Can One Person Earn Enough Miles for Two?

Earning free travel through credit card rewards points takes careful planning and record-keeping. It’s enough work on your own, but what if your travel companion is unable or unwilling to earn enough rewards to travel with you? Do you have to leave your loved one behind? 

Earning enough points to cover the costs of travel for multiple people isn’t as hard as you might think. However, it might not be necessary.

Don’t Make This Mistake with Your Priority Pass Membership

The Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Citi Prestige, and all American Express Platinum cards offer free Priority Pass Select membership, emphasis on "Select."

Last month I got this email from a vexed reader:
So here is my experience with the highly touted Chase SAPPHIRE Reserve card and its Select Priority Pass allegedly good for getting into 500+ airport lounges.

Newark Airport, Oct. 13, 2016, flying United Airlines Newark to Geneva: "Sorry, don't take the Priority Pass card in THIS (United) lounge.

Will You Find Last Minute Award Space? Here’s How to Estimate Your Chances.

I received the following email from a reader.

Dawn writes:
I wanted to ask a question that I didn't see an answer for on your site or clearly on the interwebs.
I am hoping to do a trip this winter to India.

BA.com’s Secret Airports

MG asks:
I’m not too well-versed with AA miles, but I have about 100k. I really want to use them for off-peak to either Chile or Argentina and somehow use them to get down to either country’s Patagonia region. Where do you recommend searching for LAN and TAM to get to Patagonia… the airport codes don’t seem to show up on BA.com???
 

If you search ba.com for award space, which you should do a lot when trying to redeem American Airlines miles, you will notice some missing airports.

All the Routes from West Coast to Europe with Flat Bed Business

Commenter RH Dailey asked me for a list of direct flights from the west coast to Europe and to let him know which ones have flat beds in Business Class.

There are direct flights from five west coast cities plus Vancouver and Las Vegas to Europe.

These flights are operated by all the major transatlantic players and by some airlines that perhaps you've never heard of.

For each North American city, I've listed the European cities served and by which carriers.

There Is No Transitive Property of Miles

Let me clear up one of the most common types of questions I get from beginners.

There is no transitive property of miles.

Just because Airline A partners with Airline B and Airline B partners with Airline C does NOT mean Airlines A and C are partners.

For instance, in yesterday's post Fully Flat Business Class to Europe for 25,000 Miles, I wrote:
I searched award space on Aer Lingus' routes from Chicago, Boston, and New York to Dublin for one passenger next April through July.

I searched on united.com.

Why Is My American Airlines Award Pricing 25k Miles Higher Than It Should?

We just got an interesting comment on Bill's great recent post about Booking Etihad Business Class Using American Miles.

MojoMama is trying to go from Los Angeles (LAX) to the Maldives (MLE) in First Class.

The United States to the Maldives should be 90k miles each way in First Class according to American Airlines' chart. But she's getting charged 115k miles:

Trying to book LAX-JFK(stopover)-AUH-MLE in first for August, but it’s pricing at 115,000 miles. Being told AUH-MLE is separate award because it’s not in the same region, which I know is false.

Should You Focus on One Airline Program or Accrue Miles in All of Them?

Many people ask me a variety of the question: should I focus my earning on one airline program, or should I try to earn miles in all programs?

Let's divide mileage accrual into two categories:

Miles earned from flying on paid tickets. (Butt-in-seat miles)
Miles earned from other sources.

Reader Question: Should I transfer Southwest Points to AirTran Credits?

Joanne writes:

"I have accumulated approximately 55,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards. I see that I have a Southwest flight credit that is expiring, and Southwest wants me to use 18,000 points to create a reward flight. I have my eye on a roundtrip award to Phoenix that costs 29,000 points. Is it worth it to do this? I am so confused. Any help is appreciated."

I can sympathize with Joanne's confusion.