--- title: The New Frequent Flyers Game | TIME description: Explaining the new rules behind some frequent flyer programs. canonical: https://time.com/video/vU6iIVPv/ og:title: The New Frequent Flyers Game og:description: Explaining the new rules behind some frequent flyer programs. og:url: https://time.com/video/vU6iIVPv/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/vU6iIVPv/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The New Frequent Flyers Game twitter:description: Explaining the new rules behind some frequent flyer programs. twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/vU6iIVPv/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # The New Frequent Flyers Game > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: The New Frequent Flyers Game [Watch (HLS stream): The New Frequent Flyers Game](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/vU6iIVPv.m3u8) (1:32)  _Published 2016-08-12. Explaining the new rules behind some frequent flyer programs._ --- Jul 27, 2023 8:36 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [Deadly Heatwaves in Europe Will Occur More Frequently, Scientists Say](/video/ZYeNqYDZ/) ### Deadly Heatwaves in Europe Will Occur More Frequently, Scientists Say [Accenture CEO Praises ‘Stargate,’ OpenAI’s New Venture While in Davos](/video/poLsreKc/) ### Accenture CEO Praises ‘Stargate,’ OpenAI’s New Venture While in Davos [U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson Tests Positive for Coronavirus](/video/maPghfBZ/) ### U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson Tests Positive for Coronavirus --- ## Transcript If you were just figuring out how your frequent flyer program workers, then you may have a whole new game to learn. Because some of those programs are changing the way you earn miles. Airlines like American, United, and Delta are rewarding customers for dollars spent instead of miles flown. Which experts say is going to make it harder for infrequent flyers to rack up miles. But they have tips on how you can get the best deals to accumulate miles and cash them in. First, skip the upgrades. Now that many airlines charge copays for using points to upgrade this deal isn't so great anymore. Break down your flights into two one- way trips. You may be able to get one of the tickets at a lower rate. Save your miles for the longest, most expensive routes you plan to take, like international premium business class, you end up playing less for a higher end options when spending miles instead of cash. Take advantage of airline partnerships that may award points differently. Alaska Airlines, for example, still awards points for miles flown, so it's easier to rack up points on that airline and then cash them in with partner airlines Delta or American. Get an airline credit card that offers sign up bonuses. Some out there offer 50, 000 miles to first time card holders. And finally, realize it's sometimes better to just cash in your credit card points for cash instead of miles. Some experts say anyone who doesn't fly enough to earn a leap status probably won't benefit from a loyalty program. But purchasing airline tickets with a cash- back card will at least help you get to a cash reward sooner. ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"The New Frequent Flyers Game","description":"Explaining the new rules behind some frequent flyer programs. ","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/vU6iIVPv/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2016-08-12T15:35:32.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/vU6iIVPv.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/video/vU6iIVPv/","duration":"PT1M32S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/video/vU6iIVPv/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}} ```