Frequent Flyer Miles

With so many businesses, and almost all airlines, offering some variant of frequent flyer miles — points you can collect from going on flights or buying products, that you can reddem later (theoretically) for goods and services — it seems like a no-brainer for an enterprising Vagabonder.  Earn points on flights, and redeem them for other flights.  Earn points on your credit card, and redeem them for whatever you want.  But it’s a bit more complicated than a lot of programs are letting on.

Many airlines only have a certain number of seats — usually one or two — set aside on every given flight for people flying with miles.  if someone got to your flight before you call to book it, you can’t redeem those miles, even if it’s not during blackout dates.  Blackout dates themselves make redeeming airline miles during holidays and most frequent-fly days (Friday, Sunday) impossible.  And you sometimes need huge quantities of miles to go anywhere at all — the only reason I have enough US Airways miles for a free flight is because they used to have a hub in Pittsburgh when I lived there, and every flight I took was US Airways.  Now they don’t, and I haven’t flown US Airways in two years…and after your account is inactive for a few years, they start deducting points from your balance.

There are other hidden issues with miles; if you use them towards a car rental, you may discover the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, which says that car rental companies must pay a 7.5% tax on miles they offer through an airline partnership — a charge that’s passed along to you if you want to claim your miles.

So how can you maximize your miles?  I’ve discovered the best miles combo to have is a credit card that offers you points for travel (like Capital One) added to flying on only one airline (Southwest is comprehensive and has great rewards benefits).  That way you can buy plane tickets with the credit card and get points in both places.  Remember, diversifying all your frequent flyer credits into several airlines or locations (lots of credit cards, or tons of airlines) defeats the purpose of the frequent flyer programs: they’re designed to reward consistent customers.  Many domestic carriers are also connecting overseas (or at least to Canada and Mexico), so you’re not only limited by domestic carriers.

Frequent flyer miles can offer other perks, too, such as a special hotline to call for reserving tickets, or preferential treatment at the gate.  If you’re a “preferred customer”, sometimes extra fees that others pay get waived for you…traveling cheaper is always a bonus.  Now that airlines are suffering from lack of money, being a frequent flyer can sometimes get you other perks as well: getting odd room charges removed, getting extra snacks, or sitting in the reserved lounge at the airport.

However, it’s important to remember: these miles are designed to get your money.  They’re a marketing device designed to manipulate their buying habits.  You might as well accrue them and use them if you can, but keep an eye on the fine print, watch for unexpected fees, and remember that you shouldn’t make purchasing decisions based on what other people are promising to give you.  Chances are, they might not.