How Much Are Frequent Flier Miles Worth? Calculating your Own Valuations

Figuring out the value of your frequent flier miles is crucial for determining whether an award is a good deal, whether you should book a specific trip with cash or miles, which credit card bonus to sign up for, and which airlines to book an award on if you have several options. Perhaps because it can seem daunting to precisely calculate the value of a mile, I had seen no systematic attempts to do so mathematically when I first started writing this blog.

Free First Class Next Month: Using the MileValue Calculator

Hey! You're reading an outdated Free First Class Next Month series. Check out the latest version published in April of 2015 here.

This is the thirty-fourth post in a monthlong series that started here. Each post will take about two minutes to read and may include an action item that takes the reader another two minutes to complete. I am writing this for an audience of people who know nothing about frequent flier miles, and my goal is that by the end, you know enough to fly for free anywhere you want to go.

Free First Class Next Month: Using the MileValue Calculator

Hey! You're reading an outdated Free First Class Next Month series. Check out the latest version published in April of 2015 here.

This is the thirty-fourth post in a monthlong series that started here. Each post will take about two minutes to read and may include an action item that takes the reader another two minutes to complete. I am writing this for an audience of people who know nothing about frequent flier miles, and my goal is that by the end, you know enough to fly for free anywhere you want to go.

Choosing Between a Free Stopover and a Free Oneway on United Awards

United allows one free stopover on roundtrip awards. I've discovered and posted extensively on how this free stopover can be turned into a free oneway. See Free Oneways on United Awards.

A free oneway is a oneway trip to your home airport before your main award or from your home airport after your award. To unlock a free oneway, you need to conserve your United award's free stopover.

Why? Because you need to take that free stopover at your home airport.

Free First Class Next Month: Mile Value Calculator

Hey there, you're reading an outdated post! The updated series from April 2015 can be found here.

This is the twenty-ninth post in a monthlong series. Each post will take about two minutes to read and may include an action item that takes the reader another two minutes to complete.

Not Anatomy of an Award: Just Book with Cash

This is a blog about frequent flier miles. Almost everything I write is designed to help you accumulate miles and points efficiently then redeem them for free travel--up front if possible.

But sometimes using points for a ticket is a huge mistake. Sometimes, just book with cash. JBWC. I'll give two examples, and I'll tell you how to figure out whether you should book with cash or miles on a particular trip.

LAX to Honolulu

The first example comes from yesterday.

How Much Are SkyMiles Worth? The Value of Delta SkyMiles Part 3

This post is part of a four-part series. In Part 1, we looked at the mechanics of the Delta Airlines program. In Part 2, we looked at its award chart and rules to find valuable awards. In Part 3, we’ll value specific SkyMiles awards. In Part 4, I’ll put a number on one SkyMile.

Now that we’ve looked at the rules of the SkyMiles program, and we’ve looked at the chart to find some valuable awards, we’re going to value specific awards.

Free First Class Next Month: Using the Mile Value Calculator

Hey there, you're reading an outdated post! The updated series from April 2015 can be found here.

This is the twenty-ninth post in a monthlong series. Each post will take about two minutes to read and may include an action item that takes the reader another two minutes to complete.

How Much Are Mileage Plus Miles Worth? The Value of United Miles Part 3

This post is part of a four-part series. In Part 1, we looked at the mechanics of the United Mileage Plus program. In Part 2, we looked at the chart and rules to find valuable awards. In Part 3, we’ll value specific Mileage Plus awards. In Part 4, I’ll put a number on one Mileage Plus mile.

Now that we've looked at the rules of the Mileage Plus program, and we've looked at the chart to find some valuable awards, we're going to value specific awards.

How Much is an AAdvantage Mile Worth? The Value of American Airlines Miles Part 3

This post is part of a four-part series. In Part 1, we looked at the mechanics of the AAdvantage program. In Part 2, we looked at the mechanics of a stopover, including how to use them to get free oneway trips within North America. In Part 3, we’ll value specific AAdvantage awards. In Part 4, I’ll put a number on one AAdvantage mile.

Now that we understand the AAdvantage program, and in particular its stopover rules, it's time to value a few specific AAdvantage awards.