NEW YORK, April 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Seventy-three percent of Americans who have frequent flyer miles or credit card rewards points don't know how many they have, according to new research from ThePointsGuy.com, a travel news and advice website. Younger people are the least likely to keep track of their miles and points; 80% of 18-29 year-olds who have accumulated rewards don't know how many they have.
"Failing to keep track of your rewards miles and points is like throwing money away," said Brian Kelly, founder of ThePointsGuy.com. "There are good rewards programs for every type of consumer. Whether you're redeeming miles and points for first-class plane tickets, gift cards, cash back or something else, the cardinal rule is that you have to keep track of how many you have. Websites and apps are making it easier than ever to manage rewards, yet almost three out of four Americans aren't taking good care of their miles and points. That's alarming."
Twenty-seven percent of Americans who have frequent flyer miles admit that they have let some or all of their miles expire at some point. Kelly says there are easy ways to keep miles from expiring, such as making a small purchase from an airline's online shopping portal.
ThePointsGuy.com also found that only 67% of Americans collect rewards miles/points, and only 41% of Americans understand how frequent flyer programs work.
The survey was conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International (PSRAI) and can be seen in its entirety here:
http://thepointsguy.com/2013/04/tpg-spring-cleaning-contest-and-national-survey-results-do-you-know-where-your-points-are
PSRAI obtained telephone interviews with a nationally representative sample of 1,003 adults living in the continental United States. Telephone interviews were conducted by landline (501) and cell phone (502, including 228 without a landline phone). Interviews were done in English by Princeton Data Source from February 28 through March 3, 2013. Statistical results are weighted to correct known demographic discrepancies. The margin of sampling error for the complete set of weighted data is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
About Brian Kelly and ThePointsGuy.com:
Brian Kelly is "The Points Guy." He shares his travel points knowledge with eager consumers across the globe via his website, ThePointsGuy.com.
Passionate about travel and adventure since his childhood, Brian's worldwide jetsetting earned him elite status with US Airways by his sophomore year in college. He later became a recruiter for a major investment bank; his extensive travel schedule enabled him to master the ins and outs of frequent flyer miles and credit card rewards programs. Due to the massive amount of interest in his advice, Brian left his job on Wall Street in June 2011 to work full-time as a travel blogger and consultant.
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SOURCE Bankrate, Inc.
