All customers travelling on full or discounted fares,
frequent flyer award tickets or upgrades are considered revenue customers.
For example, United Airlines has the most generous policy on round trip international
frequent flyer award tickets.
Redeem them as early and as often as possible since the airlines continue to change the rules on the minimum number of miles you need to redeem to get
that frequent flyer award ticket.
Not exact matches
If you redeemed United miles for an
award ticket but need to cancel your trip, you can get the miles refunded to your
frequent flyer account.
For example, an American Airlines
frequent flyer can use AAdvantage miles to book a flight on British Airways, and the cost of that
ticket will be based on the American Airlines mileage
award chart.
As a general rule that
award tickets do not earn
frequent flyer miles since they are paid for with miles, the same way you do not earn hotel points when you redeem points on an
award stay.
Many travelers who earn
frequent flyer miles aren't always interested in booking an
award ticket.
There's big news out there about airlines changing loyalty programs to
award frequent flyer miles based on how much your
ticket costs, not how far you travel... and that's going to... Read More...
There has been a lot of talk lately about a shift in the industry to revenue - based
frequent flyer programs, where travelers are
awarded miles based on the cost of the
ticket and not the number of miles flown.
As a general rule that
award tickets do not earn
frequent flyer miles since they are paid for with miles, the same way you do not earn hotel points when you redeem points on an
award stay.
You can fly on Star Alliance partner Austrian by booking with a
frequent -
flyer program such as United MileagePlus from 60,000 miles per round trip or even by booking via Avianca LifeMiles, also for 60,000 miles per round trip, though without the $ 75 close - in
award ticketing fee that United charges within 21 days of travel.
On many of these trips, I combined the home exchange with using
frequent flyer miles, getting an exotic 1 - 4 week vacation for no more cost than the small airline fee for booking an
award ticket.
I am nowhere near the 200,000
frequent flyer miles that I will need for a business class
award ticket to Bangkok.
Many
frequent flyer programs
award airline miles that can be used instead of cash to buy
tickets, upgrades, and other perks.
Normally the best use of
frequent flyer miles is for international premium cabin
awards because these are expensive
tickets if you pay with cash but not very expensive if you pay with miles.
Although I don't fly United very often (mostly because when I do I deal with nasty / clueless employees or my travel reservations simply aren't honored), I rank their
frequent flyer miles as the most valuable mileage currency out there thanks to low fees on
award tickets, the ability to book one - way
awards and great airline partners in Star Alliance.
So this means that I can sign up for the American Airlines AAdvantage
frequent flyer program, earn miles while flying on Alaska Airlines and once I've accumulated enough miles for an
award ticket, use those miles on Cathay Pacific using the
award booking system on AA.com.
This discount makes the first class
award ticket to Asia one of the cheapest redemptions among
frequent flyer programs.
Though Air Canada spun off its
frequent flyer program Aeroplan years ago, making it a separate for - profit entity, it is still one of the most valuable ways to travel on
award tickets in the Star Alliance, the largest global airline alliance.
Though you'll see a somewhat similar approach with some domestic carriers, like Virgin America and Jet Blue, who charge their
frequent flyers a redemption rate based on the current cost of the
ticket, most carriers break out their
award redemptions into zones.
Still, China Airlines charges higher change fees on
award tickets than some Asian
frequent flyer programs:
If you redeemed United miles for an
award ticket but need to cancel your trip, you can get the miles refunded to your
frequent flyer account.
But using miles for the outbound
ticket I found a one - way
award ticket could be purchased with American Airlines for 40,000
frequent flyer miles.
Frequent flyer miles that are used for
award travel have significantly greater potential value if you redeem them for otherwise high - priced
tickets.
Frequent flyer miles were originally designed to be redeemed for
award tickets, but the airlines now offer dozens of different ways to spend your miles.
Flying Blue, the
frequent flyer program of Air France and KLM, has announced changes to the program that impact
award ticket redemption.
Why, because of their greed, you see the way the
frequent flyer system is going, in most cases you have to pay a fee to get an
award, if you want a
ticket in a week you have to pay a lot of money.
But today, most major US airlines now
award frequent flyer miles based on the amount that you paid for your
ticket, starting at five miles per dollar and rising if you have elite status with their
frequent flyer programs.
Members of Delta's SkyMiles
frequent flyer program which is free to join, can utilize the Miles and Cash redemption option when purchasing certain
award tickets.
Revenue - based loyalty program: A
frequent flyer program that does not
award miles or points based on the number of miles a member travels, but rather the amount of money they spend on their cash
tickets.
Tickets start at $ 599, and members of Miles & Smiles, the carrier's
frequent flyer program, can get
award seats and upgrades on this route at a 25 percent discount.
Gary Leff is Condé Nast Traveler's recommended travel specialist for
frequent -
flyer mileage
award tickets, and he's sharing his secrets.
Some
frequent flyer programs will pass on those carrier - imposed surcharges on
award tickets while others, such as United Airlines, do not pass on these surcharges.
British Airways has a great
frequent flyer Program except the high fuel surcharges on
award tickets, you can pool your miles using BA Household Account.
While it might not be easy to get an international
award ticket from a smaller hub, as well as hubs where Delta is the only one or one of a very few options, you can always get to a major airport on a reduced fare or an
award ticket with another
frequent flyer program.
All three of the major U.S. airlines»
frequent flyer programs — American Airlines AAdvantage, United MileagePlus and Delta SkyMiles — are based on one - way
award tickets, so normally you can buy two one - way
tickets or a roundtrip to your destination for the same price.
United's
frequent flyer program, MileagePlus, allows one free stopover per round - trip
award ticket.
United's
frequent flyer program, MileagePlus, allows you to use one stopover and two open jaws for free on a round - trip
award ticket.
If you're collecting miles and playing the
frequent flyer awards game, you're probably already familiar with the airport taxes, fuel surcharges and other fees that often get added to your
ticket.
It's surprising that we don't hear about more
frequent flyers booking
award tickets to Botswana, Africa.
Many
frequent flyer gurus will tell you to never use your hard - earned miles to book a domestic
award ticket.
Earning points through regular spend and bonuses, as well as transferring them to a friend's ThankYou account, can make it easier to get enough
frequent flyer miles to book a high value
award ticket.
If Booking Guru can not find you an
award ticket or an upgrade using the airline
frequent flyer miles or credit card points you have, no fee is collected.
To have the
award booking service
ticket your itinerary, you will also have to give them your
frequent flyer numbers and login information.
You wrote: «Most
frequent flyer programs don't allow free stopovers on
awards, let alone on one - way
award tickets.»
Most
frequent flyer programs don't allow free stopovers on
awards, let alone on one - way
award tickets.
In contrast to airline co-branded cards that
award frequent flyer miles, travel rewards points cards allow you to redeem your points for credit toward travel expenses, such as airline
tickets and hotel stays, as well as related purchases, including rental cars and bus fares.
But for
frequent flyers they are a pain because some airlines — most notably European and Asian
frequent flyer programs, but also a handful of North American programs (Aeroplan on about half of its Star Alliance partners, American predominantly on British Airways, and Delta on several partners)-- add fuel surcharges onto
award tickets.
As most of you probably know by now, Delta will be radically altering their
frequent flyer program in 2015, whereby they'll begin
awarding miles based on how much you spend on your
ticket as opposed to how many miles you fly.
These miles are called redeemable miles — they are the
frequent flyer miles in your account that you redeem for an
award ticket.