Since they first took off in 1979, frequent flyer programs have undergone as many changes as the airline industry itself.

While it’s still possible to reap some major rewards—or to waste time collecting points you’ll never use—to♓day’s programs look very different from those of even a few years ago.

A huge shift, notes Brian Kelly, who calls himself “The🐼 Points Guy” and runs the website ThePointsGuy.com, has been to the model many airlines now use to calculate t🎉heir rewards.

Often called a revenue-based model, it rewards travelers for the amount of money they spend rather than the miles they fly. In other words, frequent flyer programs are becoming serious spender programs.

That can be good or bad🍷 depending on the type of tra♓veler you are. If you typically fly in economy class, you’re likely to benefit less than before.

On the other hand, Kelly says, “just a couple of trips a year in a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:premium class of service” could mean many thousands of miles added to your acꦺcount.

If you love to travel, you may be interested in saving money on flights. Tho꧅ugh there may be more changes on the horizon, here are seven of today’s best ways to earnඣ airline miles.

1. Focus on Where You Fly

You’re most likely to earn enough points to a🦹ctually get something in return if you concentrate on just a couple of airlines that ply the routes you expect to fly𒁏.

For instance, it’s༒ better to have 100,000 points with one carrier than 10,000 each with 10.

Note, too, that points may expire if your account is inactive for a certain period. While many airlines have ended the policy of miles expiration, those for American Airlines expire after 18 months of inactivity.

You’ll need to monitor any account you open or risk losing your miles—another reason 🦋to keep the number of ac𒅌counts manageable.

2. Consider Airline Partners

Many airlines belong to networks of domestic and foreign carriers, such as Oneworld, SkyTeam, and Star Alliance. 

These organizations, which you become part of by signing up for a member airline’s frequent flyer program, allow you to earn, combine, and 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:redeem miles of any partner airline within the network.

Which network you join will depend on the airlines you primarily fly. Their partners are listed on their sites, which can help you determine at a glance wh🃏ich airline frequent flyer programs to enroll in.

3. Get a Points or Miles Bonus

To en𝕴ticeඣ you to sign up for credit cards co-branded with airlines, credit card issuers frequently offer bonus miles, sometimes enough for a reward all by themselves.

Of course, that’s in the big print on their promotions. In the smaller print, you’ll find the terms. For example, some require you to spend a certain amount of money within a certain time to get travel rewardꦦs.

Alina Comoreanu, a research analyst with the finance website WalletHub.com, says that these cards are attractive if you are planning a big ꧟trip in the near future and already expect to spend a certain amount of money.

Bear in mind that they often have hefty interest rates. So, unless you pay your bill off each month, you need to weigh the value of your bonus again⛎st the interest charges.

4. Choose the Right Credit Card

Using a rewards credit card for all 𝓰of your purchases (and paying it off each month) can be another way to rack up enough miles for a reward.

There are two basic types of cards to consider: the co-branded cards affiliated with an airline and more general rewards cards that offer an assortment of aw𒅌ards, including airline miles.

“The main differe🅷nce between the cards would be that the air🍃line-affiliated cards are more rewarding when used with said airline, while the generic one offers a larger spectrum of redeeming options,” Comoreanu says.

For example, the more general rewards cards typically allow you to use your miles on a variety of 🗹airlines, rather than just one. If🦹 you know you’re unlikely to use your miles for travel, you can redeem them for other things, including cash.

“Straight-up cashback is always more reliable,”🥂 Comoreanu says. “Points can devalue easily and customers may find themselves receiving less than when they first applied for the card.”

5. Dine Out

Another good way to pile up points and keep them from expiring is to lin♑k yo⛦ur credit card to a frequent flyer plan’s dining program, Kelly notes.

When you charge a meal on that card at a participating restaurant, you’ll🍌 earn points based on the size of the tab.

You could also 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:earn points or miles towꦉard flights on other dining purchases when you use a general tr🃏avel rewards card.

When using a rewards card to pay for meals, be sure to pay attention to credit card 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:merchant category codes to ensure that ꦗyou'r🌜e getting the most number of miles or points possible for those purchases.

6. Use Shopping Portals

Many airlines also have shopping portals on their frequent-flyer websites. By going 🎶to that page first and clicking through to a participating merchant, you can earn points on your purchases.

Keep in mind, however, that spending through a shopping portal just to earn miles or pointꦓs could backfire.

If you're carrying a balance on your card month to month, the value of any additional travel rewards you're earning could be negated by the interest you pay.

7. Fly

Yes, you can still earn miles by flying, a fact easily overlooked among all the other ways to earn 🌜them.

Because of the move to revenue-ba💎sed programs, a costly ticket may get you more miles than a cheap o🐓ne, even if the latter’s route covers a greater distance.

That, of course, is rarely a good reason to spring for a crazy high fare, especially if you’re the one pꦦaying the 🏅bill.

The♈ value of miles varies from airline to airline, but figure they’re worth between one and two cents apiece on average. That makes it pretty easy to compare fares and do the math.

The Bottom Line

Freq🐻uent flyer programs are changing to reward high rollers, but there are still ways to earn miles without overpaying for them.

Understanding how to earn miles versus cash back, and choosing the right💫 rewards 💮credit card, can help you rack up free flights that much faster.