Dining for miles is one of the easy and free ways you can rack up points. Register, use your credit card when you dine out, and if it happens to be at a participating restaurant you’ll earn miles automatically.

Rewards Network is the company that provides branded mileage-earning dining programs in conjunction with major frequent flyer programs like United MileagePlus, American AAdvantage, and Delta Skymiles.

I’ll always call them iDine, it former name, and the predecessor to that was Transmedia — the old program where you paid to sign up and had a membership card which you needed to present at restaurants for a cash discount.

When I first started earning with them in the mid-1990s, United’s program was only open to their elite frequent flyers.

I used to rack up miles by choosing to schedule reimbursable business meals at participating restaurants, and steering groups of friends towards those restaurants — where everyone would kick in cash and I’d earn miles for the total bill that I’d put on my credit card.

Sadly the program became a whole lot less valuable July 1, 2005. But it’s still better than a hole in the head, as my grandfather used to say.

Through April 10 you can get 1000 miles just for registering to earn United miles for your dines. The best I’ve seen offered before a couple of times is 500 for joining. And if you haven’t taken advantage of it yet you should — there’s no reason not to. Plus tthere’s 500 additional miles for each of your first 5 dines of $25 or more (including tax and tip).

Usually signup bonus offers require you to spend money on dining to earn miles. This one is great because they front you 1000 of the miles just for completing your profile.

Offer terms:

This bonus offer is open to all new MileagePlus DiningSM members without a dining profile. To qualify, you must create a dining profile by April 10, 2016, including creating a web login, and remain opted in to receive emails from MileagePlus Dining with a valid, deliverable email address. You must also continue to satisfy other Online/VIP level criteria to earn this bonus.

Upon creating your dining profile, you will earn 500 bonus award miles. Plus you will earn an additional 500 bonus miles, for a total of 1,000 bonus miles, when you create your dining profile between March 1, 2016 and April 10, 2016.

To earn each additional 500 bonus miles (up to 2,500 bonus miles), you must dine within 30 days of creating their dining profile at any participating restaurant, bar, or club and spend at least $25 (including tax and tip) on your check. All restaurant visits must be completed by May 10, 2016 at 11:59 pm Eastern time to qualify for this promotion. Limit one bonus–qualifying visit per restaurant per day. Please note that all checks must be paid for with a credit or debit card registered with MileagePlus Dining at the time of the visit. You may earn this additional bonus amount five times for a maximum amount of 3,500 bonus miles (initial 1,000 bonus miles plus 2,500 bonus miles).

Offer may not be combinable with other MileagePlus Dining bonuses and each qualifying visit can only apply toward a single bonus, as determined by MileagePlus Dining. All account inquiries related to this bonus must be received by July 10, 2016.

(HT: Doctor of Credit)