boycruz

Want to fly SFO-YVR

Pushing 30000 miles on AS (never expire) rarely fly them

pushing 36000 miles on UA looking to top 40000 for roundtrip to asia
but can easily earn those 4000 miles through idining.

What would you do? Get rid of the AS miles I might never use?

Or pay the cheapo fare to YVR of 122 and get more on UA

Just curious to see what most people might do inmy situation

PS Cash flow not great but at 122 RT its a bargain

many thanks

moondog

The dilemma you raise is a very personal decision for most people (especially those here, who seem to care more about miles than the general public) -- dependent on individual flying patterns, personal finances, and priorities (e.g. do you care more about optimizing the value of your miles, saving for emergencies, or get extraordinary satisfaction by just watching them grow?)

Having said all that, I personally wouldn't dream of using miles to cover a $120 ticket, even with the new reduced mileage awards. My hurdle rate for a 15,000 mile ticket, taking into account the opportunity cost of forgoing current double miles promotions, would be around $450 (or around $.03 per mile), depending on the destination. But, as I said initially, everyone has their own opinions on this subject.

MRLIMO

A no brainer! Spend the $122.

drtravels

I agree.

Sagy

Pay the $122, an easy decision in my mind.

bbinchi

I would definitely buy the ticket for $122 and earn the UA miles.

richard

yup

paradocs

I agree with everyone else here. I only use miles for a last minute expensive fair or to upgrade (the latter being far more common for me).

tvl4free

$122...???? SUFFER! SUFFER! SUFFER! Caugh up the cash.

boycruz

Ok ok I get it
But !!! If u never plan to use AS
agian wouldnt it be better to off those miles? Has anyone else had miles with a carrier they never use and just dont want to sit there?
Just curious on USING Miles as we
all seem to want to accrue accrue accrue :-)

MileageAddict

If you don't plan on ever using the Alaska miles, please consider donating them to the American Red Cross.



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Addicted to airline miles? Check out: Mileage Workshop

Sagy

boycruz,

A day might/will come in which you will need to travel on a very short notice (=very high ticket price). That will be the time that I'll use the miles.

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Sagy

dgolds

You can use your Alaska miles for free travel on their partners - AA, CO, and NW. Plus, they never expire. I agree with the others, save them for later, especially for travel on short notice.

bbinchi

I chuckled when reading your last post because, at times, it does seem that all we do is accrue (read: hoard in my case) miles without ever using them. However, I agree with 'dgolds' and others about saving them for travel on short notice either on AS or its partners.

Now, I wonder when I'll start using my 500K AAdvantage miles; my 100K+ UA miles; 120K+ DL miles; 120K+ NW miles ... and 100K US miles. I know these mileage balances are a drop in the bucket compared to those of some FTers but, for me, they represent opportunity for several free tickets I would not otherwise be able to buy (international J or P class) or lots of international upgrades to J.

ErthCrclr

I'm the type of frequent flyer who uses accumulated miles toward award tix almost as fast as I earn them. I would rather travel a lot than go first class, and even I think the $122 is the obvious way to go here.