Not only do we get to hit up the hottest parties across the country but sometimes get to earn miles. Talk about winning. Nothing makes me happier then when I look in my frequent flyer account and see added miles for a night out. One of these nights was at the CopaCabana in NYC not to be confused with the Copa in Oklahoma City or the Copa that closed down due to Hurricane Irene in Ft. Lauderdale. The funny thing is that you will probably spend more on drinks at the Copa in OKC than you will at the CopaCabana in NYC. Sad but true. So not only was I enjoying the NYC skyline in the VIP area at the fabulous night that Justin Luke promotes at Penthaus Fridays but also earned miles! I probably would have earned more miles if I would have not paid in cash part of the time and would have really made my AAdvantage account happy if I would have ordered bottle service. You might feel bad the next day after ordering a bottle service at a club but not after you earn miles and get a reward for the high spending that us gays have to do at bars.
How am I earning miles? To do this you will need a credit card and only frequent bars and clubs that take them. The miles come from the AAdvantage Dining program where you can sign up a credit card or several credit cards to earn airline miles or hotel points. You do not have to use American Airlines. Delta, United, Hilton, and Priority Club (now ICH) all have their own Rewards Network program also known as iDine. If you are a college student you can earn up to 8% cash back using Upromise network but you cannot use them both because your card has to be signed up and it most likely uses the same back end networks.
Other clubs and bars that offers miles through the Rewards network program are Alexander’s bar in Dallas, Guilt in Boston which is the place to be on Friday nights, and many other restaurants and bars. You can check the list at aa.rewardsnetwork.com and read a review or see if they offer the rewards where you plan on going out or dining.
Not only can you earn these miles or cash back from Upromise but you can also get cash back from your credit card if you get the right one. The Chase Freedom Card is offering a FULL 5% back on dining and fast food which includes bars and clubs and drinking. Even a 5% from the barisita at Starbucks. We will of course want to spend more tipping and more on drinking now that we know this but hey 5% helps out some especially as much as us gays drink. The Freedom 5% back lasts all this quarter. A card that does the 5% back on dining all year round is the US Bank Cash + Card but good luck getting it. You could get it online for a limited time last year but now you have to live in an area where they have a US Bank perhaps in Minneapolis, MN. If you get one of these cards you are not only getting the 5% back but a bonus of these Rewards Network miles on top of that or Upromise cash back towards your student loans. This is a win-win situation and is a great strategy as long as you are responsible with your money. Credit can be like sex you can’t just throw it around everywhere.
Leave a Reply