New Year’s Travel Resolution #1: Earn More Miles

Earning miles should be something every traveler does every single day. Even if you only fly a few times a year, you can still collect a nice stash of miles and points to use towards future travel through activities you’re already doing. After all, you probably purchase something almost every day of your life. And with chances to earn miles as plentiful as they are these days, savvy travelers can accrue miles for almost every dollar they spend.

Plenty of people are aware that they could, technically speaking, earn miles from any number of sources. But the hassle of signing up for mileage programs, credit cards and mileage promotions often stops them from maximizing miles earned from everyday activities. But once you’ve completed the initial sign-ups, earning miles is more a matter of habit than anything else. It’s like the traveler’s version of diligently (or obsessively) clipping coupons. You just have to get into a routine. And there’s no better time to adopt a new habit than the New Year.

Here are five tips for making 2008 a mega-mile year:

1. Register, register, register. If you aren’t already signed up for loyalty programs with every airline you could possibly fly, then it behooves you to take 45 minutes - say, on Saturday afternoon, or whenever else you get a free minute - and just go through the drudgery of entering all your information into the various sites. Sure, you may think it doesn’t make sense to register for a loyalty program with an airline you may or may not fly with this year, but it’s far better to have your account set up in advance. When you’re actually in the process of buying a ticket, it’s disruptive to have to stop and create an account with an airline. In some cases, taking the time to register for a loyalty program can mean you’ll lose the very fare you’re trying to buy. Many people just figure they’ll sign up later. But then they don’t - and that means lost miles. If you only want to register for a few loyalty programs, WebFlyer has a great, useful side-by-side comparison chart that rates all hotel and airline programs.

2. Replace regular credit cards with reward cards. If your top priority is travel, then one of the best ways to earn free airline tickets is through a reward credit card. Compare available programs on a site like CreditCards.com, which has a Hotel and Travel Rewards Credit Card comparison section. Which card you choose should depend on your priorities. Some companies - Capitol One is an example - require travelers to redeem miles through their own travel agency, while others will just transfer the miles to you and let you book travel using any online travel agency or airline web site. In the former situation, you have less flexibility when redeeming miles, but you can avoid restrictions like blackout dates that you’d face using other programs. Do some research and decide what works best for your needs.

3. Ask your bank about debit card reward programs. Some banks (Chase, Bank of America, KeyBank, to name a few) offer account holders the opportunity to earn miles for purchases made with their debit cards. As someone who often tries to pay for things using a debit card instead of credit cards, I have personally found this to be one of the most effective methods for earning miles. I earn miles whenever I use the card - even if it’s for groceries.

4. Earn miles for everyday purchases. Travelers can earn miles in some unexpected places. Safeway, for example, offers its Club Card members different ways to earn miles for various airlines. Check out the Safeway Club Card Airline Miles page to see what sort of programs are available in your area. In addition to mileage promotions offered by individual retailers, travelers can earn miles from pretty much every store under the sun at Shop4Miles.com. Check out the store list, and you’ll see what I’m talking about. One drawback to this site is that it isn’t partnered with every airline. If your preferred airline isn’t part of the program, then you can always earn miles for everyday purchases through each airline’s online shopping portal (most of the major ones have them). Just make sure you read all the fine print before completing a purchase - you’ll probably have to log-in or, in some cases, enter a code of some sort before you buy anything in order for the miles to hit your account.

5. Search for available promotions whenever you shop for travel. Before you buy an airline ticket, rent a car or book a hotel stay, check out MileMaven to find current promotions associated with your travel plans. This is a great site that allows travelers to search for promotions. It’s common for travel companies to offer miles to customers who pay with certain credit cards. You may also find limited-time bonus mile promotions that you might otherwise have missed.