So you decided to visit New York City for the upcoming holiday season? You have made a great decision!  If you are a novice at visiting the “Big Apple” and at the same time making the most of your miles, I would like to offer you a couple of tips to make your trip to New York City well worth the miles.

Follow this simple advice and you'll rock the big Apple, easy peasy!

1. Book your ticket as much in advance as possible.  Airlines set aside seats that can be booked through miles.  These tend to get grabbed quickly, so book your ticket as early as possible.  Should you need to make changes to your flight closer to your trip; most airlines will make the switch for you, depending on the availability, free of charge if you give them twenty four hours notice. During the hotel season you will need to use up more miles than booking a ticket during an off peak time of year, so just keep that in mind.
2.  There are three major airports that are very close by to the City.  John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), La Guardia International Airport (LGA) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) are right there.  Flying into any one of them will be very convenient for you.   Do some research and find out which airport uses the least amount of miles.
3. There are many hotels in NYC that will accept your miles or points to book your stay.  While sleeping in Manhattan is definitely exciting, you will find that staying just outside of the city, such as a in a hotel in Secaucus, NJ will definitely save you a lot off miles without compromising. There are many options for public transportation from there and there are some elegant hotels there.
4. There are so many things to do in NYC.  When considering your options you will find that there are many places to visit that are free of charge such as Museum of Jewish Heritage, The National Museum of the American Indian Museum and The Fashion Institute of Technology. You can also can a real feel for the city by just walking through Central Park or visiting the NY Stock Exchange, all free of charge.
5. There are also a couple of places in the city that offer a “pay as you please day”. For instance the Bronx Zoo,  which is a real world class zoo, well worth a visit, has Wednesdays as a suggested donation day in essence free admission day. The Children’s Museum of Arts has a pay as you wish policy on Thursday from 4-6 pm.  Just beware that these places tend to be much more crowded on days like this.
6. There is also a New York City Explorer Pass, which lets you create your own itinerary as you explore NYC at one low price.  You can purchase these passes online or at one of the many visitors centers in NYC.
7. There are also many coupons that you can purchase online that can save you money when eating out.  Look online and you will be able to find many restaurants that will offer you great savings.
8. Contact your credit card companies where you have accumulated you miles and see if they can offer you any specials at places that you will be visiting. It’s worth looking into in advance.
9. Your credit card company may be able to offer you discounted tickets to some great Broadway shows or off-Broadway shows.  There are so many shows to see, chances are you will be able to find a great deal on one that interest you. Just know that if there is a specific show that you would like to see you can get great fares for daytime shows and or a midweek show instead of the weekend.
10. While everyone loves finding a bargain or a freebie, you will want to make sure you are not missing out by opting to do just the free or discounted things.  Once you are making the trip you want to make it worth your miles, but just make sure you are getting to see the great things that New York City has to offer you.

Go ahead and do some research and see what great offers are out there for you.  You will be surprised at how far you can extend your miles.  Who said that the “best things in life aren’t free”. Go ahead and prove them wrong.   Keith Brown is a travel coordinator for Secaucus hotels.  He has been in the travel and vacation industry for many years and has arranged many group tours and private vacations to New York City as well as other locations around the country.