This might be obvious to most people, but it was not to me when I was a novice frequent flier. I thought that every mile I earned, no matter how I earned it had the same value. That is not true at all. Airlines award two types of miles. The regular mileage one earns are called Redeemable Miles (RDM) or Award Miles. These miles add up every time you perform any activity that earn you miles – like fly (duh!), make a charge on your airline branded credit card, rent …

There is no shortage of blogs and websites dedicated to the proverbial ‘Road Warrior’. My favorites include: the venerable InsideFlyer, ‘Road Warrior Tips blog, Orbitz’s webpage for Road Warriors and of course, FlyerTalk – the ultimate forum for all professional travelers and Road Warrioirs. The typical Road Warrior out there is a person who travels weekly. They are at the top Elite level of the airline or airlines and hotel chains they favor. They are experts at maximizing the miles or points they earn on every trip. They can tell …