2009年ESL之旅行交通购物 08 Using Frequent Flyer Miles

 

08 Using Frequent Flyer Miles

GLOSSARY

long weekend – a period of three days (Friday-Sunday, or Saturday-Monday)where one has one extra day off from work, getting three free days in a row,usually because one uses a vacation day or because there is a holiday

* They drove to North Carolina and spent time on the coast over the longweekend.

to be strapped – to be broke; to not have enough money; to have very littlemoney

* We can’t go to the festival because we don’t have enough money to buy aticket. We’re strapped until payday.

to set (one) back – to cost a certain amount of money; to make one pay acertain amount of money

* If you buy that new suit, it’s going to set you back almost $350.

frequent flyer miles – points in a program where one earns points (miles) everytime one flies on a particular airline or spends money in certain ways, and thosepoints can be exchanged for reduced-price or free flights in the future

* Damian is trying to get enough frequent flyer miles to fly to Hawaii for free.

blackout dates – dates when frequent flyer miles cannot be used and onecannot get a free or reduced-price ticket, no matter how many points one has

* Most airlines have blackout dates around Christmas because they want tomake as much money as possible from the many people who are willing to pay alot of money to visit relatives who live far away during the holidays.

to rack up – to get a lot of something, adding a little bit at a time over a period oftime

* By the time Gabriel was 15 years old, he had already racked up $1,700 in hissavings account from doing small jobs for people in his neighborhood.

to enroll – to sign up for something; to enter a program; to begin to participate insomething

* They decided to enroll in a swim class at the gym.

to redeem – to exchange points or pieces of paper for something that is worthmoney

* We got a coupon in the mail that we can redeem at the grocery store for a freebag of rice.

upgrade – an increase or improvement from one thing or level to another

* If you have a Basic Membership in ESL Podcast, you can purchase an upgradefor just $50 to become a Premium Member and have access to all the LearningGuides that we have ever made.

to add up – to increase, usually one at a time or a small amount at a time

* Eating out really adds up! $4.00 for coffee and a muffin, $9.25 for lunch, and$1.20 for a soda and an apple as a snack…I’ve already spent almost $15 and Istill haven’t had dinner!

to partner with (someone or an organization) – to collaborate and cooperate;to work closely with something on a project or in a program

* The Environmental Defense Fund partnered with McDonald’s to try to decreasethe amount of garbage produced by fast-food restaurants.

bonus – extra; additional; something that is not normally included

* Sheila got bonus points on the test for answering the optional questions.

restriction – a limitation; something that one cannot do or that is not allowed; aminimum or maximum

* In your office, are there restrictions on what employees can wear?

to work around (something) – to cope; to find a way to do what one wantsdespite restrictions or limitations; to be successful even though there are someobstacles or things that make it difficult

* Lana will be on vacation next week, so we’ll need to work around her schedule.

elite status – a very high level in a program where one has a lot of benefits oradvantages, usually because one has spent a lot of money to get to that level

* Hal has elite status at that hotel, so whenever he goes there, they give him thebest room and a free bottle of wine.

a word to the wise – a phrase used when one is giving advice to another person

* A word to the wise: always think before you speak.

for the sake of – in order to

* Galina didn’t say anything for the sake of avoiding an argument, but she reallydisagreed with Harold very strongly.

point taken – a phrase used to show that one has heard and understood whatanother person has said, and accepts or agrees with it

* Kevin talked about the importance of saving money for emergencies. I said,“Point taken,” and decided to start saving more money right away.

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COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. Why is Anne surprised that Jurgen was in Chicago?

a) Because she thought he had to work that weekend.

b) Because she didn’t think he had enough straps.

c) Because she didn’t think he had very much money.

2. Why does Anne say, “Point taken”?

a) Because she’s taking Jurgen’s frequent flyer miles.

b) Because she accepts Jurgen’s advice.

c) Because she doesn’t like it when Jurgen gives her advice.

