airline miles a scam?

[Brother Adam]

Maybe those of you who have ever flown before (I've never been on a plane) can explain this whole "bonus miles thing" to me. It seems like a scam. For instance, I have a credit card offer from United that says if I only just use my card one time they will activate 20,000 bonus miles. Does that actually mean that I can buy any number of plane tickets as long as the total number of miles I'm flying is under 20,000?

[Birgitta Noel]

Nope, airline miles are not a scam. My huband and I flew first class to Maui on our honeymoon, I used them for my grandmother's funeral, and I am going to DC next month for a conference on them. Next summer we will go to China first class on them.

Miles are easy to accrue and you don't even have to fly to accrue them. However, most domestic flights require a minimum of 25,000 miles. So, 20,000 isn't enough for a free ticket. There are lots of ways to get the rest of the miles. Usually if you book a flt online you get miles (1,000), if you sign up for airline emails you get miles, etc etc etc. Some airlines have "malls" on their webpages so if you click through their site you get miles too.

Sometimes there are mile sales, my ticket to DC is one example, that flight would normally "cost" 25,000 miles, but I got it for 15,000.

You should be aware of the "value" of your miles though. You wouldn't want to use miles for a ticket that would cost you $200-$300 for example. But, our honeymoon, the tickets would have been $5,000 each, so it was worth the 75,000 miles that we spent on each ticket.

It's a game, and if you play it well you'll fly free.

[Brother Adam]

so in reality "one mile" is actually not the distance the plane travels. As I can't imagine your trip to DC being 25,000 miles away. A mile to this whole game is more like 'fake money'?

[Sojourner]

[quote name='Brother Adam' date='Sep 15 2005, 04:05 PM']so in reality "one mile" is actually not the distance the plane travels. As I can't imagine your trip to DC being 25,000 miles away. A mile to this whole game is more like 'fake money'?
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If you've actually flown, the miles refer to the number of miles you've flown, not those of a given individual trip. So, I've got 8,000 miles or so on Northwest right now, meaning I've flown a total of 8,000 miles on Northwest.

[Jaime]

Well it is a scam like mail in rebates are a scam. 90% of all frequent flier miles are not redeemed. Essentially it gives the airlines license to print money. If you use them, they're not a scam. I've used them dozens of times.

I currently have accrued 100,000 miles and now can have myself and another go to Europe for free.


Any takers?

[Sojourner]

[quote name='hot stuff' date='Sep 15 2005, 04:07 PM']Well it is a scam like mail in rebates are a scam.  90% of all frequent flier miles are not redeemed.  Essentially it gives the airlines license to print money.  If you use them, they're not a scam.  I've used them dozens of times.

I currently have accrued 100,000 miles and now can have myself and another go to Europe  for free. 
Any takers?
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Me me me!!! I want to go to Europe!

[Brother Adam]

Okay so....

If I get 20,000 bonus miles for this credit card it should work like this:

20,000 miles
-1,800 miles for two tickets to Michigan and back
18,200 miles left

Right?

[Sojourner]

[quote name='Brother Adam' date='Sep 15 2005, 04:10 PM']Okay so....

If I get 20,000 bonus miles for this credit card it should work like this:

20,000 miles
-1,800 miles for two tickets to Michigan and back
18,200 miles left

Right?
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No ... each ticket costs a certain number of miles. It's not like you redeem one mile for each mile you'd travel. So it is sort of like fake money. You accrue the miles by flying or, in your case, by applying for a credit card.

Like Birgitta said, it usually costs about 25,000 for one domestic ticket.

[Jaime]

[quote name='Brother Adam' date='Sep 15 2005, 04:10 PM']Okay so....

If I get 20,000 bonus miles for this credit card it should work like this:

20,000 miles
-1,800 miles for two tickets to Michigan and back
18,200 miles left

Right?
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[/quote]

Bad math

21,800 miles

When you hit 25,000 you're there

[Brother Adam]

So in reality -

$25,000 miles = 1 one way ticket in US
$100,000 miles = 2 tickets to Europe

?

Am I getting it now?

[Jaime]

[quote name='Sojourner' date='Sep 15 2005, 04:07 PM']Me me me!!! I want to go to Europe!
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We could go to Denmark where the pork based egg was created.

[Jaime]

[quote name='Brother Adam' date='Sep 15 2005, 04:18 PM']So in reality -

$25,000 miles = 1 one way ticket in US
$100,000 miles = 2 tickets to Europe

?

Am I getting it now?
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Take off the dollar signs and


By George I think he's got it!!

[Birgitta Noel]

[quote name='Brother Adam' date='Sep 15 2005, 04:18 PM']So in reality -

$25,000 miles = 1 one way ticket in US
$100,000 miles = 2 tickets to Europe

?

Am I getting it now?
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No, at least 25,000 miles for one [b]round-trip[/b] domestic ticket, it could be more though, there are only a certain number of seats available for ff-tx.

Check out this page from NWA, it's a mileage chart for certain routes....

[url="http://www.nwa.com/freqfly/direct/charts/us49.html"]MILE CHART[/url]

[Sojourner]

[quote name='hot stuff' date='Sep 15 2005, 04:18 PM']We could go to Denmark  where the pork based egg was created.
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:

I will never post on PM again on a deadline day. My mind is too fried to think straight. Kinda like those pork-based eggs.

[Brother Adam]

[quote name='hot stuff' date='Sep 15 2005, 05:20 PM']Take off the dollar signs and
By George I think he's got it!!
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Dollar sign to indicate that 'miles' are in fact, not miles, but a form of money.

[Jaime]

[quote name='Brother Adam' date='Sep 15 2005, 04:23 PM']Dollar sign to indicate that 'miles' are in fact, not miles, but a form of money.
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But they aren't.

Oooh and good catch on the one way thing. Yeah that was wrong

[Brother Adam]

regardless, the 'miles' don't act how I first preceived them to. 20,000 miles to me should mean that I can fly up to 20,000 miles for free.

I tore up the credit card offer I knew there had to be a catch.

[Jaime]

[quote name='Sojourner' date='Sep 15 2005, 04:22 PM']:

I will never post on PM again on a deadline day. My mind is too fried to think straight. Kinda like those pork-based eggs.
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[Totus Tuus]

Yup we use frequent flyer miles, and they're a good deal.

You've never flown? Lucky you

[homeschoolmom]

[quote name='Sojourner' date='Sep 15 2005, 04:07 PM']If you've actually flown, the miles refer to the number of miles you've flown, not those of a given individual trip. So, [b]I've got 8,000 miles or so on Northwest right now,[/b] meaning I've flown a total of 8,000 miles on Northwest.
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Sorry to hear it...