Miles are Dead For Inflexible Travelers

October 2017
Read Offline

Six feet under. Pushing up daisies. Dead as a doornail. Gone.

That’s your hard-earned miles we’re talking about if you think like most people do.

First the bad news—don’t worry, we’ll get to the good news in a minute.

I’m always asking my team to dig up good mileage-seat availability on major routes, so FCF subscribers can quickly, easily, and cheaply use their miles/points to fly in Business or First Class on major airlines every day, which you already realize. That’s part of our value proposition to you, as are the great deals we send out in Daily Alerts from our Newsroom several days a week.

Sounds simple, right? Not really.

The thing is, way more often than not, we come up with goose eggs! It’s almost unbelievable how many airlines offer zero or next-to zero availability on major routes. I tell the team to go back and check again, but same story.

So this special report is about how to make an omelet out of a goose egg (plus where the lucrative availability is).

Do You Think Like Most Travelers?
Hopefully Not

Contessa watches Moulin Rouge on Netflix and says, “Hey, let’s go to Paris!” She books Le Hotel Fromage on the Left Bank. She chooses June because, well, no particular reason—she’s on a roll! Let’s do it!

Then she says, “Hey we’ve got a stack of miles, let’s use them for nice Business or First Class seats!”

She does so and thinks, “Whoa, all low-cost mileage awards are gone. Those sure are expensive flights, but what can you do? Gotta get to Paris now that I’ve booked Le Hotel Fromage for June.”

Now, here at FCF, we think what she’s doing is sheer MADness. As in M.A.D.: Miles Are Dead-ness. We think it’s inflexible thinking, and we want to persuade you that there’s a much better way to go about it.

Call 911: My Miles Aren’t Breathing

Your Miles Will Be Dead (or will certainly appear that way when you go to use them) if:

  • You’re locked into one of the three big U.S. carriers.
  • Your credit card isn’t “multi-currency” or linked to lots of mileage programs.
  • You have no time/date flexibility.
  • You have no destination flexibility—“Paris or nothing!”
  • You book land before air.
  • You book cruise before air.

Mindset Matters Most

If you can change your mindset about how to book travel, you greatly increase the odds of using those miles, because you’re not working against the airlines, you’re working with them. If you’re counting on a deal that perfectly fits your already-locked-in plans, the odds are slimmer than an economy seat.

Take flash miles availability for example on American Airlines. It occasionally has flash miles availability but it can be here and gone in a day, or even a couple of hours. (Thus the word “flash”.) Otherwise, forget about it.

The American Nada Routes

‘Example’ routes on which AA had no low-cost mileage seats so far this year:

  • Dallas-Rio de Janeiro in Business Class
  • Dallas-Hong Kong in Business and First Class
  • Chicago-Shanghai in Business Class
  • Los Angeles-Sao Paulo in Business Class
  • Dallas-Madrid in Business Class
  • Chicago-Venice in Business Class
  • Miami-London in First Class
  • Los Angeles-London in First Class

Then there’s regional opportunity. Some cities hardly ever see great deals. Tel Aviv on Delta and United rarely sees Business Class award space, so don’t hold your breath for that. Lately too, opportunities to the South Pacific have been rarer than a Fiji iceberg on the major three U.S. airlines.

More Nada

More 'example' routes on which the major three U.S. airlines have no low-cost award seats:

       

Mileage Upgrades Are Dead, Too


On U.S. airlines, these used to be the most dependable option. It’s how I flew in the 90s and 00s, and how many elites have flown up until the last couple of years, given that U.S. airlines allocated many more seats for upgrades than for free tickets. American and United have all but abandoned them—even though they come with $1,100+ surcharges.

[aside headline="Some Recent Alerts with First Class Availability" alignment="alignright" width="half" headline_size="default"]

[/aside]

First Class: Dead (For the Unaware), Too

Same story, unless you think beyond the Bermuda triangle (American-Delta-United) and look at airlines such as All Nippon, Cathay Pacific, British Airways, Emirates, Lufthansa, and Korean Air. On these carriers, First Class availability can be quite good, with two or more seats often available depending on the route.

Which brings us back full circle to those flexible and friendly multi-currency credit cards.

There are Miles and then there are Smiles

Smiles, or “smart miles”, are those delivered by the multi-currency credit cards we mentioned just above. We speak of them often at FCF, most recently here.

The great advantage of these cards is that the points you accrue can be turned into miles on more than one airline.

Starwood has long been an FCF favorite because it partners with more than 40 airlines. That’s a lot of choice.

