This is the first post in a monthlong series. Each post will take about two minutes to read and may include an action item that takes the reader another two minutes to complete. I am writing this for an audience of people who know nothing about frequent flier miles, and my goal is that by the end, you know enough to fly for free anywhere you want to go.
I’m revising and updating my Free First Class Next Month series for beginners, which I previously ran in March and September, 2012. The learning curve for miles enthusiasts can be steep, and I hope this series flattens that curve. The series is for total beginners to get a base in the essentials about earning and redeeming miles.
In my suite on in Emirates First Class. You can see my personal mini-bar. The seat turns into a bed, and a few minutes later, I took a shower eight miles high.
In this series, I’m going to be showing you the tricks that experts use to fly in first class anywhere in the world for pennies. By next month, you’ll be a pro at earning frequent flier miles for doing things you already do and redeeming them for dream first-class vacations you thought you could never afford.
United Global First, about to stretch out in my seven foot bed.
In addition to frequent flier miles, I’ll be teaching you about how to find incredibly cheap cash fares and hotels, so that you’ve got a full arsenal of ways to travel cheap or free.
If you have two minutes a day, you can enjoy Free First Class Next Month! Bookmark this page, and check back tomorrow when we take the first step to Free First Class Next Month. (Or better yet, enter your email in the top left of this page, and you’ll get one email per day with that day’s posts.)
Here is a link to every post in the series in case you missed one. Reading the whole thing should take less than hour.
Free First Class Next Month: Table of Contents
- An Updated Guide to Free Travel with Miles and Points
- Signing Up For Travel Loyalty Programs
- Sign Up for Award Wallet
- Check Your Credit Score
- Putting All Your Spending on Credit Cards
- Bluebird
- Double Credit Card Miles with Business Cards
- Best Practices for Your First App-o-Rama
- Best Current Credit Card Offers
- An Easy Way to Meet Multiple Minimum Spends at Once
- Transferable Points Program Basics
- Category Bonuses
- Other Credit Card Benefits
- Cancelling Cards
- Keeping Miles Active with Dining Programs
- Shopping Portals
- You Can Earn Miles Doing Anything
- Airline Hubs and Alliances
- Searching United.com to Redeem United and US Airways Miles
- Searching AA.com to Redeem American Airlines Miles
- Searching BA.com to Redeem American Airlines Miles
- Using Qantas.com to Redeem American Airlines Miles
- Using Delta.com to Redeem Delta Miles
- Using Expert Flyer to Redeem Delta Miles
- Planning Awards with Wikipedia and Kayak
- Using Seat Guru to Pick the Best Award
- Using the Great Circle Mapper
- Using the FlyerTalk Mileage Run Deals Forum to Find Cheap Flights and Mistake Fares
- Using ITA Matrix to Find Cheap Flights and Fuel Surcharge Info
- Status
- Cheapskate Lodging with Hotel Promos, Hostels, airbnb, and CouchSurfing
- Name Your Own Price on Priceline to Save Hundreds on Hotels (Part 1)
- Name Your Own Price on Priceline to Save Hundreds on Hotels (Part 2)
- Using the MileValue Calculator
- The End (this post)
Follow me on Twitter or Facebook. Grab dinner with me in Los Angeles, Tampa, or Baltimore.
I have earned millions of points, primarily though credit cards, to travel the world in first class for pennies. This blog will show you how to earn and redeem points to do the same!
which miles are best if I want to fly, one way, from Buenos Aires to either Australia or New Zealand?
American Airlines miles to fly on LAN or Qantas.
Strange enough that you’re paying cash to fly Emirates… Pretty contradictory..
??? I didn’t pay cash. I used miles. But I do use cash occasionally for tickets. There’s no shame in that. It’s often a better deal than using miles. See http://milevalue.com/not-anatomy-of-an-award-just-book-with-cash/
I wasn’t sure if there is a separate page where I could send my question to you so forgive me that this question is not related to this post. My question is about adding free one-way to the international flight. I have LAX-HKG on CX F in Sepetmber & also NRT-LAX on JAL F coming back in October with AA miles on hold and am wondering if I can add a free one way to both before and after the trip. If so, I need to plan 2 side trips, correct? And if I were to add 2 one-ways, I’d better know the availabilities before the hold time is up so that I won’t have to pay extra to make changes later, right? I know you are expert at this and since I have never done this before, I would appreciate your inputs. Also, any suggestion as to what flight to look at for HKG-NRT leg? I want to do a stopover in Tokyo. Thanks!
Yes, you can add a free oneway in first class to both. The first one must be before LAX-HKG and go to LAX. The second must be after NRT-LAX and go from LAX. You should be able to go pretty much anywhere east of LA in the US and Canada–certainly all the major cities. Pick the ones you like. If you’re on the fence, look for a three-cabin plane operating the route. (It will be colored purple and cost 32.5k miles.) To/from LAX, AA operated them to JFK and MIA I think. That way your free oneways will be in flat beds instead of regular domestic first class.
