Earning Miles While Eating Out
Quite often the popular belief is that it’s a hassle to earn miles/points. Many people think that they have to go the extra mile (pun intended) and go out of their way. The truth however, is that we can adjust our everyday spending habits to earn those extra miles/points. One simple example are Dining Rewards Programs. These programs are affiliated with all major US domestic airlines and some hotel chains. They are run by a company called Rewards Network and are pretty simple – you just need to register your credit (or debit) card and you will earn miles/points while paying with that particular card at participating restaurants, bars, etc. Just to be clear, you can register any card, it doesn’t have to be a card that is affiliated with that specific program. Here is how it works:
Pick a participating program from the Rewards Network that you want to collect miles/points.
Let’s say you want to collect American Airlines miles. First, before registering for the dining program, you need to make sure that you already have your American Airlines frequent flyer number; if you don’t – register for their AAdvantage program (or any others – we have all major loyalty programs listed here). Once you have your frequent flyer number, register for the American Dining Program by providing your name, address, FF#, etc. and linking your credit or debit card.
From that point on, whenever you use the card that you registered to pay at participating restaurants, bars, etc., you will be earn American miles. You can search participating restaurants by zip, state or name, but just to give you an idea – there are over 11,000 participating restaurants, bars and clubs.
Just for signing up you will receive 1,000 miles as a signup bonus when you spend $30 in the first 30 days. You can earn up to 5 miles per dollar spent depending on your membership (VIP, Online Member, Member). Basically, if you provide a valid email address and use your card more than 12 times per year you will be a VIP.
Some other dining programs:
Delta – offers 3,000 miles as a signup bonus if you dine three times in the first 30 days and spend $30 or more. You can earn up to 5 miles per dollar spent – pretty much the same as the American program.
United – you can get 3,000 bonus miles after five visits and $25 spent. Also, up to 5 miles per dollar spent.
Alaska – up to 5 miles per dollar spent and 1,000 miles as a sign up bonus when you spend $30 in the first 30 days.
Southwest – 3 miles per dollar spent; 1,000 miles sign up bonus when you spend $25 in the first 30 days + extra points for submitting reviews.
Bottom Line
For those who eat out or visit bars frequently this is a no brainer – you can increase your mileage bank significantly. Even if the bouncer doesn’t know your name, this is a good option to earn some extra miles/points without having to change any of your spending habits. Let’s just say that you are going to spend $50 on dinner this Saturday night. That will most likely net you 50 miles/points (1 mile/point per $1 spent). However, had you registered for one of the Dining Programs and used the same exact card, you could have earned up to 250 miles/points extra! Not a huge number at first glance, but they do add up over time!
