OK, you have picked out your dream frequent flyer (FF) award flightand you need some serious miles.
But you will not fly enough torack up the points and earn the award in this lifetime.
What otherways are there to earn points without flying? Hmmm, let's explore...
Background

• FF points are worth 2 cents each.
  Perhaps 2.
  5 cents each.
  
• 25,000 points are needed for a domestic (continental NorthAmerican) award flight.
  Hawaii and Alaska flights usually are more,but not on all airlines.
  
• FF programs are free (for now) to join.
  You must belong to aprogram to earn points.
  That is, you cannot join and receive creditfor a flight you took last week.
  You CAN join as late as on a flight,however.
  

So, here are some ways to accumulate points without flying.
They arebasically listed from most to least common:Everyday Things [ Credit Card Purchases ] Most airlines offer their own branded credit card through AmericanExpress, MasterCard, or Visa.
Every dollar spent with these cards,also known as Affinity Cards, equals one FF point; there areexceptions (read the Terms & Conditions to learn more).
Most cardsoffer double miles (or 2 FF points per dollar) for purchases of theirown airline tickets; but remember we do not fly that much.
If you charge$2,000 a month, you will earn a free flight each year.
NOTE: Financial planning principles (and basic common sense) say topay off credit card balances each month.
Do not pay credit cardinterest, around 20%.
Tips:

1. Look for a credit card with no annual fee.
   American Expressoffers one for Delta Air Lines.
   Most others have an annual fee of$60 to $100.
   On the other hand, the annual fee is offset by the pointsearned when you spend $3,000 (for $60 fee) to $5,000 (for $100 fee) ayear.
   
2. Buy products (and services) for others and get reimbursed.
   Buycomputers or furniture for work, travel for family or friends, and soon.
   BUT, make sure you get paid for these purchases.
   Again, do notcarry a balance and pay interest charges.
   

[ Groceries ]Safeway (and affiliated chains) grocery stores give 125 United AirlinesMileage Plus points for every $250 spent.
While this is not anefficient way to earn miles (since each point "costs" $2), it is abonus for doing what you normally do.
For instance, I have shopped formy groceries at Safeway for years.
Now I am earning a few extra hundredmiles each month with no extra effort.
Cool! Another limited Safeway promotion offers 50 additional United pointswhen buying five Safeway Select products.
The cheapest item I havefound costs 33 cents.
You would have to spend at least $1.
50 to get50 points; at 2 cents each they are worth $1.
If you plan to buy theproducts anyway, then it is another small bonus.
However, it is notworth the effort or money to do so otherwise.
Use your airline credit card to earn the standard one point for everydollar spent.
Other stores and chains may offer similar programs.
[ Telephone ] We all love those long-distance telemarketers, right? You can earn aquick couple of thousand FF points by switching long-distancecompanies, if you are not loyal to a specific company.
You receivesome points (like 1,000) when the service is switched, then anotherbatch (like 2,000) after sticking with the new company for a coupleof months.
Most long-distance services are allied with specific FF programs.
Forinstance, Sprint is with American andAT&T is with Northwest.
So, if you decide to switch services afterearning points from the first switch, the points earned from thesecond switch will likely earn points in a different airline's FFprogram.
Phew, did you get all that? Check with the telephone service provider and airline for current promotions.
Oh yeah, you also earn 5 FF points for every dollar spent with mostlong-distance service programs.
[ Dining Out ] If you frequently eat at restaurants, you MUST join one of the FFdining programs.
They are free to join for everyone, no matter howoften you dine out.
Members earn 10 points for every dollar spent atparticipating restaurants.
Limits include one qualifying visit toeach restaurant per month (subsequent visits do not earn points) anda maximum of 6,000 points ($600 spent) per visit.
You can quickly accumulate thousands of FF points (perhaps a couple offree flights each year) at little cost, especially if you are on anexpense account or otherwise can pay for several diners and getreimbursed.
The dining programs also offer periodic bonuses, like2,000 points when spending $500 during a three-month period or 5,000points when visiting 10 different restaurants during one month.
Of course, you also earn FF points for the amount you spend on yourairline credit card.
[ Other Products ] Buying flowers is a very popular FF point accumulation opportunity.
Other purchases from catalogs or online sources can also earn FFpoints.
Such offers are especially prevalent around the holidays.
Be a smart consumer! Make sure that the cost of the product is notoverly inflated to negate the value of the FF points earned.
Forinstance, compare a $75 flower arrangement that earns 150 points to thesame one through another source for $50.
Both companies charge $5 fordelivery but the first one also charges a $5.
95 handling fee.
The FFpoints are worth $3 (150 points at 2 cents each).
It is not smart topay an extra $31 for $3 worth of FF points.
FF points can also be added to your account when you buy speciallymarked products.
I earned 500 points by collecting 5 certificatesfrom boxes of cereal bars.
I have seen similar certificates on cerealboxes, toys, and other products.
[ Buy FF Points ] Some airline FF programs sell points.
They usually cost $25 for 1,000points (2.
5 cents each).
Members must buy them in blocks of 1,000 andcan buy no more than 20% of the points needed for an award.
If youneed 25,000 points and your account has 21,750, you can buy 4,000points for $100.
Note that you cannot buy 3,250.
Also note that for a25,000 point award you cannot buy more than 5,000 points.
Summary This article outlined some basic ways to earn FF points without takinga flight.
You should be able to participate in one or more of theseprograms with one or more airline FF programs.
For more information,check each airline's website for details on their FF offerings.