Reminder: Get Points and Miles From Everyday Dining

Dining programs are free, easy ways to earn miles. Every single one of your debit and credit cards should be registered to a participating program–if not, take a couple minutes and sign-up for some. Once your credit cards are linked to a program, you’ll automatically earn miles every time you visit a participating restaurant. I often get random deposits of miles for eating at restaurants I didn’t realize were participating dining-for-miles establishments. It’s a quick, easy, great way to earn some bonus miles without even having to think about it … especially if you dine out as much as I do!

Here’s a breakdown of the dining programs out there:

American Airlines AAdvantage Dining Program: VIP members (dining program members who elect to receive emails and have 12 qualified transactions in one calendar year) earn 5 miles per dollar spent at participating restaurants, online members earn 3 miles per dollar spent after opting to receive AAdvantage dining program emails, and regular members with no online profile earn 1 mile per dollar spent. Qualified transactions are dines at participating restaurants that occur during a valid benefit period and are paid for with a credit or debit card registered with the AAdvantage Dining program. New member bonus - join and register for the New Member Bonus by December 31, 2011 and earn 1,000 AA miles after completing a review of your first (minimum of $30) meal within 30 days of dine. Earn double miles at rotating list of restaurants, bars, and clubs.

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Dining: VIP members (dining program members who elect to receive emails and have 12 qualified transactions in one calendar year) earn 5 miles per dollar spent at participating restaurants, online members earn 3 miles per dollar spent after opting to receive Alaska Airlines dining program emails, and regular members with no online profile earn 1 mile per dollar spent. Qualified transactions are dines at participating restaurants that occur during a valid benefit period and are paid for with a credit or debit card registered with the Mileage Plan Dining program. New member bonus - join and register for the New Member Bonus by December 31, 2011 and earn a bonus 500 Alaska Airlines miles after spending a minimum of $25 at a single participating vendor within 30 days of registration. Earn double miles at a rotating list restaurants, bars, and clubs.

Delta Skymiles Dining: VIP members (dining program members who elect to receive emails and have 12 qualified transactions in one calendar year) earn 5 miles per dollar spent at participating restaurants, online members earn 3 miles per dollar spent after opting to receive Delta dining program emails, and regular members with no online profile earn 1 mile per dollar spent. Qualified transactions are dines at participating restaurants that occur during a valid benefit period and are paid for with a credit or debit card registered with the Skymiles Dining program. New member bonus - join and register for the New Member Bonus by December 31, 2011 and earn 1,000 additional Delta Skymiles after spending a combined minimum of $25 at participating vendors (and completing a review of each restaurant) within 30 days of registration. Some members are targeted for the Sweeten The Deal promo, which gives an extra 3 miles per dollar spent after spending $125 on qualified dines by 12/31/11. Also, earn double miles at a rotating list of restaurants, bars, and clubs.

Southwest Rapid Rewards Dining: Active members who provide an email address to receive Rapid Rewards dining program emails receive 3 points for every dollar spent at participating restaurants, bars, and clubs. Earn an additional 10 points for every review completed within 30 days of dine. New member bonus: register and spend $25 on a single dine within 60 days and complete a review within 30 days of meal and receive 300 additional Southwest Rapid Rewards points. First step bonus - earn a 500 mile bonus when your dining point balance reaches 1,500 miles after qualifying dining activities (first step bonus can only be earned once). After earning the new member and first step bonus continue participating to earn SW’s thank you bonus which awards an additional 300 points every time a member’s dining points balance reaches 1,000 (not including bonus points). Thank you bonus can be earned repeatedly.

United MileagePlus: VIP members (dining program members who elect to receive emails and have 12 qualified transactions in one calendar year) earn 5 miles per dollar spent at participating restaurants, online members earn 3 miles per dollar spent after opting to receive United dining program emails, and regular members with no online profile earn 1 mile per dollar spent. Qualified transactions are dines at participating restaurants that occur during a valid benefit period and are paid for with a credit or debit card registered with the United MileagePlus Dining program. Welcome bonus - join and register for the Welcome Bonus by December 31, 2011 and earn an additional 1,000 miles after spending $50 at a single participating restaurant within 30 days of joining the MileagePlus dining rewards program. Earn double miles at a rotating list of restaurants, bars, and clubs.

US Airways Dividend Miles Dining: VIP members (dining program members who elect to receive emails and have 12 qualified transactions in one calendar year) earn 5 miles per dollar spent at participating restaurants, online members earn 3 miles per dollar spent after opting to receive US Airways dining program emails, and regular members with no online profile earn 1 mile per dollar spent. Qualified transactions are dines at participating restaurants that occur during a valid benefit period and are paid for with a credit or debit card registered with the US Airways Dividend Miles Dining program. New member bonus - join and register for the new member bonus by December 31, 2011 and earn a bonus 500 miles after spending $25 at a single participating restaurant within 45 days of joining and completing a review within 30 days of dine (bonus can be repeated for a total of 1,000 bonus miles). Earn double miles at a rotating list of restaurants, bars, and clubs. Sweeten the deal bonus: register and spend $125 at participating restaurants from the time of registration until December 31, 2011 and receive an additional 3 miles per dollar spent after completing vendor reviews within 30 days of dine. A maximum of 375 additional bonus miles can be earned with the sweeten the deal bonus.

Hilton Hhonors Dining: Elite level members (dining program members who elect to receive emails and have 12 qualified transactions in one calendar year) earn 8 points per dollar spent at participating restaurants, online members earn 5 points per dollar spent after opting to receive Hilton Hhonors dining program emails, and regular members with no online profile earn 2 points per dollar spent. Qualified transactions are dines at participating restaurants that occur during a valid benefit period and are paid for with a credit or debit card registered with the Hilton Hhonors Dining Program. New member bonus - join and register for the new member bonus by December 31, 2011 and earn an additional 1,000 Hhonors points after spending $30 on any combination of dines within 30 days of joining and completing a review within 30 days of meal(s). Earn double points at a rotating list of restaurants, bars, and clubs.

Priority Club Rewards Dining: Elite level members (dining program members who elect to receive emails and have 12 qualified transactions in one calendar year) earn 8 points per dollar spent at participating restaurants, online members earn 5 points per dollar spent after opting to receive Rewards dining program emails, and regular members with no online profile earn 2 points per dollar spent. Qualified transactions are dines at participating restaurants that occur during a valid benefit period and are paid for with a credit or debit card registered with the Priority Club Dining Rewards program. New member bonus - join and register for the new member bonus by December 31, 2011 and earn an additional 1,000 Priority Club points after spending $30 during a single visit to a participating restaurant within 45 days of joining and completing a review within 30 days of meal. Earn double points at a rotating list of restaurants, bars, and clubs.

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