As a new member, I am astounded at all the opportunities there are to collect miles. Where would you suggest I get started collecting points if I will be using the travel in the United States? I would be flying Southwest most of the time. I would appreciate any suggestions. Thank you!

Hi and welcome!

I guess you are already enrolled in Rapid rewards!

Be sure to read the WN forum:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forumcgi/fo...e=5&LastLogin=

Welcome to FlyerTalk. If you're collecting credits for Southwest travel be sure to book your trips on the internet. By doing so, you get DOUBLE credit for each trip.

Rapid Rewards Program Lives Up to Its Name; Southwest Airlines Frequent Flyers Know the Fast Way to Earn Free Travel
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010509/daw034.html

Yes, welcome to FlyerTalk. Hanging out in the Southwest Rapid Rewards forum will be your best advice and make sure you do follow the above advice for booking online. Again, welcome and full speed ahead.

So you have chosen Southwest. Now you need to think about hotels and rental cars. Most have some program and they provide benefits to users overtime. You will also want to look at who else flies out of "your" airport as a secondary option and program to maximize points in.

You can also consider an affinity credit card to start earning miles that way. Grocery stores are also offering miles (at least Vons and Ralphs in the SO CA area. Then there is the choice of long distance carrier (and rotation of same). Each of these items are available and discussed on various appropriate locations in this forum.

The next thing is OMNI, a chance to help others and prehaps help yourself along the way. It is sort of a ponzi scheme where not one really gets "hurt".

The next thing to learn is the use of various web based travel purchase sites to get the "best" deal.

Finally, almost everything you buy on the web has some referral program where you "earn" some kind of "value units", most of which are convertible into some mileage program.

This is not at all an exhaustive list, just something to get you started. Time will be the restriction on how far you will be able to go.

Kim, welcome to FT!

MHO:

Living in greater Kansas City, you have the benefit of having the choice of several different airlines for travel.

If you are looking to fly on a free trip, you need to focus on a goal. Where do you want to go? When? With how many people?

If you just want to earn miles now then figure out where you want to go later, then go with the airline where you travel most often OR a major airline that has many destination options and partners, i.e. American, Delta, Northwest, United.

Then you need to figure out who flies to where you want to go. Does Southwest Airlines get you there? If not, then which airlines fly to that destination?

If you do not travel much, then working towards free trips on Southwest may not be best for you. For example, let's say your goal is for you and 3 immediate family members to travel to Orlando by 2004. From Kansas City Int'l Airport, you can fly directly to Orlando on Delta Express & Southwest or by flying through a hub city on Continental, American, USAirways, and even Northwest.

On Southwest, you have 12 months to use your free ticket once enough points are earned. This means you have to have enough points at about the same time for all 4 members of your family. On most other major airlines, however, your earned miles from all sources are stored on your account until you choose to redeem them for all awards at the same time. (With some exceptions, the earned miles do not quickly expire if you have activity on the account.)

Once you choose your airline for earning points/miles, then do everything you can to earn those miles. Use that airline's credit card for normal purchases; enroll in bonus miles offers; check the airline's forum for earning opportunities, etc. as already mentioned on this thread.

Good luck!

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He who dies with the most miles ... is dead.

[This message has been edited by ontheroad (edited 05-10-2001).]

[This message has been edited by ontheroad (edited 05-10-2001).]

Welcome! Look forward to see you at the SW forum!! Besides all the great tips you already got, don't forget to go online and create a UserID and password, so you can continue to monitor your SW rapid credit online. One thing I learnt about SW is that you need to keep track about your credits since they expires after 12 months, so you prob also want to plan -
a. an extra short trip (using online booking of course), b. rent a car rental (if you are only short by 1 credit), c. have either a SW credit card (you earn 1 credit every $1000) or a American express card (you can transfer 1 credit for every 1250 AE points).
so in the case you need a few more credit to get that award ticket. Good luck and keep those SW credit coming!!

Here's my biggest Southwest tip. Building on what others have suggested, i.e. booking your tickets online for the double bonus, book double sets of round-trips. Let me explain. If you are flying from Kansas City to, say, Baltimore, book a round-trip from Kansas City to Nashville. Then book a round-trip from Nashville to Baltimore. Often the cost of doing this is $10-30 more than just booking the one round-trip from Kansas City to Baltimore. And with the double bonus, you'll get a free ticket for every two trips you make, i.e. if you do this twice -- Kansas City to Nashville to Baltimore to Nashville to Kansas City -- you'll get a free ticket. Not too bad.

If you're going to use Southwest, in addition to booking all of your flights online, I would also use Hilton & Hertz. At Hilton (including Embassy Suites, Double Tree & Hampton Inns) you get HHonors points for the stay and 1/2 Southwest credit as well (see Hilton section). Hertz will also give you a 1/2 credit per rental. Also look at the Southwest Visa, you get 1 credit per $1000 spent. So you can earn one free roundtrip for every 3 trips - the best domestic deal going IMHO. if you earn 100 credits in 12 months, you get a companion pass for one full year. This allows a designated person (can be changed 5 times during the year) to fly along with you for free.

Also check out the Hilton forum and learn how to get comped Gold Status (also get the Starwood - Sheraton & Westin - comp too).

Welcome to FlyerTalk!

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Ken in Sacramento