OK, you have picked out your dream frequent flyer (FF) award flight and you need some serious miles. But you will not fly enough to rack up the points and earn the award in this lifetime. What other ways are there to earn points without flying? Hmmm, let’s explore…

Background

• FF points are worth 2 cents each. Perhaps 2.5 cents each.

• 25,000 points are needed for a domestic (continental North American) award flight. Hawaii and Alaska flights usually are more, but not on all airlines.

• FF programs are free (for now) to join. You must belong to a program to earn points. That is, you cannot join and receive credit for a flight you took last week. You CAN join as late as on a flight, however.

So, here are some ways to accumulate points without flying. They are basically listed from most to least common: Everyday Things

[ Credit Card Purchases ]

Most airlines offer their own branded credit card through American Express, MasterCard, or Visa. Every dollar spent with these cards, also known as Affinity Cards, equals one FF point; there are exceptions (read the Terms & Conditions to learn more). Most cards offer double miles (or 2 FF points per dollar) for purchases of their own airline tickets; but remember we do not fly that much. If you charge $2,000 a month, you will earn a free flight each year.

NOTE: Financial planning principles (and basic common sense) say to pay off credit card balances each month. Do not pay credit card interest, around 20%.

Tips:

1. Look for a credit card with no annual fee. American Express offers one for Delta Air Lines. Most others have an annual fee of $60 to $100. On the other hand, the annual fee is offset by the points earned when you spend $3,000 (for $60 fee) to $5,000 (for $100 fee) a year.

2. Buy products (and services) for others and get reimbursed. Buy computers or furniture for work, travel for family or friends, and so on. BUT, make sure you get paid for these purchases. Again, do not carry a balance and pay interest charges.

[ Groceries ] Safeway (and affiliated chains) grocery stores give 125 United Airlines Mileage Plus points for every $250 spent. While this is not an efficient way to earn miles (since each point “costs” $2), it is a bonus for doing what you normally do. For instance, I have shopped for my groceries at Safeway for years. Now I am earning a few extra hundred miles each month with no extra effort. Cool!

Another limited Safeway promotion offers 50 additional United points when buying five Safeway Select products. The cheapest item I have found costs 33 cents. You would have to spend at least $1.50 to get 50 points; at 2 cents each they are worth $1. If you plan to buy the products anyway, then it is another small bonus. However, it is not worth the effort or money to do so otherwise.

Use your airline credit card to earn the standard one point for every dollar spent. Other stores and chains may offer similar programs.

[ Telephone ]

We all love those long-distance telemarketers, right? You can earn a quick couple of thousand FF points by switching long-distance companies, if you are not loyal to a specific company. You receive some points (like 1,000) when the service is switched, then another batch (like 2,000) after sticking with the new company for a couple of months.

Most long-distance services are allied with specific FF programs. For instance, Sprint is with American and AT&T is with Northwest. So, if you decide to switch services after earning points from the first switch, the points earned from the second switch will likely earn points in a different airline’s FF program. Phew, did you get all that? Check with the telephone service provider and airline for current promotions.

Oh yeah, you also earn 5 FF points for every dollar spent with most long-distance service programs.

[ Dining Out ]

If you frequently eat at restaurants, you MUST join one of the FF dining programs. They are free to join for everyone, no matter how often you dine out. Members earn 10 points for every dollar spent at participating restaurants. Limits include one qualifying visit to each restaurant per month (subsequent visits do not earn points) and a maximum of 6,000 points ($600 spent) per visit.

You can quickly accumulate thousands of FF points (perhaps a couple of free flights each year) at little cost, especially if you are on an expense account or otherwise can pay for several diners and get reimbursed. The dining programs also offer periodic bonuses, like 2,000 points when spending $500 during a three-month period or 5,000 points when visiting 10 different restaurants during one month.

Of course, you also earn FF points for the amount you spend on your airline credit card.

[ Other Products ]

Buying flowers is a very popular FF point accumulation opportunity. Other purchases from catalogs or online sources can also earn FF points. Such offers are especially prevalent around the holidays.

Be a smart consumer! Make sure that the cost of the product is not overly inflated to negate the value of the FF points earned. For instance, compare a $75 flower arrangement that earns 150 points to the same one through another source for $50. Both companies charge $5 for delivery but the first one also charges a $5.95 handling fee. The FF points are worth $3 (150 points at 2 cents each). It is not smart to pay an extra $31 for $3 worth of FF points.

FF points can also be added to your account when you buy specially marked products. I earned 500 points by collecting 5 certificates from boxes of cereal bars. I have seen similar certificates on cereal boxes, toys, and other products.

[ Buy FF Points ]

Some airline FF programs sell points. They usually cost $25 for 1,000 points (2.5 cents each). Members must buy them in blocks of 1,000 and can buy no more than 20% of the points needed for an award. If you need 25,000 points and your account has 21,750, you can buy 4,000 points for $100. Note that you cannot buy 3,250. Also note that for a 25,000 point award you cannot buy more than 5,000 points.

Summary

This article outlined some basic ways to earn FF points without taking a flight. You should be able to participate in one or more of these programs with one or more airline FF programs. For more information, check each airline’s website for details on their FF offerings.

Charles McCool is a travel consultant specializing in helping consumers and businesses save money, time, and stress on all aspects of travel. He is the author of Winning the Airfare Game and operates http://lowerairfares.com/.