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WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

to be strapped

The phrase “to be strapped,” in this podcast, means to not have enough money:

“They’re strapped this month because they bought a lot of new clothes.” Thephrase “to be strapped for cash” has the same meaning: “Clarke was strappedfor cash, so he paid for the meal with his credit card.” The phrase “to bestrapped in” means to be wearing one’s seatbelt, or to be tied onto or intosomething: “Please don’t start driving until everyone is strapped in.” The phrase“to strap (something) down” means to tie something to the top of something else,especially to the top of a car: “They strapped their suitcases down and thenstarted driving down the street.” Finally, the phrase “to strap (something) on”

means to tie something to one’s body: “The hikers strapped their heavybackpacks on and started walking through the forest.”

bonus

In this podcast, the word “bonus” means extra, additional, or something that isnot normally included: “Anyone who buys these dishes this week gets theseknives as a free bonus.” A “bonus” is also money that one receives in addition toone’s normal pay for work: “All the employees got a 3% bonus at the end of the year.” Or, “Do you think we’ll get the holiday bonus this year?” The word canalso be used as an adjective: “Students can receive 10 bonus points bycompleting extra homework assignments.” An “added bonus” is something thatone did not expect to receive: “Heather had a great time at the party and, as anadded bonus, met some new clients, too.”

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CULTURE NOTE

Most people enroll in frequent flyer programs because they want to “earn” (get)miles and redeem them for reduced-price or free tickets, or get free upgrades to“first class” (more comfortable, larger seats with better service). However, acustomer must have a lot of miles “built up” (accumulated; collected) before he orshe can get these “benefits” (the advantages or good things about being in aprogram). Fortunately, other benefits are available to people with fewer frequentflyer miles.

Many airlines let people redeem their frequent flyer miles for “access”

(permission to use or do something) to their airport “lounges” (rooms wherepeople can relax). Airport lounges are often quieter than the areas in front ofairport “gates” (the areas where people wait for their planes) and they have morecomfortable seats. Many airport lounges also have free coffee or “snacks” (foodeaten between meals). The nicest airport lounges might even have showers.

People can also redeem their frequent flyer miles for other products andservices. For example, you might be able to redeem your miles for magazine“subscriptions,” where you receive the new edition of a certain magazine in themail each month. Or you might be able to redeem your miles for a piece ofelectronics, like a stereo or an mp3 player.

Some people don’t fly very often, but they still want to participate in frequent flyerprograms. These people can earn miles by staying at “affiliated” hotels (hotelsthat have an agreement with the airline) or by renting cars from affiliatedcompanies. Some people even buy frequent flyer miles, although this is anexpensive way to get the benefits.

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Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – c; 2 – b

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 479: UsingFrequent Flyer Miles.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast number 479. I’m your host, Dr.

Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.

Our website is eslpod.com. Go there to download a Learning Guide for thisepisode that contains all of the vocabulary, definitions, sample sentences,additional definitions, comprehension questions, cultural notes, and a completetranscript of this episode.

This episode is called “Using Frequent Flyer Miles.” These are special bonusesor awards that airlines give you for flying on their airplanes. It’s a dialoguebetween Anne and Jurgen using some vocabulary we use to talk about thisspecial program. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Anne: Where were you this past weekend? I tried calling you on Friday to see ifyou wanted to go to the movies with me.

Jurgen: I was in Chicago for a long weekend.

Anne: Chicago? I didn’t know you were planning a trip. I thought you werepretty strapped this month. A ticket to Chicago would set you back at least $300.

Jurgen: I am pretty strapped, but I wanted to go to my friend Rachel’s wedding.

I was able to use my frequent flyer miles to get a ticket. I was lucky that thoseweren’t blackout dates.

Anne: Oh, that explains it. You’ve been traveling a lot using your frequent flyermiles. How do you rack up so many miles? I’m enrolled in the frequent flyerprograms of three different airlines, but I never seem to have enough miles toredeem them for a ticket or even an upgrade.

Jurgen: The trick is to get a credit card that gives you miles. For every dollar Icharge on my credit card, I get one mile. Since I use my credit card for a lot ofbusiness purchases, the miles add up pretty quickly. I also use a lot of the hotels and restaurants that partner with the airlines, and doing that gives me bonusmiles.

Anne: Aren’t there a lot of restrictions? Do you ever have problems redeemingthe miles?

Jurgen: Yeah, there are some restrictions, but I work around them. There arefewer restrictions if you have elite status, but I’m a long way from that.

Anne: So I need to get a credit card that gives me frequent flyer miles.

Jurgen: Yeah, but a word to the wise: spend carefully. You don’t want to rackup credit card debt for the sake of racking up frequent flyer miles!

Anne: Point taken. Thanks for the tip.

