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Earning Free Travel the Hard Way (and How to Make it Much Easier)

Free Travel

Terms and Restrictions Apply
Physician on FIRE has partnered with CardRatings and other partners for our coverage of credit card products. Physician on FIRE and other partners may receive a commission from card issuers.
Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact on how and where card products appear on the site. POF does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Credit Card Providers determine the underwriting criteria necessary for approval, you should review each Provider's terms and conditions to determine which card works for you and your personal financial situation.
Editorial Disclosure: Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

I had no intentions of earning free travel on this particular day.

“We have a medical emergency on board. If you are a medical professional, please press your call button or alert the nearest flight attendant.”

I was a 31-year old newlywed heading to Alaska with my bride to start our honeymoon, 13 months removed from residency graduation. I pressed my button.

I happened to be sitting next to a nurse practitioner and an emergency physician was also on board. The three of us congregated towards the rear of the plane to find a startled, sheepish thirty-something male who had just come to after passing out.

The flight attendants opened the medical kit. We had an AED, some basic drugs, IV supplies, oxygen and tubing, and more.

Unsurprisingly, the AED confirmed a sinus rhythm (or at least confirmed a non-shockable rhythm), and his pulse was regular if not bounding. Our AMPLE history told us that he had no significant medical history, had been working in the hot sun, and he was carrying an engagement ring in his pocket.

The combination of dehydration and anxiety had likely led to a vasovagal incident causing a syncopal episode or fainting spell.

 

Earning Free Travel the Hard Way (and How to Make it Much Easier)

 

We had him drink some juice to boost his sugar just in case he was hypoglycemic and to help replenish his low-volume status. For the first time in my life, I started an IV at 37,000 feet. This was not the mile-high-club I was planning to join.

There happened to be room for the patient, me, and my wife up in First Class, where it was a bit easier to administer fluid. I gave him a liter of saline through the IV and he was feeling much better.

For the remainder of the flight, we enjoyed the perks of our first class upgrade, and were met with a pleasant surprise upon landing.

Free travel!

United Airlines was kind enough to reward both my wife and I with $600 vouchers redeemable for future travel. There are easier ways to earn free flights, as I’ll detail below, but this was my first time getting free travel money without volunteering to be bumped for a later flight.

 

Free Travel
row harder, son!

The Second Time I Answered The Call

 

Flying back to Minneapolis on a red-eye from Hawaii in early March of 2018, I woke up to a similar overhead call. “Is there a medical professional on board?”

On a plane with a couple hundred people leaving Hawaii, I doubt I was the only doc. I know for a fact from forum threads on the topic that some will wait to see if anyone else volunteers first. If I were a pathologist, I’d probably do the same.

But I was still an anesthesiologist, so I got right up to answer the call. It was a similar situation to the first. An older gentleman had lost consciousness, possibly with some jerking motion, and had been difficult to arouse.

I don’t recall the precise details — this was one of two “doctor on board” calls I would answer that week — but he came around, drank some juice, and planned to follow up with his primary care physician. There were some signs that this may have been a first seizure rather than a syncopal episode, but I remained with him and he had no further issues on the flight back.

This was an American Airlines flight. I swapped seats with the patient’s wife and stayed with him the rest of the way. Before we landed, a flight attendant took down all of my information and I was later granted 25,000 frequent flier miles, enough for one round trip flight to Central America and back.

 

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Revisiting the Mile-High-IV-Club

 

“Again? Seriously?” – my brain

 

 

Five days later, I’m flying back to Minneapolis again, this time from Salt Lake City after speaking at the inaugural WCICon in Park City, Utah. The flight attendant makes the familiar plea overhead.

A surgeon and I respond to a young woman who has fainted, aroused, and is feeling very light-headed again. This was a small, full plane with two seats on each side of the aisle. We laid our patient down in the aisle, administered oxygen, and were presented with the medical kit.

With no significant medical history, we determined that some IV fluids were in order. My surgeon friend was happy to give me the honors of starting the IV. There aren’t many things I can do better than a surgeon, but starting an IV in a dehydrated patient is one of them.

Despite the logistical challenges of a narrow aisle and nowhere to be but hovering awkwardly directly over our patient, I got an IV in her hand and gave her both 500 ml bags of saline the kit had over the remaining hour of the flight. She also stayed on oxygen and was feeling much better by the time we landed.

