Q – This airline business is uniquely frustrating and I am wondering if they make it intentionally tough to cash in miles? I currently have miles and elite status with American, Alaska, and United Airlines. I get e-mails and notifications but it is all very confusing and I tend t just give up and pay whatever they ask me for. Is there some way to make this easier? I do a lot of flying at age 73, but it is now mostly to visit family and friends. Two of my children are studying abroad, one in Milan, Italy and the other in San Paolo, so there is a good bit of traveling. I just hate the idea of leaving miles on the table. This is a well-run site and we have recommended it to our friends. You should advertise a bit. It never hurts.
A – Well, actually, they do make it complicated so that approximately 20% of all miles are never cashed in. There are a number of strategies but we don;t want to give you a strategy that is too challenging. We can understand why you are traveling overseas frequently – we wouldn’t buy the “study in Italy and Brazil” stories either. You can affiliate with a travel agency that does a lot of business air ticketing. They will have a program where, for a fee, they will keep careful track of your miles. They use computer programs that do this for them, Or, you can do it yourself by using one of the better Apps that manages airline miles. The two best are Awardwallet.com, and Points.com. Thank you for the advice. This site, as well as our others, is primarily designed to help our own clients navigate the complicated world of travel planning.
