The next time you travel, would you like to:

• Skip long security lines?

• Fly first class without paying a mint?

• Get free upgrades to better hotel rooms?

• Drive comfortable rental cars for not much more than the cost of an econobox?

• Get special treatment instead of being part of the herd?

It's all possible for those who leverage frequent-flier and other loyalty programs.

Those in the know get free upgrades to first class when they've paid for a cheap coach fare. They find themselves in oceanfront rooms when they've paid for a garden view. They pile up so many free rental car days, it would take them a couple of years to use them all.

But to get the goodies, you have to give up on the idea of getting the absolute lowest price on every airline ticket, hotel room and rental car. Sometimes, you have to spend a couple of extra bucks now to get premium treatment later.

Consolidate your business

That's where many travelers balk, says frequent flier Joel L. Widzer, an industrial organizational psychologist and author of "The Penny Pincher's Passport to Luxury Travel." They're so used to stampeding from one low fare to the next that they miss the point of loyalty programs, which is, of course, to reward travelers who consolidate their business.

Widzer insists he doesn't pay much more for his travel than the typical bargain hunter with frequent-flier miles scattered across a dozen airline programs. Yet he says he consistently wins free upgrades to first class, free travel with few blackout days and a free pass around the long security lines that plague other travelers.

"The fares are usually within a 1% to 2% differential," Widzer says. "By consolidating, you start to get better perks and benefits."

Widzer's basic approach is endorsed by other frequent fliers and the newsletters that serve them, such as InsideFlyer and WebFlyer. All say that consolidating your travel with a few providers is an essential first step in getting premium service for less.

Another bonus for loyalty: You'll probably find yourself better able to take advantage of the rules, promotions and offers available through your frequent-traveler programs, because you'll have fewer of them to monitor.

"It's too complicated these days," Widzer says, "to keep track of every program and all the nuances."

Airlines, especially, are willing to cut special deals for their most loyal travelers. Widzer has gotten his preferred airline, Delta, to waive fees and find him first-class seats on particularly crowded flights. One poster to the Your Money message board reported getting a last-minute, first-class award ticket for two-thirds of the miles normally required. Then there's that "elite" shortcut through security: Many airports now have expedited lines for frequent fliers and first-class or business passengers that can trim the wait substantially.

So, how do you get this premium treatment? Here are a few suggestions:

Choose the right travel partners

Widzer recommends selecting one airline, two hotel providers and one or two rental-car companies to receive most, if not all, of your business.

Piling up miles with a single airline works for infrequent as well as frequent fliers. After all, the more miles you log with one airline, the faster you'll be able to receive free flights and upgrades.

Most travelers should pick the airline that best serves their home airport or the destination to which they travel most often. If you have a choice of carriers, Widzer advises selecting the one that offers the best-quality service and fastest check-in options (such as online check-in at home or kiosk check-ins at the airport).

He's not a big fan of discount airlines, such as Southwest or JetBlue, that don't have upgrade possibilities or extensive partnerships with other airlines. On the other hand, the discount carriers tend to offer free flights more quickly; if free travel to domestic destinations is your goal, rather than upgrades or international travel, they might be a fine fit.

Those just starting out might want to build their miles on a regional carrier like Alaska Airlines, Widzer said, rather than try to compete for first-class upgrades with hordes of business travelers and established frequent fliers on the big national carriers.

It's less of a problem to divide your business with hotels and rental-car companies, as rewards are typically easier to come by. Most rental-car providers have "frequent user" programs that allow you to skip long lines and qualify for easy upgrades. Some chains promise to have your car started, and the heat or air conditioning running, by the time you arrive. Typically, you can sign up online, and it's often free (or, if it's not, you can get the fee waived simply by requesting it).

Consolidation in the hotel industry means you'll have a wide variety of chains from which to choose, at all price points. The Hilton hotel family, for example, now includes nine brands, from budget-level Hampton Inns to the luxury Conrad Hotels. The Starwood chain includes Westin, Sheraton and W brands.

Shoot for elite-level status

You'll get easier upgrades, more free travel, expedited check-ins and bonus frequent-flier miles when you qualify for an airline's elite travel program. Once you achieve elite status on one airline, other carriers will typically grant you similar status just by asking.

Obviously, many casual travelers won't be able to hit the mark, because it typically requires flying at least 20,000 to 25,000 miles annually to reach an airline's lowest elite tier. (Most airlines have three tiers with increasing benefits at 25,000, 50,000 and 100,000 miles flown; miles earned through credit card purchases, hotel stays or other nonflight activity typically don't count.)

If you're close to the limit, though, you might be able to push yourself over the top by booking an extra flight or two before the end of the year.

And sometimes, airlines offer alternative methods or special deals to achieve elite status more quickly. Some allow you to count flight segments, rather than miles flown, so that short-hoppers can more easily achieve elite status. American has a little-known program that grants bottom-tier Gold elite status to passengers who rack up just 5,000 points in one 90-day period. (Points are accrued based on how much you paid for your ticket, with half a point for each mile flown on a deeply discounted economy ticket and 1.5 points for each mile flown in first class.)

Choose the right price

Some airlines make it harder for bargain hunters to get upgrades and free travel. As mentioned, instead of earning the same number of miles for the same flight, passengers who paid more for their tickets get more miles. That's the system on Delta, American, British Airlines and others. Some, like Air Canada and American, give deeply discounted tickets only half credit, so you get 0.5 miles for every mile flown.

And at many airlines, you also might not be able to upgrade a ticket at all if you've opted for the lowest fare, even if you have the miles in your account.

That's another reason why people who aren't road warriors might want to opt for a less-traveled airline with a more generous miles policy. If your airline does "tier" how frequent-flier miles are earned, you'll want to make sure you know which fares qualify you for more miles. Sometimes, the difference in price between a deeply discounted ticket earning half a point per mile and a discounted ticket earning a point per mile is just a few bucks, Widzer said.

Not sure if you've got a better-earning or upgradeable fare? Call the airline's toll-free number and ask.

Book with the travel provider

The travel world has changed considerably in just a few years. In the past, third-party travel sites like Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity were often the way to find the best deals. Today, the third-party sites often tack on extra fees, while many airlines and hotel chains promise to offer the lowest rates only on their own Web sites.

Booking directly on the provider's Web site saves the company money and may make them more inclined to extend special privileges. For instance, I've gotten hotel chains to waive cancellation fees that would have been nonrefundable had I booked through the third-party sites.

Stay alert

Sign up for your travel program's e-mail newsletters, and check its Web sites often for new promotions and offers. When booking travel, call and ask if there are special promotions going on or faster ways to achieve preferred-traveler status. (Some airlines tack on $5 to $10 fees for fares booked over the phone, but simply asking questions won't trigger those charges.) Look for credit cards that earn you miles with your preferred providers.

And never assume luxury is beyond your reach. Widzer recounts the time he had to book a last-minute flight from Southern California to Atlanta. The cheapest economy fare was more than $1,000. On a whim, he asked about the first-class fare, because he'd heard some airlines were discounting their choicest seats in order to fill them with paying customers, rather than award-using fliers. And surprise -- the first-class fare was less than half the price of an economy ticket.

"If I hadn't asked," Widzer said, "I would never have known."