travelerconfidential

Many of us accumulate airline frequent flyer miles by flying, opening up airline-affiliated credit cards, or making purchases on airline-sponsored card programs. Often, along with that comes finance charges, interest, and annual credit card fees.

But, now some online sites have developed other ways to help you rack up miles in your designated frequent flyer program. Here are three companies that are growing in popularity and allowing users a chance to earn miles in their loyalty programs by dining out, booking hotels, and making other retail purchases.

1. PointsHound

PointsHound is pretty easy to use. It has a simple layout and the slogan says it all: “Book Hotels. Earn Miles and Points.” The site has more than 150,000 international hotels to earn miles or points. You simply type in your destination and it lists hotels affiliated with PointsHound. From there, you book the hotel, register the airline you frequent, and enter your frequent flyer number. The miles are deposited into your account after you complete your hotel stay and check out. If you’re a business traveler or tend to stay in smaller hotels, which might not have loyalty programs, this is a great way to boost the miles in your designated frequent flyer account.

2. Thanks Again

Here at the Traveler Confidential, we think the Thanks Again site offers travelers the most options. Here’s how it differs; it gives you miles for spending money at restaurants and merchants in certain locations. Similar to the other sites, it also requires you to sign up. You enter your frequent flyer numbers and credit card numbers so it can keep track of your purchases and award miles. The site has a list of all your local establishments and airports which participate.

3. Rocketmiles

Similar to PointsHound, Rocketmiles rewards you for your hotel stays. The site lets you choose your destination, airline rewards program and the dates, before it decides how many points you’ll get for each night of your hotel stay. The amount spent determines how many miles you’ll receive. The great thing about this site is that you may earn bonus award miles the first time you book a hotel. This Priceline-owned company also has a mobile app.