Frequent flyer advice needed!

[cellrdwellr]

Taking the kids to Orlando in January, we have drove down once but have never flown. I'm trying to figure out which airline would be best/cheapest, and also would it be better to pay for the trip tickets with cash, or open a credit line that includes special flying perks that I will use for years to come? I've flown down once, but the kids were not with me, so it was a much different experience and relatively inexpensive. Appreciate any advice!

 

[randy]

IMHO the credit card miles are not a good deal anymore. They used to be when I was a frequent flyer, but not so now. IIRC, the rule of thumb is that you need to earn 2.5 miles per dollar spent, but most plans only give 1 mile per dollar. Plus there is the fee. If you can find a miles card with no fee, then there is no risk, but they are a rare bird.

I would just get a cash back card with no fee (I use Quicksilver from Capital One which give a $1 back per $100 spent), and put the cash back in a special bucket for future airfare.

The other problem with FF miles is that they are difficult to use, as the airlines only have a handful of seats on each flight, so it can be difficult to get the flight you want unless you book well in advance. I'm meticulous and planned down to the exact date and time that worked the best for me, so I was always using double miles to get want I wanted (no restrictions on double miles usage, and they put you in first class, at least on American. Not sure if this loophole is available anymore.

HTH. There are websites dedicated to gaming frequent flyer programs, which probably give better advice than me, but it is too much work, at least for me, to do all the things those folks do.

 

[stetam]

I have taken the kids and grandkids to Disney 4 times. Drove the first time(never again) and flew Allegiant airlines the next 3 times. Cheapest price and gave free baggage check-in for veterans. Nothing special but got us there and back.

Steve

 

[hoser]

What Steve said. Non-stop, no connecting flights.

 

[cellrdwellr]

Appreciate the comments everyone. I always try to fly non stop. Unfortunately allegiant does not offer flights to Massachusetts or my other go-to airport Bradley international. As of right now, jetblue is cheapest by a few hundred dollars. 1450 or so for 4 people round trip... Another perk to jetblue is I can fly out of Worcester, MA which is about half the distance to Bradley, and is a relatively small airport thats much easier to navigate, and less traffic. My only gripe currently is they are relatively late flights. The departure flight touches down just after 7 PM and the home flight a similar time frame. Normally I wouldn't mind if we were staying in Orlando that night, but we have since decided to spend the first night/and following morning at a beach on the east coast of FL (Cocoa Beach) and then at the end staying on the West coast of FL (Clearwater area). So it has further complicated things. Any other tips on flight hacks for families are welcomed!