OK, year end melt-down when the holidays and more take us away from the paperwork of actually managing your frequent flyer miles. For many, the year-end is when they lose track of time. And with that, they lose their frequent flyer miles. Here’s a quick tip, only taking a single minute that can help you from losing any American AAdvantage miles from expiration.
AAdvantage members were moved to an 18-month activity policy on December 15, 2007, which means that the next period for expiration will be June 15, 2009. Now, AAdvantage members can wait until then to start to worry, but let me help with that.
To keep your AAdvantage miles active, you need some sort of activity in your account because each qualifying activity extends the expiration date of all unexpired mileage credit in your account for 18 months from the date of the qualifying activity. Why worry about it? Head on over to this URL:
Bose Headphone Video Earns Frequent Flyer Miles
Spend one-minute, that’s all … one-minute, to watch this Bose headphone video and you will earn 150 AAdvantage miles, which means that no matter your situation with AAdvantage, your miles will not expire before April of 2010. That is perfect peace-of-mind. This one minute exercise buys you 10 more months of no expiring miles!

Each qualifying activity extends the expiration date of all unexpired mileage credit in your account for 18 months from the date of the qualifying activity.

For whatever reason, I’ve always found myself drawn to the subtleties of the marketing message. There’s a new one going around that most frequent flyers will miss or even ignore. Such is not the case for me. It’s about the sudden and growing use of the word, “redeemable.” Now, the pundit part of our Type F frequent flyer personalities will surely scoff at the use of that word, “redeemable, yea right?”
I noticed it in a recent bonus offer from United Mileage Plus. In apparent days gone by, it was enough to simply offer “40,000 bonus miles.” Today, that is clarified as “40,000 redeemable bonus miles.”
The change? Why of course the confusion of non-redeemable bonus miles used for elite qualification vs. the bonus miles used for awards. Started nearly 4 years ago, it has become a trend for programs to offer two types of bonus miles, forgoing 23 years of history when in fact there was only a single type of bonus mile. Ah, the good old (simple) days.
So what of this change? It is and will continue to confuse members. I have started to receive requests for advice when “bonus miles” don’t post. A quick look at a statement will often camouflage that the elite qualification or EQMs have grown when the base mileage does not. So beware frequent flyers and learn “when is a bonus not a bonus”!

Someone asked me the other day why there is so much attention in advice to picking airline frequent flyer programs but nothing in the way of advice for picking a hotel loyalty program.

With that question in mind, I remembered something I wrote long ago that looks like it would still be information to use today:

1. Start by doing your homework. There are a range of things to consider. First, what kinds of rewards are you most interested in: hotel rooms, frequent flyer miles, merchandise, charitable giving? Then be realistic. Look at how many points you will need for any or all of these but unlike airline frequent flyer programs, you can’t easily compare hotel points to hotel points. Most hotel programs have different earning values such as two points per dollar spent, three points per dollar spent, five points per dollar spent and even ten points per dollar spent. Keep this in mind when comparing one programs reward chart to another.

2. Look at your own spending and regular travel patterns. If you seldom stay at a hotel or if you only put $1,000 a month on your credit card, the chances of getting that dream reward might be slim. Better to opt for a program that offers low redemption rewards like simple electronics, movie passes or gift certificates and many of them now do. Tip: some programs are better for merchandise than for room redemption, so if this is your choice, compare programs based only on this measurement.

3. Think about programs that offer more than a single way to earn points. Many hotel program credit cards are ranked among the best being offered – airline or even cash-back type cards. Yes, just like frequent flyer programs, you can spend your way to great things in your life.

4. Enlist the help of family members by sharing a single hotel account. If life partners and maybe even the older children are all putting points gained by spending and travelling in a single account, points add up quickly.

5. Maximize your points earnings by using the hotel program credit card for everything you can think of – as long as you pay outstanding balances every month (or very close to it). Carry a balance and the interest costs can quickly erode any benefit gained through these programs.

6. Don’t worry about hotel point redemption problems. Unlike frequent flyer miles, hotel programs generally enjoy a trouble free experience when using your points for hotel rooms.

7. Think about the various non-travel options these programs offer. How big is the range of choice? Is there anything you either want or can use at rewards levels you can reasonably collect? Some hotel programs offer you the ability to convert your points for anything you can dream – including braces for your children!

8. Be on the lookout for special promotional offers. Many merchants use bonus points in place of discounts on merchandise.