[end of dialogue]

Anne begins our dialogue by asking, “Where were you this past weekend? I triedcalling you on Friday to see if you wanted to go to the movies with me.” Jurgenexplains, “I was in Chicago for a long weekend.” A “long weekend” is usually aperiod of three days, maybe four days: Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday orThursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Americans like to have their holidays on aMonday; that gives them a long weekend. They get Saturday, Sunday, andMonday to rest from work.

So Jurgen was in Chicago, that’s why he couldn’t go with Anne to the movies lastweekend. Anne says, “Chicago? I didn’t know you were planning a trip. Ithought you were pretty strapped this month.” “To be strapped” (strapped)means to not have any money, to have very little money, we might also say “tobe broke.” “Strap” has several meanings in English; take a look at our LearningGuide for some additional explanations.

Anne says, “A ticket to Chicago would set you back at least $300.” “To set(someone) back” means that it cost a certain amount of money, it’s the amount ofmoney you have to pay. It’s sort of an odd expression, for example: “Thiscomputers set me back $1,000.” That means the computer cost $1,000. Weusually use this expression when we are trying to indicate that it’s a lot of money:

“I once bought a girlfriend a diamond necklace, it set me back $500.” After Igave her the necklace, of course, she broke up with me and kept the necklace;the lesson here is be careful before giving your girlfriend expensive jewelry!

Anne says that a ticket to Chicago would set you back at least $300. Jurgensays, “I am pretty strapped, but I wanted to go to my friend Rachel’s wedding. Iwas able to use my frequent flyer miles to get a ticket.” “Frequent” means often;“flyer” is somebody who flies in an airplane. In this case, a “frequent flyer” issomeone who uses airplanes a lot – who travels a lot. Many airline companies –many airlines have special programs were you can earn what they call “miles,”

points for each trip that you take, and the more trips you take the more miles youget. Eventually, if you get 20,000 or 30,000 miles you can get a free trip.

So, Jurgen is saying that he had flown a lot before; he had these frequent flyermiles, sort of like a coupon, that he could use to get a ticket for free to Chicago.

Jurgen says, “I was lucky that those weren’t blackout dates.” In most airlineprograms they give you these miles that you can “redeem,” or use to get a ticket,however there are certain days that they will not allow you to use your frequentflyer miles. Usually these are around holidays when everyone wants to fly, it’svery popular so you can’t use your miles on very popular days. “Blackout” iswhen you are not allowed to do something or see something; “blackout dates”

are dates that you can’t use your frequent flyer mile coupons. A “blackout” canalso mean when there is no power, for example the electricity goes out in yourhouse, and it goes out in the entire city. That would be called a “blackout.”

“Blackout” can also mean if you’ve drunk too much and you don’t remember whathappened yesterday while you were drinking. This doesn’t happen to me –frequently!

Anne says, “Oh, that explains it (that explains why you were able to go toChicago).” She says, “You’ve been traveling a lot using your frequent flyer miles.

How do you rack up so many miles?” “To rack up” is a two-word phrasal verbmeaning to get a lot of something, usually by adding a little bit at a time over along period of time. For example, if you have a library book that you don’t returnon time, and you do this for several months, you borrow the book and then youdon’t return it, the library charges you a “fine,” a fee, a penalty you have to pay,you could say, “I’ve racked up $1,000 in library fines.” Another word would be“accumulated.”

So, Anne is asking Jurgen how he racked up – how he accumulated so manymiles. She says, “I’m enrolled in the frequent flyer programs of three differentairlines.” “To be enrolled” means that you are participating in something, yousign up or register for something and you are part of that program. We often usethis verb in talking about going to college: “I’m enrolled at the university (I am astudent and I am going to classes at the university).” Anne says that she neverseems to have enough miles to redeem them for a ticket or even an upgrade.

“To redeem” means to give something in exchange for something else, usually points or coupons, something that is worth money that you can give in order toget something back. In this case, you are redeeming your frequent flyer miles toget a ticket on that airline. An “upgrade” is an increase or an improvement fromone thing or one level to another thing or another level. With frequent flyer mileprograms you can sometimes buy a ticket for a certain seat, and then upgrade toa higher class – a better seat: a business class or a first class seat. Airplaneshave what they call “economy seats,” these are the cheap seats, they’re alsocalled “coach (coach) seats,” and then they have the bigger, nicer, roomier seatsthat are business class and first class. So an upgrade would be going from, forexample, a coach class ticket to a first class ticket.

Jurgen says, “The trick (or the special way to do this) is to get a credit card thatgives you miles. For every dollar I charge on my credit card, I get one mile.

