I would like to take advantage of the airline miles I can get on some of the credit card offers that are out there, but honestly, the whole thing seems really complicated. Can someone recommend an "airline miles accrual and redemption for dummies" type of a thread, page, article, blog, etc.? I've seen it discussed in bits and pieces on the forum, and I've seen a couple travelhacking sites, but it still seems really complex.
Am I just missing something?
For example, some airlines allow you to redeem miles accrued with a different airline's mileage program?
What if I accrue a bunch of miles with one airline but then need to fly on a different airline because there is no service where I want to go on the one with my miles?
What if I don't accrue enough miles to buy a ticket within the one year period before which I cancel the annual membership card? (Because really, tickets are what I want. I don't care about seat upgrades or priority seating.)
Do people simultaneously accrue miles with different airlines because they are using different rewards programs at the same time?
All these questions and more... Thanks for any pointers and tips. :-)