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There are many ways that vacationers can lower their expenses, and several of them are not used. One of these is the many frequent flyer programs which are offered by many air carriers, and you don't have to be a jet-setter to benefit from them. Since their start in 1972 by United Airlines it has grown into a gigantic industry, with folks who aren't actually frequent flyers benefiting from them. The program was started as an incentive for travelers to fly a particular airline, and had been born in a period when air carriers were being regulated. There wasn't a lot of incentive then to fly a particular airline apart from whenever a flight was to be had. For example, if you needed to be in New York at a certain time on Monday, you took any airline that would get you there at that point in time. The Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 started the change in how we would look to acquire our airfare, when price grew to become a more important issue. But air carriers discovered that frequent flyer programs were still a promotion point, and business travelers loved them since they could fly on company expense but make use of the frequent flyer miles as a tax-free perk. So just how may the typical vacation tourist take advantage of frequent flyer miles offered by their most used airline? While selecting who to use, consider this: 1. Programs offer special advantages, so settle on what plan fits your needs best. If you are just an occasional vacationer, check the program's mileage termination. Many of the larger airlines haven't any ending time whereas discount carriers will often cancel your miles after a period of time, maybe one year of non-use. 2. Think about links to charge cards. Just about all air carriers have a connection with banks or credit card companies which when you use them you build up your frequent flyer miles. The way you may make use of a specific card ought to factor into that card you choose. Many among the major carriers will let you book places to stay and buy groceries with the card, thus building miles even if you're not flying. Once you've started accumulating several points, here's a number of things to think about as you want to redeem them: 1. Book your extended flights with points. The comparative cost savings you will realize with a longer trip will give you greater value as opposed to the shorter trip for the same number of points. 2. Think about using points to upgrade. Particularly on the longer flights, it is possible to frequently get better value by upgrading your flight to business class or first class and pay a lower fare for a base ticket. 3. Keep track of the points. If they are about to expire, arrange your trips wisely to cash in rather than risking losing them. If you found this article informative, you may find two other pieces on ways to cut your vacation budget interesting. Discounts for senior citizens talks about how people in that age group can find discounts, and we have some information on vacations that are all-inclusive. Jim O'Connell is a writer who loves to travel.
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