How To Reap The Rewards With Rewards Programs

Recently, many of these loyalty rewards programs have come to the realization that they must change how they put these programs together if they are going to increase their share of the market.

One way that has changed over the years is how reward programs have started linking up with various partners to offer more types of rewards for it's members.

Competition between programs is fierce and this is where you, the consumer, can win. Benefits are increasing at incredible rates to lure you into their programs and it has become even easier to qualify for and accrue points for travel.

It used to be that only hotels and airlines offered these programs but now every kind of company and service is getting into the act.

Yahoo.com has decided to make an exclusive partnership with the Intercontinental Hotel Group for priority club members to manage their accounts online.

To earn more of your business and set themselves apart from others, credit card companies have partnered with specific air, hotel, and rental car comapnies to give their members access to awards through the use of tiered systems based on the amount of monthly credit and the type of business the cardholder has used.

Hotels and airlines have begun offering no blackout days as well as making it easier to upgrade your service as an incentive to join their reward programs. By partnering with other companies, they have increased their reward program's visibility thereby making it more accessible to other reward programs. Even the smaller budget hotels have begun initiating allainces with the larger hotel chains to redeem awards at the more upscale chains.

Amtrak has introduced Select Plus, a 3 Tier Level of their Antrak Gold rewards program which is partnered with Teleflora Flowers and The Rewards Mall to give you even more ways to earn bonus points.

MCI has partnered with Quixtar, and recently, more of the phone industry has followed suit with alliances of their own to win your business. It's not just about price anymore but what bonuses can do to make their service more appealing.

Travel award programs have begun to woo businesses from every field to strengthen their hold on the industry. So, before signing up for any program, first read who they are partnered with. By using the right program, you could earn faster rewards by using the same partners you buy from on a regualr basis, thereby getting maximum value for your dollar.

But, be careful. You don't want to go out of your way to buy things you don't need just to earn points. Research each program and compare the benefits. The rewards will come if you buy smart.

Barry Ferguson is known as "America's Saving Money Man". He is the author of two books called "How To Stop Wasting Money" and "The Saving Money Mindset", and has 15 years of practical, real world experience saving huge amounts of cash every time he shops! How much do you want to save? http://www.howtostopwastingmoney.com

---

10 Money-Saving Tips

1. If you have your haircut every 3 weeks, try... Read More

Estate Planning Basics

You have probably accomplished a great deal with your life.... Read More

Save Money Off Your Home Utility Bills

Many don't realize that our basic utility bills provide the... Read More

Accessing Funds You Never Knew You Had- Household Utilities and Mortgage Expense Reduction Plan

For most of us the process of getting out of... Read More

How Check 21 Affects You

The Check 21 Law is the new federal law for... Read More

Planning Your Financial Future

Millions of people give a lot of thought to financial... Read More

Money Matters - Really!

One of the biggest challenges facing black RELATIONSHIPS today are... Read More

Budgeting Your Way to Financial Freedom

Financial freedom cannot be achieved without budgeting. Budgeting involves tracking... Read More

The Origins of Check Writing

People haven't always written checks to buy goods and services.... Read More

Reduce College Debt with Scholarships

Six Scholarship judges were sitting around an oval table. Forms... Read More

How Electronic Checks Work ? Will Paper Checks Eventually Go Away?

Traditional checks probably won't disappear anytime soon, but processing checks... Read More

Help With My Annuity

The cries are heard from the distance, "I need help... Read More

More Money? My Cup Runneth Over...But Im Still Thirsty

Most of us, especially those of us who have debtor's... Read More

Save On Food - Ten Tips

To save on food, be an opportunist. Buy what you... Read More

Debt Management ? More Ways to Save on Gas Consumption

The price of gas continues to climb, and with continued... Read More

What is ChexSystems?

Commonly referred to as the first of the three major... Read More

Ways to Save Energy and Slash Electricity Bills

1. Lighting & Light Bulbs Install low energy light... Read More

The Benefits of Banking Online

How many drawers did you have to look through to... Read More

How to Attain Your Dreams on a Single Income

If you recently became a single parent and see your... Read More

Are You Sick of the Financial Insecurity of Fluctuating Seasons and Income?

Finding a stable and secure income that will come year... Read More

Simple Ways to Save Money

Things are so expensive these days. We seem to be... Read More

5 Ways to Absolutely Destroy Your Finances!

Ben Stein has a book called How to Ruin Your... Read More

How To Survive The Grocery Shopping Blues

If you are the normal consumer, then you've probably experienced... Read More

Live Green; Save Green!

Have you seen the recent article on a new "green"... Read More

Government Grants - Beware of Scams

As the saying goes: "Buyer Beware". If you see ads... Read More

Healthy Eating On A Budget

It is possible to eat a healthy, balanced diet without... Read More

Top 10+ Ways to Jumpstart your New Year?s Finances!

Of course, these don't have to be done in any... Read More

Im Broke, How Can I Afford...

I'm still amazed every time someone comes to me complaining... Read More

10 Steps To Improve Your Financial Situation

Here are ten steps you can follow to help improve... Read More

The Good and the Bad of Money Management

Good money management needn't be difficult. In fact, there a... Read More

Vacations Made Easy: Buying a Florida Investment Property

Vacations Made Easy: Buying a Florida Investment PropertyA relaxing beach... Read More

How to Save Money in a Grocery Store

Now there are ways to save money in the grocery... Read More

Should You Borrow From Your 401(k) Account?

If you have a 401(k) account, it can be very... Read More