Like my other in-flight patients, she was the first off the plane and was met by local EMTs at the airport gate.

Delta airlines took down my information, including medical license info, and later sent me a voucher good for $150 for a flight within the next year. I didn’t fly Delta in the subsequent 12 months and the credit expired.

 

A New Frontier

 

I had one last overhead call of this nature in 2020. While I was actually a retired anesthesiologist, having left my job nearly a year earlier, I did still carry an active medical license and hadn’t forgotten everything I’d learned.

The overhead page calling for a medical professional seemed to carry no urgency; the flight attendant’s voice was almost reluctant. In this case, a woman had lost consciousness after appearing to be inebriated and stumbling towards the restroom. I was able to arouse her and ascertain that she had no significant medical history. There was nothing else to do.

I was rewarded with a free bottle of water. I guess that’s something, as this was Frontier airlines, a budget carrier that would normally charge a passenger for that bottle of water.

 

 

Notes on Responding to In-Flight Medical Emergencies

 

The incidence of in-flight medical emergencies has been reported to be 1 in 150 flights. I had them happen on my flights twice in one week. I guess I was just “lucky.”

I feel truly lucky that the medical issues I encountered were really minor compared to what can happen. I’ve not encountered a prematurely-laboring mother, a heart attack or cardiac arrest, stroke, massive pulmonary embolism or any other potentially catastrophic diagnosis while traveling. I’ll take two faintings and a possibly post-ictal patient any day over one of those life-threatening emergencies.

The medical kits were decent. There are standards for what must be included.

All had everything necessary to start an IV and administer fluids in an aseptic fashion. There were emergency drugs and AEDs. I don’t recall seeing a glucometer, but I would guess multiple passengers would have them on board. The same is likely true of benzodiazepines if they were desired in the event of a seizing patient.

I was never asked for proof of my status as a medical physician. The two more recent times, I was asked for a medical license number after the event, but I don’t normally carry a wallet card, so I had to look up the info online.

There have been some notable incidents where physicians, usually female and of an ethnic minority, have been questioned when they volunteered as physicians to help under similar circumstances. It’s sad that I’m taken at my word as a white guy while others are not.

I’ve always been compensated with free travel for answering the call. I’ve heard from a number of other physicians who got nary a pat on the back.

 

 

How to Earn Free Travel the Easy Way

 

Take a Bump!

 

Delaying travel can be stressful, but I can assure you that it’s not likely as stressful as that minute between volunteering to help in an unknown medical emergency in an austere environment and the time you meet the patient.

When an airline asks for volunteers to take a later flight, you might want to wait for them to sweeten the deal. They will often up the ante several times after the initial announcement.

If flying out later that day, or even the next day, isn’t going to mess up your life, you can earn hundreds of dollars in vouchers for taking the bump.

I once took a bump on a flight from Detroit to Osaka, Japan. I ended up flying east instead of west, got a 5-hour layover in Amsterdam in which I ventured into the city by train, and was upgraded to first class for the leg from Amsterdam to Osaka.

I got in a few hours later than originally scheduled and was granted some DTW food vouchers for the concourse and a $750 voucher towards future flights, and I took full advantage of that airfare credit as a resident physician.

I don’t know how many bumps I’ve taken over the years, but my lifetime benefit from doing so is in the thousands of dollars.

 

Hitchhiking!

 

Just kidding. I don’t often watch horror films, but when I do, I prefer the ones with hitchhikers.

 

Take a Bonus!

 

If you’re not a physician eager to volunteer your services mid-flight and you don’t like to be inconvenienced by flight delays, fear not. There’s an easier way to earn free travel and anyone with a decent credit rating can do this a number of times. I certainly have!

Many credit cards offer welcome bonuses worth $500 to over $1,000 or more in free travel after meeting a minimum spend, typically in the range of $3,000 to $5,000 in three months.

Furthermore, every dollar you spend on these cards can be worth 1.5% to 2% or more in future travel. Some of them also have excellent travel perks.

You can review some of the best and limited time offers in more detail here, and here are some of my favorites:

 

 

If you are partial to a specific airline or like to earn points towards a particular hotel chain, co-branded cards can be a good companion card to use in certain situations. The welcome bonuses from meeting a minimum spend are often more than enough for a round-trip flight or a long weekend in a nice hotel.

