The Mile Mystery
Some of our regular readers know that Travelfli is working on solving some of the major problems related to award travel. We think our timing couldn’t be more perfect, taking into account the steady rise in fuel prices and the burgeoning costs of travel. So the problem for our users is not if we are going to help them use their frequent flyer miles more effectively, but rather, when?
With that in mind, I want to provide a few basic tips for better utilization of your miles until we can do it for you. Travel is a fact of life and people aren’t going to stop using the airlines anytime soon. Here are four ways to capitalize on your loyalty programs to ease the pain in this tumultuous time of travel (that’s a mouthful!)
Know your options
Take a little bit of time to research the various loyalty programs to determine which ones are the best fits for your personal needs. They aren’t all created equal, so it pays dividends to join the ones that have the highest payoffs. For instance, starting in February of this year, Amex holders who link to the Delta SkyMiles program have been able to use their miles with or without cash to purchase ANY DELTA TICKET sold on their site. The miles are valued at one cent a pop – so you have a set valuation for your miles as well as the option to pay in part, with cash. For flyers who live in a Delta hub, this is a great program to join!
Check for Award Seats often and early
Airlines are extremely inconsistent in the frequency and reach of award seats they release so it pays dividends to start checking for seats as soon as you know where and when you want to travel. A lot of airlines let you book awards up to a year in advance so although it sounds ridiculous——if you start making calls 365 days prior to travel, there is a better chance you will get a ticket. On the other hand, if you aren’t successful the first time – keep trying. There is a good chance the airline will release additional tickets depending on their ability (or inability) to fill the seats.
Use the two-cent rule…loosely
We’ve all heard that a mile is worth between 1.5 and 2 cents, right? We’ve also heard that it is worth way, way less to the airlines. Obviously it is all subjective and depends on the going rate for a ticket, but since ticket prices are climbing each day, this rule is reasonably accurate. The bottom line is that if your award ticket is worth more than 2 cents per mile, it’s definitely worth consideration. If not, you might want to opt to buy the ticket and reserve the miles for a more expensive fare.
Consider partner airlines
As the airlines continue to consolidate and partner, there are more and more opportunities to book award fare via airline alliances. The various alliances are hard to keep track of but you can usually ask the agent on the phone if there are flights on a partner airline and they will be able to book it for you (usually with a fee attached). Not only does this broaden your chances of actually getting an award seat, but it also may give you access to more direct flights or better dates if you book with a second tier partner. The three largest alliances are the Star Alliance, SkyTeam and Oneworld. Participants can be found here.
Travel is a mess right now but there are ways to alleviate the pain. So be smart and creative about how you use your miles and you’ll likely save yourself a little bit of money.
