How to Use Airline Miles

I am writing this quick post because I did not really know just how useful airline miles were. I have recently booked two trips using miles – meaning I got my flights almost entirely for free. For those new here, I am moving to South Korea in August. I got my flight to South Korea for around $5! So this post is here to explain how to use Airline Miles!

How did I get Miles?

I got around 25,000 miles just by having an American Airlines account. I’ve taken three international trips and a domestic flight with American Airlines in the past three years. As American was one of the only international airlines flying out of Wichita, Kansas, they are the reason most of my points are with them. Make sure you get an account no matter who/where you are flying. I’ve also started to slowly garner some United miles as I tend to fly them domestically.

I also opened a credit card. I don’t actually recommend the American Airlines credit card even though I did get 60,000 miles. There are other cards out there with better benefits and the same award. I wound up cancelling it 8 months in because of this. I am hoping to get a Capital One card at some point. Either way, building credit is important and you might as well build it with a card that gives you good benefits and lots of miles 😀

Miles Are Great For Last Minute Trips

My second trip that I have booked is a round-trip flight to Boston in a week’s time from the tiny local airport. Normally any flight from a tiny airport (American Airlines is the only Airline that operates out of this place) is going to be expensive. If you throw in urgency you’re looking at a $500-600 ticket at the minimum. I got mine for $12 and 25,000 miles. That may seem like a lot compared to how much my Korea trip is, but remember, the Korea trip is only one way! Having miles makes it possible for me to see a comedy show and Boston super last minute.

General Tips

If you flew on a partner airline make sure you get the points transferred. British Airways is pretty much owned by American (lol) so I had to fill out an online form to get the points moved. You can just Google for it 🙂 Also make sure you fly on the airline at least once a year or you can lose those miles!