How to Earn Airline Miles Without a Credit Card

You don’t have to open a shiny new credit card to stack some serious airline miles. Whether you’re wrangling two kids through TSA like me, traveling solo with a carry-on and a dream, or keeping a hawk’s eye on your budget, there are plenty of no-card ways to earn. The secret? Turn what you already do—shop, dine, book stays, ride to the airport—into miles.

Step 1: Enroll (everyone!) and actually use the number

• Create frequent-flyer accounts with the airlines you fly most (or two).
• Add your number to every flight (including partner airlines).
• Get accounts for the kids, too—little travelers can earn miles on their own tickets. TIP! You can sign your kids up online but, if the portal isn’t going to let you sign the kids up, then you can always email customer service and get them signed up that way.
• If a few programs offer household or family pooling, consider consolidating balances to reach awards faster.

Step 2: Make online shopping do the heavy lifting

There are 14 different airlines that offer shopping portals. You can earn miles via the following airline shopping portals:

Airlines	Website
Air Canada	Aeroplan Estore
Air France-KLM	Earn Online Flying Blue
Alaska Airlines	Mileage Plan Shopping
American Airlines	AAdvantage eShopping
British Airways	Avios eStore [Via VPN Only]
Cathay Pacific	Asia Miles Shopping
Emirates	Skywards Miles Shop
Delta	SkyMiles Shopping
Japan Airlines	JMB world marketplace [Hotels, Car Rentals]
JetBlue	TrueBlue Shopping
Qantas	Qantas Shopping
SouthWest	Rapid Rewards Shopping
United	MileagePlus Shopping
Virgin Atlantic	Shops Away
Wyndham [Not an Airline]	Wyndham Shopping

Airline shopping portals reward you with miles for purchases at hundreds of popular stores. The easiest way to never miss miles is to install the browser buttons:

• Delta SkyMiles Shopping browser extension: Pops up when a store is eligible so you can “activate” miles in one click.
• Atmos Rewards Shopping extension (for the Alaska/Hawaiian ecosystem): Similar “activate to earn” reminder when you land on a participating retailer.

How to maximize:

• Always click “Activate” before you add items to cart.
• Use the coupon codes provided inside the portal or extension to avoid breaking tracking.
• Only activate one rewards extension per purchase.
• Watch for seasonal “spend $X, get bonus miles” promos. I just earned 20 miles/per dollar I spent on NordVPN!
• Keep cookies enabled and finish the purchase in the same tab/session.

Step 3: Turn lodging into miles (Airbnb + hotel portals)

Delta x Airbnb (easy, family-friendly win)

You can earn 1 mile per eligible $1 on many Airbnb stays—but you must start at Delta’s dedicated Airbnb link before you book:

1. Go to the Delta–Airbnb portal (deltaairbnb.com).
2. Enter your SkyMiles number when prompted.
3. Continue to use Airbnb and book normally.
4. Miles post after your stay (give it some time).

Tips:

• Do this every time you book—each reservation needs a fresh start from the Delta link.
• The name on the Airbnb account should match your SkyMiles profile.
• Taxes/fees typically don’t earn; base lodging charges do.

Hotel booking portals & aggregators

Most major airlines run hotel portals (and/or work with partners) that award miles per dollar—or fixed “miles per stay.” Great for:

• One-off family trips when you’re not chasing hotel status.
• Price-sensitive bookings where a mileage rebate tips the scale.

Heads up: Third-party hotel bookings usually won’t earn hotel-brand points or elite night credit.

Step 4: Dine out and earn (set it and forget it)

Airline dining programs award 3–5 miles per $1 at thousands of restaurants.

• Join your preferred airline’s dining program (free).
• Link a payment card (debit or any credit—no new card needed).
• Pay at participating restaurants and earn miles automatically.

Pro moves:

• Search the dining program’s map before a date night or family outing.
• Avoid Apple/Google Pay if possible (tokenization can block tracking).
• New-member bonuses pop up often—easy extra miles.

Step 5: Ground transportation = sky miles

Car rentals

Most rental brands let you earn airline miles instead of rental-car points. Typical structures:

• Miles per rental (e.g., 500 miles per qualifying rental), or
• Miles per day up to a cap during promos.

Add your frequent-flyer number when reserving and watch for airline-specific codes/links. Some agencies charge a small “frequent-flyer surcharge”; decide if the miles are worth it for your trip length.

Rideshare

• Link Delta + Lyft to earn SkyMiles on everyday rides (often with a higher earn rate on airport trips).
• Check if the Atmos/Alaska ecosystem is offering Lyft earning, too—these partnerships can reappear or change.

Guardrails: earn smarter, not harder

• Don’t overspend for miles. Treat miles like a rebate on things you already needed.
• Keep receipts/confirmations. If miles don’t post, you’ll have what you need to file a missing-miles request. You can submit your receipts
• Focus. It’s better to have 25k+ miles in one program than 5k scattered across five.
• Know the fine print. Gift cards, third-party coupon codes, or certain fees often don’t earn.

Quick-start checklists

“Miles Without a Credit Card” Setup

• ☐ Enroll me + kids in our top 1–2 airline programs
• ☐ Install: Delta SkyMiles Shopping extension
• ☐ Install: Atmos Rewards Shopping extension
• ☐ Join airline dining program; link a payment card
• ☐ Link Lyft to Delta (and check current rideshare partners)
• ☐ Bookmark the Delta–Airbnb portal for every Airbnb booking
• ☐ Create logins for airline hotel portals / Rocketmiles-style sites
• ☐ Opt in to promos (shopping multipliers, dining bonuses)

“Before I Click Buy”

• ☐ Is this store on an airline portal?
• ☐ Did I click “Activate” in the extension?
• ☐ Am I using a portal-approved coupon?
• ☐ One extension only—no stacking conflicts
• ☐ Screenshot order confirmation (just in case)