Save your abandoned frequent flier miles

Periods of inactivity can crawl up frequent-flier members, even more so now that some airlines are reducing the period of time fliers' accounts sit idle and don't earn or redeem any miles. If this is you, there's a chance your account could be cleaned out for dawdling.

United Airlines had a 36-month inactivity period and switched on December 15 to an 18-month limit. American Airlines is making the same switch at the end of the year.

Not to fret, saving miles is the easy part, right? Why rely on travel to earn miles, when you can eat out, shop, donate miles to charity or subscribe to magazines to add more miles to your account. All of this can keep your account alive and running and ultimately extend your miles.

A lot of the programs today have networks of online retailers and vendors where you can shop and increase your miles. Go the website of the airline where you want the miles and click on the retailers' site through the mileage plan window. Shopping for groceries can also reap miles. United actually has relationships with numerous super market chains.

In the end, if you're still sitting on unused miles and don't know what to do before de-activation, contact your airline and some -- not all -- offer mileage reactivation at a fee.

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