Questions from a newbie
Apr 27, 2014, 9:27 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1
Questions from a newbie
Hello All,
The wife and I are planning a trip to Europe in 2015 or 2016, and have heard stories about people paying for their flights by using airline miles. We'd love for this to be an option for us, but do not really know much about the process. Are there certain cards out there that are more recommended by FlyerTalk experts compared to others? Is there certain fine print that we need to be aware of? I don't really know what other questions to ask, but I look forward to all the replies. Thanks.
The wife and I are planning a trip to Europe in 2015 or 2016, and have heard stories about people paying for their flights by using airline miles. We'd love for this to be an option for us, but do not really know much about the process. Are there certain cards out there that are more recommended by FlyerTalk experts compared to others? Is there certain fine print that we need to be aware of? I don't really know what other questions to ask, but I look forward to all the replies. Thanks.
Apr 27, 2014, 9:39 am
#2
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: DL PM; IHG PlatAmb; Hilton Dia; Marriott Plat; Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 7,320
Questions from a newbie
unfortunately your question is too broad for folks to provide helpful replies. But if you spend some time in the various fora reading other threads, as well as reading the Stickies up top, you should be able to have many questions answered, then come back once you have a more specific question if you can't find the answer. Welcome
Apr 27, 2014, 10:14 am
#3
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: New York, NY
Programs: AA Gold. UA Silver, Marriott Gold, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt (Lifetime Diamond downgraded to Explorist)
Posts: 6,776
As stated there are a lot of variables to award travel.
Where are you starting from/going to?
Are you looking to travel on a specific airlines(s) and at a certain level of service (coach/business/first class)
Do you travel at all for work or pleasure where you can earn miles? if so on any specific airline or alliance?
Do you have solid credit to get cards?
Can you meet a spending requirement for a bonus via a credit card?
You can pay for more than just airline fare with credit cards and other reward programs. Car rental, hotels and more can also be redeemed via different programs.
Where are you starting from/going to?
Are you looking to travel on a specific airlines(s) and at a certain level of service (coach/business/first class)
Do you travel at all for work or pleasure where you can earn miles? if so on any specific airline or alliance?
Do you have solid credit to get cards?
Can you meet a spending requirement for a bonus via a credit card?
You can pay for more than just airline fare with credit cards and other reward programs. Car rental, hotels and more can also be redeemed via different programs.
Apr 27, 2014, 4:32 pm
#4
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: San Antonio
Programs: AS MVP
Posts: 2,276
Welcome to flyertalk! If you have good credit, minimal or no consumer debt and the ability to invest some time in a new 'hobby' (collecting miles and points), you can definitely cover most or all of a trip to Europe as well as lots of other trips. I began this journey about 18 months ago nearly from scratch took the trip to Europe that got me started last November, and am now earning miles faster than I can spend them. Try clicking the 'start here' links on several of these blogs http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/exter...resources.html for simple step-by-step starting instructions, but keep in mind many of them are compensated if you apply for cards through their links. So your best bet is to research based on your situation and what you want and then go from there. A few excellent blogs not on that list include travelisfree.com, saverocity.com, freequentflyerbook.com, lazytravelers.net and milenomics.com. There are several good books available as well, or you can wade right into the relevant airline and credit card forums here. There is no one program that works best for everyone, but we can help you get started on the right path if you share a potential itinerary/goal with departure and arrival times and a general time frame.