Lifestyle

10 mistakes to avoid when redeeming frequent flyer miles – The Points Guy


As the saying goes, “Everybody makes mistakes.” This covers many aspects of life, but it especially applies to the use of your miles. Even the most seasoned traveler can slip, resulting in a less comfortable flight, extra fees, or even the inability to travel.

Luckily, it’s easy to avoid the most common mistakes when booking an airline trip award ticket. Today, we’ll guide you through these mistakes and explain how to make sure your future rewards redemption goes as planned.

Based on airline website only

For starters, it may seem strange to be told that an airline’s website isn’t always reliable when searching for award tickets. Despite the great improvements over the past few years, you still may not see all the possible options for using your hard-earned miles.

For example, partner airlines do not always appear. Even if it is, the website you are using may not show all available routes. A program may also allow for stops or other flexible redemption options — but these are not always obvious.

You can search the availability of prizes worldwide three great alliances in different ways, but no airline offers a perfect user experience. Some allow scheduled searches if you’re flexible about your dates, while others have really effective filtering options. If you’re just getting started, it’s a good idea to spend some time exploring the websites of the major US carriers (American, Delta, and United), but you can also start with a more general site like Google Flights or Transfer. Explore airlines that operate flights on the dates you want and filter by alliance or individual carrier.

Just remember that partner airlines don’t always appear online. With several prizes, your best bet might be calling.

You should also be familiar with tools such as ExpertFlyer (owned by TPG’s parent company, Red Ventures). Doing so can help you keep track of the hard-to-find rewards space to redeem your miles more efficiently.

Related: TPG Beginner’s Guide: Everything you need to know about points, miles, airlines, and credit cards

Rely on only one phone agent

Just as an airline’s website may not be entirely accurate, don’t assume their phone agents are always right. Many of them don’t understand routing rules or don’t know how Search inventory for awards on partner airlines. I often find that agents are not willing to search for days, simply tell me not available and end the call. Know your routing rules and agent instructions, if you need to.

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It can also be really helpful to develop an understanding of airline ticket class. In short, every airline ticket has a one- or two-letter fare code that corresponds to the type of ticket you have. And if you know the exact fare type to book an award ticket, you can ask the agent to confirm the ticket.

For example, Star Alliance standardizes award ticket fare categories across its 26 member airlines. X is economy class, I is business class, and O is first class. If you find a Star Alliance airline I-fare ticket, it can be booked through any airline’s frequent flyer program.

When you don’t get a satisfactory answer, a good strategy is to simply hang up and try again. Don’t assume a dealer knows more than you do — especially once you’ve confirmed that a prize space exists.

Do not search each segment

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Another important mistake happens when you book complex itineraries with multiple stops. Sometimes, I have a situation where a site pricing rewards is incorrect or doesn’t show all flight options for one or more reasons:

  1. Inability to combine two or more partner airlines.
  2. A low-end business class flight cannot be combined with a low-cost coach flight for fare pricing as a low-end business class reward.
  3. Trends “force” you to board airline flights.

Some sites allow you to search by segment using a “multi-city” search, but to be on the safe side, I usually search for one flight at a time. If I can’t access the website to match reasonable flights, I will call to book tickets. This way, I’m equipped with the exact flights I want and can feed them to the phone operator.

Unfortunately, it’s worth noting that this doesn’t always work. For example, American Airlines uses so-called “married segmentation” logic when pricing award tickets on its own flights. So if you find a flight from Philadelphia (PHL) to Los Angeles (LAX) via New York-JFK in need of savings — T in economy class or U in business class — that doesn’t mean you can automatically book JFK- LAX tickets.

Related: How to book your first reward flight using miles

Not flexible with date or airport

Airlines have complex systems in place to determine which flights are available for redemption. You might be out of luck if your travel plans are completely rigid. I understand that flexibility may not be possible in some cases, but sometimes being able to change your schedule for a day can make the difference between a successful exchange and being closed.

The same is true for choosing which airport to use. If you can’t initially find the prize you want from your home airport, expand your network. You could try an alternative gate just a little further, or consider starting from a large hub and booking a private locator flight to get there. Just be sure to allow enough time between.

