Tip: Earn Bonus Miles With Airline Dining Programs
This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here: Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
Most airlines have dining rewards programs, and joining can be an easy strategy for earning more points and miles. You may already hold a card that gives you bonus points on dining, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred (2x) or Chase Sapphire Reserve (3x), but it’s also possible to double-dip by enrolling in an airline’s dining program and paying with your registered card.
Enrolling is easy — just create an account with your preferred program, register your card and you’ll earn points and miles when you eat at participating restaurants. Sign-up bonuses are also available and vary by program.
Right now, the American Airlines AAdvantage Dining program allows you to earn between one and five miles per dollar spent with a bonus of up to 2,000 AAdvantage miles if you dine three times within the first 30 days of joining. The Delta SkyMiles Dining program also allows you to earn between one and five miles per dollar spent with a bonus of 3,000 SkyMiles if you dine three times within the first 30 days of joining. To round out the three major US carriers, the United MileagePlus Dining program allows you to earn between one and five miles per dollar spent with a bonus of up to 1,000 MileagePlus miles if you spend $25 within the first 30 days of joining.
As you may have noticed, these programs are similarly designed, and each of the memberships offer three tiers. In order to reach the top tier and earn five miles per dollar, you’ll have to sign-up to receive emails from the service and have 12 or more qualified transactions within a calendar year. Opting in to emails will get you three miles per dollar and you’ll earn one point per dollar if you don’t add your email. There’s no reason to not earn bonus points and miles when you eat out.
To find participating restaurants, just add in your zip code and click search. Bon appétit!
Featured image courtesy of Dan Dalton via Getty Images.
This card from Bank of America gets really interesting if you have a BofA checking, savings or investment account. Depending on the value of your combined accounts you can potentially get as much as 3.5x points on travel/dining and 2.625x points on other purchases making it the richest consumer banking bonus out there.
- Receive 50,000 bonus points – a $500 value – after you make at least $3,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening
- Earn unlimited 2 points for every $1 spent on travel and dining purchases and unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on all other purchases
- If you're a Bank of America Preferred Rewards member, you can earn 25%-75% more points on every purchase
- No limit to the points you can earn and your points don't expire
- Redeem for cash back as a statement credit, deposit into eligible Bank of America® accounts, credit to eligible Merrill accounts, or gift cards or purchases at the Bank of America Travel Center
- Get up to $200 in combined airline incidental and airport expedited screening statement credits + valuable travel insurance protections
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- Low $95 annual fee
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.