Not exact matches
It offers the unique opportunity for both earning miles and
redeeming them
without usual for
award flights limitations.
Miles are
redeemed as statement credits toward travel purchases made with your card, so you can book the airfare or hotel room you want
without having to search for
award availability (hence, no blackout dates).
In theory, earning and
redeeming points at fixed rates enables the airline to offer
award space at all times
without restrictions — there's no way to game the system, and the points have a lower value that more closely tracks the accounting liability they create.
You don't have to transfer miles or book complicated
award flights, and you can
redeem your miles toward any flight or hotel
without having to worry about
award blackouts or restrictions.
Award availability is also plentiful, which is a huge plus if you're new in this hobby and want to
redeem miles
without the hassles involved.
This is especially valuable because it applies to both paid and
award tickets, allowing you to
redeem Rapid Rewards points for you and then bring your companion
without using any more points.
This is especially valuable if you tend to book flights
without much advance notice, since the cost to purchase a ticket goes up dramatically, but the cost to
redeem for an
award flight stays the same (assuming there's availability).
In addition, the high fuel surcharges often charged on
award flights operated by British Airways make these points most valuable when used on partners like American Airlines, US Airways, Alaska Airlines, Aer Lingus, and others (see How to
Redeem Avios
Without Huge Fees and Surcharges).
I got the card last month for the sign up bonus worth $ 456 in free travel, the double miles on all purchases, the free subscription to TripIt Pro, and the ability to
redeem miles for any flight on any airline
without searching for
award space.
That means flying from a regional US airport to a regional European one is impossible
without redeeming two
awards, since it would require two connections.
Now
without getting into more math, when you
redeem an
awards ticket you pay a $ 10 tax charge, which will make purchasing miles versus purchasing the ticket about the same cost.
He cited fine print in Delta's SkyMiles rules which includes hint that
redeeming a «free»
award ticket may cost the customer «' up to $ 600 for foreign government taxes and fees and / or carrier - imposed fees for international itineraries;»» and that Delta «' reserves the right to change fees or add additional fees at any time
without advance notice.