What's your favorite Airline Miles Program?

If you're like me, you're probably a member of every single one under the sun.  United Mileage Plus?  check.  American Airlines AAdvantage?  check.  Southwest Rapid Rewards?  check.  Delta Skymiles, Hawaiian Miles, US Air Dividend Miles? check, check and check.  Plus other, but you get the idea.

But here's the rub.  I've flown each of them at least once in my life.  Several times for others.  But only one of them has ever allowed me to take a flight for free.

That would be Southwest Rapid Rewards.  I have flown Singapore Air to Japan, Hawaiian Airlines to Hawaii, American to New York, but everytime sought out the best deal rather than the being loyal to one airline for the miles.  Is that the best strategy?  Hmmm... interesting question, maybe I'll take that on in a minute.  In the meantime, let's talk about these programs.

Most of them are pretty similar.  They work on an actual miles travelled system.  Fly from LA to NY and you get about 2,400 miles each way.  Close to five thousand round trip.  Do that five times and you amass the 25,000 miles required for a domestic, continental 48 states round trip ticket.  Cross country flights work pretty well for mileage programs.  Depending on when you travel, you may be able to find a flight from LA to NY for around $250.  a Free flight after five flights, or $1,250 spent?  That's a remarkable deal. 

The problem is that we aren't necessarily travelling the maximum number of miles each time, and the ticket may be just as expensive.  For example, every summer I fly to Portland.  From Los Angeles a round trip to Portland, Oregon will run you $200.  The problem from a miles perspective, is that Portland is only 820 miles from LA.  So all of a sudden, it's going to take 31 flights to get to a free ticket.  Wow!  I guess that's what they mean by "Frequent Flier."

I have taken multiple flights via Southwest thanks to their Rapid Rewards program.  Here's what I like about this program.  Instead of awarding flights based on miles, they award points based on flights.  So, a flight on Southwest is one point each way.  It used to be two points each way when you book on line, but they reduced to 1.5, and recently back to one.  Oh well.  It was a phenomenal program when you got two points per trip, four per round trip!

It takes 16 points to earn a free roundtrip flight.  You can also earn a half a point for car rentals or hotel stays from select companies.  So, I travel to San Jose/San Francisco about once a month for business.  I usually fly into San Jose, rent from Dollar and stay at the Hampton Inn or Hilton Garden.  Under any other program I would get about 300 each way for the flight, so 600 total.  If they were partnered with a car rental company, I might get 500 miles, and likewise for the hotel stay.  Let's be generous and say that I would get 1,100 miles for this trip.  It would only take me 23 trips to get a round trip ticket.

With Southwest I get my two points for the flight, half a point each for the car rental and hotel stay.  That's three points for the trip.  This means that after six trips, I get a free flight.  The downside, your points are only good for 24 months.  If you fly infrequently, this won't work for you.  You have to be flying Southwest at least 3-4 times per year.

For me, because of my short, but frequent flights, this makes the most sense.  If your only travel is long cross country or international flights, other programs may make more sense.  Also, if your destinations are varied, a local provider such as Southwest may not work for you.  So, I guess my advice is to understand your travel habits.  Research how each program works, as they are not all the same.  Also, look into the alternative ways that you can earn miles or points within their program.  Some have no annual fee credit cards, others don't.  Some partner with hotels, but not all of them.

Let me know what your favorite is.

Comments

[Amanda]

I've been pretty loyal to American Airlines for a while now. Sometimes I go over to United because I have a balance of miles with them too, but no where near my AAdvantage balance... I always check with American first before booking a flight and sometimes do extra research to see if I can get on an AA flight before any other...

[City Girl]

I don't have a favorite. I go with whichever ticket is cheapest. Then again, I also don't fly that often. Maybe that's why I still can't afford a free ticket with my miles :-)