels - a significant cost savings for me when I travel on a budget.

Referral link to sign up for Free HHonors rewards program and my account number is 823780035. Full Disclosure: I will earn bonus points if you sign up for this program.

Related in General:

Save Money on Overhead Garage Storage (Aug 28, 2012) With the upcoming expansion of our family, my wife and I have been discussing the space in our home. While we have a good size home (~2,600 sq ft), its currently laid out with 3 bedrooms and 1 bonus room...

When is a SmartPhone the Right Financial Decision? (May 14, 2012) I last purchased a typical cell phone back in October 2008 with a 2 year contract when we returned from China. My old cell phone broke while we were on assignment in China and I needed something once we...

Black Friday Shopping Highlights (Nov 27, 2011) I have little interest in going out and standing in long lines to pick up a few deals on Black Friday. However we did pick up a few deals over the weekend mostly online: $159 GE Front Loading Washer @...

Comments (0)


Post a comment

(Comment moderation enabled.)

About 2millionblog.com

A personal finance weblog of my journey to reach my goal of $2 million + the value of my primary residence.
Current Net Worth: $1,938,393

Sponsors

New Personal Finance Articles




PF Blogs