Reuters Money

Tom Stuker, 57, is United Airlines’ top flyer. This summer, he’ll have racked up 10 million miles. Whenever he flies, his every need is taken care of – from check-in to lounge service to first-class cabin luxury. “I am treated like a king,” he says.

Airport lines for Stuker, an auto industry training consultant who flies weekly, just don’t exist. Such is his elite status, he has even had a Boeing 777 adorned with his name.

So far, so out of reach for the rest of us, right? Not so fast. Even if you aren’t a frequent flier, that first-class trip using air miles isn’t that far-fetched. Here’s a myth-busting guide to maximizing your points without digging deep into your pocket.

Myth No. 1: You need to spend your life on a plane

While it does undoubtedly help if you do take to the air regularly, you can earn a lot more miles indirectly by using a credit card that offers points for every dollar you spend.

Gary Leff, 36, a CFO for a university research center in Virginia who also runs advice site viewfromthewing.com, is an air miles fiend. He flies about 100,000 miles a year. His top tip is to get organized. “Just about anything you do, you can earn points,” Leff says. “Never leave miles on the table.” (Note: An earlier version of this post said Leff earns about 100,000 miles per year — he says he regularly earns more than one million miles.)

Air mile credit cards often feature generous signing bonuses. At the moment, American Airlines and Citibank give you 75,000 miles and waive your first annual fee if you take out their platinum card – as long as you spend a minimum of $4,000 in the first six months. They no longer advertise the offer on their site, so to get the deal you should give them a call. The offer ends on February 28th. British Airways currently offer an enticing 50,000 miles.

Once you have a card, make sure you reap the benefits of your everyday spending. To find the best deals for racking up miles, Leff recommends using reward search engine evreward.com.

Most airlines also now have online shopping portals. The extra click of going through their site can pay dividends in extra miles.

Flight savings easily dwarf the annual fee for a premium card. The key, naturally, is to always pay off your credit card on time – there are high penalties and interest rates if you don’t.

Myth No. 2: All air miles are equal

Brian Kelly, 27, works in campus recruiting for an investment bank in New York. He also runs thepointsguy.com, which offers tips on how to maximize your miles. His thirst for them has allowed him to travel far beyond his means.

Last July, he and his partner used some of his air miles to fly first class for ten days to Paris and the Seychelles. The cost? $600 combined. “I would never normally be able to afford that,” he says. Last year they also flew to Rio de Janeiro, Uruguay and Buenos Aires, all first class – all on miles.

Kelly recommends choosing awards programs that maximize your air mile options. For example, American Express lets you transfer your miles to more than 15 different airlines.

If you do happen to travel with work, or often eat out, keep an eye out for hotels and restaurants that participate in frequent flier programs. Some hotel chains, such as Best Western, Starwood, Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott let you convert points into air miles.

The most important thing to remember here is to use your miles wisely. Premium class international travel gives you the best return per mile. Flying first class from New York to Florida with U.S. Airways will cost you at least 50,000 miles. It seems more worthwhile to fly first class with one of their partner airlines to Hong Kong for about 120,000.

It also pays to be flexible. The number of miles you need for any given flight can vary enormously depending on the dates you travel.

If you’re juggling multiple reward cards, awardwallet.com is one website that helps you keep track of them.

Myth No. 3: Miles are airline-specific

Once you have enough points and know where you want to fly, it’s time to shop around and see who your airline is partnered with.

Best plan here is to choose an airline that is part of a wide alliance. At the moment there are three-big hitters: Oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance. The latter offers best variety, with 27 members.

As a general rule of thumb, Star Alliance also has better seat availability for reward users, Kelly says. SkyTeam is much less generous. For flights from the U.S. to South America, Oneworld is hard to beat.

Airlines generally don’t like to advertise who they are partnered with very easily on their websites, so it’s important to do some digging.

Your reward could be a jump in luxury. U.S Airways has one of the more arduous air mile redemption programs, yet it’s partnered with Singapore Airlines, one of the world’s most comfort-driven carriers. It’s a similar set-up for British Airways, partnered with Cathay Pacific.

Within every alliance, each airline has a different number of seats allocated to their reward programs.

But don’t be put off at the first hurdle. If one airline tells you there are no seats available, check its partners, who are more likely to still have them.

Other good partner airline and seat availability tools include expertflyer.com and businesstraveller.com.

Myth No. 4:  Airline taxes cost a lot

It all depends where you’re flying to. A flight from the U.S. to continental Europe using air miles will cost you roughly $150 in taxes and fuel surcharges.

Avoid the UK if you can. Fuel surcharges there can be as much as $170 alone. The British also add an extra luxury tax for those flying business or first class, all of which means a “free” air miles flight could still hit you for upwards of $600.

A more cost-effective option is a flight from the U.S. to Asia, which can incur as little as $50.

So whether you’re saving for that annual summer vacation or are planning a special getaway, a little bit of thought could see you flying at a whole other level, just like Stuker.