Very Likely, yes. So you’ll want to use them. Also, the airlines have been devaluing miles in recent months. That means it could take more miles to get the tickets you want. I’m from the school of thought, “If you have miles, use them.”

The only downside I find is that you have to be flexible. Award tickets are based on award space. What I do is a search for the best award space to suit your needs. The more flexibility you have, the more options I can come up with. Oh and taxes…that’s another downside. Those darn taxes. But there’s no way around that.

Think about it this way. Your points are like a currency. Miles are generally valued around 2 cents a piece (on average.) With that in mind, if a roundtrip ticket will require 25,000 miles, and you figure 25,000 miles x 2 cents each, you’re looking at a ticket valued at $500. But if you can buy that same ticket for under $500, seems to me you’re better off paying for the ticket outright.

Generally, you get the most bang for your buck when you use points for First and/or Business Class international travel. That’s because First and Business Class tickets can be 5,10,15 even $20,000 or more a piece! But if you know how to use your award miles effectively, you can get the same ticket on points.

It all varies from airline to airline. It could go anywhere from $2.50 per ticket to more than $1,000 per ticket.

Sure, I do all types of bookings. I’ll search for the lowest paid fares too. I can also help plan travel and put together extensive itineraries.

Absolutely. And I’ll tell you right away if you are better off using your points for just paving for a ticket.

I sure can!!