Worthless miles
#31
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,927
I was going to book a flight on United with United miles the other day and needed 2k more for my ticket. I booked the flight for both my girlfriend and myself and after I bought the extra miles for me, I realized that I couldn't pay for her ticket with a credit card and mine with points in the same transaction, so I ended up just paying for everything with the credit card. Does anyone know if I can get a refund for the 2k points I purchased from United?
No, you cannot get a refund on buying miles (United uses miles, not points). But I presume you will need those miles again in the future, so you'll have 2k extra then. Just make sure you know how to keep them expiring.
#32
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Land of the parrots and parrotheads
Programs: Several dozen
Posts: 4,820
However, if you bought Skymiles, the IRS does allow you to write off a worthless asset to create a tax savings.