Live Well, Get Miles

The average leisure traveler no longer has a prayer of compiling enough miles for a free trip simply by flying a few times a year. Most airlines now demand more miles before you qualify, and they expire quicker than ever—in 18 months, typically. Today you must pile up points by every means available, and do so in a hurry. That means taking advantage of the airlines' partner programs and being smart about how to use them. Here, with help from insideflyer.com's Randy Petersen, are ways to turn everyday activities into miles. Go ahead and get crafty.

CHOOSE PLASTIC
There's a good chance you already have an airline-affiliated credit card. Get another one: It's hands down the quickest way to earn a free trip. Most of these cards deliver enough bonus points for a domestic round trip after you make your first purchase. Word to the wise The fees can be high, so after you've gotten your free flight, reevaluate whether you want to keep the account.

• Continental: 20,000 miles with first purchase, plus 5,000 miles for signing up a second card user; $85 annual fee.

• Delta: 20,000 miles with first Gold SkyMiles purchase, 2,500 miles apiece for registering up to two more users; $95 annual fee waived for the first year.

• JetBlue: 50 TrueBlue points with first purchase (that's halfway to a free flight), plus a $50 credit with a JetBlue ticket purchase; $40 annual fee.

• Southwest: Eight credits with first purchase, eight more with a balance transfer (16 will get you a free flight), and a $20 account credit when you buy a flight; $59 annual fee.

• United: 30,000 miles with first Mileage Plus purchase of at least $250; $60 annual fee.

EAT OUT
Register your credit or debit card with an airline's dining program and you'll earn up to five miles for every $1 spent at partner restaurants. Alaska Airlines, American, Delta, Southwest, and United have very similar programs—and nearly identical websites. The restaurant options are better than you might imagine: around 600 in New York City alone, for example—most of them independently owned. Word to the wise To get the full five miles per $1, you have to use your card for a meal at least 12 times a year, and let the restaurants send you promotional e-mails. If you block the e-mails, you could get only one mile per $1 spent—or worse, maybe even nothing.

• American and Delta: 1,000-mile bonus for spending $25 or more within 30 days of joining, and up to five miles per $1 spent at partner restaurants thereafter.

• United: Similar to American and Delta—but minus the 1,000-mile bonus.

• Southwest: One-quarter credit bonus for the first $25 spent, and then one-quarter credit for every additional $100.

SELL YOUR HOUSE
Picking a mortgage lender, real-estate agent, or moving service that works with a frequent-flier program is a quick way to pile up tens of thousands of miles. Word to the wise With financial transactions this huge, keep your eye on what's really important; a few free flights won't help that much if you end up paying thousands extra on your mortgage.