Airline miles used to be a secret travel weapon, but now they can be a source of frustration. With the rise of dynamic pricing, the cost of a ticket in points can be unpredictable. David Fleming, a travel rewards consultant, says that airline miles can still be valuable, but travelers need to be smart about how they use them.
Understanding Dynamic Pricing
Fleming explains that dynamic pricing ties the cost of a ticket to the number of points used. This means that the same flight can cost a different number of points on different days. For example, an Air France business class ticket from Los Angeles to Paris used to cost around 67,500 points, but now it can cost up to 700,000 points.
To get the most value out of airline miles, Fleming recommends being flexible with travel dates and booking refundable tickets as insurance. He also suggests using tools like Awayz to compare cash prices with award pricing and to find award availability.
Maximizing Value
Fleming uses a rough benchmark of 2 cents per point to determine whether a redemption is a good value. He also recommends keeping track of loyalty program balances and expiration dates to avoid wasting points. Additionally, he suggests being proactive and asking about paid upgrades at the gate or ticket counter.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
