How to get an airline credit card

Airline credit cards are a great way to earn miles with your favorite frequent flyer program, but you don't need a co-branded or premium card to get rewards. While they may take longer, these strategies can help you earn the miles you need to book a free flight. Find out all the different ways you can earn miles without a credit card.

1. Book Flights Using Your Frequent Flyer Number

You can get miles if you provide your frequent flyer number when you book your trip and pay out of pocket. Each airline has a different rate for which you'll earn miles, and how much you earn can depend on your status with the airline, the type of fare, the ticketing airline and the operating airline.

If you forget to add your number or haven't yet signed up for the airline's loyalty program, call the airline or visit its website to request credit.

2. Use Online Shopping Portals

Many airlines allow you to earn miles when you shop through their online portals. How much you can earn typically depends on the retailer and how much you spend. Here are some shopping portals from major airlines:

Shopping online can be a great way to earn miles fast, but overspending can neutralize any value you receive from the rewards you earn.

As such, it's important to use shopping portals only if you're already planning to spend the money. Also, don't make your decision on where to buy an item or service based solely on the rewards rate. Shop around to make sure you're getting the best price.

If you're looking to maximize how many miles you earn regardless of which airline it is, you can use sites such as CashbackMonitor.com to compare rates for different retailers.

"Try to focus on earning points for one or two airlines that you frequent," says Shane Mahoney, CEO and founder of Lugos Travel, a luxury tour operator, "as it doesn't make sense to earn points on an airline you don't normally fly with."

3. Participate in Dining Programs

The average U.S. household spent more than $3,000 in 2021 on food away from home, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. Depending on where you dine out, you could earn miles for every dollar you spend.

Most of these programs are offered through a company called Rewards Network. Here's what you can earn:

If you earn 5 miles per dollar on $3,000 each year, you'd total 15,000 miles over the course of a year. Depending on the airline, that could be at least enough to cover one or two one-way tickets. Some programs also offer sign-up bonuses to new enrollees.

"Make sure to follow promotional campaigns, as they can provide you with exclusive access, service or value at select restaurants," says Mercedes Zach, a travel expert at ASAP Tickets.

To get credit for your restaurant purchases, sign up for your preferred program and register your credit or debit cards that you might use when eating out.

4. Get a New Bank Account

If you're loyal to American Airlines or Hawaiian Airlines, a couple of banks offer an opportunity to earn more rewards.

Online bank Bask Bank, for instance, offers 2 American Airlines AAdvantage miles for every dollar saved annually in its Bask Mileage Savings account. Additionally, the Bank of Hawaii offers a debit card that earns 1 Hawaiian Mile for every $2 you spend, up to 1,000 miles per month. The card has a $3 monthly fee.

If you're taking a road trip, you won't get the chance to earn miles from a flight. You can still earn miles from your hotel stays along the way. Rocketmiles allows you to earn miles with frequent flyer programs for every hotel stay you book through its site. But again, shop around to make sure you get the best rate.

Some airlines have partnerships with other travel brands, enabling you to earn miles throughout your vacation. Southwest Airlines, for instance, offers points when you book hotels, car rentals, shuttles and various travel experiences, such as tours and museum visits.

With American Airlines, you can earn 1 mile per dollar spent on qualifying Hyatt hotel stays and experiences when you link your two loyalty accounts.

Check your favorite airline's website to find out if it partners with other travel brands for rewards earning. Keep in mind, though, that by booking through the airline, you may miss out on the chance to earn rewards with the partner brand. Also, some car rental companies apply a surcharge on reservations that earn frequent flyer miles.

A handful of airlines offer miles when you complete surveys:

Keep in mind, though, that while completing surveys is easy, you may not earn much for your effort.

"Whether it's worth it depends on how much you value your free time," says Zach. "Unless you find surveys an interesting pastime or are seriously passionate about earning miles and status, for most frequent flyers it likely is not worth the time."

Buying airline miles may be one of the easiest ways to get what you want, but it's also one of the most expensive. With United Airlines, for instance, you'll pay $35 per 1,000 miles with a minimum purchase of 2,000 miles, plus a tax recovery fee. For 2,000 miles, you'll pay $75.25 total, giving you a cost of 3.76 cents per mile, which is far more than the value you'll get when you redeem them.

As a result, it's rarely a good idea to buy miles unless you need a few more to book a trip or your rewards are expiring and buying some can push off the expiration date.

"It makes sense to buy miles when you need to top up an award, when the price of a ticket costs more than buying miles, when you need to keep miles from expiring or if there are bonuses earned for purchasing miles," says Mahoney.

The Best Way to Earn Miles

There are several ways to earn miles without ever using a co-branded airline or premium rewards credit card, but some can be costly or time-consuming. You'll earn miles much more quickly if you have a card that offers a sign-up bonus and ongoing rewards.

If you have an airline credit card, you can still use these other strategies to earn miles. It's a good idea to focus on the options that require less effort. For example, you can register your airline credit card with your favorite airline's dining program, multiplying your earning power every time you eat out – without a lot of legwork.

Whatever you do, consider all of your options, choosing the one that works best for your needs and is feasible for your spending habits. Once you start, you can watch your rewards balance grow.

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