AA will give you 500 mi, even on your PL or Hotwire ticket, for using the automated check-in kiosk.

But I was burned by HW, and would never use PL except for hotels and cars. I always use PL for hotels and cars, if you don't use PL for rent-a-cars you will get hit with 6 different surcharges that PL users need never worry about.

Giving a hotel or rent-a-car co. your guest or FF# is not about fraud. It is about providing the co. with valuable marketing information, even though management is too dumb to listen: Hey! Here I am, a frequent traveler, a frequent guest in your hotel, the kind of customer whose business you should value, and I have to use PL to get a decent price on your $%@# room!! I won't pay your inflated prices just to get whatever lame benefit you are giving to frequent guests who spend OPM!! Just don't stick me in the Priceline room, please!!

Most of the time the hotel clerk will dutifully enter the #, and you may well receive a better bed or location, and you in all probability won't be housed in the Priceline room.