For the past few years, even in the middle of the pandemic, Patricia Winder has been logging about 10,000 miles a month flying across the country for her job managing construction projects for a real-estate developer. Her travels—typically in the front of the plane—have earned her Diamond status on Delta Air Lines along with many mileage points. But it hasn’t earned her what she really wants: A pair of business-class tickets for a long-promised European vacation with her husband. She shed some points for a family trip but still holds more than 350,000 miles, saying, “Every time I try to cash them in, it seems it’s never enough”—an increasingly common lament among fliers. “It has gotten a lot harder now,” said David Hotz, vice president of operations for Cranky Concierge, a flight- and award-booking service. “I once flew first class to Southeast Asia from Washington, D.C., for 80,000 miles. Now people are forking over that much to go from Wichita to Atlanta.” From these words come out the tips for making the most of your airline miles.
Going forward
Even before the pandemic, award requirements were rising. Now, with more people sitting on stockpiles, the competition for free flights and upgrades is even fiercer. Big-spending homebodies earned miles without ever setting foot in a plane, racking up points putting Peloton bikes and groceries on their plastic. Though they and others may be looking at their piles of miles as a sort of travel savings plan that will be there when they want it, they could be making a mistake. “Points continue to be devalued,” said Gary Leff, founder of the air travel website View from the Wing. “The time to act is now.” So, what to do? Here, some overarching advice and specific tips from mileage experts.
People needed tips for making the most of your airline miles, now they need even more. Price are rising and we all need to try to face the situation, without renouncing to explore the world. After lockdowns and restrictions, now it is possible to go back to a sort of normality and we can’t miss the chance. We have to take advantage of the opportunities to save money and to get always the maximum from experiences.
The best tips for making the most of your airline miles
There is only one way to use airline miles and get benefits from it. You can collect them even using a credit card in your daily life and then purchase your tickets for free and fly everywhere.