I bet you 100 dirhams you’ve heard of Emirates, the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates. I bet you 1,000 dirhams you haven’t heard much about Emirates Skywards, the Dubai-based carrier’s frequent-flyer program.

Ironically, Emirates continues to deliver the highest levels of service and therefore earns the highest levels of praise.

When it comes to domestic airline frequent flyer programs, it’s hard to argue with the value presented by United’s MileagePlus program.

Many people, myself included, are finding themselves with a number of top-tier status with different hotel loyalty programs. Given the pandemic, most major hotels groups reduced the requirements for earning status.

Many travelers have Australia on their bucket list. There really is something for everyone, from the snorkeling and diving at the Great Barrier Reef to wineries, cool cities and spectacular beaches. 

The competition for the very limited number of award seats to get there, however, is fierce. Airlines’ frequent miler programs certainly don’t make it easy and finding award space on the nonstop flights from the U.S. could be quite a challenge.

You might have noticed that the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve® get recommended a lot in the points and miles community. There’s a good reason for that.

Rewards earned with these cards can be transferred to a number of airline and hotel loyalty programs, making it possible to book all kinds of travel for free (or almost free).

If you’re a Delta Air Lines flyer, you might think the cards offer little value to you because Chase doesn’t partner with Delta SkyMiles. However, don’t dismiss the Sapphire-branded cards so quickly.

Most people gravitate towards domestic airline loyalty programs. After all, it is easier to stick with programs that you’re familiar with rather than learn the ins and outs of another program. That’s why it is so important to know the best ways to earn United Miles.

Although United doesn’t have the most competitive award rates, one big benefit of booking with United is that it doesn’t pass on fuel surcharges on award tickets.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card gets a lot of love in the world of points and miles, as it should: it’s the best card for beginners to get 99.95% of the time.

With its valuable sign-up bonus, combined with a very reasonable annual fee of $95, whether you’re new to the game or a seasoned professional who’s had it before and want to get it again, the Sapphire Preferred continues to be a terrific card for practically every cardholder.

So hat can you do with all of these points?

Well, the options are literally endless.

When I’m trying to decide what my next credit card is going to be, I consider a lot of factors. What trips do I want to take in the next one to two years? What points do I currently have? What points do I want? What’s my 5/24 status? 

These questions always help guide me towards a card that will help me meet my goals. I don’t open cards just for the sake of opening them.

The Coronavirus pandemic has plunged the world into a state of uncertainty. Travel within the United States is more appealing and logistically more feasible than international travel, at least to the majority and for the time being. Today we are kicking off a new series of posts that examine some of the cheapest U.S. domestic award options in each major airline alliance, including:

Oneworld – British Airways, Iberia, and American Airlines (this post)

Star Alliance – Avianca, Turkish Airlines, and United

SkyTeam – Air France/KLM and Delta

When the words “domestic travel” come up, the big three U.S.

In May I flew from Atlanta to Buenos Aires in Delta One, and only had to spend 45,000 Ultimate Rewards--transferred to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club-- to do so.