I flew round trip to New York for $11
We are all looking for great deals when we travel. We use all the tricks, clear out cookies, use a private browser and search for flights on Tuesday, got it! There are many ways to lower the price of a flight. But, the best way to get the cheapest flights, for example the one I mentioned in the title is rewards!
Anybody who is following me on Facebook or Instagram knows that I just got back home from New York (if you're not find my Insta here and my Facebook here!). I had such a great trip, I got to go to the Gov Ball and I shopped until I dropped, and I could afford to do it because I only spent $11 on the airfare.
Rewards are an amazing way to fly extremely cheap. For my trip to New York I flew with American Airlines and used my Aadvantage points to go. I really like their program and the airline, so its the program I like to use. When using rewards its usually best to stick to one program, so that you get the most benefit for your money. I would advise you to use whatever airline that you fly with the most from your city. I don't know everything about every program but I can give you the basics of this one and tips on how I earn points that allow me to take a couple trips a year for a very small price!
As I said before, my round trip flight from Kansas City to New York cost $11, when you book a flight with American Airlines points, each flight costs an amount in points and $5.50 for domestic flights. The amount of points needed depends on when and where you are going, and they start around 7,500 points and go up from there.
There are many ways to earn point with Americans system. First, you earn points by flying, every flight you take gets you closer to free flights. There are many opportunities to earn point on other travel related things, like hotel rooms and car rentals, so any trip I take I find the best deals and earn rewards towards my next vacation. For example when I book my hotel, I usually search for which hotel I want to stay in, and book with a site through advantage. On my last trip I got 4 miles per dollar on my hotel, the total for 4 nights at $100 a night was a little over $400, so I got 1,200+ miles. I also put the hotel on my AA credit card (more on that below) and got an extra 400+ points.
Another way to earn points, which is one of my faves is shopping! The Aadvantage program has a shopping mall that allows you to make purchases through their links where you can earn points. If you are going to buy something anyway, you might as well get miles for it! There are so many stores available that provide everything, from clothes and shoes to household items. Anytime I shop, I check to see if I can buy my items through the store and rack up the points. They also often have offers for extra bonus points, so this helps them build even faster. Don't just go on the site to shop around, they literally have everything and you'll end up spending all your money!
Another way I earn air miles is through my credit card. I have an Aadvantage platinum card where I earn miles on every purchase I make and double points on American airlines purchases. Combining the card with my flight allows me to earn points very quickly. If I buy a flight for $200 on my credit card, I get 400 points and then get the points from actually flying the miles. Opening a card usually comes with an incentive, for this card you could get anywhere from 30,000 to 60,000 points. The catch is you have to spend $3,000 within the first 3 months of opening the card.
As with any credit card, the trick is to spend only what you can afford to pay in full. If you are carrying a balance and paying for interest every month, the benefits of the card become pointless because you're spending money. I use my card monthly for bills and expenses so I can earn points, and then quickly pay it off to avoid fees.
Being a cardholder has some additional benefits, I get 2 free checked bags on flights, I get to board the plane earlier and there are no fees on foreign purchases, so I save when I am out of the country!
Doing these things helps me earn so many points, and the super cheap trips keep coming in! Hope this quick post helps you get out and see the world! Have any questions? Hit me up! Do you use any frequent flyer or travel rewards programs? Tell me which ones below.
