Tips and Tricks for Collecting Air Miles

"Air miles are not only collected when you fly"

In this day and age people are always looking for tips and tricks as to how they can save some extra money and get the best deals wherever possible. Saving air miles is a great way to lower the cost of flights and reward you and your family with a much needed holiday. In spite of popular belief, air miles are not only collected when you fly. There are a great many ways in which you can collect air miles and then redeem them for flights at your leisure. Anyone can save air miles and there are a great many ways in which you can increase your rewards and cash in on simple offers which will increase the number of miles you collect.

Alliances
Instead of simply joining the air mile frequent flyer reward program of every airline, it is much more effective to enrol in an alliance which will allow you to accumulate points from several airlines into one place and reach your required goals much faster. Takes some time to find out which airlines are part of what alliance and think about which ones you are more likely to use in the future. This will increase your earning potential and you will see the air miles accumulate much more quickly. Once you have enrolled in the alliance you can contact customer services to transfer your past air mile balances from each individual account into the one master account in order to earn more miles faster.

Credit Cards
This is one of the most common ways in which you can collect air miles. Many airlines and credit card companies are offering deals which allow you to collect air miles with every dollar that you spend. In order to increase your air miles using this method you should buy large expensive items on credit card and pay them off using a different account. Any large payments such as house or car payments can be paid through credit card to produce a huge chunk of air miles each month. By simply using your credit card in any situation where you can, you will see your air miles balance increase dramatically each month allowing you to claim the rewards much more quickly.

Club cards and Online Shopping
There are many websites and store cards that you can sign up to which offer air mile rewards as a loyalty program for their shops. You can join estore facilities which allow you to gain air miles when you spend certain amount of money on their products. You can find out what shops and websites are affiliated with your program by looking at the specific information you are given with your alliance enrollment.

Add the Household
For most air mile reward programs you are able to sign up the entire household for one account. This increases your accumulation as you receive miles whenever any registered member flies or use their credit cards. This helps to increase the amount of points you receive and allows you all to partake in the rewards.

About the Author: Naomi Chamberlain writes for Discounts.ca who provide a range of store coupons and vouchers. Current brands on the website include Apple, Dell, Expedia and Amazon.

Orlando: Tips for your next vacation

Orlando is often regarded as the most kid friendly destination in the world. More than 51 million tourists visit this iconic landmark to enjoy world-class activities at Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Studio Orlando, Sea World and Gatorland. Besides, it is also a busy venue for corporate events and international seminars. In fact, most visitors complain that they don’t get the time to visit all the great attractions. Nevertheless, here are some tips to get you started.

Getting There

The Orlando International Airport is the second busiest airport in Florida. Most local airlines including Air Blue, South West and AirTran operate several daily flights from all across America. Foreign carriers such as Lufthansa, British Airways, AeroMexico, Virgin Atlantic and Air France also have daily schedules. The nearby Sanford International Airport is home to Allegiant Air.

If driving to Orlando, it is useful to avoid the morning rush hours between 7 am and 9 am. For passengers traveling by train, CSX Transportation and Amtrak offer interstate railroad services connecting Southern Florida and Northern United States, respectively. Moreover, a high speed railway network connecting Tampa and Orland is expected to resume somewhere in 2014.

Getting Around

Several local tour operators and private shuttles offer fast access to major attractions. If touring with a small group, hire a small van as most companies adhere to ‘per shuttle’ pricing policy. The I-ride trolley is another price saving option. These colorful trolleys take visitors everywhere around the International Drive. The park and ride feature of these trolleys is a great way to save money and arrive at prime locations faster than other means.

Car Rental

Sheer competition among care rental agencies makes sure that visitors are able to find cheap car rentals. To further improve your chances of getting a great deal, always book at least 30 days in advance. If late for booking, always ask for last minute deals. Luckily, most car rental companies have last minute rates available even during the peak holiday season.

Amusement Parks

While all major attractions are located around International Drive, Walt Disney World Resort is situated along Lake Buena Vista. If traveling with kids, it is best to visit Epcot Center and Animal Kingdom, first. These theme parks offer variety of attractions within a small parameter. Leave other parks for evenings as they require you to walk.

For movie fans, a visit to Universal Studios is a must. The park is geared around movie themes providing thrilling cinematographic effects. Sea World and Wet’n’Wild water parks are the other main attractions. Children will also love Gatorland, which is often dubbed as the alligator capital of the world.

Recreation

For adults, Orlando offers world-class golf, nightlife and outdoor activities. Home to some of the most prestigious tournaments, Orlando has more than 170 golf courses and 20 training academies. Dinner shows, interactive entertainment and live music are hallmarks of the city’s nightlife. The Universal City Walk is a prime example of such an entertainment. Examples of outdoor activities include riding in an open cockpit airplane or using an air-boat to traverse swamplands.

Shopping

Downtown Orlando and Winter Park are prime spots for the best shopping deals. Besides, several specialty shops offer hard to find clothing and décor. The Florida Mall, Mall at Millennia and Lake Buena Vista Factory are major clothing outlets. Fit2Run, Jockey, Cartier, Tupperware Brands and Shepler’s Western Wear offer specialty products at factory rates.

How to Get Into Business Class on Your Mates

Many years ago, as I was carefully planning my honeymoon, Lady Luck appeared in the form of cheap business class flights with Singapore Airlines. It feels like a lifetime ago (well before my current days of enjoying one of the many perks of business travel that are the much revered business class flights) and at that point in our lives, bargain basement economy seats were all we knew.

We baulked at first for two reasons: one, because we were ignorant to the heaven-in-a-seat that is business class; and two, because even at their heavily discounted price, these seats were still not what we would have generally considered to be “cheap”.

Fortunately, as we were not overly excited by the idea of receiving bed linen and cutlery as wedding gifts (nor were we thrilled by the idea of wasting the full day in Myers that is required to successfully complete the registry trawl through their home wares section), we had set up a gift registry system with our travel agent that invited our wedding guests to contribute the money they might have put into a wishing well, into our honeymoon fund instead.

Thanks to this bit of foresight (and a bit of luck) we were able to splurge out, snap up those tickets and hence have our first taste of business class and our first experience flying with Singapore Airlines. These were both life-changing events (relatively speaking).

Flying business class is a massive eye-opener to the humble cattle-class traveller, so it’s not hard to understand why my life’s motto became, “once you go business, you never go back”. Well, at least you never willingly go back to economy and if you do have to, then you may shed a little tear as you board the plane and turn right (towards the arse-end of the plane), rather than left (towards that shining beacon of comfort and civilised flying up the front).

Flying Singapore Airlines was also a massive eye-opener. This airline is renowned for being the best in the business and they have bagged a heap of industry awards including Best Business Class Airline Seat at World Airline Awards, and Passengers Choice awards. They are hugely deserving of these accolades and they are my first choice of airline when it comes to holiday or business travel.

These days my business class bum is flown around the world courtesy of my obliging employer. For their generosity in providing business class flights in my budget I thank them dearly… and I also work that little bit harder to close the deal. For at the back of my mind is that niggling thought… the thought of potential budget-cuts reverting my flights to economy. Oh the horror!