Tip #6: Get a Miles Credit Card

Sign up for a credit card that gives you air trave miles. If you use the air card as your primary card, you will accumulate enough miles for a free ticket very quickly. Here are some of the major players:

Alaska Airlines - Visa Signature Card American Airlines - Citi Platinum Select AAdvantage® World MasterCard
American Airlines - Citi Gold AAdvantage® World MasterCard
American Airlines - CitiBusiness AAdvantage®
Delta Airlines - Amex Delta Reserve Card
Delta Air - Amex SkyMiles Gold Card
Delta Air - Amex SkyMiles Business Credit Card
Delta Air - Amex SkyMiles Platinum Card
Hawaiian Airlines - Visa Platinum
JetBlue - Credit Card from American
JetBlue - Business Credit Card from American Express
Northwest Airlines - WorldPerks Visa Signature Card
Northwest Airlines - WorldPerks Visa Platinum Card
Southwest Airlines - Rapid Rewards Signature Visa Card
Southwest Airlines - Rapid Rewards Visa Signature Business Card
United Airlines - Mileage Plus Signature Visa Card
United Airlines - Mileage Plus Platinum Business Card
Virgin Atlantic Airlines - Virgin Amex Black Card From Bank of America
Virgin Atlantic Airlines - Virgin Amex White Card From Bank of America

Tip #5: Watch Out for Airline Ticket Surcharges and Fees

Why does my fare quote say one thing and my actual cost say something entirely different? Introducing... surcharges and fees :-)

There are times when the fees, taxes, and surcharges on an airline ticket will exceed the price of the fare itself. This is more often the case in international travel, but is still prevalent in domestic flights as well. Be sure you know the full fare when selecting your flights, and watch out for those fees!

Related Posts:
Low Cost Carriers are NOT Always the Cheapest
Flying for Free: TheArt of Getting BUMPED

Tip #4: Join Frequent Flyer Programs

Join the airline's frequent flyer programs and sign up for their fare alerts. Here are links to major US carriers:

Air Canada Aeroplan
Air Tran A Plus Rewards
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
Aloha Airlines AlohaPass
America West FlightFund
American Airlines AAdvantage
ATA Travel Awards
Continental OnePass
Delta Air Lines SkyMiles
Frontier EarlyReturns
Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles
Independence Air iClub
JetBlue TrueBlue
Legend Airlines Travel Awards [gone]
Midway Airlines Frequent Traveler [gone - but the website remains]
Midwest Airlines Midwest Miles
National Airlines National Comps [gone]
Northwest Airlines WorldPerks Reno Air (offering AA AAdvantage miles) -->
Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
TWA Aviators [gone - folded into American AAdvantage]
United Airlines Mileage Plus
US Airways Dividend Miles

Related Posts:
Last Minute Flight Deals