Since I use my credit card for a lot of business purchases, the miles add uppretty quickly.” “To add up” means to increase; it’s similar to “to rack up.” “Toadd up” means things get bigger and bigger, usually slowly over time. So whatJurgen is saying here is that many airlines have agreements or partnerships withcredit card companies, when you use your credit card you get one mile, usually,for every dollar that you spend. And since Jurgen uses his credit card forbusiness expenses, he has a lot of expenses on his credit card – a lot ofcharges, and he gets miles for all of those. This is a very popular program. I dothis with my credit card; I get miles for every time I buy something on my creditcard. Of course you still have to pay for it, it’s not free.

Jurgen says, “I also use a lot of hotels and restaurants that partner with theairlines, and doing that gives me bonus miles.” “To partner (as a verb) withsomeone” means to cooperate, to work closely with someone. Again, there arerestaurants that partner, or work with the airline companies, and they will giveyou miles for every dollar that you spend at their restaurant. “To get bonusmiles” means to get extra, or additional, miles. “Bonus” has a couple of differentmeanings; take a look at our Learning Guide for some additional explanations.

Anne asks Jurgen, “Aren’t there a lot of restrictions?” “Restrictions” arelimitations, things that you are not allowed to do. She says, “Do you ever haveproblems redeeming the miles?” Jurgen says, “Yeah, there are somerestrictions, but I work around them.” “To work around (something)” means tofind a way to do what you want, even though you have restrictions or limitations.

It means to be successful even though there are obstacles or things that make itdifficult for you to do what you want to do. Jurgen says, “There are fewerrestrictions if you have elite status.” “Elite status” is a very high level in aprogram where you get a lot of additional benefits – a lot of additional things.

The frequent flyer programs have different levels of membership. If you fly a lot, for example 100,000 miles a year, you will often be put into a higher category inthe program, and you will get more from the program.

Anne says, “So I need to get a credit card that gives me frequent flyer miles.”

Jurgen says, “Yeah, but a word to the wise.” The expression “a word to the wise”

means that you are going to give the person some advice: “Here is some advice.”

He says, “a word to the wise: spend carefully. You don’t want to rack up creditcard debt for the sake of racking up frequent flyer miles!” Once again, that verb“to rack up” – to accumulate, to get a lot of. He’s saying you don’t want to get alot of credit card debt, money you owe to the bank, just so that you can get morefrequent flyer miles. “For the sake of” means “in order to.”

Finally, Anne says, “Point taken.” “Point taken” is an expression that we use tomean I understand what you are saying, I agree with what you are telling me.

“Point taken,” she says, “Thanks for the tip.”

Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.

[start of dialogue]

Anne: Where were you this past weekend? I tried calling you on Friday to see ifyou wanted to go to the movies with me.

Jurgen: I was in Chicago for a long weekend.

Anne: Chicago? I didn’t know you were planning a trip. I thought you werepretty strapped this month. A ticket to Chicago would set you back at least $300.

Jurgen: I am pretty strapped, but I wanted to go to my friend Rachel’s wedding.

I was able to use my frequent flyer miles to get a ticket. I was lucky that thoseweren’t blackout dates.

Anne: Oh, that explains it. You’ve been traveling a lot using your frequent flyermiles. How do you rack up so many miles? I’m enrolled in the frequent flyerprograms of three different airlines, but I never seem to have enough miles toredeem them for a ticket or even an upgrade.

Jurgen: The trick is to get a credit card that gives you miles. For every dollar Icharge on my credit card, I get one mile. Since I use my credit card for a lot ofbusiness purchases, the miles add up pretty quickly. I also use a lot of the hotelsand restaurants that partner with the airlines, and doing that gives me bonusmiles.

Anne: Aren’t there a lot of restrictions? Do you ever have problems redeemingthe miles?

Jurgen: Yeah, there are some restrictions, but I work around them. There arefewer restrictions if you have elite status, but I’m a long way from that.

Anne: So I need to get a credit card that gives me frequent flyer miles.

Jurgen: Yeah, but a word to the wise: spend carefully. You don’t want to rack upcredit card debt for the sake of racking up frequent flyer miles!

Anne: Point taken. Thanks for the tip.

[end of dialogue]

If we had an elite status for scriptwriters, the writer of this episode, Dr. Lucy Tse,would certainly be in that category!

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Comeback and listen to us next time on ESL Podcast.

English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan, copyright 2009 by the Center for EducationalDevelopment.