Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Smart Things to Consider When Traveling for Business

Reward Programs

There are many different types of reward program's out there on offer from airlines, to hotels to rental cars to name just afew. It's a lucrative service offered by many companies in order to pay respect to the loyalty of a customer. A way to say Thanks basically and have you returning back for more. Most programs are free to join. It is free for the most basic program. Within each program though, there maybe different tier levels you can join up too again which are paid, so check this out before joining as well and choose a program you are most likely to Travel with frequently and look into it's benefits.

Enroll yourself in a Frequent flyer program if you travel to a particular city often. I would suggest that you sign up for ALL the free mileage points/loyalty programs you come across that would be of benefit to you. If you're using online sites like Expedia and CheapOair, it's likely you'll be traveling with two different airlines so you can be earning points on both. It would be advantageous also though to accumulate as many points as you can under the one frequent flyer program so you can redeem points quicker. You would be best to use the frequent flyer program you travel with the most eg United airlines Mileage Plus Program or bmi whatever airline it maybe. Don't forget to also keep your boarding passes with you until your statement has arrived so you can cross check all points have been received.

An even faster way to accumulate points is by joining a credit card rewards program such as the Platinum or Gold Card with American Express. Having a Platinum may also mean you can use almost all of the airline clubs on the day you fly that airline. This works great when you're flying multiple airlines. Also, Platinum may also reimburse some of your expenses for checked baggage or onboard food purchases when using the card. Warning: There are fees to be a platinum member as well, but the program itself far outweighs the annual fee particularly for those that travel frequently. Use it to pay all your bills as well and earn points, but just ensure that you pay the credit card bill off in full each month so not to accumulate interest charges. Benefits vary from country to country as well so read through all the details carefully.