Very Likely, yes. So you’ll want to use them. Also, the airlines have been devaluing miles in recent months. That means it could take more miles to get the tickets you want. I’m from the school of thought, “If you have miles, use them.”
Have Questions?
Will my miles expire?
How much are the taxes on an award ticket?
It all varies from airline to airline. It could go anywhere from $2.50 per ticket to more than $1,000 per ticket.
Is there a downside to using miles?
The only downside I find is that you have to be flexible. Award tickets are based on award space. What I do is a search for the best award space to suit your needs. The more flexibility you have, the more options I can come up with. Oh and taxes…that’s another downside. Those darn taxes. But there’s no way around that.
Can you help me if I don't have miles?
Sure, I do all types of bookings. I’ll search for the lowest paid fares too. I can also help plan travel and put together extensive itineraries.
What would be an example where I would want to pay for a ticket instead of using points?
Think about it this way. Your points are like a currency. Miles are generally valued around 2 cents a piece (on average.) With that in mind, if a roundtrip ticket will require 25,000 miles, and you figure 25,000 miles x 2 cents each, you’re looking at a ticket valued at $500. But if you can buy that same ticket for under $500, seems to me you’re better off paying for the ticket outright.
So sometimes it's better to pay for the ticket outright and not use points?
Absolutely. And I’ll tell you right away if you are better off using your points for just paving for a ticket.
When is the right time to use points?
Generally, you get the most bang for your buck when you use points for First and/or Business Class international travel. That’s because First and Business Class tickets can be 5,10,15 even $20,000 or more a piece! But if you know how to use your award miles effectively, you can get the same ticket on points.
All my miles are spread out. I have 20,000 American Express Points, 25,000 United Points, 100,000 American Airlines points. Can you help me figure out how to best use my points?
I sure can!!
What's the difference between award travel and reward travel bookings?
They are exactly the same.
