While it's hard to find the lowest - level seats, you usually can redeem double the
miles for award seats.
We've been covering the topic all week, first talking about the need for a pool of domestic miles, and then tricks for searching
for award seats with those miles.
These tools are extremely helpful and make those beginning stages of searching
for award seats much more convenient.
When traveling with a large party, you generally want to start searching
for award seats right when the schedule opens for booking.
Finally, those whose schedules preclude searching
for award seats months in advance will also find their miles to be less valuable.
Believe it or not, I've never actually flown with US Airways either, but I've used their miles
for award seats on partner airline flights for years....
When you book travel through the Chase travel portal, you don't have to worry about blackout
dates for award seats or free hotel nights.
In fact, I would think that United would welcome online changes as travel approaches, because usually people change to more direct flights, meaning that United theoretically saves on money it must shell out to
partners for award seats.
But now, airlines have devalued their miles by raising the number of miles
needed for award seats, and by reducing the number of award seats available.
«The weather is often decent in much of the U.S. and Europe during those times, and the
demand for award seats plummets then.»
It is tough
traveling for award seats if just trying to go to Fiji and back unless you can handle the tight coach seats on at least the return.
Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card Among airline - branded cards, Southwest's rises to the top when it comes to point value thanks to the carrier's low redemption
requirements for award seats.
In frequent flyer forums, I keep seeing the same question: If my flight is cancelled because of weather, do I have to wait
for an award seat at the same redemption rate to open up on another flight?
If you're flying between Asia and Europe you may have better luck finding open seats, but given how Alaska restricts certain
routes for award seats, I'm not sure you'll be able to book these routes.
I searched long and
hard for award seats on Delta and had no luck but this could also just be a matter of bad timing.
Savvy travelers know redeeming Iberia Avios points instead of British Airways Avios
points for award seats can save you a ton of miles or money on certain flights.
Too often we're the opposite — focused 48 weeks a year on the best and newest credit card offers; leaving just 4 weeks for work on MMR, booking flights with our miles, learning tips and
tricks for award seats, and all the other hard work.
Both can be
redeemed for award seats, but only base points will help you qualify for the airline's Mosaic program, the carrier's equivalent of elite status.
Finally, those whose schedules preclude searching
for award seats months in advance will also find their miles to be less valuable.
While you might not be keen on all aspects of a revenue - based loyalty system, TrueBlue has the terrific benefit of no blackout
dates for award seats.
Generally speaking, revenue - based award redemption programs like Southwest, JetBlue, and VirginAmerica have good availability but this is only because the number of points it
costs for an award seat are a function of how much the seat costs.
You don't have to
wait for award seats to open up or schedule travel on off days or at less popular times.
~ 13,000 points for two tickets is a much better deal than 50,000 miles
for award seats on United (which didn't have any saver - level award space, that day or the next).
Finally, those whose schedules preclude
searching for award seats months in advance will also find their miles to be less valuable.
But the big bonus with this site is that it helps travelers search
for award seats, which is often what we're collecting those miles for in the first place!
Most airlines just release 1 to 2 premium cabin seats per route so even if you're incredibly aggressive with searching
for award seats, you may never have a chance.