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Are the amount of miles used to book airfare increasing?
Posted on 10/28/21 at 5:11 pm
Posted on 10/28/21 at 5:11 pm
Looking at a trip this summer and I have 230k miles through Delta. However, RT to just Ireland is 120k miles for just using miles but 135k for miles + cash.
Looked at London, Brussels, Prague, and Berlin and all seem to be higher for miles + cash than just using miles but also just higher in general.
Thought for 200+ thousand miles I would get more than just one trip out of it.
Looked at London, Brussels, Prague, and Berlin and all seem to be higher for miles + cash than just using miles but also just higher in general.
Thought for 200+ thousand miles I would get more than just one trip out of it.
8
Posted on 10/28/21 at 5:52 pm to tduecen
Yes.
Skymiles (sky pesos) have terrible redemption rates. Your best bet is to keep checking and hope to catch a sale. Otherwise you are looking at using all your miles to be routed through Detroit on your way to Europe on a 767. It is particularly bad now with demand outstripping capacity and airfare generally rising.
Other airlines are doing the same devaluation games.
Ther is little point in using a Skymiles credit card anymore. Better off with a Chase Sapphire, venture card or Amex for miles.
Skymiles (sky pesos) have terrible redemption rates. Your best bet is to keep checking and hope to catch a sale. Otherwise you are looking at using all your miles to be routed through Detroit on your way to Europe on a 767. It is particularly bad now with demand outstripping capacity and airfare generally rising.
Other airlines are doing the same devaluation games.
Ther is little point in using a Skymiles credit card anymore. Better off with a Chase Sapphire, venture card or Amex for miles.
Posted on 10/28/21 at 5:58 pm to SpringBokCock
I have the SkyMiles Card and Venture, companion pass is nice plus the luggage but not worth 450
Posted on 10/28/21 at 6:09 pm to tduecen
quote:
Are the amount of miles used to book airfare increasing?
This is always happening. Gets worse as the airlines tie miles to actual cost of ticket and get rid of award charts.
This post was edited on 10/28/21 at 6:12 pm
Posted on 10/28/21 at 7:25 pm to Teddy Ruxpin
I feel I should have used my miles years ago but kept holding off so I could book two trips in a year on miles
Posted on 10/28/21 at 8:23 pm to tduecen
If you lock yourself in to one airline's miles, then you may not be able to get the trip you want for a reasonable number.
That's why Amex, Chase, Citi, or Capital One points can be so valuable: they can be transferred to a number of airline frequent flier programs. Of course, learning the ins and outs of those programs, their sweet spots, limitations, etc. is a fair amount of work, but it's worth it for me.
But yeah, a RT in economy to Europe is historically 50-60k if booked in with normal award inventory. What airlines have done is offer, at a higher price, inventory that would otherwise be unavailable to book with miles.
That's why Amex, Chase, Citi, or Capital One points can be so valuable: they can be transferred to a number of airline frequent flier programs. Of course, learning the ins and outs of those programs, their sweet spots, limitations, etc. is a fair amount of work, but it's worth it for me.
But yeah, a RT in economy to Europe is historically 50-60k if booked in with normal award inventory. What airlines have done is offer, at a higher price, inventory that would otherwise be unavailable to book with miles.
Posted on 10/28/21 at 9:29 pm to GOP_Tiger
quote:
But yeah, a RT in economy to Europe is historically 50-60k if booked in with normal award inventory.
Which is why the people that aren’t lazy find better redemptions. We got RT business class to Madrid next May for 170k Avios for two. Amex had a 1:1.4 transfer to Avios to those two business class tickets cost me 120k MR points. Great redemption and I have a sleeping pods both ways for two. For the 50-60k price you quoted I got business class.
Posted on 10/28/21 at 9:53 pm to tduecen
Redemption values are only going to get worse. Hyatt is changing their reward in the spring to reflect demand. Earn those Chase points and be happy with 1.5x.
The key in the future for good redemptions will be flexibility in both time and destination.
The key in the future for good redemptions will be flexibility in both time and destination.
Posted on 10/29/21 at 6:35 am to tduecen
Yeah it’s pretty bad. I got a round trip on Delta July 2016 Atlanta-London for 55k miles. Those days are long gone.
Posted on 10/29/21 at 7:26 am to tduecen
It’s mostly just Delta. Their redemptions are typically horrible.
Posted on 10/29/21 at 9:12 am to tduecen
The major US airlines have all gone to dynamic pricing for award tickets and significantly devalued miles in recent years. They've become largely worthless. Marriott is following and doing the same now. The only good points value now is with Alaska, foreign partner airlines, and Hyatt.
This post was edited on 10/29/21 at 9:13 am
Posted on 10/29/21 at 11:35 am to tduecen
I use Chase points -> United. I've pretty much always been able to get most any international RT for 60k (economy). Lately I've seen a slight increase for many, but not much. Just checked MSY-> Slovenia RT (one I've been trying to re-book for the last 18months 
) and it was 63k.
) and it was 63k.Posted on 10/29/21 at 12:32 pm to VABuckeye
quote:
Which is why the people that aren’t lazy find better redemptions. We got RT business class to Madrid next May for 170k Avios for two. Amex had a 1:1.4 transfer to Avios to those two business class tickets cost me 120k MR points. Great redemption and I have a sleeping pods both ways for two. For the 50-60k price you quoted I got business class.
Yep, last year, I flew from MSY to Sulaymaniyah, Iraq in business class for 170k RT. This Christmas break, I'm flying to South Africa in biz for 75k each way (I booked that one way in advance, when South Africa was still in a huge COVID outbreak and demand was low).
It's all about learning the values of different programs and having multiple pools of miles and transferrable points.
If you only have airlines miles with one airline, and you don't have flexibility on your travel dates, you likely aren't going to get a good value for your miles.
Posted on 10/31/21 at 6:52 am to GOP_Tiger
I'm a Delta guy, through the years they've been my best flying experience so I kinda stick with them. Plus I don't have a Chase Preferred Card for points, been using my Venture Card for points right now but I don't have as many with it.
Did find some cheap deals with miles for US travel as RT to San Fran was 20k miles, New York was 22500, etc so I'll probably be looking to use the miles for local travel rather than international. Maybe I can use my venture points for international travel.
Did find some cheap deals with miles for US travel as RT to San Fran was 20k miles, New York was 22500, etc so I'll probably be looking to use the miles for local travel rather than international. Maybe I can use my venture points for international travel.
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