And for all you “there is only one Paris” travelers, well yes, there is only one Paris, apart from the one in Texas. But there’s more than one way to get there.

For example, if you see a great mileage award availability deal to Frankfurt or another European city, consider including it in your trip. Frankfurt and Paris are only four and half hours apart by train—some might even say, it is a great way to see Europe.

So it’s easy really. If you’re able (and more people are much more able than they think), you can increase the chances of a great mileage deal by being flexible. Take off the blinders and think air before land. Think about getting a credit card that makes it easy to be flexible. Think wider than just one destination city. It could be enough to put a smile in every mile.

YOU CAN’T ALWAYS USE MILES TO
GO EXACTLY WHERE YOU WANT—
BUT YOU CAN USUALLY GET SOMEWHERE YOU’LL LOVE

Sometimes the best experiences are the ones you never bargained for. It’s a big world full of wonderful cities and people. If you’re flexible, you can get to more of them than you ever dreamed of. So when you see a list like the one above, you think: “Yeah, that’d be way cool to go there, and like lightning in a bottle, I can grab it now.”

IN SUMMARY: Reap With The Upgrade Mindset

The Conclusion: A big part of The Upgrade Mindset (TUM) is looking at the glass half-full. That’s easier said than done, if you have your blinders on and are an inflexible traveler:

Let’s boil this all down, starting with the facts:

#1: Airlines will only ever offer so many seats for miles redemption.

#2: They offer them so sporadically (routes and dates), that you will inevitably be disappointed, unless you’re lucky.

#3: Given the odds, most are usually unlucky.

#4: Unlucky travelers get disenchanted, and largely give up.

#5: This makes for fewer seat-searchers.

#6: Less ‘competition’ is better for you and me (i.e. fewer travelers looking for seats, more seats for fewer travelers).

Lucky #7: Those in the know, who take advantage Flash Miles/Points Availability Deals outwit everyone.

Consider yourself in the know, and check out our Flash Miles/Points Availability Alert Newsroom. It shows when you can use your miles to fly the world over, if you’re in the mood to reap.

Nurse—I think we’ve got a pulse!

back full circle to those flexible and friendly multi-currency credit cards.

There are Miles and then there are Smiles

Smiles, or “smart miles”, are those delivered by the multi-currency credit cards we mentioned just above. We speak of them often at FCF, most recently here.

The great advantage of these cards is that the points you accrue can be turned into miles on more than one airline.

Starwood has long been an FCF favorite because it partners with more than 40 airlines. That’s a lot of choice.

And for all you “there is only one Paris” travelers, well yes, there is only one Paris, apart from the one in Texas. But there’s more than one way to get there.

For example, if you see a great mileage award availability deal to Frankfurt or another European city, consider including it in your trip. Frankfurt and Paris are only four and half hours apart by train—some might even say, it is a great way to see Europe.

So it’s easy really. If you’re able (and more people are much more able than they think), you can increase the chances of a great mileage deal by being flexible. Take off the blinders and think air before land. Think about getting a credit card that makes it easy to be flexible. Think wider than just one destination city. It could be enough to put a smile in every mile.

YOU CAN’T ALWAYS USE MILES TO GO EXACTLY WHERE YOU WANT— BUT YOU CAN USUALLY GET SOMEWHERE YOU’LL LOVE

Sometimes the best experiences are the ones you never bargained for. It’s a big world full of wonderful cities and people. If you’re flexible, you can get to more of them than you ever dreamed of. So when you see a list like the one above, you think: “Yeah, that’d be way cool to go there, and like lightning in a bottle, I can grab it now.” 

IN SUMMARY: Reap With The Upgrade Mindset

The Conclusion: A big part of The Upgrade Mindset (TUM) is looking at the glass half-full. That’s easier said than done, if you have your blinders on and are an inflexible traveler:

Let’s boil this all down, starting with the facts:

#1: Airlines will only ever offer so many seats for miles redemption.

#2: They offer them so sporadically (routes and dates), that you will inevitably be disappointed, unless you’re lucky.

#3: Given the odds, most are usually unlucky.

#4: Unlucky travelers get disenchanted, and largely give up.

#5: This makes for fewer seat-searchers.

#6: Less ‘competition’ is better for you and me (i.e. fewer travelers looking for seats, more seats for fewer travelers).

Lucky #7: Those in the know, who take advantage Flash Miles/Points Availability Deals outwit everyone.

Consider yourself in the know, and check out our Flash Miles/Points Availability Alert Newsroom. It shows when you can use your miles to fly the world over, if you’re in the mood to reap.

Nurse—I think we’ve got a pulse!

No items found.