Sorry, I know this is a really dumb question but the first one-way to LAX has to happen before my LAX-HKG flight, correct? Or can it be changed for later date for fee?
I like that you’re showing some leg there in Emirates! Do you wear those green shorts every time you fly first class? our was it a suites class thing
I’ve never seen a picture of you in those before. You should have gotten gold colored ones.
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Signing Up for Airline Programs | milevalue.com
what miles can i use to book an award on Emirates? I have-AA-AVIOS-UNITED-US AIRWAYS-FLYING BLUE-AVIOANCA LIFE MILES-MR-UR
Thanks
UR –> Korean miles
I’ll have several posts on this coming up.
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Sign Up for Award Wallet | milevalue.com
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Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Putting All Your Spending on Credit Cards | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Bluebird | milevalue.com
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Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Best Practices for Your First App-o-Rama | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Best Current Credit Card Offers | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: An Easy Way to Meet Multimple Minimum Spends at Once | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Transferable Points Program Basics | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Category Bonuses | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Other Credit Card Benefits | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Cancelling Cards | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Keeping Miles Active with Dining Programs | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Shopping Portals | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: You Can Earn Miles Doing Anything | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Airline Hubs and Alliances | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Searching United.com to Redeem United and US Airways Miles | milevalue.com
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Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Searching AA.com to Redeem American Airlines Miles | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Searching BA.com to Redeem American Airlines Miles | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Using delta.com to Redeem Delta Miles | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Using Expert Flyer to Redeem Delta Miles | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Planning Awards with Wikipedia and Kayak | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Using the Great Circle Mapper | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Using the FlyerTalk Mileage Run Deals Forum to Find Cheap Flights and Mistake Fares | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Using ITA Matrix to Find Cheap Flights and Fuel Surcharge Info | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Using qantas.com to Redeem American Airlines Miles | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Using Seat Guru to Pick the Best Award | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Status | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Using the MileValue Calculator | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Cheapskate Lodging with Hotel Promos, Hostels, airbnb, and CouchSurfing | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Name Your Own Price on Priceline to Save Hundreds on Hotels Part 1 | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: A Beginner’s Guide to Free Travel | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Signing Up for Loyalty Programs | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: How Many Cards Can You Personally Apply For? | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Your First App-o-rama | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Signing up for Award Wallet | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Credit Card Application Reconsideration | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Meeting Multiple Minimum Spends At Once | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Category Bonuses | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Transferable Points Programs | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Other Credit Card Benefits | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Credit Card Cancellation Negotiations | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Dining Programs | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Using kayak.com | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Using Flyertalk’s Mileage Run Forum | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Learn Airline Alliances, Codes, and Hubs | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Seatguru | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Using United.com for Award Bookings | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Using AA.com for Award Bookings | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Using Hawaiianair.com to Make Award Bookings | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Using BA.com to Make Award Bookings | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Using Delta.com to Make Award Bookings | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Great Circle Mapper | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Using Priceline to Save Hundreds on Hotel Rooms Part 1 | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Using Priceline to Save Hundreds on Hotel Rooms Part 2 | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Using evreward.com to Earn Miles from Online Shopping | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Other Frequent Flier Miles Opportunities | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Double Your Credit Card Applications | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Using the Mile Value Calculator | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: The End | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: An Updated Beginner’s Guide to Free Travel | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Signing Up for Airline and Hotel Programs | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Check Your Credit Score | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Calculating and Increasing How Much You Spend on Credit Cards Each Month | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Double Your Credit Card Miles | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Turning Credit Card Rejections into Acceptances | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Meeting Several Minimum Spends at Once | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Exploiting Transferable Points Programs | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Exploiting Category Bonus | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Exploiting Other Credit Card Benefits | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Organizing with Award Wallet | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Why Dining Programs Can Be Worth Big Miles | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Earn Miles Doing Everything | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Business Credit Cards | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Airlines’ Codes, Hubs, and Alliances | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Exploiting the FlyerTalk Mileage Run Forum | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Using Kayak.com and Its Many Features | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Saving Hundreds on Hotels with Priceline Part 1 | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Saving Hundreds on Hotels with Priceline Part 2 | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: seatguru.com | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Star Alliance Award Searches on United.com | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Award Searches on AA.com | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Using BA.com for oneworld Awards | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Using Delta.com for Award Searches | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Using expertflyer.com | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Using the Great Circle Mapper | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Mile Value Calculator | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: The Revised End | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: Maximizing Your Category Bonus | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: The Best Current Card Offers | milevalue.com
Pingback: Free First Class Next Month: The Updated End with Table of Contents | milevalue.com
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