Points for Business Travelers is a new weekly series aimed at helping business travelers maximize miles and points without a lot of effort. Have a suggestion or question? Email roadwarriorette @ gmail.com.
One of the perks of frequent business travel is accruing miles that you can use for fun trips. After all, what's the point of being on the road all the time if you don't get anything out of it? And of course, the more free trips the better! The problem is that traditional mileage runs and other points accruing techniques can take a lot of effort, add stress, or mean more time away from home. This series will focus on the easiest way for business travelers to get the largest amount of points and miles with the least amount of aggravation. I'll cover a range of topics, including loyalty programs, credit cards, challenges, and other strategies.
But before starting to chase miles, you really have to figure out—what are your goals? Do you want status? Upgrades? Free vacations? Lounge access? For your family to go on trips with you? Your goals will really set the parameters for your overall strategy. In my case, I want my family to be able to come on some trips with me and free vacations most of all, then status and upgrades. This made the first step easy: the Southwest Companion Pass. This allows my husband and baby to fly with me for free on business trips where it makes sense, plus gives us a lot of options for low cost vacations. After taking advantage of the Chase Southwest credit card bonuses, flying a bit, and some strategic shopping, I have the Companion Pass until the end of 2014. Hooray! Now to figure out a strategy for the status goals…..
On that note, I will be co-hosting a Twitter chat this afternoon focused on accruing points and miles. It's sponsored by TripIt (an awesome app!) and the other hosts are super cool: @earthXplorer, @LandLopers, and @ThePointsGuy. This is your chance to ask your points-related questions! Not only that, but we will be giving away TripIt prize packages to two lucky people that include a one-year subscription to TripIt Pro and a bunch of other goodies.
How to win? Make sure you are following me @RoadWarriorette and @TripIt, along with the other hosts. Then join us today, Thursday January 31 at 5pm EST/2pm PST and follow the hashtag #TripItChat and join in the conversation! Active participants who use the hashtag are eligible to win the prize pack. I'm honored to be in a group with these guys! Should be lots of fun.
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