"How can you earn free travel if you're not a frequent flyer? Easy. Scads of companies offer airline miles, and some are creating their own generic mileage plans that can take you anywhere you want to go.

How do you like your miles? These days, you can earn them almost anywhere, and spend them on almost anything. The best development in recent months, though, is the surge in services that let you treat your branded miles like generic miles. With every passing day, evolving mileage programs treat the customer more like a king and less like a captive. No longer slaves to Byzantine rules, limits and reward thresholds, travel consumers can pick programs that uniquely suit their needs. Then they can go to town.

"Airlines know how many miles go unclaimed," says Dean Headley, a Wichita State University marketing professor who produces an annual airline quality rating. "To them, it's found money. By selling miles to partners, they recoup their upfront costs, and anything that isn't redeemed is money in the bank." A host of new businesses, however, are hoping to give travelers access to that money in their mileage bank. The willingness of program operators to open their vaults will say much about their dedication to consumer benefits.
." [Via businessweek.com]