wigstheone
Nov 30, 01, 8:12 am
With 60,000 unused frequent-flier miles, George Eggert has a dilemma: A trip to Disney World or a digital videocamera?
The Chicago-area software salesman had thought about putting those miles toward a family trip to Orlando. But with today's long airport lines and jittery fliers, Mr. Eggert may get the videocamera. "Traveling doesn't appeal to me," he says.
Across the country, mile-heavy frequent-flier members are scrambling for ways to cash in their miles that don't involve the obvious: traveling. Instead of flying free to the Caribbean, they're trading in miles for Garth Brooks CDs, cut-rate floral arrangements, even coffee tables. Lately, some people have started doing their Christmas shopping with miles. MilePoint.com, a Web site that accepts miles for discounts on purchases, says its business jumped almost 45% in the past week alone.
But swapping miles for telescopes won't be as easy as it used to be. Not only are more fliers competing for non-flying awards, some airlines have been gradually phasing them out. Except for carriers that have partnerships with Web sites, only a few let frequent fliers exchange miles for merchandise. This year, American unveiled a partnership with AOL, allowing members to "buy" everything from DVDs to Sony PlayStations.
Another problem: Figuring out if a leather briefcase is worth 33,000 miles, enough to get a roundtrip ticket anywhere in the U.S. "Consumers have been educated to expect a certain value when it comes to redeeming miles," says Tim Winship of the Frequent Flier Crier newsletter. Now, they're being offered "a $12 CD for half the number of miles it might take to get a ticket. There's a disconnect there."
http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB1007085247908595120.htm
The Chicago-area software salesman had thought about putting those miles toward a family trip to Orlando. But with today's long airport lines and jittery fliers, Mr. Eggert may get the videocamera. "Traveling doesn't appeal to me," he says.
Across the country, mile-heavy frequent-flier members are scrambling for ways to cash in their miles that don't involve the obvious: traveling. Instead of flying free to the Caribbean, they're trading in miles for Garth Brooks CDs, cut-rate floral arrangements, even coffee tables. Lately, some people have started doing their Christmas shopping with miles. MilePoint.com, a Web site that accepts miles for discounts on purchases, says its business jumped almost 45% in the past week alone.
But swapping miles for telescopes won't be as easy as it used to be. Not only are more fliers competing for non-flying awards, some airlines have been gradually phasing them out. Except for carriers that have partnerships with Web sites, only a few let frequent fliers exchange miles for merchandise. This year, American unveiled a partnership with AOL, allowing members to "buy" everything from DVDs to Sony PlayStations.
Another problem: Figuring out if a leather briefcase is worth 33,000 miles, enough to get a roundtrip ticket anywhere in the U.S. "Consumers have been educated to expect a certain value when it comes to redeeming miles," says Tim Winship of the Frequent Flier Crier newsletter. Now, they're being offered "a $12 CD for half the number of miles it might take to get a ticket. There's a disconnect there."
http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB1007085247908595120.htm