Online Resources for Frequent Flyers (Part 12 of 12)

Access to information was always the great promise of the Internet. And unlike so many promises, this one has been delivered on—never has so much information been available to so many, so easily.

Among the beneficiaries of this abundance of information are travelers generally, and those who participate in mileage programs particularly.

Following are the online resources that I use myself (and to which, in some cases, I contribute) as well as those I find myself repeatedly recommending to others.

Airline and Hotel Websites

Let's begin at the beginning. The ultimate source for accurate information about travel rewards programs is the websites of the airlines and hotels that operate the loyalty programs. So I have them bookmarked. And of course, I've signed up to receive the newsletters of the various programs I track as well. You should do the same.

Naturally, you'll want to confine your visits, and newsletter subscriptions, to those programs in which you already participate, or those you're considering joining. Otherwise, monitoring the world of miles and points would be a full-time job. (Our related advice: Always focus on as few programs as possible. Not only will you earn more free trips and other perks, you will also have an easier time keeping current with special offers and significant policy changes.)

Frequent Flyer Advice Sites

Unfortunately, travel suppliers can't be trusted to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, in a timely manner. And even if they could, visiting all their websites on a regular basis wouldn't be time-efficient.

With the number of travelers participating in frequent flyer programs approaching 100 million, it stands to reason that the programs would attract dedicated Internet coverage. The following sites feature news and offers, links to the major programs, and commentary and advice.

SmarterTravel.com, of course, is the very site you're currently logged onto. You're probably familiar with us already, but if not, you'll find general travel information as well as several specialized content areas, including one dedicated to frequent flyer programs. That's where you can read the rest of the "Joy of Miles" series, as well as blogs, Q&As, and regular columns focusing on various aspects of loyalty programs, and also subscribe to our Mile Alert newsletter.

InsideFlyer is the online version of the magazine of the same name, the only major printed publication dedicated to travel loyalty programs.

FrequentFlier.com is the website founded and published by the author of this article, Tim Winship, the Editor-at-Large for Smarter Travel.

Forums

The forum, or online bulletin board, is one of the Internet's most bountiful offerings. Forum visitors can post questions or comments, or simply lurk, following the conversational "threads" of other posters. Because forums focus on very specific topics, they generally attract an audience with substantial expertise in that subject.

Before jumping in with queries or recommendations, be sure to read the forum's guidelines and spend some time observing the focus, etiquette and style of veteran participants. Old-timers can be intolerant of those rehashing old issues or straying off topic.

There are two such forums dedicated to mileage-related discussion.

FlyerTalk is not only the largest mileage forum, it is probably the largest travel forum overall. In the frequent flyer area, you'll find a sub-section for each major airline and hotel program. Because the participants tend to be ultra-frequent travelers, the topics discussed, and the terminology used to discuss them, can tend toward the arcane.

If FlyerTalk is the mega-mall of mileage forums, the FrequentFlier Forum is the boutique—intimate, friendly, relaxed.

Independent Newsletters

Online newsletters share two notable (and desirable) characteristics with forums. First, unlike print publications, which require days or even weeks of pre-delivery production, an email newsletter can be written and distributed in hours, collapsing the time between newsworthy events or announcements and their coverage. And secondly, email newsletters—presumably because it's simply a matter of hitting the "Reply" key—are interactive to a degree that their counterparts in other media could never be. That means that readers can often expect to respond to an email newsletter, and in turn receive a response, in a matter of hours.

For the mileage set, there are three e-mail newsletters worth considering. All are published in conjunction with established travel websites, and feature late-breaking program news and special offers, advice, etc. And all are free.

The FrequentFlier Crier is the companion newsletter from the FrequentFlier.com website, published every week.

Mile Alert is our own twice-monthly email newsletter.

MilesLink, the e-mail newsletter of InsideFlyer, alternates between frequent flyer program topics one week and general travel content the next.

Mileage Managers

Many frequent travelers participate in more airline and hotel programs than they can effectively manage. The solution: mileage-management software, which tracks earnings in multiple programs and provides users with a consolidated, comprehensive picture of their various mileage accounts.

For $14.95 a year, MileageManager gives subscribers consolidated statements, automatically pulling together mileage balances, recent transactions and other up-to-date data from all active program accounts.

MaxMiles MileageMiner costs $29.95 a year, and provides essentially the same functionality as MileageManager.

Other Miles-and-Points Resources

Points.com allows users to convert miles and points among participating programs, including those of Air Canada, Alaska, American, Delta, Midwest, and Priority Club. (As we've pointed out elsewhere, however, beware of the high cost of such conversions.)

And finally, for anyone considering the donation of frequent flyer miles to charity, MileDonor.com is a must-visit site. There's information on donating through the programs' own channels, as well as tips on assisting charitable organizations with no formal affiliation to a mileage program.

(Editor's Note: SmarterTravel.com and FrequentFlier.com are members of the TripAdvisor Media Network, an operating company of Expedia, Inc.)