The airline card perks usually include a free checked bag, and the hotel cards listed typically grant you a free night’s stay annually, more than offsetting the relatively low annual fees.

A few of my favorites:

 

 

Enjoy Your Free Travel!

 

I’m no longer a practicing physician, so there goes that source of free travel, and axe-wielding antagonists have severely depressed my odds of getting picked up roadside.

With ample time on my hands, taking a bump is more attractive than ever, but it’s not often they’re looking for four volunteers, and we’re typically traveling as a family now.

My recommendation? Take a bump when you can. But you’ll always have an opportunity to earn multiple free flights and hotel stays every year with travel rewards cards.

 

 

To see rates and fees for featured cards from American Express: The Platinum Card from American Express (rates and fees), Delta AmEx Gold (rates and fees), and AmEx Hilton Honors Surpass (rates and fees).

 

User-Generated Content Disclosure: Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

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21 thoughts on “Earning Free Travel the Hard Way (and How to Make it Much Easier)”

  1. Pingback: Earning Free Travel the Hard Way (and How to Make it Much Easier) | The Physician Philosopher
  2. Subscribe to get more great content like this, an awesome spreadsheet, and more!
  3. Responded on a flight to Mexico.

    Tips: if it’s out of your scope ask for add’l help. One of your colleagues may be waiting for the “second announcement”. Ask the flight attendant for the specialty you need.
    If you are on your own, ask for a doc by ground control. They will talk you through it.
    Liability wise, if it’s international be very careful. Huge jurisdiction issues lurk. Better to involve ground control early. Suggest landing for anything respiratory.
    Remember to ask for meds you need. Your fellow passengers will have all sorts of common rescue meds (steroids, albuterol, pain meds, insulin, Epi pen, chem strips, that are often not in kit).
    As a matter of principle, I would decline to fill out paperwork. No benefit, all risk. Many of the in flight consults are CYA events for the airline. If they want your name on a piece of paper, they can pay for it.

    Reply
  4. I have responded a few times and I have received nothing. I have to laugh, many times our care prevents the airlines from having to divert. I imagine a diversion costs thousands upon thousands of dollars.plus, Given that the airlines charge for everything on the plane except for oxygen and the seats gotten so small, I think it’s an insult that there isn’t some standard compensation for responding.

    Reply
  5. Would love to hear a post on such travel in and around europe and how that compares to the US. It seems so much easier to earn such miles points compared to the euro alternatives.

    Reply
    • I was on Lufthansa once and once on a Chinese airline (in China). Nothing from either. Both had same stuff as US airlines (essentially), which is more robust than I would have guessed.

      Reply
  6. I am a military General Surgeon (and Flight Surgeon) who flies a lot for my job (in the last 10 years). I have responded to 6 of these events. 4 times I was asked for my wallet card before I was allowed to touch the patient and only once got miles. I received no miles for the one very serious episode where I had a 65+ year seize three times (no prior seizure history) and I made them land the plane and administered several interventions. Doesn’t always work out for freebies but I will always answer the call.

    BTW, the best part of the plane landing episode was the Flight Attendant saying, “The captain would like to speak to you before he diverts.” I got on the inter phone and said, “I am an Air Force Flight Surgeon and we need to land, what questions can I answer?” He said, “None, see you on the ground.”

    Reply
    • I have had many episodes only one was reimbursed with a bottle of wine from the flight staff who gave me a bottle of wine for resuscitation of an elderly Portuguese woman over the Atlantic. When we landed in the Azores, I had to switch planes and it was confiscated as it was more than 3 oz. Which was fine as I don’t use alcohol anyway. My wife also lost her 3 inch knitting needles which upset her and we were told that the Americans were the ones who set the rules.

      Reply
  7. I’ve had similar experiences and always respond since I’m an anesthesiologist. Got the Delta $150 credit for helping with a hypoglycemic episode, also got nothing for helping a guy who had a seizure on a long flight to Greece. The “rewards” are so variable… but definitely not expected.

