2,000 Free bmi Miles
Star Alliance carrier bmi (British Midland International) has a pretty good frequent flyer program with a generous award chart. Specifically, I like the 45,000 mile coach awards from the US to Europe (see full award chart here), as well as the option to use cash and miles, which can be a great value. For example US to Europe in business class is only 37,500 miles and $341- thats cheaper in miles and taxes than a Flying Blue 50,000 mile economy ticket from the US to Europe!
They are currently offering 1,000 free miles just for signing up for an account (no activity or flight purchase required).
Then take this 2 minute survey for another 1,000 miles.
As Gary from View from the Wing reports, at some point in time it was speculated that bmi's Diamond Club will become a part of Lufthansa's Miles & More program (which is less generous), but it doesn't look like that will happen anytime soon.
So now that you have 2,000 miles to start - let me help you strategize on getting your balance up to level where you can redeem for awards. As I actually just signed up for an account myself, I'm on a personal mission to whip it into shape, so I'll continue to post tips as I figure them out.
1) Fly Star Alliance carriers and bank your points to your bmi account. I am not a Star Alliance frequent flyer, but when I do fly them I bank to my Continental account. Since I have a bunch of miles there already, I'll start diverting miles to my bmi account
2) Buy up to 24,000 miles. There is currently a 20% bonus promotion on purchased miles, so 24,000 miles costs £ 255.00 GBP or $414 USD.
3) Have someone with a UK based Amex Membership Rewards account transfer you miles (bmi is not a transfer partner for US or Canada Membership Rewards)
4) Earn points when staying at Wyndham: Earn 1,000 Destinations Miles per night, with a maximum of 5,000 miles per stay regardless of the length of that eligible stay, when staying in a participating Wyndham Hotels and Resorts hotel. Earn 1,000 Destinations Miles per stay, regardless of the length of that eligible stay, when staying in a participating Ramada, Wingate by Wyndham hotel or Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham hotel. Earn 500 Destinations Miles per stay, regardless of the length of that eligible stay, when staying in a participating Days Inn, Baymont Inn & Suites, Super 8, Howard Johnson, Travelodge (US only), Microtel Inns and Suites or Knights Inn hotel.
5) Buying stuff from flybmi.com/shopping (though it looks UK based, so you may get hosed on shipping/foreign transaction fees), however it looks like you earn 3 miles per GBP spent at Itunes, so that may be worth a try.
6) UK Residents can get the credit card with 24,000 mile sign-up bonus.
[card card-name='Citi ThankYou® Preferred Card – Bonus Point Offer' card-id='22145660' type='javascript' bullet-id='1']
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month