Earn Points at Airports: Thanks Again

I love earning points, when I have to do little to nothing to get them. Swipe my credit cards (earn points!), dine out at certain restaurants (earn additional points!!), grab a bottle of water, magazine and snack at the airport (earn bonus points!!!).

How many of you know that you can earn points at major airports by registering your card?

Up until last year’s US Airways Grandslam, I didn’t.

There is a program called “Thanks Again,” that allows you to earn points by shopping at vendors located in major airports. Thanks You is very similar to Dining Rewards: one has to sign-up (free) with a points earning program and register your credit cards with that program. Unlike, Dining Rewards, you don’t have to complete surveys about your experience.

Thanks You currently has programs with US Airways, United, American Airlines, Delta. Again, you can only earn miles with the program that you are registered with. Most vendors at the airports earn you 1 mile for $1 spent. However, every once and a while a vendor might offer 2 miles per $1 spent.

According to their website, Thanks Again has afflictions with over 150 airports. However, their "affiliation" is sometimes only a car service and/or an entertainment store as in the case of LAX, MCO, SAN. You can use this search engine to see what merchants participate at particular airports:

How can you tell if a merchant is participating? My experience, at Dulles (IAD), was that merchants had signs up indicating they were a member. The type of vendors participating was numerous: from sit-down restaurants to kiosks selling jewelry. According to their website, Dulles has only 3 vendors: CNBC, Brooks Brothers and DC Express. However, my points earning statement says I have earned points (in the past month) from Gordon Biersch and Subway, so the search engaging might not be updated.

In addition to earning points at airports, Thanks Again allows you to earn points at local (non-airport) vendors. Most of the local vendors ares restaurants and require you to buy Restaurant.com gift certificates, earning you 3 points per $1 spent on the certificate. This is not a great rate, as the United Airlines shopping portal earns you 10 miles per $1 spent. Other local merchants include spas, storage units, and golf courses.  As I have previously mentioned, my former dry cleaners was apart of Thanks Again earning me 1 points per $1 spent.

Thanks Again has bonuses based upon the amount of money who spend in 90 consecutive days:

Earn 500 bonus miles/points when you spend $250 or more (2 miles/points per dollar spent)

Earn 1,500 bonus miles/points when you spend $500 or more (3 miles/points per dollar spent)

Earn 4,000 bonus miles/points when you spend $1,000 or more (4 miles/points per dollar spent)

Earn 25,000 bonus miles/points when you spend $5,000 or more (5 miles/points per dollar spent)

All it takes to earn points from Thanks Again is signing up and registering your credit cards.

Will you earn a ton of points by joining "Thanks Again," probably not!

Can you earn points for simplying registering your credit cards and using it at airports? Yes!

Will you? I think it would be unwise not to!!!!

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Best New Airport Amenities in 2012

USA Today has an article in today's paper on the best new amenities in airports around the country, and I have to say it's an interesting list.

Here's what they believe are the best new features:

1. Yoga Rooms
2. Return of Landlines (DEN is offering phones with free domestic calling and 10 min. of free international calling)
3. Booze to Go (At Las Vegas of course)
4. Better Food (Read: Healthier Food)
5. Airport Loyalty Programs (Points for buying food/items at the airport)
6. Local Shops
7. TSA Pre-Check


Some of these are interesting developments that are encouraging airports to become a picture of the community that they represent with lots of local shops and food. I've noticed that there is a much more "local" feel to many airports these days to help welcome people through the airport so it's not the same five fast food restaurants over and over again.

For frequent flyers Pre-Check has to be the best development. The increasingly cumbersome security process is starting to become a little easier when you can keep your shoes and jackets on, laptop in the bag and walk straight through. 

You have to wonder if next year will bring an even bigger emphasis on increased free wifi and more electrical outlets as people are more and more distracted by their devices at the airport.

What do you think is the best new airport amenity for this year?