Not planning ahead

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A common myth is that award tickets must be booked as soon as a flight is available. While such a policy may be necessary on certain routes and/or carriers, an increasing number of airlines are adjusting reward availability on a regular basis. However, that doesn’t mean you can wait until the last minute.

Consider these real-life situations that have happened to me over the years:

  • A family member came to me in mid-June and said he wanted to use his miles to fly business class to Europe next month.
  • In October, a friend approached me and asked about booking a business class bonus from the US to Cape Town, South Africa during the holiday season.

Seats on those routes may have been available six or ten months earlier, but not at the last minute during peak season.

Related: 6 reasons why now is the time to book travel with points and miles

Make a reservation and forget it

After you book any flight, you should check it periodically. For starters, possible schedule and equipment changes can completely mess up your itinerary, which could result in your chance to rebook (for free) on a single trip. fly more desirable. The sooner you can identify these changes, the easier it will be to find an alternative route.

Alternatively, you can book a coach award ticket but will then see business class availability weeks before departure. Depending on the airline, you may be eligible to move to a higher cabin with no change fees — although you do have to pay the difference in mileage.

Treat your flight reservations — both award tickets and cash bookings — as trees that need attention. Otherwise, you could fall victim to significant schedule changes or cancellations, jeopardizing your entire trip.

Related: Complete guide to changing and canceling award tickets

Ignore the possibilities of stopping and opening the jaw

Many airlines allow you build a free stop along the way to your destination or fly in and depart from different cities. These are great ways to maximize your award tickets without spending any (or many) additional miles.

For example, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan allows you to add free stops on international award flights — including one-way tickets. Meanwhile, United travel privileges offers the ability to add stops in a certain area on select round-trip reward itineraries, while Air Canada Aeroplan Allow stopping for 5,000 miles.

Alternatively, you can combine a pair of one-way reward flights using your mileage and then book a cheap cash ticket (or use another form of transportation) to travel between cities. city.

I did exactly this with my family in November 2022. We used Iberia Plus to book business class flights from Miami (MIA) to Dusseldorf, Germany (DUS) to kick off our vacation. me. We then used a rental car to explore the area as well as Luxembourg before setting off for Frankfurt (FRA). From there, we booked a Singapore Airlines New York-JFK one-way flight to enjoy the airline’s offer. Award-winning Suites.

In short, don’t limit yourself to a round trip. There are many ways to take advantage of flexible routing rules to visit other cities during your trip.

Related: Maximize stops and opening opportunities on award tickets

Paying unnecessary fees

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Ancillary fees are big business for airlines, and certain programs apply these fees to award tickets. Some airlines charge a departure fee from a specific area, while others add fuel surcharge. You should always look for alternative flight options to avoid these fees where possible.

There’s one thing in particular that you’ll want to pay attention to: phone booking fees. Agents often charge this extra when you call to redeem your miles, even for rewards that can’t be booked online. If a website doesn’t allow you to book flights, politely ask the toll-free phone agent to book tickets. After all, you didn’t choose to call; Friend Have to call.

Related: 9 super easy ways to save points when traveling to a new city

Buy miles to top up your balance when booking

You may have seen the message when you were trying to book an award flight and didn’t have enough miles. Instead of waiting, you can buy remaining mileage and book tickets now. Unfortunately, these investments can be quite expensive.

Instead, consider alternative methods to upgrade your account. This includes opening new credittotal score with friends or family membersor switch from programs alike Amex Membership Rewards or Chase the ultimate reward.

Exchange miles for something other than flights

I like choice, but flights are the way to go when redeeming miles. With very few exceptions, you should resist the urge to pursue other redemptions. Indeed, exchange Delta SkyMiles for a flight on peak travel days might not offer the best value, but it almost always beats what you can get using miles on merchandise or gift cards.

For the most part, you’ll get the most bang for your buck when you redeem your miles for award tickets.

Related: 7 best ways to redeem miles without flying

bottom line

Begin in the world of points and miles takes a lot of work and you will inevitably make mistakes along the way. However, educate yourself about the details of Book award tickets is an important first step to avoiding them.

Hopefully these recommendations will help hedge your own risk and ensure you get the most out of your rewards.

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