- Education of a Points Freak – Introduction
- Question 1 – Is accumulating points and miles for everyone?
- Question 2 – Won’t applying for credit cards hurt my credit?
- Question 3 – What are the pros and cons of different airlines’ mileage programs? (US Legacy Airlines)
- Question 4 – What are airline alliances and how are they useful?
- Question 5 – How can I keep track of all my account balances?
- Question 6 – What are other useful tools I can use?
- Question 7 – What are some good credit cards to start with?
Most people are familiar with the three major airline alliances: Star Alliance, Oneworld, and Skyteam. What’s important for a points freak like me is how you can use miles from US legacy carries in conjunction with alliance partners to get all the way around the world. For example, I just booked that trip to Asia for my in-laws using United miles, but they are flying on United, Lufthansa, Thai Airways, and Asiana. This post will serve as an intro to the alliances and where they can get you. The more you know about different partners, the more options you’ll realize you have when redeeming miles.