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Here are a few tips to consider when using your airline miles to book your flights. Keep in mind that the airlines are constantly changing their awards charts, and each one has different policies, but the suggestions below should give you a good start.
I always like to get the most value from my points. That means I very rarely use them for coach tickets, especially domestic coach.
For example, here is what approx. 50,000 points will get you. As of this morning, two roundtrip coach tickets from LAX to JFK can be purchased for under $300 each, so let’s say $600 for two. These same tickets are 25,000 miles each with a saver award on United. That means that your points are worth about 1.2 cents each (50,000 X 1.2 = $600).
I used points to fly home from London this summer. Without much searching, I got my nonstop return flight in Business Class for 57,500 points; the cost of that ticket at the time I booked it was about $6,500. That means my points were worth 11.3 cents each, ten times the value if I had used them for that New York flight above.
There are always taxes associated with these reward tickets, and those taxes can vary substantially depending on the carrier and the airport(s) you are traveling through. I’ve seen taxes vary from $11 a ticket to over $600 for the same flights. Be sure to check that before making a final decision.
Unlike purchasing a ticket, you can book one way award tickets for half the points needed for a round trip. This is very helpful if your first airline doesn’t have round trip availability. Use your United miles to get to your destination, and then your Delta miles to get back.
Having a hard time finding your Business Class ticket from LAX to Singapore? Check a few other cities that aren’t too far away. Availability from San Francisco to Singapore might be much better, and you can usually get a roundtrip Southwest ticket from Burbank to San Francisco for under $100. I’ve done this before, and in reality, flying Burbank through San Francisco was actually quicker than dealing with the traffic to, and congestion at, LAX.
So, get out there and use your miles to see the world!
Written by Doug Orens, Vice President, Plaza Travel
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