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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Pick Up Frequent-Flier Miles Quickly

James T. Yenckel The Washington Post

Nowadays, there are plenty of ways to pick up frequent-flier miles quickly when necessary:

A traveler who is shy 300 miles could book a short round-trip flight. To be sure, this is one of the more-expensive options. A sympathetic phone clerk at a frequent-flier desk suggested the traveler book a room at a hotel that awards mileage credits to passengers - or rent a car for a day.

Many frequent fliers hold Visa cards that award one mileage credit on a specific airline for each dollar charged on the card.

Joe Hopkins, a spokesman for United, which offers such a card, suggests anyone needing miles in a hurry should start charging as many everyday purchases as possible, including the family groceries, until sufficient miles have been earned. Of course, such a practice might offend the frugal, and it assumes you still have a substantial credit line available.

Beyond these basic mileage builders, a wide range of special promotions allow frequent fliers to earn miles - and without flying. These programs usually are announced in bulletins mailed to frequent-flier program members.

If you fly only infrequently, expiring mileage is a factor to keep in mind when you are deciding on which airline to accumulate miles. If you expect to earn miles slowly, you probably are better off joining one of the frequent-flier programs that has no time limit.