    Reply
  8. Interesting travel hack.
    Not sure how relevant the social commentary is to the topic. I do believe your reference was made to a physician that was actually a resident. Looks can be deceiving and presentation has an impact as well. That particular physician would have zero problem now. She can definitely handle airline staff.
    A small commotion was taking place involving a very tall famous athlete, who happened to be of color. Upon entry the greeting was along the lines of “Where is the **** doctor?”
    A petite white girl, about half the size, smiled and said, “Excuse me, I need to see your son. Thanks. Now tell me …”
    That would not have occurred as a resident. Awe and introduction most likely. Thoughts of “rookie “ etc.
    Instead, small talk and intros after getting down to the business at hand.
    Now personal cell #’s so he can reach his kids “**** doctor” if needed.
    I asked about carrying a card. No way.
    It’s on my phone but I don’t really need it. We all have preconceived notions. Back to the referenced resident, mostly a smile and proceeded if needed.
    That doesn’t fix preconceived notions.
    Nor does it bank travel miles.

    Reply
  9. Was on a transatlantic flight to poland with a dizzy patient who AMAed with a diagnosis of acute diverticulitis to see european Monitored bp the entire flight got a champagne bottle , guess i need to change airlines

    Reply
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  11. My wife is an ER doc and has responded to a number of these calls, including the flight ONE DAY after her Med school graduation when there was no one else of board who volunteered. She never accepts any offer of monetary or non monetary reward, as Good Samaritan laws vary and some locales waive protection if you get anything of value in return for your efforts to help, even if you volunteered without that explicit intent of receiving something. Better safe than sorry on the risk front, especially when treating patients with limited supplies, often limited history/physical, and with other care a good ways away…

    For what it’s worth, a few years ago she had a patronizing older male physician tell her “it’s ok honey, I’m a doctor” when they both responded, as if she was a nurse or something. My wife is an ER doc at a level 1 trauma center- the old guy: a pediatrician. Who do you want diagnosing you?

    Reply
    • She is right about compensation – I don’t expect or request anything, due to liability concerns – violates the Good Samaritan guidelines.

      Reply
    • I’d let your wife care for my 11 times out of 10 over the patronizing pediatrician!

      I never considered the Good Samaritan laws and losing protection for accepting some miles or vouchers for my troubles. In my case, I think the risks were extremely low since all patients were doing well and were very unlikely to have any long-term sequelae, but that is something to consider. Thanks for pointing that out!

      Cheers!
      -PoF

      Reply
  12. Not on a flight but I’ve earned a “free upgrade,” in the airport by being able to recognize a gentleman was a diabetic and not a drunk. Knowing that they can appear similar I was able to ask him if he was diabetic and he said yes. When asked when he took insulin he said LA, we were in Atlanta. Tried to get him to drink some OJ as we waited for the airport EMTs who gave him the glucose paste. Amazing how quickly he became normal with some sugar.

    Reply
    • Strong work, Jane. Hypoglycemia and a high BAC can look a lot alike, and the latter is more likely to be encountered at an airport. I don’t know know that I would have made that connection.

      Were you hooked up with a first-class upgrade for the flight? Gotta be careful with the free drinks up there — they can make you act hypoglycemic.

      Cheers!
      -PoF

      Reply
      • PoF, I’m sort of an EMT, meaning I’m trained and but you really don’t want me to have to treat you, it’s an aside to my job and not my job. The guys who train us basically pound in our head if they look drunk ask about diabetics first unless you were actually out drinking with them.

        Reply
  13. Wow. Really fortunate to have an anesthesiologist on board for all those flights and great saves on all.

    I personally hope I am not the only physician on board if a medical emergency occurred. Not sure a radiologist is what they are hoping for either in the call for help.

    I so far have not had any of these events occur but I remember my dad (internist) did on one flight way back in the day. It was cool as I felt he was a hero when he came back.

    Reply
    • “I know what to do. All I’m going to need is a fluoroscopy suite, an experienced radiology tech, a few large-bore needles, and some really long catheters.”

      “Oh, you don’t have those on this plane?”

      Reply
      • Funny story: I had a similar experience on a long flight to miami. I responded to that call for help (and I too am a radiologist. But being IR, I am very comfortable with the usual urgent situations). I fought my way up to Business class where I was escorted to a woman. I ask her how I could help. Her answer was”oh thanks for coming. But can you come back a little later, because I am a little busy right now”. I didn’t know what to say. i just went back to my seat shaking my head and never went back.

        Reply
        • Well, that’s odd. Not exactly a medical emergency, I guess.

          Good for you for stepping up, at least!
          -PoF

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