Exciting trips to spend your air miles on

IF you have ever wondered why you should bother with a rewards credit card, here's an inspirational story for you.

An American businessman called Thomas Stuker has recently reached the milestone of collecting 10 million air miles. He managed to do this by staying loyal to the same airline for 29 years.

Over the course of those 29 years, Mr Stuker has taken 5962 flights – essentially, in terms of distance, this means that he has flown around the globe 400 times, which is certainly impressive. As a result of reaching the 10 million air miles achievement, Mr Stuker now gets to take advantage of a whole range of benefits. As well as never having to queue at airports and always getting his seat upgraded, another top reward is that he also gets a plane named after him.

This might be something of an extreme example but it just goes to show that if you have an air miles credit card and you use it regularly, you could get some really great benefits, too. You might never make it to the 10 million air miles landmark, if only because most people tend to fly much less frequently than the aforementioned American businessman, but if you spend regularly on your card your air miles could soon add up.

This is especially true when you consider that many products also offer double air miles. For instance, if you buy a flight with certain air miles credit cards, you will be rewarded extra miles as a result, helping your total to add up even quicker. Also, it's amazing just how quickly a series of small purchases can add up, so it's definitely worth considering.

Read on to find out about some of the exciting trips you could spend your air miles on once you have built up a decent amount.

Europe

For people who live in the UK, mainland Europe is one of the most popular destinations for air miles travellers. This is for several reasons. One is that mainland Europe is really close to the UK, which means that it takes fewer air miles to be able to go there than it does to go further afield. Another reason is that there are lots of amazing places to go in Europe. From France and Italy to Spain, Germany, Greece and elsewhere, the continent is full of treasures.

Whether you choose to combine air miles with cash to get a cheaper flight or whether you decide to build up your air miles until you can pay for the whole thing using them, you're sure to have a brilliant time when you go. Some air miles credit cards also offer trips on the Eurostar, which can be a great alternative.

New York

When it comes to long haul trips, it seems fairly safe to say that New York is one of the most popular destinations for people looking to spend their air miles. Not only does it act as a gateway to the rest of America but it's also an amazing city in itself, so if you choose to use your air miles credit card rewards there you'll have plenty to do – and you probably won't want to come home afterwards!

How many air miles you need for a premium class trip to New York will depend on the specific air miles credit card you go for, but you can typically expect to need around 90,000 flying club miles to do so.

Other destinations

Of course, you could also check out some other destinations that you could use your air miles to either part or wholly fund. For instance, many people in the UK dream of going to places such as Australia, New Zealand and Thailand for a trip of a lifetime. Your air miles might just be able to help you out here, which is certainly useful if you are looking to keep to a certain budget as they'll be able to help you save money on the cost of your flight.

Alternative trips

You could also look at alternative trips as many air miles credit cards offer things such as spa days as fantastic options for people looking for different ways to spend their air miles.

Deciding where to go

Once you have got a good idea about the amazing range of trips available, all that's left to do is let your air miles build up over time and then – this is perhaps the hardest bit – decide exactly where you want to go. Whatever you ultimately choose, it's sure to be amazing.