Your frequent flyer miles are given to you as a reward for all the flights you have paid for over the years, and you can use these miles to pay for trips all over the world. You must plan to use these miles wisely, and you can take number of different trips with them. There are some tips below that will show you how to make your use of frequent flyer miles worth the miles you spend.
#1: How They Work
You need to know what your frequent flyer miles do for you. The program through your airline may be different than other airlines, and you must ask what you can do with your miles. The airline likely has a blackout schedule where you cannot use your miles, and they may charge you differently depending on the route that you want to take. International flights are often more expensive, and you may need to pay more for flights that have multiple layovers.
#2: Where They Go
Your frequent flyer miles may not go to certain places. You must contact the airline to find out where your miles will not take you. The hubs that the airline has all over the world are not a clear indicator of where you can fly with frequent flyer miles. The airlines often shut down certain routes to frequent flyers because they know the flights are already full. The airlines are also interested in making sure that vacant flights are not taking off with only frequent flyers on them.
#3: Do They Expire?
All frequent flyer miles programmed are different, and you must ask your airline how long their frequent flyer miles last. The idea of unlimited frequent flyer miles is wonderful, but it is not always reality. You need to be sure that you find out how long the miles last before you plan to use them. You should never assume that they will last forever, and you must keep a tally of when certain batches of miles expire.
#4: What Is Their Value?
You must find out what the value of one mile is. Some airlines list their flights with prices and the number of miles that you must spend on them. Other airlines tell you the value of a frequent flyer mile for domestic and international flights. You must be able to do the math when you are shopping for flights, and you should keep a tally of what each flight on your trip costs before you purchase them all.
#5: How Do You Redeem Them?
You must book through your airline to redeem the majority of your frequent flyer miles, but there are travel companies or websites that will redeem these miles for you. You should ask these websites how they plan to redeem your miles, and you may need to share your personal information with the site before redeeming the miles.
#6: Plan A Trip
You can take a vacation with frequent flyer miles that is practically free if you plan properly. Miles can be used to pay for your flight, but there are airlines that allow you to use miles to book a hotel through a partner hotel chain. You can spend almost no money on the trip before you leave, and you will have more money in your pocket when you get there.
