How to get in on new bonus offers on credit cards you already have.

May 16, 2011 (Hilton Head Island, SC) – Rick Ingersoll, author of the blog “The  Frugal Travel Guy” and a frequent resource for budget travel reporters and

columnists, tells his readers that applying for new credit cards that offer big sign-up bonuses is one of the fastest and easiest ways to increase anyone’s frequent flier account balances.

Now he’s telling them about another way to get even more bonus points and miles out the credit cards they already have in their wallets.

He calls it the “bump your bonus” follow-up technique.

“When you sign up for a new credit card to get the sign-up bonus, you typically meet the minimum spend and wait for your points to post to your account then move on to the next big sign-up bonus,” he said recently.

“But many times, those same card issuers will raise the sign-up bonus for even newer applicants, or put out a targeted offer that gives more miles or points than you received when you recently signed up.”

If you find out about the increased bonus, do you just resent it and move on? Absolutely not, says this travel hacker.

“In many cases, if you contact the card issuers by email, secure email, or phone, they will gladly increase your sign-up bonus to match their current best offer,” Ingersoll said. “I call it ‘Bump the Bonus’ and I’ve received hundreds of thousands of miles and points by following up with my existing cards and keeping my eyes open for their newer, larger bonuses.”

Ingersoll admits this technique won’t always bring results, “but all it takes is a call or email to find out. If you don’t ask for the bonus bump, I can assure you, you won’t get the bonus bump.”

Ingersoll advises his readers to take the time to review their current credit cards and scour the Internet for the card issuers’ current best offers. “There may be more points in your account for doing so,” he said.

And as always, he stresses that applying for credit cards to get frequent flier miles and points must be paired with the commitment to always pay the bills on time to minimize the affect on your credit score.

For more information on Rick Ingersoll and his many other frugal travel tips and techniques, visit The Frugal Travel Guy blog at frugaltravelguy.com.

About The Frugal Travel Guy:

Rick Ingersoll, author of The Frugal Travel Guy blog and The Frugal Travel Guy Handbook, is constantly on the lookout for the best credit card and debit card sign-up bonuses. He posts travel tips daily on debit and credit card deals and on other interesting promotions with the goal of reducing his readers’ travel costs today and for the rest of their lives. He is also available for seminars and speaking engagements. A retired mortgage banker, Ingersoll and his wife live in Hilton Head Island, SC, and Traverse City, MI, when they’re not traveling the globe. For more information visit http://frugaltravelguy.com.