Expiring miles
 

I enrolled in Rapid Rewards but found out that, for an occasional traveller like myself, it is just too hard to accumulate enough segments flown before the mileage expires. That is why I try not to fly Southwest if I want to get mileage unless the fare advantage justifies it.

If you register for the Southwest Visa, you can immediately become a Freedom Member with a numbered account. Then by booking through the internet, you get double credits. You get credit for one round trip just by using the credit card once. You can earn a credit for each car rental with Alamo, Budget and Hertz. Via this strategy, with a car rental for each trip, you could have a free ticket with only 3 flights. With many of their flights costing about $80 round trip, that's
pretty reasonable. You can use the free ticket to any destination, even if there's not a flight combination listed in their schedule.