If you only fly a couple of times a year, you might assume your chances of earning airline miles are limited. But booking and taking a flight isn’t the only way to earn them.
You can also rack up miles just by going about everyday life: buying coffee, shopping for household essentials, dining out with friends, booking a rental car, and more. All you need to do is link the proper accounts.
Once you learn about some of the lesser-known ways to earn miles, you may reach your mileage goals sooner than you think. Here are a few surprising ways to earn airline miles, even when you're not flying.
In this article
Loyalty Program Partnerships
Other loyalty programs besides repeat airline bookings can help you earn more miles. Some brands partner up, letting you link accounts to maximize the rewards you earn.
For example, Delta and Starbucks have a loyalty program partnership, allowing you to rack up miles with each cup of coffee.
Once you link both accounts, you can earn double stars when you make Starbucks purchases on the same day that you fly with Delta. You can also earn bonus miles through Delta every time you reload $25 to $100 to your Starbucks Rewards account. You can earn up to 2x miles on reloads of $100.
Airline and rental car loyalty program partnerships also work similarly. American Airlines partners with Avis and Budget. Once your accounts are linked, you'll earn at least 2x base miles per $1 spent on qualifying rentals, with cardholders and elite status members earning even more. You can also save up to 35% on rentals.
Online Shopping Portals
If you do the majority of your shopping online, you might not realize that you’re probably missing out on a whole heck of a lot of airline miles.
Rather than pointing your browser directly to your intended retail site, type in your preferred airline's online shopping portal instead. Each one offers access to well over 1,100 stores and when you shop through the airline’s link, you can earn serious added points on top of your exciting new purchase.
There’s American Airlines’ AAdvantage eShopping, Delta SkyMiles Shopping, Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping, and United MileagePlus Shopping, and all you need to do is log in (you might need to create an account), search for a store, click through the retailer’s offer, and shop as you normally would.
This will make you eligible to earn bonus miles or points after completing a purchase. So whether you're buying electronics, clothing, skincare, travel gear, or household supplies, there's likely a way to earn bonus miles.
Airline Dining Programs
All of the major U.S. airlines offer dining rewards programs that let you earn miles when you dine out or order takeout from participating restaurants.
Programs vary slightly, but generally, you sign up through the airline’s website, link the credit and debit cards you use when dining out, and then earn miles automatically each time you visit a participating restaurant.
Once logged into your account, you can search by zip code to find restaurants near you. Earning rates typically depend on whether you opt into marketing emails.
With American Airlines’ AAdvantage Dining, for example, you earn one mile per $1 if you opt out of emails, but three times the miles per $1 if you opt in, and five times miles per $1 for the rest of the year once you've completed 11 qualified transactions while opted into emails.
Travel Credit Cards
Travel rewards credit cards offer another way to earn miles even when you're not traveling. General travel cards, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, earn elevated rewards on select non-travel spending categories.
With this card, you’ll earn three times points per $1 spent on dining, select streaming services, online groceries, and gas and EV charging. Your points are then transferable to participating hotel loyalty programs and airline loyalty programs like JetBlue TrueBlue, Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards, and United MileagePlus.
Many co-branded airline credit cards also earn outside of travel.
The Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard earns two miles per $1 spent at restaurants and gas stations.
To earn the most, choose cards that match your everyday spending, and you'll accumulate miles faster than you'd expect. Many airline and travel cards include useful credit card perks, like free checked bags and automatic elite status, that can improve your travel experience.
The Shortcut
Link your Starbucks and Delta accounts to earn double stars on days you fly, plus bonus miles on every $25 to $100 Starbucks account reload.
Shopping through your airline's portal instead of going direct to a retailer's site can add bonus miles to purchases you're already making.
Signing up for airline dining programs is an easy way to earn miles on restaurant meals and takeout orders. Opting into emails can often multiply your earning rate.
