Watch TV, spend money at the airport to earn miles

By Harriet Baskas, msnbc.com contributor

If you’re willing to watch a little TV, you could earn thousands of extra miles for your airline frequent flier account. If you’re buying a book or getting a massage at the airport, you could earn even more.

Here are two easy ways to bulk up that mileage account:

e-Miles, which has been around since late 2006, currently offers miles on Continental, Delta, Frontier and US Airways, and points for Hilton Hotels, in exchange for watching 30-second ads online. In addition to the miles you get for watching the ad and answering short surveys, you can squeeze out extra miles by clicking through to an advertiser’s website or, of course, buying the product or service being peddled.
If you’re already at the airport, there’s a far easier way to bank extra miles. Many parking, dining and retail outlets in more than 100 airports in the United State participate in the Thanks Again program. Travelers who register their debit or credit cards (even affiliated ones that already offer miles) can earn cash back rewards and miles for purchases. Participating airlines listed on the Thanks Again site currently include Alaska, Continental, United, Delta and US Airways.

The latest addition to the Thanks Again traveler reward program is XpressSpa, which offers spa services, product and travel accessories in 41 locations in 16 airports.

So the money you spend on that massage at the airport will not only help you relax, it will help get you going on your next trip.

“Thanks Again is a no-brainer, because you can earn miles for purchases you'd be making anyway," said Brian Kelly of thepointsguy.com, a site offering tips on maximizing frequent flier miles and credit card points. "As for e-Miles, I recommend that people do a cost-benefit analysis of their time against the relatively small amount of miles they get for that effort.”

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Find more by Harriet Baskas on StuckatTheAirport.com and follow her on Twitter.