Redeeming award flights will usually be the best use of your points and miles, but people often run into two obstacles: not having enough points or miles, and not being able to find available flights for a decent price. These are two problems that can be solved with a bit of know-how or a little help

If a little help is what you want, I offer Concierge Service – guaranteeing you the best award flight options based on your needs

You need basic knowledge of the airline award industry in order redeem flights for decent value. To get awesome value, you’ll need to dive deep. Subscribing to my newsletter is a great way to begin your journey into the world of award travel

Frequent Flyer Facts

• It’s common to find cheaper award flights using partner programs

An Economy Class award ticket on Turkish Airlines from Istanbul to Tbilisi, Georgia costs 10,000 points and $150 using Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles. The same flight booked via United Airlines costs 8,000 points and $20

• A program offering the best Economy class redemption does not always offer the best Business class redemption

A Business Class award ticket on the flight above would cost 45,000 miles and $20 booked via United Airlines. Using Aeroplan, it would cost 15,000 miles and $80

• Some programs are more expensive to book last minute, while others do not change pricing

If you want to book an award flight from Los Angeles to Malaysia on Singapore Airlines using Krisflyer miles, you usually need to book months in advance to get a 42,000 Saver Award – otherwise you’ll be paying 70,000 for an Advantage Award

I can book a similar flight 6 months from now or a flight tomorrow using American Airlines AAdvantage, and it will cost me 37,500 miles

• You can earn miles for your preferred airline program regardless of the airline you fly

There are 3 big airline alliances: Star Alliance, Oneworld, and SkyTeam. You should identify a frequent flyer program within each alliance that serves you best. Be sure to register your frequent flyer membership number with the airline you purchase from in order to earn miles in your desired program

For example, American Airlines AAdvantage regularly has the best Oneworld redemptions available. AAdvantage miles are difficult to earn outside of flying or opening a cobranded credit card (there is no transfer partner). When I fly a Oneworld partner, I always earn AA miles by choosing to use my AAdvantage frequent flyer number

Where To Begin

If you are new to the world of points, miles, and award travel – finding an award flight that is both convenient and good value for your points can be a daunting task. Below is a step-by-step guide to ease this process

1. Identify which frequent flyer programs your points will transfer to, and which programs you already have miles in

All credit card providers have multiple transfer partners. They all have at least one transfer partner within each alliance

Take note of miles you already have within a frequent flyer program. In some programs these miles expire. It may be worthwhile to book an award flight that is slightly more expensive to make use of miles that would otherwise expire

2. Search within the programs identified above to see which ones offer redemptions for your desired route

If you don’t find options for your departure or arrival airports, be sure to check nearby airport hubs. It may be worth repositioning to a larger airport to redeem a better flight

3. Take note of available transfer bonuses

Credit card providers frequently offer transfer bonuses of 20%-40% to an airline frequent flyer program. This can save you 100s of dollars worth of points

4. Check for any promotions being offered by the frequent flyer program

It’s common for airlines to offer 15%-40% discounts on award travel. These promotions usually require you to book within a specific time frame, and fly between specific dates

5. Take note of available free stopovers

Stopovers are not the same as layovers. A stopover means that you are stopping along your journey for a period of time before continuing to your final destination. Many airline programs offer free stopovers when making specific types of redemptions. These stopovers may be allowed at a city you’d normally have a layover in, or they may offer a free flight to a nearby city

For example, Singapore Airlines allows 1 free stopover when redeeming a round-trip Economy Saver award or a 1-way Advantage award. The stopover may be in Singapore or any other city that would normally be a layover on your route. Icelandair offers free stopovers in Iceland to promote tourism in the country. The United Airlines Excursionist Perk is far more complicated to use, but opens up a world of possibilities

6. Compare your options

By now you should have identified a few options. Be sure to take note of the fees charged on top of the miles required. At minimum, 1 point or mile is worth 1 cent. You can get far better value than this though. Compare your options considering the miles required and fees charged to identify the actual cost. Once cost is figured out, compare the options based on convenience – flight times, routes, quality of airline, type of plane, etc…

Not all points are equal, and this is definitely based on personal preference. There are times I’ll choose a slightly more expensive redemption depending on the type of points required. I like to save my Chase points for Hyatt and United Airlines redemptions – personal preference

7. Make a decision

Good redemptions can disappear quickly – especially Business Class award tickets. If you find an option that meets your needs and is of good value, I recommend making the booking. Award flights usually offer more flexibility than cash flights if you need to make changes or cancel

8. Transfer points and redeem immediately

When transferring points from a credit card to a frequent flyer program, always transfer the exact number of points you need to make the booking. Most credit card points don’t expire. Many airline miles do

Be sure to redeem your miles for your desired flights immediately. You don’t want the flight to disappear, leaving you with non-transferable miles stuck in a program

9. Don’t have enough points or miles?

Sign up for a new credit card to earn a sign-up bonus. There are plenty of credit cards available with attractive SUBS for spending $2,000 to $6,000 within a specific time period. These SUBS can be enough for a 1-way Business redemption, or a roundtrip international Economy redemption

Clearly, it makes no sense to spend $3,000 on a credit card to earn points for a redemption flight worth $1,500. It does make sense when the $3,000 is spent on things you’d be paying for anyways – insurance, daycare, phone bills, etc…

Always be sure to pay your credit card off on time. Paying interest quickly outweighs the benefit of points or miles you earn from the card. Be sure to read through our Credit Card Strategy to learn more

10. Sound like a lot of work?

Not a problem! Our Concierge Service is the cheapest you will find online. For $50 we will provide you the best options available based on your needs, preferences, and points and miles available. With a subscription, our Concierge Service is 50% off