Most people think that flying is the only way to earn frequent flyer miles.

You know better now!

But it is one way to earn miles, and if you fly a lot and pay cash you can earn a nice chunk of miles through actually flying.

Gone are the days when the airlines calculated miles based on the distance of your flight. Nowadays, you typically accrue miles based on how much you spend on your ticket. Depending on your status, you may earn more miles per dollar spent — and with some airlines, whether you carry their credit card now matters just as much as your status does.