#krisflyer-miles

#krisflyer-miles

"As Delta's brand started to move and people started to see it as a premium brand, as a differentiated experience, Amex was critical to that because we see Amex as the premium credit card in the business."

AwardWallet has long been the leading tool for tracking rewards programs. In most cases, setting up accounts to track is pretty straightforward.

Wizz Air has reopened sales for its WIZZ Multipass offer, which enables customers to secure a fixed monthly flight price regardless of seasonality or last-minute demand. The subscription is available for all international routes to and from the UK, and is on sale now.

Used strategically, though, points and miles can unlock far more than a free domestic flight, from business-class seats on long-haul routes to the ability to book expensive trips without paying cash. To make sense of it all, we spoke with travel experts and points pros about how airline miles actually work today-and how to use them wisely. Ahead, you'll find guidance on earning miles more efficiently, building a credit card strategy that fits the way you spend, avoiding common mistakes, and redeeming points in ways that truly pay off.

As we look ahead, one of the air-travel trends worth watching has to do with airport lounges - and, more specifically, who can and can't access them. Later this year, American Express is updating its policies to make it a little harder for some travelers to access its Centurion Lounges. That's in keeping with broader trends in the industry, which makes it all the more interesting to see an airline going in the opposite direction.

Can you earn credit card rewards on train travel? It's easy to earn credit card rewards on train travel, even if you don't have an Amtrak-branded credit card. Nearly all rewards credit cards offer at least 1 point or mile per dollar spent on train tickets, and many credit cards offer boosted rewards rates for travel purchases like airlines, cruises and trains.

On-time performance used to be something airlines discussed quietly - in boardrooms, with investors, or behind the scenes with select partners. Now, it's becoming a consumer-facing badge of honor.

If you travel enough, it happens. You're browsing flights, feeling savvy and then you see a price that defies logic. A one-way ticket costs more than a return. A longer route is somehow cheaper. The same flight costs far less if you start in another city. It's confusing until you understand one thing: Airline pricing is not logical. It's psychological.

Airline miles and points can feel unnecessarily difficult to navigate, and I say that as a seasoned traveler with airline status - one who's spent more time than I'd like to admit squinting at award charts and fine print. I'm constantly inundated with social media posts from people claiming they've booked flights to Europe for something like 3,000 miles, while I'm left wondering what algorithm they've managed to crack that I haven't.

Why would this be cheaper than booking a direct flight? "Airlines make more money off pricing by market as opposed to distance," Aktarer Zaman, who created the site Skiplagged in 2013 to help travelers find these fares, tells Condé Nast Traveler. The savings can be significant; according to Zaman, travelers who use Skiplagged save an average of 47%, or about $180 per flight.