Taking off Travel blog

Business travelers are well accustomed to earning air miles and reward points for their business travel, but now there’s another way to rack up those rewards – Social Rewards. The company’s aimed at travel industry and business professionals (airlines, hotels, conferences, dining, as well as e-commerce and movies) and integrates with their existing reward schemes. All the companies have to do is prepare a great deal and tweet and share it to their existing socially connected members – and who knows, it could go viral.

What’s in it for the business traveler? Well, if you’re already hooked into Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and other social sharing sites, then you could get a great deal just for sharing with your fans and followers. It’s something you’d be doing anyway, and now there’s a chance to get something back.

What do you think? Is this something that would appeal to you when you take business trips? (H/T Inc)

Here is what you need to know about frequent flyer programs.

This continues our short series on Frequent Flyer Programs. Read Part 1 here.

Check Out The Fine Print

While many people skate over the fine print, this is a mistake when selecting a frequent flyer program. This will have details of how miles are calculated, what restrictions there are on travel, when you can’t use miles (known as blackout dates), fees, taxes (you didn’t think you would escape those, did you?) and the policy on flight cancellations. These issues will determine whether a particular program really suits your travel habits.

Other Benefits Of FFPs

When you have racked up thousands of miles, you may get other benefits, in addition to discounted travel. For example, you might get preferential treatment for check-in or boarding, access to a special lounge, flight upgrades, additional free tickets or a reduction in blackout dates. Whether you are just starting out with a frequent flyer program or already have your airline’s gold card, redeeming the miles is simple. All you need to do is have your frequent flyer number ready when booking. Check to make sure that you are really getting value for money. The fine print may tell you what those miles are worth in cash, so make sure you wouldn’t be better off just paying for your ticket. Read more »