12 Easy Ways to Earn Airline Miles (That You Probably Don’t Know About)

Looking to book the family or your BFFs in a beach house this summer or a ski retreat during the winter? You can earn three miles for every $1 spent if that house rental is booked through Vrbo. Say a Hamptons beach house costs $500 per night over five nights in June. Ding ding! You just earned 7,500 miles, equivalent to about two-thirds of a one-way domestic ticket, depending on your route.

During the fall of 2022, Delta Air Lines teamed up with this coffee giant. SkyMiles members who are also members of Starbucks Rewards program now earn one mile per dollar spent. On travel days this will spike to double stars. (Sweet!) Promotions are periodic and worth pursuing, such as 500 miles in your account when the program first debuted (after your first Starbucks purchase) and, last fall, three visits (where you could buy something as cheap as a tall drip coffee) dropped 1,000 miles into your account.

Say you land at McCarren International in Vegas and order a Lyft. If you’ve already linked your Delta Air Lines’ SkyMiles and Lyft accounts, from the airport to downtown, you’re earning double miles for each $1 spent because it’s an airport run … and this can continue throughout your entire weekend in Vegas, resulting in a mile for every dollar spent. (What happens in Vegas doesn’t always have to stay in Vegas!) Soon you’ve earned enough for a ticket back to Vegas. How cool is that?

Just like the Vrbo example above, Airbnb reservations also earn miles. (Again, be sure the accounts are linked before you click the red Reserve button on Airbnb.) But with seven million homes, apartments, and rooms on the site worldwide, this is a super-easy way to earn miles, whether for a future trip in a far-flung locale or a staycation in your own city. Each $1 spent earns an airline mile.

Whether you’re scooping up nails, tools or paint cans—or going for big-ticket items like doors, sinks, drywall, windows and patio furniture—The Home Depot’s partnership with United Airlines’ MileagePlus earns miles. Similarly, Lowe’s and American Airlines have a partnership.

Most people groan when asked to take a survey—on behalf of a brand or company—but what if you received a reward in the form of airline miles? JetBlue’s TrueBlue members can through jetopinions while United Airlines’ MileagePlus members also will via Opinion Miles Club and American Airlines’ AAdvantage members with Miles for Opinions. After you’ve taken your first survey, a few hundred miles are dumped into your airline-loyalty account as a way of thanking you for your time.

While binging your favorite television show from the couch you are inching closer to a Hawaii vacation. But before you sit down to watch said show, if you are planning to reap the reward, research which streaming service an airline partners with—for example, as of last August, JetBlue’s TrueBlue members earn 1,000 points when they subscribe while if you have an Alaska Airlines credit card you earn two miles for every $2 spent on streaming services.

In the event of a friend’s or family member’s birthday, funeral or special occasion ordering flowers boosts your miles. Or maybe you just want some red roses to gaze at as you build miles for a Tuscany trip? Each airline partners with a different florist—such as 1800FLOWERS.com (United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Southwest Airlines) and Teleflora (Frontier Airlines). And while a bouquet isn’t going to likely cost more than $100, with Frontier Airlines you earn 10 miles for every dollar spent—that’s 1,000 miles directly into your mileage account.

While dreaming of your next getaway, a practical research tool would be a subscription to a travel magazine , no? All of the above airlines partner with MagsforMiles.com to offer hundreds of subscriptions through Dotdash Meredith, the country’s largest magazine publisher.

If a spa of your choice is bookable through Spafinder, then you can earn miles. With American Airlines, it’s four miles for every dollar spent, so if you booked a 60-minute deep-tissue massage ($265) at The Peninsula New York that translates to 1,060 miles.

If you’re already springing for Taylor Swift tickets or cheering for your favorite sports team at a live event, why not also earn miles? Last year American Airlines announced this new option through AAdvantage Events. Note that events are only in the United States and Canada but the range is vast, including performing arts and theater; live-music concerts; and NHL, NBA, and college sporting events. Similarly, Delta Airlines SkyMiles’ members earn a mile for every $1 spent on Ticketmaster (also just for events in the U.S. and Canada). If you are traveling abroad for a concert, Air France and KLM—plus other non-domestic airlines—also have a partnership with Ticketmaster.

Whether you’re ordering food for delivery at your home or hotel room, you’re still earning miles. Air Canada’s AeroPlan earns two miles for every dollar spent on Uber Eats in the U.S. and Canada through Grubhub and Uber Eats. This is an especially flexible option and crucial while traveling because who doesn’t need to eat?